"Life's Long Celebration's Here"
mwreview | Northern California, USA | 03/31/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"As the title indicates, this album, along with Heavy Horses, is the "outdoorsy", free frolic through the woods side of Tull. It definitely offers a different sound from their earlier bluesy material and the classic gems like Aqualung and Thick as a Brick. The music on this album is as complex as their classic material but has a fun, frolicky quality. "Songs From the Wood" proved to be one of Tull's trademark anthems, but my favorites are the free spirited "Jack-in-the-Green" and "The Whistler." "Velvet Green" is an intoxicating number about a handsome country man ("a young girl's fancy and an old maid's dream"-lyrics used in reverse on the previous album Too Old To Rock 'n Roll) who seduces a girl to sneak out. The song is beautiful in a disturbing way. "Cup of Wonder" is elevated by incredible piano riffs. "Pibroch" is 8:37 and has the heaviest electric guitar sound of all the tracks. The only song I do not enjoy is "Ring Out, Solstice Bells." The timing always bugs me, especially the clapping at the beginning. I usually skip this track. In sum, Songs From the Wood is a very rich sounding album with more depth than Heavy Horses, which I also recommend."