THE BROADSWORD AND THE BEAST

After the let down of "A", I was very pleased when I first heard Broadsword and the Beast. It has 4 5 star songs (Beastie, Clasp, Slow Marching Band, and Broadsword), 2 4 star songs (Falling on Hard TImes, and Flying Colors), and the rest are at least average Tull songs. (I am rating the original CD without the bonus tracks, which I have not heard). This effort seems to be a step back into the more "folkie" Tull from Songs From the Wood, and Heavy Horses, which I loved so much. The electronic sound of A is missing here, probably due to the departure of Eddie Jobsom, and I welcome the loss. While, I can appreciate the sound of electronic music from many bands, for Tull it just never seemed to work well for me. (Under Wraps) is another "issue" for me because of this. However, this album I consider a solid Tull effort. It's not Thick as a Brick or Aqualung, but it is great in it's own way. 4 stars.