Published on Oct 28, 1998
It’s safe to say that Jethro Tull was a band that was searching
for its voice throughout a good portion of the ’80s. The
progressive rock glory days (
Aqualung,
Thick As A Brick) were gone, as was the folk-rock period (
Minstrel In The Gallery,
Songs From The Wood). Ian Anderson and crew even were
labeled “metal”, for which they won their first Grammy. (Sorry,
NARAS, but that was a major blunder you guys made. Calling Jethro
Tull metal is like calling Al Green a devil-worshiper.)
In 1984, Jethro Tull took their second dip into the electronic
music pool with
Under Wraps. Possibly brought on because of Anderson’s
recent solo effort
Walk Into Light (which I haven’t dusted off now in about 10
years), the recently-trimmed down band (in lieu of a drummer,
Anderson handled the electronic drums) struggles again to find its
voice – and while they do so on occasion, the disc overall
disappoints. Maybe that’s why this particular album seems to be out
of print right now.
I normally am bugged by the use of electronic drums, for the
simple reason that they sound so sterile. No drummer ever hits a
hi-hat cymbal or snare drum exactly the same way twice like
synthesized drums capture. However, I am willing to grant a little
slack to Anderson, for the simple reason that drums are not his
instrument of note.
But I will not be so generous in noting that a strong guitar
presence is often missed in this album. Martin Barre is not given
nearly the chances he deserves to shine on the six-string, though
when the spotlight is put on him, he delivers the goods. Bassist
David Pegg and keyboardist Peter Vettese round out this particular
Tull incarnation, both seemingly doing a good job (if not relying
on Vettese too much).
It’s interesting to note that the cassette version of
Under Wraps features two songs that were not on the album,
while I’ve seen track listings including songs that weren’t on the
tape. (I own the cassette, for the record, so it’s not that I’m
ignoring a track or two, it’s just that I don’t own them.) I sure
hope the tracks I’m missing were better than “Astronomy” and
“Automotive Engineering,” the two bonus cuts on the tape. Anderson
must have grabbed a college catalog for these, ’cause they’re far
from typical Tull.
However, tracks like “Lap Of Luxury” and the two versions of the
title track do redeem things in my eyes. “Lap Of Luxury” easily
could have been a hit single on rock radio, while “Under Wraps #2”
is the superior version, returning to a more acoustic, folk-rock
sound for a short time.
And it’s not that
Under Wraps is a failure. Songs lie “Radio Free Moscow,”
“Nobody’s Car” and “Later That Same Evening” all shine, even if
they sound a little too sterile due to overreliance on the
electronics. However, other tracks like “Paparazzi” and “Saboteur”
show reason for worry among the Tull fans.
If this album wasn’t reason enough for hand-wringing, this is
the last time on album that Anderson’s vocals have sounded like the
old days. He underwent surgery on his vocal chords that kept Tull
on the sidelines for a couple of years – and, in the process,
changed his voice to sound more harsh. So, it is good to hear the
“classic” voice of Tull for one last time.
Under Wraps is not a terrible album by general standards,
but it’s hardly a great album by Jethro Tull’s standards. For the
die-hard Tull fan, it’s still worth searching out, if only to say
that you own it.