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The secret from Sydney is finally revealed.

Back in the mid-80's when pop music had become more heartless than ever, at a time when that disgusting tsunami of "New Wave" was at its peak of commercial success, two bands from London, were busy developing a unique sound by combining Irish/Celtic folk songs to rock'n'roll songs. Then adding the attitude of punk rock in for good measure. It was 1985, and the first band was The Pogues, who had finished recording the greatest album of all time, (Rum, Sodomy & the Lash. You may have heard of it!) and The Men They Couldn't Hang were busy with "Night Of A 1000 Candles". Little did we know about a third band that was forming within the inner city wastelands of Newtown, a slum district in Sydney, Australia. Roaring Jack they were called, and roar they damn well would. They gave a little bit more than a simple nod to left-wing politics, it was more like a clenched fist in the air. Roaring Jack were mixing traditional songs into their own and adding some highly intelligent and political lyrics on top of them. Mostly supporting the working class, they also had songs about the highland clearances, the English policy of "Divide and Rule", and even Communism. For the next five years they left a startling impression on the Australian music scene. With their first EP, "Street Celtability" (1986) they tore up the local indie charts, going all the way to #1. The band describes themselves as "A Celtic folk band, spiked, gelled, and electrified using the traditional forms and playing styles of Scots and Irish music to carry tales of class struggle and ordinary madness." Two years later, they released "The Cat Among The Pigeons" (1988) and the band was now headlining major Australian rock venues as well as opening for overseas acts including Billy Bragg, The Men They Couldn't Hang, and the mighty Pogues. "The Cat Among The Pigeons" was nominated for an Australian Music Industry Association (AIRA) award. The third and final album "Through The Smoke Of Innocence" (1989) also received another (AIRA) nomination.

Then suddenly, the band called it quits and the inferno Roaring Jack had lit dimmed into smoke before it could leave the shores of Australia. Silence prevailed. It was 1991, and on the other side of the globe, The Men They Couldn't Hang had also basically quit, and The Pogues gave Mr. MacGowan the boot. (Or the other way around, depending on whom you ask!) The creators of this new sound of Celt-folk-meets-punk came and went.......like a breeze in the air. Roaring Jack went into relative obscurity, a secret the Aussies kept to themselves. Luckily, the seed was already planted. The music these three bands created would continue. Within a year or two, bands such as The Mahones, The Tossers, The Real McKenzies, and others would begin to turn up their amps, and tune up those mandolins.

As I reached into my mailbox, I grabbed a CD package. I tore it open within a second or two, and had in my hands a copy of The Complete Works of Roaring Jack. It was judgement day. I had heard all about this band for months, so I stormed into the house toward the CD player. The double album has just been re-released by a small German label, Jump Up Records. I grabbed a seat as I turned the volume up. Within seconds my eyes lit up, and a smile grew upon my face. I usually don't go out a buy an album based on a whim, let alone an album recorded in the late 1980's. So when I heard a few songs I gave a huge sigh of relief! The best way to describe Roaring Jack, is to look at who they opened up for on gigs across Australia. Pretend for a moment that Billy Bragg had a Glaswegian accent, and he sang for The Men They Couldn't Hang. That's how I’d describe it. The band actually sounds a bit harder than TMTCH, and I’ll admit, on a song, or two, it's slightly dated in an 80's kind of way, but I will also say this, Roaring Jack is the real thing! I place them right up there with the best bands of this genre. (What the hell is this genre, anyway?) RJ is also one of the most political bands to rise from this genre. (With a nod to The Tossers, Devil's Advocates, etc.) Lead singer, Alistair Hulett is an absolute amazing songwriter. Check out his solo folk stuff. http://www.folkicons.co.uk/alistair.htm/

