the green manalishi

I fully agree with grasshopper.

Pibroch, your theory is right: the old songs Ian sings... badly. The problem is that he can't get off the stage even with force. He promised that he would spend the first 6 months of 2006 resting his voice, but instead he's done more tours than usual!!! In my opinion, Ian should slow down a bit and do fewer concerts—few but well done. Because when his voice is rested, he sings better, and I find it absurd that at almost 60 he is still doing 8-month tours in America only to come back to Europe without a voice, leaving us with scraps. I also blame Ian for another thing: the band has now become almost an IAN ANDERSON BAND because they play on command. No one plays a note that Ian doesn't want, and no one has a say, not even Martin Barre! For this reason, after seeing them 10 times, I'm a bit tired. But it's mainly the live repertoire that has tired me because, out of a discography of over 300 composed songs, it’s not possible for Jethro to always play those 30. Lastly, regarding creativity: it seems to never fade, but paradoxically after SLOB in 2000, Ian seems to have taken a bit of a backseat. The Christmas Album, apart from maybe one or two songs, is dreadful while Rupi's Dance is the first Ian CD where I hear already composed pieces, and more than a sequel to Secret Language of Birds, it seems like a pseudo clone, with added pieces from Roots to Branches. Maybe Ian should seriously consider dusting off the Tull and forget about his nonsense with the orchestra because, for me (but I think for others too!), it has worn thin. Right or wrong, Roby and Pibroch?

good job

Great review, and beautiful album. You can really tell that you like it!

Roby said many things that I completely agree with. Among all the mentioned albums, Stormwatch is undoubtedly the best. Roots to Branches is in my opinion the best Tull album of the '90s because I believe the band is in great shape. Ideas are flowing, and the group's cohesion seems to have solidified again after the mediocre chapter of Catfish Rising. The value of these two is beyond discussion for me. Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll, in my judgment, is the least exciting album of the '70s because I find it rather weak. Not surprisingly, half of the songs are written with David (now Dee, sigh!) Palmer. Despite nice moments like Pied Piper, Salamander, and Taxi Grab, it's a rather syrupy album (the chequered flag dead or alve, from a dead beat to an old greaser) and has a rather tedious title track, even used by the Americans during the siege of Noriega's hideout in Panama, bombarded to the rhythm of rock with gigantic speakers around the embassy where he had taken refuge. He must have come out screaming, "Please, no more Too Old by Jethro!" Returning to the albums, Dot Com doesn't hold up to Roots, but it's still a pleasant listen from time to time. Comparing all these aforementioned albums is difficult since they are all original and different from each other, but Under Wraps doesn’t hold up at all in the comparison. The comparison can only be made between Under Wraps and A, since they belong to the same period and style. There is no doubt that A would win hands down! As I already mentioned in the review, Under Wraps also lacks ideas at the compositional level, while A is in its own way much more varied and original, even for the atmosphere that pervades the album. At least this is my humble opinion, now... I pass the word to Pibroch.

Beautiful review, magnificent!

Distorted or not, it's still beautiful.

manalishi, I've answered for you! Nice review!

Oh no! Yes, I’m a Schenker, I have so much money and so many fantastic things. In fact, I'm a poor fool!

I give you a 5 for enthusiasm. I also love Tull (and therefore Ian) to bits, but I think this album lacks a sound that's closer to the original vibe. Let me explain: in my opinion, the songs are well structured, Ian's creativity is not lacking and all the ideas are there, but still, the album doesn’t have what a band could have turned "Walk into Light" into something truly great. A sampler is not the same as a bass, and the same goes for the electronic drums. And then the flute is very much missed. But that’s just my opinion, then…