Heavy Horses
| Heavy Horses | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 10 April 1978 (US) 21 April 1978 (UK) | |||
| Recorded | May 1977 - January 1978 | |||
| Studio | Maison Rouge Studio, Fulham, London[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 42:25 (original release) 43:11 (2018 remix) | |||
| Label | Chrysalis | |||
| Producer | Ian Anderson | |||
| Jethro Tull chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Heavy Horses | ||||
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Heavy Horses is the eleventh studio album by British progressive rock band Jethro Tull, released on 10 April 1978.
The album is often considered the second in a trio of folk rock albums released by the band at the end of the 1970s, alongside Songs from the Wood (1977) and Stormwatch (1979). In contrast to the British folklore-inspired lyrical content found on Songs from the Wood, Heavy Horses adopts a more realist and earthly perspective of country living — the album and its title track are dedicated to the "indigenous working ponies and horses of Great Britain".[3] Musically, the album sees the band continuing the combination of folk and progressive rock found on Songs from the Wood, although with an overall darker and more sober sound fitting the changed lyrical content.
Recording[edit]
Heavy Horses was the first album recorded by Jethro Tull at the newly constructed Maison Rouge studio in Fulham, London, a custom built recording studio which was funded and owned by Ian Anderson.[4] Much of the album was recorded at night, as Anderson felt that daytime hours at the studio needed to be left open for potential business clients. Keyboardist Dee Palmer recalled her diary entries at the time of recording as saying that "I'd start at 7pm and go home at 7am!"[4] Heavy Horses was the first album on which Anderson began to experience vocal issues, the beginning of an affliction which would become more serious in the 1980s and later develop into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Anderson's vocals sound more nasal and gruff on some of the album's tracks as a result, particularly on the title track.[4]
As with the band's previous album Songs from the Wood, other members of the band beyond just Anderson were involved in writing music for the album, with guitarist Martin Barre writing portions of the title track and "No Lullaby" and Palmer writing string arrangements for most of the album as well as the instrumental bridge of "...And the Mouse Police Never Sleeps".[4] Darryl Way of Curved Air guests on the album, playing violin on the title track and "Acres Wild".
Several songs were recorded but then abandoned or otherwise cut from the album during the recording sessions, including the B-side "Beltane", a completely finished song titled "Everything in Our Lives" and an early acoustic version of "Jack-a-Lynn", a song which would later be re-recorded during sessions for the band's 1982 album The Broadsword and the Beast. Many of the unreleased songs recorded during the album's sessions were later released on the 20 Years of Jethro Tull anniversary compilation in 1988 and the 40th anniversary "New Shoes" edition of the album in 2018. Upon remixing of the album for the 40th anniversary edition, it was discovered that the original masters of "Moths" and "Rover" were slightly sharp, likely as a result of a faulty tape machine. The remixed versions of the tracks included on the re-release of the album were slightly pitched down to correct this.[4]
Musical style and themes[edit]
While continuing the folk rock style of Songs From the Wood, Heavy Horses sees a tonal shift into more earthly and realist themes of country living, compared with the fantasy and mythology of the previous album. Anderson was again inspired by daily life at his recently purchased country estate in Buckinghamshire, saying that "I was living in the same house in the same place, and getting a bit more involved in farming and other rural stuff... so the horse-hoeing husbandry of the original Jethro Tull era was in the back of my mind."[4] Several of the album's songs were directly inspired by Anderson's personal life at the estate: "...And the Mouse Police Never Sleeps" was partially inspired by his cat Mistletoe, "No Lullaby" was written as an "anti-lullaby" for his son and "Rover" was partially inspired by his dog Lupus. Other songs on the album such as "Weathercock" and the title track paint a cold and practical picture of country living, with the latter track described by Anderson as "a lament for the passing as working animals of those magnificent beasts, the heavy farm horses."[4] Other track's lyrics were inspired by literature, such as "One Brown Mouse" inspired by the Robert Burns poem "To a Mouse" and "Moths" inspired by the John le Carré novel The Naïve and Sentimental Lover.[4]
