 Jethro Tull
 Heavy Horses
 Review by Scott Prinzing

Jethro Tull’s 1978 release, Heavy Horses, sits in the middle of what many Tull fans consider a folk-influenced trilogy, beginning with Songs from the Wood (1977) and ending with Stormwatch (1979). These three albums are the pinnacle of the Tull legacy. While it’s hard to argue for any other than the ubiquitous Aqualung (1971), Ian Anderson’s songwriting and the musicianship of this line-up are matchless. Inspired by the folk music and legends of the British Isles, and the traditional lifeways Anderson was experiencing as a farmer and rancher in rural Scotland, Heavy Horses and the tour that supported it helped cement Tull’s place in rock history. Anyone who wants to explore beyond the essential Aqualung should pick up one of these three albums next; although, I highly recommend purchasing every studio album from 1971 through 1982 (you can be forgiven for passing over Too Old to Rock and Roll: Too Young to Die!, but that’s as far as I’ll go). Another must is Crest of a Knave, the 1988 Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Performance GRAMMY-winning album (justifiably so, no matter what Metallica fans thought). (That’s Scott’s opinion, which does not represent the views of Music Street Journal – although, perhaps the committee should have left the “hard rock” off the title of the award or made it two separate categories, but certainly Jethro Tull is as far removed from heavy metal as Jennifer Lopez is from real music. – ed.)
When this album was first released on vinyl, it had four songs per side, with an inner sleeve featuring all the lyrics by Anderson. The forest green color scheme framed a cover photo of Anderson in traditional country attire leading two Shire horses, while the back group photo had the band dressed as country gentlemen in tuxedos, drinking cocktails in a wood-paneled study. While the lyrics are decidedly rural in origin, they are of a more contemporary nature than the mythopoetic verse of Songs from the Wood. The 2003 CD reissue includes two bonus tracks from the same era; both were previously released on compilations in the ’90s. (Oddly, the excellent, “Beltane,” recorded during these sessions, was included on the Songs from the Wood re-master, perhaps because it fit better thematically.)
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2011 Volume 5 at lulu.com/strangesound.
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