DVD - Give 'Em The Boot

You have to wonder if Joe Strummer knew that he would be used to help sell a DVD og punk artists when he appeared with Rancid's Tim Armstrong in the opening scene. The footage is very grainy and the audio is assisted with subtitles. You can't actually hear Strummer's final words, but a clean take would have been so cynically corporate, right?

Rancid are the main feature here, but there's oodles of concert footage and rare performances of several Hellcat Records artists. Rancid is up first with their insanely catchy "Ruby Soho" track from 1995's ...And Out Come The Wolves. It consists of live footage from several shows around the world and also introduces all the groups who appear on the DVD. Some of the bands just don't do anything for me. Tiger Army's "Never Die" (from 1999's Tiger Army)was an exercise in power and speed, but the song didn't grab me at all. Still, the live scenes show pools of kids bopping along and having a ball. The same can be said of the female-fronted F-Minus.

Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros offer up The Clash's "Rudie Can't Fail" (1980's London Calling) which only makes me wish I had actually seen The Clash, or Strummer.

One of the treats is an acoustic rendering of Rancid's "Roots Radicals", complete with an explanation about how it's a song about taking the bus.

Nekromantix have some of the coolest haircuts you can imagine, and are an eye-catching band live. On "Gargoyles Over Copenhagen", the bass player sports a coffin-shaped upright bass. The song itself doesn't quite do the band justice, however. Iggy Pop and Davey Havok (from AFI)show up, as well.



What's the purpose behind this DVD? Was it a tribute to Joe Strummer? No, although they do have one for him towards the end. It just seems like "Give 'Em The Boot" is meant to market Hellcat Records' artists on the shoulders of the popular Rancid. There's not enough discussion with the bands about their songs or the inspriation behind their music. And, unless you are a serious Rancid fan, you might the footage of them overwhelmed the other groups. There are ten Rancid performances out of 25 songs. Among my favorite performers were The Slackers, and The Dropkick Murphy.



Rancid - Ruby Soho
Tiger Army - Never Die
F-Minus - Light At The End
Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - Rudie Can't Fail
Rancid - Roots Radicals (acoustic)
Rancid - Maxwell Murder
Nekromantix - Gargoyes Over Copenhagen
U.S. Boms - U.S. Bombs
Transplants - One Seventeen
Guitar Joe
Rancid - As Wicked
Rancid - Old Friend
Rancid and Iggy Pop - No Fun (acoustic)
The Slackers - And I Wonder
Horrorprops - Julia
Roger Miret and The Disasters - CrucifiedDropkick Murphy - Good Rats
Rancid - Red Hot Moon
Rancid - Rate In The Hallway
Rancid - Bloodclot
Lars Frederiksen and The Bastards - SkunxNerve Agents - Evil
Joe Stummer tribute
Tim and Davey Havok - Knowledge
Rancid - Radio
Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - Minstrel Boy

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/08/20/024944.php