Anderson stated that the recording of the album came at a time when other artists were moving towards the new trends in music, and the band decided they did not want "to appear as if we were trying to slip into the post-punk coattails that were worn by The Stranglers or The Police."[3]
Reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [6] |
| Melody Maker | (unfavourable)[7] |
Rolling Stone's contemporary review was positive, calling the instrumental arrangements lavish and stating that Heavy Horses and the folk genre, as a follow-up to Songs from the Wood, suited Jethro Tull perfectly.[8] The Globe and Mail thought that the band was coasting, but praised "Anderson's enigmatic writing style and his one-of-a-kind voice".[9]
AllMusic calls Heavy Horses one of the prettiest records of the band, praising both Martin Barre's and John Glascock's playing as Robin Black engineering and the special participation of Curved Air violinist Darryl Way.[5]
Track listing[edit]
1978 original release
All tracks are written by Ian Anderson with additional material by Martin Barre and Dee Palmer.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "...And the Mouse Police Never Sleeps" | 3:11 |
| 2. | "Acres Wild" | 3:22 |
| 3. | "No Lullaby" | 7:55 |
| 4. | "Moths" | 3:24 |
| 5. | "Journeyman" | 3:55 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Rover" | 4:17 |
| 7. | "One Brown Mouse" | 3:21 |
| 8. | "Heavy Horses" | 8:58 |
| 9. | "Weathercock" | 4:02 |
| Total length: | 42:25 | |
2003 bonus tracks
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Living in These Hard Times" | 3:10 |
| 11. | "Broadford Bazaar" | 3:38 |
2018 40th Anniversary New Shoes Deluxe Edition[edit]
On 2 March 2018 Jethro Tull released a five-disc ‘bookset’ version of Heavy Horses with a 96-page booklet that includes a track-by-track annotation of the album and its associated recordings by Ian Anderson. It is similar to the band's other 40th Anniversary reissues, with the first disc containing another Steven Wilson stereo remix followed by ‘associated recordings’ including seven previously unreleased tracks. The second and third discs contain 22 previously unreleased live tracks, recorded at the Festhalle in Berne Switzerland during the European leg of their 1978 Heavy Horses Tour, from 28 May 1978, remixed to stereo by Jakko Jakszyk. The set also includes DVDs.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "...And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps" | |
| 2. | "Acres Wild" | |
| 3. | "No Lullaby" | |
| 4. | "Moths" | |
| 5. | "Journeyman" | |
| 6. | "Rover" | |
| 7. | "One Brown Mouse" | |
| 8. | "Heavy Horses" | |
| 9. | "Weathercock" | |
| 10. | "Living In These Hard Times (version 2, previously unreleased)" | |
| 11. | "Everything In Our Lives (previously unreleased)" | |
| 12. | "Jack A Lynn (early version, previously unreleased)" | |
| 13. | "Quatrain (studio version, previously unreleased)" | |
| 14. | "Horse-Hoeing Husbandry (previously unreleased)" | |
| 15. | "Beltane" | |
| 16. | "Botanic Man (previously unreleased)" | |
| 17. | "Living In These Hard Times (version 1)" | |
| 18. | "Botanic Man Theme (previously unreleased)" |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Opening Music (Quartet)" | |
| 2. | "Intro By Claude Nobs" | |
| 3. | "No Lullaby" | |
| 4. | "Sweet Dream" | |
| 5. | "Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of The New Day" | |
| 6. | "Jack In The Green" | |
| 7. | "One Brown Mouse" | |
| 8. | "Heavy Horses" | |
| 9. | "A New Day Yesterday" | |
| 10. | "Flute Solo Improvisation/God Rest Ye Gentlemen/Bourée" | |
| 11. | "Living in the Past/ A New Day Yesterday (reprise)" | |
| 12. | "Songs from the Wood" |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Thick as a Brick" | |
| 2. | "Hunting Girl" | |
| 3. | "Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young to Die" | |
| 4. | "Conundrum" | |
| 5. | "Minstrel in the Gallery" | |
| 6. | "Cross-Eyed Mary" | |
| 7. | "Quatrain" | |
| 8. | "Aqualung" | |
| 9. | "Locomotive Breath" | |
| 10. | "Dambusters March/Aqualung (Reprise)" |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "...And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)" | |
| 2. | "Acres Wild (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)" | |
