| Do or Die | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1997, the Outpost, Stoughton, Massachusetts | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:07 | |||
| Label | Hellcat | |||
| Producer | Lars Frederiksen | |||
| Dropkick Murphys chronology | ||||
| ||||
Do or Die is the debut studio album by the Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys. It was released in 1998. A music video for the single "Barroom Hero" was released. It is the only album that featured original lead vocalist Mike McColgan, who went on to become a fireman before forming his own band, the Street Dogs.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Chicago Sun-Times |  [4] |
| Daily Herald | [5] |
| The San Diego Union-Tribune | [6] |
| Spin |   [7] |
| The Virginian-Pilot | (favorable) [8] |
The Washington Post noted that "combining the Clash and the Pogues may not be an especially clever maneuver, but the result is certainly rousing." [9] The Telegram & Gazette wrote that "the band strikes an earnest pose that champions anyone wearing a blue collar, be it one below a scally cap or shaved head." [10] AllMusic gave Do or Die a rating of three stars out of five, and said that the album was "an interesting blend of hardcore-style punk with traditional Irish inflections." [1]
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A Do or Die poster appears on the wall of John Connor's bedroom in the pilot episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles . "Barroom Hero" was used in the final credits of the documentary Restrepo . "Never Alone" was featured in the Extreme sports video game Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX . "Cadence to Arms" was featured in "College", the fifth episode of season one of The Sopranos .
Many songs were a collaborative effort.
Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The current lineup consists of co-lead vocalist Ken Casey, drummer Matt Kelly, co-lead vocalist Al Barr, rhythm and lead guitarist James Lynch, lead guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Tim Brennan, multi-instrumentalist Jeff DaRosa and bassist Kevin Rheault. Casey has been the band's only constant member since the band formed.
The Bruisers were a punk band that pioneered the American streetpunk/oi! movement, formed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1988. The original lineup included: Al Barr, Scotty Davies (bass), Jeff Morris (guitar) and Rodger Shosa (drums). Morris is now a guitarist and lead vocalist for Death & Taxes, and a former guitarist for Mark Lind & the Unloved. Former guitarist Rick Wimert died 1995.
Swagger is the debut studio album by the Celtic punk band Flogging Molly, mixed by Steve Albini. It was released in 2000.
Street Dogs is an American punk rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 2002 by former Dropkick Murphys singer Mike McColgan. The band disbanded in early 2020 after 17 years together but reunited again in 2024.
The Gang's All Here is the second studio album by the American Celtic punk band the Dropkick Murphys. It is their first album with Al Barr, who replaced founding singer Mike McColgan in 1998. "10 Years of Service" was the album's only single; the music video received some minor airplay on MTV's 120 Minutes, a first for the band.
Sing Loud, Sing Proud! is the third studio album from Boston punk rock band the Dropkick Murphys. Before the album's release in 2001, guitarist Rick Barton left the band. He announced James Lynch of Boston punk band The Ducky Boys as his successor. As well as Lynch, the band also recruited then 17-year-old Marc "The Kid" Orrell on lead guitar. The band also recruited a full-time piper, Robbie Mederios, and Ryan Foltz on mandolin and tin whistle.
Blackout is the fourth studio album by Dropkick Murphys, released in 2003. A music video for "Walk Away", the album's first official single, was also released. The song went on to become a minor radio hit and received some minor airplay on MTV. "Fields of Athenry" was also released as a single. The album was released with a DVD, which contained live videos for "Rocky Road to Dublin" and "Boys on the Docks", a music video for "Gonna Be a Blackout Tonight", and a trailer for their then upcoming untitled full-length DVD, which became On the Road With the Dropkick Murphys and was released the following year in March 2004.
The Warrior's Code is the fifth studio album by the Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys. Released in June 2005, it is also their bestselling. It features a dedication to Lowell's own "Irish" Micky Ward who is featured on the album's cover and is the subject of the album's title track. It is also their final record with Hellcat Records before moving to their own vanity label, Born & Bred Records.
