STAND UP

God I loved the little stand-up guys on my original album! While STAND UP is not a masterpiece in the class of THICK AS A BRICK, AQUALUNG, or SONGS FROM THE WOOD, it is an excellent Tull album nonetheless. In the all-time ranking, maybe somewhere near HEAVY HORSES or MINSTRAL IN THE GALLERY. And the extra nonus tracks included on the cd add to it's greatness, especially "17". (I have the 2001 release with only a few bonuses included). The blues influence is less than on the debut and the folky songs take a more center stage. No wasted vinyl to be found anywhere on STAND UP. 4 stars, maybe even 4 1/2. An essential piece in the Jethro Tull canon.