HORSLIPS

Review Nº 861

Traditional music always had a special place in the Irish culture. The traditional music exploded in Dublin in the 60's as younger artists began to see the possibilities of merging the traditional folk and other new genres. It was in this context that appeared Horslips. For anyone who grew up in Ireland in the 70's, Horslips were rock'n'roll. Somehow they were able to fuse the rock sensibilities to traditional Irish tunes. They made the old music accessible to the new generation.

Horslips was founded in Dublin in 1970. They're a Celtic progressive rock band that compose, arrange and perform songs inspired by the traditional Irish airs, jigs and reels. Horslips is usually regarded as the founding fathers of the Celtic rock for their fusion of the traditional Irish music with the progressive rock music. They went to inspire many local and international musical acts. They're probably also considered the best Irish progressive rock band ever. Thought Horslips had limited commercial success when the band was playing in the 70's, there was a revival of interest in their music in the late of the 90's. They became to be regarded as one of the defining bands of the Celtic rock genre.

"Dancehall Sweethearts" is the third studio album of Horslips and that was released in 1974. The line up on "Dancehall Sweethearts" is Charles O'Connor (vocals, Fiddle, mandolin and concertina), John Fean (vocals, guitar and banjo), Jim Lockhart (vocals, keyboards, concert flute and whistle), Berry Devlin (vocals and bass) and Eamon Carr (drums, percussion and bodhrán).

After the two previous albums "Happy To Meet, Sorry To Part" and "The Táin", Horslips abandoned a bit the Celtic rock sound that defined those two works. With "Dancehall Sweethearts", the band used a formula closer to the American rock style. Still, many folk touches are still present but to a much lesser degree. The band takes a huge back-seat to an almost American sounding generic rock vibe. The problem was how to sell Horslips in 1974. That convinced their record label to come up with the clichéd rock band cover photo for "Dancehall Sweethearts". They wanted Horslips to be seen firmly in the 70's rock canon. But the material remained stubbornly Irish. The title of their third album spoke to the Irish musical tradition. "Dancehall Sweethearts" brought them to the United States and Canada on tour. However, that album wasn't as strong as the other two. It reveals a more "modern" rock sound in their music and song writing.

"Dancehall Sweethearts" has ten tracks. The album opens with "Nighttown Boy", a corny bouncy horn driven riff rocker. It has a nice guitar riff blended with keyboards, mandolin and the inclusion of saxophones. I like the horn parts. "The Blind Can't Lead The Blind" is a stately electric folk song. It opens with a female choral part that I love. I also quite enjoy the main groove and the circular melody. It feels like a traditional song. "Stars" is another highlight on the album. It features excellent keyboard work from Lockhart with his part in the chorus. It has a sweet bluesy guitar riff too. "We Bring The Summer With Us" is a very beautiful short song. This is a kind of a traditional folk song with a nice prog treatment brought by the keyboards and the joining of the concertina too. "Sunburst" is very well played with a slight bombastic arrangement. It makes the best use of the grandiose side of things with its horns and female backups. This is a nice break on the album. "Mad Pat" isn't a masterpiece. It's a bit obvious in the melody department, but it's very well performed and chugs along with rocking energy. It has great melodies and some catchy segments. I like this song very much. "Blindman" is another great song with a potent vocal performance from Charles O'Connor. It has a perfect melody and some catchy segments that manage to turn it in a nice prog folk piece with some successful. "King Of The Fairies" is a very impressive instrumental song despite its relatively short length. It shows the versatility of the band with the use by the many Celtic traditional instruments. "Lonely Hearts" is a back to the straightforward rock song style of the first track, "Nighttown Boy". Despite be a kind of repetition it doesn't spoil the nice mood of the album. "The Best Years Of My Life" is a very short song that closes the album in a melancholic way. Somehow it ends the album abruptly.

