In Walks the Ghost of an Irish Band---And They Thrilled!! Whipping Boy's Third

I fell pretty fortunate that I managed to get a copy of Whipping Boy's final album back when it originally came out. Their story has to be one of the stranger sadder outcomes. As arguably the best alternative Irish band of the 90's (I think so--sorry Bono), it seems appropriate to bring them up the day after the St Patrick's day celebration. I have memory's of St Patrick's Day having attended a Catholic College. I remember walking into the dining hall and momentarily thinking I stepped out onto a golf course, the room being awash with wall-to-wall Kelly Green sweaters. And later that evening a fair amount of green vomit.

They were a Dublin band that had released a magnificent 2nd album, Heartworm on Columbia (I've blogged about that one already). Critical reviews ensued; they even had some hit songs, at least in Great Britain and Ireland. When the period rolled around to record a sequel, they were dropped by their label. Despite their inability to land another deal, the band continued onward and they ultimately put together the album that was to be their swan song, the eponymous album with the cheese grater cover. I wish that they made five more.

Who released this album? They did. In 2000 on their own Low Rent label. Unfortunately the lack of success and problems with the music industry led to their untimely demise.

I heard about this album through a glowing review in Big Takeover Magazine. In order to get a copy I was instructed to e-mail guitarist Paul Page, and he would send me the ordering details. And he did just that. After sending him a check for $17 and a wait of a few weeks, my Cd arrived as promised. And as I might have expected, it was another one of those strange musical anomalies---another great disc from a fine band--but an album that never was picked up by any labels of any size. I would imagine that today such a DIY venture would have had a much better chance of success, given the growth of e-trade on the Internet (well, aside from the problem of some people not paying for music). I would say that equaling Heartworm would have been quite a feat---this album probably falls a little short of those heights. Nonetheless, this is an excellent disc, that unfortunately is pretty scarce. Right now just one is selling on Amazon for $45. Heartworm is selling for as little as one cent used.

For a self released album, it seems some cash was sunk into this, or else they were able to get their hands on some interns. Strings are not an uncommon occurrence on this album, and the songs on the album run from beautiful ballads to fairly noisy shoe-gazey rockers. The first tune So Much For Love, is simply exquisite. Fearghal McKee writes a mean lyric--So Much For Love reminds me a bit of a contemporary rendering of The Pogues' Fairytale of New York meeting up with Echo and the Bunnymen's Sevens Seas.




All she wants is to be remembered
Every Day.
All he sees is his own reflection
Standing in the way.

She said, "I wish we could kiss
like we used to.
I wish we could be.
I wish we could just make time
Stand still for me.....

Mutton is a another great pop tune, with loud guitars and cynical lyrics seemingly attacking the vapidness of modern society.

All I want is to Spend, Spend, Spend...
All I want is to Shop till I drop....

Throughout this record you will find a real mastery of dynamics. Another good example of this is the dark ballad One to Call My Own, that alternates between loud and quiet, and incorporates strings once again to great effect.

Pat the Almighty is a superb character portrait of a hypocritical legendary impresario on the local scene. I wonder whether this is a composite of people the band rubbed shoulders with, or an actual person? Either way, it's a memorably damning biography of self centered behavior.

The album finishes strong, though I am less familiar with the end because I have the unfortunate habit of going back and listening to the first half of the album again. But after the aforementioned One to Call My Own,  you get the great orchestrated tune Puppets, which sounds like it could have been an extra song from Heartworm. After this comes Who Am I?, which is probably my second favorite tune on this album, sounding like Trash Can Sinatras collaborating My Bloody Valentine.



The Ghost of Elvis is another excellent tune, sounding like an allegory on the vicissitudes of the music business and the public's changing tastes--easy come, easy go, as they sing. The album ends huge with the epic 5:17 of No Place to Go; anthemic chorus, pianos, strings, white noise. All you might want in a closing song. Whipping Boy's Third---Probably one of best albums you could have bought in 2000, all in all, if you only knew where to look.
But that was it for Fearghal McKee, Paul Page, Myles McDonnel and Colin Hassett. The band has reformed and done shows, as recently as last year, but I don't believe the complete original lineup participated.

Well happy post-St Pat's to everyone. Hopefully I have given some credit to one of the most undeservedly underrated bands of recent years.