The Complete Works have all three albums Roaring Jack recorded, dating from 1986 to 1990, plus a few outtakes. The back cover actually says 1978 on it instead of 1986, but don't be fooled. I'm sure a typesetter down at the record label knocked back a few prior to printing the sleeve notes. Even some of the songs are spelled incorrectly, (but I can't really complain about that 'cause we here at S'n'O are guilty of that offense every other review, except for Sean.) The first album was called "Street Celtability" (1986 (tracks 1-6)) I feel it's the more raw and unpolished out of the three. It is also my favorite section of the entire double album. Second was "The Cat Among The Pigeons" (1988 (tracks 6-19)) It captured RJ in it's prime. Containing some of the most top-notch lyrics I have read in a long, long time! Finally we have "End Of Innocence" (1989 (tracks 1-12 + B-sides13-16)) and features a change in the overall sound of the band. It sounds the darkest of the three. It's almost like the celt-meets-folk-meets-punk feel is not quite gone, but more in the background on this one. Almost like the band was stretching in uncomfortable positions. It still has some gems on it, but not as quite as golden compared to the previous two. I'm not going to describe this entire album track by track because, that would take too long. There's simply is just too much information, and too many topics to explain. If you are even slightly interested in this CD, I highly suggest buying it. The lyrics in the liner notes alone are worth the money. I know a few people who bought it online at http://www.musikfolk.com/ (should be available through S'n'O soon) I have heard a couple of bootlegs, and they should have released a live album. Those bootlegs sound EVEN BETTER than the studio works! I wish I could have witnessed it live. I've heard about these legendary performances, and dream that it was 1987, and that I was a drunken Aussie living in Sydney, watching Roaring Jack play live every weekend!!

Out of the Pogues, TMTCH, and Roaring Jack, each and every one reunited for a spell or two. After a long rest, (hangover?) The Pogues as we all know, reformed in 2001. What comes from that I can't tell you, but I'd love to see them together for good. TMTCH also reformed, and currently have some projects to release sometime soon. Even Roaring Jack had a lightning quick Australian reunion tour back in 1995, so it could happen again folks, and it should happen again! So get the album, crank up the volume, read the lyrics, and hope that they will reunite again. This time we are in on the secret! There's not much information on the net, with the exception of Andy Carr's fantastic Roaring Jack site, located in the links section of Shite'n'Onions or if your a drunken lazy bastard click here, http://www.angelfire.com/folk/roaringjack/

Review by Brian Gillespie

http://www.angelfire.com/folk/roaringjack/

The Germans are a very different bunch of people to the Irish; their trains run on time (the Irish trains don’t), they make excellent automobiles (the Irish don’t make any). Jeeze, the even like to pay their taxes (and on time). Yet Irish culture has always gone down a storm in Germany. Every town has at least one Irish pub; the Dubliners were near superstars; the Pogues were huge, I can name six Pogues-ish German bands of the top of my head. So it’s no surprise to now hear Germanys answer to the Dropkick Murphys, The Porters.

Think the Business covering the Dubliners greatest hits with just a touch of a Klaus Meine on the vocals. 16 Traditional covers in all (I’ll Tell me Ma / Galway Bay / Sam Hall / The Leaving of Liverpool / The Button Pusher / Weile Waila / The Green Fields of France / A Jar of Porter / Irish Soldier Laddie / The Molly McGuires / Whiskey on a Sunday / Danny Farrell / Off to Dublin in the Green / Four Green Fields / The Leaving of Liverpool (pub version) / The Rising of The Moon.) Definitely for those of you who loved the DKM’s version of “Finnegans Wake” and “Rocky Road to Dublin”. Only a 1,000 of these suckers made so you might want to move fast.

http://www.theporters.de/

Finally!!! Those kilted punk bastards from Vancouver got a live album out. And they sure as hell were in no hurry! What the hell am I saying, you may be asking? I'm saying the album was recorded three years ago up in Vancouver, B.C. January 25, 2000 otherwise known as Robbie Burns Day. I am very pleased these guys finally have something live recorded, considering they are one of the top live acts I’ve seen in the last few years! It gives those folks who have never seen a Real McKenzie show an idea of what they are missing. (And it reminds those of us who always show up drunk, a chance to hear it sober for a change!) There is also a DVD version of this concert that is a must have for any RM fan. The album has 16 tracks from everybody's favorite chaotic kilted ceilidh band, The Real McKenzies.

