HEAVY HORSES

Often compared to SFTW's as its little brother, Heavy Horses has much to differ as well. Though the pastoral album cover may hint at the countryside, the London-based new studio with all the new technologies of the times

The opening Mouse Police (cats in barns), the album starts rather fast, brilliantly with a very fiendish ending (though studio trickery may harm this pie-ce with repeated listens). The following Acres Wild (self explanatory Scott celebration) and the almost 8-min No Lullaby (fear of pastoral spirits) are both high-calibre, but fail to send you through the roof in joy. The short sarcastic in style Moths and he self-explanatory Journeyman closes the A-side in average fashion.

Opening the flipside, Brown Mouse (them again ;-) is proving a little arduous, while the delightful Rover (one of the highlights of the album) provides a little breathing space. The slow-developing but lengthy title track is the other highpoint of the album, followed by the very acoustic Weathercock. A little sour note is that the middle of the album may appear a little weaker when listened in the Cd format.

As for the two bonus tracks, both are of the usual quality of all the Tull remasters. Both Hard Times and Broadford Bazaar (especially the beautiful later) are tracks that fit the album's soundscapes as if they were never bonus tracks. But again, it's not as if this mighty album needed not such a help to remain essential and very representative of mid-70's Tull works. Although not as strong as SFTW, but still is a quite fine and definitive Tull statement.

"Heavy Horses" and "Songs From The Wood" are the 2 TULL album which sound the most alike. So "Heavy Horse" is a prog folk rock album. But there are less percussions here, and instruments are more conventional, despite the presence of violin on couples of tracks. I find ANDERSON's vocals a bit more in the background here, but still excellent. The keyboards are in the background too and I find them a bit shy. Martin Barre seems to use a bit more his electric guitar, but the mandolin and acoustic guitar are still omnipresent. The electric bass is very well played and is rather complex. I prefer slightly "Songs From The Wood".

An autumnal record, resplendent as the mosaic of leaves that met me in the woods this morning. Though it seldom gets its due, "Heavy Horses" is arguably the most musically complex of the TULL albums, the fruition of their progressive folk/rock fancies. Similar in scope to "Songs From The Wood", we've entered the dark part of the forest here, the sweet decay of dying leaves thick around us. While tinged with melancholy, "Heavy Horses" is ultimately a resilient effort, celebrating life in the midst of death. We're immediately put on guard with the opening ".And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps", invoking the image of the weathercock and the heavy weather ahead. The two themes -- nature and inhospitable weather -- bridge their last album and their next, Stormwatch, which has always suggested a trilogy to my mind. The songs that follow are as ambitious as anything in their catalog, all hands on deck tending to their musical ministrations, suggesting a unique mixture of independence and teamwork. In a more modern setting, the players could be seen as individual gears that mesh and separate at intervals, all the while driving the music as a great engine. The unconventional rhythms and seemingly disjointed sounds might be initially daunting, but it soon yields to bedazzlement after a few sittings. "Acres Wild", "Journeyman" and "Rover" adopt an irregular gait at first, but this technique allows the listener to pick apart different rhythms and weave them together into a cohesive fabric.

Few TULL albums reward introspection and attention as well as "Heavy Horses" ("Thick As A Brick" and "Minstrel In The Gallery" come to mind). There is a softer side to this record, from the beautiful and bittersweet "Moths" to the warm "One Brown Mouse". At the other end of the spectrum, "No Lullaby" is nearly terrifying in effect, a feat TULL would repeat on Stormwatch's "Dark Ages". The album closes with one of my personal favorites, "Weathercock", which closes this collection of stories much as "Fire At Midnight", on an intimate and optimistic note. Anyone enrapt by the Elizabethan exploits of "Minstrel" and "Songs" would do well to hitch their fortunes to "Heavy Horses". It's one of my favorite albums from JETHRO TULL, which in the parlance of these parts is high praise indeed.

Although prog bands were dying in droves with the onset of punk and greedy record moguls JT released a gem with Heavy Horses. For me there was no sign of their music waning in terms of quality and some of the songs on Heavy Horses are some of their best ever. From the riveting ' ..and the mouse police never sleeps'. The tightly woven melodies of ' Acres wild', the persistant pulsing of ' Journeyman' to the classic title track ' Heavy horses'. Why can't bands nowadays sing about real stuff like this. Well few could lyrically and musically. Heavy Horses is excellent and a very complete offering.

"Heavy Horses" is the second in the "seasonal" Jethro Tull trilogy, but the first of the trilogy I bought. It has a somewhat autumnal feel...I need to wait 'till October and take a walk with this album to see if it is as autumnal as the others claim...

"...and the Mouse Police Never Sleeps" is the first track. It has a guarded, shifty feel to it but was a little lower than my expectations when I first read the title. To tell the truth, I thought this album would be a true "concept" album with linked songs and a developing story. Maybe "Stormwatch" will better suit my expectations...

"Acres Wild" is a great song, one of my favorites on the album. Only drawback is the lyric "I'll make love to you" and my immature friends will, of course, make a joke of this and ignore the excellent instrumentation. Oh well. I'm sure I would bug my friends if a lyric like this showed up on one of their albums (which it does, and I do bug them. heh heh heh...).

"No Lullaby" is an okay song, but a little too long. I'd rather Anderson develop the "mouse police" song instead of this one. I think this song is about a small child and the terrors of the night...or something.

Next up is "Moths," one of my favorite classic guitar tunes of TULL. It is, I think, comparing moths to humans. It is a hopeful romantic-type song, a TULL classic. "Journeyman" is a hard rock-type song, pretty ho-hum. "Rover" is a great song, and "One Brown Mouse" is okay...

Now then, the title track. Very good, my favorite on the CD. It is about how the "heavy horses" used in plowing fields have been replaced by tractors now; but Anderson warns that soon when the oil has disappeared, we will once again long for the strength of the horses when we hit a depression. "Weathercock" is one of my favorite songs as well. It foreshadows the coming winter in "Stormwatch."

If you like JETHRO TULL, this album is okay, but lacking. It is pretty folksy compared to other prog rock albums, which is by no means a drawback, but Anderson seems to have lost a lot of his prog mentality. Before you buy this you should try out "Thick as a Brick" or "Aqualung" first.

A small movement towards the modern compared to "Songs from the Wood", yet retaining the earthy, archaic JT roots. If you're a fan of the classic Tull elements, you'll find plenty to satisfy you: Anderson's inimitable voice and flute, ringing acoustics, tastefully savage electrics, pithy keys and tumbling, unexpectedly adventurous percussion. Glascock's bass seems more integral than usual, turning almost Squire-like for such songs as "Journeyman". In retrospect, this was the actual "crest", the culmination of everything before and more satisfying than anything after.

Occasionally, there's some similarities with the preceding release which are almost too close for comfort; "No Lullaby", while excellent, reminds me strongly of "Pibroch", and "Weathercock" echoes "Songs from the Wood" and "Pass the Cup". This is a darker album, however...while "Jack in the Green" was an ode to nature's resilience, "Heavy Horses" laments increasing industrialization, "No Lullaby" warns of worldly dangers, and "Moths" reflects on mortality. It's not all bad news, however; Anderson still finds ample room to honor simple joys and simpler times ("One Brown Mouse", "Weathercock"), and as a song of passion "Acres High" is more devoted than "Hunting Girl", if less bawdily archaic.

The music is more driving and less lush than "Songs", hearkening back (and forward) to more stripped-down mixes- but only relatively, as there is still more than enough texture in which to lose oneself. The band sounds more focused and disciplined than ever before, every note and rhythm precisely placed. Anderson's voice is also in perfect form, although not quite as prominent in the mix as in earlier releases.

It is difficult to rank Jethro Tull albums; many become favorites for different reasons. "Heavy Horses", however, is one of the clear contenders for their greatest achievement. While I prefer other releases slightly, no single one is as consistently excellent or as perfectly realized as this gem.

1978's HEAVY HORSES, as many fans will agree, was the last truly great album from Ian Anderson and company, and remains one that I play more often than many other Tull efforts. Track for track, like the massive equines of its title, HEAVY HORSES stands head and shoulders above its lesser brethren that followed. To further extend the metaphor, some of the later entries may well run faster, but they just can't match the pull and staying power of this very strong -- but often gentle -- and beautiful beast of noble lineage.

Each of the nine songs is quite enjoyable (those who enjoy the folkier strains of SONGS FROM THE WOOD should be particularly pleased), but some are especially great. The rollicking "Acres Wild" with its lusty lyrics, catchy rhythms, ringing mandolins, and joyous drums, is a genuine toe-tapping treat.

"Moths" is a lovely showcase for Anderson's considerable lyrical powers and sprightly strumming acoustic, with David Palmer's "spot-on" strings lifting the listener to lofty heights on "powdered (or is it rosined?) wings."

"Rover" is another standout, with great vocals and trademark flute from Anderson, and more superb orchestral accents from Palmer.

"One Brown Mouse" is simply one of my all-time favorite Anderson compositions -- a truly beautiful, uplifting, sparkling little gem of a song: "Smile your little smile -- take some tea with me a while. Brush away that black cloud from your shoulder.... Behind your glass you sit and look, at my ever-open book -- one brown mouse sitting in a cage." Yes, this quaint tribute to friendship and simple pleasures can often make this sentimental old soul a bit misty-eyed....

Finally, the title track has it all. Within its near nine-minute length, we get diverse, engaging musical sections, fine Martin Barre lead, tight bass and drums from Barriemore Barlow and Martin Glascock (who really shine on the entire disc) and more exquisite, gilt-edged Palmer orchestrations. The thought-provoking, powerfully poetic lyrics look to the return of the old ways, in an inevitable post-petroleum future: "Bring me a wheel of oaken wood, a rein of polished leather / A heavy horse and a tumbling sky, brewing heavy weather."

Very highly recommended! If you're a Jethro Tull fan, you should own a copy of HEAVY HORSES -- you certainly won't regret the purchase!

JETHRO TULL continued on the same path as "Songs From The Wood" with yet another solid release titled Heavy Horses in 1978. On this remastered version with two bonus tracks ("Living In These Hard Times" and "Broadford Bazaar") the songs get a new life and spark that was not present before. As Ian ANDERSON mentions in his liner notes, "In 2003 we hear at last on CD the sparkling detail of the original master tapes." It makes you wish all recorded music was like this right from the start and the technology was available to keep the original sound intact regardless of the transfer process. Oh well, we can dream.

Ian ANDERSON continued with strong and affecting vocals telling tales of living in the countryside. He sings with dry wit and honesty like an old-fashioned back woods Englishman would, yet in a way that only he could spin an account.

