Gone are the longtime
Anderson images of the vagabond/sage (the group is clad in white jumpsuits on the cover) -- also gone are the historical immersion of their music and anything resembling Dickensian, much less Elizabethan sensibilities. And nearly gone was
Jethro Tull itself, for
A started life as an
Ian Anderson solo project but ended up as a
Jethro Tull release, probably for commercial reasons. The difference is probably too subtle for most people to comprehend anyway. It is more reflective than
Tull's usual work, but lacks the sudden, loud hard rock explosions that punctuate most of the group's albums. The death of bassist
John Glascock in late 1979, and the departure of
Anderson's longtime friend
John Evans after the release of
Stormwatch, as well as the exit of arranger/keyboard player
David Palmer, led to some major lineup shifts;
Fairport Convention's
Dave Pegg's taking over
Glascock's spot and the addition of
Eddie Jobson, ex-
Roxy Music/
King Crimson violinist/keyboardman all seem to have removed some of
Anderson's impetus, at least for a time, for keeping the group going in the studio. What finally emerged is the first
Tull record not to feature
Anderson's acoustic guitar, yet it also has a more balanced sound than any of their prior records.
Jobson's arrangements are leaner and more muscular than
Palmer's, giving the music a stripped-down sound, a sort of hard folk-rock (reminiscent of
Steeleye Span's
All Around My Hat), augmented by synthesizer and electric violin; this somewhat updated
Anderson's music and moved him into the art rock category. Released in the midst of the punk/new wave boom in the United States, it didn't do too much for anyone's career, although it probably maintained
Anderson's credibility better than any traditional
Tull album would have. ~ Bruce Eder