The album opens up with the lads warming up with a drum/guitar/bagpipe combination designed to get all the lushes off the barstools and onto the dance floor. As soon as everybody has focused on the band, they break into "My Bonnie", a traditional dandy every bastard should sing along to! On to the third song "Scots Wha' Ha'e" we hear a Burns song that has been 'updated' by the band. Next up is "Tae The Battle", followed by "Will Ye be Proud", a song about being proud of your heritage, whatever that may be. Track 6 is one of my all time favorites, "King O' Glasgow", a song about a workin' lad by the name of MacTavish, and about the trouble he can get in during a weekend drinkin' bender in Glasgow. Track 7 is the "Sawney Beane Clan", a true tale about a clan of cannibals up in the highlands years ago. "Bastards" is a song dedicated to friends, to each and everyone one! Up next is "Stone Of Kings" it's a song about a big rock the English stole from the Scots years ago. Ancient kings of Scotland were crowned upon the Stone of Scone back in the day. (And for anyone keeping score, the rock has been returned!) The next song on the Real McKenzie menu is "Scottish & Proud" and I’m sure you get the idea what it's about without even hearing it! Track 11 is "Haggises", Track 12 is "Another Round", Track 13 "Auld Mrs. Hunt", and as Paul McKenzie points out, it's an old Glaswegian limerick, about 85 seconds long, so you know it's fucking good! Track 14 is "Thistle Boy", a great live song, and fun is to slam to (either in the pit, at the bar, or in the taxi/bus, on your way home from a RM gig!!) On track 15, "Auld Lang Syne" (another Burns song) we finally hear a confession from the band.....They're piss drunk!!! Did I mention piss drunk? The final track on the album is an old traditional titled "Loch Lommond". You take the high road, and I’ll take the low road..............

Review and Scottish history lesson provided by Professor Brian Gillespie (S'n'O Lush Dept.)

http://www.realmckenzies.com/

There used to be a band from Belfast called the Norwegians, there is a band from Moscow called Belfast so it should be of no surprise that a band called The Ukrainians come from the Yorkshire area of England. The Ukrainians were formed as a side project by Peter Solowka of early 90’s NME indie darlings The Wedding Present but the band quickly took a life of it’s own and grew beyond anyone’s expectations.

Basically The Ukrainians are trying to do for traditional Ukrainian music what the Pogues did for Irish and to be honest there isn’t much of a difference. The sons of exiles marring the traditional music they heard at home with the music of the street they grew up with. Think of The Sex Pistols crossed with mandolins, accordions and Ukrainian lyrics. They even cover “Anarchy in the UK” and “Pretty Vacant”. Good stuff.

http://www.the-ukrainians.com/

Click to Purchase

I’m going to keep this review short as I recently reviewed their excellent precursor 4-track demo (For the Southern Belles of South Boston - April ’02. I think I called’em the Beverly Hills Hillbillies bastard Boston cousin or something to this effect). For those who don’t know or can’t bother their arse to check back to that review Three Day Threshold play moonshine inspired, turbo charged, banjo infused American Rock’n’Roll Country music with a bullhorn thrown in for good effect. Compared to the demo the full-length is longer (obviously) with 13 tracks, the sound is A+ (expected) and the songs are bloody good (and highly original.) A good buy.

http://www.threedaythreshold.com/

"The Peelers are my favorite band in Canada!"- Fintan McConnell, The Mahones

On the eve of the 21st century, in a cold-ass farmhouse kitchen in Glengarry County, Ontario, four drunken Canucks decided to start the biggest, baddest celtic band in the country. And they sure sound pretty close! For the past three years they have torn up the pubs, and clubs, all across Ontario, and Quebec. Filling them up with packed crowds night, after night, opening up for The Mahones, and The Sons Of Maxwell, and so on. They even had a two-year stint headlining The Glengarry Highland Games, estimated to be the biggest, baddest, highland games in the world. After recently adding a fiddler, and a mandolin player, The Peelers are here to stay folks. So get yer drink on and dive into The Peelers Guinness-pit!

