The Táin(Horslips album)

The Táin
Studio albumby Horslips
Released	1973
Recorded	November 23, 1973
Studio	Escape Studios / Manor Studios. Mixed at Olympic Studios
Genre	Celtic rock,progressive rock
Length	42:39
Label	LP - Horslips Records (Ireland),RCA(UK),Atco(U.S.). CD - Edsel (UK).
Producer	Alan O'Duffy,Horslips
Horslipschronology
Happy to Meet - Sorry to Part (1972) The Táin (1973) Dancehall Sweethearts (1974)

The Táinis an album byIrishrock bandHorslips.Their second studio album, it was the band's first attempt at making aconcept album,an idea they would return to in 1976 withThe Book of Invasions: A Celtic Symphony.The Táinwas based on theTáin Bó Cúailnge(The Cattle Raid of Cooley), one of the most infamouslegendsofearly Irish literature,dealing with the war betweenUlsterandConnachtover a prize bull. The songs tell the story from the points of view ofCú Chulainn,Queen Maeve of ConnachtandFerdia,among others. Horslips continued theirCeltic Rockstyle offusingtraditional Irish music and rock, using traditional jigs and reels and incorporating them into their songs. For example, "Dearg Doom" is based onO'Neill's March,whileTheMarch of the King of Laoisforms part of "More Than You Can Chew".

The Táinwas released in Ireland in 1973 independently, in the UK byRCA/Oatsand byAtcoin the US. It was reissued in the UK in 1978 byDJM.

"Dearg Doom" was arguably the most popular track on the album and was included inTom Dunne's30 Best Irish Hitscompilation, released in 2003. Along with "Faster Than The Hound", it was performed by the band on theBBC'sThe Old Grey Whistle Test.The track's main guitar riff was incorporated into "Put 'Em Under Pressure",the anthem of theRepublic of Ireland'sItalia '90campaign, reintroducing the song to a younger audience.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Setanta"	1:15
2.	"Maeve's Court"	1:41
3.	"Charolais"	4:03
4.	"The March"	1:34
5.	"You Can't Fool the Beast"	3:43
6.	"Dearg Doom"	3:07
7.	"Ferdia's Song"	2:44
8.	"Gae Bolga"	1:15

Side two

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Cú Chulainn's Lament"	3:07
2.	"Faster Than the Hound"	5:39
3.	"Silver Spear"	2:06
4.	"More Than You Can Chew"	3:18
5.	"The Morrigan's Dream"	3:25
6.	"Time to Kill!"	5:02

Personnel

Horslips

• Jim Lockhart –keyboards,flute,tin whistles,uilleann pipes,backing vocals
• Eamon Carr –drums,bodhrán,percussions
• Barry Devlin–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,mandolin,concertina,lead vocals on "Dearg Doom", "Cú Chulainn's Lament", and "More than You Can Chew", backing vocals
• John Fean –guitars,banjo,lead vocals on "Time to Kill", backing vocals

Sources

• Horslips official site - Gives lyrics, meanings of songs, as well as a guide to the album's backstory, the legendary Táin Bó Cuailgne.Archived10 May 2019 at theWayback Machine