| 3. | "No Lullaby (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)" | |
| 4. | "Moths (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)" | |
| 5. | "Journeyman (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)" | |
| 6. | "Rover (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)" | |
| 7. | "One Brown Mouse (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)" | |
| 8. | "Heavy Horses (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)" | |
| 9. | "Weathercock (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)" | |
| 10. | "Living In These Hard Times (version 2, previously unreleased) (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)" | |
| 11. | "Everything In Our Lives (previously unreleased) (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)" | |
| 12. | "Jack A Lynn (early version, previously unreleased) (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)" | |
| 13. | "Horse-Hoeing Husbandry (previously unreleased) (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)" | |
| 14. | "Beltane (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)" | |
| 15. | "Botanic Man (previously unreleased) (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)" | |
| 16. | "Living In These Hard Times (version 1) (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)" | |
| 17. | "Botanic Man Theme (previously unreleased) (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)" | |
| 18. | "A Town In England (Steven Wilson DD/DTS 5.1 Surround Remix)" | |
| 19. | "...And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)" | |
| 20. | "Acres Wild (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)" | |
| 21. | "No Lullaby (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)" | |
| 22. | "Moths (Cap In Hand) (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)" | |
| 23. | "Journeyman (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)" | |
| 24. | "Rover (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)" | |
| 25. | "One Brown Mouse (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)" | |
| 26. | "Heavy Horses (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)" | |
| 27. | "Weathercock (unedited master) (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)" | |
| 28. | "Living In These Hard Times (version 2, previously unreleased) (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)" | |
| 29. | "Everything In Our Lives (previously unreleased) (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)" | |
| 30. | "Jack A Lynn (early version, previously unreleased) (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)" | |
| 31. | "Quatrain (studio version, previously unreleased) (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)" | |
| 32. | "Horse-Hoeing Husbandry (previously unreleased) (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)" | |
| 33. | "Beltane (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)" | |
| 34. | "Botanic Man (previously Unreleased) (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)" | |
| 35. | "Living In These Hard Times (version 1) (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)" | |
| 36. | "Botanic Man Theme (previously unreleased) (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)" | |
| 37. | "A Town In England (Steven Wilson Remix in 96/24 PCM Stereo)" | |
| 38. | "...And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps (96/24 PCM Flat Transfer – Original Stereo Master)" | |
| 39. | "Acres Wild (96/24 PCM Flat Transfer – Original Stereo Master)" | |
| 40. | "No Lullaby (96/24 PCM Flat Transfer – Original Stereo Master)" | |
| 41. | "Moths (96/24 PCM Flat Transfer – Original Stereo Master)" | |
| 42. | "Journeyman (96/24 PCM Flat Transfer – Original Stereo Master)" | |
| 43. | "Rover (96/24 PCM Flat Transfer – Original Stereo Master)" | |
| 44. | "One Brown Mouse (96/24 PCM Flat Transfer – Original Stereo Master)" | |
| 45. | "Heavy Horses (96/24 PCM Flat Transfer – Original Stereo Master)" | |
| 46. | "Weathercock (96/24 PCM Flat Transfer – Original Stereo Master)" | |
| 47. | "Rover (No Strings Version) (Flat Transfer)" | |
| 48. | "Living In These Hard Times (Version 2) (Flat Transfer)" | |
| 49. | "Beltane (Flat Transfer)" |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Opening Music (Quartet)" | |
| 2. | "Introduction by Claude Nobs" | |
| 3. | "No Lullaby" | |
| 4. | "Sweet Dream" | |
| 5. | "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day" | |
| 6. | "Jack in the Green" | |
| 7. | "One Brown Mouse" | |
| 8. | "Heavy Horses" | |
| 9. | "A New Day Yesterday" | |
