War Child [Bonus Tracks] [Remaster]

Performer: Jethro Tull
Engineer: Melvyn Abrahams; George Peckham; Robin Black
Producer: Ian Anderson
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Jethro Tull: Ian Anderson (vocals, acoustic guitar, flute, sopranino, soprano & alto saxophones); Martin Barre (electric & Spanish guitars); John Evan (piano, organ, piano accordion, synthesizers); Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond (acoustic & electric basses); Barriemore Barlow (marimba, drums, glockenspiel, percussion). Additional personnel: David Palmer (conductor); Philamusica Of London. Recorded at Morgan Studios, London, England. All tracks have been digitally remastered. Jethro Tull: Ian Anderson (vocals, acoustic guitar, flute, sopranino, soprano & alto saxophones); Martin Barre (electric & Spanish guitars); John Evan (piano, organ, piano accordion, synthesizers); Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond (acoustic & electric basses); Barriemore Barlow (marimba, drums, glockenspiel, percussion). Additional personnel: David Palmer (conductor); Philamusica Of London. Recorded at Morgan Studios, London, England. Ultradiscs are mastered from the original master tapes using Mobile Fidelity's proprietary mastering technique, then plated with 24 karat gold and housed in a stress-resistant lift-lock jewel box. Personnel: Ian Anderson (vocals, acoustic guitar, flute, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Martin Barre (electric guitar, Spanish guitar); John Evan (accordion, piano, organ, synthesizer); Barriemore Barlow (marimba, glockenspiel, drums, percussion); Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond (bass guitar). Liner Note Author: Ian Anderson . Recording information: Morgan Studios, North London, England. Arranger: Jethro Tull. Two years on from the conceptual innovations of THICK AS A BRICK, Tull had learned how to crystallize the creativity of that prog-rock masterpiece and incorporate it into more traditional song structures. Thus, the songs here are full of daunting time signatures and dazzling feats of instrumental derring-do, but all in the context of shorter, more concise composition. There's also a darker edge to things here, as introduced by the tumultuous title cut. The band's fascination with medieval-sounding themes was also beginning to blossom here, blending with their folk and prog influences. In this sense, WARCHILD can be seen as the template for much of what followed in the Tull catalog. The two best-known songs here represent extremes of the band's sound. "Bungle in the Jungle" is a bit of humorous riffery heavy on the hooks. "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day" is a poignant, folk-tinged ballad that harks back to THICK AS A BRICK's acoustic passages and ranks among Anderson's finest tunes. Two years on from the conceptual innovations of THICK AS A BRICK, Tull had learned how to crystallize the creativity of that prog-rock masterpiece and incorporate it into more traditional song structures. Thus, the songs here are full of daunting time signatures and dazzling feats of instrumental derring-do, but all in the context of shorter, more concise composition. There's also a darker edge to things here, as introduced by the tumultuous title cut. The band's fascination with medieval-sounding themes was also beginning to blossom here, blending with their folk and prog influences. In this sense, WARCHILD can be seen as the template for much of what followed in the Tull catalog. The two best-known songs here represent extremes of the band's sound. "Bungle in the Jungle" is a bit of humorous riffery heavy on the hooks. "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day" is a poignant, folk-tinged ballad that harks back to THICK AS A BRICK's acoustic passages and ranks among Anderson's finest tunes. As a return to standard-length songs following two epic-length pieces (Thick as a Brick and A Passion Play), it was inevitable that the material on War Child would lack power. The music was no longer quite able to cover for the obscurity of Jethro Tull's lyrics: the title track is reasonably successful, but "Queen and Country" seems repetitive and pointless. "Ladies," by contrast, is one of Tull's folk-based pieces, and one of the prettiest songs on the record, beautifully sung and benefiting from some of Ian Anderson's best flute playing to date. The band is very tight but doesn't get to really show its stuff until "Back-Door Angels," after which the album picks up: "Sealion" is one of Anderson's pseudo-philosophical musings on life, mixing full-out electric playing and restrained orchestral backing, while "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day" is a beautiful, largely acoustic number that was popular in concert. "Bungle in the Jungle," with a title that went over well, got most of the radio play. [War Child was reissued in an upgraded, remastered edition during November 2002, with improved sound and seven bonus tracks recorded during the sessions for the album that add 27 minutes to the original running time. The new tracks include the gently orchestrated instrumental "Warchild Waltz," which is really an overture of sorts, quoting from songs off the finished album and mostly a showcase for conductor/arranger David Palmer and the Philomusica of London chamber orchestra; the instrumental "Quartet," which is exactly what it says, a piece of chamber music for the group with some low-level accompaniment from the orchestra; the slightly rambling electric guitar and flute-driven "Paradise Steakhouse"; the silly sounding but catchy "Sealion 2," which is a worthy follow-up to its previously issued namesake; "Rainbow Blues," which ought to have been released before this, as one of the group's better and more memorable hard rock numbers of the period; the gorgeous, folk-like acoustic guitar-driven "Glory Row," which could have been a single B-side; and the hard, crunchy "Sensation," which is superior to at least a third of the songs on the original LP.] ~ Bruce Eder

Q (12/00, p.144) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...A remarkably coherent collection...demonstrating the full recovery of frontman Ian Anderson's acerbic wit and musical devilment..."

Led by the charismatic, flute-wielding Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull began as a somewhat Led Zeppelin-like, bluesy hard-rock band. Before long the balance tipped to courtly, Elizabethan-sounding progressive rock tinged with folk and marked by tricky time changes and long suites. Though they were masters of the concept album (THICK AS A BRICK, AQUALUNG), Tull was able to churn out hook-laden hard-rock riffs that guaranteed them a permanent place on classic-rock playlists the world over.

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