Published on Apr 21, 1999
If you’re a diehard Jethro Tull fan, this won’t be news to you:
their 1980 album
A was not originally supposed to be another Tull release.
Frontman Ian Anderson had decided to work on a solo album, but
somehow the sessions materialized into something that felt more
like a Jethro Tull project. (And the album’s name? One story I
remember is that the letter “A” was written on the box holding the
master tape, and the accidental title stuck.)
The only album to feature drummer Mark Craney and
keyboardist/violinist Eddie Jobson as band members (as well as
long-time guitarist Martin Barre and bassist Dave Pegg, who took
over for the late John Glascock),
A is a halfway decent album. Let me rephrase that: Half of
A is a good album. The rest is rather spotty – nothing too
surprising for the output of Jethro Tull at this juncture in their
career.
A more electric sounding album than more recent Tull albums of
the time (moving away from the folk-rock of
Songs From The Wood and
Heavy Horses), A kicks off strongly with two winning tracks,
“Crossfire” and “Fylingdale Flyer”. (The latter track’s video was
prominently featured in the home video
Slipstream, which any self-respecting Tull fan should search
out.) Both tracks feature more challenging rhythm patterns that
forced the band to raise the bar on their playing. Especially
noteworthy are the layered harmony vocals that Anderson uses,
proving without a doubt that he is one of the premier vocalists of
his time. Jobson’s keyboard work is outstanding, making me wonder
why he didn’t last longer with the band.
A more gentle side of Jethro Tull is presented at the close of
A; “And Further On” is a surprising change of pace from the
remainder of the music featured on this album, but is a pleasant
twist coming at the right time. And lest you think that Tull turned
away completely from the folksy sounds that had made up the bulk of
their late-’70s career, “The Pine Marten’s Jig” erases any of those
thoughts.
The real powerhouse on
A is “Black Sunday,” a track that actually is overshadowed
by the live version featured on
Slipstream. Still, this version packs quite a punch, and
remains one of the underappreciated tracks in Jethro Tull’s
career.
If only the entire album were this strong. “Working John,
Working Joe” wouldn’t have been a bad track, but there is far too
much repetition in the structure of the verses, rendering this
track rather bland in the end. The remainder of the material, such
as “Batteries Not Included,” “Uniform” and “4.W.D. (Low Ratio)” are
nowhere nearly as well-written as the other previously mentioned
tracks. In a sense, it’s almost like Anderson and crew poured their
all into just five songs, then cast out the other five as
half-hearted attempts. Too bad; if these were even half the songs
that tracks like “Black Sunday” were, this would have been a better
album.
A is still an album that is worth searching out, seeing that
the decent tracks from this one have been criminally ignored for
far too long. But approach the remainder of the album with extreme
caution.