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

Not SFTW..never heard HH or Stormwatch...report back.

 

SFTW, but Heavy Horses is no slouch, Stormwatch is good, but overmatched here

 

Songs From the Wood. Heavy Horses is a close second though. I never really got into Stormwatch.

 

Yes it is...very strong imagery too.

If you strongly disliked SFTW (as it appears from your post) I don't hold much hope that you will like the other 2 albums on this pull, but I hope to be proven wrong.

 

SFTW

 

Heavy Horses is a stronger album than SFTW IMO.

BTW, I got an original HH vinyl not long ago, French or maybe German pressing, sounded so dire I had to get it back to the store! Wimpy, muddy, absolutely no dynamics...
Why is that? Do all LP pressings for HH sound bad?

Or is the remaster really strong and I'm used to it now? (I think it is excellent)

 

Heavy Horses!

 

SONGS FROM THE WOOD here.

 

Heavy Horses, yeah, Ian Anderson said that the original album was too dark, so he lightened up on the remaster. shh: with instruments missing the sound is less cluttered to my ears) I like the remaster. For the original sound, I like my Canadian vinyl (bought on the day of release) because of the bass.


ADD: Wimpy, muddy, hey now, that ended with the remaster.

 

Songs From The Wood is my favorite of the three.

 

Strangely while Songs from The Wood and Heavy Horses are the better albums (with Songs probably edging it for me), Stormwatch is the one I go back to most often. Although the individual songs are probably weaker as an overall piece it has something very special, perhaps more cohesive, certainly darker than the other two. It's an awesome trilogy of albums each has their place and each is distinctive, but I'll go Stormwatch in the hope that it sends someone back to rediscover it.

 

You know, I never could put my finger on what instruments were missing where... Could you do me a breakdown?

And, have you heard the original UK LP? How does it sound?

(I'm loving the remaster, I think it's the first chronologically that really works; i.e. the later ones are good: Stormwatch, A, Broadsword, Under Wraps, etc... while the previous ones, not so. Benefit, Aqualung, TAAB, SFTW especially)

 

Songs From the Woods for me.

 

What? means nothing to you.
Original UK LP? No.
The strings on "Rover" are missing on the remaster.

Canadian vinyl

UK Remaster

 

1. Heavy Horses
2. Songs From The Wood
3. Stormwatch

For many years I would have gone with SFTW but Heavy Horses has become my fav Tull album.

 

Total agreement here! Lyrically, I think that it's Ian's best ever; Journeyman is remarkably vivid portrait of a very UK scenario. "... hear the soft shoes on the footbridge shuffle as the wheels turn biting on the midnight frost". I relive it everytime I play it! What an album.

And Stormwatch or Songs From The Wood are not far behind. Few bands can match that This Was to Stormwatch run, imho.

 

He he.

 

A band with attitude. heheha

 

Have to post as I've been on a Tull kick and I'm just finishing up listening to all three in a row. Before today's listening, I would have said Songs From The Wood, but right now I couldn't pick between that and Heavy Horses.

And, I think there is not much between them and Stormwatch... really some great stuff there too.

 

So, what'd you think?

 

Heavy Horses for me. Listening to "Moths" right now, as a matter of fact.

 

Heavy Horses is an awesome masterpiece! No filler on that one!

Count me in as a Stormwatch fan too; I don't understand why it gets so little love...

 

+1. Usually when I disagree with "conventional wisdom" (which among Tull fans seems to be that SFTW is the best of the three and Stornmwatch the worst), I at least understand why many people might see things differently than I do. But in this case, I have never understood why people didn't find SFTW to be somewhat cheesy (in spite of the great title song), with a significant improvement in Heavy Horses, and an even greater improvement in Stormwatch. To me, each becomes darker and more mature, with more effective melodies and arrangements.

I see A as somewhat of a step down, but still like it better than most fans seem to. In that case, I can totally understand why it wouldn't be popular among some fans, as it offers a very different sound. But in the case of Stormwatch, I have never understood why it isn't seen by most fans as a high point in the catalog (or why SFTW often is seen that way).

 

Even though I can't stand Pibroch - particularly that dirge of a middle section - the rest of it is strong enough to make it my second favourite Tull overall.

 

35 Years Ago: Jethro Tull End the ’70s With Underrated ‘Stormwatch’
by Ryan Reed September 14, 2014 6:00 AM
Read More: ultimateclassicrock.com/jethro-tull-stormwatch/?trackback=tsmclip