THE TÁIN

As a 16 year old I don't like much old prog music but my dad played this in the car so often, I have really got into it. They are fabulous musicians and the songs are so memorable. You often feel you want to get up and dance, especially to Dearg Doom, Time to Kill and The Silver Spear but other songs are slow and melodic. Johnny Fean is a brilliant guitarist with a distinct blues feel; he conjures up every possible tone out of his Les Paul on Charolais. Jim Lockhart plays keyboards superbly (and I hate keyboards in general) along with whistles, pipes and the flute - and he plays the flute the best of anyone. Charles O'Connor is a fine fiddler and multi-instrumentalist. The vocals are shared out and all singers do a good job. The album tells the story of a cattle raid in Ireland in prehistoric times and the exploits of CuChullainn as he tries to drive off the invaders. Easily the best album I have heard from the seventies.