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.

Horslips-The Book Of Invasions-A Celtic Symphony (1976)

The Horslips are considered the greatest Irish progressive folk band, as well as the most acclaimed, and at their peak, they had the largest national following, surpassing other Irish legends like Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher, and Thin Lizzy. Musically related to other contemporary bands such as Jethro Tull, Fairport Convention, and Steelye Span, they coined the term "Celtic rock" like no other, basing their sound on Celtic mysticism mixed with hard rock. During the 1970s, they recorded a dozen studio albums and several live albums, with their first six releases being the most acclaimed of their entire career. Formed in the early 1970s by Barry Devlin (bass and vocals), Sean Fean (guitar), Eamonn Carr (drums), Charles O'Connor (violin, mandolin, and vocals), and Jim Lockhart (flute and keyboards), they released their first album in 1972, "Happy To Meet, Sorry To Part", which brought them considerable recognition. In the following years, they released a series of high-quality albums, such as the brilliant "The Táin" (1973), "Dancehall Sweethearts" (1974), "The Unfortunate Cup Of Tea" (1975), "The Man Who Built America" ​​(1978), and the one we're discussing here, "The Book Of Invasions - A Celtic Symphony". Like almost all their albums, this one is conceived as a concept album based on legendary stories from Ireland, Irish mythology, and pre-Christian pagan times. A work that is imbued, as could not be otherwise, with Celtic sounds like the opening track "Daybreak", while the more conventional rock-oriented tracks appear in "The Power and The Glory", accentuating its melodic folk rock sounds in the superb "Warm Sweet Breath Love" and "The Rocks Remain", without neglecting its approaches to progressive folk with the incredible "Ride To Hell".