Jethro Tull - Heavy Horses/Songs From The Wood
The albums saw the band incorporate more folk and acoustic sounds into their excellent and unique brand of progressive rock and use rustic themes musically and especially lyrically, on the subject of the Countryside, British Folklore and the differences between the olden days and the modern age.
While the albums contain a lot of pastoral acoustic moments and are largely defined by their folk influences; there is a fair amount of harder rocking moments, such as the eight minute long, double kick filled ‘Heavy Horses,’ or ‘High Born Hunting Girl,’ and some very progressive moments such as the Gentle Giant sounding ‘Songs From The Wood,’ or the complex ‘And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps.’
As with the majority of the band’s excellent musical output in the 1970s, the records contain a mixture of big riffs that sound like no one else ever, impressive guitar solos and keyboard work as well as the definitive inclusion of flute delivered in an utterly incomparable style that make the band what they are.
If you like progressive or classic rock and want to get into Jethro Tull then this is a superb set to try out (although only representative of one of the band’s many eras), and if you are an existing Tull fan these two albums are an absolute must have.
