When I started collecting albums in the late 80's, I bought two Jethro Tull compilations on vinyl: M.U. – The Best of Jethro Tull and Repeat – The Best of Jethro Tull Vol II. Together they make for some of Tull's best 83 minutes ever, so understandably they sufficed for a while. At least until my musical tastes came full circle: from classic & hard rock--> punk & new wave--> garage rock--> psychedelia--> progressive rock, of which of course Jethro Tull are a key representative. I then started collecting their discography, starting from the more essential (which, in this case, largely means the earliest) albums. By then we were firmly in the CD era, so I own most of them on CD. Now that I've reached the second-tier of their discography I've mostly switched to vinyl, so I got Stormwatch and "A" in that format. The Broadsword and the Beast, though, presented me with a dilemma:should I go for the vinyl which sports one of their most striking album covers, or with the latest CD reissue which has no less than 8 bonus tracks? I opted for the CD and I didn't regret it at all. But let's take it from the beginning, shall we? Jethro Tull had entered the 80's with "A", an album that deviated from the formula by embracing a more modern sound, utilizing synthesizers. The experiment is now considered artistically successful, even though it was a commercial flop at the time. For their next LP, Eddie Jobson, who was the keyboardist and co-creator of "A"'s electronic sound, was replaced by young Peter Vetesse who was likewise hip to the new technology. Sound-wise, Broadsword and the Beast is a mix of "A"'s electronic experiments, the folkier sound of Heavy Horses, and hard rock elements due mostly to the loud electric guitars. The LP consists of two parts. Side 1 ("Beastie") opens with the eponymous song which is introduced with atmospheric synths but shapes up to be a muscular hard rocker capped with the "Beastie!" chorus/war cry. "Clasp" features a similar AOR sound with rock guitars and synths, but there's enough flute to provide a link to the band's early 70's heyday. "Fallen On Hard Times" is bluesier, like 80's Eric Clapton with flute. "Flying Colours" is an almost-too-upbeat commercial rocker with a nice piano intro, and "Slow Marching Band" an acoustic folk number. Sometimes it reminds me of Tull circa Songs From The Wood, others of Elton John, especially when I focus on the piano. "Broadsword", which opens side 2, has a historical fantasy theme (the Viking invasions), suitably hard rocking guitar and marching drum beat. Given a more powerful singer and heavy organ instead of synths it could have been an absolute epic, but even so it should still appeal to metal fans. "Pussy Willow" combines a pretty melody and rousing chorus to produce one of the album's highlights, while the "futuristic" synths on "Watching Me Watching You" seem to have escaped from an 80's TV show soundtrack. Then we're back to familiar ground with solid hard rocker "Seal Driver" and the short acoustic snippet "Cheerio" which concludes the album proper. The CD offers almost an extra half-hour of material which are for the most part closer to classic Tull than the rest of the album, especially the folky "Mayhem, Maybe", Christmas-themed "Jack Frost" and romantic ballad "Jack-A-Lynn". "Rhythm In Gold", "Overhang" and "I'm Your Gun" follow the hard rock direction of the album, while the synths make their reappearance on "Too Many Too". The album closes (this time definitively) with "Down At The End Of Your Road", a typical (as in fairly ordinary) 80's Tull number. The album cover was designed by then 25-year old artist Iain McCaig who later went to work, among other projects, in the Star Wars and Avengers movie franchise. He was inspired by Ian Anderson's lyrics and by Narnia and was sure to include some Easter eggs for the fans, including the faces of the band on the four corners of the picture frame, and a carved runic inscription (for those of you who don't read runic it says "I see a dark sail on the horizon/ Set under a black cloud that hides the sun/ Bring me my broadsword and clear understanding/ Bring me my cross of gold as a talisman" - these are the opening lyrics to the song "Broadsword"). Conclusively, The Broadsword and the Beast is by no means the flop that critics make it out to be. Sure, it's no Aqualung or Thick As A Brick but it still features some classy playing. Anderson's flute of course shines as always, although it isn't as much to the fore as it used to. Martin Barre on guitar is in great form, the synths add the extra dimension without being too obtrusive (with the exception of "Watching Me..."), and the rhythm section (bassist Dave Pegg of Fairport Convention and former Cat Stevens' drummer Gerry Conway) are solid if far from show-stealing. The production (by former Yardbird Paul Samwell-Smith) is clean and balances between pop and hard rock. I kinda wish they had gone all the way and given it a heavy metal, or a complex prog, production rather than go for a bland commercial sound. Still, this isn't as outdated as other productions from the same period. Have you heard albums from that era by the likes of The Who, Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton etc? Compared to them, Broadsword and the Beast is almost a masterpiece!
**** for Broadsword, Pussy Willow, Seal Driver, Cheerio, Jack-A-Lynn
*** for Beastie, Clasp, Fallen On Hard Times, Flying Colours, Slow Marching Band, Watching Me Watching You, Jack Frost And The Hooded Crow, Mayhem Maybe, Overhang, I'm Your Gun
** for Too Many Too, Rhythm In Gold, Down At The End Of Your Road
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