Jethro FANS

Call me naive, but what's book of invasions? 

Horslips - Book of Invasions,
a Celtic Symphony(1976)

"The Book of Invasions - A Celtic Symphony" is well
deservedly regarded as Horslips' definitive
masterpiece. Just as "The Táin" it consisted of no
less than 14 songs, but they were this time divided
into three lengthy movements. The first one was
called "Geantrai" and runs for over 20 minutes. The
songs in this movement are tied together by an old
traditional tune that appears several times between
the tracks. The songs in this piece were some of the
strongest the band ever had: "Trouble With a Capital
"T"", "The Power and the Glory" and the stunning
"Sword of Light" that must be one of the best fusions
of rock and traditional Irish folk-music ever recorded.
The second movement "Goltrai" opens with the
light-weighted but catchy "Warm Sweet Breath of
Love" that goes into the instrumental theme
"Fantasia - My Lagan Love". The best song in
"Goltrai" is still the excellent "King of Morning, Queen
of Day" that is another example of the band's talent
for turning a traditional jig into their own composition.
The third and final movement is called "Suantrai"
and starts with the pleasant "Sideways to the Sun"
that is based on an old traditional ballad. "Drive the
Cold Winter Away" is an instrumental interlude that
leads into the far more aggressive "Ride to Hell" that
closes the album in the best way possible. This is
an album so stuffed with great and inspired music
that not a single second of it is redundant. Highly
recommended -cut and paste




Edited by DallasBryan

aqualung28 wrote: this CD sounds awesome! Is it hard to find?

Took me 30 seconds to find it from Amazon UK (or US, but I figured that it might be import there).

Horslips moved form playng relatively straightforward Irish folk/rock to a more proggy style, which culminated in 'The Book Of Invasions'. I don't really see the Tull comparison myself, even at their proggiest they were still incorporating traditional themes and were unmistakably Irish. If you like the folkier end of 70s prog I'd recommend them.

Legend has it that they decided to call themselves the Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse. Following their first rehearsal, they headed to the boozer. Several rounds later, somebody asked the name of their new band 'The Forces - The Horshefors - The Four Houshes - bollix! - Horslips!' came the reply. It's true - I heard it from Paddy O'Pochryphal.