This brilliant collection of the first sixteen years of Black 47 is many things, but it is not a greatest hits. It is a collection of great punk rock songs. It can also be listened to as a time capsule. Home of the Brave, which has not been available for years, captures Larry and Chris Byrne at the beginning of their careers sounding raw, exciting, dangerous and fresh. They describe the condition of the illegal Irish immigrants of the early 90’s.The original version of Funky Ceili captures this same spirit. The album can also be seen as a political creed. Larry’s anti-war sentiments are no secret, but the strength of his songs is that they’re told from the perspective of the foot soldier. Also well known are his pro-republic positions on Ireland. His two great biographical songs, Big Fellah, (Michael Collins) and Bobby Sands MP performed live are great songs which show the depth of his feeling. His version of The Patriot Game is far and away the best I have ever heard as it captures the bitterness of the lyrics. Larry also uses this album to make available live recordings of tracks from Home of the Brave and Green Suede Shoes. This album is for everyone: Black 47 fans, Celtic rockers, collectors of Republican music and all who lived during the bittersweet years from 1990 to today.

BCK 004 CD $16

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