Show #106: Completely Under Wraps (Part 1)
Taking a cue from the great picture of me that I posted earlier today, this week is going to be some Jethro Tull.
It's been a while since I've posted a Tull show. The last one was the band's performance here in Madison in November of 2004 (Part I & Part II). Prior to that, it was almost 20 years to the day that they last set foot in our fair town for a concert at the then Dane County Coliseum on 2 November 1984 which was also bassist Dave Pegg's birthday. Tull was out in support of their latest album, Under Wraps, which was released Stateside in early October. The album polarized the band's fanbase with its synth-heavy sound and use of the Linn drum machine instead of a live percussionist. 1982's Broadsword and the Beast had synthesizers as well but they were integrated into Tull's folk rock stew with the old and new sitting comfortably side-by-side. On Under Wraps, however, synthesizers were at the fore with nary a mandolin to be found. This shouldn't be too surprising given that Ian Anderson's 1983 solo effort, Walk Into Light, was a total departure from the Tull sound and an experiment with keyboards. That record served as a blueprint for Under Wraps which had several co-writing credits for keyboardist Peter Vetesse and even a few for guitarist Martin Barre. While Anderson's lyrics had always been about the present, he usually populated his songs with images from the past. But in 1984 he drew inspiration from the spy novels (such as by John LeCarre) that he loved and the ongoing Cold War as well for an oblique tale of espionage.
(Photo from Cup of Wonder.)
Since the album featured a drum machine, Doane Perry, an American, was recruited for the tour and he has remained in the band until this day. By the time that the group made it here to Madison on 2 November 1984, the setlist had changed to omit some of the newer songs: "Pussy Willow" from Broadsword and the Beast, "Made In England" from Walk Into Light, and "Apogee" & "European Legacy" from Under Wraps. Still, a goodly amount of recent stuff was played plus I think that the scantily clad ladies still bursted out from large paper bags and an astronaut moonwalked onstage. This is an audience recording that's a bit on the tinny side so you'll need to adjust your equalizer accordingly.
Setlist:
Intro
Locomotive Breath/Hunting Girl
Under Wraps
Later, That Same Evening
Nobody's Car
Fly By Night
Thick as a Brick
Level Pegging
Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day
Clasp
Living in the Past
Serenade to a Cuckoo
Fat Man
Download show
Jethro Tull
(Photo from Cup of Wonder.)
A few days prior to Tull's stop in Madison, the band played a special gig at the Capital Theater in Passaic, New Jersey which was recorded by MTV which has only ever broadcast a handful of the tunes from this show. Here is part of "Under Wraps" from that night:
Lastly I want to note that Under Wraps was re-released in 2005. Remastered from the original tapes, it no doubt sounds all nice & shiny once again. Included are the 4 tracks left off of the vinyl release: "Astronomy", "Tundra", "Automotive Engineering", and "General Crossing". Plus it includes the video for the single "Lap of Luxury".
It's been a while since I've posted a Tull show. The last one was the band's performance here in Madison in November of 2004 (Part I & Part II). Prior to that, it was almost 20 years to the day that they last set foot in our fair town for a concert at the then Dane County Coliseum on 2 November 1984 which was also bassist Dave Pegg's birthday. Tull was out in support of their latest album, Under Wraps, which was released Stateside in early October. The album polarized the band's fanbase with its synth-heavy sound and use of the Linn drum machine instead of a live percussionist. 1982's Broadsword and the Beast had synthesizers as well but they were integrated into Tull's folk rock stew with the old and new sitting comfortably side-by-side. On Under Wraps, however, synthesizers were at the fore with nary a mandolin to be found. This shouldn't be too surprising given that Ian Anderson's 1983 solo effort, Walk Into Light, was a total departure from the Tull sound and an experiment with keyboards. That record served as a blueprint for Under Wraps which had several co-writing credits for keyboardist Peter Vetesse and even a few for guitarist Martin Barre. While Anderson's lyrics had always been about the present, he usually populated his songs with images from the past. But in 1984 he drew inspiration from the spy novels (such as by John LeCarre) that he loved and the ongoing Cold War as well for an oblique tale of espionage.
(Photo from Cup of Wonder.)
Since the album featured a drum machine, Doane Perry, an American, was recruited for the tour and he has remained in the band until this day. By the time that the group made it here to Madison on 2 November 1984, the setlist had changed to omit some of the newer songs: "Pussy Willow" from Broadsword and the Beast, "Made In England" from Walk Into Light, and "Apogee" & "European Legacy" from Under Wraps. Still, a goodly amount of recent stuff was played plus I think that the scantily clad ladies still bursted out from large paper bags and an astronaut moonwalked onstage. This is an audience recording that's a bit on the tinny side so you'll need to adjust your equalizer accordingly.
Setlist:
Intro
Locomotive Breath/Hunting Girl
Under Wraps
Later, That Same Evening
Nobody's Car
Fly By Night
Thick as a Brick
Level Pegging
Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day
Clasp
Living in the Past
Serenade to a Cuckoo
Fat Man
Download show
Jethro Tull
(Photo from Cup of Wonder.)
A few days prior to Tull's stop in Madison, the band played a special gig at the Capital Theater in Passaic, New Jersey which was recorded by MTV which has only ever broadcast a handful of the tunes from this show. Here is part of "Under Wraps" from that night:
Lastly I want to note that Under Wraps was re-released in 2005. Remastered from the original tapes, it no doubt sounds all nice & shiny once again. Included are the 4 tracks left off of the vinyl release: "Astronomy", "Tundra", "Automotive Engineering", and "General Crossing". Plus it includes the video for the single "Lap of Luxury".
posted by Palmer at 10:56 AM
3 Comments:
I recall your excellent post on Tull the first time. This looks great, too. Thanks, much.
Great post. I saw this tour in Milwaukee...thought they did a great job there (although I haven't been able to track down a recording for that...).
You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it.
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