After a long day at the office I spent the first
part of my evening shoveling snow. I love the feel of a winter wonderland when
it snows, but after a few days of it, I could do without the shoveling.
Disc 1228 is… Crest of a Knave
Artist:
Jethro Tull
Year of Release: 1987
What’s up with the
Cover?
It’s…the crest of a knave. This particular crest is a fraidy-cat sable on a
field of azure and argent. I assume this particular noble is a cousin to brave
brave Sir Robin.
How I Came To Know
It: My
friend Chris played some tracks off of this album at a recent music night and I
liked what I heard. Then he went one step further and gave me his copy of the
CD (he is now a vinyl devotee so CDs are either too old school or too new
school, depending on your perspective).
How It Stacks Up: I have five Jethro Tull albums. I’m not sure
how that happened, but for the most part I blame Chris. I like “Crest of a
Knave” a lot, but I’m going to put it in at #2 and leave a little space at the
top.
Ratings: 4 stars
It is not every day that a record could best Metallica in its heyday to
win music’s most prestigious honour – a Grammy – but that’s exactly what Jethro
Tull’s “Crest of a Knave” did, beating out “…and Justice For All” for best hard rock album.
Just kidding! The Grammys aren’t music’s most prestigious honour; they’re
shite and have been for years. Also, “Crest of a Knave” is not a hard rock
album. It’s more of a cross between synth-rock and prog-rock. The beating Metallica
part is true, though. The Grammys may have a hundred different categories but
that doesn’t mean they can’t consistently fail to nominate albums in the right
ones.
But enough about how much the Grammys suck!* Let’s talk about “Crest of a
Knave” which despite winning an award in the wrong category is still a fine
record.
While for most of the sixties and seventies Jethro Tull was a mix of progressive
rock with a dash of traditional English folk, in the eighties they discovered a
more synth-driven sound and their music took a different turn. By 1987, Jethro
Tull had balanced out all that synthesizer with more traditional
instrumentation the sensibility remained. This was made easier by the
ever-present flute in all their music, which is the synthiest of the woodwinds.
Balancing those ethereal sounds is guitarist Martin Barre, who shows off
some inspired playing. His tone is reminiscent of Mark Knopfler and if you are
going to sound too much like someone else on the guitar, you couldn’t pick any
better than Knopfler. Barre has some fine solos on the record, particularly the
bluesy meanderings he displays on “Said
She Was a Dancer”.
“Said She Was a Dancer” is the star of the record, a song about a
chance encounter with a Russian woman that is less romantic than the narrator
would have hoped for. The song walks a fine line between mystery, romance and
some self-effacing humour from a man who is getting played by a lady out of his
league but enjoying every minute of it.
The theme is explored further with “Hot
Night in Budapest” which is twice and long and sees the narrator twice as
successful as well. Again, the song is heavily reminiscent of Dire Straits in
its base groove, before departing down more proggy side paths of jazz flue and
creative syncopation.
Lyrically the record is sneaky good, with Anderson delivering many a
clever turn of phrase. “Said She Was a
Dancer” ends with:
“So I stole one kiss, it was a
near miss. She looked at me like I was Jack the Ripper.
She leaned in close. “Goodnight”
was all she said
So I took myself off to bed.”
Missed it by that much!
“Mountain Men” is a love song
from Anderson to his native Scotland, starting the song with:
“The poacher and his daughter
throw soft shadows on the water in the night
A thin moon slips behind them as
they pull the net with no betraying light.”
Instantly you can feel yourself grounded in the scene and as the song
unfolds Anderson’s love for his homeland becomes more and more clear. The song feels
heartfelt throughout without ever feeling contrived or emotionally manipulative.
Anderson is a natural story teller, although I sometimes found myself
wishing his elfin vibrato vocal had a bit more gravitas. While this is part of
what makes Jethro Tull’s sound, on an album designed with such a lush
soundscape he sometimes sounds a bit thin by comparison.
This is a minor quibble though, and overall “Crest of a Knave” was an
enjoyable listen, melodically interesting, lyrically engaging and featuring some
fine work on both the guitar and the flute.
*while I maintain the Grammys
suck, a big shout out to two of my favourite artists who overcame the usual bad
decisions made there to win one this year – Brandi Carlile and St. Vincent!
Best tracks: Said She Was a Dancer, Budapest, Mountain Men, The
Waking Edge
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