Tonight I became reacquainted with the favorite album of my youth. Jethro Tulls Songs From the Wood was one of the first platters I played on the high-end custom-built system I bought myself for my 16th birthday from money saved working in the Sears Roebuck Catalog Department at Regency Square. I waited until the parents were out of the house so I could CRANK it. Songs From the Wood was a departure for Tull or maybe a return to the roots of its heart. Tulls biggest sellers, like the classic Aqualung were always counter-intuitive. Hard rock riffs mixed seamlessly with Ian Andersons symphonic flute and unique vocals. Tull might have been an acquired taste and it wasnt for everyone. But boy did it go good with a bowl. (Remember this was the 70s.) Songs was different. Its songs reminded me of my aural image of 14th Century minstrel music. Anderson exults in his lyrics and sings them with a sly sneer. Like Aqualung it is a concept album but this one is vibrant, playful, joyous. Of Songs Rolling Stone said that it may well have been (Tulls) best record ever. This album came to me at a time in my life when I was outdoors as often as possible, hiking Virginias old mountains and deep forests. I was deeply immersed in Tolkien and these songs sang the soundtrack of my dreams of quest and challenge, of good against evil. My system would produce near-perfect copies of my vinyl. I remember I was never without this tape in my decrepit Dart or my sporty Satellite. As I write Im on my third listen. I come across details I had forgotten and I am pleased that I can sing along with each song, even after decades. My copy of Songs disappeared in one of my involuntary music dispersals. By that time I had moved on, foolishly. But the magic of Amazon Prime brought it back to me today. Now to find its compatriots.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 02:58:23 +0000
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