| Going Out in Style | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Dropkick Murphys | ||||
| Released | March 1, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | December 2010 - January 2011 | |||
| Genre | Celtic punk | |||
| Length | 45:43 | |||
| Label | Born & Bred Records | |||
| Producer | Ted Hutt | |||
| Dropkick Murphys chronology | ||||
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Going Out in Style is the seventh studio album by the Dropkick Murphys and was released on March 1, 2011. It was the band's second studio release on their Born & Bred Records label,[1][2] and marks the longest gap between two Dropkick Murphys albums, as it was released almost four years after 2007's The Meanest of Times. The album is the band's highest charting to date making it's debut at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 200 album charts.[3]
Contents |
Going Out in Style is a concept album and takes the band's own personal experiences and family folklore and roll them into the story of a fictional character named Cornelius Larkin. Going Out in Style traces the journey of Larkin, whether it's the Irish immigrant's first person account of his own wake or the band's in depth interpretation of his life and lineage throughout the album's lyrics. According to bassist/vocalist, Ken Casey, "Cornelius has passed on to the other side, and the album becomes a retrospective of his life". The liner notes for the album will feature an obituary for Larkin written by author Michael Patrick MacDonald.[4] The band says that the story of Larkin evolved into a saga which will eventually be told through their website and could eventually become a book someday. Going Out In Style signals the beginning of another chapter in Dropkick Murphys’ own story. Vocalist Al Barr leaves off. “I hope fans can listen to Going Out In Style with the same excitement we have. It’s all about family and friends for us. No bullshit here….we don’t like to convolute things.”
The album also features guest appearances by Bruce Springsteen, NOFX vocalist Fat Mike, Chris Cheney from The Living End and actor/comedian Lenny Clarke. Guitarist James Lynch's father, Pat Lynch makes an appearance on "The Irish Rover". On January 18, 2011, Rolling Stone began streaming the song "Memorial Day" on their website.[5] On February 2, 2011, Alternative Press released an exclusive stream of the song, "Hang 'Em High".[6]
In the thirteen days leading up to the album's release, the Dropkick Murphys announced that they would preview a song each day through their Facebook page along with a video discussing the song.[7] On February 22, 2011, the band released their song, "Take 'Em Down" through their website and dedicated it to the thousands of Wisconsin union workers who have been protesting the current budget plan of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. The band also plan to release limited edition t-shirts to raise money for the Worker's Right Emergency Fund.[8] The music video for the first single, "Going Out in Style" was released on March 1, 2011 (the same day the album was released) and features cameos by Fat Mike, Chris Cheney, Lenny Clarke, Bobby Orr, Mickey Ward, Kevin Youkilis, Shawn Thornton, Milan Lucic, Heidi Watney among many others.[9]
A bonus track, "Walk Don't Run", is included on some versions of the album, including the Japanese CD[10] and the iTunes version.[11] Going Out In Style debuted on the Billboard 200 Chart at #6, making it the highest charting album in the band's history, selling 43,259 copies in its first week.[12]
On March 17, 2011, the music video for the second single, "Memorial Day" was released.[13] On March 17, ESPN featured a segment on band's music video for "Going Out In Style" and how the video featured cameos by some of Boston's sports stars from the past and present.[14]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [15] |
| The A.V. Club | (B+)[16]\ |
| Rolling Stone | [17] |
| The Tune | [18] |