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Preamble: Hello everyone, here I am facing the "ordeal" of a review resulting from a particular "competition" between myself and v8interceptor, not aimed at who can produce the better review, but the "challenge" is about who among us can offer an interpretation that is most closely aligned with the value of the work itself. In 1973, after the release of "A Passion Play," Jethro Tull, exhausted by the heated controversies between the leader Ian Anderson and the music press, found themselves at a crossroads. Should they continue to produce long and intricate suites, or should they return to a way of writing more akin to the song format? They chose the latter option. Anderson used material for what would become War Child, which had been previously written and partially recorded for a third mega suite that was originally intended to be a double LP. This material was the famous, or infamous, Château sessions, much of which ended up on "A Passion Play" and, with the excuse of the fire in which it was said they were destroyed, they were rearranged and the lyrics in many parts rewritten from scratch. What remained was used for War Child. You can feel the entire sense of discomfort that pervades the album, discomfort born from the fact that to escape the oppressive taxes of Her Majesty, Tull moved to France to publish their work outside the UK and bypass the norms that stipulated if a record was produced abroad, it would benefit from tax reductions because it was considered an import. But this turned out to be a boomerang; the difficulty in adapting to a different lifestyle, families far away, the not very democratic methods of the leader, and finally the controversies related to the fire that destroyed what had been recorded (which wasn't entirely true, as years later, one can listen to the original recordings on Nightcap) — the result left a bitter aftertaste for both fans and the press who were just waiting for an opportunity like this to once again grill the group. The tracks that make up the album don't bite; here and there, some good insights peek through, poorly exploited like in the title track, or the decent "Back Door Angel," but for the most part, they are lacking both in writing and in overly heavy arrangements, in which an accordion and an alto sax stand out, making the peculiar sound of Jethro Tull quite off track, rendering the whole work somewhat embarrassing. Despite being an epic flop, it managed to sell a lot, especially in the U.S.A., where they had a large fan base, buoyed by the single "Bungle in the Jungle," of a sparseness that borders on uselessness. In hindsight, it is and remains a missed opportunity, especially after hearing on "Nightcap" what was discarded. P.S. Unfortunately, "Nightcap" contains material mostly attributable to "A Passion Play"... and while considering this an excellent work, the recordings here are far superior to those that were eventually used, this to convey the state of confusion and frustration that reigned among Tull...
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 War Child (04:34)
I'll take you down to that bright city mile ---
there to powder your sweet face and paint on a smile,
that will show all of the pleasures and none of the pain,
when you join my explosion
and play with my games.
WarChild dance the days, and dance the nights away.
No unconditional surrender; no armistice day ---
each night I'll die in my contentment and lie in your grave.
While you bring me water and I give you wine ---
let me dance in your tea-cup and you shall swim in mine.
WarChild dance the days, and dance the nights away.
Open your windows and I'll walk through your doors.
Let me live in your country --- let me sleep by your shores.
WarChild dance the days, and dance the nights away.
02 Queen and Country (03:01)
The wind is on the river, and the tide has turned too late,
So we're sailing for another shore where some other ladies wait,
To throw us silken whispers, catch us by the anchor chains,
But we all laugh so politely, and we sail on just the same.
For Queen and Country in the long dying day,
And it's been this way for five long years, since we signed our souls away.
We bring back gold and ivory, rings of diamonds, strings of pearls
Make presents to the government so they can have their social whirl
With Queen and Country in the long dying day.
And it's been this way for five long years, since we signed our souls away.
They build schools and they build factories with the spoils of battles won.
And we remain their pretty sailor boys, hold our heads up to the gun
Of Queen and Country in the long dying day.
And it's been this way for five long years, since we signed our souls away.
03 Ladies (03:19)
Ladies of leisure,
With their eyes on the back roads.
All looking for strangers,
To whom they extend welcomes
With a smile and a glimpse of
Pink knees and elbows;
Of satin and velvet
Good ladies, good fortune.
Ladies.
They sing of their heroes:
Of solitary soldiers
Invested in good health
And manner most charming.
Whose favors are numbered
(none the less well intended)
By hours in a minute;
By those ladies who bless them.
Ladies.
05 Sealion (03:37)
Over the mountains, and under the sky
Riding dirty gray horses, go you and I.
