Songs from the Wood

Songs from the Wood is the tenth studio album by British progressive rock band Jethro Tull, released February 1977. The album signalled a new direction for the band, who turned to celebrating British pagan folklore and the countryside life in a wide-ranging folk rock style which combined traditional instruments and melodies with hard rock drums and electric guitars.[1]

Songs from the Wood
Studio album by Jethro Tull
Released	11 February 1977
Recorded	September – November 1976
Studio	Morgan Studios, London
Genre	Progressive folk, progressive rock
Length	41:17
Label	Chrysalis
Producer	Ian Anderson
Jethro Tull chronology
Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die! (1976) Songs from the Wood (1977) Repeat – The Best of Jethro Tull – Vol II (1977)
Singles from Songs from the Wood
"Ring Out, Solstice Bells" Released: 3 December 1976 "The Whistler" Released: 11 February 1977 "Songs from the Wood" Released: 1977 (New Zealand only)

The album is considered to be the first of a trio of folk rock albums: Songs from the Wood, Heavy Horses (1978) and Stormwatch (1979).[2] An extended title line appears on the album cover: "Jethro Tull – with kitchen prose, gutter rhymes and divers – Songs from the Wood". The title track contains two of these phrases in its lyrics.

The UK music-paper adverts read: "Jethro Tull present 'Songs From The Wood'. A new album of Old Magic. Songs From The Wood. It's inspired by the thought that perhaps nature isn't as gentle as we'd like to believe. And it takes as its theme the natural and supernatural inhabitants of the woodlands of old England. Warm and friendly, harsh and bitter by turns, it includes 'Ring Out Solstice Bells' as well as Tull's new single 'The Whistler' and seven other songs. Find a quiet spot and listen to it soon."

Production

The album was recorded immediately following the tour of the previous album, Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die! (1976). It demonstrated the desire of Anderson to change the musical style of the band, encountering, as he was, music from the folk rock scene, and producing albums such as Steeleye Span's Now We Are Six (1974). Also, as Anderson said: "After Too Old to Rock and Roll, we returned to England, and I settled down, got married and bought a home. It gave me an opportunity to evaluate and reflect upon the cultural and historical significance of making that commitment to English residency."[3]

Being the first Jethro Tull album to feature keyboardist Dee Palmer as an official band member, their music gained complexity and variety, with more instruments being played and a sound that derives from Palmer's classical leanings and the strong presence of Martin Barre's electric guitar. Both Palmer and Barre are credited for contributing material to the album. The album highlights the band at its most playful and due to its lush production and more noticeable use of keyboards is perhaps one of the band's most obviously progressive rock-oriented releases.

The song "Jack-in-the-Green" features Ian Anderson on all the instruments.

Musical style and themes

Filled with imagery from medieval Britain (especially in the "Jack-in-the-Green", "Cup of Wonder", and "Ring Out Solstice Bells" lyrics), and ornamental folk arrangement (as in "Velvet Green" and "Fire at Midnight"), or the experimentalism of "Pibroch (Cap in Hand)" where Martin Barre's guitar simulates bagpipes,[2] the album was a departure from the hard rock of earlier Jethro Tull material, though it still retained some of the band's older sound. Anderson was partly inspired by the book Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain which was given to him by Jethro Tull's then manager Jo Lustig in 1976. According to Anderson, the book "certainly gave me thoughts about the elements of characters and stories that played out in my songwriting on the Songs From the Wood album, which then carried on over to the Heavy Horses album and even beyond that into the Stormwatch album."[4]

The descriptive term "folk music" has been dismissed by Anderson and Barre as not relevant to the album. Folk has a strong connotation of American singer-songwriters performing activist songs in coffeehouses, whereas Songs from the Wood was composed and performed as a tribute to the UK.[5] Anderson said that the album was "for all the band members... a reaffirmation of our Britishness."[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
NME	(Very favourable)[6]
SputnikMusic	[7]
Sea of Tranquility	[8]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[9]

Songs from the Wood was the first Tull album to receive unambiguously positive reviews since the time of Living in the Past (1972). AllMusic called the album: "the prettiest record Jethro Tull released at least since Thick as a Brick".[1]

In the Heavy Horses (1978) review by the Rolling Stone magazine, it is recalled that Songs from the Wood "may well have been the group's best record ever."[10]

Songs from the Wood was included in the list The 100 Greatest Prog Albums of All Time by Prog magazine at number 76.[11]

In 2000 it was voted number 520 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[12]

