Crest of a Knave: Jethro Tull
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Topic: Crest of a Knave: Jethro Tull
Posted By: SteveG
Subject: Crest of a Knave: Jethro Tull
Date Posted: October 24 2014 at 08:26
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Jokingly refered to as Tull's metal album for copping a metal Grammy (over Metallica) or snarked as a Tull's Dire Straits wanabe album, whats your take on Crest of a Knave?
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Replies:
Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: October 24 2014 at 08:41
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I liked it a lot when it came out, but it hasn't aged very well for me. It really does sound a bit like a mid 80s Dire Straits album, which isn't a bad thing in itself. I think "Farm on the Freeway" has a lot going for it - a prog throwback kind of number with classic flute stylings and multiple sections. It was my favorite track on the album, along with "Jump Start". Both of them sound a tad cheesy to me today, however. I kind of liked the synth-pop tracks too, like "Steel Monkey" and "Dogs in the Midwinter". But "Budapest" and "Said She Was a Dancer" are Dullsville. I think "Mountain Men" was too, but I can't remember how that one goes. Overall, a pretty good album, and the last Jethro Tull album I really cared about. ------------- My other avatar is a Porsche It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran |
Posted By: Xonty
Date Posted: October 24 2014 at 08:45
| Compared to their earlier stuff, pretty bad. None of their 80s albums were that great though, but this is probably the best one from that era. No idea how it won the Metal Grammy award, but I guess it was a pretty poor year for music, and at least it beat Jane's Addiction... |
Posted By: Barbu
Date Posted: October 24 2014 at 10:02
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I'll spin it once or twice a year, always a good listen for me. ------------- |
Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: October 24 2014 at 11:12
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I also liked it quite a lot when it came out, but I have always said that the mark of a truly good album is how regularly it is played. I haven't played this for at least ten years. ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org |
Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: October 24 2014 at 12:37
It has some decent tracks on it and not bad for a disappearing act of 2 or 3 years from the band prior to it's release. The wanabe aspect unfortunately developed from the obvious Dire Straits sound. I don't hate the album, but a few songs I can do without. BTW, "Farm On The Freeway" and "Living In The Past" drawn from the Tower Theatre Philadelphia performance on the 20 Years Anniversary box set are most enjoyable. |
SteveG wrote:Posted By: BarryGlibb
Date Posted: October 31 2014 at 04:44
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To be precise it was given a Grammy for best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal performance. I don't care what category it was in. It to me was/is a great album. Anderson had to come to terms with his vocal cord problems and wrote a "comeback" album that made people take notice. Effing genius that Mr Anderson. |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: October 31 2014 at 10:55
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I listened to the hell out of this one when it was brand new. Overall, it's a very good Tull album. "Farm On The Freeway," "Dogs In The Midwinter" (which was the "CD bonus track" back then, along with "The Waking Edge") and "Mountain Men" are the songs I like best. ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: dr prog
Date Posted: October 31 2014 at 16:23
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Waking edge, Part of the machine and Farm on the freeway are the good ones ------------- All I like is prog related bands beginning late 60's/early 70's. Their music from 1968 - 83 has the composition and sound which will never be beaten. Perfect blend of jazz, classical, folk and rock. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: October 31 2014 at 18:18
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I haven't listened to this album for years. I have the LP of it, nice cover. I listen to Rock Island more. CoaK is rather smooth, mellow, does remind me of Dire Straits, but I think Knopfler wanted a Martin Barre sound to his guitar, not the other way round :-) Ian can sound Knopfler-ish. Maybe DS sounds like Tull ??!! I might have to give the album a spin. |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: October 31 2014 at 18:41
"Part of the Machine" is the other really good one, but it wasn't included on the album until the 2005 remaster. It was only available on the box set, otherwise I would've mentioned it. ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: November 01 2014 at 09:58
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Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: November 01 2014 at 11:11
They should have toured together as DireTull.  ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: November 01 2014 at 16:51
^ Nah, Jethro Straits  The long piece, Budapest, is the real Straits-sounding tune here, very subtle for a mini-epic. Modelled on the structure of Telegraph Road perhaps ??? |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: November 02 2014 at 12:50
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Has some decent tracks......never understood the Grammy metal win and Ian Anderson is very proud of Budapest but to me it's not as good as many of the earlier songs he wrote. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: November 02 2014 at 20:55
I need to revise my earlier post: "Budapest" is the song I should cite, not "Mountain Men" (which I still like). I gave this album a spin today. Overall, it's a very good Tull album, with a couple bumps in the road ("Said She Was A Dancer," "The Waking Edge."). I think Ian sings well, though he's reining himself in due to his voice being shot after the Under Wraps tour. ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: Metalmarsh89
Date Posted: November 02 2014 at 22:07
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It's like country music meets Dire Straits, if you get my meaning. I liked it when I first heard it, but like others have said, it hasn't aged well. Now I'm indifferent. ------------- Want to play mafia? Visit http://www.mafiathesyndicate.com" rel="nofollow - here . |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: November 03 2014 at 02:06
It's folk you hear, not country.  ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: Intruder
Date Posted: November 03 2014 at 07:27
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Couldn't understand the marketing of it then and now. It had an anti-Tull sound, too tinny with too much reverb and - as someone above mentioned - too "Dire Straits".....and it had a pronounced guitar sound that just didn't sound like Tull.
