I love it! It's a glorious celebration of folk traditions and lore. These are presented for our consumption on a richly musical platter. It opens shakily with the title track which starts off vocal-only. That part doesn't work for me, but as soon as the music kicks in, I'm grabbed. As a song it certainly sets the scene and the tone for the album. "Jack-in-the-Green" is a vaguely amusing song about nature's relationship with the seasons and the changing planet. "Cup of Wonder" seems to be an upbeat celebration of May Day (and of life?), while "Hunting Girl" is a weird tale of social and sexual impropriety. It seems a little out of place. "Ring Out, Solstice Bells" is a joyous celebration of the winter solstice. It should not be confused with what are generally known as Christmas songs. This is a purely pagan affair. "Velvet Green" brings together nature, sex and love themes very successfully. Very interesting; very earthy; very folky. "The Whistler" is OK. It just reminds me (musically) of something that Cat Stevens did before. "Pibroch (Cap in Hand)" is the longest, darkest and heaviest track on the album. It's pretty good, featuring some folky instrumental passages, but these don't all work as well as each other. "Fire at Midnight" is a touching little love song that closes the album. I really like the theme of the album. I think it works very well and the songs have been put together well. There is some great music too. It sounds very rich: acoustic and electric guitars, flute, various kinds of percussion, bass, piano and assorted other instruments. It's an excellent production. With this album Jethro Tull ignored the dawn of punk and went back to their roots.
–Jim
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