Legacy

Decades after its release as a single, "Ring Out Solstice Bells" is played as a Christmas song in the United Kingdom.[13] It has been featured in lists of classic and favorite Christmas songs.[14]

Charts

The album sold more than 1,000,000 copies in United States, reached No. 8 on the Billboard album chart, making it the last top ten album for the band in the US. The song "The Whistler" was the only song to chart as a single in the United States, peaking at No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1977. In Denmark, it made the Top 10, peaking at No. 8,[15] a position it held for two weeks. In the United Kingdom the album sold more than 100,000 copies, peaking at No. 13 on the UK Albums Chart.[16][17]

Cover

Although the front cover carries no credit to the effect, the back cover features the credit "front cover painting by Jay L. Lee". In fact, it is a photo on which outlines, lines and contours have simply been drawn with a pen (see tree branches, the dog's snout and Anderson's boots), with paint only occasionally added over the photo (as in the fire). The fact that this is a photo and not a painting is backed up by several other similar photos from the same photo session, some of which were used in the programme for the British tour in 1977, as well as on the concert poster. The credit "painting by ..." is probably based on a typical trick by Ian Anderson, who likes to joke with his fans. "Painting by" could also only refer to the post-processing of the photo. The LP cover depicts Ian Anderson sitting on a campfire after a successful hunt with a dog and prey. Under the band name is the line with kitchen prose, gutter rhymes and divers, 'including the album title (ie: "Jethro Tull // with kitchen prose, gutter rhymes and divers // songs from the wood").

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ian Anderson with additional material by Martin Barre and Dee Palmer.

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Songs from the Wood"	4:52
2.	"Jack-in-the-Green"	2:27
3.	"Cup of Wonder"	4:30
4.	"Hunting Girl"	5:11
5.	"Ring Out, Solstice Bells"	3:43

Side two

No.	Title	Length
6.	"Velvet Green"	6:03
7.	"The Whistler"	3:30
8.	"Pibroch (Cap in Hand)"	8:35
9.	"Fire at Midnight"	2:26

2003 Bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
10.	"Beltane"	5:19
11.	"Velvet Green" (Live)	5:56

2017 40th Anniversary The Country Set Deluxe Edition

On 17 May 2017 Jethro Tull released a five disc ‘bookset’ version of Songs from the Wood with a 96-page booklet that includes a track-by-track annotation of the album and its associated recordings by Ian Anderson. It is similar to the band's other 40th Anniversary reissues, with the first disc containing another Steven Wilson stereo remix followed by ‘associated recordings’ including the previously unreleased "Old Aces Die Hard" and "Working John, Working Joe." The second and third discs contain 22 previously unreleased live tracks, recorded on the American leg of their 1977 Songs From The Wood Tour, from 21 November (Landover, Maryland) and 6 December (Boston), remixed to stereo by Jakko Jakszyk. The set also includes DVDs.[18]

CD 1: Steven Wilson stereo remix of the album and associated recordings

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Songs From The Wood"	4:55
2.	"Jack-In-The-Green"	2:31
3.	"Cup Of Wonder"	4:34
4.	"Hunting Girl"	5:10
5.	"Ring Out, Solstice Bells"	3:48
6.	"Velvet Green"	6:05
7.	"The Whistler"	3:31
8.	"Pibroch (Cap in Hand)"	8:35
9.	"Fire at Midnight"	2:27
10.	"Old Aces Die Hard (previously unreleased)"	8:41
11.	"Working John, Working Joe (previously unreleased)"	5:11
12.	"Magic Bells (Ring Out, Solstice Bells)"	3:25
13.	"Songs From The Wood (unedited master)"	4:53
14.	"Fire at Midnight (previously unreleased unedited master)"	2:35
15.	"One Brown Mouse (early version)"	3:35
16.	"Strip Cartoon"	3:19
17.	"The Whistler (US Stereo Single Mix)"	3:32

CD 2: Live in Concert 1977

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Wond’ring Aloud"	2:33
2.	"Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day"	4:04
3.	"Jack-In-The-Green"	3:14
4.	"Thick As A Brick"	13:15
5.	"Songs From The Wood"	6:01
6.	"Instrumental"	2:27
7.	"Drum Solo Improvisation"	4:16
8.	"To Cry You A Song"	2:33
9.	"A New Day Yesterday"	2:54
10.	"Flute Solo Improvisation interpolating – God Rest Ye Gentlemen/Bourée"	8:14
11.	"Living in the Past/ A New Day Yesterday (reprise)"	2:32

