Search - Real Mckenzies :: Pissed Tae Th's Gills

Love the band... HATE this CD.

J. Dismukes | Cary, NC | 04/17/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"For the first time I feel ripped off by this band and since I love what they do and what they stand for (HARDCORE pride in heritage & their punk attitude) that makes the feeling even more painful. Let's start with the content. Considering that this is the same group that put out "Loch'd & Loaded" last year (one of THE best CD's that I've bought in the last 5 years) I just have one question... Where are those songs? Not one of those kicking tunes has a live counterpart here. Second, the sound quality and production is terrible!! It's song continuity seems spliced, the audience sounds like they're asleep and , let's be honest, Paul's voice was not in the best shape that night. Still, there are highlights; "Stompin' Intro" & "Will Ye Be Proud" are good (not great). I don't understand why other people have given this such high marks?
Don't get me wrong.. I will still where their t-shirts (w/ my kilt no less) and will eagerly await the next studio outing from them (I still expect great things someday), but to be honest I must recommend you avoid this recording (especially if you are new to the McKenzie's fold). Get the afore mentioned "Loch'd & Loaded" or "Clash of the Tartans" (See my reviews on each} instead. Oh, and for God's sake... GO SEE THEM LIVE when they come to town. I had to miss the time they came to Charlotte because it was the day after my last chemotherapy treatment (Buy them a drink for me please).
Take heart though... If you still want punk rock & bagpipes live I recommend you get "Live on St. Patrick's Day" by the McKenzie's good friends and bothers in arms... the Dropkick Murphys."

Clan Matheson Approved for Drunken Singalongability

mptesteroni | Preparing to mount | 12/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"More than Braveheart, Scottish Games or Johnnie Walker Black OR Red, the Real McKenzies make me prood tae be Highland. Why? Because they give We Proud Scots a voice and the voice rocks like crazy. This live record of a Robert "Robbie" Burns (1759-1796) memorial show is a roaring tribute to Scot pride and history. All your McKenzie favorites of whiskey and combat are here. I would've MAYBE traded "Stone of Kings" for "Ballad of John Silver" but it wasn't my show, and besides this version of "Stone" kicks kilted [bottom]. Robbie is represented well throughout from "My Bonnie" to "Auld Lang Syne". Be the first on your block to get an awesome live version of this venerable, international Scot classic and crank it up at midnight on 1/1/03. Oh yeah, and a track called "Haggises" that paraphrases "Nemesis" by '80s wierdos Shriekback. There's a DVD and VHS version of this I gotta track down now. Buy this and Ye WILL Be Proud! Fac et Spera!"

Clan Davidson approved for good times

Zack Davisson | Seattle, WA, USA | 03/04/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Real McKenzies are an excellent live band, and this collection does good justice to the energy and spontaneity of their live shows. "Pissed Tae Th' Gills" is a great mix of songs from their previous albums, along with some new tunes not released elsewhere.As it is a Robbie Burns show, they do their Burns repertoire with "Scots Wa Hae" and "Auld Lang Syne." It would have been nice to have heard a few more Burns songs. Perhaps they could have learned "Ye Jacobites By Name" or written something for "Address to a Haggis." There is a good collection of their own tunes, and some of my favorites. "Bastards" is a great song. Plenty of old Scottish hits in terms of "Loch Lomond" and "My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean." Live I have heard them do a medley of these two tunes. "The Real McKenzies Stompin Intro" is worth the price of the CD alone. "Haggises" is the reason why live CDs are so much fun.A great CD for any fan of the Real McKenzies. Gotta have it."