CATFISH RISING

Jethro Tull's eighteenth studio album titled 'Catfish Rising' is a collection of blues-based rock songs that pretty much continue the style developed on previous albums, although in reality also harking back to the band's earliest musical wandering as captured on 'This Was' and 'Stand Up'. Definitely better-sounding and better-arranged than its predecessor 'Rock Island', this seems to be the third "hard rock Tull" album, this time with a greater use of acoustic guitars and flute, both of which are quite upfront, while the keyboards are right at the back, occasionally embellishing certain compositions. Even if all of these aspects seem to be a recipe for success, 'Catfish Rising' is yet another dull album from J-Tull, with tons of uninspired, mediocre writing, mostly embarrassing vocals and forgettable, boring melodies. Evenly spreading out their talents to hard rock, folk-rock and several bluesy pieces, the prevalent feel on 'Catfish Rising' is dread, with the hour-long album working as a patience test for the most dedicated of fans. What this album indicates is that Jethro Tull were outwardly directionless at that time, at least creatively - the album is overlong, and it could have been a much better offering had it been presented as a 35/40-minute-long LP. Turns out the CD format does not do much favor here, and despite the presence of a few remarkable moments (some songs are indeed fine), the majority of the music on here is devoid of grit and liveliness. Some of the better numbers would be 'Occasional Demons', 'Doctor to My Disease', 'White Innocence' and 'Sleeping with the Dog'.

Social review comments

Review related links

• Send comments to A Crimson Mellotron
• Report this review (#3165676)
• Buy JETHRO TULL music online with PA partners
• Show all JETHRO TULL MP3/Stream
• Go to JETHRO TULL page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Catfish Rising page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for JETHRO TULL related discussions