Jethro Tull
War Child

THE REVIEW

“The girl, seeing me nervous, asked if I would like a cup of tea, but I was too shaken by what was happening and, not without regrets, I refused. Outside, the cannon shots made the window panes tremble and the sirens screamed continuously; she, feeling sorry, wanted to comfort me: she took the violin, placed it under her rosy cheek, and began to play. Suddenly, it was as if the shootings and explosions were confined outside, and around me, there existed only her and that melody: I was mesmerized watching her slender fingers and her smooth hair move alongside her gentle shoulders. To this day, I have not forgotten those notes…”

Now, asking for forgiveness for this nonsense above, a survivor of quite another review not at all discarded, I would move on to talk about that “WarChild” which was released in nineteen seventy-four and, in some ways, was the turning-point album…

For Jethro Tull, the brief and intense progressive era had ended, although many characteristics of that period would return to dominate in subsequent works. The year before, “A Passion Play” had brought the band to the peak of the emotional climb undertaken since its inception, and it marked the beginning of the definitive crisis in their relationship with the critics; Ian Anderson experienced a deep disillusionment towards society and decided to take another path with the band, almost to be followed solo. Ian was undergoing a metamorphosis, increasingly donning the role of a jester, the minstrel who says what he pleases through music. This would become evident to anyone with the next year's album, explicit from the title (“Minstrel In The Gallery”) and cover.

In a way, a prelude to this mentality is found in the opening of the magnificent “Thick As A Brick”: I really don’t care if you don’t want to listen to me!! Personally, I liked “Warchild” immediately, a more complex work than believed, and a concept that has nothing to envy from many other contemporary works. Furthermore, the great instrumental variety (the violins, the saxophone again as in the fantastic predecessor, a punchy piano, the accordion, the orchestral contributions) adds further depth to the work. The themes are those that will often characterize the years to come; Ian addresses them without false modesty, as always. The flutist wanted to speak of war and did so through the eyes of a child soldier in the title track: dance, war child, night and day, forget the pains and fully enjoy the pleasures of life… The song is a determined ballad, with an inexorable progression, culminating in a beautiful theme for saxophone and orchestra. But war does not arise alone, and then come the attacks on those who are responsible for it throughout the centuries, the high political and institutional ranks. Examples are “Queen And Country” and the delicate “Ladies”, bitter reflections on the society of the past and present, between corrupt aristocracy and prostitutes. And still, “Bungle In The Jungle” (a great success in the U.S.A., despite being perhaps the least significant episode of the album musically), in which the comparison is to a rather savage world, where the strong and clever win. And then “Sea Lion”, a very Tull-like track, a reflection on the spectacle often seen as merely a veil concealing the reality of things (“Watch how we balance the World on the tip of our nose, like sea lions at a carnival…”).

And more than society, religion, already criticized in the past (the hard “Back-door Angels”, with Martin Barre in great prominence: the lyrics are cryptic as always, especially here, but the image of the back-door Angels is quite evocative…). And if “The Third Hoorah” is a nice reprise of the title track in a very “scottish” key, “Only Solitaire” is the acoustic gem of the moment, further testimony to the phase Anderson has embarked upon. In all this emerges a gem, a track among the best ever written by Anderson: “Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of The New Day”… the accordion accompanies Ian in a perfect melody, I remember my eyes wide open when I heard it for the first time. Chilling!! The album closes with “Two Fingers”, a sort of sermon that echoes the role of “Wind Up” in “Aqualung”. A very beautiful song, characterized by a very fluid arrangement, it stands out for its text rich in metaphors and more: emblematic is the line that, translated very freely, says: “When you die, and become dust, make sure you leave your underpants to someone you trust”.

In conclusion, “War Child” is an excellent album, certainly not a masterpiece, perhaps penalized by being released between two fantastic works by the Tull (a fate somewhat similar to that of two other albums, “Benefit” and “Too Old To Rock’n’Roll: Too Young To Die!”, the second of which certainly not as bad as believed, on the contrary…). It's a solid work, despite a rather long gestation (some songs were written as early as '71, the very "Two Fingers" was excluded from "Aqualung" and subsequently adapted): a truly enjoyable LP, with at least a couple of beautiful tracks, excellent arrangements (again, the great work of David Palmer) and the classic themes of Jethro Tull stronger than ever. And the transition to the Muse of Baker Street is very brief!! Skating away…