When reviewing this no holds barred, brutally honest and amazing CD, it kind of reminded me of the explanation I found myself giving , in defense of hip hop music, to mainly naïve, sheltered, suburban affluent white people. (And I can already imagine a similar circumstance with someone wasting their valuable time, defending Ciaran’s music to the Shin Finner GFA supporting crowd as well, not to mention right wing Irish-americans that still see “The Gipper” is an an “American hero” not an imperialistic, union busting war mongering pig.) Ciaran Murphy delivers a similar rough and ready, undiluted rawness that has much in common with the street sounds of what is often termed “underground hip hop”, especially his brilliant “When I Get Out”, a powerful prisoners revenge song ;
“I’m gonna hunt them down for every single minute,
they’ll regret it, wait and see
Every smart remark and grim humiliation,
every time they tortured me.”
The similiarity with hip hop, in lyrical content alone, is unmistakable, as well as the very “real” aspect of the subject matter Ciaran covers. But I will take this one step further and say that Ciaran’s music is more honest, honorable and tougher than many of the hip hop artists these days, not only because this singer, songwriter and folk musician, has probably lived a tougher life than many of todays hip hop artists, many of whom have sold their souls for a lump of gold and 15 minutes of fame, no, Ciaran’s rebel rhythm has a purity and strength that makes you want to sing along to his mighty hymn of rebellion, and a musical love for unadulterated freedom and revolutionary philosophy, and unlike some hip hop artists, there is no chance of his music becoming commercialized, he strikes me as an artist that will not sell out and he is not promoting anything greed-related, or playing the role of apologist of criminal acts (“pimping”, drug pushing etc), and because he has talked the talk and walked the walk (he’s a former political prisoner, and has been involved in the Republican movement for many years), and because Ciaran’s music does not need an apology and speaks for itself in its honesty and revolutionary fervor. But, another similiarity I think Ciaran does have with many hip hop artists, is when I think back on all those times that many sheltered bourgeoisie whined about how “inappropriate” said artists candor is, especially white suburbanites who have never spent anytime in the ghetto , and who will endlessly complain that hip hop is “not positive”, is “nasty”, is “too violent” or is “not very nice”, Ciaran can just tell them to all, to fuck off, and feel justified, because his art is simply a reflection of the daily experiences of a republican in the six counties, again like the experiences of people from the south Bronx or Bed Stuy, sometimes grim, sometimes painful, often depressing and at times, deadly.
But enough of my rambling, let’s get to the meat of the issue.
“Traitor on the Altar”, begins this storming album, a powerful lambast against Priestcraft and the religious imperialism of the Church :
“The endless name of victims it blows away the veil,
The suffering little children cried to Mary of the Gael,
But a pervert on the altar, he controlled the peoples minds,
And he left the blessed virgin well behind…”
Here, Ciaran hammers home the undeniable reality of religious brainwash that has only held back the cause of Irish Freedom, and the abuse that the Irish people, especially women and children suffered at the hands of the “pervert on the altar” , concluding with words of wisdom and Fenian insight :
“Who needs a thousand red coats to keep a town in line when a priest can do the job in half the time?”
Next, “Henry Joy (Faithful to the Last)” , is a brilliant buoyant original that takes us to a time when both Irish Protestant and Irish Catholic patriots fought side by side, more than you see them doing today, and took up arms against a common foe, without hesitation or compromise. A better and more uplifting tribute to the late great Irish Hero, isn’t possible.
“When I Get Out” is a bit more amped, a blistering folk-punk tune, with a kick ass hard driving rebel rhythm that warns abusive screws that vengeance belongs to the oppressed prisoner :
And these hard men screws that control my life,
That search my children and disgrace my wife,They’re gonna have a run in with my stanley knife,
When I’m a free man
The intensity of this tune will make you want to load your kalishnakov and head to town to sort things out, as Ciaran leads the musical battle against Tyrants and Corrupt Correctional Officer Scum. When this CD first came out, I had to call my little brother, Luke and make him listen to this tune with the phone pressed up against my speakers :
Rory : Luke, listen to this bad ass shit bro, its fucking intense man
Luke: Okay, play that muthafucking shit
Rory : Here goes, it’s a prisoners revenge song called “When I Get Out”, check it out …
Luke : Daaaaamn, that shit is mad crazy yo…..Kick ass fast beat bro
Rory : Yeah it is! This guy can create some bad ass rhythm
Luke : Fuck yeah he does. This shit totally rocks man
Next, a somber and moving tribute to the late great Brendan “Darkie” Hughes”, entitled “Remember Darkie Hughes”, will send chills down your spine with its deep melody and powerful spiritual message, taking you back to the streets of the lower Falls, during the prison escapes, Hunger Strikes and urban guerilla warfare, with the legendary Irish Hero, Brendan Hughes, leading the way in the fight for a 32 County Socialist Republic. This song really makes you pause and reflect on the struggle of Darkie and his comrades in days of Belfast resistance against the British Beast and all the hardship and sorrow of the Men of No Property.
