Horslips-The Táin (1973)

While many concept albums never quite work clearly and concisely, this second album from the Irish band Horslips does so brilliantly. Its concept is based on a legendary story from Irish mythology that developed around 500 BC. Musically, it's deeply rooted in Celtic folk, specifically from the Ulster and Connaught regions, filled with cheerful traditional melodies spiced with modern rock, which somehow provides the ideal musical backdrop for this intriguing concept. The strength of this album, and of this Irish band, lies in the magic of each song and its melodies, ingeniously crafted by a band of top-notch musicians. Songs like the folk-rock with progressive touches such as "Happy to Meet, Sorry to Part" ,"Setanta" or "Charolais" have certain influences of dark pastoral tales, while the traditional folk that appears in the second part of the album in songs like "Cu Chulainn's Lament", "Faster than The Hound" or "The Silver Spear", with its decidedly Irish violin sound and lively rhythm, fit in perfect conjunction with the overall atmosphere of this album.