Customer Reviews

Rupi's Dance

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This disc will always leave me with wonderful memories. It was during this period that I got to meet Ian Anderson personally at a Wild About Cats charity event a year ago in San Francisco. Needless to say that the man is a charming host, but don't chat him up before a performance.

These compositions are uniformly excellent, and they display Anderson as more the composer and arranger, and (much) less the rock frontman. Calliandra Shade is the most infectious song Anderson has written in a long time, while Lost In Crowds finds Ian at his most revealing. A Raft of Penguins is a delight, as is the jazzy groove of A Week of Moments. A Hand of Thumbs and Griminelli's Lament are both haunting compositions, while Eurology is Ian at his most puckish. Two Short Planks bares a passing resemblance to Thick As A Brick, and Old Black Cat is overwhelmingly sad.

Ian Anderson has morphed from Tramp to Minstrel, then to rock's Country Squire, to the dreaded "elder statesman" role, and finally as an urbane gentleman with a sharp eye on the world's absurdities. I think that I like this incarnation the best.

Incidentally, you can ignore at least half of the negative reviews for Rupi's Dance posted here on Amazon. It's merely one cretin who's submitting nearly all of the bad reviews, and this person does the same on a lot of other Tull releases.

Those of us who follow Jethro Tull have always yearned for a CD of the more "acoustic" side of Tull. With Ian at the helm, you knew there would be a snippet here and there in the Tull repertoire, but the best JT songs encompassed the band as a whole. As a follow-on to "Secret Language of Birds", Ian has shown once again the magical essence that is at the center of the band, but more so his personal musical genius. Highlights include "Lost in Crowds" (possibly Ian's confession of not wanting to stand out as a celebrity) and "A Raft of Penguins" (his musings on playing with a symphony orchestra and the perils a rock musician might encounter in doing so). Ian Anderson paints wonderful musical pictures of his life experiences and observations and this CD depicts some of those beautifully. The mix of lyrics, music, and voice are delivered in a way that any music lover would enjoy. This Tull/Ian fan highly recommends it ... but the uninitiated will be quick fans themselves after just a listen or two. Cheerio ... PD

Probably the best things that ever happened to Ian Anderson's music were his move to the country and his purchase of a salmon farm. Ever since the mid-1970s, he's had an independent source of income and hasn't been tied to the fickle tastes of musical fashion. As a result he's been free to make quite a lot of excellent music without either the usual market influences or the creativity-stifling pressure of depending on his tunesmithing for his bread and butter. Go right ahead and consider those lilies, folks, but there's something to be said for investing wisely.

This CD, as no doubt every reader of this page knows, is very much in the same spirit as _The Secret Language of Birds_, in that it consists mostly of Ian singing and playing flutes and acoustic guitars.

The songwriting is every bit as excellent as on _SLOB_, and possibly even just a smidgen better (if that's possible). There's a delightful mix here: several cats, some other animals, some coffee, a couple of lovely instrumental pieces, a touch of "world beat", and the occasional bit of schoolboy humor ("Eurology"? hee hee). There are also some nice photos of Ian posing grimly with his flute.

There are also some guest musicians (notably but not only Leslie Mandoki, who sits in on several tracks; Anderson recently appeared on one of his releases as well).

Anderson's voice is in good shape, his flauting has never been more liquid, and his guitar work is delicately filigreed. (Incidentally, some of the songs are played on an 1880-vintage C.F. Martin guitar.)

There's also a "bonus" track from Jethro Tull's forthcoming Christmas album. The preview is nice to have. (It would be easy to get cynical here and treat the track as a simple marketing ploy, but the fact is that any of us who buy one of these CDs would have bought the other anyway.)

Bottom line: if you know this CD exists, you should probably already have bought it. If you haven't, why not?

Since Jethro Tulls glory days of the late 60's and 70's, Anderson and Tull have been trying to create music worthy of that great legacy. 1995's Roots to Branches not withstanding, the 80's and 90's were, at best, patchy and many feared the muse had deserted Anderson for good. Which is why his Secret Language of Birds was such a revelation. It was ( to use a time worn cliche ) a stunning return to form.

The Secret Language of Birds is the equal of any of Jethro Tulls finest moments and as those moments are also some of Rock Musics finest moments, it was always going to be a difficult task for Anderson to come up with a worthy follow up. But he has.

Is Rupis Dance as good as Secret Language? It could well be better. Rupis Dance is a much richer album. The arrangements unbelievably beautiful - the flute is very much to the front, backed by a superb string quartet, acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins and superb acoustic bass and percussion. The melodies are sublime.

Lyrically, Anderson explores the mundanities of his life and whereas Secret Language dealt with the world at large, Rupis Dance is a more introspective album. Think Baker St Muse meets Secret Language. Its also sometimes reminiscent of the likes of Peter Sarstedt or Al Stewart and Tull cogniscenti may detect a similar vibe to some of the legendary Broadsword and Beast outtakes in some of the heavier songs ( especially the bonus Tull song ).

Its not a perfect album - sometimes its a bit too polite ( a bit too Andrew Lloyd Weberish ) and some of the songs dont quite have the immediacy of Secret Languages best moments.

Nevertheless, Rupis Dance is a triumph.