CD 3: Live in Concert 1977

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Velvet Green"	6:26
2.	"Hunting Girl"	5:39
3.	"Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young To Die"	4:16
4.	"Minstrel in the Gallery"	5:39
5.	"Cross-Eyed Mary"	3:45
6.	"Aqualung"	8:32
7.	"Instrumental Improvisation"	3:31
8.	"Wind-Up"	4:54
9.	"Back Door Angels / Guitar Improvisation /Wind Up (reprise)"	7:15
10.	"Locomotive Breath"	5:47
11.	"Land Of Hope And Glory / Improvisation / Back Door Angels (reprise)"	4:00

DVD 1: Steven Wilson 5.1 surround and stereo mixes and flat transfer of the original stereo and quadraphonic mixes of the album and selected associated recordings

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Songs From The Wood (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)"	4:55
2.	"Jack-In-The-Green (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)"	2:32
3.	"Cup Of Wonder (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)"	4:34
4.	"Hunting Girl (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)"	5:10
5.	"Ring Out, Solstice Bells (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)"	3:48
6.	"Velvet Green (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)"	6:05
7.	"The Whistler (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)"	3:32
8.	"Pibroch (Cap in Hand) (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)"	8:36
9.	"Fire at Midnight (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)"	2:28
10.	"Old Aces Die Hard (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)"	8:41
11.	"Working John, Working Joe (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)"	5:12
12.	"Magic Bells (Ring Out, Solstice Bells) (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)"	3:25
13.	"Songs From The Wood (unedited master) (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)"	4:53
14.	"Fire at Midnight (unedited master) (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)"	2:36
15.	"One Brown Mouse (early version) (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)"	3:35
16.	"Strip Cartoon (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)"	3:19
17.	"Songs From The Wood (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)"	4:55
18.	"Jack-In-The-Green (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)"	2:32
19.	"Cup Of Wonder (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)"	4:34
20.	"Hunting Girl (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)"	5:10
21.	"Ring Out, Solstice Bells (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)"	3:48
22.	"Velvet Green (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)"	6:05
23.	"The Whistler (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)"	3:32
24.	"Pibroch (Cap in Hand) (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)"	8:36
25.	"Fire at Midnight (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)"	2:28
26.	"Old Aces Die Hard (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)"	8:41
27.	"Working John, Working Joe (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)"	5:12
28.	"Magic Bells (Ring Out, Solstice Bells) (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)"	3:25
29.	"One Brown Mouse (early version) (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)"	3:34
30.	"Strip Cartoon (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)"	3:19
31.	"Songs From The Wood (96/24 PCM Flat Transfer – Original Stereo Master)"	4:56
32.	"Jack-In-The-Green (96/24 PCM Flat Transfer – Original Stereo Master)"	2:32
33.	"Cup Of Wonder (96/24 PCM Flat Transfer – Original Stereo Master)"	4:34
34.	"Hunting Girl (96/24 PCM Flat Transfer – Original Stereo Master)"	5:14
35.	"Ring Out, Solstice Bells (96/24 PCM Flat Transfer – Original Stereo Master)"	3:50
36.	"Velvet Green (96/24 PCM Flat Transfer – Original Stereo Master)"	6:05
37.	"The Whistler (96/24 PCM Flat Transfer – Original Stereo Master)"	3:33
38.	"Pibroch (Cap in Hand) (96/24 PCM Flat Transfer – Original Stereo Master)"	8:37
39.	"Fire at Midnight (96/24 PCM Flat Transfer – Original Stereo Master)"	2:31
40.	"Songs From The Wood (Flat Transfer of Original Quad Master-DTS/DD 4.0 Surround)"	4:56
41.	"Jack-In-The-Green (Flat Transfer of Original Quad Master-DTS/DD 4.0 Surround)"	2:33
42.	"Velvet Green (Flat Transfer of Original Quad Master-DTS/DD 4.0 Surround)"	6:08
43.	"The Whistler (Flat Transfer of Original Quad Master-DTS/DD 4.0 Surround)"	3:34

DVD 2: Live at The Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland, 21 November 1977

