Jethro Tull
War Child

THE REVIEW

So, greetings to all the viewers of DEBASER, I'm writing a review for which I don't ask for votes. The album WAR CHILD by the prog group JETHRO TULL is the kind of album that divides, with some despising it, others discussing it with possibilities of rehabilitation. Therefore, two reviews will be made, one by me and one by my colleague SERGIO60, to see which perspective the group's fans will find more familiar.

The genesis:

After the PROGRESSIVE marathons of the brick and mystery, the band returns to song form, but originally this album was supposed to be a soundtrack for a film in which the MONTY PYTHON were also supposed to participate; due to lack of funds, everything stalled and it transformed into a new album under the name JETHRO TULL. The song that gives the title to the work is a reference to a piece by ROY HARPER, (that Folk Singer who recorded with PINK FLOYD on HAVE A CIGAR). It was the era in which ANDERSON had produced the STEELEYE SPAN with the album NOW WE ARE SIX, and this partly explains the leader's new passion for Rock with traditionally Folk tinges that peeks through in some tracks; the rest is a bit chaotic, the band recovers pieces from previous sessions even as far back as Passion Play (ONLY SOLITAIRE, SKATING AWAY) and reworks a gestating piece that was discarded from AQUALUNG like LICK YOUR FINGERS CLEAN which here becomes TWO FINGER. Who managed this album? Anderson? Terry Ellis? Both? The fact is that many light compositions (but annoyingly heavy) replace the brainy Rock of previous works, while other songs instead want to remind everyone that Anderson does not renounce doing something with an epic, pompous, and demanding touch. The lyrics betray something, SKATING AWAY pronounces the words PASSION PLAY, indicating its origin from the famous French tapes of '72-'73, SEALION contains ecological elements and BUNGLE IN THE JUNGLE was apparently studied precisely to make the charts, Anderson would later repudiate it for that reason. The album would be 14th in England and would climb in America up to number 2. The single BUNGLE would be eleventh, again in America, but something doesn't add up; as I've always said, WAR CHILD had sessions left unreleased for years that could have turned the album into their happiest chapter. The perfect sound (even more than in MINSTREL) is found in songs like BACK DOOR ANGEL. I don't exaggerate when I say this is more JETHRO TULL than SONGS FROM THE WOOD, but the band refrains from instrumental interludes to maybe avoid the usual rifts with the press or to not lose a part of the audience that got quite bored with the PASSION PLAY TOUR. The fact is that Anderson surely did not want to renounce the serious tone the film was supposed to assume (at least in a couple of pieces). Technically, the band is still powerful, and Anderson will sing a couple of pieces very aggressively. In my opinion, BARLOW's snare is one of the most beautiful sounds on the record. The fact is that the worst or almost of those sessions would end up in this work.

The songs:

WAR CHILD opens the record with the title track that was clearly the pivot of the film, realized in many ways, even in suite version for orchestra. It's a bit far from the typical sound, Anderson doesn't throw away the sopranino sax. QUEEN AND COUNTRY is a nice piece, gritty and also compact, the percussion line of the drums is not simple. LADIES has a theater atmosphere and is not to be counted among the band's best overall, whereas BACK DOOR ANGEL certainly is. They are the real JETHRO TULL: rock, prog, and acoustically one of Anderson's best lyrics. A somewhat simple song follows the same pattern that in 1978 would have NO LULLABY, introducing an unprecedented JOHN EVAN on keyboards and Arp. SEALION, on the other hand, is overwhelming even if EVAN's accordion is a bit forced. The second side opens with the unworthy SKATING AWAY, a little song that is quickly forgotten. BUNGLE IN THE JUNGLE is just wasted, almost infamous (the band would do even worse). ONLY SOLITARIE is a classic of solo Anderson. Then it's the turn of 2 songs that were surely supposed to be film material. THE THIRD HOORAN is a very percussive piece and would have been extremely enjoyable if the whole instrumental section, PALMER hadn't delivered it by weighing it all down with the orchestra. For TWO FINGERS, however, the situation is reverse; the band tried to simplify something that could or should have been more progressive.

The unreleased:

That the band fumbled by leaving out pieces that would have made a difference is immediately noticeable by listening to SATURATION, which surfaced for the 20 Years Of box set. GLORY ROW is instead a classic acoustic rock but not bad, RAIMBOW BLUES is a song that came out as a 45 in 1976 but the sound seems like an unfortunate release of that 1974, PARADISE STEAKHOUSE is a gem that can be heard in the double NIGHT CAP cd Your round, the same goes for QUARTET, a song surely made on par with LADIES, and SEALION 2 admits no counter-arguments, it should've been part of the CONCEPT. TOMORROW TODAY was recovered for the 40th of the Album and was a piece the band was already playing in 1971-72, a great piece with BARRE hitting it with RIFF, another gem remains GOOD GOODMOTHER, a classic song also recovered for the fortieth which you'll hate at first listen, but then it's like a drug at the second, you can't do without it and I consider it one of the absolute best things from the group... well, with these pieces included and confirming BACK DOOR ANGEL, SEALION, QUEEN COUNTRY, now we'd be talking about an album that kicks ass...

Live:

WAR CHILD was performed in 1974 and immediately forgotten in the following year, QUEEN COUNTRY as well, while LADIES was used that year as a piece for BARLOW's drum solo. SEALION was performed as well not beyond that Tour's end. BACK DOOR ANGEL was brought to the stage until the SONGS FROM THE WOOD Bis Tour, while SKATING AWAY was performed everywhere like a nighttime nightmare, avoided perhaps only in 1982 (but maybe), then again in 1984 and maybe dropped from '87 onwards due to Anderson's vocal reasons. BUNGLE IN THE JUNGLE, here and there, was played in '74, '75, picked up again live in '80 and also I believe in '82. Anderson attempted it even at the DOT COM era. Another piece considered (barely) was THE THIRD HOORAN.

Musicians' considerations:

Anderson remembers the album as a period in which the band of the time collaborated; for the rest, he exalts the ecological content of the lyrics. According to Glen Cormick, the band's first bassist, BUNGLE IN THE JUNGLE remains one of those things deserving a double thumbs down.

My opinion:

Anderson could no longer make mistakes or surely couldn't risk it but also didn't want to give up his Ego, so the work will contain a bit of the GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY of the Jethro Tull of that period. Engaged lyrics, hard rock, easy-going elements, singer-songwriter lines, and sound explorations. When I listen to it again, I cannot consider it an UNHAPPY episode, indeed a thousand times better than To Old too, etc....(we understand each other a lot)... Do not give me votes, please, my friend SERGIO 60 will continue my work by giving his own opinion by reviewing it in turn, so it's not a competition....