The Domino Club

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The Domino Club
Studio album by
the Men They Couldn't Hang
Released1990
Genre Celtic rock, rock, pop, punk rock
Label Silvertone
Producer Pat Collier
The Men They Couldn't Hang chronology
Silver Town
(1989)		The Domino Club
(1990)		Alive, Alive-O
(1991)

The Domino Club is an album by the British band the Men They Couldn't Hang, released in 1990. [1] [2] "Great Expectations" was the first single. [3] The album peaked at No. 53 on the UK Albums Chart. [4] The band broke up after the supporting tour. [5]

Contents

Production

The Domino Club was produced by Pat Collier. [6] The Men They Couldn't Hang added Nick Muir on keyboards prior to the recording sessions. [7] "Great Expectations" is about a prisoner contemplating his post-release plans. [8] "On the Razzle" is a slice of pub life. [8] "Handy Man" is about a recent college graduate with limited job prospects. [9] "Industrial Town" is a cover of the Weddings Parties Anything song. [10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Alternative Rock 6/10 [12]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Houston Chronicle Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Record-Journal B− [10]
The Vancouver Sun Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]
Winnipeg Sun Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [16]

The Boston Globe noted the "folk-punk, semi-Celtic sonic mix, and a sharp-eyed, literate view of life's downside" and the willingness "to sweep in for the bonding melody and big chorus." [17] The New York Times said that the band have "chosen the freedom and authenticity of traditional Irish music over the stale dogma of rock-and-roll" while "mix[ing] in generous doses of punk energy and enough of a pop sensibility to make the music accessible to contemporary rock audiences." [8]

The Edmonton Journal concluded, "For the uninitiated, The Domino Club's as satisfactory an album as any of the Men's past efforts. But those who have followed them for years waiting for the great leap forward won't find it here." [18] The Independent panned the "sheer teeth-grinding boredom" of the music and noted the "wearisome spit-and-sawdust hey-nonny-no style that constitutes British folk-rock music these days." [19]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."The Lion and the Unicorn" 
2."Great Expectations" 
3."The Family Way" 
4."Handy Man" 
5."Kingdom of the Blind" 
6."Grave-robbing in Gig Harbour" 
7."Industrial Town" 
8."You're the One" 
9."Australia" 
10."Dogs Eyes, Owl-Meat, Man Chop" 
11."Billy Morgan" 
12."On the Razzle" 

References

  1. ↑ "New Releases". Show. Orange County Register. 21 October 1990. p. 16.
  2. ↑ "The Men They Couldn't Hang, The Domino Club". New Internationalist. No. 214. December 1990. p. 30.
  3. ↑ "Their best music yet". Kilmarnock Standard. 10 August 1990. p. 16.
  4. ↑ The Complete Book of the British Charts: Singles & Albums. Omnibus. 2004. p. 1445.
  5. ↑ Wright, Jade (17 January 2013). "They Men They Couldn't Hang". Liverpool Echo. p. 31.
  6. ↑ "New LP from the Men". Greenock Telegraph. 2 August 1990. p. 13.
  7. ↑ The Rough Guide to Rock (3rd ed.). Rough Guides. 2003. p. 666.
  8. 1 2 3 Schoemer, Karen (2 December 1990). "Punk-Rock Finds a Homeland in Ireland". The New York Times. p. A32.
  9. ↑ Fetherling, Douglas (19 January 1991). "The Domino Club The Men They Couldn't Hang". Magazine. The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 1.
  10. 1 2 Swift, Orla (13 January 1991). "Pop Scene". Record-Journal. p. E2.
  11. ↑ "Domino Club The Men They Couldn't Hang". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  12. ↑ Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 495.
  13. ↑ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. V. MUZE. p. 3626.
  14. ↑ Racine, Marty (27 January 1991). "Recordings". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 21.
  15. ↑ Barrett, Tom (21 March 1991). "Recordings". The Vancouver Sun. p. F20.
  16. ↑ Kendle, John (16 November 1990). "Pop". Winnipeg Sun. p. F8.
  17. ↑ Sullivan, Jim (29 November 1990). "The Men They Couldn't Hang The Domino Club". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 8.
  18. ↑ Campbell, Rod (13 January 1991). "The Men take a look, but don't leap". Edmonton Journal. p. C4.
  19. ↑ Gill, Andy (17 August 1990). "Putting On the Style". The Independent. p. 13.
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