| Horslips | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Dublin, Ireland |
| Genres | Celtic rock, progressive rock |
| Years active | 1970–1980 2004–present (intermittent) |
| Website | [1] |
| Members | |
| Eamon Carr Barry Devlin John Fean Jim Lockhart Charles O'Connor |
|
Horslips are an Irish Celtic rock band that compose, arrange and perform songs based on traditional Irish jigs and reels. The group are regarded as 'founding fathers of Celtic rock'[1] for their fusion of traditional Irish music with rock music and went on to inspire many local and international acts.[2] They formed in 1970 and 'retired' in 1980 for an extended period. The name originated from a spoonerism on The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse which became "The Four Poxmen on The Horslypse".[3][4]
Horslips were one of Ireland's leading rock groups of their era. Although they had limited commercial success in their own lifetime, there was a revival of interest in their music in the late 1990s and they came to be regarded as one of the defining bands of the Celtic rock genre. There have since been small scale reunions including appearances on The Late Late Show and RTÉ's Other Voices. The band reformed for two Irish shows in the Odyssey Arena in Belfast and the O2 Arena in Dublin respectively at the end of 2009, and have continued to play shows since then.
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Barry Devlin, Eamon Carr and Charles O'Connor met up when they worked at the Gerry Maher graphics company in Dublin. They were cajoled into pretending to be a band for a beer (Harp Lager) commercial but needed a keyboard player. Devlin said he knew a Jim Lockhart that would fit the bill. They enjoyed the act so much that they decided to try to do the rock thing properly. They hooked up with guitarist Declan Sinnott, a colleague of Eamon Carr's from Tara Telephone and Gene Mulvaney (briefly) to form Horslips (originally Horslypse) in 1970.[3][4]
They went professional on St Patrick's Day 1972 having shed Mulvaney and released a single, "Johnny's Wedding", on their own record label, Oats. Declan Sinnott left soon after, primarily due to his annoyance at the group appearing in an advert for Mirinda orange drink (shot in The People's Park in Dun Laoghaire in Easter 1972) and was replaced by Gus Guest briefly, then Johnny Fean.[3]
Horslips designed their own artwork, wrote sleeve-notes and researched the legends that they made into concept albums. They had their own record label and licensed the recordings through RCA for release outside Ireland. They kept their base in Ireland, unlike previous Irish bands.
In October 1972 Horslips went to Longfield house in Tipperary and recorded their first album, Happy To Meet, Sorry To Part, in the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio.[5] They then released another single, "Green Gravel". On the first album the melodies were mostly traditional. Jim Lockhart was on keyboards and gradually mastered other instruments including uillean pipes. Eamon Carr was on drums, including the Irish bodhrán. Happy To Meet, Sorry To Part was the fastest-selling album for 8 years in Ireland. The sleeve was an elaborate concertina-shaped fold-out design which made the LP stand out in the shops.
The Abbey Theatre in Dublin asked the band to provide the background for a stage adaptation of "The Táin". They leapt at the opportunity. "Táin Bó Cúailnge" (The Cattle-Raid of Cooley) is a tenth-century story written in Old and Middle Irish. It tells of an ancient war between Ulster and Connaught. The Táin was released in 1973 and had more original material alongside the traditional tunes, and greater emphasis on rock. In the same year a single, "Dearg Doom", went to number one in Germany.[6]
Dancehall Sweethearts followed in 1974, and also balanced folk with rock.[7] Their fourth album, The Unfortunate Cup of Tea, drifted toward pop music and was a disappointment by comparison.[8]RCA ended their funding deal for the group in 1975. The group funded their next venture themselves and went back to basics. Drive The Cold Winter Away (also 1975) was their most traditional album to date.[9] They signed with DJM Records worldwide through A&R man Frank Neilson. The Book of Invasions: A Celtic Symphony (1976), like The Táin, was an adaptation of Irish legends built into a complex story. It became their only entry in the UK Albums Chart to date, where it peaked at #39 in 1977.[10]
Ever ambitious, they now tried to make it in the United States. They brought in Jim Slye to become their manager. He later sold their publishing rights to William McBurney for £4,000. In 1977 they produced Aliens, about the experience of the Irish in nineteenth-century America, which included very little folk music.[11] They toured Britain, Germany, Canada and the United States. The night that they played the Albert Hall in London was described by one critic as the loudest gig there since Hendrix. The Man Who Built America (1978), produced by Steve Katz of Blood, Sweat and Tears and Blues Project fame, concerned Irish emigration to the USA and was commercially their most successful album. The heavier sound did bring some acceptance in America but they lost their folk base and their freshness.[12] Short Stories, Tall Tales (1979) was their last studio album and was panned by the record company and critics alike.
At a time when The Troubles were at its peak, Horslips played gigs in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland without prejudice and were accepted everywhere. Their last recordings were from live performances at Whitla Hall in Belfast April and May 1980. A few months later, on October 12, 1980 they played their final gig in the Ulster Hall. They made no public announcement. They simply gave an encore—the Rolling Stones' song "The Last Time" (this was a reference to the recording studio of their first album) and the final act was Charles O'Connor throwing his mangled fiddle into the audience. Ten years after they formed, they disbanded.
Even before Horslips ended, Johnny Fean, Eamon Carr and two others founded the "Zen Alligators" in 1980. They played straight rock and soul on the Irish circuit, and they recorded several singles. Another spin-off group called "Host" contained Fean, O'Connor and Carr. They issued one album, Tryal, in 1984, and two singles.
