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Post by rockodyssey on Aug 31, 2016 19:56:41 GMT
UNDER WRAPS (1984)
I gave it a fair crack of the whip, I really did. But it's just not very good. I even spotted its lower quality when I was a teenager. Tull seem utterly confused on what they are all about and the album is a kind of Frankenstein creation of substandard versions of their contemporaries. The admittedly reasonably catchy 'Lap Of Luxury' comes on like ZZ Top and there are sprinkles of 90215 era Yes, XTC and possibly even Ultravox. By the time they get to 'Heat' they even chuck in a rip off of Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain'. Anderson is too enamoured of all these new toys that he's just got his hands on, and the flute jars against the bleeps and artificial snares. Still, apparently Martin Barre quite likes it, so maybe I just don't get it. Funnily enough it's not massively dissimilar in style to the next album Crest of A Knave, which is one of my favourites, but I think they'd got a better grip on the balance between the new technology and the more traditional instruments by then. Some of the vocal is annoying too. On 'Saboteur' Anderson repeats "Don't wanna be no saboteur" but it just transforms into "Don't want a Beano Saboteur" Themes are still quite Cold War-ish, most overtly on 'Radio Free Moscow' in which Anderson's mid-atlantic accent fails to settle on "Moss-cow" or "Moss-ko". (I'm sure I don't need to tell American readers which is correct). 'Under Wraps #2' is probably the most traditionally Tull track on the album and therefore the best of a bad bunch. I never liked the artwork either, too corporate. That 'Tull' logo is awful.
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Post by maddogfagin on Sept 1, 2016 8:05:13 GMT
UNDER WRAPS (1984) I gave it a fair crack of the whip, I really did. But it's just not very good. I even spotted its lower quality when I was a teenager. Tull seem utterly confused on what they are all about and the album is a kind of Frankenstein creation of substandard versions of their contemporaries. The admittedly reasonably catchy 'Lap Of Luxury' comes on like ZZ Top and there are sprinkles of 90215 era Yes, XTC and possibly even Ultravox. By the time they get to 'Heat' they even chuck in a rip off of Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain'. Anderson is too enamoured of all these new toys that he's just got his hands on, and the flute jars against the bleeps and artificial snares. Still, apparently Martin Barre quite likes it, so maybe I just don't get it. Funnily enough it's not massively dissimilar in style to the next album Crest of A Knave, which is one of my favourites, but I think they'd got a better grip on the balance between the new technology and the more traditional instruments by then. Some of the vocal is annoying too. On 'Saboteur' Anderson repeats "Don't wanna be no saboteur" but it just transforms into "Don't want a Beano Saboteur" Themes are still quite Cold War-ish, most overtly on 'Radio Free Moscow' in which Anderson's mid-atlantic accent fails to settle on "Moss-cow" or "Moss-ko". (I'm sure I don't need to tell American readers which is correct). 'Under Wraps #2' is probably the most traditionally Tull track on the album and therefore the best of a bad bunch. I never liked the artwork either, too corporate. That 'Tull' logo is awful. I always had a suspicion that, with Under Wraps and also Walk Into Light, the publicity people wanted IA to change the way he looked and become much more "corporate" and alter his style completely, hence the smart jacket on the cover of Walk Into Light. The use of new technology may have been part of this makeover - who knows. As for the new technology, and taking the album as a whole, it has been argued in the past both here and on other Tull sites that, at the very least, the drums should be re-recorded with a human drummer and some have even argued for a complete re-recording, apart from the aforementioned Under Wraps 2. I reckon leave it basically as it is as it's part of the Tull history and in many ways shows that IA is not adverse to some experimentation and to use, at the time of the album's recording, new technology even if it was in its infancy. |
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Post by nonrabbit on Sept 1, 2016 9:00:18 GMT
