STAND UP

Folk and blues dominates this early Jethro Tull record, and while the music is fairly good, there's not a lot to maintain my interest. Worse though, is that Ian Anderson sounds downright goofy singing as he does throughout many of the songs, almost as if he's deliberately being silly. At times the drums are hard-panned to the left, which really sounds irritating through headphones. This album is a mesh of smart blues rock and simple folk numbers, but nothing that is particularly progressive.

"A New Day Yesterday" This is a blues rock number close to old Led Zeppelin, heavy on the electric guitar, bass, drums, and harmonica. Anderson sounds completely unlike himself, as though singing in a most exaggerated way. His flute solo is rather bland also.

"Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square" A pleasing short ditty with some folk-like sensibilities that makes me think of Gentle Giant a bit.

"Bourée" The third track is a nice jazz instrumental that makes me think of some of Van Morrison's jazzier songs. It's one where Anderson gets to show his stuff as a flutist, and one can hear his trademark inhalations also. Glenn Cornick gets in a good bass solo

"Back To The Family" Anderson's back to the exaggerated vocal styling heard on the first track, but this song gets points for Martin Barre's subtle (and yet not-so-subtle) guitar work.

"Look Into The Sun" Easygoing acoustic guitar plays underneath Anderson's voice, which is laced with a tremolo effect. It's a pleasing enough song, perhaps closer to the acoustic-based content on Minstrel in the Gallery.

"Nothing Is Easy" An interesting rocker right out of the 1960s, this song has some impressive drumming and guitar lead, but it isn't as memorable as anything that came before.

"Fat Man" Middle Eastern and Oriental flavors make up this otherwise silly song.

"We Used To Know" A simple chord progression on acoustic guitar makes for a decent rock song, and Barre engages in a lengthy guitar solo at the end.

"Reasons For Waiting" This is a beautiful song with some strings and more acoustic guitar, very close to the music on Minstrel in the Gallery.

"For A Thousand Mothers" This is probably the closest thing to progressive rock, with its fairly complex rhythm and interesting flute jamming, and Clive Bunker really goes at it, but the music does sounds a bit primitive.