Heavy Horses

In concert he's credited Robert Burns as being an inspiration.

 

Ian tends to credit Fairport, rather than Steeleye, at least in interviews I've heard. Of course Fairport did the electric folk first, and Steeleye was sort of Ashley's spinoff. I do agree that Steeleye had a heaviness that was closer to what Tull was doing. But Pegg was in Tull when Ian made the comments, so what do you expect him to say!

 

I might quibble a bit with this. I love both Stormwatch and Broadsword.

 

Absolutely. Must have for both.

 

There are no overdubs on a production master. It is technically the mixdown tape that all other copies would
be made from. The string parts cannot disappear from a master mixdown tape. The version of Moths that was
on the remastered CD had to have been another mix. It is likely that the original mix was pulled from the album
reel to use on one of the 45 singles and not put back. The one used for the remastered CD was either an alternate mix
prepared for another purpose or an "emergency" mix created anew when they realized the original went missing.

Given the state of the Tull tape library and the number of items that have gone astray, it wouldn't surprise me......

 

Speaking of Steeleye Span

Dec. 15 Steeleye Span review – class and adventure from the latest lineup
MORE: //www.theguardian.com/music/2015/dec/15/steeleye-span-review-cadogan-hall-london
Steeleye’s speciality was always harmony vocals, as they proved with the glorious six-part a cappella workout at the start of the opening Cold Haily Windy Night, or on their emotional finale, Rick Kemp’s Somewhere Along the Road. To this they added an easy, stomping line in folk-rock, with echoes of Jethro Tull in several of the recent songs inspired by the late Terry Pratchett’s novel Wintersmith. There were passages when they sounded predictably smooth but unchallenged, and songs that refused to change tempo or mood, but they didn’t just rely on past success and were still willing to experiment. Summer Lady was light and adventurous, while the epic Cromwell’s Skull concluded with a remarkable violin workout from Steeleye’s newest member, Jessie May Smart. It was an impressive show from the latest lineup of the band that Maddy Prior co-founded back in 1969. They are good enough to take more chances.

 

I very highly recommend Tull fans check out SS's Now We Are Six, it's the perfect sister album to SFTW and HH. Sounds like folky Tull with female vocals. Maddy Prior's Woman In The Wings album as well.

 

Heavy Horses is a good album, but it sits smack in the middle of the venerable "folk" trilogy.

For my money, Songs from the Wood is the best of the bunch. It's simply got the punchiest songs, the most infectious melodies, and the most interesting mix of sounds.

If I had to place a "vibe" on each album, SftW sounds like a Christmas celebration - all fantasy and festivity; HH is more like the doldrums of January and February - gray with a chance of snow; and Stormwatch is exactly what the title implies - it's still the gray dead of winter, but things are getting interesting.

When it comes to songs, I don't think either HH or SW stand up to SftW. Matching that masterpiece is just too much to ask. Both of them have good moments, and are pleasant enough listens as a whole, but there are fewer standout moments.

Also, there is something less appealing about the sound of Ian's voice on HH to my ears. He's not in "Dark Horse" territory, but he sounds like he's fighting a nasty cold or coming down with a sore throat or something. It's not a natural sounding hoarseness and, considering the thin, nasal quality that was starting to creep in even before the big collapse during the Under Wraps tour, I tend to think this is the moment where his voice started its decline. Granted, he still sang incredibly well for a few albums, but this is where the cracks started to show.

That's all not to knock the album. I still enjoy listening to it, but sonically it even seems to have a muddy quality relative to its predecessor. Whether that was accident or design, I can't say. It's just a very different animal.

 

Moths, acres wild, rover, brown mouse, mouse police are bloody awesome songs. There aren't that many awesome songs on sftw

 

Hmmmmmmmmmm...........Jack in the Green, The Whistler, Song From the Woods, Hunting Girl, Velvet Green, Fire at Midnight........sorry, can't agree with you here.

 

I would enthusiastically second that. Now We Are Six is well worth experiencing . And not just Tull fans.

Great album!

 

I should have added lullaby too. I really like that one. Hunting girl not that great. I love jack, whistler, fire, cup, pibroch. Almost the same amount but I still like the heavy feel or horses more.
Never liked the verses in the title song, kind of daggy but the rest is cool but as a whole I can't say the title song is great. Velvet is pretty good. Horses gets the edge for me and it has the awesome Living in these hard times too. Not to mention Blues instrumental which is cool too. Beltane and Broadford are about equal

So its Moths, acres wild, rover, brown mouse, mouse police, lullaby verses jack, whistler, fire, cup, pibroch. 6 v 5 horses wins

 

exactly, this makes no sense

 

Go back and read post #80, please.......

 

I don't care how old this thread is. I just bought my first copy of HH (2003 remaster) and I'm blown away! This is everything I want in a folk inspired rock album. I agree HH has a certain aura that makes it irresistible to me. Not a single bad track on here. I also got SftW remaster. Another amazing album. I'm not sure which I like better. SFtW has a very holiday/ autumn sound to it which really appeals to me. Going to play it a lot during the Halloween/thanksgiving time frame.

 

I grew up on Songs from the Wood and can't get enough of it. Heavy Horses was kind of off-putting because it's a much more "stern" record overall. That said, it has a lot of charms that reveal themselves on repeat listens. If you like both of these, you should definitely check out Stormwatch, which completes the "trilogy." It's definitely the most serious of the three works though, so be sure you're not looking to party down when you give it a spin.

 

Great album. Probably top five favorite Jethro Tull albums.

 

Minstral is my all time favorite Tull, and I absolutely love Summerday Sands!

 

Not Forgotten: Jethro Tull – Heavy Horses
March 2, 2018 http://www.backseatmafia.com/not-forgotten-jethro-tull-heavy-horses/

 

The last two Steeleye albums, Wintersmith and Dodgy Bastards, are the best since the 70s. Brings back the heavier sound and the great arrangements from that era, and this lineup is really strong vocally. Maddy's register has lowered a bit but she still sings great.

 

Thanks for the heads up, I've ordered both, I like what I've heard so far, never realised they could be 'rocky'. What would you recommend mastering/sound wise for the early stuff, is the "A Parcel..." collection of the first 5 cd albums ok?

 

Welcome to wonderful world of Heavy Horses. And Now, if you have the courage, try the strange and mysterious A Passion Play. Listen to this masterpiece 2-3 times and let me know

 

You may have heard by now that Steven Wilson's mix of Heavy Horses is now available. If you thought it was amazing before, wait until you hear it now. It's my second favorite Tull album after Songs from the Wood.

 

What @J. Jackson said This set sounds incredible - the clarity and separation of instruments is off the charts. And dynamic range for days........