| 10. | "Flute Solo Improvisation/God Rest Ye Gentlemen/Bourée" | |
| 11. | "Living in the Past/ A New Day Yesterday (reprise)" | |
| 12. | "Songs from the Wood" | |
| 13. | "Thick as a Brick" | |
| 14. | "Hunting Girl" | |
| 15. | "Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll, Too Young to Die" | |
| 16. | "Conundrum" | |
| 17. | "Minstrel in the Gallery" | |
| 18. | "Cross-Eyed Mary" | |
| 19. | "Quatrain" | |
| 20. | "Aqualung" | |
| 21. | "Locomotive Breath" | |
| 22. | "The Dambuster's March/Aqualung (Reprise)" | |
| 45. | "Heavy Horses (video)" | |
| 46. | "Moths (Video)" | |
| 47. | "Bursting Out (TV Advertisement) (Video)" | |
| 48. | "Bursting Out and Madison Square Garden show (TV Advertisement) (Video)" |
Personnel[edit]
- Jethro Tull
- Ian Anderson – lead vocals, flute, acoustic guitar, additional electric guitar, mandolin
- Martin Barre – electric guitar
- John Glascock – backing vocals, bass guitar
- John Evan – piano, organ
- Dee Palmer – keyboards, portative pipe organ, orchestral arrangements
- Barriemore Barlow – drums, percussion
- Additional personnel
- Darryl Way – violin (on "Acres Wild" and "Heavy Horses")
- Shona Anderson – photography
- Robin Black – sound engineer
- James Cotier – photography
Charts[edit]
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[10] | 17 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[11] | 18 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[12] | 14 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[13] | 20 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14] | 4 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[15] | 34 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[16] | 13 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[17] | 27 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[18] | 20 |
| US Billboard 200[19] | 19 |
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[20] | 181 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[21] | 85 |
Certifications[edit]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[22] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[23] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[24] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References[edit]
- ^ Heavy Horses (New Shoes Edition) Booklet. Chrysalis Records.
- ^ "Jethro Tull singles".
- ^ a b Hughes, Rob (23 January 2015). "Jethro Tull: keeping the folk fires burning". ClassicRock.TeamRock.com. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Webb, Martin (2018). "An Honest Day's Toil". Heavy Horses: New Shoes Edition. Chrysalis Records.
- ^ a b Eder, Bruce. "Jethro Tull - Heavy Horses (1978) album review, credits & releases". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
- ^ "Jethro Tull - Heavy Horses (1978) album review on Melody Maker (15 April 1978)". TullPress.com. 15 April 1978. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
- ^ Bloom, Michael (21 September 1978). "Jethro Tull - Heavy Horses (1978) album review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 4 April 2009. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ McGrath, Paul (26 April 1978). "Jethro Tull". The Globe and Mail. p. F2.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 19. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Jethro Tull – Heavy Horses" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4563a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
- ^ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – J". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Select Jethro Tull from the menu, then press OK.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Jethro Tull – Heavy Horses" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Jethro Tull – Heavy Horses". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Jethro Tull – Heavy Horses". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Jethro Tull – Heavy Horses". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ^ "Jethro Tull | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ^ "Boston Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Jethro Tull – Heavy Horses" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Jethro Tull – Heavy Horses" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Jethro Tull – Heavy Horses". Music Canada. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
- ^ "British album certifications – Jethro Tull – Heavy Horses". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
- ^ "American album certifications – Jethro Tull – Heavy Horses". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
