dougmcauliffe wrote: SFTW. Semi related question for people here. Am I alone in thinking TAAB side one is MARGINALLY superior to part 2. I’ve finally come around to that album and I think part one is easily one of The best prog epics out there. While part two is good, it isn’t nearly as memorable. Do any of you prefer part two? Curious what your reasoning would be.

(I think you're misunderstanding the meaning of the word "marginal") I really love the "let me tell you / come all ye young men" section and I think the ending beautifully wraps the whole thing up, but I can't say I really prefer one side that much over the other. Neither is complete without the other I think.

 

But we're a far cry from the Stand Up to TAAB days.

SFTW set it all up...a truly magnificent album. No dud tracks to be found

HH is excellent but No Lullaby is 5 minutes too long; Moths I don't particularly care for and One Brown Mouse is sickly sweet and have grown to hate it.

So SFTW all the way.

 

I've got Heavy Horses, but, so far, it hasn't connected with me in the same way that SFTW does

can't decide yet

miamiscot wrote: JT's last two great albums.

yeah, maybe, but I love Roots to Branches and Crest of a Knave.

Now: HH

What's remarkable is that HH managed to retain as much folk flavor without repeating what was done on SFTW.   And it's a bit less "hey nonny nonny"

 

I thought you may be interested to know there's a 5-CD Jethro Tull box sat available that has both the Heavy Horses album and Songs from the Wood included.

Me too. Both are great to my ears, and it's always a great pleasure to listen to them. 

For me it's the other way around. SftW, though it's good, sounds like them finding their new direction, and  HH is its full flowering.  Heavy Horses is a more passionate album to me, and pretty much every song just knocks it out of the park.

Stormwatch is the one that'sounds like the unconvincing third excursion.

this pretty much exactly

I don't get how HH can be considered a rehash.  It's actually SFTW that is a rehash of what Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention and Horslips did in years past.  I'm not saying it wasn't great or influential, bringing Celtic rock into the mainstream the way those bands could not, but HH may be even more influential.  It's a more subtle take on the genre and I hear its influence in a lot of bands which followed who didn't hit you over the head with the "you know we are celtic rockers" message, like the MORRIGAN.

Stormwatch had some nice parts but lacked for standout material.  That's probably why the JT prog folk era was just a trilogy.  Plus the times were a changing

progmatic wrote: Stormwatch is not Tull's last good album. I, for one, think their Christmas album is fantastic, as well as "A Little Light Music"

 

All fine/superb recordings. I also greatly enjoy Ian's solo album Rupi's Dance.

Normally I prefer Songs from the Wood by a tiny hair. But since it has a sizeable lead, I'm gonna close the gap a little. ;)

Feel free to check my Jethro reviews on PA, only a few albums are missing! :)

I remember listening to 'A' for the first time, and thinking it was pretty disappointing - then seeing the video that was out at the time, and thinking it was great in concert.  Unfortunately I never did fall in love with the album.

I remember reading somewhere that Under Wraps was Martin Barre's favorite Tull album.

Correct!

Underwraps gets an overall bad rap (pun intended) but there are some great compositions there. I actually like it a lot. Saboteur is an undiscovered Tull classic. If only Doane Perry had joined a little earlier and drummed on it, rather than having a robot do it!