Sonntag, April 29, 2018 / Eingestellt von peter / Kommentare (0)

THE BROADSWORD AND THE BEAST ist ein Album, mit dem  sich JETHRO TULL einen ganz besonderen Platz bei mir gesichert haben.

Sicherlich waren es die Songs, die mich vor mehr als 30 Jahren gefangen nahmen – aber auch das grandiose Cover ist ganz wichtiger Teil des Gesamtwerkes, fängt es doch die Stimmung sehr gut ein: magisch, phantastisch, schicksalsschwer, mitunter bedrohlich und doch stets augenzwinkernd. Genau deswegen passt es eben, wenn JETHRO TULL sich nähernde, finstere Segel am dunklen Horizont, lauernde Monster und (natürlich) Breitschwerter besingen.

Natürlich ist mir längst klar, dass die meisten der Songs auf THE BROADSWORD AND THE BEAST keineswegs von Fantasy-Themen handeln sondern durchaus „irdische“ Inhalte haben, was mir aber zugegeben seinerzeit nicht so wirklich bewusst war... aber als Inspirationsquelle für Fantasy-Rollenspiele würde ich THE BROADSWORD AND THE BEAST immer wieder empfehlen.

Fakt ist jedenfalls: Songs wie „Broadsword“ sind schlichtweg zeitlos. Wenn Ian Anderson die ersten Zeilen „I see a dark sail, on the horizon, set under a black cloud, that hides the sun” singt, kriege ich auch nach 30 Jahren noch Gänsehaut – dieses Lied ist schlichtweg episch und voller Pathos!


Aber auch „Beastie“, „Seal Driver“, „Flying Colours“ und „Clasp“ stehen dem nicht nach! Musikalisch setzten JETHRO TULL der Epoche entsprechend verstärkt auf Synthesizer, aber natürlich kommt auch Andersons Flöte reichlich zum Einsatz, alles zusammen mit vielen Folk-Einsprengseln und Prog Rock / Hard Rock. Das Remastering der hier rezensierten Remastered Edition kann durchaus als gelungen bezeichnet werden.

Alles in allem: THE BROADSWORD AND THE BEAST ist und bleibt ein echtes Juwel von einem Album, und JETHRO TULL legten hier ein Werk vor, welches wohl immer in meinem Herzen einen Platz haben wird.

In diesem Sinne also:

„So bring me my broadsword – and my cross of gold, as a talisman“

             Ian Anderson – lead vocals, flute, Fairlight CMI, acoustic guitar
             Martin Barre – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
             Dave Pegg – backing vocals, bass guitar, mandolin
             Peter Vettese – backing vocals, keyboards, piano, synthesizer
             Gerry Conway – drums, percussion

Broadsword

    

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Samstag, April 14, 2018 / Eingestellt von peter / Kommentare (0)

Peter Frampton – Comes Alive (1976)Why would Peter Frampton, so close to stardom after a decade, release a live, double-record set when he hasn't really established a large audience? He says, "I just wanted to do an album that summed up the first four solo records in the most effective way possible." This album also gives him a dynamic, highly charged context for both his dramatically phrased vocals and a new, rougher guitar style. And the move may not be as ill-conceived as it seems—his manager, Dee Anthony, used live albums to put J. Geils and Humble Pie over the top.


This album is a primer for those who've overlooked him in the past. In addition to shattering guitar leads on tracks like "Lines on My Face," "Show Me the Way" and "Do You Feel like We Do," the vocals are forceful, the harmonies balanced and the ensemble playing well-rehearsed. Although Frampton has been stereotyped a hard rocker, the introspective side two is largely acoustic. This album also reveals other facets of Frampton's musicianship that his studio efforts have obscured. Second guitarist Bob Mayo provides a rich, dense middle texture, and working with him, Frampton demonstrates his excellence as a rhythm guitarist, a rare thing among lead players. Echo has always been a key factor in his sound and Frampton here manages to combine Leslie speakers, a compressor and augmented echo onstage without losing any presence. But what really makes his lead playing distinctive is his intuitive melodic sense, the economy of his solos and his elegant, quasi-jazz phrasing.

Although Frampton has included most of his best material, numbers like "I Wanna Go to the Sun" and "(I'll Give You) Money" run dangerously close to heavy-metal redundancy. The adapted "Jumping Jack Flash," like several other previously recorded songs, hasn't really evolved beyond the original Frampton version, and "Do You Feel like We Do," which invariably gets the live crowd crazy, runs on far too long here. Overall, however, this album is Frampton's most coherent, exciting and accessible. Frampton Comes Alive is more than a summation of his solo career; it's also a synthesis of the best third-generation British rock styles. As the genre's brightest light, it will be interesting to see where he takes it from here. Milestone ******(6)

Personnel: Peter Frampton (vocals, guitar); Bob Mayo (vocals, guitar, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, organ); Stanley Sheldon (vocals, bass); John Siomos (drums).
1. Frampton Comes Alive
2. Doobie Wah
3. Show Me the Way
4. It's a Plain Shame
5. All I Want to Be (Is to Be By Your Side)
6. Wind of Change
 
7. Baby, I Love Your Way
8. I Wanna Go to the Sun
9. Penny for Your Thoughts
10. Money, (I'll Give You)
11. Shine On
12. Jumping Jack Flash
13. Lines On My Face
 
14. Do You Feel Like We Do

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