Conclusion: "Dancehall Sweethearts" is still regarded as one of their finest recordings and the more mainstream approach on this album fully reveals that instrumentally they were every bit as talented as their more famous early 70's counterparts. The Irish folk roots are still hidden underneath the melodies and give them a bit of an "exotic" touch to otherwise mainstream rock songs. On their previous albums those roots have been the strength of the band's sound. Here, they're more decoration. Anyway, I really like this album. They still sound great to me. I think the combination of the Irish traditional Celtic music with the more mainstream rock works very well. It's an album with an excellent balance between both styles. It remains a great album that doesn't wane with time. I only can say one more thing. "Dancehall Sweethearts" is a great album that deserves to be checked. You won't be disappointed if you're a fan of great music.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review Nº 839

Horslips was an Irish progressive folk rock band founded in Dublin in 1970 as a quintet playing a brand of folk based rock music whose only parallel could be found in the early works of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention. But, where Fairport Convention freely mixed the British and the American folk rock traditions, Horslips drew on their distinctly Irish roots, and were capable of playing their straight folk material when the moment was called for it, but they never were afraid to turn it up loud and hard, in the most best art rock style. Horslips arranged and performed songs frequently inspired by the traditional Irish airs jigs and reels. Horslips is regarded as the "founding fathers of the Celtic rock" for their fusion of the traditional Irish music with rock and went on to inspire many local and international acts.

Formed in 1970 and retired in 1980 for an extended period, they returned in with a new album "Roll Back" in 2004. At one point in the mid of the 70's, it seemed that Horslips could have been the Ireland's answer to Jethro Tull, but it never happened, really. But, Horslips released half-a-dozen of superb albums along the way, especially "The Tain" and "The Book Of Invasions - A Celtic Symphony". They become Ireland's most acclaimed folk-rock progressive band. Although Horslips had limited commercial success when the band was playing in the 70's, there was a revival of interest in their music in the late 90's. Horslips became to be regarded as one of the defining bands of the Celtic rock genre, indeed.

"The Book Of Invasions - A Celtic Symphpony" is the sixth studio album of Horslips. The line up on the band is Charles O'Connor (vocals, fiddle, mandolin and concertina), John Fean (vocals and guitar), Jim Lockhart (keyboards, flute and whistle), Barry Devlin (vocals and bass) and Eamon Carr (drums and percussion).

So, Horslips had released five studio albums before "The Book of Invasions - A Celtic Symphony" was released in 1976. Returning to their original formula of rock & roll, folk, and prog rock, "The Book Of Invasions - A Celtic Symphpony" rivals with their second studio album "The Tain" released in 1973, as their most consistent and creative work, and established the band as that decade's preeminent purveyor of those three entwined genres. This is an album loosely based on the "Book Of Invasions", which is a 12th century compilation of legends regarding the settling of Ireland where the Fomorians then the Tuatha de Dannan and finally the Sons of Mil or Milesians or Gaels won the Irish island.

Before "The Book of Invasions - A Celtic Symphony" the band had experimented with various permutations of rock, Irish folk and Celtic mythology on their previous albums, but it was on "The Book Of Invasions ? A Celtic Symphony" that everything gelled with the long cherished idea of creating a classical symphony from these components, a true concept album about "Invasions". It's split into three movements and it has a leitmotif which crops up throughout the album in various guises. In the old Ireland there were three principal categories of songs, called Geantrai, Goltrai, and Suantrai (the joyous strain, the lamenting strain, and the sleep strain). The same happens with this album. It consists of no less than fourteen songs divided into three lengthy movements. The first one, "Geantrai", runs for over twenty 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 excellent example of the band's talent for turning a traditional jig into their own compositions. The third and final movement, "Suantrai" starts with the pleasant "Sideways To The Sun" that is based on an old traditional Irish ballad. "Drive The Cold Winter Away" is an instrumental interlude that leads into the far and a bit more aggressive "Ride To Hell" that closes this amazing album of Horslips in the best way possible, really.

