THE BROADSWORD AND THE BEAST

"The Broadsword and the Beast", is different(not very though), I'll grant you that. But is it really all that bad? Maybe, but to me it's still enjoyable as any Jethro Tull album. Its just one of those albums I like but I know that it isn't all that great, just like 'Super Furry Animals stuff.' I enjoy listening to such albums, but I don't necessarily take them too seriously. One think I thought good in early Jethro Tull was that the overdrive guitar was not too overused, but here its everywhere, this is heavy metal Tull. I hate to say it but "The broadsword and the Beast" is basically a dumbed down version of 'Heavy Horses.' The irrespirable folk-structure of early Tull is diluted somewhat here but it shines through on a couple of moments, which coincidentally are the highlights of this album.

Songs such as "Fallen on Hard Times", "Slow Marching Band" (nice song), "Flying Colors" (sounds a bit like "Wind Up") and "Pussy Willow" are some fun and enjoyable Jethro Tull tunes, bearing resemblance to the Tull of old. While other songs can be.not so great, but are in no way un-listenable. The concept of "The broadsword and the Beast" is as the title suggests, Beasts and related things. The concept is basically expressed in the album opener "Beastie" and also "Broadsword." I don't know about you, but there seems something really synthetic about "The broadsword and the Beast." This feeling deters me somewhat, but when I get into it I'll soon forget about any such small detail.

1. Beastie (3/5) 2. Clasp (3/5) 3. Fallen On Hard Times (4/5) 4. Flying Colours (4/5) 5. Slow Marching Band (4/5) 6. Broadsword (3/5) 7. Pussy Willow (4/5) 8. Watching Me Watching You (2.5/5) 9. Seal Driver (3/5) 10. Cheerio (3/5) Total =33.5 divided by 10 (number of songs) = 3.35 = 3 stars (being generous today) Good, but non-essential

"The broadsword and the Beast" is a good album, trust me. It may not live up to the grandeur of 'Thick As A brick' or 'Aqualung' but it's still good! "The Broadsword and the Beast" granted Jethro Tull success in both the UK and US reaching number 27 and 19 respectively. The album also established Jethro Tull as a hard-rock group. I'd recommend "The broadsword and the Beast" to any hardcore Jethro Tull fan, beyond that its best to stay away. The expanded/remaster version of "The broadsword and the Beast" comes with 8 bonus tracks, talk about great value!