Customer Reviews

Broadsword & Beast

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Like "A" which preceeded it, "Broadsword" is an album which combines works that are amongst the groups finest with some highly questionable and unsuccessful forays into the realm of electronic music. Broadsword is an album produced during a period of proliferic yet uneven output by the band (they easily had enough raw material for a double album from sessions which led to Broadsword). In fact, some of the material left off this album, probably for reasons of stylistic consistency, is truly outstanding (Overhang, Jack-A-Lynn). On the other hand, some seemingly strange inclusions at the expense of such superb "rejects" does leave one grasping for explanations. Probably a matter of taste, and perhaps, on Ian Anderson's part, the strong desire to keep the band moving in new and different directions.

Broadsword is also like "A" in that there are certain high points so stratospheric that the mediocre or even the downright questionable works alongside are well worth the trouble. What Broadsword had that "A" never achieved however was a good measure of popular acclaim, particularly in Europe where it became the highest-selling of all Tull albums.

The music of Broadsword, for all of it's electronic experimentation, is among the most conventional in terms of song structure. While the band is experimenting with new sounds and techniques, they ground the songs firmly within classical song structure. Usually, Tull's experimentation is precisely the opposite -- relatively standard instrumentation and modest use of music concrete techniques combined with dramatic experimentation in the actual structure of the musical compositions.

The album opens with "Beastie," a somewhat mundane version of the prototypical Tull opening rocker, highlighted by fine lyrics examining the inner devils which haunt us from cradle to the grave. "The Clasp" follows, and it is one of the more interesting, inventive and under-rated works of this "techno" period. Unlike many other such pieces, including a notable disaster in the second half of this album, this song successfully blends what one thinks of as the "Tull Style" with electronic music. It is different enough to take just a bit getting used to, but it will, as is the case with most strong Tull songs, grow on the listener over time.

"Fallen on Hard Times" strikes me as a much less-accomplished version of "Cup of Wonder" (Songs From The Wood). It is a catchy tune blessed with some fine acoustic guitar work, yet it lacks the inventiveness we come to expect in Tull music -- and over time it simply becomes forgettable. "Flying Colours" is an improvement, providing a nice slow-fast transition which we also see (in different proportions) in the magnificent "Jack-A-Lynn" from the same period. While being reminiscent in style, "Flying Colours" never approaches the beauty or grandeur of "Jack-A-Lynn." "Slow Marching Band" is a relative rarity in the Tull catalogue -- a true ballad -- and a very fine one at that, funereal in tone as well as in lyric.

The album abruptly changes course in the second half, from inner demons (including death) to wildly eclectic ventures into the realm of the romantic. The second half opens with the magnificent and overtly romantic "Broadsword." It is an electronically-enhanced foray into the world of Viking raids on British castles, in subject matter it is something straight out of a Harlequin romance novel. However, it is stunning in its execution, and one of the last great examples of the evocative power of Ian Anderson's voice, pre-illness. Another, more modern version, of the romantic sensibility is present in "Pussy Willow" -- but this time we are observing the devotee of the romance novel, not the plot thereof. A lovely song about the innocent desire for beauty, always framed with the hard-edges of reality.

Hard-edges are about all that is present in the unfortunate "Watching You, Watching Me." Romantic only in the sense that it is about spies and spying, it is an unhappy signpost for the next Tull album (Under Wraps). This electronically-influenced disaster may well be one of Tull's worst effort in experimentation. (None other than Mr. Anderson and Mr. Barre have expressed the exact opposite opinion regarding the very unpopular Under Wraps. As fraught with danger as it is, I fear I must go with the majority over the expert opinion in this case).

No one has ever gone, however, from the ridiculous to the sublime as quickly as does Tull does here. "Seal Driver" is truly one of the greatest Tull songs in the entire catalogue -- a song as easily comfortable on "Stormwatch" as here -- it transports the listener to the blustery, wave-washed deck of a fishing boat on the high seas. Notable is the piercing guitar work by Martin Barre....END

Now, now, Vincent, "Broadsword" really isn't as bad as you make it out to be. I just listened to it straight through and there are plenty of fine musical moments here. Granted, I can't put this album in Tull's top 5, maybe not even their top 10, but to dismiss it simply as "rubbish" is being plenty shortsighted.

As I said, there are great moments here. The Clasp is a great tune with a very memorable and catchy little flute melody riding atop galloping tom-toms. Slow Marching Band is one of Tull's sweetest tunes. Seal Driver is a big, fat, rock anthem that shakes the speakers if you crank it loud enough. And Watching Me, Watching You is a good example of creative, unconventional song-writing. Sure, not everything here is brilliant, but "Broadsword" is better than any other Tull 80's album except for "Crest of a Knave." It's better than A, Under Wraps, and Rock Island, and as such does not deserve the critical punishment many here have dished out.

