Customer Reviews

Stand Up

5 star:		(86)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This album is not only by far Jethro Tull's finest, but quite simply one of the best rock albums ever made. These days Tull carry a lot of baggage with them; however, on their sophomore effort they deliver the goods through and through. There is a tangible human warmth to Ian Anderson's writing and singing here that would never again be recaptured (save perhaps for a few cuts on the followup "Benefit") when the band moved closer to a prog base. "Stand Up" points an early finger toward prog in the outstanding "Bouree" and the breezy orchestration on "Reasons For Waiting", but its main stock-in-trade is blues-rock with a healthy twist. Tracks like "New Day Yesterday" and "Nothing Is Easy" represent the peak of the form, with the whole group's playing remarkably sophisticated and subtle, mixing jazz, blues and rock with consummate ease. "Look Into The Sun" is the group's finest ballad and one of the most touching songs of its era, with Martin Barre's wah-wahed guitar punctuating Anderson's vocal with remarkable grace. "Fat Man" is a humorous lyric matched to a magnetic rhythm and vaguely Middle Eastern flavor. The diversity of the musical styles, the strength and consistency of the songwriting (Filler? What filler?) and the ever-elusive feel of "magic" on this album are hard to beat, and indeed Jethro Tull--despite some great moments on later albums--reached their peak with this release. This is my favorite of 1969, beating out other classics like "Abbey Road", "Hot Rats", "Unhalfbricking", "Happy Trails", "In The Court Of The Crimson King" and others.

I guess I must be turning into some sort of musical dinosaur. With the exception of Railroad Earth (and see my reviews of their CDs), just about everybody I listen to regularly was already recording as of 1970 or before.

Jethro Tull is on that shortlist. Like all longtime Tull fans, I have my likes and dislikes from the various phases of their long career; I think well of their first seven albums, my own favorite period was from _Minstrel in the Gallery_ through _Stormwatch_ (which I sure wish somebody would release on CD), they reached the stratosphere with _Songs from the Wood_/_Heavy Horses_, I like the same parts of _Crest of a Knave_ that you do, and I'd have worn needle holes in Anderson's solo release _The Secret Language of Birds_ by now if it had been released on vinyl. But the bottom line is this: as long as Ian Anderson is writing, recording, and performing, there will always be good music, and as long as Martin Barre is playing with him, that music will always be Tull.

But I don't ordinarily review a lot of their old albums. I decided to weigh in on this one because I saw that somebody had encountered problems with the sound on this remastered CD.

I haven't had any such problems with mine, and I don't think my ears are all _that_ bad yet. So it appears to be a problem with that particular CD (or a batch of them), not with the remastering in general.

Anyway, this is a great old album and one of Tull's all-time best. The remastered release also includes some nice bonus tracks that were recorded around the same time (including, of course, the still-stunning "Living in the Past"). Ian and the boys still do a lot of these in concert, and the new liner notes (by Mr. Anderson himself, no less) indicate that it's still one of his favorite Tull releases.

One thing is missing, though: the old pop-up cardboard figures don't pop up any more. There's just a flat photo of them. (Of course we can't very well change the name of the album from _Stand Up_ to _Just Lie There_, but that's all they do.) Oh, well.

This excellent album was released in 1969 and shows Jethro Tull starting to head in the direction of prog rock that would come to full fruition on albums like Thick as a Brick (1972) and A Passion Play (1973). Specifically, elements of jazz, folk, and classical are merged with blues rock on Stand Up.

The lineup at this point included Ian Anderson (lead vocals, flute, acoustic guitar, Hammond organ, piano, mandolin, balalaika, and harmonica); great drummer Clive Bunker; bassist Glen Cornick, and for the first time playing with Jethro Tull, guitarist Martin Barre. Previous guitarist Mick Abraham had left the band to form Blodwyn Pig, a more blues-based band. All of the musicians are excellent and I love Glen Cornick's bass playing, which is showcased on the fantastic instrumental track Bouree. In fact Glen and John Glascock are my two favorite Tull bassists.

Musically, this album is pretty diverse and the pieces range from an adaptation of J.S. Bach's Bouree though quieter and folksy pieces (Look into the Sun; Fat Man; Reasons for Waiting), to heavier and sophisticated blues rock jams (Nothing is Easy). I would even go so far to say that there are little bits of psychedelic rock here and there too (Back to the Family). All in all it is an incredible blending of styles and makes for a very enjoyable and dynamic listening experience. In addition, the range in instrumentation, which includes hard edged electric guitar along with softer acoustic instruments, including those associated with traditional English folk music also adds another dimension to the album. The writing is all top notch and the music shows a significant leap forward from the debut album This Was (1968).

