Love That Dirty Water: The Standells and the Improbable Red Sox Victory Anthem

For more than ten years now the song that's immediately played after every home victory by the Boston Red Sox (Baseball's World Champions in 2004 & 2007) has been "Dirty Water" by the Standells. Love That Dirty Water! The Standells and the Improbable Red Sox Victory Anthem tells the story of the band, the song and how it became the anthem of the Red Sox Nation. One thing about Love That Dirty Water! that was interesting was learning of the intertwining of pop music and the Red Sox, including an account of the original Red Sox victory anthem "Tessie" and how it was revamped by the Dropkick Murphys just in time for 2004 and an account of the brief mid-60s music career (including a few 45s & an contract with RCA) of Tony Conigliaro, the Dustin Pedoria of his day, whose baseball career was derailed by an infamous beaning in 1967. The bulk of Love That Dirty Water! solidly documents the Standells' story, as well as that of their producer and the author of "Dirty Water", Ed Cobb from the beginnings in early 60s LA and culminating in the surprise appearance by the reformed group to play the song live for the first time in 35 years in front of a packed Fenway Park crowd before Game 2 of the 2004 World Series. To me, the whole story reads like a non-fiction version of That Thing You Do. There's plenty of vintage pictures of the band, as well as a detailed Standells discography and even the liner notes to the original albums. Love That Dirty Water!, or at least at large part of it should appeal to many except probably for Yankees fans.

An improbable and fascinating account that (primarily) links the story of the Red Sox and the Standells. This is a fun and fast read that also has sections on Tony Conigliaro's singing career, as well as references to the Mickey Mouse Club, West Side Story, the Four Preps, Sonny Bono, and Liberace. However, the central theme is how the Red Sox nation appropriated the Standells classic, "Dirty Water" as their victory song. The Standells, themselves, come across as a group of unpretentious down-to-earth fellows whose fast rise and fall is chronicled in this book. This up and down sage has a happy ending as the Sox end their "curse" by winning two World Series titles, and the Standells reform for successful re-union gigs including appearances at Fenway Park. My only complaint is minor; I wish the author would have given more attention to their Tower LPs and described and reviewed each cut. The Standells output is interesting but varied in quality, as, like most bands of the mid-1960's era, they had to make LPs quickly due to financial and time constraints. However, this is a minor quibble and I recommend this book to all (with the exception of Yankees) baseball fans and all fans of mid-1960's rock. Here's hoping the Standells continue playing live and making new recordings. I hope they can come out to Hawaii sometime for I would certainly go see them play live.

For anyone who loves rock and roll and baseball, it's a fascinating story of how one band's creative export became the theme song for an entire city and then, even more outrageously, a rallying cry for the city's beloved baseball team. If you were ever curious about this (in other words, if you've ever lived a day in New England in your life), the research done here describes the chronology with great care. It's a wonderful read! -- Andy Wasif, author Green Monster University: Creating Die-Hahd Fans Since 1901

Everyone has a favorite song, but sometimes they have no idea where and how that song began - and how it stayed around for so long. Chuck BUrgess and Bill Nowlin present a lively overview of a sometimes overlooked part of sports history - the songs that everyone seems to know, and the stories behind them. It's a great read, filled with intriguing facts, and a lot of vignettes about one of the pioneer garage rock bands, The Standells,...a fun trip down memory lane, some awhile ago, and some as recent as the penant race...all of it unlikely, but true