CREST OF A KNAVE

Jethro Tull's post-seventies output has been a bit of a mixed bag, sometimes good, though rarely exceptional and occasionally bad as in Under Wraps. Crest Of A Knave is one of the better of the bunch with most of the tracks being at least good and it does feature two Tull classics. The biggest downside is the occasional use of drum machine and a slightly sterile production, in part down to the use of eighties synths.

The pick of the bunch is Farm On The Freeway, a track of light and shade against more upbeat moments which could sit comfortably with much of their seventies output. It features a pleasing instrumental section adding a bit more complexity to the proceedings than most of the album and I'd go as far as to say it's their finest moment since the Heavy Horses album. The other key track is Budapest, a ten minute mini epic. It's a fairly simple piece with an infectious melody with subtle dynamics and not surprising with a track of its length, containing a strong instrumental section.

The rest of the album consists of straightforward rockers in a Dire Straits vein like Steel Monkey, Jump Start and Raising Steam and more mellow moments like Said She Was A Dancer and The Waking Edge. Mountain Men is one of the better songs adding a bit more diversity to the proceedings than the likes of Steel Monkey.

While there's no danger of Crest Of A Knave competing with the likes of Thick As A Brick, Songs From The Wood or even Benefit for that matter, it is a fairly consistent album and the pick of anything this side of Broadsword And The Beast.