Singles Collection Volume 2 is a b-side and rarities compilation album released by Boston punk rock band Dropkick Murphys, on March 8, 2005. The album, which peaked at No. 26 and spent three weeks on the chart, contains songs released on singles, compilations and splits. Among the songs, two are alternate versions of songs previously released on Dropkick Murphys albums, five songs were written by the band and the rest were covers. The artists covered range from mainstream rock bands such as AC/DC and Creedence Clearwater Revival to influential punk bands such as Sham 69 and Cock Sparrer.
Michael McColgan is an American musician, and is a founding member and lead singer of the American punk band Street Dogs and a founding member and former original lead singer of the American Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys.
Alexander Barr is an American musician. He is best known for his time as the lead singer of the Dropkick Murphys, whom he joined in 1998 and as of 2024, is currently on hiatus from the band. He was also a founder and lead singer for The Bruisers, which he helped form in 1988 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. His first band, circa 1984, was called D.V.A.. He also went on to front 5 Balls of Power with future members of Scissorfight, The Radicts, L.E.S. Stitches, and US Bombs, before he formed The Bruisers.
The Singles Collection, Volume 1 is a collection of non-album tracks by Dropkick Murphys. It is the American version of The Early Years which was released in Europe, although with some track changes. This album contains everything the band recorded before their first album, Do or Die, except for the Boys on the Docks EP and compilation tracks from I've Got My Friends and Runt of the Litter Volume 2, as well as exclusive live tracks.
Savin Hill is the first album by punk band Street Dogs. This is the first new material featuring lead singer Mike McColgan since he quit Dropkick Murphys in 1998. The album is named after Savin Hill, a small area within the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.
Kenneth William Casey Jr. is an American musician who is the primary songwriter and one of the lead singers of the Boston Celtic punk group the Dropkick Murphys. Casey was one of the original members, starting the band in 1996 with guitarist Rick Barton and singer Mike McColgan. He is the only original member of the Dropkick Murphys left in the band, though drummer Matt Kelly joined shortly after formation in 1997. He is known for his melodic vocal parts and solid punk rock bass playing. Okemah Rising, the Dropkick Murphys twelfth and most recent album, was released in 2023. Casey also founded the charity group The Claddagh Fund, owns two Boston restaurants, McGreevy's and Yellow Door Taqueria, and runs his own boxing promotion called Murphys Boxing. Casey has a small role in the 2016 film Patriots Day, about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the subsequent terrorist manhunt.
Boys on the Docks is a 1997 EP by American Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys.
Jeff Erna is an American drummer, from Boston, Massachusetts, most notable for being the original drummer for the punk bands Dropkick Murphys and Street Dogs.
Rick Barton is an American musician and producer from Boston, MA, who is currently the singer, guitarist and songwriter of the band Continental. Barton was previously a founding member and guitarist of the rock band, The Outlets and a founding member and guitarist for the punk band Dropkick Murphys.
Split 7inch is a split EP by Dropkick Murphys and The Ducky Boys. It was released in July 1996 on Flat Records, with 2,000 copies on black vinyl and 1,000 copies on green vinyl. This is the first release by both bands. The Dropkick Murphys tracks were later re-released on The Singles Collection, Volume 1.
The Meanest of Times is the sixth studio album by American celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys. It was released on September 18, 2007, through their vanity label, Born & Bred Records, a division of Cooking Vinyl Records. The album was their first to not be released through Hellcat Records and their last to feature guitarist Marc Orrell, who left the band following the tour in support of the album. The picture on the album's cover was taken at Saint Brendan School in Dorchester, Massachusetts, close to Quincy, Massachusetts whence the band hails. Local kids posed in the picture.
Okemah Rising is the twelfth studio album by American band Dropkick Murphys, released on May 12, 2023, on Dummy Luck Music. The album was recorded in 2022 during the band's recording sessions for This Machine Still Kills Fascists and like the songs from that album, the songs are composed of unused lyrics and words from Woody Guthrie. Like with the previous album, Okemah Rising does not feature vocalist Al Barr who was on hiatus from the band to take care of his ailing mother. The album was executive produced by Guthrie's daughter Nora Gutherie and also features appearances by Violent Femmes, Jaime Wyatt, Jesse Ahern and Woody's grandson Cole Quest. The album features a reworked "Tulsa Version" of the band's biggest hit, "I'm Shipping Up to Boston", which was originally written by Guthrie.
