Customer Reviews

Walk Into Light

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In his first solo album, Ian Anderson set out to make something different from the acoustic guitar/flute music he is known for. He went into the studio with Peter-John Vettese, a young, innovative keyboardist who worked on Jethro Tull's previous album Broadsword and the Beast and Tull's next album Under Wraps. He had no outtakes from previous Tull recordings with which to work. Everything on this album was written from scratch (Vettese co-wrote half the songs). The result was a very electronic album and, clocking in at under 40 minutes, a very quick yet interesting trip through one man's imagination in the emerging computer age. It is even more experimental than what Tull was doing at the time because, alas, Martin Barre does not appear on the album and even Anderson's characteristic flute only emerges occasionally. Think a softer "A" (which was originally meant to be Anderson's first solo project; the "A" standing for "Anderson") and Under Wraps completely dominated by synthesizers. I enjoy the overall sound of this album, but, then again, I am also a big fan of Tull's experimental years of the early 1980s. Under Wraps is one of my all-time favorite albums, and Walk Into Light resembles that album more than any other Tull record. It does not have the same variety of sound as Under Wraps, but each track can stand alone very well though, for the most part, they all have a similar feel. One stand-out track is "Made in England." I find myself humming along. It is excellent with interesting lyrics: "Watches the democratic process grind its way through the Commons who would pave the streets with England's gold." "Fly By Night," the haunting "Black & White Television" and "Toad in the Hole" are also very catchy. "User-Friendly" reminds me of "Dot Com" from Tull's 1999 release of the same name; both using buzzwords of the day showing that Anderson definitely keeps up with the times. "Different Germany" is interesting both lyrically and musically. I wonder if a specific experience prompted Anderson to write "Different Germany, history repeats somehow. Different Germany, afraid to know you now" (written, of course, before the wall came down). At one point, Vettese kicks in with a progressive keyboard part that wakes up the listener. If you do not like Tull's A--Under Wraps material...I recommend listening to them again because those albums are awesome. But, if you know you will never like electronic experimental Tull, you will probably not like Walk Into Light. Fans of early 1980s Tull and/or electronic music, will enjoy Anderson's first, and for the most part forgotten, solo project.

The classic "Give me Aqualung or Death" Tull fans usually savage this disc...and with some understanding. Walk Into Light is very different, primarily because of the heavy contributions of Peter-John Vetesse's keyboards to Ian's voice and flute. That said, lyrically, this disc contains some very personal, literate comments and observations. It's an intelligent album. This was a worthy experiment that midwifed to the Techno-Tull album Under Wraps, another experiment which when combined with Martin Barre and David Pegg rocked out in a couple places. Not for everyone and not for me all the time, but it is a testament to Ian Anderson's abilities that he pulled off something so stunningly different.

For the new Tull disc buyer, this is a warning. The first Ian Anderson solo disc from '83 sounds nothing like Tull, with exception of '84's Under Wraps and because of the prominence given keyboardist Peter-John Vettesse. If you didn't like Under Wraps, you won't like Walk Into Light. To be very honest, as a long-time Tull fan, I blow hot and cold on this disc. When I want to hear crunchy guitars and hot rockin', this disc won't do. But when I am feeling mellower or introspective, this is really a very good disc to listen to. Despite the heavy keyboard presence which contributes to a less warm album, the lyrics are really Ian's most personal at that point in Tull's long career. The production and arrangements are very well done. Stand-out tracks: Fly By Night, Trains, Endgame, Toad In The Hole, and User-Friendly.

This was Ian Anderson's first official solo album (Anderson did record a solo album a few years before this, but it was officially released as a Tull album at the insistence of Chrysalis Records. The record was Jethro Tull's A), and it was enormously controversial amongst Tull fans (and still is). It is not acoustic at all (which is what people were expecting), but a completely electronic album. It's really a colloboration between Peter-John Vettesse, the keyboardist in Tull at the time, and Ian Anderson. Vettesse co-wrote 5 of the songs, and him and Ian are the only 2 musicians on the album. I have to confess that I really like this album. It's better than Tull's Under Wraps (another album where Vettesse co-wrote most of the material). The songs are very memorable, with special mention going to Fly by Night, a brooding, intense track that is still memorable today. Toad in the Hole and Trains are excellent as well. The sound of the album hasn't dated at all. It doesn't come across as a cheesy, synthesizer album of the 1980's (it was recorded in 1983). It still sounds fresh and vital today. The arguments over whether it's a good release will probably go on for a while. I think it's a great album, a worthy chapter in the Tull/Ian Anderson saga.

This is dark and brooding electronica, sparse and minimalist. Easily the least accessible and most evocative music that Anderson has ever made. Hey, what's not to love?

