Jethro Tull
Catfish Rising

It is always very difficult to talk about a group that has written memorable pages without risking falling into cliché, or even worse, into rhetoric. Furthermore, for a very devoted fan, the risk is doubled because the writer realizes that the total lack of objectivity is always lurking. However, this time I will strive to be as objective as possible because the work in question, while remaining a cut above the average of the period in which it was released, objectively presents some aspects that penalize it.

But let's proceed in order. The Tull were coming off an album released two years earlier that had the responsibility of carrying quite a heavy legacy as it followed the celebrated 'Crest of a Knave'. Celebrated because it marked a certain resurgence in Anderson's creativity after the horrendous (in my opinion) 'Under Wraps'. The 1989 album I’m referring to was 'Rock Island', a record with some brilliant moments and others a little less so. The group enters the 90s with 'Catfish Rising' which embodies a certain continuity with the previous album in terms of song structure, prioritizing Barre's guitar over everything else. It should be said right away that there are brilliant moments, but in my opinion, the album is penalized by a certain darkness in the sound that makes it almost muffled, lacking in bright tones. In terms of execution, it’s the usual precise product, but I also find some moments do not flourish creatively.

Let’s proceed carefully: opening 'Catfish Rising' is "This is not Love", with a powerful start featuring a short and spectacular drum roll by Doane Perry. The structure is very rock-oriented with the guitar taking the lead and a decent bass line executed by Dave Pegg's son. A pleasant song with a catchy chorus and nice grit, but nothing more. It continues with a nice blues-rock called "Occasional Demon". The balalaika and acoustic guitar background is lovely with Barre still prominent with his electric guitar. Pleasant, also sung very well, but... nothing more (that’s two).

"Roll Yer Own" is the third track and let’s say right away that the discourse is a bit different here. A beautiful song with very jazzy vocals and a blues base of bass and acoustic guitar with excellent brushwork on the drums. This is really a nice song... We move to "Rocks on the Road" and we're perhaps at the highest moment of the entire album. A very intimate song with soft tones and a very deliberate rhythmic base. The vocal part is decidedly expressive, talking about the frenetic pace of modern life in a big city. The jazzy interlude is stunning with enchanting flute and a nice piano background. A music video was also made for this piece, but alas, in the video, the song was mutilated, almost completely removing the beautiful interlude mentioned above.

The subsequent song is rather simple, decidedly anonymous. "Little Sparrow on the Schoolyard wall", with a quick rhythmic pace and an organ sewing the whole thing together. Yes, nice, but nothing more.... (that's three). "Thinking Round Corners" is a decidedly folk-colored track but seems to have been hastily conceived. Yes, it's nice, but nothing more.... (that's four). To demonstrate that even the most sublime minds can sometimes take a vacation, comes the next "Still Loving You Tonight". This is really hard to forgive the old Ian. Sickly sweet, with a chorus that might as well be from a Peppino di Capri song, despite the beautiful work on the electric six-string by the great Martin Barre. This one isn’t even nice.... (again four).

But perhaps the lowest point of 'Catfish Rising' is reached with "Doctor to my Disease". Truly ugly, with almost disco drumming and an overall FM station sound from the States... (and five, sigh!). Something is redeemed with "Like a tall Thin Girl", in the sense that at least the tones become more pleasant and less commercial. It’s a decent folk electric, certainly nice, but nothing more... (that's six, help).

To save the listener accustomed to the usual class of the Tull and until now quite puzzled by the listening experience, comes a truly beautiful song, as if Ian suddenly came to his senses and remembered what class he possesses. "White Innocence" is sincerely chilling. Long and articulated on a beautiful vocal, done with feeling, and an insistent drumming rhythm. Moments of high emotional tension for a sweet, almost evocative song, despite its heavy footprint, where the electric guitar and the Hammond organ create a nice atmosphere. Here we are witnessing a surge of Catfish Rising (thank goodness, I was getting depressed having to criticize the Tull). Even the following "Sleeping with the Dog", is not bad at all, on the contrary. This is a nice song, very humorous both in text and music. It's about, how could you say... marital spats? Yes, I believe so, and the song's irony is highlighted by a dog's bark under the phrase: "I'm sleeping with the dog". Nice track, nothing transcendent, but certainly above the average of the whole album alongside three or four other tracks.

Unfortunately, the low moments resume with the last two tracks: "Gold Tipped Boots, Black jacket and Tie" and "When Jesus came to play". These are two pieces with a folk structure but seem to be written and played (and arranged) in a hurry. They don’t leave a mark. Nice, yes, but... nothing more.... (that's seven and eight, I'm at my wit's end).

In short, perhaps I exaggerated a bit with the comments in parentheses about the less successful pieces, but I assure you that although always dignified, this album is decidedly below average, I repeat, not only for the not excellent quality of many compositions but also for a certain darkness of sounds. Maybe the Tull had a contractual obligation to fulfill... or maybe it’s simply physiological that sometimes things don’t go the right way, or at least not completely the right way. The Tull produced many remarkable things in the 80/90s, but 'Catfish Rising' is not to be counted among them. Despite everything, forever... 'Long life pied-piper'.... and works like 'Roots to Branches' and 'Dot Com' are there to demonstrate that class is permanent.