Track Listing

1. Songs From The Wood
2. Jack In The Green
3. Cup Of Wonder
4. Hunting Girl
5. Ring Out Solstice Bells
6. Velvet Green
7. Whistler
8. Pibroch (Cap In Hand)
9. Fire At Midnight
10. Beltane
11. Velvet Green

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3826 in Music
• Released on: 2003-04-14
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .27 pounds

CD Description
In terms of rustic, tights-wearing, elf-loving, flute-heavy, British/Celtic folk-tinged '70s prog-rock, SONGS FROM THE WOOD is the most Tull of all Jethro Tull albums. By 1977 theband had ventured far enough from its heavy blues-rock beginnings to create a completely unique, idiosyncratic sound, filled with European folk mythology, rural imagery and an endearing combination of art-rock and British folk-rock. Elaborate synthesizer fanfares mix with delicate acoustic guitar tapestries, complex arrangements and odd time signatures. SONGS FROM THE WOOD strikes the perfect balance between the proggie ambition of THICK AS A BRICK, the storytelling style ofAQUALUNG and the courtly, mediaeval air of MINSTREL IN THE GALLERY.

Customer Reviews

Rural Rides
Some old sounds for summer. They may be considered terminally unhip now but Jethro Tull caused something of a sensation in 1968 when they emerged, amid the by now wilting flower children, made up to look like a bunch of ageing farmers.

By 1977, after several line-up and stylistic changes, they developed a baroque form of folk-rock in the shape of "Songs from the Wood". It is a riotous collection celebrating earthy delights in rural settings. Pagan ritual, revelry, song and dance, much ale, horse-riding, and riding of an altogether different variety. Yes, not to put too fine a point on it, a lot of the songs here are about shagging. If Tull are to be believed, these country folk are at it all the time.

The album shows Tull at their most ornate and bucolic with plenty of Ian Anderson's trademark flute, acoustic guitars and mandolins, and all manner of (non-synthesiser) keyboard. Martin Barre's electric guitar, always a pleasure, gets a god airing too. His searing notes drenched in reverb form a dramatic counterpoint to the acoustic folk heart of "Pibroch", a very Lady Chatterley tale of discreet liaisons between a woman of substance and a lowly employee. "Hunting Girl" is a less sultry, more jaunty number on a similar subject. You see? They're sex mad! Fetch me a bucket of cold water. Makes you want to move to the country right away.

So, unfashionable though Jethro Tull may be, "Songs from the Wood" is a brilliant catalogue of rural frolicking, from love among poppies filled with summer rain on the opening track to putting your feet up by the fire at midnight on the closer. A perfect soundtrack to summer.

Tull me more!
Songs from the Wood opens with the line "Let me bring you Songs from the Wood - to make you feel much better..." - and it certainly does that.

The outstanding tracks are rich and thick like the oral equivalent of clotted cream, and although the others are mostly uninspiring, the ratio is safely in favour of the former. "Hunting Girl", "Velvet Green" and "The Whistler" are very personal songs to me, while "Solstice Bells" and "Fires at Midnight" are definitely for a midwinter pick-me-up. "Crimson Wonder" on the other hand is for that time in summer when the trees are green, the corn is ripening and you spot a hare, fox or pheasant in the meadows, reminding you of nature's splendour for approximately four minutes.

The downside is that the other tracks are - to a non-Tull fan - disappointing. "Jack in the Green" seems to be Tull-by-numbers, and "Beltane"...I'm not sure I've ever listened to it properly after a year of owning this CD. The live version of "Velvet Green" is good - especially the twiddly folk-dance in the middle - but I'm not a massive fan of live recordings, as on record they come across as tinny versions of the real thing.

It's a great introduction to Jethro Tull and I would urge anyone that wants to get into them to listen to this album first. The beauty of most of the tracks make up for the poor quality of some, and this will probably be one of the albums that in years to come I will listen to and be swept back to where I was at the time that I first heard it, which is compliment enough for anyone.

The definitive Jethro Tull album
This album is the epitome of Jethro Tull. The instrument playing is simply wonderful, the songs are evocative and meaningful and the production is great. The blend of rock and folk has never worked better than it does here. The highlights for me are the title track itself, The Whistler, Hunting Girl and Velvet Green although people new to the album might be more familiar with Ring Out Soltace Bells, a regular on the Christmas playlists of many radio stations.

This album and its messages takes on a new meaning in the present feeling of doom regarding global warming and climate change. Ian Anderson's song writing suggests an almost predictional message of the difficulties facing a society in which the wheels of industry and pollution have taken hold over nature and as nature struggles to fight back, it becomes clear that it faces an insidious and determined enemy. On the other hand, if this is too deep, just enjoy the songs for what they are-tuneful songs played by a band at the top of their game.