Heavy Horses - JETHRO TULL***

And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps/Acres Wild/No Lullaby/Moths/Journeyman/Rover/One Brown Mouse/Heavy Horses/Weathercock

Jethro Tull’s Heavy Horses continued the folk influences introduced with its immediate predecessor, but the outcome here was not nearly as good. Future releases from the group would be still less inspired. (US:19 UK:20)

“Not as lively as Songs From The Wood and not as inspired perhaps, but there are still several great tracks. However, there is a bit of noodling about here that lessens my interest.”

“After Jethro Tull's classic period the band turned more rustic, softening its blues inspired hard rock edge and putting a heavier emphasis on folk oriented tracks, although many still with progressive tendencies.”

“Maintains the folky vibe of the previous album but with a bit more energy and electricity this time. Probably an improvement but I just can't get excited about it, despite what Tull fanatics tell me.”

“I credit Heavy Horses as the band's final studio release that is essential listening for any fan of 70s progressive rock. Alongside its predecessor Songs From The Wood, this record constitutes Jethro Tull's short-lived rustic folk/prog renaissance of the late-70s. Both albums mix the group's already folky take on progressive rock with more overt bits of British folk rock.”

“Continues on the folk rock path laid down by the previous album, but manages to reach higher peaks of grandiosity in the process. It covers a variety of styles, sometimes blended seamlessly, sometimes alternating each other. Diversity is the key-word: folk-infused arrangements and songwriting that delve in bluesy hard rock territory, not without the occasional nod to their prog-rock past.”

“Medieval inspired progressive folk rock. The concept could be good, but this album lacks something. The musicians are good, but they just don't seem to get things to work properly. They manage to get a quite soft and nice atmosphere around the music, but in the end the music itself is mostly rather boring and uninspired.”

“Jethro Tull continued to flounder. Here and there intimations of the old inspiration peek through but mostly it is wooden not sylvan.”