“In 1981 or 1982, this digital technology was creeping in and it was clear a sea change was occurring. It would roll over everything and everyone, so you had to be part of it or not. I wanted to give it a go, but no-one else in the band did. It was exciting, musically enjoyable and very quick, but it wasn’t what people expected of JETHRO TULL. I was influenced by THOMAS DOLBY. He fitted the bill perfectly. He had that credibility… That electronic world was very exciting. HOWARD JONES was good and GARY NUMAN was amazing. He nailed it… I saw him on ‘Top Of The Pops’ and wanted to hate him, but I realised how important he was. And he was British!” – IAN ANDERSON, Word Magazine (April 2012) Recent article here on Walk Into The Light. www.electricity-club.co.uk/lost-albums-ian-anderson-walk-into-light/" Different Germany’ especially embraces both the electronic and progressive sides of Anderson’s career perfectly with a marvelous middle section featuring a bristling keyboard solo. The end result is not unlike JETHRO TULL fronting ULTRAVOX; of course, the circle was completed when MIDGE URE covered Tull’s ‘Living In The Past’ in 1985." So Gary in his jump suit appearing at a cathedral near you? ![]() i63.images obliterated by tinypic/20hvr5.jpg[/IMG] ![]() i68.images obliterated by tinypic/161mcfd.jpg[/IMG] |
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Post by nonrabbit on Sept 1, 2016 9:03:53 GMT
and just to remind you what Howard Jones was getting up to in 1983
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Post by steelmonkey on Sept 1, 2016 17:41:51 GMT
Bob Dylan had a song that said 'Mr. Jones is a man, who doesn't know who Mr. Jones is' ( ask Terry Ellis how that felt!)
and years later, the obscure but amazing Scottish genius, Momus, had a song that said ' Mr Dylan is a man, who doesn't know who Howard Jones is."
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Post by maddogfagin on Jan 9, 2017 8:58:19 GMT
demonszone.com/albums/jethro-tull/under-wraps/ Under Wraps Posted on 9th January 2017 by Steven Lornie When the name JETHRO TULL is mentioned, no one ever mentions the bands pop rock period in the early to mid ’80s. Albums like A and UNDER WRAPS generally get ignored and are looked at in quite a negative light. Well, I am going to be that guy that says, they are nowhere near as bad as you’d think. The thing shoots down an album like UNDER WRAPS within seconds of mentioning it is the simple fact that it is a drastic change in sound from the standard folk rock music that JETHRO TULL were known for. The synthesises are in full force and there is no mention of a drummer at all. In fact the whole thing is handled by a programmed drum machine. It is a horrifying concept at first glance but once you sit and really think about it, there is a lot of very well written material on this album. Once you get over the absolute shock of that ’80s art rock sound, songs like LAP OF LUXURY, UNDER WRAPS #1 and SABOTEUR come across as great catchy songs. The latter is one of my favourites from ’80s JETHRO TULL with the heavy emphasis on rhythm and some well programmed beats, this song packs a fair wallop. Other songs like APOGEE, PAPARAZZI and ASTRONOMY are more of the same with a few stinkers here and there. One thing that has to be pointed out is that there is a lot of really nice guitar playing from MARTIN BARRE. The album in general is very well produced, especially by ’80s standards but if you pay enough attention you’ll notice that he throws his weight around with some nice guitar riffs and well placed melody. His guitar tone is a little thin for my taste and I could imagine that these songs would sound a lot better live, partially down to the fact that they’d have a live drummer. As a child of the ’80s, this kind of sound does not phase me for an instant. After all, I grew up with bands sounding like this. But fans during the bands ’70s hey day and younger fans will definitely find this album a little alienating at first glance. But when you strip back the dated programmed instruments, you will find JETHRO TULL In there somewhere and they have more than enough good tunes to warrant a purchase. Rating 8/10
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Post by atomicsynth on Jan 9, 2017 23:38:57 GMT
demonszone.com/albums/jethro-tull/under-wraps/Under Wraps Posted on 9th January 2017 by Steven Lornie When the name JETHRO TULL is mentioned, no one ever mentions the bands pop rock period in the early to mid ’80s. Albums like A and UNDER WRAPS generally get ignored and are looked at in quite a negative light. Well, I am going to be that guy that says, they are nowhere near as bad as you’d think. I have the vinyl of Under Wraps and always liked both it and, of course, A, so I quite agree with you. |
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Post by atomicsynth on Jan 9, 2017 23:46:43 GMT
I would agree that Evans was not an exceedingly amazing pianist, but i think the value of his contribution lies more in the melodies he came up with, not necessarily solos. I always thought John Evan played the Pathetique Sonata quote in the original Locomotive Breath quite well and I loved his unique keyboard contributions to Passion Play. |
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Post by maddogfagin on Apr 23, 2017 15:51:33 GMT
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Post by JTull 007 on Apr 23, 2017 23:25:20 GMT
Jethro Tull – Under Wraps LINK 1
Label: ZKP RTVL – LL 1224, Chrysalis – LL 1224 Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: Yugoslavia Released: Jan 1985 Genre: Rock Style: Art Rock, Prog Rock
It appears to be 'Legit'. 
