Sep 10
23
Jethro Tull – Songs From The Wood
Well, it’s mid September and the weather is starting to get cooler and before you know it there will be scarecrows, pumpkins, and cardboard cutouts of bountiful cornucopias everywhere. There will also be the very distinct sound of the ever autumnal Jethro Tull spilling out of homes everywhere. Well, at least this home.
1977′s Songs From the Wood presents Tull in very fine studio form on 9 excellent tracks with nary a wasted note. At the time this was considered both a departure from their heavier hard rock sound (although it does still get heavy in places), and a return to form with fresh sounding songs and clever arrangements. The songs all sparkle with a clarity that had been arguably in decline since Thick as a Brick, and even though the songs are not linked thematically they do flow in terms of style and sound. It’s almost like a concept album that isn’t really a concept album about Ian’s adventures living in the English country side. This was quickly followed in 1978 with the equally excellent Heavy Horses (which I prefer of the two).
The title track kicks things off with excellent a cappella vocals about, well, songs from the wood and then quickly settles into some classic Tull riffery. Things get even better from there as the band goes into sort of robotic medieval funk sort of a thing (imagine a James Brown cover band at a renaissance faire and you get the idea) that cooks. The sound is excellent, clear as a bell and full of life, and the band, especially drummer Barriemore Barlow, is playing with complete devotion to the material. It’s almost as if they all collectively woke up in a wash of creativity and decided to make one for the ages.
“Jack-In-The-Green” follows, resplendent in beautiful melodies and earthy acoustic guitars and flute. The first time I heard this was on the powerful live album Bursting Out and it’s nice to hear the layered beauty found here. Next up is “Cup of Wonder” followed by the excellent “Hunting Girl” which to this day remains one of my favorite Tull tracks. The band is tight with it’s stop/start riffing and Ian’s flute sounds gorgeous as usual. Everyone sounds wonderful here, full of tight, expressive playing and some fantastic band dynamics; the band sounds rejuvenated and ready to get back to their roots, a unique mixture of exemplary folk and classic rock.
“Ring Out, Solstice Bells” is an excellent winter anthem although best suited to the holiday season if you ask me (used to excellent effect on their essential Christmas album). “Velvet Green” is classic Tull with somewhat twisted, open-for-interpretation lyrics, renaissance musical arrangements, huge electric guitars, and beautiful acoustic lead melodies. There is an added bonus live version tacked on to the end of the album, along with a smoking rocker titled “Beltane,” that proves just how tight Tull could be in a live setting.
“Pibroch (Cap in Hand)” has gotten a lot of talk over the years, with most fans sternly split over loving it and hating it. Honestly how could you not love it? The guitars sound huge and sneak in with some excellent backwards feedback and dark, crunchy distortion. This is some of the most “Tull” sounding Tull the band has ever produced. The arrangement is gorgeous and sounds almost symphonic in scope; the use of band dynamics here is incredible as they dance the fine line between quiet whisper and raging storms. The mid section build like a bolero, each instrument coming in and layering over and over, building to a hair raising climax that settles back down into backwards guitars and shimmering cymbals.
This then gives way to an almost celtic jam that somehow finds its way back into the main theme amidst some beautifully played piano. The final lyrics about the main character peering through the window to see a candle lit dinner for two and some strange boots by the fire, which causes him to take his hat and walk away, are stunning. Simply stunning in execution and so well sung by Anderson amidst the churning storm of the music that it never fails to elicit goosebumps. It’s everything that is great about Tull wrapped up into 8 minutes of bliss.
Songs From The Wood is an excellent snapshot of a band being reborn and setting the stage for their legendary late 70′s reign. In a live context the songs are just as powerful, and just as amazing, and yet hearing them here in their original studio context is an exhilarating experience and something every Tull fan should be a part of. From the excellent cover art, to the fine selection of songs, this is one refreshing Tull that sounds all the better in the changing beauty that is the fall season.
Tracklist
- “Songs from the Wood” – 4:52
- “Jack-in-the-Green” – 2:27
- “Cup of Wonder” – 4:30
- “Hunting Girl” – 5:11
- “Ring Out, Solstice Bells” – 3:43
- “Velvet Green” – 6:03
- “The Whistler” – 3:30
- “Pibroch (Cap in Hand)” – 8:27
- “Fire at Midnight” – 2:26
