Ian Anderson
Walk Into Light

In the 80s, music transitioned from progressive to melodic pop, and from played instruments to sampled ones. Critics decidedly started to turn up their noses, but people liked this new sound, and so many artists decided to change their sound. Ian Anderson, before converting his band, the famous Jethro Tull, to these sounds (with the honest and decidedly underrated "Under Wraps" in 1984), decided to give it a try with his first solo album, titled "Walk Into Light." Upon its release, the album sold little to nothing, critics paid little to no attention, and Jethro Tull fans were divided between those who considered it an album of electronic genius and those who thought it was high treason by Ian Anderson. As a result, after being released on LP in 1983, the album was not reissued on CD until 1997.

In reality, the album, in the opinion of this writer, is not bad at all; in fact, the tracks contained within it are of great quality, if it weren't for the overly electronic sounds. The album was played as a duo: obviously by Ian Anderson, who plays the flute, electric guitar, bass, programs the drums, and sings, and by the young talent Peter John Vettese, who takes care of the keyboards, which play a fundamental role in this album. The album opens with "Fly By Night," the only track to gain some fame; it's an orchestral and majestic piece, fully in tune with the title, that will be reprised in an (unfortunately somewhat long-winded) instrumental version on the Jethro Tull album "A Classic Case." "Made In England" is another track that has been performed live by Jethro Tull multiple times, and it opens with an electric guitar introduction (rarely played by Ian Anderson) that then turns into a calm track with an engaging and rather catchy melody. The title track and "User Friendly" move more into simple 80s pop but are, each in their own way, very interesting: especially the former, which contains an unprecedented Ian Anderson improvising scat halfway through the piece. "Trains" is a track with a simple structure but engaging and captivating, partly due to its irresistible melody. "End Game" and the splendid "Toad In The Hole," on the other hand, are two tracks with a more complex structure. "Looking For The Eden," tries to evoke more mystical flavors in the melody. However, compared to the theme it tries to describe, it comes across as a bit lacking, yet still pleasant to listen to.

The only tracks that don't quite convince are the concluding "Different Germany" and "Black and White Television," both, in my opinion, not very successful melodically, and not very engaging either. In short, ultimately, we can speak of a very good and decidedly underrated album, which definitely deserves a listen.