Jethro Tull
The Broadsword And The Beast

THE REVIEW

It was the year 1982, the second of the dark '80s, when Jethro Tull, after the previous, rather unattractive, to be honest, released this The Broadsword and The Beast, an album that expanded the parts dedicated to electronics. And now, let's go with the track by track!

"Beastie" starts quietly with dark atmospheres and great emphasis on the electronic keyboards of newly hired Peter John Vettese, then gives way to the electric guitar and continues with the track, which has become a kind of electro hard rock. Strangely, the flute is missing.
The next track, "Fallen", also has a dark and epic start, but much better than the previous one, with a subsequent change of tempo and the entry of other instruments to create a sad and typically Tull song (except for the presence of keyboards). Remarkable is the use of various effects to occasionally modify Anderson's voice. Nice.
"Fallen On Hard Times" is a Tull-style folk; simply beautiful, nothing more to say.
"Flying Colours" seems to start as a very sad track, but the subsequent entry of grand electronic keyboards, drums & guitar (as well as bass) completely disrupts the expectations about the track, transforming it into a good quality hard pop rock (today I'm in the mood for definitions that modify the term "hard rock").
"Slow Marching Band" is an epic track with piano, drums, and voice, at times sugary, but worthy of the group.
The title track once again makes extensive use of keyboards to create a darkly epic atmosphere, maybe composed a bit wearily, as it was for all the other songs, but definitely better than the rest; perhaps the best of the whole album.
"Pussy Willow", "Watching Me, Watching You", and "Seal Driver" are the worst songs on the album (especially the third one), all three extremely uninspired and utterly useless (maybe they were fillers?).

"Cheerio" closes the album very briefly (1:10 minutes, of which only 49 seconds are actual), trying to recall, for brevity, "Grace" and calming the atmosphere with its tranquility.

The Broadsword And The Beast is, in short, not precisely an excellent album, but neither is it poor: once the alienating effect of the massive use of electronics is overcome, it will be pleasant to listen to, despite the three heavy and unworthy stylistic falls mentioned above.

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