MINSTREL IN THE GALLERY

After the stumble of War Child, Jethro Tull brushed themselves down and produced this one, which I consider to be something of a return to form. Bringing back the acoustic side of their sound which had been played down on War Child, adding an orchestra to some tracks (to little benefit, to be honest, but at least they don't do any harm), taking on a mildly medieval tone and tossing in a nicely structured epic (Baker Street Muse) for good measure, Tull go a long way towards reassuring the listener that, contrary to what those disappointed in War Child might have said about them, they were still capable of producing a decent album that wasn't a 40 minute suite. Of course, Too Old to Rock and Roll still awaited - and wasn't that a controversial one! - but here at least the band were riding high, and had good reason to.,