Description

After the intense albums of the three previous years, including the heavy duty albums "Thick as a Brick," "Passion Play," and "Aqualung," Jethro Tull was ready for something relatively light. "Warchild" is quite playful and almost frivolous in comparison to Tull's prior works. The album was also a break before the group plunged back into the depths with "Minstrel in the Gallery" and other weighty works. I imagine "Warchild" as a Mayday celebration after the labors of their previous works, with the costumes shown on the CD enhancing the playful aspects of this album. Unfortunately, the playfulnessmore… contrasts a lot with their other albums and makes this album less desirable.

The opening song was supposed to form part of a movie soundtrack. "Warchild" delivers war-like sound effects and hints little at the story of the supposed movie, which is the afterlife of a little girl killed in an accident. The music is somber underneath, with a lot of strings and musical drama to match the relatively simple lyrics.

Back into a topic more familiar to Tull, "Queen and Country" is a brief political commentary regarding empires and governments. There is a piano accordion in this song that hints at Britain's naval prowess.

The fun begins with "Ladies," which has a pleasant melody with clever percussion that makes this song stylistically fit with Tull's renaissance music. I think this song is one of the better songs on this CD, with excellent music and simple lyrics. There is a jazzy ending that makes the introduction to "Back-Door Angels" seem a bit bizarre. "Back-Door Angels" has a heavier sound than the previous songs with interesting keyboards and lyrics. There are nice guitar licks in the middle and second third that make this song seem out of place with the surrounding tracks. Listen for the musical tie-in to "A Passion Play."

"Sealion" is a fast-paced bit of lyrical surrealism. There is a circus tone to the music to match the lyrics, but other than the rock instrumentation, this song is all in fun. "Skating away on the Thin Ice of a New Day" has both lighter instruments and lyrics. This song is yet another of the better songs on this CD, although I could have wished for the song to be longer.

The song "Bungle in the Jungle" received a fair amount of radio airplay in the 70s. This type of song became increasingly rare as the 70s progressed, but the combination of the catchy melody and Tull's popularity combined to make this song a winner. Critics also get a shot in the brief acoustical commentary, "Solitaire."

A borrowing from Beethoven enlivens "The Third Hoorah," which is part of the "Warchild" concept. This song is okay, though one of the weaker tracks on this CD.

The closing song to the original album was "Two Fingers," a song leftover from "Aqualung" and reworked for this album. Keeping with the second half of "Aqualung," the song contains more than a bit of commentary regarding salvation and religion. This song is fast paced, but is otherwise unremarkable.

The seven bonus tracks provide a mixed bag of extras. True to the original concept, "Warchild Waltz" sounds as though it could have been part of a soundtrack. This music is orchestral, sounding only thematically similar to Jethro Tull. "Quartet" begins innocently enough with a mild jazz sound. However, about halfway through the song acquires orchestral elements and suddenly the keyboards kick in to change the flavor of this song for the second time. The synthesizer ending is charming and enjoyable. There is more than a passing resemblance to Wendy Carlos's work in this song, with elements similar to those in "A Passion Play."

There are portions of "Paradise Steakhouse" that I enjoy, but overall this song is one of my least favorites. I think it has something to do with those annoying "dah dah dah's." Similarly, while there are parts of "Sealion 2" that I find interesting, this song just seems to add little to this CD. This song sounds as though it was an excerpt from "A Passion Play."

I am enthusiastic regarding "Rainbow Blues." This song seems to lean musically in the direction of "Aqualung" and "Minstrel in the Gallery." The song is fast with a good mix of elements and Jethro Tull's distinctive sound. This bonus track is one of the better songs on this CD. I also like "Glory Row," which is one of the more dramatic and complex songs on this CD.

This CD wraps up with the final bonus song, "Saturation," which forms a downbeat finish to this playful CD. This song is about the hazards of city life, and portrays country life as positively as city life is portrayed negatively. This rock song has heavy guitar tracks and a heavy sound, which makes this song one of the edgier songs on this CD. Even though the tenor of the song does not fit well with the rest of the CD, I enjoy this song. Given that most of the songs on this CD were already a hodgepodge of styles, one more dissimilar song fits right in.

Jethro Tull, consisting at that time of Ian Anderson, Barriemore Barlow, Martin Barre, John Evan and Jeffrey Hammond, was very popular in the early 70s. Their music was unique even in an era when unique music was in vogue. This album was a commercial success, reaching #2 on the charts and a critical success. Yet, the music seems less filling than some Jethro Tull music. If you are in the process of discovering Tull, try "Stand Up," "Thick as a Brick," or "Aqualung." Save this album for when you become a big Tull fan.

Note that there are numerous versions of this album listed on Amazon, under the name "Warchild" and "War Child." I recommend you survey the list of albums available and select the version that best meets your needs. This version is an import from Japan and such versions are traditionally expensive.

Good Luck!

Tracks

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Info:

Category:

Music > Albums

Case Type:

CD

Release Type:

Retail

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Cover Info:

Title:

Jethro Tull - War Child (2003) Retail CD

Part:

Back

Dimensions:

1189 x 929 px

Size:

211 KB

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Report a Problem Wrong Cover Duplicate Image Bad Quality Wrong Info

08/02/08 by rhottovy

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