Then again, my love for Tull ended when they dropped the blues after the second album. A very casual fan after that (though, for some strange reason, I love the Too Old and War Child albums). ------------- I like to feel the suspense when you're certain you know I am there..... |
Posted By: Hercules
Date Posted: November 03 2014 at 10:07
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If I hear Steel Monkey, I don't want to hear any more. If I remember to skip that abomination, most of the rest is OK and a few bits are good. But it should NEVER have been considered for a Grammy - not in a million years. ------------- A TVR is not a car. It's a way of life. |
Posted By: GKR
Date Posted: May 26 2015 at 11:09
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Considering that it is a album that stick to its time, with that already mention "reverberation" of the 80's, is a good album. "Mountain Men", "Farm on the Freeway" and "Budapest" are truly Tull songs. I guess that they should have used a proper keyboardist (once I read that John Evan almost come back to the group for a Crest of a Knave) instead of Ian hitting some notes... |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: May 26 2015 at 15:05
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The question is how did this win metal grammy..? Were the voters asleep at the wheel or what...? Someone get paid off....or were the Grammy voters clueless? ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: LearsFool
Date Posted: May 26 2015 at 15:46
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^ It was a combined hard rock & metal Grammy. -------------  
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Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: May 26 2015 at 15:51
The category was "Metal and Hard Rock". Crest of a Knave certainly is a hard rock album. Besides, Metallica sucks, and it was great they lost to Tull's 11th or 12th best album. Considering Tull never even got nominated for masterpieces like Aqualung or Thick as a Brick, I found it hilarious they won for Crest. ------------- ...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology... |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: May 26 2015 at 16:26
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Thanks guys for the heads up on the category....didn't know it was a combined one. Not one of my favorite Tull albums but it's better than Metallica for me also. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: The Bearded Bard
Date Posted: May 26 2015 at 16:53
^^ True about the category, however... Big fan of this album. Easily their best of the 80's, IMO. Not one bad song on it, as far as I'm concerned.
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Posted By: KingCrInuYasha
Date Posted: May 26 2015 at 23:27
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I thought it was good. Not in my Top 5, but good. Better than Rock Island at least. At least Crest sounded like Tull had put some effort into the songs ------------- He looks at this world and wants it all... so he strikes, like Thunderball! |
Posted By: Rednight
Date Posted: May 27 2015 at 12:15
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"It's over, Johnny. It's over!" ------------- "It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno |
Posted By: Bitterblogger
Date Posted: May 27 2015 at 13:51
| Due to the influence of New Wave and electronic instrumentation, no wonder prog sounds changed in the '80's. In hindsight, these sound dated, but they were probably unavoidable from business pressures at the time.In any event, I think FOTF is truly great. "Steel Monkey" and "Dogs In The Midwinter" are also top-notch. The rest are average overall. But for the Metal Grammy controversy, it would be faded from memory to all but Tull fans. |
Posted By: Cosmiclawnmower
Date Posted: May 27 2015 at 16:48
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I think the 'ZZ top' element was also there.. Eliminator and Afterburner were huge and VERY mainstream and i think along with the Dire Straights sound JT wanted a bit of that.. Fair enough, Hawkwind wanted a bit too.. I saw Ian Anderson and Martin Barre with guys from Fairport convention doing quite a bit of this stuff live and it was all great live- it was great just to see them again as it had been a few years since 'Broadsword..' at Nostel Priory (when the peace convoy invaded..) and supporting Marillion at 'the garden party' at Milton keynes bowl.. and now IA lives just down the road and frequents the same curry house.... ------------- |