Crest of a Knave [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Jethro Tull

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 26, 2005)
• Original Release Date: April 26, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B00070DK1E
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,999 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The Album that Won the Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Although Not a Metal Album! this Album Originally Went Gold in the UK after Having Two Videos on Heavy Rotation on MTV. Steel Monkey, with Its Nod to the Great ZZ Top, Opened the Album with Its Rapid-fire Sequenced Piano Intro, While the Best Classic Tull Song Ever - Budapest - Provided Both Brain and Brawn on Record and Subsequent Live Performance Alike. The First Tull Record to Be Mastered on Digital Media, Crest Combined the Best of Martin's Guitar and Ian Anderson's Flute in the Harmony and Unison Phrasing Evident in Songs Like "Farm on the Freeway" and "Jumpstart".

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Headbanging Tull!, November 1, 2005

By	G. Harrah (Louisville,KY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the most controversial album Jethro Tull has ever put out before or since and it's all due the the Grammy commitee. 1988's winner of the "Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal" Grammy is neither. However it is an exellent album.
One of it's main strengths is the guitar work of Martin Barre. My favorite is his solo on "Budapest" because he demonstrates that one doesn't have to crank the amps up to 11 to have a kick bottom guitar solo. Ian Anderson says that "Budapest" is the song that he is most proud of, as it has a little bit of everything in it.
This album also has the song "Farm on the Freeway" which is today a concert favorite amongst the fans.
What's unfortunate about this album is Ian's voice is merely a shadow of what it once was due to throat problems a few years back. I wish Martin Barre's guitar had been mixed a little higher in the song "Steel Monkey", and I really wish this package had included the original 20 minute version of "Budapest."
Overall though, a terrific album and worth the money. Come to think of it, the flute can be heavy and it is made of metal so perhaps what the Grammy committee meant when they gave Tull the award.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Where the Mountain Men are Kings!, September 21, 2006

By	A Minstrel in the Gallery "Chris" (Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA) - See all my reviews

When I first listened to this album, I was stunned how much Ian Anderson's voice had changed between 1984 and 1987, caused by a severe throat infection during the "Under Wraps" tour. It was tough to swallow at first (no pun intended),but every time I listen to this cd, I enjoy it more and more. This album has some of the most complex and nuanced songs ever recorded by Jethro Tull. Besides the well-known classics here, such as "She said She was a Dancer" and "Budapest", there are some hidden gems like "Farm on the Freeway", about urban sprawl, and also "Mountain Men." I think you'll also appreciate "Part of the Machine" which features some of the most beautiful lyrics in any Tull song.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jethro Tull - Metal Grammy? No, But A Great Album, June 8, 2007

By	Steven Sly (Kalamazoo, MI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Unfortunately for Jethro Tull most people know this album for having the dubious honor of winning the first best "heavy metal / hard rock" category at the Grammy awards in 1988. It has become a running joke over the years since Tull beat out several true metal acts such as Metaillca for the award. The album has served as a continuous punch line of jokes at awards shows ever since. The sad thing about all of this is, that this really is a great Tull album and I think it was very cool that it was awarded a Grammy (even if it was not in the right category). "Crest" marked a bit of a comeback for Jethro Tull. The band had not fared so well in the 80's putting out several so so albums that were completely ignored by radio. Sales figures had slipped significantly during this period as well. With the release of "Crest" the band actually received praise from the critics and two songs, "Steel Monkey" and "Farm On The Freeway" were actually heard quite a bit on AOR radio. The "band" by this point had been reduced down to just Ian Anderson, Martin Barre and Dave Pegg. This album rocks in places and simmers in a cool mellow way in others. There is very little of the band's folk-ish sound to be found here, and the album was very modern sounding for it's time. The opener "Steel Monkey" almost sounds like 80's era ZZ Top. Martin Barre has some great stuff here and I think this is one of his best albums. There are some great songs on this disc especially "Farm On The Freeway", "Budapest", Mountain Men", and the sexual double meaning "Raising Steam". The only negative thing really is that by this time Anderson's voice was continuing to deteriorate, but for the most part things are notched down a peg and he sounds good here. Although different from their earlier works I have always really like this album and thought that it was a nice return to form for the band at the time of it's release.