Although the Celtic/Medieval/Folk ambiance remained strong, I found this album had more straight-ahead rock influences than its predecessor. A lot of the acoustic guitar layers and strings that were used before are removed and replaced by the unparalleled guitar licks of Martin Barre and ANDERSON's excellent mandolin, flute and acoustic guitar playing. The outstanding production qualities have become richer and clearer from beginning to end on this album, thus there were neither disappointments nor flaws apparent anywhere. This is another classic JETHRO TULL album very worthy of the remaster treatment. I wait impatiently for the next set of remasters!

".Bring me a wheel of oaken wood, a rein of polished leather, a heavy horse and a tumbling sky, brewing heavy weather.".

The album - released in 1978 - continued the themes explored on the previous album with the same mixture of folk/prog-influenced acoustic pieces and heavy rock. Traditional rock sounds of electric guitar are more prominent. With Heavy Horses Jethro Tull offer also a more contemporary and pragmatic set of lyrics. Many of the songs are about animals and the lyrics continue much of the rustic tradition of its predecessor. The album is a bit darker however, with more references to modern civilization but lacks the lightness and humour the previous album.The general tenor of the album is the reality of the country-side living, rather than its myth.

.And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps speaks about the feral behaviour of the farm's cats: they think only of "mouse-and-apple-pie"! Acres Wild is the description of the wilderness of the north of Scotland; No Lullaby is a strong hard/rock/folk/prog song which had the honour to open, the same year, the live double album Bursting Out. Moths romanticizes the life of the "Moths" - creatures of the dark that die flying to the flame-light. One Brown Mouse, following the words of Ian in Bursting Out, is inspired by a poem of Robert Burns: 'Ode To A Mouse'. Heavy Horses is a 9 mns long and about the working horses of great Britain, who find themselves no needed with the advent of mechanized farm machinery.

The 2003 remastered edition contains two extra tracks: the good Living In These Hard Times (did not appear in the 'Heavy Horses' album, probably because the content of the song just didn't fit precisely in its concept) and the acoustic pearl Broadford Bazaar. What a soft and deep voice from Ian!

Still great contribution by all the Tull members, with the help of Darryl Way, ex-Curved Air violinist. Essential!

Tull is really back on track!

Yeah, when this album was released I smiled and laughed at loud because I was so happy that finally Tull is back with another masterpiece album "Heavy Horses". No epic, no long track but . this is a great album at par excellent with the band classics like "Aqualung", "Thick As Brick" and even "A Passion Play" even though the music is different with all the classic albums. Welcome back, my friend, with classic Jethro Tull music!

With the same line-up as its predecessor "Songs From The Wood" this time Tull reduces the heavy use of organ / synthesizer and make the combined acoustic guitar and flute works more obvious, plus powerful choirs. The opening track ".. And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps" proves the stunning combination of acoustic guitar, flute and choral line. Powerful opening. Next is one of my favorites: "Acres Wild"! Its combination of guitar and flute in fast tempo and energetic style have made this track is attractive to my ears. Orchestral arrangement by David Palmer makes this track very solid. "No Lullaby" is a true rocker with great electric guitar solo and tight structure. It reminds me to the classic "Aqualung" album. This track I used to play as "wake-up call" in the morning because it has powerful drum strokes which cast great energy and elevate my spirit in the morning. The melody is also very strong.

"Moths" demonstrates stunning acoustic guitar work, "Journey Man" leans the music flow with the use of tight bass lines by Glasscock and flute shots. Martin Barre plays great electric guitar work here. "Rover" is another excellent track with tight structure and catchy melody. "One Brown Mouse" has become live favorite. The album title track "Heavy Horses" is very memorable for me because this was the first track that I heard the first time I listened to this album. It has powerful composition and solid structure and melody. One must listen to this track if wanting to learn great music of Tull. "Weathercock" is really great and one of my Tull favorite tracks.

For those of you who are new to the music of Jethro Tull, you can start with this album which will give you a full picture of the Tull's sound. It's a great album to start, really. Highly recommended. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Their most underrated masterpiece, this title track...

Some claim it to be Thick As A Brick (I gave it 5 stars too), others to be A Passion Play. I say: HEAVY HORSES. It can give you in about 8 or 9 minutes what Thick or Passion do in 45: fast and slow tempos, intensity, multiparts and an additional classical touch enhanced with string arrangements. About the overall album, it's just your average JT prog-folk album. about 5 of the 9 songs here talk about animals in the country side (6 if you include Journeyman), and there's a couple of great bonus tracks that I thought could had fit in the LP in it's full length of about 51 or 52 minutes (Foxtrot is 52 minutes long).

The album starts with a faster pace than "Songs From The Wood": "... And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps" welcomes you to the country side, with even spanish folk influences (it reminds me of Carmen in some parts). A great opener with a catchy and somewhat freaky finale (ends with a cough, that'll give you an idea of how Ian strained his good ol' vocal cords).

Then we get to the danceable "Acres Wild", with a very disco beat. It introduces the first string arrangements of the album since the "Too Old To Rock 'N Roll..." record.

"No Lullaby" works as a more blues-rocker sequel to "Pibroch", with some guitar harmonies at the C segment (I think) that work nicely.

"Moths" is one of Ian's Balladeerings, and is certainly an emotional songs with beautiful string arrangements by Mr. Palmer.

"Journeyman" is very forgettable though, but not a bad song at all; just not up to the rest of the album. It's another western folk ditty which just happens to have an irresistable bass riff.

"Rover" is also very western, but with very effective marimbas and string arrangements.

"One Brown Mouse" reminds me of lots of the "Too Old To Rock 'N Roll.." songs, with more folkish arrangements. It's another pleasant ditty in the vein of Jack-in-the-Green.

Well, at this point the masterpiece of the album sets off: amazing from intro to outro, lush strings, emotional singing, the amazing bridge with horse pace and what a chorus!!!, this is an example of strange yet beautiful.

"Weathercock" is the sequel to "Fire at Midnight", but with more emotional arrangements and great rocking ending... there's no better way to end an album of this caliber.

Of course the bonus tracks are charming as well: "Living In These Hard Times" was included on the "20 Years Of Jethro Tull" CD kit, while "Broadford Bazaar" featured on "Nightcap". The former has a very christmasy feel in the same approach as "Ring Out, Solstice Bells".

4.5 stars rounded to 5. Tull's utter masterpiece.

As you might have noticed, I am quite a Tull fan. I was not really sure what to expect with this one : folk or hard oriented ?

The opener "And the Mouse Police Never Sleeps" tells you at a glance that we will be confrontated to a solid rock album. This short opener is just great : it is complex (even VDGG could have made this one). Rather unusual keyboard sounds, excellent but short fluting. The last fifteen seconds are quite awful, unfortunately.

"Acres Wild" has a medieval architecture combined with a strong, hard tendancy. This is the good side of this album (as far as I am concerned) : Tull is hard rocking anytime they can while on "Songs From The Wood" they were rather folking (but not only).

"No Lullaby" is just another great piece of music. It reminds me seriously of "Tea For One" from Led Zep (Presence, 1976). Have a try and listen to both tracks one after the other and you will be amazed. This song is complex, lenghty with lots of rythm changes. It is one of the highlight here and one of my fave.

Although "Moths" is rather folk, I like it quite a lot : the melody, the accoustic guitar, the flute play ... even the orchestra in the background (which has never been a favourite of mine - being with the Tull, Camel, Purple, Yes etc.). A great song.

"Journeyman" is a good rock tune. Not great but neither a filler. Just an average, transition track for better things to come.

"Rover" is another wonderful piece of Tull music. The whole band is peaking at a high and supports Ian in a great manner (marimba, bass, drumming) : a very pleasant Tull moment as we all like, I guess.

Another of the very few folk song (I do not complain) is "One Brown Mouse". Average (as you might have expected).

"Heavy Horses" is the second highlight. The longest track of the album delivers several atmospheres : great and strong intro, pastoral and folky just after it, then melodious and passionate. At this stage, one knows that he is listening to another Tull great song. The chorus is really superb. It gets harder here and there with violin à la Kansas during the second part. This is "my" Tull, man.

"Weathercock" is less inpired although it has good fluting in the second part as well as some medieval influence (it could have been featured on "Songs From The Wood"). So far no weak tracks (only three average ones). Oooops, it is already the last one !

Two bonus tracks which will not really improve the quality of the original; but hey : this is a very good effort. There are so many good to very good songs here that I can only rate it four stars.

What happens if you take the folkish good nature of Songs From the Wood, the hard rock and calm acoustics of Aqualung, and the dry art of Minstrel in the Gallery, toss ‘em all in a blender and hit “puree?” Well, you get a heaping pile of plastic dust, that’s what! Not to mention the fact that you’ve just nuked about forty dollars worth of music there...honestly, why do I even bother?

Of course, if you did all that in a figurative sense, like you were supposed to, well, you’d probably get an interesting mess. But it would sound an awful lot like Heavy Horses.

Heavy Horses is a funny sort of album (heh, heh, Heavy Horses). Initially, I didn’t like it. Certainly not the title tune (too slow! Too boring!). I compared it to Songs, most obviously, which I considered to be God’s greatest invention since the seed drill. Later on though, I realized that it was good, and Horses and Songs entered into Mortal Kombat deep in my brain over which one was better. And, oddly enough, Horses won out.

We start out with the gentle sound of cats purring. This very quickly (in a “blink and you’ll miss it” sort of way, only audio-ically, of course) turns into a mighty, organ based rocker. This is “The Mouse Police Never Sleeps,” which is just about the most perfect song ever written. I’m kidding of course, but I love it. It’s insane, it’s hilarious, and the coda with the repeating “the mouse police never sleepsthemouse police never sleeps” chant is great. Although it does piss off the occasional listener...

Anyway, “Acres Wild” is a jolly jig with a great backing of bass and drums, not to mention fun flautistry and mandolin banging (sounds like a community arts class). The lengthy rocker “No Lullaby” kind of lets me down though; the tune itself is decent enough (I especially love at the end where it speeds up), but it’s just too damn long.

However, “Moths” earns everything back. It’s the best shot at effortless beauty that Jethro Ian has handed us since “Cheap Day Return,” easily, complete with a haunting acoustic guitar line, and equally haunting vocal delivery.

“Journeyman” is just a good old bloozy number, with buzzy fiddle, crunchy guitar and an amazing bassline. “Rover” is a folk rocker, but unlike the stuff from Songs From the Wood, the emphasis is more on the folk than the rock, so it comes off as lighter. Not that that’s a bad thing; the song is really good. I don't see why everyone thinks it's about escaped convicts though; I think it's about misplaced love.

