Oct. 31, 1977 review: Horslips at Buff State



Thanks to a variety of distribution deals, Record Theatre mogul Lenny Silver’s Amherst Records label promoted a stream of obscure musical artists, some of whom – like this one – have become recognized as gems.   

Oct. 31, 1977

Irish Band Powerful in Free Show 

          The Irish quintet Horslips showed a Beggar’s Night crowd of 500 in a free concert at Buffalo State College Sunday what makes them the biggest rock band on the Emerald Isle. No leprechaun trickery for these lads, just the force of music.

          Adding mandolin, violin, concertina, flute and tin whistle to the standard rock instrumental formula, they laced the wallop of their attack with traditional folk airs. It’s not often you see a band with a rhythm mandolin. Or a guitarist playing unison riffs with a flute.

          In their black leather jackets and jeans, they seemed a cross between a punk band (they follow the New Wave ardently) and Jethro Tull (whose “Locomotive Breath” they gave as a second encore). But they’re more complex than the punks and more tasteful than Tull. Give them a dynamic lead singer and they’d be stars.

          More vigorous and vital than the British folk-rock bands, they unreeled selections from their forthcoming “Aliens” album and offered about half of the epic they trace in their current “The Book of Invasions.”

          The free show organized by their U.S. distributor (locally-based Amherst Records), WBUF-FM and the Buff State Music Committee nevertheless failed to match the impact of other dates on this brief American tour. Rochester radio man Bernie Kimble said they were better in Rochester opening for Styx.

          Guitarist John Fean and bassist Barry Devlin thought so too. Sound problems hampered them, they said. Fiddler-mandolinist Charles O’Connor continually ducked back to hear what was coming from his amp. This after an hour and 20 minute delay while the sound crew went troubleshooting. On Beggar’s Night, it seems, one can’t be choosy.

* * * * *

IN THE PHOTO: Horslips in a 1975 publicity shot.

* * * * *

FOOTNOTE: Horslips, having come together casually in Dublin in the early 1970s, was well-established by the time they hit our shores – six albums to their credit, with their latest hitting No. 39 on the British charts. “Aliens” would take them to No. 98 in America, but they never had serious commercial success. They played their last gigs in 1980, then resurfaced in 2004 at the encouragement of longtime fans in Ireland who put together an exhibition of their memorabilia. Now considered pioneers of Celtic rock, they played regularly in Ireland in the early 2010s. 

          Setlist.fm doesn’t acknowledge the Buffalo date, but it has an incomplete list of songs, not necessarily in order, from Nov. 2 at the Firebarn Tavern, a fondly-remembered rock venue in Onondaga Park in Syracuse that once was a firehouse and now has been converted into high-end condos:

          Warm Sweet Breath of Love

          King of Morning

          Sword of Light

          Sideways to the Sun

          Trouble (With a Capital T)

          The Wrath of the Rain

          Speed the Plough

          The Rocks Remain

          New York Wakes

          Dearg Doom

          Blindman

          Mad Pat

          Drive the Cold Winter Away

          King of the Fairies

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Feb. 2, 1974: The Blue Ox Band

Image
  One of the major local rock bands of the day and predecessor to some equally wonderful aggregations down the line.   Feb. 2, 1974 Blue Ox Wants Aggressive, Bitey Sound   AS BLUE OX themselves will tell you, a lot depends on the crowd.                    One night they’ll be sitting there in the Bona Vista on Hertel Avenue like good old boys and girls on the bayou, bobbing in their private dreams to the Grateful Dead’s “Truckin.’”           A few nights later, at an even more tender hour, the tiny dance floor is full of folks boogieing their heads off to the very same tune. * * * “IF YOU LISTEN for a whole night,” guitarist-organist Charlie O’Neill says, “we go through all kinds of styles. But sometimes the slower stuff is rough when you’ve got a bunch that wants to bounce around.”        ...
Read more

August 9, 1976 review: Elton John at Rich Stadium, with Boz Scaggs and John Miles

Image
  Now that all the organizational issues for Rich Stadium concerts were ironed out, Mother Nature decided to throw a curve. August 9, 1976 Elton John Pours It On For Rain-Soaked Fans Elton John was amazed. “I thank you for standing out in the rain and sitting out in the rain,” he remarked as he strode out in a Stars & Stripes Uncle Sam outfit in Rich Stadium Saturday afternoon for the first of three encores. “You deserve a medal of honor.” Instead of medals, the drizzle-soaked, wind-chilled crowd of 52,560 got a whale of a concert from the supermost superstar of the ‘70s. In fact, such was the energy of that first encore – everybody shouting along to the chorus of “Saturday Night’s All Right for Fighting” – that the rain faltered and it seemed like the sun would awaken for a guest appearance. But it didn’t. It was miraculous enough that Superfest 10 beat the deluge. The promoters rushed to fit it all in, forestalling an epidemic of rockin’ pneumonia and the boog...
Read more

July 6, 1974 Review: The first Summerfest concert at Rich Stadium -- Eric Clapton and The Band

Image
  This was the summer that rock ‘n roll came to the brand new Buffalo Bills stadium in Orchard Park . There was a lot of official nervousness about this kickoff event.   July 6, 1974   Hassle-Free Clapton Concert Scores a Pleasant Success             Rich Stadium got its baptism in rock ‘n roll Saturday evening and it all went off so well that the home of the Buffalo Bills football team should be bouncing to the big beat for many summer nights to come.           It was a star-studded event – stars above and stars on the stage. The Band, honed to near perfection as a live act, cranked out a happy, raucous set. And guitar idol Eric Clapton, who announced that he was drunk (indeed, he was very drunk), took a laid-back set that left many of his worshippers perplexed.           But the real heroes of this show – the first of ...
Read more