Stand Up by Jethro Tull

How do I love this album? Oh, let me count the ways!! First of all, there's the cover, which I love so much that I got a t-shirt with it on the front. It is a drawing done from woodcuts off all four Jethro Tull members, which at the time consisted of vocalist/ flutist/acoustic guitar player Ian Anderson, bassist Glenn Cornick, drummer Clive Bunker and (then) new guitarist Martin Barre. The combination of yellows and browns and the leaves in the background and the band members' attire give the cover a very woodsy feel, which suits the music to a t...shirt. The artist even gives Ian Anderson an extra finger, maybe to better help him play his flute! Secondly, I like how if you put the last three song titles together without any commas (We Used to Know Reasons for Waiting for a Thousand Mothers) that you get a sentence! Third, I have some very pleasant memories of my walk back from the music store after buying this on vinyl in the summer of 1980. Fourth, and most importantly, there are the songs themselves, which I adore; even some of the lesser ones, like Back to the Family and For A Thousand Mothers, have one or two things to recommend about them.

The blues (which was all over the Tull’s debut album, This Was) still shows up on the album’s opening number, A New Day Yesterday, where Ian Anderson plays both harmonica and flute. Great tune - I think it sounds a bit like early Black Sabbath (Tony Iommi was in Jethro Tull for a few weeks before Martin Barre and I am now thinking that perhaps he had a hand in creating this song). Tull’s jazzy rendition of Bach’s Bouree is a pure delight, with Ian Anderson singing, breathing, sneezing and grunting into his flute. It also features a short but memorable bass guitar solo. Look Into The Sun and Reasons For Waiting are two overlooked and very folksy sounding tunes, both of them full of beautiful and sad vocal melodies, the latter featuring a string section and guitarist Martin Barre on flute. Nothing Is Easy is an up-tempo, bluesy hard rock number, during which each band member gets a chance to show off on their respective instruments. Fat Man, which shows off Ian Anderson’s unique sense of humor, sees Tull experimenting with world music and has balalaika and bongo drums on it.

Elsewhere, We Used to Know has a chord progression that Ian Anderson says The Eagles later stole for Hotel California (I think that's bollocks myself!) and is a fun song to play on guitar. Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square is a short, but odd number, with Ian Anderson playing mandolin and guitarist Martin Barre once again on flute. The other two previously mentioned tunes, Back To the Family and For a Thousand Mothers are a bit too sloppily produced and played for my liking, but they still rock out quite a bit.

Overall, I think Stand Up is one of Jethro Tull's finest albums. It may not be as sophisticated musically and production wise of some of their later albums, but it is still a great record. And it's more than worth having on vinyl, as well, especially if you can find an original pressing, which comes with a pop-up of the band members! - Reviewed by Rich