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Wond’ring Aloud"	2:35
2.	"Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day"	4:18
3.	"Jack-In-The-Green"	3:31
4.	"Thick As A Brick"	13:47
5.	"Songs From The Wood"	6:04
6.	"Instrumental/Drum Solo Improvisation"	6:44
7.	"To Cry You A Song"	2:34
8.	"A New Day Yesterday"	2:54
9.	"Flute Solo Improvisation interpolating – God Rest Ye Gentlemen/Bourée"	8:15
10.	"Living in the Past/ A New Day Yesterday (reprise)"	2:36
11.	"Velvet Green"	6:26
12.	"Hunting Girl"	5:49
13.	"Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young To Die"	4:23
14.	"Minstrel in the Gallery"	5:42
15.	"Cross-Eyed Mary"	3:45
16.	"Aqualung"	9:56
17.	"Instrumental Improvisation"	3:34
18.	"Wind-Up"	4:54
19.	"Back Door Angels / Guitar Improvisation /Wind Up (reprise)"	7:18
20.	"Locomotive Breath"	6:20
21.	"Land Of Hope And Glory / Improvisation / Back Door Angels (reprise)"	4:02
22.	"Beethoven's Ninth (with original audio)"	3:20
23.	"The Whistler (promo footage)(mono)"	3:37

Personnel

Jethro Tull

• Ian Anderson – lead vocals, flute, acoustic guitar, mandolin, cymbals, whistles; all instruments (on track 2).[19]
• Martin Barre – electric guitar, lute
• John Glascock – backing vocals, bass guitar
• John Evan – piano, organ, synthesizers
• Dee Palmer – piano, portative pipe organ, synthesizers
• Barriemore Barlow – drums, percussion, marimba, glockenspiel, bells, nakers, tabor

Additional personnel

• Robin Black – sound engineering
• Thing Moss and Trevor White – assistant engineers
• Keith Howard – wood-cutter
• Jay L. Lee – front cover painting
• Shirt Sleeve Studio – back cover

References

1. Eder, Bruce. Jethro Tull – Songs from the Wood (1977) album review, credits & releases at AllMusic. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
2. Hughes, Rob (23 January 2015). "Jethro Tull: keeping the folk fires burning". ClassicRock.TeamRock.com. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
3. Scapelliti, Christopher (September 1999). ""Tull Tales" article on Guitar World". TullPress.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
4. Martin Webb. Songs From the Wood 40th Anniversary Edition booklet. Chrysalis Records. p. 13.
5. Nollen, Scott Allen (2001). Jethro Tull: A History of the Band, 1968–2001. McFarland. p. 121. ISBN 9780786411016.
6. Humphries, Patrick (5 March 1977). "Jethro Tull Press: Jethro Tull – Songs from the Wood (1977) album review on New Musical Express". TullPress.com. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
7. "Jethro Tull – Songs from the Wood (1977) album review by vanderb0b". SputnikMusic.com. 1 August 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
8. Pettengill, Steve (2004). "Review: 'Jethro Tull: Songs from the Woods (remaster) – Sea of Tranquility – The Web Destination for Progressive Music!". SeaOfTranquility.org. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
9. Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
10. Bloom, Michael (21 September 1978). "Jethro Tull – Heavy Horses (1978) album review". RollingStone.com. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
11. "The 100 Greatest Prog Albums of All Time". Prog magazine (www.Prog.TeamRock.com). 6 August 2014.
12. Colin Larkin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 180. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
13. "Which are the most Christmassy Christmas songs? - Birmingham Live".
14. "The 30 best Christmas songs of all time – Smooth".
15. Jethro Tull – "Songs from the Wood" song on Danish Charts at http://DanskeHitLister.dk
16. "Worldwide album charts of Jethro Tull albums". Tsort.info. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
17. "Official Charts Company of Jethro Tull – Songs from the Wood (1977) album". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
18. Sinclair, Paul. "NEWS Jethro Tull / Songs From The Wood / 40th anniversary deluxe edition". Super Deluxe Edition. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
19. Jethro Tull – Songs from the Wood (1977) album liner notes [Album cover]. Chrysalis.

External links

• Jethro Tull – Songs from the Wood (1977) album review by Bruce Eder, credits & releases at AllMusic
• Jethro Tull – Songs from the Wood (1977) lyrics at CupOfWonder.com
• Jethro Tull – Songs from the Wood (1977) album releases & credits at Discogs.com
• Jethro Tull – Songs from the Wood (1977) album review at Ground and Sky [Dead Link]
• Jethro Tull – Songs from the Wood (1977) album credits & user reviews at ProgArchives.com
• Jethro Tull – Songs from the Wood (1977) album review by vanderb0b at Sputnikmusic.com
• Jethro Tull – Songs from the Wood (1977/2003 Remaster) album to be listened as stream at Play.Spotify.com