I give this album 3 and a half stars. I think it has some very strong material.

This is probably the best Tull record of the early 80's. "A" was really an Ian Anderson solo album under the Tull name, and Under Wraps took too steep a dive into the keyboard and synth sound of the decade for most Tull fans. Broadsword toned down alot of the keyboard featured on "A" and Ian Anderson's song writing for this album is simply fantastic, featuring songs written more in tune with what a fan expects from a Jethro Tull CD. Broadsword is a fast, fun-filled disk that clocks in well under the 45 minute mark, but packs so much into each song! Highly recommended!

The Broadsword and the beast is not what I expected. I remember the first time I saw the cover and the name I expected big time heavy metal about evil monsters and battles. I was a little dissapointed when i found it to be very mellow and lyrically a little more serious. Pussy willow, Flying colors and Fallen on hard times instatnly caught on though, and eventually the rest too.

This is an extremely well written album! I don't consider Ian Anderson the best songwriter in rock music for nothing. The music is so beautiful, hinting at medieval but at the same time completely different from everything else. And lyrically, it's extremely intelligent poetry that is extremely hard to interpret. Well, except for "watching me" which i always thought had a nice beat but was kinda stupid.

Overall my favorites are Flying colors, Pussy willow, The clasp and Fallen on hard times.

I think that the only Tull album I like more is Minstrel in the gallery a true masterpiece. If you're a person who needs upbeat dance music through the whole cd you might get a little bored but if you have an appreciation for some of the better poetry ever written set to beautiful music, don't hesitate to give it a chance.

Broadsword and the Beast is an excellent record, which could have been even better (ten stars at least!) as a double record with all the tracks that were left off (find a copy of the 20 years box, and get Nightcap and you'll have them). But I can't recommend the Broadsword and the Beast CD and for the same reason another fan here has already stated: THE SOUND QUALITY IS HORRIBLE! I love the song FALLEN ON HARD TIMES but that tape clicking noise during the chorus is so loud it makes it unbearable to listen to. So I regretfully advise everyone to steer clear of this disc until the record company fixes the problem.

Every time I review a Jethro Tull album I seem to repeat the same phrase, which must bore those two or three faithful readers of my reviews. However, I must repeat the phrase again. Jethro Tull's music is quite eclectic, and they, speaking significantly of Ian Anderson, have performed such a broad array of music that it is impossible to characterize the group. How fortunate for those of us who enjoy an eclectic array of music. This album falls short of Tull's best, but it has moments that rival Tull's best. I enjoy those moments and listen to this album often just for those moments.

One feature of this album is the electronic nature of much of the music. "Beastie" begins the electronic fun as synthesizers open this powerful song. I admire several things about this rocking song, but overall it is average. The repeat of "beastie" eventually becomes annoying. Better is "The Clasp." This song is strongly electronic, but sounds like an electronic version of traditional Jethro Tull. I wish this album would have opened with this excellent song. Remaining in a similar vein is "Fallen on Hard Times." This song relies somewhat less on electronics than the previous songs and is catchy and clever. Fans of Tull's renaissance-flavored music should like this song.

"Flying Colours" sounds too much like typical 80s rock. Imagine the rock group Survivor with Ian Anderson doing the vocals. I am unimpressed with this song.

"Slow Marching Band" is a remarkable piece for this album. This song could have been on "Heavy Horses" or "Minstrel from the Gallery." The tone is dirge-like and full, though somewhat understated in comparison to the electronic songs leading up to this one. An even better song is "Broadsword." The ponderous music matches the topic of the lyrics. I can almost imagining Arnold Schwarzenegger in a Conan movie with the incredible sword he carried. This song is one of the best, if not the best, from this CD. Another song that seems even more out of place is the renaissance sound ballad "Pussy Willow." This song falls a little short of the previous couple of songs, but has so much flavor of previous Tull albums that the music is comforting.

"Watching Me Watching You" is another low point on this CD. Enough said about that. "Seal Driver" follows. There are several places in this song where I like the music, but there are other places where I am less than impressed. This song is about average for this CD, which means it is less than average for a Tull song.

"Cheerio" closed the original album with a melancholy touch. Many artists have created closings that sadly tell their audience goodbye. This closing became a signature song for Tull.