The record company in Yugoslavia may no longer exist due to the war in the 90's.  LINK 2
History LINK 3
Založba kaset in plošč RTV Ljubljana was the music production branch of the national broadcaster
Radiotelevizija Ljubljana.
In 1990, as the breakup of Yugoslavia began, the name of the company was changed to
Založba kaset in plošč RTV Slovenija.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2017 12:59:49 GMT
Under Wraps cassettes that I've seen usually have 4 bonus tracks (Astronomy, Automotive Engineering, Tundra & General Crossing), like the CD. Cheers! Enjoy!  |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2017 10:21:44 GMT
My treasured old cassette version (sourced in 'Western Germany', to quote the inlay card - that dates it!) also has the four bonus tracks on it. I could never bin it! Sentimental value! I remember buying the 11-track vinyl version when I got back to the UK, and the double vinyl single of 'Lap of Luxury' too (which I've also kept - always particularly liked the band photo in the gatefold). Plus the CD version some years later, of course. The madness of fandom...
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stevep
Master Craftsman
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Post by stevep on Apr 26, 2017 21:15:45 GMT
I have always liked "Under Wraps" - some great Tull songs on the album. The tour was great too - have a look at the attached video (apogee's if you saw it already as I posted it a month or two back). Worth a look again anyway.... www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITco4Sj2qNcPS... Listen the show through some decent headphones if you can.. the sound quality is excellent. |
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Post by JTull 007 on Dec 10, 2017 11:57:02 GMT
Special thanks to Sir Remy (TULL 50) 
Rare and amazing video from 10.09.84. "Under Wraps"
Ian Anderson Breakfast Tv. UK. Interview & Lap Of Luxury
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Post by JTull 007 on Dec 10, 2017 12:37:42 GMT
This appears to be a promotional lip-synch in Germany
Lap of Luxury by fritz51340
A more complete version by jupit ng.
 01.10.1984 Paderborn, Germany
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Post by futureshock on Jan 14, 2018 2:50:51 GMT
Here we are beginning 2018 and I have had the song "European Legacy" cycling in my brain for the last month. It's one of the strongest on that album, catchy and musically, for Tull, probably one of the few songs set so deeply in minor chords, yet the chord changes, moving around almost chromatically instead of tonic/4th/5th (as is common pattern in popular music), though often simple, set up the interesting lyrics and open the doors for the other instruments to develop good atmosphere. Bravo to the keyboards and Martin's work here. I too wish they'd used acoustic drums, but at least on this song, the electronic drums are much less so different, if though the treble on the snare (or volume) is too high for my ears. Either way, really impressed with this song, and I think the lines about "washed up a new identity" are a parallel to the historical topics mentioned in other albums, a continuum in Ian Anderson's writing. I wish people would drop the negative knee-jerk reactions to the drums on this album and pick the gems out instead!
