SONGS FROM THE WOOD

Unfortunately I found it a bit uneven: the first side is not bad but "Hunting Girl" is a bit to kinky for me; it sounds like progressive disco, but the A segment of the song is nice, with interesting meter and good organ lie. The rest of side A is nice: "Songs from the Wood" is indeed a classic, with vocal harmonies in the vein of Gentle Giant; "Jack-In-The-Green" is the acoustic track of this side, whilst not very memorable it has it's charm, and once again it has an asimmetrical meter; "Cup Of Wonder" is a happier tune, not happier than "Solstice Bells" but it has a great groove at the bridge, while "Solstice Bells" is the christmas song; it's impossible not to clap your hands along, and in the middle they throw an unsuspected jazzy break, unfortunately it lasts no longer than 15 seconds, but it's one of the best tracks of this side.

Side B is the real highlight of the entire album and it's worth alone 4.5 stars at the least. It couldn't start better: with the chamber piece "Velvet Green": every part of this song is amazingly blended, despite the sudden breaks, and the intersection is arguably the best part, with great rhythm section and tasty portative organ lines by David Palmer; the instrumentation on this song is arguably the most original of the album. The rest is equally amazing: "The Whistler" shows Anderson as a real bard, and the implementation of whistles are the first to be heard from Jethro yet at the time. "Pibroch" is a mix of rocking parts and plain classical (it's a shame it's purely synthetized; I wonder why the string orchestra on this record is absent) and has the most bombastic segments of the whole. The closer is "Fire at Midnight": great closer and ends the album on a high note; it contains amazing bass lines that enhances the melody nicely.

Not THE masterpiece of JT's catalog; but this is a nice beginning of their short-lived prog- folk/rock era. 3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars

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