The album "Boots And Suits" is just something to throw out to the demanding public to keep them satisfied until the full-length album comes out. I'll tell you, if this is just something to throw out there, I can't wait to hear what the full album sounds like!! By the time you read this, the full-length album should be out. (Spring 2003) So you're gonna have to save up yer pennies/shillings for TWO albums!! "Boots And Suits" contains 8 smokin' tracks of that rumbustious Irish folk-rock-punk revival sound also known as The Peelers.

"Blond With a Black Skirt Medley"
"Tim Finnegan's Wake"
"Jesse James"
"Irish Rover" featuring Ol' Jimmy, from Siobhan (the band, not the woman)
The great sounding original "I'll Meet You at the Bottom (of a Bottle)"
"Repeal of The Licensing Laws/Battle Of Brisbane"
"Fields of Atherny"
"The Martintown Song"
The Peelers are one of those bands to keep an eye on. So in the meantime keep your eye on this. http://www.thepeelers.ca/
New Album should be out this Spring!


Review by Brian Gillespie

http://www.thepeelers.ca

Kind of an oldie here (1996) but since there is no statute of limitations on CD’s sent in for review (thanks Walter), here goes.

Hard Skins play easily the most basic, brutal Street Punk/Oi! I’ve ever heard. The chant along lyrics are some of the most cliched ever written (boozing, fighting, all cops are wankers, cockney slang and loads of Oi, Oi, Oi) and more use of the C word then I thought possible on one CD.

The big question I have and I couldn’t get it answered is. Are these guys for real? If so, I hope I never meet them in a dark alleyway or anywhere. If not, then GWAR eat your heart out this is true shock-performance rock.

Now I know there is some truth in the claim on the Los Diablos’ web page claiming Los Diablos’ started out as an Irish-American wedding band. I first came across Josh Lederman and the boys when they played at a bachelor party I recently attended. A sold set of Pogues covers came to an abrupt end when the best man bitch slapped the groom who responded by rugby tackling him into Los Diablos’ accordion player. The band took it all in the good spirit of the day but scuttled out very quickly after that taking broken instruments with them.

Josh Lederman is a singer/songwriter of equal parts Waits, MacGowan and Bukowski - romantic, melancholy and laying in the gutter but always looking at the stars. Los Diablos’ play an almost unique blend of electric-folk, bluegrass, Cajon, Celtic and rock music with a touch of the blues and Eastern European folk thrown in for good measure. The mandolin and accordion being the principle instruments. The closest group musically I can think of is James Fearnley’s post-Pogues project The Sweet and Low Orchestra.

http://www.coffeestainmusic.com/

Click to Purchase

The year was 1998, the place was Biddy McGraw's Irish Pub, and the band was Cul An Ti. Around 9 o'clock on any given Friday night, Cul An Ti would be tucked in the corner of Portland's favorite Irish pub. Cut directly from The Emerald Isle, Biddy's was the most authentic pub south of Vancouver B.C., and north of San Francisco. A tiny place that was ALWAYS packed, and always Smokey as hell. You walk in to the place and think you've just stepped in to a pub in Cork City, Between songs you could hear dozens of brogues from all parts of Ireland, Scotland, even Liverpool. Then there was that one Welsh wanker from Cardiff, (Forgot his name). Not bad for an "international" local watering hole in the Pacific Northwest! From the drunken arm wrestling, to the constant "Win Your Own Pub in Ireland Contest" beer coasters thrown in every direction, to the occasional brawl, Cul An Ti was always there. Just jamming away. A brilliant traditional band that by the end of the night would finally give in to the slurred requests heckled from the rowdy drunken crowd. "Dirty Old Town" was a favorite, along with "Wild Rover"... you get the idea, the songs that are played every night, at every Irish pub across the world.

The pub is no longer there at the same location, but the lads still play around town. Back in 1999, they went into the studio and recorded a large portion of material, from the reels, to the jigs, to the waltzes, to a few slow airs. Even a couple live tracks from Biddy's pub made the album, and what a fine album it is! 15 tracks of top-quality traditional Celtic music is on the menu here, lads! (And yes, I’m quite sure that is me howling in the background in the middle of track 14!) A fine body of work that deserves to be mentioned in more publications. So, if you ever come across this CD, I recommend taking it home with you.