“When We Take Control” next gives us a positive outlook on the possibility of the Socialist Republic that James Connolly fought and died for, a future without foreign rule and capitalist exploitation, when the children of Ireland can have that victory that Bobby Sands dreamed of, where “our revenge will be the laughter of our children” and the British royals will be :
“…Wearing workers clothes…..
“And we’ll share out the money that we earned,
We’ll think of the martyrs and we’ll give our thanks
And we’ll write down the lessons that we learned.”
A truly mighty anthem of workers victory that will make you shake your fist and cheer for workers power and the establishment of a Socialist Republic !
Afterwards, “Death With Walls” is a poignant lament on a working class neighborhood that has been abandoned by the politicians and the yuppies, hitting you in the ear drums like Cuchulain’s spear being hurled by Jello Biafra. Punk Rebel harmony that could be telling you about Southie, Woodlawn, Woodside, Jersey City, Fishtown, Southside Chicago or Ballymurphy. Keeping you humming along, like all good rebel musicians do, with an added punk rock punch in the jugular of some self righteous corporate weasel who has been sitting too high up on his financial white horse. This song will, without any doubt, knock him off his fucking throne ! The proletarian punk-influenced anthems of Ciaran Murphy allow you to finally comprehend musical war and revolutionary love as the same musical missile of revolt :
“The cars here run on fear, their holy statues sneer,
Their heads are pickeled with stale beer”
And if Ciaran’s street prose isn’t brilliant enough, afterwards, his first foray into covering an old classic, with “Jamey Foyers” , shows that a cover of an old rebel classic, can only sound better when sung by the uncompromising and talented, Ciaran Murphy. A powerful tribute indeed, to the late great Scottish socialist who was a shipyard worker from the Clyde who fights in the International Brigade against Franco in the Spanish Civil War, fighting at the Battle of Belchite in 1937, and is killed in action at Gandesa during the Battle of the Ebro. Even though Ewan MacColl’s version (he is the author of this anti-fascist classic) is hard to beat, Ciaran really gives this old song new life and makes it that much better than the original.
Not to be outdone, “Cider Diaries/Epilepsy” next gives us a deeply spiritual and somewhat nostalgic look into Ciaran’s teenage years, cider drinking , punk rock appreciation, having a broken heart, feels of teenage alienation and finding a true connection with the Divine. This song is really my personal favorite, and like most of Ciaran’s music, it defies all categories and is filled with more soul than Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye combined, but also because you can tell that it comes directly from the heart, without the slightest pretension. No, with Ciaran Mruphy, you get the undiluted rawness of the Fenian Soul, without a trace of artificiality :
“Then my mind was filled with thoughts of violence,
Screamed into the empty silence threw away her juggling balls and
Tore the posters from my walls but angels came and stopped the slaughter
Showered me in holy water, they pushed away the devils dance
And handed me a second chance, praise God…..”
Powerful stuff that takes you back.
Concluding this smashing CD, with “Bailing Out The Banks” , a strong call for a total Class War, until the rich men’s mansions burn :
“The businessmen are dancing with the devil,
They impliment his plans and keep them level,
They globalize the evil revolution, poisoning our kids with their solution
And reform will just see history repeating……
I’ve had enough its time to launch the class war
But one fine day there’s gonna be a turn,
Before I die I’ll watch their mansions burn!”
A mighty fine tune, that is like a musical séance bringing back the spirits of Kropotkin, Bakunin, Marx, Lenin, Trotsky, Larkin, Connolly, Che Guevara and Costello, leading us all towards a brighter future, beneath the Starry Plough, where :
“The skies the limit when they’re overthrown !”
Haven’t heard a rebel musician this damn good for a long time, so don’t be a sucker, and forget about buying a Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Green Day, Black Flag or Crass CD, and get you a copy of this bad motherfucker, because this is the REAL rebel sound. Like Plato once said :
“He who approaches the temple of the muses without inspiration in the belief that craftsmanship alone suffices will remain a bungler and his presumptuous poetry will be obscured by the songs of the maniacs.”
And Ciaran Murphy is neither bungler or maniac, he’s the “real deal”.
- Rory Dubhdara, Radio Rebel Gael
http://www.myspace.com/ciaranabc
http://www.shamrocksuperstore.net/