The final album that had a Fean/Carr collaboration in the 80s was the 1986 under-rated The Last Bandits in the World.
Barry Devlin issued a solo album called 'Breaking Star Codes' in 1983 with some help from Jim Lockhart. The album had 12 songs, each based, loosely, on the signs of the zodiac. Further Lockhart/Devlin collaborations included the theme tune to the popular RTÉ drama series 'Glenroe'.
In 1986 Johnny Fean moved to England. An English indie band called Jacobites (1983 to 1986) consisted of Nikki Sudden and Dave Kusworth. Their 1986 album Ragged School had Johnny on guitar.
He also played sporadically with a Horslips tribute band Spirit of Horslips and pub gigs with pick up three-piece The Treat, which sometimes featured former Thin Lizzy guitarist Eric Bell instead of Fean.
In 1990, the electric guitar intro to "Dearg Doom" was used for Put 'Em Under Pressure, Ireland's 1990 World Cup song, written by Larry Mullen and featuring the Republic of Ireland national football team and Moya Brennan. This use of the intro may be better known in Ireland than the original.
Charles O'Connor released an instrumental album called 'Angel on the Mantelpiece' in collaboration with Paul Whittaker in 1997.[13]
For 20 years William McBurney, head of Belfast based Outlet records for over 40 years, received royalties from vinyl and CDs, including many compilations. He claimed that he bought the rights in "good faith" from Jim Slye, who managed Horslips from the late 1970s until the band's final gig. However, the quality of these releases left much to be desired. Shoddy artwork and dodgy sound meant that most of these releases were in the bargain bin at £2.99, leaving the five former members disillusioned at the state of affairs. In fact it led to at least one band member refusing to listen to the music for almost all of 20 years.
The former band members fought back and on March 7, 1999 won a court victory in Belfast for the copyright ownership and a substantial financial settlement. Horslips are now again fully in control of their music and, to that end, released the entire back catalogue on CD in 2000 / 2001 with updated artwork and digitally remastered sound.[14]
In March 2004 three Horslips enthusiasts, Jim Nelis, Stephen Ferris and Paul Callaghan, put on an exhibition of Horslips memorabilia in The Orchard Gallery in Derry. It was opened by the band, who played five songs acoustically.[15] Buoyed by this first public appearance in 24 years, Horslips returned to the studio in Westmeath to produce a studio album, Roll Back, in the summer of 2004. Described as "Horslips Unplugged", the album contains acoustic reworkings of many of their best-known songs.[16]
The same exhibition moved to Drogheda in October 2005, courtesy of longtime fan Paddy Goodwin, and was formally opened on October 6 by a tribute band, Horslypse, composed of nine teenage musicians. Horslips did a rambunctious version of "Furniture" at the end.
The exhibition moved to Belfast in February and March 2006 and there were plans for a New York showing in 2007.[15] In February 2008, the exhibition opened in Ballinamore in County Leitrim, and then, in July, opened in Ballybofey in Donegal.
A double DVD entitled Return of the Dancehall Sweethearts came out in November 2005. Disc one is a documentary and disc 2 is live footage of the band from the 1970s, including promo videos and slots on The Old Grey Whistle Test.[17]
In December 2005 the band played in front of an invited audience for the recording of the RTÉ television program Other Voices in Dingle in County Kerry. Part of the set included three songs done "full-on" -- the first time the band played live and electric since October 1980.
The last Horslips' event so far in this phase of their career was a TG4 tribute show recorded and broadcast live on March 25, 2006 before a live invited studio audience. A number of Irish personalities were interviewed, in Irish, about what the band meant to them and how Horslips shaped modern Irish music.
US band Slough Feg covered 'Dearg Doom' on their full length "Hardworlder" for Cruz Del Sur music.
On July 2, 2009 it was announced that Horslips would reunite for two shows, their first 'open public' gigs since 1980. The band played the Odyssey Arena in Belfast on Thursday December 3 and the O2 Arena in Dublin on Saturday December 5.
Drummer Eamon Carr did not play the concerts, citing personal reasons, though he was fully supportive and remains a fifth member. His place was taken by Johnny Fean's brother Ray Fean.
The band played two invite-only warm up gigs in McHugh's of Drogheda on 26 and 27 November. (19)
The band was set to play at "Live at the Marquee" Cork City on the 26th June 2010, but the concert was cancelled due to Jim Lockhart falling ill.
In November and December 2010, Horslips, again with Ray Fean on percussion, returned to some of their old stomping grounds with a 4 gig tour of Ireland. These included the INEC (Ireland's National Event Centre) in Killarney (27 November), the Royal Theatre in Castlebar (28 November), the Waterfront Hall in Belfast (1 December) and culminated in a return to the O2 Arena on the 4th of December.
They played at the 2011 Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow's "Old Fruitmarket" on January 18. An enthusiastic crowd welcomed the band, who played an incredible set. Barry Devlin joked that they were back in Glasgow after 31 years, "the longest fag break in history!"
On the 10th February 2010 it was announced that Horlsips would be very special guests under Fairport Convention at Fairport's Cropredy Convention 2011. The announcement said "We are delighted to announce that probably our most requested band, HORSLIPS,will be attending this year's Cropredy festival as our very special guests". They performed on Saturday 13 August to an enthusiastic crowd.
On St Patrick's Day, 17 March 2011, the band played a BBC concert with the Ulster Orchestra at Belfast Waterfront Hall.
19. http://www.tribune.ie/news/article/2009/nov/29/horslips-reel-back-the-years-with-first-gig-since-/