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Stormwatch

a Studio Release
Release Year:
1979
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Added To Proggnosis on: 08 Mar 2004

Track Listing 

  1. North Sea Oil
  2. Orion
  3. Home
  4. Dark Ages
  5. Warm Sporran
  6. Something’s On The Move
  7. Old Ghosts
  8. Dun Ringill
  9. Flying Dutchman
  10. Elegy

    Bonus tracks 2004 Reissue
  11. A Stitch in Time
  12. Crossword
  13. Kelpie
  14. King Henry's Madrigal

Performer Credits  


Ian Anderson
lead vocals, flute, acoustic guitar, bass guitar
Martin Barre
electric guitar, mandolin, classical guitar
Barriemore Barlow
drums, percussion
John Evan
piano, organ
David Palmer
synthesizers, portative organ, orchestral arrangements
John Glascock
bass guitar on 'Orion', 'Flying Dutchman' and 'Elegy'
Special thanks to:
    Francis Wilson
    Thames T.V. Weatherman spoken voice

Reviews


review by: DBSilverFor Tull fans, Stormwatch is a very important album. Whichever side of the "I like it" slope you fall on with this recording you simply can't call it a bad album.

Following some of Tulls best works - Minstral In the Gallery, Songs From the Woods and Heavy Horses this album is the end of an era as the band that featured Barriemore Barlow, John Evan and David Palmer with Anderson/Barre will not be around for subsequent releases. John Glasscock appears on bass for 3 songs - his health being a problem and he passed on shortly after the ablum's actual release.

Musically this album is a change from the preceeding two earthy/folk laden albums and following Stormwatch the band makes a large change with their release of A. While featuring some folkish tunes, it is also contains a number of songs that are more straight forward (for Tull) rock tunes. The ablum also continues with Anderson's social conscience in a number of songs.

The use of straight piano is more frequent than in any previous works and this is perhaps hte most notable sound difference (though it's use is nothing dominating).

There are excellent songs here for all Tull fans (each will have their own favs) and there are good songs. There are no real losers tracks here - though some will appear on subsequent albums.

I have always liked this album but found it teased. It seems like it is real good but it is in my opinion in the middle of the pack of Tull releases - a long ways from their best works and much better than Rock Island for example. Tull's sound would be similar to this album only on parts of Broadsword and the Beast but overall Stormwatch can be said to close a chapter on the band and it's style.

Recently Stormwatch was reissued in a remastered version and with 4 bonus tracks. Wanting everything Tull it was another need to purchase item for me. The remastering is truely fantastic and even when I ripped to 320kpbs to play on my portable MP3 player it sounds better than my other 2 (yes 2) copies of this album. If you are a big fan of this album then I can say the remaster is worth the investement. The additional 4 tracks are of little interest and of marginal quality as songs. Oh, nice for a Tull completest such as myself (who has some Tull CDs in the original, 1st remastered issue, Gold CD issue, and 2nd remastered issuances) but not worthwhile to the sane fan.

A side note: I saw Tull in Denver in support of this tour. The opening band was UK and UK's Eddie Jobson also played keys for Tull during the entire Tull set. Although I am a huge Tull fan - I recall that Tull were very good and UK were great.


review by: NunoWith Stormwatch, the most prolific and distinctive Tull phase was “closed”. The 70’s had been a swell decade for this reference band, but now was time for a change of scenery…
With this album, Jethro Tull took a step into a slightly different direction. Stormwatch has a distinctive rock orientation that was not that obvious in their prior records. It looses a bit the purest progressive outfit, even if maintaining a (very) good dose of it. The folk components are also to be found, but they become increasingly more superficial while a straightforward rockish attitude is set and that will be perpetuated in post releases.
This is still a great Tull recording, with some real gems in it. Just listen to Home and Old Ghosts and you’ll have some of Tull’s best moments. But the songs become smaller (with the exception of Dark Ages), the long experimental opus are set aside and the band tends to emphasize their new (more) direct approach in the majority of the tracks.
Ian Anderson vocals do command the melodic lines, where the flute used to rule. The flute kind of looses its dreamlike statements and becomes slightly less folkish, faster and less inventive.
This transition phase seems to be a necessary metamorphosis to accompany the deep changes in music by that time. The beginning of the 80’s brought a new order in the music world, and Tull were only trying to patch up with that, I suppose.
Still, it gives an immense pleasure listening to this jewelcase!

review by: MJBradyStormwatch has always been in my top five Tull albums since I first heard it, the band offers more of the similar electric madrigal settings as we had in Thick as a Brick, Passion Play, Songs fron the wood, and Heavy Horses. Also with the release of this lp, brought to close what may have argueably been the most dynamic and inventive period Tull ever had, or was to have later on. This period of course was certainly affected more by who was in the band than anything else, granted the importance of Ian is always a consideration and Martins' guitar has also been a mainstay throughtout most of the bands history, my feelings however were the contributions made by drummer Barriemore Barlow, and the dualing keyboard roles of John Evans, and David Palmer, along with the fluid, bassplaying of John Glascock(who sadly died after open heart surgery after this, his last work with Tull), made this chapter of Tull legendary. Back to this lp, Stormwatch saw the band going to some shorter songs, with less instrumental interplay, yet, in some songs there were some heavier moments than prior Tull lps, also, some more introspective moments that showed another side of the band not heard much in the past. Not one to hold too much criticism for one of the classic bands in progresssive, I really enjoyed this lp, and soon after this the "A" lp came out, which I will review also, after this the band really seemed to change directions.

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