WAR CHILD

Jethro Tull's return to short songs after releasing two consecutive single song albums (Thick As A Brick & A Passion Play) is a mixed bag. It has some great tracks (WarChild, Back-Door Angels and Sealion), one of the finest folky songs Ian Anderson has ever written (Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of The New Day) and probably the best orchestration work David Palmer has done with Tull. It also includes Bungle In The Jungle, the closest thing Tull could create to a bubblegum pop hit. I suppose after three spectacular albums in a row, this band was due for a letdown. At least with Jethro Tull letting down, you just get an average album, not a piece of junk.