Jethro Tull - Songs From The Wood or Heavy Horses or Stormwatch?

I just ordered Songs From The Wood and Heavy Horses...both of which I used to own on vinyl. I'm not sure which one I prefer. Probably SFTW, since I used to listen to it a lot more. I also ordered Too Old To Rock and Roll, which I've heard except for the title track. This album seems to get no love or respect. I guess I'll find out for myself why.

 

"Heavy Horses", but all cd by Jethro Tull is great!

 

Heavy Horses by a nose.

Beautiful animals, their essence and spirit captured in song.

 

Songs From The Wood by a mile over Heavy Horses with Stormwatch bringing up the rear.
But there really is no terrible Tull album.

 

I like the way you think.

 

Heavy Horses here.

 

Songs from the Wood,Ian was paling around with (and producing )Steeleye Span and they wore off on 'im.Nice British folk/Celtic/Rock hybrid.

 

Sorry mates IMO ,Under Wraps comes very close to being terrible................

 

Heavy Horses for me.

 

Uh, uh... The "palm" goes to Broadsword: I absolutely can't stand that one!! ...Yet I really enjoy the rejected, extra material from the era (that landed on 20 Years and Nightcap), so go figure...

 

I feel the same way about Broadsword. The stuff that didn't make the album is better than the songs that did.

 

I agree somewhat, but come ome on, "The Clasp", "Broadsword", "Slow Marching Band", "***** Willow, Flying Colors" and "Fallen on Hard Times" makes for a pretty nice Tull album to my ears. My favorite extra tracks: "Mathem Maybe", "Jackalynn" and "Motor Eyes"

 

Did he produce a Steeleye disc, or just the Maddy Prior solo album?

 

No, I have to say Under Wraps.

Broadsword is cheesy, but I was a D&D geek, and the music fit perfectly. Interestingly, a friend of a friend runs a scrap iron business, and told me that when Tull came to Asheville, they came to their business for pieces for their set, which, I believe, was a replica of a Viking long ship. I would have loved to have seen that.

Under Wraps had Tull experimenting in a type of music that I didn't like before they got involved. It was the first new album to come out after I had gotten into the band, and was such a let down.

 

Boy, for me this is a no brainer: Songs from the Wood by a country mile. The songwriting on Heavy Horses was substantially inferior, and Stormwatch was even worse (so sez me).

Songs from the Wood was the last really good Tull album (and one of his/their best). Heavy Horses was the beginning of the end of the line.

Kwad

 

Likewise.

 

Mate,Now We Are Six by Steeleye Span was produced by none other than Ian Anderson himself!

 

Yes he did, either All Around My Hat, or Now We Are Six, can't remember which. And almost all of Tull plays on much of Prior's Gutter Geese, from her Woman in the Wings album... circa Heavy Horses...


Regarding best of these three, I would cite that Song From the Wood was the only one of these three to recieve the honor of the Gold CD Mofi treatment... while the other two were repackaged as a budget two-fer.
And look at all the classic, killer Tull tracks on Songs, still played live, as opposed to just a few great tracks on the other two... Songs by a mile...

And A v.s Broadsword? again think of what got radio time, is familiar, and still in the sets on occasion... some off of bradsword, none off of A, their worse...
except maybe TOTR&R...

And whilst I'm a ruffling some feathers, in another thread, one poster said the Eagles and Led Zeppelin would have been better of, legacy wise, if they'd not released their last albums (of the classic line up) in 1979, The Long Run and ITTOD, respectively... I might say the same of Stormwatch... sub-par Tull...


I'll get me long trench coat and hop off, living in the past of sweet dreams...

 

I don't think there is always a correlation between what a band (or radio station) chooses to play and what is their finest output. If I was to accept this argument, Thick as a Brick (beyond edits #1 and#2), Passion Play, Warchild, and Minstrel in The Gallery (beyond the Title cut) is all ignored because it is sub-par Tull. I know this is not exactly what you wrote, but the implication is there.

 

Well, I wish Ian had chased Bowie and his damned sax out of the studio. That "solo" on "To Know Him Is To Love Him" is THE worst ever committed to wax. Yes, I know it was done as a novelty number, but, jeez.

 

Songs From the Wood wins this, although I do like Heavy Horses a lot as well.

 

Agreed, radio does not equal quality, but my main point being Songs has the most "fan faves" "concert faves", dare I say it... and it did get the Gold CD!

I know HH and Stormwatch have their fans and some great tunes, but to put either of them above the thru and thru quality of Songs seems ludicris.
I mean, song for song, no filler at all, Songs might be Tull's finest 45 minutes... Even earlier albums by Ian and Co. I like better have some weaker tracks, but not Songs.. Ian's happiest album? Tull last masterpiece...

 

Nice to read the views expressed here, all are understood. I've read the bad views before.

If I must choose today between these: (I love 'em all)
Heavy Horses with two votes here, it's good to see the support for this gem. I remember not being crazy about this album upon its release date, but time and a few too many spins has burned the Heavy Horses into my brain.

 

Might be? Nah, Songs IS Tull's finest. Better than Benefit, Aqualung, TAAB, etc.

I think that side 2 of HH is excellent, but I only like a couple of songs on side 1.

 

Now to beat a dead horse: SFTW got the Gold CD treatment along with "Passion Play" and "Warchild", not the greatest Tull albums (but still very good IMO). Concert Faves might include "Hunting Girl", "Songs From The Wood" and what else?

Actually I'm just having some fun, SFTW is a very solid album and if push came to shove I would pick it over "HH" and "Stormwatch" as the stronger album, but I will tell you that I listen to Stormwatch more that either of the other two.