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69 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tull In The Woods, July 9, 2003
I can't believe some of the negative reviews I'm seeing here for Jethro Tull's classic, "Songs From The Wood." And you Tull purists call yourselves true fans? Not in my book. Now, a *sensible* Jethro Tull fan knows darn well that this 1977 release is one of the band's very best albums. Even Ian Anderson himself names it as one of his personal favorites, and why the heck not. For this album, and, inspired by his move to the English countryside in the mid-70's, Anderson came up with some wonderful Tull songs that have an earthier, folkier feel to them than previous albums, adding rustic musical elements to the band's prog-rock leanings like mandolin, whistles, glockenspiel, and bells. Not *entirely* folk, fer chrissake, just a winning, whimsical blend of upbeat, jig-inducing folk-rock. And, contrary to belief, the band still *rock* on this album. Not only does Anderson show his tremendous talents once more on songwriting, vocals, guitar & flute, but Martin Barre delivers some excellent guitar licks, John Glascock's bass is commanding, John Evan & David Palmer's keyboard playing sparkles, and Barriemore Barlow keeps the beat big & strong. From the classic title song, to other cheerful tunes like "Cup Of Wonder," "Hunting Girl," "Ring Out Solstice Bells," "Velvet Green," and my personal fave, the exquisite "The Whistler," this Tull album is a true beauty. Listening to "Songs From The Wood," you can just picture Ian & the boys sawing logs, hunting game, telling stories 'round the campfire, and singing merry songs while passing the ale around. That's how *imaginative* the songs are on this album. So please ignore those annoying naysayers and enjoy Jethro Tull's "Songs From The Wood," one of the band's finest works.
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55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Much better than you could know, July 4, 2003
_Songs From The Wood_ and _Heavy Horses_ are not only two of my favorite Tull albums but two of my favorite albums by anyone, ever. I've had SftW in one form or another since it was released in 1977 and I know every note on it forward, backward, upside down, and inside out. I was _expecting_ to be blown away by the remastered version.And for all that, even _I_ wasn't prepared for the full effect of this thing. My heavens, there's a wealth of sonic detail here that I haven't heard in twenty-five years, and it's every bit as fresh as when it first came out. It brought tears to my eyes. This will not be a big deal to you if this isn't one of your Preferred Tulls. But if it is . . . well, then, you can safely ignore the silly comments from the peanut gallery and rest assured that this remastered release is worth investing in. As with most of these Tull re-releases, I don't care one way or another about the extra tracks. It's nice to have "Beltane" (which was released on the big 20-year box set but got winnowed out of the one-CD version). It's also nice to have a live "Velvet Green". But I'd have bought this CD without them. (Not that I'm complaining. And anyway, if you don't want to hear the extra tracks, you can just stop the CD, can't you? Like most CDs, this one has a nice generous break before the "bonus" tracks kick in so that you can do just that.) And I don't have anything to say about the album itself that I didn't say in my review of the earlier CD version. It's just that in view of some of the reviews this remastered version has been getting, I thought some potential buyers might like to hear from someone who _liked_ the blinkin' thing in the first place and can therefore comment sensibly on whether this new release is satisfactory. It is.
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Green treasures, April 14, 2003
Nature was always very present in Tull's music - with Ian Anderson's rich fluteplaying evoking images of wide open spaces, joyous rides across green fields, and perhaps slightly ironic but nonetheless real inclinations to go "living in the past".On "Songs from the Wood" Ian Anderson - inspired by recently moving into the countryside - seems to transform himself into the Green Man of British folklore, roaming through mythical forests, high on Nature's juices and testosterone. The resulting album hardly needs any recommendation - it is an acknowledged and flawless masterpiece, as fresh, magical and intoxicatingly original today as when it was recorded some 25 years ago. The original cd-version was awful - the new, remastered version brings back memories of being blown away for the first time by this timeless masterpiece. The two bonus tracks are fine, the sinister "Beltane" (a pity, though, that the track isn't faded away when enough is enough...) and a fine, airy live-version of "Velvet Green".
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