Boston's musical lineage has always been a bit spotty.

Sure, the city boasts its share of rock 'n' roll heavyweights, be it the epic guitar rock of Aerosmith, the too-cool-for-school blues swagger of the J Giles Band or the rough and tumble ska/punk energy of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Still no band in recent memory has captured the raw spirit and essence of the great Bay State quite like the Dropkick Murphys.

Since first emerging from Boston's proud and earnest blue-collar suburbs in 1996, this motley septet of red-blooded Irish scallywags has ignited sparks nationwide with their jovial, rollicking brand of folk-tinged punk rock. Owing their sound as much to the likes of Woodie Gurthie and their Irish folk ancestors as they do to the Clash and the Dead Boys, the Dropkicks' music has enough kick and versatility to join grandpa and grandson in a rousing fit of slam dancing.

Credit the band's expansive cult forum to its relentless cycle of touring and recording. In just over eight years, the Dropkicks have managed to pump out four full length albums, various EPs, splits and 7 inches, as well as two rarity compilations, the second of which hit shelves earlier this month.

Singles Collection Vol. 2 — 1998-2004, the aforementioned second compilation, finds the band rummaging through the attic, stringing together a record of old covers, B-sides, remixes and other castaways that never made their full-length releases.

The disc starts out strong with the anthem like fist pumper "21 Guitar Salute," a track which charges ahead full steam behind vocalist Al Barr's coarse yet suitable vocal prowl and bassist Ken Casey's pulsating basslines. Other bright spots include "The Nutrocker," a cut that comes off like Brian Setzer with bagpipes, while "Vengeance" sounds like something John Mellencamp would have come up with if he were bit harder by the punk bug.

But the record really shines when the Dropkicks venture out beyond the punk parameters. Their cover of Creedence Clearwater's "Fortunate Son" is remarkably faithful to the original, if only a bit crunchier and hard-lined, suggesting that they may be the perfect band to pay homage to the 70's classic. Equally impressive is the band's take on AC/DC's "It's a Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)." Again, their ability to play it straight and yet still make it sound like a Dropkick song allows the tune to take on a whole new life.

To some, the idea of putting out not one, but two singles collections in a span of under 10 years might seem a bit hasty. But when you have as many leftovers and unused material lying in the scrap heap as the Murphys, exceptions can be made. While issuing a record with the labels "B-sides and rarities" more often than not serves as a red flag screaming "sub par," Beantown's finest dish out a compilation of tracks as good as, if not better than, much of their A list output from over the years. From one Irishman to another, I'll raise my glass to that.

Grade: A

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on March 31 2005.