Released 42 years ago on October 14th, 1974 Jethro Tull “War Child
“War Child” is the seventh studio album by Jethro Tull , released in October 1974. It was released almost one-and-a-half years after the release of “A Passion Play”. The turmoil over the critics of the last album and the supposed break up of the band surrounds the production of War Child, which obliged the band to do press conferences and explain the next plans for Jethro Tull
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNkNK8L9Pq0
Much of the music derived from past recording sessions of the band. “Only Solitaire” and “Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day” were left over from the summer of 1972, writing sessions for what was to have been the follow-up to “Thick As A Brick”. The basic tracks and lead vocals for those two songs were recorded during September 1972 sessions in France. “Bungle in the Jungle” also shares some elements with material recorded in September 1972. Ian Anderson “It was actually late ’72 or early ’73 when I was in Paris recording an album that never got released, although one or two of the tracks made it out in 1974, but that was at a time when I was writing an album that was exploring people, the human condition, through analogies with the animal kingdom.“Two Fingers” is a rearrangement of “Lick Your Fingers Clean”, a track from the “Aqualung” (1971) recording sessions that was not included on that album’s original release.
The album prominently features string orchestration from David Palmer across an eclectic musical set, with the band members, as the two predecessor albums, playing a multitude of instruments. The music is lighter and more whimsical than the dark A Passion Play, with hints of comedy in the lyrics and the music’ structure. Although, the lyrics still unleash lashing critiques of established society (as in “Queen and Country” and “Bungle in the Jungle”, religion (“Two Fingers”) and critics (“Only Solitaire”)
- Jethro Tull
- Ian Anderson – flute, acoustic guitar, saxophones, vocals
- Martin Barre – electric guitar, Spanish guitar
- John Evan – piano, organ, synthesisers, accordion
- Jeffrey Hammond – bass guitar, string bass, vocal on “Sealion II”
- Barriemore Barlow – drums, percussion
The Fat Angel Sings 