4CD + DVD SET COMPRISING LIVE PERFORMANCES, BBC TV FOOTAGE AND RARE ARCHIVAL MATERIAL
Few bands have left as distinct a mark on the musical landscape as Horslips. Emerging in the early 1970s, they more or less created ‘Celtic Rock’, drawing from Irish traditional music and British/American rock, crafting a sound that was both timeless and radical.
The BBC captured the band in the 1970s and again during their unexpected Indian summer return in the 2010s. At The BBC gathers these vital recordings – spanning nearly 50 years – into one definitive collection.
WATCH THE HORSLIPS AT THE BBC TRAILER
PRE-ORDER HORSLIPS - AT THE BBC (30th May 2025)
Disc 1 (1973–74) – Live BBC performances from Radio 1 In Concert, Old Grey Whistle Test, and John Peel Show, capturing Horslips' early energy and innovation.
Disc 2 (1979–2019) – A 1979 Radio 1 In Concert set, a 2010 unplugged session, and their final 2019 recording, Sideways to the Sun.
Disc 3 (2011) – The BBC Radio Ulster mix of their orchestral concert with the Ulster Orchestra, featuring The Táin, The Book of Invasions, and I’ll Be Waiting.
Disc 4 (1979 Bonus Disc) – Unreleased Short Stories, Tall Tales studio mixes from Windmill Lane.
Disc 5 (DVD) – Old Grey Whistle Test clips, 1974 documentary footage & 2011 fan-shot concert videos.
Disc 1 begins the journey in 1973–74, landmark years in which Horslips took their fusion of mythology and musicianship to the airwaves and concert halls of Britain. Included are performances from Radio 1’s In Concert, The Old Grey Whistle Test, Radio 1’s Sounds of the 70s, 2nd House (BBC 2) and Radio 1’s John Peel Show, showcasing the group in full flight, brimming with invention and zeal.
By 1979, fresh from the inevitable hard slog of trying to conquer America, Horslips returned to Radio 1’s In Concert with a set that captured their ability to fit in with the times and the power of their live performances. Disc 2 continues with an unplugged ‘comeback’ session from 2010 and a BBC NI performance in 2019 of ‘Sideways to the Sun’ – written about magical Irish beings disappearing from mortal sight – which would, perhaps fittingly, prove to be their last official recording.
Disc 3 presents Horslips’ unique 2011 performance with the Ulster Orchestra at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall, in its previously unreleased BBC Radio Ulster broadcast mix. Including epic suites from classic albums The Táin and The Book of Invasions and fan favourites like the eight-minute ‘I’ll Be Waiting’, a showcase for late guitarist Johnny Fean (d. 2023), many – including band members – view this concert as Horslips’ finest hour (and a quarter).
Disc 4 is a bonus disc, comprising recently discovered 1979 ‘working mixes’ of the album Short Stories, Tall Tales, recorded at Dublin’s Windmill Lane. They offer an intimate glimpse into a band in transition, shifting from the US FM rock that had influenced recent albums towards the spikier, sharper British New Wave sound.
At The BBC is completed by a DVD bringing together clips from The Old Grey Whistle Test, 1974 documentary material and magical fan footage of two songs from the 2011 Waterfront Hall concert, synced to sparkling BBC audio.
Presented in a deluxe hardback book package with rare photographs and extensive liner notes by band biographer Mark Cunningham, legendary BBC producer Jeff Griffin and curator Colin Harper, At The BBC is a celebration of a band whose influence still echoes through the decades. The mastering is shared by Eroc in Germany and band associate Cormac O’Kane who mastered the acclaimed 2023 Horslips box set More Than You Can Chew.
Horslips – At The BBC will be released on Madfish on 30th May 2025. Pre-order here.
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