“One Brown Mouse” is not my favorite track, but not for the reason you might be thinking. Some people don’t like it because it’s based on a nursery rhyme, so it’s not the most serious of numbers. I have nothing wrong with the lyrics, I’m just not one hundred percent crazy about the arrangement (it comes off much better live).

Anyway, all this has been good, don’t get me wrong. But “Heavy Horses,” the majestic miniature epic of a title track, is the best thing on the whole album. And I didn’t even like it to start with, so it must be good! The introduction is amazing: it’s this painful, heavy guitar line courtesy of Mr. Barre, that fades into soft piano and Ian singing about the decline of the heavy horse...don’t pay too close attention to the lyrics, it’s the angry, post-apocalyptic melody that lurks underneath it that counts, and when it rears it’s head, you’ll now. And post-apocalyptic it is, as the tune speeds up and becomes a spooky, folksy, jig...of doom! Yep. The horses come back, and they’re pissed. Or something. Still not sure.

Anyway, “Heavy Horses” eventually fades into “Weathercock,” a medieval styled rocker about, well, uh, birds forged from iron that predict weather. Or so we speculate. “Medieval styled rocker” is the best description, as the instrumentation includes the trusty flute ‘n mandolin, as well as extensive portative pipe organ and electric guitar soloing.

So, what makes Heavy Horses so damn great? I don’t know. Maybe it’s guest violinist Darryl Way of Curved Air fame, whose buzzy fiddle is welcome on “Acres Wild” and “Heavy Horses” (and...JOURNEYMAN perhaps? Hmm?!? Thought you’d slip that past me).

Maybe it’s that the band really, I mean REALLY gels here. The songs flow (even “No Lullaby”) perfectly from start to finish, and flow into each other just as well. Martin is perfectly balanced between the heavy and light traits of folk and rock. He even plays some cool, real watery guitar ("Acres Wild," "Moths"), which we haven't heard since...I dunno, Benefit? Johnny Glascock never played better (“Acres,” “Journeyman”). Barrie and John Evan play like their lives depend on it, and David Palmer’s personal additions are never intrusive (“Weathercock”). And Ian. The flute and guitar are great, as always, but his voice is amazing. He sings like he’s a kid again (no offense, of minstralic one), with a youthful, energetic, yet knowing and dark tone.

In fact, maybe it is the tone that sets the album; it’s darker than Songs ever was (which is where the Minstrel in the Gallery connection comes in for me). Only something like “Acres Wild” or “Rover” could have really fit on Songs weight-wise, and both of those are kind of dark anyway, lyrics-wise at least (coincidentally, the only song on Songs worthy of Horses is "The Whistler"). Even “Moths,” beautiful as it is, is really cold and sad; it’s about suicide, get it?!? Moths? Flame? Aw, forget it...

But maybe what makes Horses so great is that sad fact that it’s is the last great Tull record. It’s the last true classic Tull record anyway, the last time this lineup would play as a unit. And you can feel the stony chill in the rising introduction to “Heavy Horses,” as if they all knew that this was the last time. Sniff. Kicks the crap outta “Aqualung” even.

Yeah, what the hell. I’ll go out on the proverbial limb here; it would be too easy to declare an Aqualung or a Thick as a Brick to be the greatest of Tull albums. I hand that honor off to Heavy Horses; you see, THIS was the album Ian had to make. We've always known he was a folkie, proggy though he may be, and Songs was just training. THIS is the serious record, perhaps the first truly serious record Ian's ever made. Even with "Mouse Police." It’s not quite Thick as a Brick, but hey, what is? Get it. Get it now. Why haven't you gotten it yet?

(Oh yeah, the Horses remaster comes with two bonus tracks. The first one, “Living in These Hard Times” is okay, but kind of dopey. The title suggests something along the lines of what would become Broadsword’s “Fallen on Hard Times,” but it’s more like the Stormwatch outtake “A Stitch in Time.” Oh well, it’s not as good as either of them anyway. But the second track, “Broadford Bazaar,” is a gorgeous folk melody. It’s just Ian overdubbing his ghostly lyrics over pounding acoustic guitar and lifting flute lines (as usual). As only he can, of course. That’s probably a really bad description, but trust me, it’s a nice song. Not nice enough to raise the overall album rating, but still nice.)

I'm listening this mixed bag with a mixed emotions. It's just not that appealing to this long-time die-hard Tull fan.

What's wrong? Well, half of the album. Moths, Journeyman, Rover, Weathercock and Acres Wild. Forgettable, dull, only a shade of what Tull used to be (or will be again in years to come). Like sitting tied in a chair in the middle of the white room, while someone is talking to you, but you can't hear anything, just see the motions of the person's mouth...like a fish..open, close, open, close, struggle for the oxygen.

Occasional flashes of melody will travel from the loudspeaker through the air of the white room and enter your ear to stimulate few of your brain cells...but not nearly enough to produce a chain reaction known as "pleasure", somewhere deep behind the corpus callosum...to sum it up, two catchy melodies, one chorus, and one nice drum work is all that I can squeeze from the above mentioned songs...and unforgettable awful lyrics of "Acres Wild". Ian?!?

Four songs are balancing this record and preventing it from the disaster. The opening song, nice idea for a story, nice music, nice ending out of the song - a bit of experimentation with human voice and stereo field. "No Lullaby", 5/5 stars song, most progressive (and the least folksy) effort here. Live version from "Bursting Out" is much more memorable, though. I will forgive some stupid keyboard sounds utilised here because of complexity of the song. Plus, it sounds almost as a heavy metal epic.

"One Brown Mouse" is a gorgeous folk ballad. And it's quite pointless to describe any gorgeous folk ballads, so check it out, preferably a performance from "Bursting Out". Again.

"Heavy Horses" is another good prog folk tune, but far from the best in the band's book.

That's it. Two and a half stars. If you want to have highlights of the album in your collection, go get "Live: Bursting Out", and everything else is forgettable and only for completionists. Except maybe the "Mouse Police", but it's an acquired taste. You're buying this album at your own risk.

With this album and 1977's 'Songs From the Wood,' JETHRO TULL remove the progressive vibe from their music and come up with an album of standard folk-rock with a Celtic feel. This already distances me from the record: I found TULL at their most powerful when they tried to reach as far as they could. This, by contrast, feels regressive to me. A bit like THE WATERBOYS' transformation from 'Big Music' to 'Raggle Taggle band'. Both periods are worthy; I simply prefer my music big.

Yes, TULL are still mad. The end to the first track proves that. But their madness is micro-madness here. Rather than following a young man as he battles with life ('TAAB') or with death and the afterlife ('APP'), here we are encouraged to get cosy with the horses, the moths and the mice. Nice. Some might even say prescient, in these days of Kyoto protocols and carbon miles. But neither musically nor lyrically engaging. I miss the potpourri of tunes that marked out TAAB and APP: there was some hope in 'Minstrel in the Gallery' that they might return on subsequent albums, but thery are largely absent here.

Yes, this album is relaxing, and it makes me reflect on rural life. But it doesn't frighten me like 'Aqualung' did. It doesn't send me to the heights like 'Thick as a Brick.' And it doesn't make me scratch my head like 'A Passion Play.' Most of all, it is the music of a man who has been bitten by the critics and didn't like the toothmarks. He's found his measure and, sadly, it's small compared to the glorious eccentricity of the early 70s.

This is - inexplicably - one of the most overlooked and sometimes even reviled albums in the almighty Jethro Tull's catalogue. To me is a damn good one, in style of what they left on Songs but more folkish than the album from '77. Still very fresh, still a classic of Tull, and still one of the best Tull albums, no doubt. The ecclectic mixture between folk,classic and rock music is a great example of Tull´s work in the later seventies. 'Rover','Moths','One brown mouse','Weathercock' and the title track are some of the best Tull songs, and i can't understand why some of the reviewers rate this one enough low just to underappreciate the album, after all is their choice. To me is a 4 star album, among the best of the late '70, and why not a good candidate to became one of the best albums ever.

I've got mixed feelings about this album. It's utterly dominated by Ian Anderson's vocals, but his voice sounds so rough and gravelly some of the tracks seem little more than a tuneless sludge. "Acres Wild" would be a lovely folk song if it were sung, for example, by Maddy Prior, but the present performance merely grates. "No Lullaby" is even more horrific; it should have been dubbed "No melody". The album's main subjects are equally irritating. In his liner notes Anderson compares HEAVY HORSES to SONGS FROM THE WOOD and smugly remarks: 'The general tenor of the album is the reality, rather than the myth, of country living'. I beg your pardon? Songs about the "Mouse Police", about dragons and beasties are about REALITY? And what's the point of that interminable and dreadfully sentimental ode to traditional Shire Horses? When I see those sleeve pictures of Ian with two of them horsies, and he's all dressed up like an English country gent, I feel this is no more than rock star posturing. Ian has swapped his minstrel suit for tweed. All this has little or nothing to do with 1970s rural England - if you want to know the bitter reality of THAT, read Ted Hughes' MOORTOWN DIARY.

On the other hand, some of the songs on this album (e.g. "Moths", "One Brown Mouse") are so charming that even Ian's voice can't ruin them. He's also right to praise 'the sparkling detail of the original master tapes'. Although instrumental solos are few, all the band's members are perfectly attuned to each other, and you get a lot of aural pleasure just listening to the different guitars, the bass, the violin and the keyboards. "Rover" has delightful parts for pipe organ. The two bonus tracks aren't bad at all. I find myself wavering between two and three stars.

SONGS FROM THE BARN!

I always had mixed feelings about HEAVY HORSES! It has never been a favorite JT album of mine, being one of those i listen to the least. Only UNDER WRAPS is getting less love than this one onm y turntable. Even if the life in the British countryside is still the main theme of this album ,it doesn't follow exactly the same pattern than its predecessor SONGS FROM THE WOOD.

For once, the lyrics are not as joyful as on SFTW as they try to deal with the problems facing the countryside in a ever changing modern world. This is not about medieval fairy tales or -drinking Guiness in a pub- songs. So the mood of HEAVY HORSES is quite dark, somber than usual in a JT album.

Another matter that doesn't make this album as enjoyable as usual is the drastic change of IAN ANDERSON vocal capabilities. Already, we could detect on SFTW the slow evolution of his voice in a more ''earthy'' tone.I don't know if ANDERSON was smoking tobacco back then but he sounds like a guy with a cigarette not too far from him. The voice sounds harsh, kind of rough. It might suit the athmosphere of the album, but it's definitely an aquired taste now compared to the way he sang earlier from TIME WAS to TOTRNR.

