I don’t know how I’ve not seen this before now – terrific webcast film of Horslips recording a radio session for RTÉ’s ‘Miriam Meets’ show in 2012. All four numbers were caught by the roving verité man, but the sound engineer is the real star – it’s sensational recorded sound to my ears: crisp, clear and still blistering.
Horslips (1971-80) reunited as an occasional entity in 2004. Since then, they’ve recorded only one studio album (‘Roll Back’ in 2004 – a quietly fabulous re-arranging of past works for a sort of unplugged format – much better than simple acoustic strumalongs of old hits) along with two live albums, one electric band the other electric band + orchestra. This session feels close to an electric band *studio* recording – a controlled environment, perfect sound, no need for anyone to be leaping around.
Let’s rock!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45Sx8KSmjF8
The second of the four numbers from the show, ‘Furniture’ – a stage favourite from 1972 onwards and usually an epic. Here in a 6-minute radio edit 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFxnTrU_Zm8
Their 1976 anthem ‘Trouble with a Capital ‘T”. That’s three vocalists so far – Charles O’Connor on ‘Derek Doom’, Bazza Devlin on ‘Furniture’ and Johnny Fean on ‘Trouble’. Irish Jim on keyboards also sang on some numbers up to 1975 but stopped after that as Johnny began singing more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7ONqqAEpOU
And finally…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XhPCEfYwZo
Fabulous set of clips, @colin-H. Charles O’Connor’s voice already shot, mind, not that they were ever hugely strong on vocals. Having said, and strangely, Barry Devlin’s voice is actually better than in the last century. I was deeply disappointed to miss the year they played Cropredy.
I think Charles’ voice is rather characterful, though I do tend not to prefer some the songs he happens to sing (I’ve always found ‘Mad Pat’ / ‘Blindman’ a bit of a bore, though they seem to be fan favourites – that said, the minor-key rearrangement of ‘Mad Pat’ on the ‘unplugged’ album ‘Roll Back’ in 2004 is much better).
oh Colin, you spoil us. This is fabulous to see. Horslips were the very first band I ever saw live, at St Goeorge’s Hall Liverpool, in 1974 I think. I loved them at them at the time, and The Tain especially was quite possibly my most played record for a few years.
Brilliant! I saw this lot in the 70s (two weeks later I caught the Bothy Band at the same venue!!!) and got my first shot of Irish rock. I was sold. I bought all the CD reissues, and I still have the vinlys I bought at the time, including, in pride of place, a nice copy of ‘Happy to meet….’ – on the Oats record label – with the exquisite cut-out eight-sided cover. It has helpful instructions about how you can play the album on mono equipment, including when, ‘…it is not a Monday or inland or fifty/fifty or Tom is not down the road at Carndonagh”.
I just can’t get 70s Wolves footballer Derek Dougan out of my head.
I think that fellow ran for parliament in Belfast sometime in the early 2000s. Was he known as ‘The Doog’? I seem to recall something like that. I’d never heard of him.
That’s him. Moustachioed legend of Wolves (and others). The Doog indeed. Ex chairman of the PFA too.
He was indeed known as the Doog. Was a massive fan of Horslips back in the day but only currently have a 2cd compilation that I played only last week.
Just going to look for Roll back now as wasn’t aware of its existence.
I didn’t buy it at the time – I think I assumed it must be a basic back porch strumalong of old favourites, but I got it a couple of years ago and it’s a revelation – really considered, and successful, new arrangements and in some cases different vocalists (e.g. Barry singing a song originally sung by Johnny etc.).
As they were.
Much as I love that OGWT clip, and did when it was first played, it makes a bit of a mockery of the live in the studio bananas, as multi-instrumentalist Jim Lockhart is playing pipes and keyboards at the same time, if in different shots.
Apparently Charles used car paint to get that silver hand look. Took ages to come off.