Conclusion: This album was the chart highpoint for Horslips in the UK and although they were popular in the USA, the band split in 1980. I'm not saying "The Book Of Invasions - A Celtic Symphony" is a perfect album, but it does have its perfect moments. So, especially and at a time when everything can be found online, it would be a shame that you miss this great album. The scope of the album is quite breathtaking. The Irish mythology rubs up against folk melodies, rock arrangements, symphonic themes and a huge range of instruments and bags of style to create a genuine classic album. There are some catchy riffs and melodies and some good hard rock in too and bits and pieces of tradition tunes. Like many bands from this era, Horslips reformed for selected gigs in the 90's, but they can still be seen live occasionally. If you're into rock or folk or both and you haven't heard this before, you really should give it a listen. It's recommended.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

The Celtic peoples of Ireland seem to have been the most resistant to contaminating their cultural traditions with the modernities of the 20th century which is why during the 60s the traditional Irish musical forms didn't find themselves merging with the world of beat, pop or psychedelia as much as the rest of Europe but by the time the 1970s came around it seems that even this proud nation had succumbed to the hybridization of art forms. The Dublin based HORSLIPS is credited as being the pioneer of Celtic rock and right off the bat didn't just create a cheesy standard rock style with Irish jigs and reels but dove right into the more complex world of progressive rock to create some of the most distinct progressive folk rock sounds of the entire 1970s.

When i first encountered the name HORSLIPS i couldn't decide if this was a play on words meaning "horse lips" or "whore slips" but as it turns out it was neither and rather a spoonerism on "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" which adopted the last word when changed to "The Four Poxmen of the Horslypse." Remember that for your prog music trivia night! HORSLIPS got its start as far back as 1970 in Dublin when Barry Devlin (bass, vocals), Eamon Carr (drums, percussion) and Charles O'Connor (fiddle, mandolin, vocals) met while working at a local adverting agency. The entire project began as a joke as the three wanted to create a parody band that supposedly represented the Harp lager brand of Irish beer but somehow became a serious project found other members and two years later HORSLIPS released its debut album HAPPY TO MEET - SORRY TO PART.

While HORSLIPS would develop its own unique mix of progressive rock, folk music and Irish jigs, on HAPPY TO MEET - SORRY TO PART the songs are primarily based on traditional Irish melodies that incorporate more complex song structures which include elements of prog rock. The album is considered to be the very first Celtic rock album ever released however is fairly unrepresentative of the more unique compositions that the band would evolve into throughout the 1970s. The album basically opened the floodgates for traditional Irish folk musicians to experiment and dabble with other musical genres and set Ireland on course to join the burgeoning world of prog rock and folk that had been gestating in neighboring England for several years at this point. Before then such things were considered sacrilegious and highly frowned upon even by the younger crowds.

Despite the plethora of Celtic instrumentation such as the concert flute, tin whistles, uilleann pipes and bodhán accompanied by more traditional rock and folk sounds from guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, concertina and rock bass and drums, the music on HAPPY TO MEET - SORRY TO PART is mostly on the mellow side with only a few upbeat tracks such as "Bím Istigh Ag Ól" delivering the energetic jig and reel ferocity that one would expect from festive Irish musical performances. The majority of the album is more on the dreamy contemplative side of the equation with lush Genesis styled pastoral tenderness favored over more raucous performances however the music is beautifully constructed and delivers a compelling fusion style that seems very common in the 21st century when Celtic sounds seem to have entered every nook and cranny of every musical genre.

This debut seems to get overlooked in favor of the band's more accomplished albums that follow but all in all HAPPY TO MEET - SORRY TO PART is a beautifully diverse album that delivers in content although sounding a bit inconsistent and unfocused perhaps but that works for my tastes. The band delivers as many highly complex prog tracks such as "Furniture" and "Ace And Deuce" as it does more traditional sounding jig oriented numbers like "Dance To Yer Daddy" or "The Shamrock Shore" which is closer to The Chieftains or Clannad. Irish music is utterly irresistible to my ears (having Irish blood in my veins) so i can't help but be mesmerized by this lucky charm that will give me shamrock dreams and Blarney Stone fortunes. Although HORSLIPS didn't really find popularity in its early days, the band has found a much larger and more loyal audience since the prog revival of the 1990s. While different than the albums that came later, this debut with more focus on traditional jigs and reels is well worth checking out.

