Albums That Changed My Life: Dropkick Murphys "Sing Loud, Sing Proud"

1. I defy anyone to name an album with a better opening song. The chant of "Let's Go, Murphys" can be heard at every DKMs show and covering BC's fight song let them fly the Boston flag with that rare combination of class and toughness - Boston ain't no joke. And they put so much of their own spin on the classic lyrics that most people (most people I know) don't even know it's not an original.

2. This album has no bad songs on it. The closest is "Good Rats" which is kind of lame but still funny enough to let it slide. The ballads "Forever," "The Torch," and "Wild Rover" (which features Shane MacGowan of The Pogues) are a bold move on a punk album, but the Murphys lay them down like nobody else could. "Spicy McHaggis Jig" proves they're not above having a good time while they rock. And literally every other song on this album makes me want to punch holes in the wall - especially "The Gauntlet"

3. Dual vocals from Al Barr and Ken Casey will melt your face. Both great singers, Casey also tears it up on the bass. They trade off enough to keep it interesting and bring in the whole band for gang-vocal choruses. It's a unity album, it's pseudo-Oi!, it's Celtic, it rocks.

4. They're not egomaniacs, they're still the boys from the neighborhood - "Which Side Are You On" takes a heavily pro-union stance which they repeat in later albums ("Worker's Song" and "Warrior's Code" to name a few tracks). They stick to what they know - their Irish roots. "Rocky Road to Dublin" and "Legend of Finn Mac" prove that, and "Spicy McHaggis Jig" makes no bones about it.

5. It propelled them to a new level. "SL,SP" put them on the national map, got them a spot on the Warped Tour to support their follow-up "Blackout" and "The Gauntlet" is probably the best song on Epitaph's "Punk-O-Rama Vol. 6" compilation. "SL,SP" was the first album to feature Murphys' signature bagpipes and mandolin, in addition the standard punk rock drums-bass-and-two-guitars setup.

6. It sounds like rock and roll. Blistering guitar solos and driving backbeats give it that almost-live feel that's pretty tough to come by. And it was produced by the band themselves. Ken Casey took over production after Lars Fredickson, producer of "Do or Die" and "The Gang's All Here," left them to their own devices. Bottom Line: it sounds as great as possible.

7. Seriously, you need seven reasons to love the hell out of this album? Fine: the coat of arms on the album cover is now probably the most bad-ass belt buckle you can buy. Lucky 13 makes them and if you buy me one, I'll write an article about whatever you want.