Based on interviews, it seems to me that Anderson has an introverted personality. This is the one album in which we clearly hear his personal voice. There are no silly histrionic gestures or schoolboy antics here. It's a sad, insane world we live in, and this album dwells on that fact.

It's not all gloom and doom, however. The title track "Walk Into Light" seems pretty life-affirming, being all about conquering one's fears and getting on with the show. But really, the best bits of this album are the sad bits: "Black and White Television," "Looking for Eden," and "Different Germany."

The tracks to be deleted: anything trying to sound popular and radio-friendly. That certainly includes "Trains." Even worse, there's the dreaded "User-Friendly." It's unintentionally funny, and not just because the references to technology are outdated. The puns and strained metaphors are truly cringe-worthy.

But even so, where this album shines, it REALLY shines. It's better to succeed with two thirds of the songs rather than none at all. Several reviewers compared "Walk Into Light" to "Under Wraps." In my opinion, the latter album it just about as ersatz, uninspired, and mechanical is it could possibly be. Although these two albums employ similar technology, the songwriting and arrangements couldn't be more different.

Obviously, from all the other reviews posted here, there is quite the chasm between the love-or-hate-it listeners. I am here to comment only on the audio.

The original, now out-of-print 1990 Chrysalis-label CD was just an LP-EQ'd master transfered to CD. The 1997, also now unfortunately OOP UK BGO-label version, was properly remastered for CD, and is head-and-shoulders the superior version of the two.

So, if you are going to buy this somewhat controversial album, at least get the version that sounds the best... The BGO.

I'm delighted to finally have this; it's been a gap in my IA/JT collection. First of all, this is not remastered--at least it doesn't say so anywhere on the packaging. (I've come to learn that remastering can sometimes do more harm than good.) It's worth having for the title track alone--vocally, IA does something akin to a scat. I've never heard him use his voice instrumentally in this way without blowing into a flute or harp. Here and elsewhere, his vocals are more subdued relative to his JT work. In hindsight, this might have been the direction he should have taken, given his voice problems from about this time onward. It's a good disc. Comparing it to corresponding JT releases is apples to oranges, but I would certainly reach for this over "Broadsword," and no less often than "Under Wraps."

Depending on how one views the landscape, this could be seen as the second solo effort by Ian Anderson, since the Jethro Tull album "A" was slated to be Anderson's debut, but was released under the band's name due to a decision by record company executives.

Released in November 1983, it is a collaborative effort with keyboardist Peter-John Vettese that strides back into the progressive rock/electronics of "A." The 10 tracks are equally split between Anderson and Anderson/Vettese compositions, while clocking in at 38:29.

The standout selections are Made in England, User-Friendly and Different Germany. The electronic period of Anderson (solo/band) is oftentimes overlooked by fans and critics, but it shows an artist attempting to use a variety of paints on a familiar canvas to keep the sound fresh, which is a creative walk down a lane of brilliant light.

Walk into light is technically Ian Anderson's first solo LP.
"A" was actually his first and later became a Jethro Tull recording.
Walk into Light shows Anderson in what I call his "Synthesizer era." Anderson at the time was looking for another direction that he had started with "Under Wraps".
At that time I guess he had tired of acoustic music and mandolins and was trying to re-invent himself.
The good news is that "Fly by Night" is probably among my all-time favorite songs by Ian Anderson, which would include the Jethro Tull catalog. Fly by night alone to me would justify buying the CD. Trains is another song of note. He talks about how he spends his life on trains.
Made in England is a worthy effort as well, but with each song the album becomes progressively boring. Dont compare this recording to a Jethro Tul recording, take it at face value and maybe you wont be as disappointed as I was. Over the years some of the songs have grown on me though.
This CD would be for Tull/Anderson collectors.
I an not saying dont get it, but I am not recommending it either.

When this solo album was first released in LP format around 1983-84, I played it more than any other Tull album that came out around the same time. So what if Peter-John Vettese contributed with synthesizers, piano and whatever else? I loved the album and still do.

Rather than start with a list of songs on here that I think stand out, let me say that on every Tull or Ian Anderson solo album there has always been one and ONLY one clunker that I don't like. "Trains" gets the gate here. Delete. It's just too repetitious and doesn't have much of a melody.

Other than that, I love every song on here especially "Looking For Eden," one of my favorite songs ever. On my own home made Best of Tull CD's, Vol. I and II, I added it and "Made In England" as well from the 33 songs I included. Another haunting but beautiful number included here is "Different Germany." I forgot to mention "Black & White Television" in my first review of this album which is another standout for me.

I've read that Ian Anderson has said that perhaps this wasn't what a solo album should be. True. "The Secret Language Of Birds" and "Rupi's Dance" are more in keeping with Ian's use of flute, acoustic guitar and vocals. Okay, then let's consider this to be "Tull-lite." I still enjoy it just as much and give it high fives. :-)