I am currently listening to this album as part of the magnificent "More Than You Can Chew" box set, where it is presented in it's own mini-gatefold sleeve with proper art work, and notes in a separate hardback book which comes in the box. Although the notes are frank, saying this was produced by a band worn out by touring and record company apathy, it was not an impression which I got from the actual music - this is largely upbeat and even jaunty in places. Highlights for me are "Rescue Me", with an acoustic Simon & Garfunkel feel, that should have been an huge hit, and Unapproved Road (it's interesting how both of these songs touch on very dark subjects, whilst keeping things melodic and avoiding the usual cliches). As for it's prog rock credentials: I'd say this is one of the more straight-forward albums in the Horslips catalogue, and perhaps The Book Of Invasions or Aliens would be a better place to start, but I don't think there are any fillers and I listen to the album all the way through without skipping anything.

I missed this when it first came out. Coming from a suggestion by Declan McGovern, then BBC executive producer of music, this really did turn out to be good night out. A concert which focusses on Horslips two most revered works, The Tain and The Book Of Invasions, is very well orchestrated, played and recorded.

The setlist, where tracks from each album are interspersed, works well and demonatrates that the pieces are good enough in their own right to sound convincing outside of the concepts of the two albums they come from. It avoids the dull patches that sometimes occur when bands play entire albums from start to finish.

The final four pieces, from elsewhere, round to proceedings off well. I can't fault it. Five stars. It should appeal to both fans of the band and also new listeners. The BBC did well on this one, as did Horslips.

Few compilations are worthy of interest to an artist's dedicated fans, as they more than likely have most of that artist's most important albums. Treasury is one of those albums. It features virtually every great song by Horslips, as well as being an informative look of how the band progressed from combining Celtic influences with contemporary rock styles, to Celtic infused prog rock, to straight AOR rock to new wave-ish tunes. Included are all of the best tracks from the band's 10 studio albums with fan favorites like "Furniture", "Faster Than The Hound", "Dearg Doom", "The Power And The Glory" and "Trouble With A Capital T". These tracks were culled from the band's studio albums that were excellently remastered 2009 at Abbey Road studio, and are a great way to get a shot of Horslips' best without wading through those albums. This double CD compilation, of 34 songs(!), closes with a previously unreleased acoustic reading of "Dearg Doom" as a great parting shot. Fantastic. 4 stars.

Go back to the late 60s in Ireland, and 3 styles ruled. One was the showbands, another traditional and dull folk, the other the Irish folk crooners singing songs like My darling Killarney mammy. Or something equally ****. Then, in 1970, an advertising agency in Dublin was commissioned to shoot an advert for Harp lager, which was to be a party with a band called The Gentle People playing to lots of young people drinking Harp. Some of the members played instruments, so they decided to form the band themselves, miming. From this, Horslips was born. After some singles, a lot of gigging, a controversy when they were banned from playing by the Catholic Church, they released their debut album, Happy to Meet, Sorry to Part. This was, at the time the fastest selling album in Irish history, mixing traditional Irish music with progressive rock. It was like lobbing a hand grenade into the quiet Irish music scene and founded Celtic rock. Roll on to 1976, and after another four albums, including the utterly brilliant The Tain, Horslips were trying to recover from the utter flop that The Unfortunate Cup of Tea had been. They wisely decided to revisit the concept format that had made The Tain so brilliant, and to reach back into the mythology of Ireland to recount the Lebor Gabala Erenn, which tells the story of Ireland from the Creation to the Middle Ages. The complex story is split into three parts: Geantrai (when Giants walked the Earth), Goltrai (the pursuit of Diarmaid and Grainne, and Suantrai (the living end). It's marvellous stuff: a blend of Celtic rock and prog which is often catchy and memorable and always brilliantly composed, played and sung. There are no weak tracks: it moves from one superb track seamlessly into the next. Many (Trouble with a Capital T, The Power and the Glory, Sword of Light and the Warm Sweet Breath of Love) were live staples and influenced a young David Evans, better known as The Edge, and Paul Hewson, better known as Bono. But my personal favourite is the closer, Ride to Hell, with its gentle folky intro, which morphs into a chunky riff and a fine organ solo with excellent guitar and violin before returning to a quiet folky end. But I could eulogise about all the tracks, because there isn't a weak moment. In summary, this rivals The Tain as Horslips' crowning glory and is a true masterwork, well worthy of 5 stars. It's shame it's not more widely known beyond the shores of Ireland, where Horslips are still revered to this day.