HEAVY HORSES is somewhat a little bit more rocking than SFTW, but the hard rock side of JT with the usual MARTIN BARRE guitar breaks has disappeared , tha ''heaviest'' one being the 8mn long title track which happen to be my favorite track of the album. It has all the traditional the JT features we love, such as good sounding guitar, nice PALMER arrangements in the back, a good melody with nice acoustic works from ANDERSON, well the most ''proggish'' (or what's left) song of the album.

The rest is divided with the usual folky tracks such as MOTHS or WEATHERCOOK. There is nothing wrong with them, they're decent songs, but they don't stay in my head after they are over. JETHRO TULL has released plenty of similar songs in the past, only more memorable.The same goes for ONE BROWN HOUSE. AND THE MOUSE POLICE NEVER SLEEPS is nice gentle rocker, but IAN's rough voice drowns this song completely.The rest of the album is not very interesting with NO LULLABY a melody-less song that quite drags a bit or JOURNEYYMAN and ROVER that have definitely nothing special to remember.

2 bonus tracks have been added and as in every JETHRO TULL remastered edition, they are good especially BROADFORD BAZAAR.

Last thing, i never understood why IAN ANDERSON would release later SOLO albums as he is JETHRO TULL. HEAVY HORSES could have been one of them as it sounds definitely as the frontman toy than a group effort. Even in the booklet, you see IAN everywhere from the cover to the his 5 pics inside. You have to wait for the back cover to see the remaining members surrounding of course the master sitting behind the desk. Also there are no credits whatsoever giving the names from the poor 5 other musicians

2 STARS!

For the vast portion of the 1970s, Jethro Tull did not release a bad album. On the contrary, each one was a jewel, a prog rock triumph and among the most perfect examples of what progressive rock could be. Many acts emphasized classical music, folk, hard rock and blues, but few mastered the ideal blend-- Tull did, and for 1978's Heavy Horses they even had the good grace to make it digestible. For these reasons and many others, Ian Anderson and his wisemen were everyone's band, young and old alike, progster or popper, there is indeed something for all of us in their albums. This record has them at the peak of that fairytale period, and it is among the best in their catalog.

An homage to our feline friends for 'Mouse Police' with beautiful organ tones from John Evan (or is it David Palmer's portative organ?) and Baroque lines from Ian's fife. The ribald 'Acres Wild' is the British countryside with a bit of a jig, 'No Lullaby' starts as tender reassurance from parent to child but becomes a thrilling toss from the nest into the dark night, and 'Moths' is a deeper contemplation of the natural world and man's spiritual connection to it. Sweet Celtic atmosphere and trademark Tull harmonics keep coming on 'Journeyman', the fantastic rocker 'Rover' sparks alive with Ian's acoustic strings, stuttering flutes and Martin Barre's pristine self-harmonies, and the dear 'One Brown Mouse'. The brilliant title track is an extraordinarily moving tribute to animals and 'Weathercock' is wistful rumination.

An absolutely marvelous album without a weak moment to be heard... indispensable.

I find it kind of surprising that I never noticed that the biggest difference in Jethro Tull’s sound in the eighties wasn’t necessarily their penchant for making music that was more heavy rock than progressive folk. They were guilty of that for sure, but that’s not the biggest change. As I listen to those albums now, nearly twenty years later I can hear how much the band suffered from the loss of both John Evans and David Palmer in 1980. Not that Evans was any kind of Rick Wakeman, but he brought a folksy sense of intimacy to the organ passages on this and earlier albums. That is sadly missing on any studio work that came out after 1980. And Palmer’s arrangements are much more vibrant than Anderson’s would be in the eighties, not to mention more progressive. Possibly I didn’t notice back then because 1) the band had dropped off a lot of people’s radars, including mine; and 2) so much was going to sh!t in progressive music back then that this was only a ripple in the pond.

So the dominant sounds on this (and pretty much every other Tull album) are Ian Anderson’s voice and his flute, followed Martin Barre’s very tight guitar work. So that remains unchanged from album to album. So does Anderson’s writing for the most part, particularly after about 1974. The themes here are still more about mythical figures and general life concepts rather than personal idioms such as those he would turn almost exclusively to after ‘A’. But beyond the words the music isn’t all that ambitious, and except for a few tracks there isn’t anything musically here we haven’t heard before.

“Moths” is one of those exceptions, and mostly thanks to Palmer’s arrangement. The synthesized strings and their interaction with Anderson’s flute flows quite well, and adds so much to what that track would have sounded like with only Anderson to contribute to it. Kind of like what “Journey Man” sounds like – much closer to the blander and less energetic tracks on “Rock Island” and “Catfish Rising”.

The other stellar example of how Evans and Palmer (and guest violinist Darryl Way) added important dynamics to the band is the title track. By 1978 I had largely lost interest in Tull, although there was a brief resurgence with ‘The Broadsword & the Beast’ thanks to the studio wizardry and MTV promotion. But ‘Heavy Horses’ was still a song that caught my attention simply because this return to form for the band was so distinctive and so unexpected. This is the best ‘Aqualung’ outtake ever! Not really, but you know what I mean. Anderson’s vocals are bard-like and mysterious instead of dull and plodding like they became somewhere around 1981, and the entire band contributes musically instead of simply backing up la flute d’ Ian. The whole thing works marvelously, and even today this is the one track that holds up without disclaimer out of all the band’s work between 1976 and 1989. And “Weathercock” makes for a great postlude too.

This certainly isn’t my favorite Tull album, but to be fair their most immortal work came out when I was still pre-pubescent, so I discovered those albums after-the-fact. ‘Heavy Horses’ and ‘Stormwatch’ were the first Jethro Tull albums I discovered when they were still new. For that reason they hold a little nostalgic value and I’ll admit they get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to rating them. So four stars for this one, and recommended to anyone who hasn’t actually listened to it before, which probably isn’t very many people.

peace

An elegant regalement with a pastoral feel

It seems that Ian Anderson (known better in some circles as Mr. Jethro Tull) has a real knack for writing lyrics and music when it comes to two things specifically: satire which sometimes involves the sleazy, and elegant English flavored poetry. Two things that one would hardly think could meet with any sense of success. And yet here on Jethro Tull's 11th studio album they seem to have captured both beautifully. That aggressive ''telling off'' of society remains while perfectly capturing the folk essence of the countryside. It can be argued, but this is likely Tull's best album alongside their masterpiece Thick As A Brick.

In terms of sound this one familiar. Where Tull usually changes their style dramatically between albums this one tends to stick closer to the previous offering, the Spring flavored Songs From The Wood. While this one tend to have more of an Autumn flavor to it thanks to it's deeper and darker content and writing it feels like the band benefited from holding on to a style for more than one album. Here they took everything they did right with Songs... and refined it. Sharpened it. Made it perfect. The song writing is tight, the lyrics are beautiful and the melodies are strong. Often noted as Tull's most typically 'folk' album the tag is not without reason. Indeed, thanks to the strength of the flutes in relation to the songs and the more pastoral melodies of songs like the magnificent Acres Wild this one does get a very folk feel to it. Of course, not without the Tull heaviness and punch.

Here the songs are shorter, but unlike many Tull albums there's no short tracks that can be described as 'intro/outro' (or filler). Each song stands it's own ground solidly without a weak moment in sight. The tracks segue wonderfully from one to the next and the two longer songs move along without a hitch. One of the more notable things about this album as well is the harsh contrast between the (sometimes) light sounding music and the low grumble that Anderson has attached to his voice here. Likely the only time we'll hear it from the man, but on songs like the quirky and quick opener ...And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps Anderson's voice is truly menacing with his low growl.

The songs range from fast to slow as they often do. This album sees the more fast tracks sitting at the beginning and end with the slower (more mid paced, actually) tracks sitting in the middle with a few exceptions to pick up the pace and keep attention. The two longer songs also exist to keep a perfect balance with No Lullaby bringing things from the fast and light to the slower and darker. Heavy Horses, however, has to be one of the most beautiful songs ever put to tape by the band. The opening line brings forth such imagery it's stunning: ''Iron clad feathered feet pounding the dust...''. Anderson's delivery is absolutely wonderful and as the song picks up to a more frantic pace it still manages to stay coherent and utterly pretty throughout the fray.

This is a must have album for every prog fan. It epitomizes what Tull does best and it does it so very well. Recommended for those looking to check out the band beyond their Aqualung and Thick As A Brick days as well as any fan who doesn't already have it for some reason. Tull (and indeed, prog folk) at it's best.

Armed with the best set of songs since Aqualung, Ian Anderson and co made this near-masterpiece of an album called Heavy Horses, possibly the best Tull album since Thick As A Brick. Compared to the previous album, Songs From the Wood, Heavy Horses sounds much more mature and "genuine" for lack of a better word. I cannot enough emphasise how much I prefer Heavy Horses over Songs From The Wood, which I found too jolly and whimsical, and even slightly silly in places.

On this album they found a very good balance between acoustic and electric instruments. We find here, of course, the expected guitars, organs, piano, bass, drums and flutes. But this time we also find lots of mandolin, some violin, some orchestral arrangements and other keyboard instruments, helping to make this a perfect mix of Folk, symphonic rock and hard rock. Compared to the follow-up Stormwatch, the balance is in favour of the Folk rather than the other two. Heavy Horses is very original and I would say its one of the best folk rock albums of all time.

This is an excellent addition to any prog collection! Highly recommended!

This was another important album buy this great british band. The precedor Songs From the Wood was full of whimisical imagery and lyrics, when heavy Horses, while still working in the folk rock format, had a much darker concept, with songs dealing with the harsh side of country living. Anyway, it was a very fine bunch of songs released in a time no one seemed to be interested in this kind of music except the fans. And Ian Anderson & co didn´t let them down.

While most of the prog bands were stuck between a rock and a hard place, Jethro Tull simply stuck with their guns, releasing one good album after the other not seeming to bother if it was fashionable or not. And maybe that´s the reason they kept their audience´s respect. Certainly heavy Horses didn´t have the impact of importance of such milestones like Thick As A Brick not the novelty of an Aqualung, but it was a good folk rock album in a time very few bands were doing it good. And good they did. Songs like No Lullaby, Rover and the title Track are great exemples of how inspired anderson was. The band was also doing great. Curved Air´s Daryl Way did also a fine job adding violins on the Title track.

Although I still favor Songs From The Wood around this time, I was relieved when I heard this album and found such good music inside. Again I feel there are no fillers, and the two extra songs my remastered version came with are worth having them. The production is fine (be aware that I´m talking about the remastered one!). 3,5 stars.

