Songs from the Wood
Encyclopedia
Songs from the Wood (1977) is the tenth studio album
by Jethro Tull
and is considered to be the first of a trio of folk rock
albums (Songs from the Wood, Heavy Horses
and Stormwatch
) despite the fact that folk music elements are present in the work of Jethro Tull both before and after this trilogy. Songs from the Wood was the first Tull album to receive unambiguously positive reviews since the time of Thick as a Brick
.
Filled with folk
and fantasy
imagery, and ornamental folk arrangement, the album is a departure from the hard rock
of earlier Tull material, though it still retained some of the band's older sound. The album reached #8 on the Billboard
album chart, making it the last top ten album for the band to date. The song "The Whistler" was the only song to chart as a single in the United States, peaking at #59 on the Billboard Hot 100
in the spring of 1977.
The cover of the album features Ian Anderson sporting a leather jerkin
. The album cover, despite its photographic appearance, is actually a painting by artist Jay L. Lee.
This is the first Jethro Tull album to feature keyboardist David Palmer
as an official band member. The song "Jack-In-The-Green" features Ian Anderson on all the instruments.
The 2003 remaster
ed edition includes a pair of bonus tracks, featuring a live rendition of "Velvet Green".
)
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
and is considered to be the first of a trio of folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
albums (Songs from the Wood, Heavy Horses
Heavy Horses
Heavy Horses is the eleventh studio album by Jethro Tull, released on 10 April 1978. It is considered the second album in a trilogy of folk-rock albums by Jethro Tull, although folk music's influence is evident on a great number of Jethro Tull releases...
and Stormwatch
Stormwatch (album)
Stormwatch is the twelfth studio album by the rock group Jethro Tull. It is considered the last in the trilogy of folk-rock albums by Jethro Tull...
) despite the fact that folk music elements are present in the work of Jethro Tull both before and after this trilogy. Songs from the Wood was the first Tull album to receive unambiguously positive reviews since the time of Thick as a Brick
Thick as a Brick
-Differences between various CD releases:By 2011 the album received three major releases on CD: the first release , the MFSL-release , and the 25th Anniversary Edition . Whereas the first release and the MFSL-release run with identical speed, the 25th Anniversary edition runs 0.5% slower...
.
Filled with folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
imagery, and ornamental folk arrangement, the album is a departure from the hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
of earlier Tull material, though it still retained some of the band's older sound. The album reached #8 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
album chart, making it the last top ten album for the band to date. The song "The Whistler" was the only song to chart as a single in the United States, peaking at #59 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in the spring of 1977.
The cover of the album features Ian Anderson sporting a leather jerkin
Jerkin (garment)
A jerkin is a man's short close-fitting jacket, made usually of light-colored leather, and often without sleeves, worn over the doublet in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries...
. The album cover, despite its photographic appearance, is actually a painting by artist Jay L. Lee.
This is the first Jethro Tull album to feature keyboardist David Palmer
Dee Palmer
Dee Palmer is an English composer arranger and keyboardist best known for having been a member of the rock group Jethro Tull.Palmer studied composition at the Royal Academy of Music with Richard Rodney Bennet,winning the Eric Coates Prize and The Boosey and Hawkes Prize...
as an official band member. The song "Jack-In-The-Green" features Ian Anderson on all the instruments.
The 2003 remaster
Remaster
Remaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...
ed edition includes a pair of bonus tracks, featuring a live rendition of "Velvet Green".
Side one
- "Songs from the Wood" – 4:52
- "Jack-in-the-Green" – 2:27
- "Cup of Wonder" – 4:30
- "Hunting Girl" – 5:11
- "Ring Out, Solstice Bells" – 3:43
Side Two
- "Velvet Green" – 6:03
- "The Whistler" – 3:30
- "Pibroch (Cap in Hand)" – 8:27
- "Fire at Midnight" – 2:26
Bonus tracks
The 2003 remastered CD added bonus tracks and extensive liner notes:- "Beltane" – 5:19
- "Velvet Green" (Live) – 5:56
Personnel
- Ian Anderson - vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, acoustic guitar, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, cymbalCymbalCymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
s; all instruments on track 2. - Barriemore BarlowBarriemore BarlowBarrie "Barriemore" Barlow is an English musician, best known as the drummer and percussionist for the rock band Jethro Tull, from May 1971 to June 1980....
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Martin BarreMartin BarreMartin Lancelot Barre is an English rock musician.Barre has been the guitarist for rock band Jethro Tull since 1969. He has appeared on every Jethro Tull album except their debut This Was...
- electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, luteLuteLute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes.... - John EvanJohn EvanJohn Evan , played keyboards for Jethro Tull from April 1970 to June 1980. He was educated at King's College London....
- pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, synthesiserSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s - John GlascockJohn GlascockJohn Glascock was the bass guitarist, backing vocalist, and occasional lead vocalist for the progressive rock band Carmen. He was also the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the progressive rock band Jethro Tull from December 1975 until August 1979...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals - David PalmerDee PalmerDee Palmer is an English composer arranger and keyboardist best known for having been a member of the rock group Jethro Tull.Palmer studied composition at the Royal Academy of Music with Richard Rodney Bennet,winning the Eric Coates Prize and The Boosey and Hawkes Prize...
- portative pipe organPortative organA portative organ is a small pipe organ that consists of one rank of flue pipes, sometimes arranged in two rows, to be played while strapped to the performer at a right angle...
, synthesiserSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s
External links
(bonus tracksHidden track
In the field of recorded music, a hidden track is a piece of music that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, vinyl record or other recorded medium in such a way as to avoid detection by the casual listener...
)