Horslips is an Irish band that combined rock, folkrock and light progressive rock. On 'The Book of Invasions' the band clearly sets out tot create an ambitious progressive rock album, but yet it lacks any layered depths. To me it sounds like the're just summing up undeveloped instrumental bits, unfinished songs and overly happy unauthentic feeling folk(rock) passages. To me it sounds like a big game of pretending. From the progressive point of view, the music is way to simple and lacks any originality in both the compositions of performance style. This is rather a dressed-up folk-pop album. Must be quite a fun album if you don't expect any of that Fairport Convention soul or Jethro Tul finesse.

The Book of Invasions is one of the best albums by the Irish Rockers Horslips. It's very difficult to place this melodic Celtic rock album alongside any of the prog masterpieces of the era like Yes' Close To The Edge or Selling England By The Pound by Genesis as Horslips were just not that type of electric/symphonic prog group. However, The Book Of Invasions does have many prog motifs such as it's concept of Celtic mythology driven battles and a sense that the music might just jump head long into long improvisations even if it never quite reaches that musical apex. But a stellar collection of anthemic rockers that showcase lead guitar and flute melodies playing together to create an eerie other worldly hybrid on "Trouble With A Capital T", a charging B3 driven organ riffing on "The Power And The Glory", along with the weariness felt after a battle that's expounded in the dreamy ballad "Sideways To The Sun", all puts one in mind of the grandeur that can only be found in progressive rock music.

But make no mistake, The Book of Invasions is full blown Celtic rock that owes as much to it's heritage as Fairport Convention owes to British folk music. The music of Horslips' forbearers is just so entwined that even a full blown rock song like "The Rocks Remain" cannot help but exhibit the echo of traditional melodies from Irish folk songs, reels and slip jigs. If you enjoy Jethro Tull's Songs From The Wood then the Book Of Invasions is right up your alley, Or bog. 4 stars as the album's production is also top notch.

Horslips' first album "Happy To Meet, Sorry To Part" is a nice precursor to their following prog opuses, mainly "The Tain" and "The Book Of Invasions-A Celtic Symphony", as it puts the listener both at ease as what to expect next and also apprehensive at the same time. That's mainly due to the band's penchant for both jigs and reels Celtic music and contemporary rock with varying degrees of psychedelic rock and folk rock incorporated into the mix. "Happy to Meet..." starts off with a brief snippet of a traditional instrumental before segueing into a dreamscape of echoing guitar and spacey keyboards before Charles O'Conner starts singing about examining oneself at the outset of falling in love. "After you've been through the tunnel of love its the hall of mirrors for you' he sings accompanied by darkly warped carnival-like music that breaks down into raucous hard rock before returning the listener to O'Conner's bizarre carnival ride. Following directly is a proggy instrumental titled "The Clergyman's Lament" that fits well with "The Hall Of Mirrors" before the band turns to excellent versions of the Irish Trad. and popular tunes "An Bratach Ban" (sung in Gallic I presume), "The Shamerock Shore", and "Flower Among Them All". All are delivered with great verve and taste as does the album's second side which follows the formula plotted out on the first side. Modern compositions are again interspersed with traditional and Irish popular tunes. Standout songs on side two include "Furniture", "Ace And Deuce", and "The Musical Priest".

"Happy To Meet..." is an excellent introduction to Horslips as well as a template of what many called their forte while assigning the group as it's originator: Celtic Rock. 3 stars.