Rupi's Dance is Ian Andersons latest solo offering. Following-up on the acoustic Secret Language of Birds release in 2000, Rupi's Dance will not dissapoint. This album has an incredible mixture of musical styles and instruments (including a mellotron!) that are placed to goos use bring to life Ian's songwriting.
Of the songs there are several standouts. For me, Lost in Crowds is the best one here - a mixture of heavy and light moments with poetic lyrics and Ian singing like the Ian of 1975 - this reminds me of Baker Street Muse in places. Another standout is My Back Cat in which one of Ian's cats is lamented. As a fellow cat-lover, I can certainly identify with this. The acoustic guitar and flute is haunting. Pigeons over Berlin Zoo is Tullish sounding with a very memorable chorus. I must also include A Hand of Thumbs in the top listing as well.

Overall, the vocals are the best that I have heard since 1984 from Ian. As always, the musicianship is second to none.

All in all a great effort - one or two of the tunes still need to grow on me a bit, but that is minor amongst the musical brilliance evident here.

The one Tull track, Birthday Card at Christmas is short, but full of energy with good vocal, flute, and FAST acoutic guitar. Looking forward to the Christmas Album. Rock on, Ian!

Gone is the Ian Anderson of old singing about such weighty matters as the nature of existence, the hypocrisy in organized religion, the encroachment of industrial culture overshadowing our green and pleasant land. The new kinder, gentler Ian prefers to examine his immediate surroundings with observations on the passing world from his comfortable chair sipping the perfect cup of coffee. As well as other favorite pastimes such as; felines, zoos, CNN newscasts, Indian food, traveling, and photography. The angry young man with his sarcastic humor and pithy remarks has been put comfortably to bed. Those who have aged along with this man and his band are not necessarily opposed to this. For now, others can rage against the machine as we are treated to another plate of tuneful songs, delicate arrangements and melodies, and a conservative blend of spice. Since this album is in the same mode as the previous solo effort, The Secret Language of Birds, maybe Anderson is playing it too safe. We know Anderson has a cast iron stomach. And so do his faithful. So bring on the spice.

After only a few listenings to Ian Anderon's "Rupi's Dance", it can easily be said that this is an excellent album and follow up to "The Secret Language of Birds".

Anderson covers a wide range of topics from coffee corner society to working with orchestras, the anonymity of crowds, holiday photo snaps, to the death of one's favorite pet.

Of particular interest to me is Anderson's vocal performance, which by contrast to "Secret Language of Birds" and "Roots to Branches" is much stronger and more self assured. The album overall had an uplifting mood and feel.I would be surprised if "Rupi's Dance" didn't impress existing fans and attract newer fans too. If the added track ("Brithday Card at Christmas") from the forthcoming Tull album is any indication, it looks as if we're in for another equally excellent treat!

Funny Old things...record reviews...

Ian Anderson's fourth solo album, is an exuberant, intelligent work. Anderson's flute playing is lively and melodic, and his voice seems to have shed 20 years. Although the music is complex, it seamlessly combines elements of Irish, Indian, jazz, and classical music. The level of songwriting and musicianship rises to Jethro Tull's peak in the '70s, though the hard edge of Martin Barre's guitar is absent from this acoustic album. After 35 years of recording with Jethro Tull, it is remarkable that Anderson can create new work that is so fresh and inventive.

A short time before my book "Jethro Tull: A History of the Band, 1968-2001" was published, I was able to include a rave review of Ian Anderson's long-awaited solo album "The Secret Language of Birds," a truly unique and eclectic record, as are most of the records Anderson has produced, with and without Jethro Tull. He does it again on the new "Rupi's Dance," perhaps an even better record than the last one. The lush arrangements, woodsy acoustic instruments, beautiful virtuoso flute playing and intelligent songwriting are all here, reminiscent of Tull masterpieces like "Songs from the Wood" and "Heavy Horses" but with a quarter-century of practice that has made Anderson an even more staggering musician than he was in the glory days of Tull. Hey, they're still out there, people--and I'll be lucky enough (again) to hang out with them in a just a few days. The inclusion of a "bonus" track from the forthcoming "Jethro Tull Christmas Album"--a long-overdue album from them--is a great appetite whetter for the Tull fan. One of the elements that makes "Rupi's Dance" a prime Anderson project is the inclusion of the superb Sturcz String Quartet and several excellent Eastern European musicians, who compliment Anderson's own multi-instrumental prowess. Also, his singing is back to the quality of vintage Tull (after struggling with some voice problems over the years). If you enjoy any kind of good, honest music--folk, classical, world, ethnic, roots rock, jazz/blues--forget the categories--just buy the CD!

On the heels of his last great solo effort, THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF BIRDS, the crusty old curmudgeon continues to mature into what might be called the second coming of TULL. I've been listening to this cantankerous troubadour since JETHRO TULL's 1972 medieval masterpiece, STAND UP. This recording harkens back to the acoustic brilliance of LIVING IN THE PAST as well as the aforementioned STAND UP, to the majesty of the seminal, SONGS FROM THE WOOD. Although, nothing Anderson could possibly do could ever repeat the genius of that recording, Anderson has returned to his roots. Highly masterful flute playing, acoustic guitar, and strings, grace this wonderful performance. Some wonderful instrumentals and a voice that sounds as pure as when TULL was in it's infancy. The only thing missing is a spot o' tea.

If you love the aforementioned TULL masterpieces, you might be pleasantly surprised that Ian Anderson is making relevent music again. May he continue to do so for quite some time. IF YOU'RE A TULL FAN, BUY THIS. YOU WON'T BE SORRY.

IAN ANDERSON IS BACK. HOORAH!!