"Heavy Horses" is the logical continuation of the solid prog-folk approach delivered in the "Songs From the Wood" album, and what a lovely follow-up it is. The previous release had been an absolute triumph of Jethro Tull's ever-present folkish side refurbished and manifested at its maximum potential of sophistication, in no small degree due to the tasteful synth layers and orchestrations provided by John Evan and the new 6th member David (now Dee) Palmer. What "Heavy Horses" brings as a source of refreshment for this new pinnacle era of Jethro Tull is the use of more natural orchestral arrangements (real strings), as well as a special guest called Darryl Way (yes, the virtuoso violinist from Curved Air). Evan restricts himself to organ and piano, and the synth input is not as abundant. Maybe the occasional portative pipe organ handled by Palmer has more presence than the synths, but again, the keyboard efforts are properly stated in the mix. All in all, the items that are more recurrently featured in the mix (besides Anderson's flute) are the interplaying acoustic/electric guitars and the drums: this album indeed comprises some of the best Barlow work ever, and I'm talking about a musician who always knew how to use his percussive mastery for good effect. As in the "Wood" album (and many other songs from the previous Tull catalogue), the consistent topic of the tracklist focuses on rural things, but now the predominant mood is not one of celebration of the reality and fantasy in the village men's lives: "Heavy Horses" is an overall look at the pros and cons of the life (lovely life, after all) in a farm amidst our modern urban-centered times. '... And the Mouse Police Never Sleeps' is a catchy tune about cats watching for mice in their role of countrymen's best friends; its playful mood is properly perpetuated in the romancing 'Acres Wild' and the candid 'Moths'. Caught between these colorful songs is the grayish 'No Lullaby', full of intense rocking sounds and patently prog-oriented shifts. This song signifies a particular apex for Barre and Barlow as performers. 'Journeyman' ends the album's first half with a featured rhythm section that emulates the driving dynamics of a vehicle with funky-friendly swings that oddly feed the song?s basic blues-rock feel. 'Rover' brings back the album's most candid side with well-ordained flourishes that echo the explicit splendor of "Songs From the Wood", in this way opening the album's second half in a very exciting way. 'One Brown Mouse' is less ornamented but still displays a similar colorfulness - the rural mood works beautifully. But the source of superior beauty comes with the penultimate track, the namesake one, which IMHO is one of the finest Anderson moments as a writer and a poet. This mini-epic that almost totals a 9 minute span celebrates the ancient power of farm horses while calibrating the negative side brought by tractors and other industrial artifacts. The soft piano-vocal passages, the orchestrations exquisite beyond words, the melodic development of the moving guitar leads and Way's majestic violin inputs, the fluid sequences between various moods and time signatures, all of them gather together in a perfectly logical framework that capitalizes the song's beautiful melodic lines. Epic and magical, with a lovely mixture of melancholy and naivety in the lyrics that make sense with the musical material - 'Heavy Horses' is a Top 5 song in JT's history. The album's closer 'Weathercock' brings back a moment of final optimism to complete the tracklist on a pertinently candid note. This album is a must in any rock collection (prog and not prog), and definitely, a wonderful masterpiece from a band whose heyday was still running on by the late 70s.

Whenever I picture Jethro Tull, the music of both this album and its predecessor, SONGS FROM THE WOOD, come to mind (moreso than THICK AS A BRICK). To put it in simple terms, there are plenty of dense folk textures interspersed with a hard rock feel.

Most people will point to AQUALUNG and THICK AS A BRICK as the best Jethro Tull albums. While I do admit that both albums are terrific in their own respects, this album and SONG FROM THE WOOD always seem to be better in my mind as neither receive the hype that the more popular Tull albums do. This gives a much better luster to some of Jethro Tull's lesser known tracks like ''Journeyman'' and ''Rover''.

I know I'm making a ton of comparisons between SONGS FROM THE WOOD and HEAVY HORSES, but I believe both albums are constructed similarly with HEAVY HORSES being slightly weaker. The longer songs, while strong and peppy, take too long to get going. Their beginnings are slow and in the case of the title track, too pretty. That can be somewhat of a problem with the album, its prettiness can put off many a listener. There are plenty of goofy, syrupy folk stuff with ''One Brown Mouse'' taking the cake.

However, there are plenty of gems to find here from the bouncy ''Acres Wild'', the scurrying, frantic ''...and the Mouse Police Never Sleeps'', the pumping bass of ''Journeyman'' and ''Rover'' in general. Most traditional progsters will find albums like THICK AS A BRICK more suitable to their tastes, and I have no problem with that. I just choose to be slightly nonconformist and prefer to stick with the folksier albums. Now stop looking at me like that!

After a few years of lukewarm albums, Songs Fom the Woods was a surprising creative peak for Tull, full of new ideas and enthusiasm for the material. One could have hoped that Heavy Horses would continue the new found creative vein for at least one other album but that was not what happened. Heavy Horse is another half-hearted Tull release with too few decent songs and a sterile performance, devoid of any emotion or excitement.

With the Mouse Police Never Sleeps, it doesn't start too bad though. It's an original little song with a biting vocal on top of some interesting percussive work. Just two songs further down, there's even a new Tull classic in the presence of No Lullaby. Not my favourite song by a long stretch but still, quite close to the stuff on Aqualung. One Brown Mouse is a nice little ditty that would have fit well on Living in the Past. But that's all folks. I can't conjure up any kind of enthusiasm at all for the remainder of the dead material on this badly dated album. Considering this is from '78, a year when the music scene in England burst with creativity and new ideas, the contrast with this muffled affair couldn't have been bigger. And things would only go further downhill from here onwards.

It's appalling how old and tired this band sounds. Not even 10 years into their career, Tull has become a dinosaur, stretching his old neck one last time to look in the sky at the meteorite that would make him and his kind extinct. Amen.

My relationship with Jethro Tull has been a rocky one ever since my friend Tommy Cline brought us together in 1970. While their scruffy but charming debut made for a good first impression, it was their brilliant "Stand Up" album that made me fall head over heels. My infatuation held fast and unshakable through their uneven "Benefit" but when they brazenly flirted with the unwashed masses on "Aqualung" I felt cruelly betrayed and stopped seeing them altogether. The nerve! I began to hold a childish but serious grudge and, just for spite, placed them in the same mental category as The Monkees. However, absence makes the heart grow fonder so in '75 after reading a positive review for "Minstrel in the Gallery" I purchased a copy to see if we could blow on the ashes of our affair and reignite the old flame. Unfortunately, the LP did nothing for me no matter how hard I tried to like it and I wrote them off forever. It was just not going to work between us. Or so I thought.

After discovering to my shocked delight that there are literally millions of proggers the world over some years back my dormant adoration for the genre was revived and I decided that it was high time to stop living in the past when it came to JT and make a new start, this time as "just friends." Discovering the majesty and near-perfection of "Thick as a Brick" was a revelation and delving into the eccentricities of the grossly misunderstood "Passion Play" was an enlightening adventure. In other words, I'm back on the Tull bandwagon. My bruised psyche and tender ego had caused me to miss out on a lot of music from Ian Anderson & Company and catching up will take a while but it should be fun. I realize that some of their material will be sub-standard but I've promised myself not to take it as a personal affront this go 'round. We all make mistakes (both artists and fans) and time heals even the most superficial of wounds.

I didn't expect much from "Heavy Horses" at all. That's what makes the surprise so special. It's everything I loved about them back in the day. The band charges right out of the gate with the extremely energetic "And the Mouse Police Never Sleeps" and they maintain a lofty standard of quality through the last note of the album. The opening song's admittedly busy but tight-as-new-shoes ¾ tempo and the wonderful synchronicity steadfastly upheld between the acoustic instrumentation throughout is dizzyingly mesmerizing. Drummer Barriemore Barlow could've taken the safe road here but he inventively opts to apply an unorthodox beat pattern that's a better fit for the novelty of the rhythm. There's a poetic life-as-viewed-from-a-rural-perspective lyrical theme running through most of the tracks and this one is no exception as Ian makes an observation that, while to humans the purring family feline may seem serene and docile, to rodents in general the terrible Tabby is a ruthless carnivore with a "license to mutilate." (I, myself, have been witness to such horrors. It can be quite ghastly.) Speaking of odes to nature's way, "Acres Wild" is next and it's far from being a letdown. The group's smooth but spirited attack and their tasteful blend of classic and modern instruments is yet another manifestation of what Jethro Tull does so very well when they're on their game.

I must admit that hearing Martin Barre's boisterous guitar slammin' headlong into the intro of "No Lullaby" for the first time filled me with apprehension in fear that they were about to descend into "Locomotive Breath" land (a place I don't care for). However, instead of taking the boringly predictable route they wisely open it up and let Barlow and bassist John Glascock set an unexpectedly ominous mood for this nearly 8-minute composition. There's lots of changes to be encountered along the way and the band tosses in some not- so-easy-to-pull-off kicks and accents to keep things lively. The number evolves constantly, never stagnating, and Anderson's flute flitters about like a ravenous hummingbird on a nectar binge. I appreciate the candor that Ian employs as he tells children stark truths about the dangerous world they're about to grow up in. "Keep your eyes open and prick up your ears/rehearse your loudest cry/there's folk out there who would do you harm/so I'll sing you no lullaby" he croons. Barre's deft mandolin work distinguishes "Moths" and I can never get enough of that instrument's uplifting tone. It's one of my all-time favorite things to hear. This tune about waltzing with the specter of death flows effortlessly and the orchestral strings dancing in the background are superb. "Life's too long (as the lemming said)," Anderson sings in a voice slightly reminiscent of Cat Stevens'.

"Journeyman" belies the group's bluesy roots but, like in their earliest incarnations, they never play it straight, choosing to throw a few quirks in the mix. It's a rueful commentary about the dull, robot-like participants of the monotonous urban rat race that could've turned into a tiresome dirge but for the splendidly solid performance turned in by the band and the addition of a string section that serves to enrich rather than clutter up the proceedings. A peppy introduction draws you helplessly into "Rover" where a gorgeous 12-string acoustic guitar fills the space with class. Written about a free-to-wander country canine ("I'm simple in my sadness/resourceful in remorse"), this is precisely the same brand of progressive folk/rock stylings that enraptured my senses four long decades ago. The same can be said for the following cut, "One Brown Mouse," a very melodic ditty where once again their delicate casserole of instruments creates an enchanted atmosphere unique to this collection of talented artists. Ian's imaginative lyrics about a simple caged pet are cleverly literate and wholly entertaining.

