|
Post by bambooflute on Nov 25, 2014 0:27:57 GMT
Anniversaries, birthdays, important dates...anything that marks an occasion or the passage of time usually means a lot to me. I got distracted this year, though, and it only just occurred to me that this past October marked the 30th anniversary of me seeing Jethro Tull live for the first time. I was fifteen years old and, yes, I know people will say I missed the golden years. I have to say, however, that I still REALLY enjoyed Tull (and IA solo) concerts right up to and including those I saw last year. (I cannot comment on the H.E. tour as I missed it)
So, yes, 1984: the year of Under Wraps and the start of IA's vocal problems. Under Wraps, while not in my top five Tull albums, is still one that I enjoy immensely. I liked it when it came out and like it now. Admittedly, I would not want to have seen Tull do a series of albums in this style (but then, one of the greatest qualities of Tull was that Ian and the band never stood still and always kept exploring different musical avenues - progressive in the truest sense of the word, not just as a genre classification), but UW has its own unique character, and, in spite of the over-reliance on 1980s keyboards, the songs are very "Tull." I love spy novels just like Ian Anderson does, and the songs that touch on these themes are very evocative of that whole world... It's also an album that, for me, is best listened to in the autumn or early winter - there is a chilly edge to the music and lyrics that seem out of place when heard on bright summer day. But they sure work extremely well when there is a nip in the air.
So, happy anniversary to Under Wraps and my first foray into a venue where Ian and the guys were playing. We'll never see a deluxe Under Wraps edition on the scale of the recent Passion Play and WarChild sets, but I'd like to give the album its moment in the spotlight and show it a little love. It deserves it.
"Lobstermen thought they saw a submarine half-submerged suspiciously..."
- David
|
|
|
Post by Tulltapes on Nov 25, 2014 5:50:44 GMT
Anniversaries, birthdays, important dates...anything that marks an occasion or the passage of time usually means a lot to me. I got distracted this year, though, and it only just occurred to me that this past October marked the 30th anniversary of me seeing Jethro Tull live for the first time. I was fifteen years old and, yes, I know people will say I missed the golden years. I have to say, however, that I still REALLY enjoyed Tull (and IA solo) concerts right up to and including those I saw last year. (I cannot comment on the H.E. tour as I missed it) So, yes, 1984: the year of Under Wraps and the start of IA's vocal problems. Under Wraps, while not in my top five Tull albums, is still one that I enjoy immensely. I liked it when it came out and like it now. Admittedly, I would not want to have seen Tull do a series of albums in this style (but then, one of the greatest qualities of Tull was that Ian and the band never stood still and always kept exploring different musical avenues - progressive in the truest sense of the word, not just as a genre classification), but UW has its own unique character, and, in spite of the over-reliance on 1980s keyboards, the songs are very "Tull." I love spy novels just like Ian Anderson does, and the songs that touch on these themes are very evocative of that whole world... It's also an album that, for me, is best listened to in the autumn or early winter - there is a chilly edge to the music and lyrics that seem out of place when heard on bright summer day. But they sure work extremely well when there is a nip in the air. So, happy anniversary to Under Wraps and my first foray into a venue where Ian and the guys were playing. We'll never see a deluxe Under Wraps edition on the scale of the recent Passion Play and WarChild sets, but I'd like to give the album its moment in the spotlight and show it a little love. It deserves it. "Lobstermen thought they saw a submarine half-submerged suspiciously..." - David While not one of the strongest records, Underwraps it's still a significant piece of tullstory. There's alot of good songs and the live gigs were excellent! It also gave us the new "modern" Tull logo which has been used here and there since. Alot of tull fans including my family and friends got to participate in listening parties and have their names of the inner sleeve of the record. That made it a fun time. I think the biggest complaint about it is the lack of real drums in favor of the infamous drum samples and keyboard domination. Tull were experimenting with sounds of the times and UW started to sound very dated years later. Although Martin has said several times that it was his favorite Tull album. I personally have been able to appreciate the (now vintage) keyboard sounds both UW and especially "A" (& Walk into Light) over the past several years. Not to mention Vetesse was brilliant!! I would actually love to see a remix of UW. As a bonus it would be fun if Steven Wilson had Doane record real drum parts onto all the tracks and mix them in place of the samples. This is something SW has done with his own stuff and the results were astounding. But before all this i still have a Warchild 5.1 to listen to. David have you seen the entire 84 Pro-shot concert from Passaic NJ? Not the 50min Mtv version but the entire gig. It's awesome!
|
|
|
Post by bambooflute on Nov 25, 2014 14:17:09 GMT
While not one of the strongest records, Underwraps it's still a significant piece of tullstory. There's alot of good songs and the live gigs were excellent! It also gave us the new "modern" Tull logo which has been used here and there since. Alot of tull fans including my family and friends got to participate in listening parties and have their names of the inner sleeve of the record. That made it a fun time. I think the biggest complaint about it is the lack of real drums in favor of the infamous drum samples and keyboard domination. Tull were experimenting with sounds of the times and UW started to sound very dated years later. Although Martin has said several times that it was his favorite Tull album. I personally have been able to appreciate the (now vintage) keyboard sounds both UW and especially "A" (& Walk into Light) over the past several years. Not to mention Vetesse was brilliant!! I would actually love to see a remix of UW. As a bonus it would be fun if Steven Wilson had Doane record real drum parts onto all the tracks and mix them in place of the samples. This is something SW has done with his own stuff and the results were astounding. But before all this i still have a Warchild 5.1 to listen to. David have you seen the entire 84 Pro-shot concert from Passaic NJ? Not the 50min Mtv version but the entire gig. It's awesome! You raise some very interesting points; yes, it was disconcerting to see Tull become almost "trendy" in their use of sounds, but the strength of the material overcomes this, as well as the tinny sound of the drum machines! I agree with you - having Doane record real drums for this album would elevate it considerably. So, yeah, a very flawed album, but it still has something...an indefinable quality that still impresses me. And, yes, the footage of the NJ Under Wraps show is fantastic! I have very strong memories of the show I saw (within days of that NJ show). Like I said, it was my first Tull concert and it made quite an impression. I was charged up for days afterwards and could talk about nothing else, which must have annoyed family and friends! Hey, I was only fifteen! I don't go over-the-top in my enthusiasm these days, but the magic has stayed with me. - David
|
|
|
Post by tootull on Nov 25, 2014 14:27:01 GMT
Nice to see this thread. I have always liked Under Wraps, so sue me. I favour the original LP tracks. I liked the tour. Memory from Maple Leaf Gardens, the astronaut unveiled an American flag, the crowd was starting to boo when suddenly the Canadian flag replaced the American flag. My patch from the tour.
|
|