HAPPY TO MEET, SORRY TO PART

Horslips' debut album was released on CD twice. About a decade before the members of the band went to court to reclaim their rights to the music, Outlet Records had issued all of their albums on CD. These releases are now sometimes called bootlegs and are criticised for their supposedly bad sound, but for a long time they were the only option. Frankly, if there's anything wrong with the sound, I don't hear it. However, some of these contain a few alternative versions of songs instead of the original ones. Also, the playing order is different on some of the albums, which is the case with this one. The more recent releases are relatively expensive and the Outlet ones can be found very cheap, but I'd still recommend anyone to pay more for quality. The music however is still the same, a combination of more or less traditional folk tunes and a few much more rock oriented songs. It took me a while to enjoy it, unlike some of their later albums. However, I fell right away for Furniture, which for me is still the best song they ever did. For a prog music collection this album isn't an essential addition, but once you like Horslips you'll want this one. Having to choose between three and four stars, I give it three.