SONGS FROM THE WOOD

This was the first Jethro Tull album I ever purchased, though I was quite familiar with the band from their omnipresence on 1970s AOR-radio. Now looking back on this album thirty years later, I can say that it is one of the great British prog rock albums. Ian Anderson continued the journey taken up with 1975s Minstel in the Gallery. He integrates Olde English folk music; the drinking song quality of the title track, Celtic folk music: note the guitar imitating the bag pipe in Pibroch (Cap in Hand), with the classic Tull blues rock sound .This is the first of the last three albums of the 1970s period Tull, which marked the demise of the classic Tull era with Barriemore Barlowe on drums, one of the great unsung drummers, John Glascock, John Evans and David Palmer, now a full time member of the band. Besides "The Whistler", these albums got little or no air play in the States, which should define them as worthy of a listen just from that persepctive alone. Songs like "Hunting Girl" and "Songs from the Wood" are extraordinary exmples of fine ensemble playing; the players are in rare form belting out time changes and playing against each other with clarity and precision. The 1979 concert that I attended, featured UK supporting; it was marvellous.

The lyrics writing is is uncomprable. Brit prog bands did not have the greatest lyricists in general, but Anderson was the exception. The songs portray a series of stories about nature and pagan themes that innocently evokes a bygone day with romantic sentimentality. In this sense, it is an answer to the overt anti-religious senitment of Aqualung. It contains noe of the cynicism of the earlier Tull albums. In conclusion, I would like to add that it is a shame that folks do not write albums like this anymore and now, re-thinking this album with thrity years of hindsight I can say that it has and will with stand the test of time.