Broadsword and the Beast

The Broadsword and the Beast is the fourteenth studio album by rock band Jethro Tull, released in April 1982 by Chrysalis Records. The album's musical style features a cross between the dominant synthesizer sound of the 1980s and the folk-influenced style that Jethro Tull used in the previous decade. As such, the band's characteristic acoustic instrumentation is augmented by electronic soundscapes. The electronic aspects of this album would be explored further by the band on their next album, Under Wraps (1984), as well as on Ian Anderson's solo album Walk into Light (1983). Paul Samwell-Smith produced the album, making The Broadsword and the Beast the first and only Jethro Tull album produced by an external producer outside of the band and their management. Early sessions for the album were produced by Keith Olsen. However, Olsen was dismissed amid creative differences in December 1981; he was not credited on the album. The album was the first Jethro Tull album to feature Peter-John Vettese on keyboards and Gerry Conway on drums.