STORMWATCH

I've never understood how album is so under-rated. I think the problem is that there is no humor at all in this recording. It sounds exactly like the cover art looks. It's ominous and dark. It makes it feel like a concept album, though I wouldn't go that far.

It's interesting (to me) that, after reading various reviews for Stormwatch, here and elsewhere on the web, that there is such inconsistency on what is deemed good and what is deemed bad. Most of the time, you get an overwhelming sense of what the strong tracks are and what the weak tracks are. Every single track on this album is listed as someone's favorite and as someone's least favorite.

My favorites are (in order): The Flying Dutchman, Old Ghosts, Orion, Home, Dark Ages My least favorite tracks (not bad, just not great): Warm Sporran and Elegy.

The Flying Dutchman is a masterpiece. The string sections are gorgeous and the piano parts fit perfectly. One of the most original pieces of music in all of the Tull catalog.

Old Ghosts is also very original. Very symphonic. This might be the only time I can remember Ian's flute having an echo effect applied to it for a spacey ethereal feel.

Every member of Tull's best lineup is present and doing a top-notch job. Ian's lyrics, flute playing, acoustic guitar and vocals are as great here as anything else Tull has done. Palmer's strings are outstanding and Evan's piano fits the mood perfectly. Honestly, this might be the best showcase in the entire Tull catalog for the talents of Barrie Barlow and Martin Barre. Barlow's performance here cannot be understated. Ok, the bassist died and Ian took over. I've still never thought that the bass sounded bad in any part of this album. All in all, this is a superb showcase of creativity and musicianship.

This is the last great Tull album. It amazes me that some of the albums that came after this get anywhere near the ratings this does. There is some decent later stuff and I've heard it all, but nothing post-Stormwatch comes close to this quality. If this album were released today, Tull fans around the world would have a collective brain hemmorage. In particular, the void created by the dismissal of Barrie Barlow would never again be filled. This is the album that made me realize that he's one of the great drummers in rock history