01	...And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps						03:12
	02	Acres Wild						03:24
	03	No Lullaby						07:54
	04	Moths						03:27
	05	Journeyman						03:57
	06	Rover						04:17
	07	One Brown Mouse						03:22
	08	Heavy Horses						08:54
	09	Weathercock						04:06
	10	Living In These Hard Times (Bonus Track)						03:10
	11	Broadford Bazaar (Bonus Track)						03:40

Remastered 2003.


Ian's Liner Notes : "Heavy Horses" Remastered

After the whimsical folklore-enshrined material on the 1977 release, "Songs From The Wood," a more contemporary and pragmatic set of lyrics emerged from The Country Life a year later.
The title track bemoaned the loss of the traditional Shire Horse in Britain's agricultural practices. ":.And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps" spoke of dark and feral behaviour from the domestic moggies on our farm. "Acres Wild" championed the roaming of the wilderness north of Scotland's Highlands and Islands. "No Lullaby" expressed the fears of bogeymen and flickering shadows for the infant child tucked up in its lonely bed. "Moths consumed by candle flame in suicide love pact," screamed the title headline on song four. The commuters' daily return from metropolis to rural retreat rattled its announcement through "Journeyman."

The general tenor of the whole album is the reality, rather than the myth, of country living. Although continuing to be all done up in a folk-rock coat of many colours, the songs have a setting which relies, not on historical perspectives, but on the rural landscape of Britain in the seventies. Full of contradictions and yet holding up still the values of tradition and country culture so prevalent, then and now, in our ever-so-slowly-changing countryside.

Ex-Curved Air violinist, Darryl Way, joined us for solos in the title track and Robin Black, as always Tull's long-serving engineer, twiddled knobs and shoved faders. Robin began as a lowly tape operator (euphemism for tea-boy) on the Stand Up album before getting the top job on the Benefit release in the following year. Missing for "Aqualung" but rejoining the team all the way from "Thick As A Brick" through to "Broadsword" in 1982, Robin shaped the band's sound on record and taught me all I needed to know about engineering music in the studio.

The first album to be recorded in my newly-built London studio, Maison Rouge, "Heavy Horses" was the guinea pig during the inevitable shake-down of shiny and sophisticated equipment recently installed. Compared to the awful teething troubles of Island Records Studios during the Aqualung sessions and the difficulties of working in the Chateau D'Herouville in the pre-Passion Play debacle, Maison Rouge, under Robin's management, worked like a dream.

With additional musical contributions from Martin Barre and David Palmer, the songs have their little intricacies but without overshadowing the relatively simple structures of the basic tunes and lyrics.

Here, on the re-mastered version of 2003, we hear at last on CD the sparkling detail of the original master tapes - fresh from the vaults and dedicated to Robin Black for his endless hours of patience, encouragement, and good humour.

Ian Anderson
2003





Jethro Tull - Heavy Horses

Released: 1978/2003
Label: Chrysalis/Capitol
Cat. No.: 1175 / 581571
Total Time: 49:53


Reviewed by: Eric Porter, November 2004
I consider this one a companion to Songs From The Wood in both style and substance. The cover art may contribute as much to how the music is perceived as the songs themselves. These two releases are often described using terms such as "rustic" and "folksy." Ian's acoustic guitar lays the foundation, running through almost every arrangement. What's interesting is how complicated the songs are musically. Ian fools us by creating melodic, sit-around-the-fire-telling-stories type songs, but the intricate detail contained within should not be ignored. The rhythm section of Barlow and Glascock provides some amazing interplay. Not to overstate, but at times you would think you are listening to Bach. Bach's music always has the most incredible bass lines, and with Glascock's playing, he is always providing a separate melody that does not disturb the song but works perfectly within it. Barlow's varied percussion also provides a spark; this is not just a guy spinning around the drumset, these are well thought out drum patterns. It is the mark of an accomplished drummer that one can take songs like this and make them as smooth as playing a simple 4/4, nothing is forced for the sake of complexity.

Songs such as "No Lullaby" and the title track are constantly changing time and dynamics. "Moths" and "One Brown Mouse" provide us with those beautiful acoustic treats that Ian is so good at, with Palmer adding some orchestration. Guest violinist Darryl Way (formerly of Curved Air) fits in perfectly, showcasing another instrument that could have been right at home in the Tull family. The addition of David Palmer expands the band, now using two keyboardists, allowing for a bit more orchestration. The title track seems to be a confession of Ian's love of country living, and the noble work of the farmer, but it is dedicated to a variety of working horses that are used for farming. An incredible tour de force of everything in the Tull bag of tricks, acoustic guitar, flute, incredible dynamics and musical muscle are flexed.

"No Lullaby" also has some terrific instrumental breaks that revolve around Martin Barre's guitar licks. "Rover" reminds me of how Gentle Giant often conjured up a medieval sound, with the keyboards, flute, and guitars accompanied by some orchestration, this is another monster musical track. Heavy Horses consists of short concise musical statements, with only two tracks going over five minutes, but there is a wealth of music to be heard. Another feather in the band's cap.

[See also Keith's review -ed.]


Jethro Tull - Heavy Horses

Released: 1978/2003
Label: Chrysalis/Capitol
Cat. No.: 1175 / 581571
Total Time: 49:53


Reviewed by: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck, August 2003
Jethro Tull continued on the same path as Songs From The Wood with yet another solid release titled Heavy Horses in 1978. On this remastered version with two bonus tracks ("Living In These Hard Times" and "Broadford Bazaar") the songs get a new life and spark that was not present before. As Ian Anderson mentions in his liner notes, "In 2003 we hear at last on CD the sparkling detail of the original master tapes." It makes you wish all recorded music was like this right from the start and the technology was available to keep the original sound intact regardless of the transfer process. Oh well, we can dream.

Ian Anderson continued with strong and affecting vocals telling tales of living in the countryside. He sings with dry wit and honesty like an old-fashioned back woods Englishman would, yet in a way that only he could spin an account.

Although the Celtic/Medieval/Folk ambiance remained strong, I found this album had more straight-ahead rock influences than its predecessor. A lot of the acoustic guitar layers and strings that were used before are removed and replaced by the unparalleled guitar licks of Martin Barre and Anderson's excellent mandolin, flute and acoustic guitar playing. The outstanding production qualities have become richer and clearer from beginning to end on this album, thus there were neither disappointments nor flaws apparent anywhere. This is another classic Jethro Tull album very worthy of the remaster treatment. I wait impatiently for the next set of remasters!

Rating: 4/5

[See also Eric's review -ed.]