None of
Jethro Tull's progressive rock tendencies or classical influences followed
Mick Abrahams into his creation of
Blodwyn Pig, even with the inclusion
Jack Lancaster's sax- and flute-playing prowess. Instead,
Abrahams built up a sturdy British blues-rock sound and used
Lancaster's horn work to add some fire to the band's jazzy repertoire.
Ahead Rings Out is a stellar concoction of gritty yet flamboyant blues-rock tunes and open-ended jazz centered around
Mick Abrahams' cool-handed guitar playing, but it's the nonstop infusion of the other styles that makes the album such a solid listen. After only one album with
Jethro Tull,
Abrahams left to form this band, and it's evident that he had a lot of pent-up energy inside him when he recorded each of the album's tracks. With a barrage of electrifying rhythms and fleeting saxophone and woodwind excursions, cuts like "Sing Me a Song That I Know," "Up and Coming," and "Backwash" whip up highly energetic sprees of rock and blues. Most of the tracks have a hearty shot of rock up the middle, but in cuts like "The Change Song" and "Backwash," the explosive riffs are accompanied by a big band style of enthusiasm, adding even more depth to the material.
Andy Pyle's bass playing is definitely distinct throughout each track and is used for anything but a steady background, while labeling
Ron Berg's drumming as freewheeling and intemperate would be an understatement. It's apparent that
Blodwyn Pig's style is indeed distinct, releasing a liberated and devil-may-care intensity while still managing to stay on track, but the fact that each cut convokes a different type of instrumental spiritedness is where the album really gains its reputation. Wonderfully busy and even a tad motley in some places,
Ahead Rings Out shows off the power and vitality that can be channeled by combining a number of classic styles without sounding pretentious or overly inflated. A year later,
Blodwyn Pig recorded
Getting to This before
Abrahams left the band, and although it's a solid effort, it falls just a smidgen short of
Ahead Rings Out's bluesy dynamism.