Review By Brian Gillespie

http://www.culanti.com/

Falling… is the first demo from NH/Maine based Celtic-Punkers The Pubcrawlers. Very raw, early-stage stuff but shows tons of potential. The music is street punk crossed with Celtic with a touch of metal (more in the structure of the songs then anything else.) I love the buzz-saw sounding guitars though some times the vocal get buried in the mix and can’t compete with the racket the rest of the guys are making. Great version of “Rattling Bog”. Looking forward to hearing more from these guys in the future especially when they make it into the studio proper (and out of the barn/rehearsal space).

http://www.the-pubcrawlers.com/

“ An invitation to an Accident” is the follow up to full-length to last years EP “Break this Fall” previously reviewed in S’n’O back in April ’02. “An Invitation…” certainly builds upon the ground laid down in the EP, solid indie rock with huge guitars, thunderous drums and soulful almost mournful vocal and lyrics. Reminiscent of Jimmy Eat World and as good as anything you’ll see on MTV2. Unfortunately there is nothing here that distinguishes them from the pack already dominating the alternative airwaves.

http://www.filmmakerhq.com/

Shilelagh Law are a NY-based Irish band and this is their second fill-length release. SL are a damn good band, not too heavy on the “punk” side of the spectrum, which is fine by this critic. A good example of a traditionally based Irish band sans the Clash influence is a rare thing these days. Refreshing. Very refreshing. It’s what I needed to escape the doldrums of yet another “Irish Punk” band.

Their motto is “New York’s Greatest Irish American Pub Band” and pub band is a good way to describe them - I can imagine sitting back listening to these guys in a dark corner, not too worried about much else except drinking and singing along.

The CD itself is a mix of originals and traditionals, with the trads taking up the majority of the disc. Favorites like “The Irish Rover” and “Sean South” are given the SL treatment - top-notch musicianship delivered with the professionalism of a band who should be making waves and taking this group to the next level. I also must mention “The Pioneer” done with enough flair to rival The Wolfe Tones. And THAT is a compliment.

These guys remind me heavily of the Dubliners and the aforementioned ‘Tones- things are kept clean and smooth even when they are sped up. An impressive set of musicians to say the least. These guys don’t rely on feedback or electric wailing's to get their point across - they do it old school. Also included are two of my all-time favorites - a fine version of the heart-swelling “Fields of Athenry” and their version of “The Rare Auld Times” is one of the better I’ve ever heard - and believe me, the song holds a special place in my heart, so I’ve heard quite a very renderings.

Two originals stand out - a nice tribute to those who were lost on 9/11 in “Christmas in New York.” This one should be a Yuletide favorite. I know it was here in my stereo this season. Another SL original (I believe) is “Together in the End” which is also about 9/11 and is just as powerful: “And the heroes once forgotten are cheered on once again and a nation once divided stands together in the end.”

The disc ends nicely with a perfect version of “Boys of the Old Brigade/A Nation Once Again” which then segues into the ‘hidden’ track with the rebel’s attitude “Back Home in Derry”….”John Folk likes to sell Ben and Jerry’s” indeed. (Just listen to the track.)

All in all, these guys have the talent and fortitude to become big on the scene, and not by use of distortion to cover up mistakes or drunken wailing's to sound indecipherable. This is done Dubliners style - free and loose, distortionless but with talent, fire and guts to back it up. And that’s all I ask for or need in a damn fine Irish band. Well done.

Review By Sean Holland

http://www.halfthebottle.com/

I should have really got Sean Holland to review this baby cos’ he really knows what he’s talking about when it comes to Oi. I’ don’t, I was to busy listening to Megadeth and Anthrax back in the day. “The U.S. of Oi! Volume 2” is a re-release of the seminal American Oi album, which laid the foundation stones to today’s current Street-Punk sound of bands like the Dropkick Murphys and the Swingin' Utters. The interesting thing for me to hear is how rooted the music is in the classic 50’ Rock’n’Roll sound, just louder, rawer and much more garage. The lyrics for the most part are pro the working man, pro-American though anti-Government/Politicians. If your interested in the roots of the current Street-Punk bands then this CD is a good history lesson though like any history lesson it’s a little dated.