This remastered album is pretty good and features liner notes from Ian and good sound quality. The bonus tracks include the old hit (in 5/4 no less) Living in the Past along with Driving Song (recorded in Los Angeles, California while on tour); and Sweet Dream/17 (both were recorded at Morgan Studios in North London, England). All of the bonus tracks are pretty good, although 17 is not all that hot.

All in all, this is an excellent album from the early phase of Jethro Tull and is very highly recommended along with the follow up album Benefit (1970).

I was 12 back in 1969 when this album was released. At that time, I was a huge Beatles fan, but soon after the Beatles disbanded (in 1970), I started listening to progressive rock groups (Jethro Tull, Genesis, Yes, etc.) Soon after that, I heard the music of Miles Davis (electric period), which led me to the so-called jazz-rock (or fusion). I started listening to Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report, Chick Corea, and such. I also started studying music and seriously playing guitar at that time.

I remember that back then I was thinking that prog-rockers didn't have sufficient musical ability to play music at the level that fusion musicians could. However, upon re-listening to albums like "Stand Up" and some other prog-rock albums, I was forced to change my opinion.

"Stand Up" is probably the best of all the prog-rock albums. If it wasn't for the Beatles "Abbey Road", which was also released in 1969, "Stand Up" would have been the best album of that year (yes, even better than Led Zeppelin II). So, this album is absolutely the highest achievement not only of Jethro Tull, but of the whole genre.

My favorite track on the whole album is "Reasons for Waiting". It's so beautiful, it's beyond mere words. Next, I adore "Back to the Family" (never fails to give me goosebumps, especially the closing 'trading fours' section, where Ian and Martin play the most ferocious lines ever heard, while Clive Bunker soars on his drumkit with such an abandon). Also, Glen Cornick is killing on his bass throughout the entire album. Other favorites are "A New Day Yesterday", "We Used To Know", "Jeffrey Goes To Leicaster Square", etc.

The reason I love this album so much is because of the highest possible musicianship exhibited there. The tight interplay surpasses in its inventiveness anything jazz rockers and fusionists could ever do. The virtuosity is on a much higher scale than anything displayed by the bands in the seventies (including Tull themselves).

All in all, a deeply inspired album that everybody should own. Highly recommended.

If I was limited to one album it'd the classical Stand Up. This is the first real Jethro Tull, This Was, I hate to say, is really weak, boring, annoying and IT DOESN'T EVEN SOUND LIKE JETHRO TULL. This is the brilliant followup, a huge leap from this was. Esecially considering only 6 months passed between the release of this was and the begining of the stand up sessions!
Now to the music..... I expected to find this whole album on the very best of Jethro Tull. That's how good it is, it blows my mind that it was accomplished so quickly and so efficiantly as well. I'll take us through this experience, every time it is just as incredible.

1.A new day yesterday: A rockin blues song, not like This was but an actually really rockin one. The song features a cool riff. The song has lyrics like "I had to leave today just when I thought I'd found you", and "my first and last time together" suggesting he was involved in a short relationship or something.

2.Jeffrey goes to Leicester sqaure: This is a great song, figuring how simple and short it is. The interesting thing is the great flute line playing in the background almost the whole song, even in the lyric section. The song's title speaks of Jeffrey, friend of Ian anderson, but the lyrics refer to a "bright city woman". I dunnno what it has to do with Jeffrey though.

3.Bouree: a bach cover, but a good one. The original bouree is too fast and the flute parts ian added are so good that the original seems so empty without it. This song has no words but a medieval sound and a great flute line, excellent!

4.Back to the family: lyrically this is one of the best jethro tull songs out there. The lyrics are so fresh and original and the flute solo is incredible. This is one of the must have jethro tull songs. The song is about mixed feelings on family life.

5.Look into the sun: a great acoustic song, somthing ian anderson excelled at. The song is one about a love he could've had but she chose not to go with him or something to that line.... great acoustic parts, it is excellent.

6.Nothing is easy: a great song, one of the first jethro tull songs that really got my attention. It's pretty catchy, features sweet guitar lines and really rocks. A lot of energy here, u gotta listen to it!

7.fat man: an eastern song.... played on mandolins I think. It sounds great, no flute here though, it's a favorite among many....and as much as i dislike the lyrics this song shouldn't stop anyone from getting the album!

8.We used to know: This song is excellent. Incredible. the solos are better than those on aqualung but just as rockin', strong lyrics to an acoustic part and a rockin flute solo. This song never made it to any best of cd but it should have! It's incredible!

9.Reasons for waiting: The love song, loved for it's romantic summer feel and it's lyrics. A beautiful acoustic track with good lyrics this is another one of the really strong tracks of the album, as late in the album as it is.

