Under Wraps [Enhanced, Original recording remastered]

Jethro Tull | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 26, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Original recording remastered
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B0007V3P5O
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,934 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Remastered reissue of the1984 album and includes the enhanced video for 'Lap Of Luxury'. EMI. 2005.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In defense of a much maligned gem - Redeux., April 19, 2005

By 

G-Dexter (Lakewood, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Under Wraps (Audio CD)

Many Tull fans unjustly shun this work as an aberration in the Tull catalog, a divergent work not really worthy of "Tulldom". I have a different view. First, I will tell you that this is the last album the band made before Ian's voice literally collapsed in the mid 80's, leaving his fans in serious doubt for many years to come as to the veracity of it's ever returning. So, when I think back on that concert tour, I recall with fond memories the final time I saw Ian sing with that wonderful full vocal range so prevalent in the highs of SONGS FROM THE WOODS and the sonorous lows of BAKER STREET MUSE. It was also really the end of an era of 'big shows' where staging and drama came as part of the Jethro Tull package. Ballooning budgetary concerns mandated a less ostentatious approach to putting on a show. Gone forever were arena venues featuring string quartets and the elaborate Viking ship stage sets.

Be it known, however, that this is really quite an amazing album that harkens back to a concept album format. Apparently at the time, Ian had read a lot of John Le Carre and Martin Cruz novels; the album absolutely drips with cold war rhetoric, international espionage and intrigue. The progression of the songs reads like chapters in book GORKY PARK. All the characters are there, from the saboteur, the sexy seductress, the double agent, and the turncoat general selling out his country to the other side. We, the listener play the role of the guileless common man helplessly swept along with the story.

The music is rich and complex. Electronic in places - yes, largely due to the keyboard influences of Peter Vettese, but also full of the signature sounds distinctive to Jethro Tull. Present are Martin Barre's soaring guitar solos, Ian's flute work, and the bass lines distinctive to our old friend, Dave Pegg. The album also serves as our introduction to the man who has played percussion for the band longer than any other, the amazing Doane Perry.

My favorite songs include EUROPEAN LEGACY, LATER THAT SAME EVENING, and UNDER WRAPS #2. The CD contains four songs not originally included on the vinyl, and they break up the flow a bit. Unfortunatly, they dropped AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING and GENERAL CROSSING at the end of the disc, rather than before the song APOGEE which worked perfectly as a closing chapter to the novel on the record. I was hoping that with this new remaster, the order of songs would be rectified, but alas...no. This new release really offers nothing new musically, though the sound may be slightly cleaner if you are fortunate to own a really amazing stereo system, but for most of us, the difference is negligable. The LAP OF LUXURY video is a nice inclusion, but probably not worth the $$ if you already own this CD.

Martin Barre has referred to this as the Tull album he listens to when he wants to listen to a Tull album. He absolutely smokes on HEAT, a song which I think could sit comfortably on any 'Best of Jethro Tull' disc. While not a perfect album, in my opinion it is still a great album.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Jethro Tull Meets The 1980s, June 5, 2005

By 

David R. Gaines (Rockville, MD, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Under Wraps (Audio CD)

Ian Anderson deserves credit for constantly being open to new inspiration, new sound sources, new influences, and ways to stay at least somewhat relevant to what the current pop music climate is. 1984's "Under Wraps" is the best example of this. It's hard to believe that the same band (or at least the same band name) made both the "This Was" and "Under Wraps" albums. This remastered edition of "Under Wraps" includes the promo video for the album's single, "Lap of Luxury," which got a fair amount of airplay on MTV at the time, although "Lap" didn't chart very high and the band has never, to my knowledge, performed it since the tour for "Under Wraps." A welcome addition since only part of the video appears on the 20th anniversary Tull DVD/videotape.

In any event, guitarist Martin Barre has somewhat surprisingly said several times over the years (including a phone interview I did with him in 1988 for the Washington Times) that this is his favorite Jethro Tull album and the easiest one for them to make. The tracks "European Legacy," "Under Wraps" #1 and #2, "Heat," and "Lap of Luxury" are among my favorite Tull songs. I think it is the instrumentation - digital drum machine in lieu of a live drummer - that puts people off, since it adds to the somewhat cold, digital, super-precise feel of the album. The above-named songs would fit well into any Tull setlist with the addition of drummer Doane Perry instead of the drum machine (interestingly, Perry has said that Ian Anderson is the finest drum machine programmer he's ever come across). Certainly the overall tone is not what someone would ordinarily expect from Jethro Tull, but then it's hard to think of a band that varies its style so much from album to album. What IS the "real" Jethro Tull sound, anyway?

If it's good enough for Martin Barre, it's good enough for me. :)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars infectious, April 3, 2007

By 

David April "AprilHarvest" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Under Wraps (Audio CD)

At first casual listen I was quite disappointed, the 70's Tull sound now completely gone by this albums creation in 1984. But subsequent listens grabbed me. This is a great album! I can't even point my finger on it but there is something really enjoyable and infectious about this music. I've been listening to quite a bit of the other, mostly 70's, Tull albums and this one is refreshing for a change of pace when I discovered it recently. This was an album I wrote off before I ever listened to it, big mistake. Ian proves he can master the more electronic and synth influenced music and make it work- and work well. Kind of funny, but after listening to Under Wraps for a while, the other Tull material is what sounded 'different' and a bit off. Its all good but give Under Wraps a chance, look past some of that 80's vibe and you'll find some great timeless music. Just give it a couple of listens before you pass judgement...