Tracks from the Vaults

Horslips were a Dublin quintet that played Celtic folk-prog in the '70s. The band’s moniker was a spoonerism on The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which turned into The Four Poxmen of the Horslypse and then just Horslips. Compiled in 1978, Tracks from the Vaults is a great introduction to the band, as well as a treasure trove of early demos, outtakes, oddities, and different versions of fan favorites. It opens with the hard-rocking “Motorway Madness,” as John Fean rips snarling guitar leads over a stuttered boogie. While instrumentals like “Johnny’s Wedding” and “Flower Amang Them All” display a good-humored irreverence in their approaches to Celtic folk, more whimsical songs such as “They Fairy King” and the less traditional, near-psychedelic “King of the Fairies” reveal an honest interest in blending the British folk revival with rock, akin to Fairport Convention and Pentangle. Also included is a novelty single released under the pseudonym Lipstick, which the band recorded to lampoon The Beatles—similar to how Nick Lowe heckled The Bay City Rollers under the name Tartan Horde.