''The Táin'' is an album by Irish rock band Horslips. Their second studio album, it was Horslip's first attempt at making a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

, an idea they would return to in 1976 with '' The Book of Invasions: A Celtic Symphony''. ''The Táin'' was based on the Táin Bó Cúailnge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley), one of the most infamous legends of Early Irish literature, dealing with the war between Ulster and Connacht over a prize bull. The songs tell the story from the points of view of Cúchulainn, Queen Maeve of Connacht and Ferdia, among others. Horslips continued their Celtic Rock style of fusing traditional Irish music and rock, using traditional jigs and reels and incorporating them into their songs. For example, Dearg Doom is based on ''O'Neill's March'', while ''The March of the King of Laois'' forms part of "More Than You Can Chew". ''The Táin'' was released in Ireland in 1973 independently, in the UK by RCA/Oats and by Atco in the US. It was reissued in the UK in 1978 by DJM. "Dearg Doom" was arguably the most popular track on the album and was included in Tom Dunne's ''30 Best Irish Hits'' compilation, released in 2003. Along with "Faster Than The Hound", it was performed by the band on BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test. "Dearg Doom's" main guitar riff was incorporated into " Put 'Em Under Pressure", the anthem of the Republic of Ireland's

Italia '90 The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second time (the first being Me ...

campaign, reintroducing the song to a younger audience.

Track listing

Personnel

;Horslips * Jim Lockhart - keyboards,

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

, tin whistles, uilleann pipes, backing vocals *

Eamon Carr Horslips are an Irish Celtic rock band that compose, arrange and perform songs frequently inspired by traditional Irish airs, jigs and reels. The group are regarded as 'founding fathers of Celtic rock' for their fusion of traditional Irish mu ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, bodhrán,

percussions A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exclu ...

Barry Devlin Barry Devlin (born 27 November 1946) is an Irish people, Irish musician, screen writer and director. Early life Devlin is from Moortown, County Tyrone, Moortown in Ardboe, County Tyrone. He initially began to train as a Missionary Society of S ...

- bass guitar, lead vocals on "Charolais," "You Can't Fool the Beast," "Ferdia's Song," and "Faster than The Hound," backing vocals * Charles O'Connor -

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

, concertina, lead vocals on "Dearg Doom," "Cú Chulainn's Lament," and "More than You Can Chew," backing vocals * John Fean - guitars,

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

, lead vocals on "Time to Kill," backing vocals

References

Sources

Horslips official site - Gives lyrics, meanings of songs, as well as a guide to the album's backstory, the legendary Táin Bó Cuailgne.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tain, The Horslips albums 1973 albums Concept albums