BENEFIT

There is no doubt that the first five TULL albums got incrementally better and truer to their strong suits which are melding the folk, rock, and prog elements into one tasty stew. The first proggier elements are evident on Benefit, namely With you there to help me and To cry you a song. While Inside and teacher were or should have been great radio staples. I think Teacher ranks up there with the three big hits from Aqualung. There's not really a weak song here, and Martin Barre's guitar work is much more essential to the overall sound than on Stand up. Even though this but doesn't quite stay with you like the next two, it was a great indication of what was to come in the next 2 years. For some reason it took a little while for me to warm up to this one, not its easily in my top 10. A strong four!