Songs from the Wood Songs Ranked

Songs from the Wood is the tenth studio album by British progressive rock band Jethro Tull, released on 11 February 1977 by Chrysalis Records. The album is considered to be the first of three folk-rock albums released by the band at the end of the 1970s: Songs from the Wood, Heavy Horses (1978) and Stormwatch (1979). Inspired by English pagan folklore and countryside living, the album signalled a resumption of the band’s wide-ranging folk rock style which combined traditional instruments and melodies with hard rock drums, synthesizers and electric guitars, all laid in the band’s complex progressive rock template. The album was the first Jethro Tull album to include Dee Palmer as an official member of the band, who after eight years of serving as the band’s orchestral arranger had joined as a second keyboardist in early 1976. The album was well received by critics upon its initial release, who considered the album a return to form for the band after several poorly reviewed albums. Here are all of Songs from the Wood songs ranked.

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9. Fire at Midnight

“A song about returning home after a long absence. Excellent keyboards and a flute, to which some kind of marching drums are connected, as if symbolizing that this is someone returning from a campaign. A very optimistic ending to the album. The song ends suddenly – as if the lyrical hero quickly finished this song and went to bed with his beloved woman.”

8. The Whistler

“A beautiful song (a jig with many exotic instruments), the protagonist of which is a piper. He walks around the villages, playing on holidays, and then he met a girl who liked him. Some disturbing notes are heard in the verse – the hero remembers that he must go on a journey – however, this anxiety disappears in the chorus – he invites the girl to leave with him.”

7. Ring Out Solstice Bells

“A composition full of joy. Again claps, again a perky flute, at the end the drums give out something like a march. Anderson now approached the feast of the solstice, much revered by the Druids. Unfortunately, I would call this song the worst on the album, because it is the least remembered.”

See more: Jethro Tull Albums Ranked

6. Cup of Wonder

“A very major thing, under which you want to dance again. Ian dedicated this song to Beltane, an old Celtic holiday celebrated on May 1 by lighting fires and drinking a cup of wine.”

5. Songs From the Wood

“The beginning is an a cappella choir, with Anderson singing along to himself. Then other instruments are added – they seem to replace each other, allowing you to enjoy one, then the other, then all at once (keyboards, etc.), and all this is accompanied by cheerful claps. The music is getting harder and harder (this applies mainly to percussions), but at the same time it sounds major – you just want to dance in the forest with your girlfriend to this matter, preferably. Listening to this song, I imagine merrily dancing elves. The song ends quite suddenly – as if the elves disappeared when they saw people.”

4. Jack-in-the-Green

“A very beautiful acoustic piece, completely performed by the band’s frontman; guitar, flute, keyboards, echoing vocals. Anderson makes the central character of the song “Jack in green” – a small forest creature dressed in willow branches and green leaves, one of the participants in the spring festival.”

See more: Jethro Tull Songs Ranked

3. Hunting Girl

“A very impressive composition. Unlike the previous themes, something disturbing (guitar hard) and sad (keyboards and flute) are heard here. The text is a description of the meeting of a simple farmer with a young and beautiful huntress of noble birth. Since there are still nobles in Great Britain, then, as you understand, this situation applies to any age.”

2. Velvet Green

“A very beautiful thing, with organ playing, which gives the song an additional charm in the spirit of the Middle Ages. In the middle – an instrumental, very impressively reproducing the musical atmosphere of folk dances somewhere at a rural harvest festival. The hero of the song invites the girl to be alone with him in the bosom of nature.”

1. Pibroch (Cap in Hand)

“The saddest, slowest and longest (more than 8 min.) track on the album. Pibrokh is not just another holiday. This is the name of the theme with variations for bagpipes. However, there is no bagpipe here, but the guitar imitates it. At the beginning, we hear her alarm roar, which is joined by flute and percussion. From the text we learn about a beggar who stands on the street and, holding out his begging hat, looks at people who have a house, there is warmth and comfort. In the middle, a long instrumental sounds, just as disturbing as at the beginning, at the end of which optimistic notes are woven into the musical canvas (maybe not everything is so bad), but then they disappear – putting on a hat, the person walks away.”