There are eight bonus songs on this CD which are interesting because of their style. The eight additional songs tip the style of this album even further into the style of "Songs from the Wood" or "Heavy Horses," which makes me think that Ian Anderson wanted to downplay the electronic music of the original and wanted to enhance the medieval and renaissance flavored music. Whatever the reason, "Jack Frost and the Hooded Crow" is a lovely song that would have been great on either of the earlier CD's. "Jack A Lynn" is a tender and mellow ballad that remains in the same vein.

"Mayhem Maybe" has a strong Celtic flavor and is an absolutely marvelous song that has nothing to do with any of the electronic music on this CD. Fans of "Songs from the Wood" will love this song.

The next song is somewhat more electronic, and in my opinion, is weaker than the previous bonus songs. Indeed, "Too Many Too" ranks with the weakest songs on this CD. "Overhang" is a bit better than average for this CD. The best portions of this song are the flute and the refrain. The worst part of this song is trying to marry a traditional sound with electronics. "Rhythm in Gold" is filler. Fortunately, we can always program our CD players to skip over this song.

"I Am Your Gun" is another song I have mixed feelings about. I like parts of this song, but portions are obnoxious. This song is similar to "Overhang" in that two different styles are married, less than successfully, together.

The final bonus track is "Down at the End of Your Road." This song is above average and nearly succeeds where "Overhang" and "I Am Your Gun" did not. I enjoy this song much better than either of the two previous songs.

I enjoyed this song from the first time I heard it. There are several tracks that are memorable and worthy additions to the best music that Jethro Tull has ever recorded. There are several songs that are among the most forgettable songs that Jethro Tull has ever recorded. On the balance, there is more good music here than weak music, and this CD is one to have for fans of Jethro Tull.

This album is one of several electronic-based albums for Jethro Tull, with the others being "A" from 1980 and "Under Wraps" from 1984. Some of this music led to Jethro Tull being described as a hard rock group and winning the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance in 1988 for "Crest of a Knave." The joke was on the Academy because Tull is Tull and to classify them as anything but Tull is a mistake. How fortunate for us.

Enjoy!

Broadsword and The Beast was released at a time when I was 18. I had been listening for years to Tull due to my older brother's influence on my stereo. I considered myself a fan from the moment I heard "Wind-Up" on Aqualung.
Remember,before the days of the internet, a person couldn't research and find out any and almost all information on a particular band or it's going's on.
Fortunately, I was at the time working at a "record" store and was intrigued when the new release shipment came in with this LP in the box. I immediately bought it. It remained on my turntable (or not far from it) for almost a year. I saw the subsequent tour (which was fantastic) and I continued listening to the LP until I managed to get a CD copy years later.
The music today is well, historically an 80's type sound. A sound that found it's way into many a great artists music (see Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, The Who, Robert Plant) But, one must remember that Jethro Tull wasn't yet in the "classic rock" category. None of the previously mentioned bands were. Tull was just a constantly touring and prolific contemporary band. Radio had not yet become so marginalized as to squeeze all music into a particular style or box.
Tull is to this day a great band and incredibly great LIVE.
The following tour for "Under Wraps" was a a drastic change and one which didn't appeal to my more organic ears. But, I returned to the fold with Crest of a Knave.
This album, with all it's synths and such. Including it's excellent and rare outside production by Paul Samwell-Smith. Is a great Jethro Tull album and I continue to enjoy it with their best works today.

IMHO One of the 5 best tull disks. Along with 'A' and stormwatch and Heavy horses. Like the Greatful Dead(terrpin station, shakedown street, go to heaven), motorhead(another perfect day, Iron fist) deep purple(come taste the band, stormbringer) and thin lizzy(renegade, chinatown, thunder and lightning) these English based bands late 70's early 80's music which is the least commercially popular, but shows these bands are free to create diverse music and experiment. Thus the reason all the bands have 10+ releases of studio music! I dont want to hear Aqualung anymore Bring me my broadsword.

Love the songs, especially Ian's vocals. Sound quality is flat and definitely needs to be remastered. Low reviews surprise me. It was a good albumn.
Well, Tull fans are special people. We all have our favorites. Tull has a large body of work in which to choose from. So
Light one up - toss one down, and give a listen to your favorite albumns. Broadsword is one of mine.

I bought this album on vinyl as soon as it was released "way back when." From my very first listen, I liked it - a lot. Sure, it's not "classic" Tull, but then again the "classic" Tull sound was never what endeared me to the band. I think every track on this one is worth listening to, which I can't say for some of the band's earliest albums.

As others have observed, the sound quality on this CD is terrible. Someone forgot to turn up the level control when they were doing the a-to-d conversion, and you have to CRANK it just to be able to hear it. A remaster is sorely needed.