Jethro Tull and Comus: Lick your colours clean

While in my last Comus + Jethro Tull poll I included a couple of tracks that were released in 1971 as singles, this time I'm including ones just used as bonus tracks. In JT's case in the last poll, the song also was released on the original Aqualung, and in Comus case for the last poll it was originally released on a maxi-single, then later included as a bonus track on certain CDs.

Jethro Tull's "Lick Your Fingers Clean" was recorded for Aqualung, but not used. It is on some re-releases. "All the Colours of Darkness" might have been recorded around the time of the First Utterance sessions and is found on some version of the CD re-release of First Utterance as well as Comus:The Complete Collection.

Please don't vote without having listened to both, and bonus points if you comment on both selections.

Here are the tracks for those that don't know either or both:

^ Thanks for listening, Manuel. The two present very different soundscapes/ moods. Hope it makes for something interesting contrast for people. Partially being more of a sombre hombre, and more of a folkie than a rocker, I prefer the Comus. And I love the guitar work in much Comus.

Edited by Logan - July 05 2021 at 20:44

^ I actually like the vocals a lot in the other two Comus tracks I posted. I like the weirdness and goat-like qualities of Wooten in various music, which makes it more unusual and gives it more of that pagan, wyrd folk feel, and the rather naïve vocals of Bobbie Watson (which also contribute to that) -- the vocals fit for me --- but in this one the vocals are not my favourite (neither eccentric nor accomplished). Love it instrumentally, and am okay with the vocals (she strains in this). I should do one more of these, with a track from Out of the Coma and maybe J-Tull Dot Com (just to highlight some of the later stuff from both). Still, the mood/ambience and instrumentation work well for me (I don't like it as much as Winter is a Coloured Bird, The Herald or various other Comus music from various albums).

Edited by Logan - July 05 2021 at 21:03

The Dark Elf wrote: Logan wrote: ^ I actually like the vocals a lot in the other two Comus tracks I posted. I like the weirdness and goat-like qualities of Wooten in various music, which makes it more unusual and gives it more of that pagan, wyrd folk feel, and the rather naïve vocals of Bobbie Watson (which also contribute to that) -- the vocals fit for me --- but in this one the vocals are not my favourite (neither eccentric nor accomplished). Love it instrumentally, and am okay with the vocals (she strains in this). I should do one more of these, with a track from Out of the Coma and maybe J-Tull Dot Com (just to highlight some of the later stuff from both). Still, the mood/ambience and instrumentation work well for me (I don't like it as much as Winter is a Coloured Bird, The Herald or various other Comus music from various albums). Imagine if Comus had someone like Sandy Denny, Jacqui McShee or Maddy Prior singing? They probably would have actually sold some albums, particularly with how accomplished they are instrumentally. You know what Bobby Watson sounds like? A groupie that screwed the bandleader really good and so got recording time.

Those are sound comparisons, while of course she isn't as accomplished a singer. Comus with Jacqui McShee or Sandy Denny and Buffy Sainte-Marie on dual vocal duties would be amazing.

By the way, I will check out those other Aqualung related ones you mentioned. I have Aqualung on a cassette I purchased in the 80s which doesn't feature the bonus tracks, and prepared this poll rather too quickly on my phone while waiting in the car.

Edited by Logan - July 05 2021 at 21:41

The Dark Elf wrote: Logan wrote: The Dark Elf wrote: Logan wrote: ^ I actually like the vocals a lot in the other two Comus tracks I posted. I like the weirdness and goat-like qualities of Wooten in various music, which makes it more unusual and gives it more of that pagan, wyrd folk feel, and the rather naïve vocals of Bobbie Watson (which also contribute to that) -- the vocals fit for me --- but in this one the vocals are not my favourite (neither eccentric nor accomplished). Love it instrumentally, and am okay with the vocals (she strains in this). I should do one more of these, with a track from Out of the Coma and maybe J-Tull Dot Com (just to highlight some of the later stuff from both). Still, the mood/ambience and instrumentation work well for me (I don't like it as much as Winter is a Coloured Bird, The Herald or various other Comus music from various albums). Imagine if Comus had someone like Sandy Denny, Jacqui McShee or Maddy Prior singing? They probably would have actually sold some albums, particularly with how accomplished they are instrumentally. You know what Bobby Watson sounds like? A groupie that screwed the bandleader really good and so got recording time.  Those are sound comparisons, while of course she isn't as accomplished a singer. Comus with Jacqui McShee or Sandy Denny and Buffy Sainte-Marie on dual vocal duties would be amazing. By the way, I will check out those other Aqualung related ones you mentioned. I have Aqualung on a cassette I purchased in the 80s which doesn't feature the bonus tracks, and prepared this poll rather too quickly on my phone while waiting in the car. Actually, I had considered the idea of someone like Sandy Denny singing for Comus some time ago. Denny had a way of singing occult themes and gave them both an innocence and a malevolent undercurrent. Listen to "Tam Lin" (about faery abduction), "Battle of Evermore" (with Zeppelin), or imagine Comus playing this one (about a werefox...seriously, a werefox):

The Tulls. 

Sorta kinda a tie. The Tull song is cool. It's how Tull sounded as they were picking up some real steam. Comus' song has a coolly hypnotic charm. I'm not turned off by the vocal the way others appear to be. Not sure how to vote on this one yet.