The album's 9-minute long namesake starts with a heavy hand but they tactfully go for taste over power and pretension early on and Anderson's stacked vocals are dreamily intoxicating. The production and arrangement are top-notch as they allow the song to take its own intricate, complex course but the resulting music never comes off as contrived or forced. The words are a bit of a lament about feeling old, outdated and left behind by modern technology as he compares himself and his mates to a herd of retired work horses "standing like tanks on the brow of the hill/up into the cold wind facing/in stiff battle harness, chained to the world/against the low sun rising." Fine, fine imagery there. They finish with "Weathercock," a tune right in step with the rest of the album that has mandolins, 12-string acoustic guitars, organ (supplied by the ever-present but easily overlooked John Evan) and flute layered over an aggressive bass and drum rhythm track. To describe it in any detail would involve repeating many of the same complimentary accolades I've written above so I'll just recommend that you sit back and enjoy the greatness of Jethro Tull here. There'll never be another of their kind.

Over the years this group has somehow become the butt of occasional jokes on TV and in the movies. If you're one who has come to judge them by that unfairness I beg you to consider that the bad rap comes mainly from the non-prog world and isn't based on fact. Yes, they are responsible for some questionable, passé offerings like "Bungle in the Jungle," but it would be a shame to identify their body of work on that silly piece of fluff as much as the travesty of basing one's image of The Doors solely on their dismal "Love Her Madly." This album represents well the Jethro Tull legacy and you'd do yourself a favor to acquire it and give it repeated listens. Is it a masterpiece? Probably not, but I just don't feel right in giving it any less than 4.4 stars (the upper tip of my 4 star rating). It's no "Thick as a Brick" or "Stand Up" but damned if I can find anything wrong with it. There's not a skipper in the bunch.

Jethro Tull - Heavy Horses (1978)

How does a band stay faithful to it's progressive fans while adapting to the new age of music, the seventies were at its end. Well, this, boys and girls, is the perfect example. A song based album with lot's of progressive songwriting and still acceptable for a lot of people. My girlfriend adores this! I'm thankful for this, for my girlfriend doesn't like a lot of my progressive music so much that she asks me to put it on. The recording is done very intelligent and modern (a bit too clean one could say), but this doesn't bother at all.

The word: songs. It doesn't make me feel warm at all. But as the first song 'The Mouse police' is very convincing the record got my attention. All other songs are great too with some great vocals and atmospheres on Acres Wild: 'I'll make love to you", sings Ian. Intelligent composition skills on No Lullaby and Heavy Horses and most of the other songs have their moments.

I don't have to say a lot about this album. A collection of perfect songs in a way it challenges Thick as a Brick for best Tull record. I like everything of this album and I think it's the best adaptation of a progressive rock band of the second part of the seventies. This is just essential listening! Four stars, but it's hard to explain why.

The loose lyrical concept is one of Jethro Tulll's best: It is an ode and elegy of rural living. Unfortunately the music, unlike the soil of a good farmer's field, yields a scanty harvest in terms of ideas or flow. One may expect decent progressive folk music, but the nasty vocals do this album a disservice. The title track, however, is a masterwork.

"...And the Mouse Police Never Sleeps" Giddy acoustic guitar and huffs of flute make up this up-tempo folksy tune. It serves as a promising number, although the vocal section at the end is maddening.

"Acres Wild" Mandolin and bass dance a jig in this Celtic-inspired song. Ian Anderson's voice doesn't compliment it, but it stands as an okay piece.

"No Lullaby" Martin Barre gets to have some fun on electric guitar in the beginning, but soon turns the playground over to John Glascock and Barriemore Barlow. The subsequent bit is rather placid for a rocker, featuring Anderson's gritty vocals but very light dashes flute. The more urgent section that follows doesn't sound honest- it sounds like the band is trying too hard to be progressive (so much so that nothing really flows together). Something I didn't notice until recently is that the riff that would be used in the 1995 song "Roots to Branches" is snuck in.

"Moths" This could have made for an excellent acoustic soft song in the vein of the masterpieces found on Minstrel in the Gallery, but Anderson has to sing as though his vocal cords had been ravaged by the titular creature.

"Journeyman" Starting with a funky bass groove, this has a decent vocal performance that doesn't quite match the rest of the music, but has some guitar stabbings from Barre ripping through the sound now and again. This just does nothing for me.

"Rover" I enjoy the instrumentation on this song, but once again, the vocals just mar it.

"One Brown Mouse" The second song to feature the word "mouse" in the title, this track is a decent bit of folk rock with fanciful instrumentation and graceful acoustic guitar. The vocals this time are easier on the ears- overall, a fair tune, but as is the case with this album, nothing remarkable.

"Heavy Horses" This is a Jethro Tull masterpiece, and despite my misgivings about much of the rest of the album, this makes the record worth having, as it serves as a magnificent centerpiece that boasts not only masterful music, but ties the lyrical theme together with a nostalgic bow.

"Weathercock" The final piece has more lovely acoustic guitar (with a heavy beat and some electric guitar playing rhythm in the backdrop), but it's highlight is Anderson's flute solo.

like many here, when I first bought this album, I didn't quite get it. I was looking for an album as heavy as the previous, Songs From The Wood. This one, on the surface, seemed much lighter. It took quite a few listens to fully appreciate the subtle complexity of the album. And it is now one of my favorite Tull albums.

While every track on the album is good, there are a few standouts. And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps seems to be a departure from the usual Tull style, with it's whirlwind themes, makes an excellent opening track. No Lullaby and the title track are both great examples of Tull's prog leanings, while also showing their folk rock roots at the same time.

Sure, it's not as great as Aqualung or Thick As A Brick, but how many albums are?

Heavy Horses, Jethro Tull, 1978

Tull's second devoted folk album escapes my hatred for all things gratuitously vaguely woodsy. Aside from a mixed but improved set of lyrics relating Ian's pastoral images to actual human life, Ian's voice has grown a bit huskier and the music, while still full of nice melodies, does actually tend to go somewhere. Drummer Barriemore Barlowe outdoes himself here, and the band are completely tight wherever the music has direction.

With less of the tedious repetition and a little more in the way of hooks, the actual quality of the band becomes a little more obvious again. Psychotic opener And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps has the rather underrated Barriemore Barlowe at his finest and a slightly experimental flute sound, while Acres Wild sees John Glascock's bass interwoven into a neat mandolin part. Daryl Way's violin makes the slightly mad jig part and adds an extra flavour to the finely constructed verses.

No Lullaby is the first (and by far the worst) of the album's speed bumps. While it's nice to see Barlowe in a soloing capacity briefly at the start, Anderson's lyrics (and rather grating vocals) seem to have slipped back to an idea without any particular content and for an eight minute song, it appears to have little ot no sense of direction and more of the Songs-From-The-Wood moodless reprises. Good start, good end, not much in the overlong middle.

Moths has one of Palmer's lush orchestrations coming to the fore around a smooth flute part; Anderson's rather cracked vocals work unreasonably well, perhaps it's the calibre of the lyrics or the inexplicably uncluttered feel of the actually quite dense background.

Clear break, followed by Journeyman, the first piece where John Evans and Martin Barre really stand out, with a murky, watery organ and some snarling guitar leads in between a fairly typical little Tull riff... the side two opener has a detail in the orchestration and pulsing rhythm section that rewards repeated listens. Rover has one of Tull's best multi-part riffs, and bursts deliciously out of the opening percussion/bass thing. Anderson's a bit hit and miss on this one... flute great, lyrics have a couple of nice moments but don't really seem to mean much, vocals rather too harsh, though the chorus melody is pleasant. Vocals aside, this could well be one of Tull's finest numbers.

One Brown Mouse has the album's best lyrics and a neat acoustic (the final flourish is delicious)/vocal combination in its favour. The legato-ish organ part in the background is also rather nice. On the minus side, we have some stereotypical Tull instrumental bits (of the sort I really rather disliked on Songs From The Wood) that don't really go anywhere or connect back to the verses.

Heavy Horses is the second extended track (this time, a pleasant nine minutes) and benefits vastly from such basic tricks as contrast, variation and spacing. Aside from some rare piano accompaniment by John Evans, the piece is finely arranged with more of Daryl Way's wonderful folk violin. If I've little sympathy for the beasts in question, Anderson's vocal and lyrics have a fairly winning affection in them (erk, 'slipping and sliding free'... folksiness does not excuse directionless writing). I'd quite happily cut out one or two of the verses and choruses, nice though they are, and most of Martin Barre's limp solo at around 6.00; oddly enough, it constitutes one of Tull's better later longer songs, but I still think its basic content far exceeds the final performance.

Weathercock is a basically satisfying conclusion to the album, with a very fine organ performance and some masterfully brought out folk rhythms. Anderson's rhetorical lyrics, while generally deserving the answer 'no' (I'm a bit of a cynic with regards to yon aulde authenticke folksiness), work for it and his flute part is solid.

Final analysis: mixed bag, where the two long songs drag the whole thing down. Bonus tracks none too shabby, rather less sympathy for Living In These Hard Times than the very fine Broadford Bazaar (whatever that wind instrument is, it's gorgeous). Recommended to any Tull fan and a damn sight more substantial than Songs From The Wood.

Rating: 3 stars, 11/15 Favourite Track: Broadford Bazaar if we count the bonus tracks, otherwise Moths or Acres Wild

I had to laugh at the title to febus' review of this album. "Songs from the barn" Haha. Well he's right, this is the folkiest album i've heard from Tull. The focus is on Anderson's vocals which seem a little rough at times. Cool to hear Darryl Way (CURVED AIR) on violin for two tracks.

"And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps" is all very intricate as Ian sings over top. I like the ending with intense vocals. "Acres Wild" again is very intricate as the vocals join in. Way is on violin here. Catchy tune. "No Lullaby" has some good guitar to open surprisingly. Drums take over followed by vocals. More guitar later then it picks up. Good tune thanks to the guitar of Barre. "Moths" has Anderson again sounding like he has a cold. Mostly acoustic with some orchestration. Not a fan. "Journeyman" sounds better with the prominant bass and intricate sounds. Vocals and flute help out as usual. Guitar comes and goes.

"Rover" sounds great to start.Vocals before a minute. I really like how these sounds mesh together. The intricate sounds are the appeal of this album for me. "One Brown Mouse" is an acoustic track for the most part. Flute and orchestration before 2 minutes then back to the original sound. "Heavy Horses" settles a minute in as vocals and piano take over. It gets much fuller from here although there are contrasts still. More orchestrations which I don't like. The violin from Way though is good. "Weathercock" opens with acoustic guitar and flute as vocals join in. Flute solo 2 minutes in. Electric guitar after 3 minutes.

A low 3 stars for me.

The second of the strongest folk influenced albums that Tull did, after the classic Songs From The Wood. This album always puts me in mind of a classic television programme from the 1970's (the name of which is irritatingly forgotten as I write this) that dealt with all matters rural, presented by a man whose love for the rural way of life in England knew no boundaries.