Out through GMM Records

http://www.gmmrecords.com

After Rolling Stone magazine labeled the Clash's third album "London Calling" the best album of the 80's, where was there to go? Whatever effort the 'only band that matters' put forth after such an album was bound to disappoint, no matter if it was as good or not. Some people would always label such a follow-up a failure, which begs the question - is every follow-up a failure by design? Can one ever succeed? Will some critics never be satisfied, no matter what? In this case, it seems the answer is that no matter what was presented, it was going to be overlooked. Everyone talks justifiably about the first album as well as "London Calling" but what about this, possibly their most controversial effort?

The album itself: Bloated? Mmmmm, maybe. Overly long? Eh, possibly. When released, it topped the double album "London Calling" by presenting itself as a three-album behemoth (and done the Clash way, by selling for the price of a single album). I have heard the argument that it could have been made into a double-album as good or better than "London Calling" or one mighty single that would have been the best of their career. I might agree, but I have also heard the same criticisms for the Beatles White album, which I happen to find ridiculous, and therefore I am content to digest the album as was intended by the best authority of the quality and presentation of the Clash's work - damn right, the band themselves. Punk, jazz, rap, rock, waltz….it's all here to be digested, and if this album seems too long and too diverse, then maybe this isn't the album or the band for you.

The highlights are many, and just as varied as the album itself. Things kick off with "The Magnificent Seven" which pre-dates any white man rap by some fifteen years. The English MC Mike Skinner a.k.a. "the Streets" is being hyped as one of England's first 'authentic' MC's. Well, Strummer, Jones and company did it first. This cut was said to be blaring from New York ghettos in the summer of 1980-1981 alongside early rap pioneers like the Sugarhill Gang. As usual, the Clash were on the cultural edge when it came to exploring music genres.

The hits keep coming, from the gospel-ish "Hitsville UK" to the lush waltz-styling of the beautiful "Rebel Waltz" to the cool social commentary of "The Leader" and "Somebody Got Murdered." Some of the experiments don't always work so well. Some of the dub is overused, I think, and the children's choir doing old Clash hits like "Career Opportunities" seems weird, but then one wonders what the Clash are trying to say. Are they saying punk IS for the youth, for the children, and not for grown men? Are they saying that this is what punk ahs become - little, safe children's jingles? Either way, it's interesting, although not particularly ear candy.

Calypso surfaces on the enchantingly fun "Washington Bullets", Clashifeid reggae on "Police on My Back", and politico protest in "Call-Up." That's nearly ten songs namedropped, all off the top of my head, not too mention "Ivan Meets G.I. Joe" which criticizes both the image and the actions of America and Russia, and "Charlie Don't Surf" etc, etc.

As with many Clash songs/albums, the politics and ideals are a bit naive and dated. Strummer had been obsessed with the Sandinista rebels, and the rebellion in Nicaragua and therefore named an album after them? Curious, but wide-eyed and innocent, in a "true-to-their-gut-feelings" way that makes it forgivable. They wanted to take up a cause for what is right - for the underdog. Always did. It is important to understand the times and the backdrop of the world to fully digest what this album, and the Clash themselves, were about.

In hindsight, this is a hell of any album. To me, it's funny how no one mentions the works of literature that take thousands of pages to say their peace, but everyone mentions an album that seems long to do the same. You seldom hear critics saying that "War and Peace" or "Moby Dick" are too long or over-indulgent. Why? Because they weren't too long, they were the length the authors needed to say their peace. So it is, too, with this equivalent of a literary challenge on vinyl - deep, long and engrossing. In parts slow, but as a whole a wonderful statement. "Too long" is a critique that doesn't hold water with me. If you are too busy to give this album a shot (and I don't mean every listen has to be the whole damn thing) then you are too busy to understand what the Clash were all about - Strummer is gone, and this is a wonderful reminder of what he was capable of.

Review by Sean Holland