So whose heard of a Celtic progressive folk rock concept album? Surely I made that up? You all know that I have a fairly odd taste in music but the aforementioned category must be a figment of my imagination. Hardcore country jazz or ambient classical death metal is probably more believable. But I kid you not, whilst the later two are the products of my alcohol addled imagination, the former neatly sums up a band called Horslips and their 1976 album "The Book of Invasions." Seen by many as a return to their earlier sound, like their second album, "The Tain," it is based on stories that come from Irish mythology. The original Book of Invasions is a semi-mythical record of the subsequent races that controlled ancient Ireland. The album is subtitled "A Celtic Symphony" and that neatly sums up the nature of the album. It is a concept album in that it tells a story through the albums entirety, even though there are many individual songs contained on it. It can also be thought of as a soundtrack to a long lost place in time, modern musicians revelling in their own rich traditions.
With this, their seventh album, the band, now a well-established part of the rock music scene, at least in Europe anyway, took the characters and events of these legends and wove a mix of original and traditional music around it to create an album that was Irish to the core. Horslips had formed in 1970 and comprised Barry Devlin (bass/vocals) John Fean (lead guitar/vocals), Eamonn Carr (drums/vocals), Charles O'Connor (violin), and Jim Lockhart (flute/violin/keyboards). Their original singer Declan Sinnott was later to turn up in Irish folk super group Moving Hearts. For a comparison it is easy to equate Horslips to Jethro Tull who were working along a similar folk-progressive rock axis around the same time. The Englishness that is cerebrated on the Tull albums "Songs From The Wood" and "Heavy Horses" is a direct parallel of what their opposite number was doing exploring their own cultural heritage across the Irish Sea. But also like Tull, their progressive nature meant that they accessed a whole range of influences from all genres of music over the years retaining a freshness and fluid originality from one album to the next. Here they are doing the type of music that made them famous in the first place and whilst many have tried to imitate their style in the years since, The Book of Invasions remains a never bettered slice of Celtic rock.
The album's divided onto three sections or strains.
Geantrai (the joyous strain) takes up the first part and opens with the appropriately martial intro Daybreak. A trumpet marks the rising sun and a gentle guitar riff builds in the background soon to be joined by the bass and drums. This upbeat instrumental opening provides a light opening before the medieval mandolin bridge takes us back in time, fleet and airy with unison fills from John Fean's guitar and Jim Lockhart's flute. Building through a flute fronted jig reminiscent of Ian Anderson's style on the aforementioned Jethro Tull albums the first full on song "Trouble" is launched. The following "The Power And The Glory" is more muscular, resonating smoothly to the brisk smack of Eamon Carr's drums and Barry Devlin's bass marksmanship. Lockhart moves to organ and delivers some very rich tones, sounding very John Lord but then I'm sure the successes of deep Purple would have had some influence on the bands direction. Fean spins his chords neatly off the beat and Charles O'Connor scythes a fiddle break to great affect.
"The Rocks Remain" is relaxed. O'Connor scatters electric mandolin through the well-spaced mix and the vocal harmonies are pushed to the fore in a very west coast sort of way. Steely Dan and the Byrds comparisons are not entirely inappropriate here. Horslips now go up a gear and enter into their full-bloodied stride in "Sword Of Light". Fean lashes echoed riffs that were once a reel; the rhythm section is brutally precise. This song has a fantastic mix of traditional flavours and big stage rock and roll and neatly sums up what they do so well. Incidentally the folk "anoraks" amongst us will have noted that part of the tune of this song is derived from the traditional jig "Toss the Feathers" a much borrowed piece that even found its way onto Fairport Conventions classic album, "Liege and Lief"
Goltrai (the hammering strain) comprises two songs, "Warm Sweet Breath of Love" is a Grateful dead style country rock lilt, "Fantasia" is grand and courtly, a headstrong instrumental with more viciously soulful lead from Fean. Guitar fronted and bass driven there is something almost Santana-like about the lead playing which sits on top of the tune in place of the vocals. As the distant strains of this fade away the album moves smoothly into its final passage.
Suantrai (the sleeping strain) opens the more laid back tail end to the album. "King of Morning, Queen of Day" returns to the more folk based style, lyrics firmly set in the ancient underworld of a land of mists and legends. After more of the same from "Sideways To the Sun" the album is rounded off by the majestic "Ride to Hell" another Tull-esque creation. There's an unexpectedly open ending as the power chords of the song fade to flute and a repeat of the section's dominant theme.
The album not only tells of the legends of the mythic battles for the control of Erin, as it was, by the Tuatha De Danann and the Sons of Mil, but it manages to evoke the flavour of an ancient world through its music. Yes, purists will always point out that accordions, flutes and mandolins are still relatively new instruments in the scheme of things, not to mention guitars and keyboards. What is created here is an escapist and past times feel that gives life to the tale being set to it and that's what really matters, remember this is a folk-rock band not a bunch of historical purist musicians. They do conjure up the essence of a land of heroes, giants and gods, a twilight world at the dawn of prehistory.
For all its mythology and folk inspired styling, the album manages to avoid the twee clichs and overtly soppy themes that many lesser creators have fallen into. Its also very much the product of its time, sounding very much of its era, but then no-one has been able to replicate their work to any degree since and so this still remains the best conceptual arrangement of Celtic musical mythology. The most striking feature of Horslips' work is their attention to detail, the way they organise their extended pieces so coherently. But Son-Of-Tain this isn't. "The Book Of Invasions" is more ambitious, sophisticated and ultimately more substantial than its forerunner. No mean feat.