That is precisely what this album is all about. It is a paeon to a way of life fast becoming a relic in a modernising society, and makes it very clear that Anderson, for one, wholly regrets its passing. No more the days of heavy horses working the land, to be replaced by tractors and modern factory farming methods. For anyone who cares about the intensive farming tragedy of modern times, the title track is essential, but that is also countered by the sheer love that Anderson has for these magnificent creatures, evidenced by the lyrics, which list many breeds, and the album cover itself. This track is, essentially, a love story, and damn well told it is too. Special mention to Darryl Way for his orchestral arrangements and David Palmer for fantastic violins.

It is impossible to think of any weak track on this album. Some became huge live favourites, including the rip roaring No Lullably, One Brown Mouse, and the title track itself.

As with most Tull albums, there are significant mood shifts here. No Lullaby is perhaps the closest the album comes to the blues roots of the band. Heavy Horses features perhaps the finest riff that Martin Barre ever came up with for the band, whilst Moths is such a beautiful and delicate ballad. I don't think I have ever heard Anderson sing so beautifully as he does on this track, and this story of the short life story of the moth is interspersed by some quite exquisite flute, acoustic guitar, and orchestral arrangements.

The mood can be very uplifting. "Smile your little smile, take some tea with me a little while" from One Brown Mouse. "Do you wonder if I really care for you?". I could reproduce all of the lyrics, but, hopefully, you will see the playful, and loving, way in which Anderson creates his story and its characters. This also features some of the finest keyboard arrangements ever constructed by the band. Likewise Weathercock. "Good morning, Weathercock, how did you fare last night?" cries Anderson, exemplifying the important relationship between the farmer and the elements, but not one that relies upon the modern forecast, but rather the rustic sense of the farmer in touch with the land he works.. I find this a great way to close the (vinyl) release.

This is a band at the top of its game, and, were it not for the fact that I regard SFTW as being the quintessential prog folk album, it would qualify for the full award on this site. As it is, I award it 4 stars, but with a strong 4.5 in reality, and would heartily recommend it to all people who wish to expand both their knowledge of Tull and the prog folk genre itself.

A better story told than many a concept album, methinks.

An ode to the countryside, 1978's 'Heavy Horses' would be the last Jethro Tull effort of real, genuine quality, though that's not to say that later efforts were not without their occasional merits. Having so far navigated a highly-successful and strangely-eclectic musical course throughout their career, from early blues-spiced beginnings('This Was'), to experimental folk- rock('Stand Up'), full-blown progressive rock('Benefit', 'Aqualung', 'Thick As A Brick' & 'A Passion Play') and, latterly, rootsy acoustica('Songs From The Wood'), it seemed like Jethro Tull had pretty much touched on every conceivable style the group had to offer. With punk in the ascendancy, group-leader Ian Anderson(him of the flute, codpiece and famed one-legged stance) decided to add a new dimension to Tull's repertoire in the form of a hard-edged, heavy- rock veneer that nicely-complimented the group's folk-prog-rock style, thus mixing up all the elements that had made Jethro Tull so wonderfully diverse since their late-sixties inception. 'Heavy Horses' features thick, glutinous bass-lines, meaty guitars, fluttering flute breaks and Anderson's trademark gruff-posh vocals, thus brewing up a darkly-toned concept album about the green hills, crumbling train stations, sturdy animals and bucolic farmyards that make the British countryside so appealing and so unique to those who inhabit it. However, summing up these feelings in musical terms was never going to be easy, yet , somehow, the group's semi- progressive sound suits tracks such as the imperious 'Journeyman' - which features some surprisingly rock-funky bass-playing courtesy of John Glascock - right down to the (earthy) ground. Stand-out tunes, alongside 'Journeyman', include the album's folksiest piece, in the form of the surprisingly-catchy 'Acres Wild', the brazen, bruising 'Rover' and the sweetly-toned album finisher 'Weathercock', which features a tour-de-force from both Anderson and guitarist Martin Barre. Occasionally the added orchestral arrangements threaten to overshadow the carefully-constructed tracks, but 'Heavy Horses' is still, nevertheless, a fine addition to the Jethro Tull canon. Keeping your sound both fresh and exciting over the course of ten years and eleven studio albums is no easy feat, yet Anderson, who is assisted ably by Glascock, Barre, Barriemore Barlow(drums), John Evans(piano, organ) and David Palmer(keyboards), manages yet again to find a wining formula that shows just why this winningly original group have stayed so popular for so long. In the grand scheme of things 'Heavy Horses' doesn't quite make 'classic' Tull status; but it comes damn close. Highly recommended. STEFAN TURNER, LONDON, 2011

Heavy Horses gives its material a harder, rockier edge and a more troubled and cynical lyrical bent than the comforting yarns of its predecessor, but neither of these shifts in approach change the overall impression that it's a collection of material which didn't make the cut for Songs From the Wood. Still, Songs From the Wood was such an excellent album that even its off-cuts are impressive! Opening with the whimsical cat and mouse tale of The Mouse Police Never Sleeps - with spooky vocals and some of Ian's most hard-rocking flute work since the band's early days - the album takes the listener on another folk-prog trip. As usual on Tull's heavier albums, Martin Barre's electric guitar is a particular treat.

Jethro Tull have released so many albums over the years that it is easy to take it for granted that some albums become overrated or even maligned by music reviewers. "Heavy Horses" is one such album, receiving some scathing reviews and being critiqued as focussing too much on a pastoral woodland atmosphere, treated like a crop that has failed. I had heard the album years ago and let it rest not having made my mind up what to make of this approach. Tull moved into mainstream pop sounds in the 80s with oddball tracks such as 'Lap of Luxury' or 'Steel Monkey' so at least 1978's "Heavy Horses" has a progressive feel and some killer tracks such as the title track.

There are many great moments on the album although overall it does not meet a consistent standard of excellence. 'Heavy Horses' is undoubtedly the showstopper with enough melodic hooks that saw it gain some success on the music charts. It opens with a classic riff that is well known. It moves into a verse sung with feeling; "Iron-clad feather-feet pounding the dust, An October's day, towards evening, Sweat embossed veins standing proud to the plough, Salt on a deep chest seasoning, Last of the line at an honest day's toil, Turning the deep sod under, Flint at the fetlock, chasing the bone, Flies at the nostrils plunder." The mid section builds into a canter and encapsulates a joyous spirit augmented by exuberant violin.

'One Brown Mouse' is another highlight worth attention, along with the other rodent track '...And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps', a title reminding me of a Frank Zappa song. On the opening track the flute warbles and twitters from the outset, and Anderson's vocals are often multi layered to good effect. He incorporates an acoustic touch and there are some glorious Hammond organ flourishes. I am not a fan of the ending mantra though. 'One Brown Mouse' has acoustic vibrations and beautiful woodwind along with a nice melody. The lyrics are sweet natured; "Puff warm breath on your tiny hands, You wish you were a man, who every day can turn another page, Behind your glass you sit and look at my ever-open book, One brown mouse sitting in a cage."

Not everything works as some songs feel mediocre and are all but forgotten outside of the Tull fanatic fanbase. However Martin Barre's awesome guitar work is always a delight and he shines here with extended lead breaks on 'No Lullaby' and 'Heavy Horses'. The violin appearances are welcome too, but there is not enough excitement and it meanders along in some songs such as 'Weathercock'.

'Acres Wild' is acoustics and flute pastoral nuances with some banjo and Daryl Way's violin thrown in creating folk atmospheres. The album has its fair share of complex mini epics such as 'No Lullaby' with odd time signatures and some song within a song sections. John Glascock and Barriemore Barlow have a field day and the band certainly adopt a progressive approach.

'Moths' moves into lighter territory, medieval guitars, floating flute and raspy Anderson vox, but it goes on too long and is lyrically uninspiring. 'Journeyman' has a few Barre riffs over a cool funky bassline. The sig is very off kilter and the flute twitters elegantly as an embellishment to Anderson's storytelling vocals. 'Rover' has some nice acoustic and flute interplay. Anderson's vocals are again multi tracked and raspy so it kind of grates on the nerves.

The album is inconsistent but houses some gems so is worth a listen though I have heard way better from this legendary band.

This album was considered the 2nd album in a trilogy of Folk Rock albums by Jethro Tull, the first being "Songs from the Wood" and the third "Stormwatch". In my own opinion, the first was the best of the three because of it's carefree feeling. This one is the 2nd best, and is very close to being as good as the first, but missing the mark just a little. This one was a little more rock oriented and heavier, but definitely not over the top in heaviness, not by a long way. There seems to be a little weakness in the album towards the middle with "Journeyman" and "Rover", but only because the songs towards the middle do not seem to stand out like the other tracks on the album. In fact, they start to sound a little too much the same as the tracks that come prior to them, but there is still a lot of quality in the songs. The album's only flaw is in the lack of variety.

Don't fear though, because this album contains several highlights and also more than a few career highlights among the tracks. I think the tracks "The Mouse Police Never Sleeps", "No Lullaby", "Moths", "One Brown Mouse", and especially "Heavy Horses" are some of the best songs from the band through it's long career. Because of the thickness of the songs here, it does take some time for some of the greatness to show through, but when it does, you can be sure that you will agree that there are some career highlights on this album. So there is definitely enough greatness on this album to merit adding it to your JT collection if you were wondering.

The album is definitely heavy on the folk and on progressiveness. There is plenty of both here. It is also both acoustic and electric guitar driven and the flute and keyboards are mostly on here as support. With all the great tracks on the album, there is also a share of minor songs which don't leave as strong of an impression and that leads to the feeling of weakness as you approach the songs in the middle of the album, but things do improve again towards the end.

With all the reviews done on this album, there really isn't much more to say. Not necessarily an essential album because nothing groundbreaking is on the album, but there are enough career greats on here to seriously consider owning the album. That makes it an excellent addition to your prog rock collection. 4 stars.

JETHRO TULL was always the band I should have loved, and, though many individual songs enchanted me over the years, I could never stomach Ian Anderson's vocals for very long, but at the same time an instrumental Tull album would have sounded like...what? In 1977, they released "Songs from the Wood", around the same time I was getting into British Isles folk rock, beginning with STRAWBS, waving at FAIRPORT CONVENTION, and camping out with STEELEYE SPAN. I would soon deduce that, while TULL did an admirable job reproducing that olde Englishe sound, those other bands really lived and breathed it, and they sang a whole lot better too. So TULL continued to inhabit that netherworld, where I should have gaily romped but kept stumbling mid-skip.

