THE BROADSWORD AND THE BEAST

Ian Anderson said of this album that it has some of the best JT songs. I think that each JT album contains some of JT's best songs, yes even 'A'. The title was originally going to be "Beastie", then the band thought "Broadsword" was a better title. They couldn't agree so they ended up meeting in the middle and called it "The Broadsword and the Beast" and named side 1 "Beastie" and side 2 "Broadsword". The new synth sounds are still carried over from the 'A' album, but they don't seem as synth-centered as the songs on that album to me anyway. So, everyone wins, right......well not exactly.

This is a "good" album but this is not their best because I feel the Tull-Proggy Folk sound is starting to feel a little samey at this point. Except for a few high points like the excellent "Broadsword", the proggy "Seal Driver" and the nice "Slow Marching Band', this album seems to fall into a rut of sameness. I still have hopes for some of the songs on here, that maybe a few more of them will eventually pierce my brain, but as of now, the other songs just aren't memorable.

The bonus tracks that were added were all recorded around the same time and come from the same sessions, but, except for maybe "Jack-A-Lynn" and "Down at the End of Your Road", the only thing they add is more monotony.

Singularly, maybe more of these songs would stand out a little more, but together they simply make an album of songs that for the most part sound too much the same.

Good album....yes. Essential....no. 3 stars.