HEAVY HORSES

Jethro Tull was ubiquitous to 1970s AOR radio and the album Aqualung got as much play as the classic Dark Side of the Moon. There are many fans who swear by the earlier blues oriented recordings. My first Jethro Tull album was Songs from the Wood so I am partial to this period of Ian Anderson's writing. Heavy Horses is the follow up and captures the rustic pagan spirit of its predecessor. While Songs from the Wood is one of my favorite albums, I will admit that it does not have the cohesion of Heavy Horses. Yes, Songs from the Wood features some great tracks including the title track, The Whistler and my favorite, Hunting Girl. But overall it is a mixed bag that does not seem to flow smoothly. Heavy Horses is much more uniform from song to song while offering some great tracks, No Lullaby and The Rover in particular. The lyric writing is still somewhat satirical but now more romantic and descriptive. Anderson tells less a story then paints a picture on the title track and Journey Men. This album is a nostalgic look back to an earlier time when man was in touch with and relied on his relationship with nature. Though it got no substantial airplay, it features the classic Tull line up at their best and some of Ian Anderson's best writing.