Mating with chance, copulating with mirth
The sad-glad paymasters (for what it's worth).
The ice-cream castles are refrigerated;
The super-marketeers are on parade.
There's a golden handshake hanging round your neck,
As you light your cigarette on the burning deck.
And you balance your world on the tip of your nose
Like a Sealion with a ball, at the carnival.
You wear a shiny skin and a funny hat
The Almighty Animal Trainer lets it go at that.
You bark ever-so-slightly at the Trainer's gun,
With you whiskers melting in the noon-day sun.
You flip and you flop under the Big White Top
Where the long-legged ring-mistress starts and stops.
But you know, after all, the act is wearing thin
As the crowd grows uneasy and the boos begin.
But you balance your world on the tip of your nose
You're a Sealion with a ball at the carnival.
Just a trace of pride upon our fixed grins
For there is no business like the show we're in.
There is no reason, no rhyme, no right
To leave the circus 'til we've said good-night.
The same performance, in the same old way;
It's the same old story to this Passion Play.
So we'll shoot the moon, and hope to call the tune
And make no pin cushion of this big balloon.
Look how we balance the world on the tips of our noses,
Like Sealions with a ball at the carnival.
07 Bungle in the Jungle (03:37)
Walking through forests of palm tree apartments
Scoff at the monkeys who live in their dark tents
Down by the waterhole, drunk every Friday
Eating their nuts, saving their raisins for Sunday
Lions and tigers who wait in the shadows
They're fast but they're lazy, and sleep in green meadows
Well, let's bungle in the jungle
Well, that's all right by me, yes
Well, I'm a tiger when I want love
And I'm a snake if we disagree
Just say a word and the boys will be right there
With claws at your back to send a chill through the night air
Is it so frightening to have me at your shoulder?
Thunder and lightning couldn't be bolder
I'll write on your tombstone, I thank you for dinner
This game that we animals play is a winner
Well, let's bungle in the jungle
Well, that's all right by me, yes
I'm a tiger when I want love
I'm a snake if we disagree
The rivers are full of crocodile nasties
And he who made kittens put snakes in the grass, he's
A lover of life, but a player of pawns
Yes, the king on his sunset lies waiting for dawn
To light up his jungle as play is resumed
The monkeys seem willing to strike up the tune
Well, let's bungle in the jungle
Well, that's all right by me, yes
I'm a tiger when I want love
And I'm a snake when we disagree
Yes, let's bungle in the jungle
Well, that's all right by me, yes
Well, I'm a tiger when I want love
I'm a snake when we disagree
Well, let's bungle in the jungle
Well, that's all right by me, yes
I'm a tiger when I want love
08 Only Solitaire (01:29)
Brain-storming habit-forming battle-warning weary
Winsome actor spewing spineless chilling lines ---
The critics falling over to tell themselves he's boring
And really not an awful lot of fun.
Well who the hell can he be when he's never had V.D.,
And he doesn't even sit on toilet seats?
Court-jesting, never-resting
He must be very cunning
To assume an air of dignity
And bless us all with his oratory prowess,
His lame-brained antics and his jumping in the air.
And every night his act's the same
And so it must be all a game of chess he's playing
"But you're wrong, Steve: you see, it's only solitaire."
09 The Third Hoorah (04:51)
Hoorah!
WarChild, dance the days and nights away
Sweet child, how do you do today?
When your back's to the wall,
And your luck is your all,
Then side with whoever you may.
Seek that which within lies waiting to begin
The fight of your life that is everyday.
Dance with the WarChild
Hoorah.
WarChild, dance the days and nights away
Sweet child, how do you do today?
In the heart of your heart, there's the tiniest part
Of an urge to live to the death
With a sword on your hip and a cry on your lips
To strike life in the inner child's breast.
Dance with the WarChild
Hoorah.
WarChild, dance the days and nights away
Sweet child, how do you do today?
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Other reviews
By Pibroch
"War Child is a solid work, with beautiful tracks, excellent arrangements, and classic Jethro Tull themes stronger than ever."
"The song 'Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of The New Day' is a gem, featuring perfect melody and chilling accordion accompaniment."
By v8interceptor
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.
With these pieces included and confirming Back Door Angel, Sealion, Queen Country, now we’d be talking about an album that kicks ass.
