Far and away the prettiest record released at least since and a special treat for anyone with a fondness for the group's more -oriented material. had moved to the countryside sometime earlier, and it showed in his choice of source material. The band's aggressive interplay and 's fascination with early melodies produce a particularly appealing collection of songs -- the seriousness with which the group took this effort can be discerned by the album's unofficial "full" title on the original LP: "Jethro Tull With Kitchen Prose, Gutter Rhymes, and Divers Songs from the Wood." The group's sound was never more carefully balanced between acoustic and -- the result is an album that sounds a great deal like the work of 's labelmates (though never attacked his cymbals -- or his entire drum kit -- with 's ferocity). The harmonizing on fulfills the promise shown in some of the singing on , and the delicacy of much of the rest, including (where the group plays full out, but with wonderful elegance), set a new standard for the group's sound. which is dominated by 's electric guitar -- in a stunning array of overlapping flourishes at full volume -- is the only concession to the group's usual rave-ups, and even it has some lovely singing to counterbalance the bulk of the song. ~ Bruce Eder