10.for a thousand mothers: this track totally rocks. it's about how ian anderson's parents tried to tell him he could never be a rockstar and all. It's flute solos are remarkable, the best flute solos of all time. This track is one of the bets moments of jethro tull

bottom line: GET THE ALBUM. IT'S WORTH THE MONEY, MORE THAN THAT EVEN. i THINK IT'S THE BEST AND I LISTEN TO STUFF LIEK BEATLES LED ZEPPELIN AND PINK FLOYD.

thank u

I agree with the reviewer who reckons Stand Up was, pound for pound, Tull's best album. And only their second! It was certainly the first rock album I really liked in a big way (almost to the point of obsession), and I think it still sounds terrific, in particular the songs Nothing is Easy, New Day Yesterday, Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square, Bouree, Fat Man, and For A Thousand Mothers. I find myself alone amongst my contemporaries who dismiss Tull as a pack of dinosaurs who have been dining out on the same bombastic nonsense for the last 30+ years.

The thing that immediately set this album apart was of course the flute in the midst of essentially a blues rock lineup. But it really worked, giving the music a distinctive tonal colour and dynamic range. The next thing that distinguished it from the stodgy blues-based rock around at the time, was its rythmic intensity and variation. Hardly a single song sat in a square-four groove but moved around all over the place, employing odd time signatures - 6/4 (New Day Yesterday), polyrythmns (Nothing is Easy) - but not in a mechanical way ... they could kick like mules but they could really swing as well. The third thing were the stylistic colourings - blues of course, jazz influences (Roland Kirk, maybe even Dave Brubeck and Take 5), and English folksong ... with instrumentation to suit, from electric and acoustic guitars to flute, mandolin, bongo drums, you name it. All in all, the whole thing had a wild, anarchic quality and a great sense of fun, together with a deftness of touch that was and still is a pretty rare commodity.

Unfortunately, Tull succumbed to pomp-rock disease which afflicted so many English bands of the era (I suspect because all those classically trained English public schoolboys started flooding into the market having decided that a career in rock 'n roll might be a good idea). They lost the swing and Ian Anderson, fatally, decided he really had something to say with songs like "My God" (Aqualung). The bombast only got worse with Thick as a Brick which is where I lost interest. I know a lot of people think that that's where JT really began, but for my money, they were at their best with Stand Up and indeed most of their recordings around that era.

In my opinion the best Tull album, with a few of their best cuts, Bouree, A New Day Yesterday and Fatman,and a couple of more obscure but really interesting songs, Look Into the Sun and Reason to Know. I always come back to these old Tull albums in the autumn, its the woodsy sylvan english thing I guess. Such a talented interesting band - too bad they ultimately only put out a few really good albums. With the exception of Songs from the Wood and a smattering of great songs (Salamander, One White Duck, Skating Away...), it all stops after Passion Play, although the same thing happened to all of the English progressive bands of that period (Genesis, Gentle Giant, etc.), in search of radio time. Anyhow this album excels because it has a lot of musicianship which is rare in contemporary music. I always thought Tull's acoustic work was their best stuff and there is plenty of it on this album.

Whenever people talk about the best albums of Jethro Tull, they invariably mention "Aqualung" and "Thick as a Brick", and rightly so. However, if they fail to mention "Stand up" (Pre-Aqualung), they are doing the band an injustice.
I too, used to be in that camp, only thinking about the two previouly mentioned albums until I viewed "Jethro Tull at the Isle of Wight" on cable TV. It was a music/documentary of the bands 1970 appearance there with commentary from Ian Anderson.
After seeing that program and listening to that music, I was hooked. I had to have the studio versions of the songs they played at the festival. Searching Amazon.com, I discovered that my favorites such as Bouree, Nothing Is Easy, We Used To Know, A New Day Yesterday were from the album "Stand Up". (By the way, I believe that concert footage I saw is also available at Amazon.com)
Anyway, if you already have "Aqualung" and "Thick As A Brick" and/or want to experience the early roots of a very good band, then I recommend this album. You won't be disappointed. (Bonus tracks include "Living In The Past" - a Tull staple!)

OK, to get the real deal package-wise I think you have to seek out the Japanese digipack with the pop-up of the band in the middle. But if you aren't into childrens-art-book styling like me, and just want the music, get this in any form. "This Was", their first effort, broke us into what they were all about, so then we were really ready for this when it came out. The bonus tracks fit fine thematically and don't mess up what was a nice cohesive LP in the first place. Never have been able to get "Fat Man" out of my head, maybe because it hits close to home.

The only bad news about this album is that Tull never again came close to this phenomenal album. Technically, this is J.T.'s second album but the first album had a drastically different lineup. "Stand Up" is a beautiful collection of fantastic songs and amazing guitar work. The band managed to produce 2 more great albums before they began to descend into parody. Surprisingly, for the late 60s, most of the band were tea-totallers and it shows. The musicianship is very tight, blending jazz, folk, middle eastern and folk influences into a heady brew that appears effortless. If you think this band is a bunch of boring old hippies, buy this CD and listen more closely. You may be missing some amazing music.