I was vaguely aware that "Heavy Horses" was a less wholeheartedly Celtic follow up to "Songs from the Wood", but, with its 40th anniversary fast approaching, and with my not having committed to my quota of 1 new Tull album a decade, I decided to give it a full airing. More muscular, modern, and committed than its predecessor, its songs are at least as appealing, and, apart from in the dreadful "No Lullaby", in full service of a loose thematic concept executed as though it were a lost gospel. Even Anderson's voice seems mixed just right, again apart from "No Lullaby" and the mediocre bonus cuts, which were wisely left off the original. I think one of them is supposed to be a variation on "Hard Times"; do yourself a favor and seek out a version by anybody else, like DE DANAAN for instance.

The rest is uniformly brilliant, and it's nigh impossible to pick out a few highlights, but the vivacious "Moths", the more bluesy "Journeyman", and the intensely melodic "Rover", form quite a sturdy spine, with a plethora of flutes, bass, guitars, The opener refers to the "Mouse Police" as being the country cats, with tails at half mast, and affirm Anderson's love of and respect for the smallest feline. You can also see where bands like the MORRIGAN were taking notes. The title track is a gorgeous epic that begins simply with a traditionally inspired melody sensitively delivered by Anderson, and develops unpredictably from there, owing no small debt to CURVED AIR's Darryl Way on fiddle. Anderson's love of the English countryside and a way of life slowly atrophying is symbolized by the heavy horses being replaced by unfeeling machinery just as surely and grotesquely as HG Wells Martian machines. Yet this is not the cynic of the dreary "Minstrel in the Gallery", but the idealist who pays homage to what he sees and hopes to freeze in time. Mission accomplished.

As the adage goes, better late than never. Please to make your equine acquaintance.

Review Nº 292

Jethro Tull is a British progressive rock band formed in 1963 in Blackpool with an extensive career. The band's image is the front man Ian Anderson, who is the brain and the eccentric figure of the group. One day, he confessed that he ever was a great guitar player and suspected that he would never be. So, if he would never be a great guitarist, then he thought if he learned to play an instrument that almost nobody else was playing in rock, he could be a great performer. So, he learned to play flute searching to be a great flute player. The most original thing about Jethro Tull is that the band's leader plays flute, among other instruments, and the music is somehow dominated by this musical instrument.

"Heavy Horses" is the eleventh studio album of Jethro Tull and was released in 1978. Although the folk music influence is evident on a great number of Jethro Tull's albums, "Heavy Horses", "Songs From The Wood" and "Stormwatch" is considered a trilogy of prog folk-rock albums. "Heavy Horses" is one of their last albums that bring the mix of acoustic, Celtic and rock styles. The album also abandons much of the folk lyrical message of their previous work "Songs From The Wood", for a more realistic and direct message in the perspective of changing the World, so typical in the 70's.

The band's line up remained intact. Flutist/songwriter/vocalist Ian Anderson, guitarist Martin Barrie, drummer Barriemore Barlow, keyboardist John Evan, keyboardist/arranger David Palmer, and bassist John Glascock had been together for a number of years and the musicianship was tight and excellent throughout. But, unfortunately, this would be also John Glascock's last full album with the group as his health had begun to deteriorate and that would shortly cost him his own life. However, his playing on this album is fantastic and would allow him to go out in a great style.

"Heavy Horses" has nine tracks. All tracks were written and composed by Ian Anderson. The first track "?And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps" opens the album with a great style. It's a short song but is at the same time very complex. This is clearly a progressive rock song. However, I don't like the end of the song because, for me, is a little bit irritating. The second track "Acres Wild" is a spectacular folkie song in the vein and at the same level of the songs on "Songs From The Wood". It gives us the medieval atmosphere of the old Albion. This is a fantastic track. The third track "No Lullaby" is another great piece of music. It's a very complex and progressive track. With this song Jethro Tull leaves the folk and return to heavy rock, showing that they're a multifaceted group. The fourth track "Moths" is another song in the line of "Songs From the Wood". It's a very beautiful folk ballad also with medieval features, a fantastic acoustic guitar and a nice flute work. This is another great track. The fifth track "Journeyman" is a good song, but isn't at the same level of the other songs and is, in my humble opinion, the weakest song on the whole album. The sixth track "Rover" is another great Jethro Tull's song. Here we have all band's members in a very high style. This is another folk rock song with great individual performing. It has also very good string arrangements, courtesy of Mr. Palmer. The seventh track "One Brown Mouse" is probably the best known song of the album and is also a song usually performed live by the group. Personally, I have no problem with this song and contrary to several opinions expressed here, I love this track very much and it's also one my favourite songs from them. Luckily I'm not alone. I invite you now to listening to a fantastic version of this song by Echolyn, released by Magna Carta and included in the tribute album to Jethro Tull, "To Cry You A Song ? A Collection Of Tull Tales", already reviewed by me on Progarchives. The eighth track "Heavy Horses" is the title track. This is the lengthiest song on the album and is also one of its highest points. It's probably the best track on the album. It's very well orchestrated and has also a superb choral work. This is a fantastic progressive song with a perfect mix between the rock and folk styles. The ninth and last track "Weathercock" is a classic song and has clearly some medieval influences. It's a simple and nice song who closes very well this great album in a great style, which reminds me the end of their previous album "Songs From The Wood". This is the song which tells us goodnight in the pastoral atmosphere of the countryside and represents the perfect moment to complete and close the final scene.

Conclusion: As many of we know, Jethro Tull would make a number of very different stops during their musical career but perhaps none are as satisfying as their folk/rock prog period. "Heavy Horses" is a fine example of that style as it's earthy, rustic, and above all enjoyable, even almost four decades after its release. It remains, even today, as Jethro Tull at their finest. "Heavy Horses" is also probably the last great album made by this superb band. However, I'm not going to rate it as a masterpiece because I think it hasn't the same brilliance and cohesion of "Songs From The Wood". Still, I think it remains very close of that. Whether are you or not a Jethro Tull's fan, you must have a copy of "Heavy Horses" and I'm sure that you will not regret of that purchase. So, buy it, sit down, relax and enjoy it such as it really deserves.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

As I prepared to listen to Heavy Horses for the first time ever, I reflected on that it is the follow-up to one of my favorite Tull releases, Songs from the Wood (1977). And seeing its rating here, comparable in (potential) quality to other favorites, namely A Passion Play (1973) and Minstrel in the Gallery (1975), I was pretty excited to finally give it a chance. And perhaps this chance is, for me personally, quite timely. I've really opened up to quite a number of bands that even still aren't necessarily favorites, but those in which I've always had some level of appreciation. Jethro Tull, being there in Prog effectively from the beginning, is certainly one such band.

The album opens with the classic track "...And the Mouse Police Never Sleeps", heavy with sharp Anderson- fluting and intense synth. Really an excellent track. And then I was off into the great unknown... haha. Glad to say Jethro Tull was never a band that truly 'scared' me.

"Acres Wild" is a classic Euro-Folk Rock song. One thing I was looking forward to was that it's the first of two songs featuring then-once-CURVED AIR founder/violinist Daryl WAY (the other being the title track). Interestingly enough to me, this Way feature was the same year as his on PIERRE MOERLEN'S GONG Fusion classic Expresso II. I find the track is nicely juxtaposed by the stronger "No Lullaby", more a Heavy Prog song. Darker brood, as we know Tull to deliver. But also more an [mini-]epic! Ultimately, it was also merely 'Good' haha. I don't know what could have made it more. "Moths" offered nice melody, but not much else.

"Journeyman" reminded me, in riffage, of something off perhaps Free Hand [and perhaps The Power and the Glory] by GG. A compliment, for one thing. "Rover", also strangely GENTLE GIANT-esque in its 'more' (I am The Maximalist haha), is a welcomed turn for me. Here, flute and what sounds like but is apparently not vibes are paired atop mostly acoustic guitar and Anderson's gruff vox.

Another welcomed track, a return to theme(?), "One Brown Mouse" definitely has it going on. Certainly if there are highlights that should be heard by [fellow] Tull skeptics, I hope they can take note. Great melody (not unlike "One White Duck" to my ears) and great performance. As I say often, no shock here. And finally to the mini-epic "Heavy Horses" , great melody and composition truly ensues. Drums, flute, guitar and keys alike, and in tandem, are all highlighted beautifully (even Anderson has one of his strongest, more traditional vocal performances). Haven't been wild about the production choices throughout (it's at least functional for a band like Tull), but it works best on this track methinks. The triumph in the middle section is awesome! I think in a pleasant surprise following my other new faves, this one takes the cake! And having wrapped it up I realized I did know the chorus from... somewhere sometime haha.

And I guess, sorry, bound to be disappointed after that track: "Weathercock" was indeed a song. "Living in These Hard Times" must be referring to the goddamn Dark Ages lol. Renaissance Euro-folk thing. Whatever. And lastly, "Broadford Bazaar": beautiful, but certainly no highlight.

Overall, a very pleasant listen and just glad I finally got to hear it (glad for the push). Pressed to rate higher and certainly at one point expecting more from the album (specifically the backend), but...

True Rate: 3.5/5.0

The rural world that Jethro Tull portrayed in "Songs From the Wood", has its continuation in "Heavy Horses" (1978), their eleventh album. Ian Anderson and his bandmates once again make use of folk and medieval reminiscences as a sonic backbone and add orchestral arrangements to develop a proposal that is thematically inspired by the animals and insects of the countryside, and reflects sombrely on the uncontrollable advance of city urbanisation.

Already from the restless and anxious ".... And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps", with the brief initial snorting of horses and references to the cats waiting to hunt down the food-snatching mice, the acoustic frameworks take over on "Heavy Horses", with acoustic guitar strumming and Anderson's unmistakable flutes, and the rhythmic support of the duo John Glascock and Barriemore Barlow on bass and percussion respectively, as in the medieval and entertaining "Acres Wild" supported by the delicate violin of guest Darryl Way and the mournful references to a country past that is no more, the moth-eaten and beautiful "Moths" with Dee Palmer's orchestration, or the crystalline luminosity of "One Brown Mouse".

But the album is also committed to instrumentally more complex pieces, such as the rocking and disturbing "No Lubally" and the guitar riffs of Martin Barre, or the sad description of the Funky-scented city routine marked by Glascock's intense bass in "Journeyman" and, above all, the farmer's heartfelt homage to the hard-working horses and their lesser relevance in the face of the industrialisation of the countryside and urban advance in "Heavy Horses", a very progressive folk construction of comings and goings in which Barre's guitar opening, Anderson's melancholic singing over a delicate piano carpet, Palmer's orchestral arrangements and Way's melodious violin stand out, surely the best track on the album, and a stepping stone before the very folky "Weathercock", which honours the rustic iron guardian of the winds, brings the work to a close.

Aseptic to the scourges of the punk explosion of those years, Jethro Tull stayed firmly on the path traced by their multifaceted leader, and "Heavy Horses" is a stupendous example of this.

4/4.5 stars