Record Reviews

JETHRO TULL ~ STORMWATCH (EXPANDED EDITION) CHRYSALIS 593399 (Barcode: 724359339924) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1979 Released: 2004 13th album by the British Prog masters Jethro TullFind albums by this artist, which signifies an ending in many respects – end of the 1970s, end of the remarkable steady lineup and in general an end of an era. Of course Ian AndersonFind albums by this artist was not about to leave the stage and the revamped band would continue to produce some fabulous music in years to come and to this very day, but this album is surely an important milestone. Sadly the band´s bassist John GlascockFind albums by this artist managed to record just three of the tracks on this album before his untimely death, an incident that influenced all band members and obviously influenced the somewhat somber atmosphere that overshadows the entire album. The music is as great as always, with Anderson writing almost the bulk of the material and the band members doing a splendid job, as only they could, with Anderson playing the bass parts on top of his usual duties as singer, acoustic guitarist and flautists. The album also includes some elaborate orchestral arrangements, which by that time were an integral part of many Prog albums, expanding the sound beyond the usual Rock instruments. Although this album is rarely mentioned in write-ups about the band and its history, it is a pity, as it contains loads of typical Jethro Tull gems and is as good as any of their more "famous" recordings. Obviously a must for any Jethro Tull fan.

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

JETHRO TULL ~ STORMWATCH (THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY FORCE 10 EDITION) CHRYSALIS 190295471804 (Barcode: 190295471804) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1978 - 1980 Released: 2019 This is a 40th Anniversary Edition reissue of the twelfth album by the British Prog Masters Jethro TullFind albums by this artist and another chapter in the series of reissues of their seminal albums which are being remixed to new stereo and 5.1 surround sound versions by Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist, who is doing similar projects with classic Rock / Prog albums by other artists as well. It follows a similar treatment that Wilson applied to the reissues of all early Jethro Tull releases. This leaves only "BenefitFind albums with this title", which was already reissued in a Wilson remix form in 2013, to be released in the matching digibook format to complete the series. Hopefully this will happen in 2020 to mark the 50th Anniversary of that album. The reissue consists of four CDs and two DVDs. The first CD contains the new stereo mix of the original album (ten tracks). The second CD contains fifteen "associate recordings", seven of which are previously unreleased, all in new stereo mix by Wilson. The third and fourth CDs include live performances recorded in Haag, Netherlands in March 1980 (twenty five tracks all together), all previously unreleased, restored and mixed by Nick Watson. The first DVD contains the album remixed in two High-Resolution formats (5.1 DTS, AC3 Dolby Digital Surround Sound and in High Resolution stereo format 96/24 LPCM). Also included are the original stereo mixes of the album in High Resolution stereo format 96/24 LPCM. The second DVD includes thirteen "associate recordings" in 5.1 DTS, AC3 Dolby Digital Surround Sound, fifteen "associate recordings" in stereo format 96/24 LPCM and finally five original mixes of "associate recordings" in stereo format 96/24 LPCM. If you are confused by all these technical terms, don´t be – it is all complete bullshit piece of hype! Basically you don´t even get the original stereo mix of the album in a CD form, but you get almost two hours of a live concert on CD, remixed versions of the album, and a bunch of bonus tracks, which honestly contribute very little, if anything at all. The entire set is lavishly packaged in a digibook format, with great photos of the band, background material, the song lyrics and other goodies, which are all beyond reproach. The group´s lineup on this album is the same as on its predecessors: "Songs From The WoodFind albums with this title" and "Heavy HorsesFind albums with this title"; Ian AndersonFind albums by this artist as usual handles most of the vocals and plays the flute parts and acoustic guitar / mandolin. The lead guitar is magnificently handled by Martin BarreFind albums by this artist, the keyboards by John EvanFind albums by this artist and David PalmerFind albums by this artist, the bass by John GlascockFind albums by this artist and the drums by Barriemore BarlowFind albums by this artist. Anderson gets credit for all the music and lyrics, except one track credited to Palmer. Musically the album continues the new stylistic approach, emphasizing the Folk-Rock direction and British Folkloristic references. It is also considered as the third album in the trinity of albums formed by "Songs From The Wood", "Heavy Horses" and this album. Of course the album still firmly and consistently continues the Progressive Rock elements, which the band masterly develops regardless of the current stylistic aesthetic the specific albums deal with. With the approaching end of the 1970s decade Progressive Rock was steadily losing its steam and the artistic / aesthetic end of the genre was imminent, and yet Jethro Tull were going ahead as if they were living on a different plant, which in retrospect might have just been right. They were still at their artistic peak, which continued for years, without any signs of getting worn-out. Perhaps they were, after all, a class of their own. For many Jethro Tull fans this albums marks one the definitive highlights of the group´s long and flourishing career, but personally I believe everything the group created over the years was top notch and it was the listeners following fads and fashions who could not always follow the intricacies and complexity of the music Anderson whimsically weaved. A classic by any standard! Side Note As for the Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist contributions, I´m perplexed time after time why anybody being of sound mind would allow him to butcher the original material and then hype the results as spectacular. These original mixes are untouchable and anybody trying to change them is more or less re-painting Van Gogh, re-sculpturing Michelangelo or re-writing the Bible, all truly barbaric acts of disrespect. Additionally I find his stereo mixes to be dry, artificial and deviant, badly damaging the original ambience of the recordings. Perhaps for people who are not familiar with the original sound this sounds fine, but for me it´s unbearable and sacrilegious. In addition I find the surround sound completely redundant, hoping for years that it will go away as did quad and other industry inventions meant to earn some more money from the suckers following the trends. The whole high resolution hype is so ridiculous; in reality most people are deaf anyway and can´t tell one note from another even if it bites them in the ass and use ridiculously lo-fi equipment. In short Emperor´s new clothes, as usual, and no shame whatsoever.

Updated: 15/03/2020Posted: 15/03/2020

4CD+2DVD 6 Digibook Box Set Oversampling DVD-A Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend