Stormwatch
| Stormwatch | ||||
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| Studio album by Jethro Tull | ||||
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Publication |
September 14, 1979 |
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admission |
1979 |
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| Label (s) | Chrysalis | |||
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Format (s) |
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Title (number) |
10 + 4 |
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running time |
44:58 (LP), 58:54 (CD) |
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| occupation |
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Ian Anderson , Robin Black |
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Studio (s) |
Maison Rouge Studio, Fulham |
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Stormwatch is the twelfth studio album by the progressive rock band Jethro Tull .
occupation
Jethro Tull recorded the album with Ian Anderson , Martin Barre , John Evan , Barriemore Barlow , John Glascock and David Palmer . The lyrics and almost all compositions come, as is usual with Jethro Tull, by Ian Anderson, who also produced the album together with Robin Black . Palmer composed the title Elegy.
It is the last studio album by Jethro Tull that featured John Evan, Barriemore Barlow, David Palmer and John Glascock. The bassist Glascock was only able to play on three pieces due to a heart disease and died on November 17, 1979 in London. Anderson played bass in the remaining pieces.
history
The band recorded the album in the spring and summer of 1979. As with the previous albums, the recording locations were again the Maison Rouge Mobile and the Maison Rouge Studio in Fulham , London . The album was released on September 14, 1979. In 2004 a remastered CD was released with the songs from the LP version and four bonus tracks .
album
After Songs from the Wood and Heavy Horses, Stormwatch is the last of three albums of the band's folk rock phase. Like its previous albums, it also contains progressive rock elements. The lyrics deal, among other things, with oil production in the North Sea and environmental protection. There are also two instrumental tracks.
LP version
North Sea Oil is a fast, rocking piece with a dominating flute. The text describes the role of North Sea oil, the extraction of which creates wealth, but also dangers such as pollution and inflation. The piece Orion is more complex. Rocky passages alternate with acoustic sequences. Strings play in the background. The singer appeals to the constellation Orion to look at the spaces from the horizon to the singer's pillow. Home is about the comforting feeling of being at home. It's a folky ballad that is also accompanied by strings.
Dark Ages comes closest to progressive rock. The piece develops slowly after a quiet beginning. Electric guitar, piano and flute are also used as soloists. The title refers to the future coldness of a metaphorical winter, and people's apathy in the face of this danger. The song Warm Sporran is an instrumental title named after the Scottish clothing accessory Sporran , which can be worn with a kilt . The quickly played piece starts out like a jazz rock and then reminds of a Scottish dance, but is much more complex. Among other things, text-free choir singing (like the vocalise ) can be heard.
Something's on the Move is about a coming ice age , allegorically portrayed as a female person . The meteorologist understates that “something is on the way”. The piece is a fast rock song that is dominated by flute and electric guitar. Old Ghosts is a folky piece with acoustic instruments, including strings. The song has rocking elements and is about an impending danger that cats and children fear, while the singer defies the danger, albeit with difficulty. Dun Ringill is about an Iron Age site on the Scottish island of Skye . The song is introduced by Francis Wilson as speaker. It is a folky ballad that is accompanied by the acoustic guitar. The singer invites a person to participate in ancient pagan rituals in Dun Ringill . One line says: and the stormwatch brews.
Flying Dutchman starts slowly and gets louder after a quiet start. The piece corresponds to a slow shanty , but it is accentuated by a flute solo and the use of the electric guitar. An old woman is standing at the harbor, the last herring has been caught. The singer threatens those who do not recognize the danger of having to continue with the Flying Dutchman into the unknown. Elegy is a slow instrumental piece with a baroque feel. Keyboard, flute and later the electric guitar take turns playing the theme. Palmer dedicated the piece to his late father.
Bonus title
The CD also contains four additional titles: A Stitch in Time , Crossword , Kelpie and King Henry's Madrigal , a version of the madrigal Pastime with Good Company composed by King Henry VIII of England in the 16th century .
Cover
The front and back of the cover together form a picture. The front shows the realistic drawing of a bearded man - apparently Ian Anderson - with rain gear, gloves and binoculars. Lightning and an oil rig are reflected in the binoculars and in the person's eyes. This, the waving, wet hair, partly covered with ice, and the flying birds indicate a blizzard. The gray-greenish image fills almost the entire front, with the names of the band and album at the top, written in the computer font typical of the time with a seven-segment display . At the lower edge there are four poetic lines about the "storm watch", which are also the spoken introduction to the title Dun Ringill . The title, cast and other credits are noted on the left side of the back. The main part is the drawing of a partially collapsing glacier and an oversized polar bear roaring over snow-covered industrial facilities and destroying them in the process. Two oil platforms on snow-covered ice can be seen in the background. In the upper right corner a person in a raincoat can be seen as shading, and flying birds are shown again. Part of the raincoat can be seen from the front at the bottom right.
effect
The album peaked at # 40 in the UK and # 22 in the US. At Allmusic, the album received two out of five possible points. Ultimate Classic Rock is of the opinion that as a demonstration of technical sophistication, the album is on par with Thick as a Brick and Songs from the Wood , one of the most impressive works of the band.
Track list
page A
- North Sea Oil (3:08)
- Orion (3:55)
- Home (2:44)
- Dark Ages (9:07)
- Warm Sporran (3:31)
Side B
- Something's on the Move (4:24)
- Old Ghosts (4:20)
- Dun Ringill (2:37)
- Flying Dutchman (7:42)
- Elegy (3:30)
Extra title
- A stitch in time (3:41)
- Crossword (3:38)
- Kelpie (3:38)
- King Henry's Madrigal (2:59)
Web links
- Reviews of Stormwatch on the baby blue pages
- Stormwatch at Allmusic (English)
- Detailed information about the individual versions of the sound carriers at musik-sammler.de
- Lyrics at cupofwonder.com (archive version )
- Information about the lyrics at cupofwonder.com (English; archive version )
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Information on the lyrics at cupofwonder.com ( Memento from May 12, 2012 on WebCite ) (English)
- ↑ Stormwatch in the UK charts , accessed on August 29, 2012
- ↑ Stormwatch on Billboard 200 , accessed May 16, 2013
- ↑ Description of the album at allmusic.com (English), accessed on May 15, 2013
- ↑ Review at ultimateclassicrock (English), accessed on December 13, 2015