This was my first introduction to The Horslips. One day in the mid 80's, my brother arrived home with a tape called "Aliens" - I thought "Cool, Science Fiction Music". After getting over the initial surprise on first listening to the album, I looked at the titles of the songs and realised what sort of "Aliens" they were singing about.
Aliens deals with the problems of immigration (always a hot topic in Ireland), from the excitement of the opportunities in The New World to the sadness of the American Wake to the prejudices and hardships actually faced by the immigrants when they go to look for work.
"Aliens" is essentially a Rock album, but with a strong trad/folk influence mostly evident in the use of flute and mandolin. Flute particularly plays a important role in the album, taking on the parts of main melody, harmony, rhythm and counterpoint (sometimes all eeven in the same song).
| Martin Feeney | martin@tuatha.org | Last Modified: 05 October 1997 |