SONGS FROM THE WOOD

Songs from the Wood and I go way back. To 1977. Never a real Tull fan, despite many of my friends worshipping them and Ian Anderson and their "amazing" concerts, I kept buying Tull albums thinking, "This might be the one" (to win me over). Don't get me wrong, JT have some awesome songs and some very cool, memorable riffs (I remember listening to A Passion Play over and over to find those few passages of sublime prog heaven). Ian and the boys have always been one of those bands that I can only take in small doses. So, I was very excited upon acquiring Songs from the Wood because of the pastoral cover (promising some more pastoral, folk-like music, I hoped) and the fact that there were a collection of mostly short songs. But, as was still is: I find some great skill and a fair amount of listening pleasure--I count "Fire at Midnight" (9/10), "Jack-In-The-Green" (9/10), "The Whistler" (10/10), and "Pibroch (Cap in Hand)" (10/10) as five-star efforts. And now, as I dive deeper into the heretofore hidden (to me) world of Prog Folk, I compare Songs from the Wood with other efforts from the likes of Ragnarök, Eden, Itoiz, Horslips, Jan Dukes de Grey, The Strawbs, Amarok, Conventum, Pererin, Comus, Iona, Dunwich, and even Hölderlin, Cos and Fruupp. The title song (8/10) has a nice Gentle Giant start to it but by the two minute mark seems to meander and lose its steam and lyrically is almost embarrassing. "Velvet Green" (8/10) has two outstanding mid-sections, but the first 1:40 and final minute seem so tired and old. Been there, JT; done that before. This is a very polished JTull, more mature and sophisticated, with excellent production value. IMHO, this is an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection but not a masterpiece.