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Post by maddogfagin on Jan 14, 2018 8:16:52 GMT
Here we are beginning 2018 and I have had the song "European Legacy" cycling in my brain for the last month. It's one of the strongest on that album, catchy and musically, for Tull, probably one of the few songs set so deeply in minor chords, yet the chord changes, moving around almost chromatically instead of tonic/4th/5th (as is common pattern in popular music), though often simple, set up the interesting lyrics and open the doors for the other instruments to develop good atmosphere. Bravo to the keyboards and Martin's work here. I too wish they'd used acoustic drums, but at least on this song, the electronic drums are much less so different, if though the treble on the snare (or volume) is too high for my ears. Either way, really impressed with this song, and I think the lines about "washed up a new identity" are a parallel to the historical topics mentioned in other albums, a continuum in Ian Anderson's writing. I wish people would drop the negative knee-jerk reactions to the drums on this album and pick the gems out instead! And the absolute beauty of Under Wraps #2 - perfection to my ears. |
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Post by 61jtull on Apr 6, 2018 18:56:53 GMT
I confess to being a die-hard Tull fan....and they are probably my second favorite band in history after The Beatles....but not every Album was a masterpiece.
Yes, they had several "Weaker" albums that were flawed, but always had a couple exceptional songs that would grow on the patient fan. However, the experimental "Under Wraps" was a monumental misfire in my humble opinion. I just ranked ALL of the Tull original Albums in another thread, and this Album holds the bottom position by a wide margin. This was a difficult time of transition for the Band after the stellar folk trilogy of albums...."A" was a weak follow-up to Stormwatch and Broadsword & the Beast was inconsistent...but Under Wraps was simply dreadful. Sadly, the only song on this album I liked was the short "Under Wraps 2" that was featured on their 25th anniversary collection. Don't mean to offend fans of this album, but I cringed when I saw that Ian selected two songs from the album for the upcoming "50 for 50" collection.
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postie
Prentice Jack
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Post by postie on Apr 6, 2018 19:50:58 GMT
The departure from previous outings was remarkable to be sure on Under Wraps... But it has grown on me lately. I find the silly humour on Automotive Engineering, for example, very infectious. One of my fave tracks on that record. Another highlight, albeit in a different vein, is Heat. When I listen to that track a short film plays in my head. It reminds me of crime movies like Scarface. For me it's a very visual and soundtrack-like song. Later, that same evening resembles the former in that sense. I find singing UW stuff is very fun and makes me practice proper technique (I do that a lot at work - running stairs, delivering mail and singing is a pastime for me!). Some of the vocal quirks I could do without, though. There can be only one Michael Jackson, after all.
In short, the record does have very positive qualities to it in my books.
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Post by bassackwards on Apr 6, 2018 20:13:18 GMT
The departure from previous outings was remarkable to be sure on Under Wraps... But it has grown on me lately. I find the silly humour on Automotive Engineering, for example, very infectious. One of my fave tracks on that record. Another highlight, albeit in a different vein, is Heat. When I listen to that track a short film plays in my head. It reminds me of crime movies like Scarface. For me it's a very visual and soundtrack-like song. Later, that same evening resembles the former in that sense. I find singing UW stuff is very fun and makes me practice proper technique (I do that a lot at work - running stairs, delivering mail and singing is a pastime for me!). Some of the vocal quirks I could do without, though. There can be only one Michael Jackson, after all. In short, the record does have very positive qualities to it in my books. Apogee, Saboteur, Heat, Radio Free Moscow I think hold up with most of the Tull output. Given extra marks for imagination and vocals (on the record) and the live show playing I rank it a very good albeit controversial Album. I'd love to hear Saboteur with a horn section! One of Tulls hardest songs, I love to crank it. Apogee is very interesting and cinematic as are most tracks, Martins playing is on fire, and Tundra's vocals and melody grab me. |
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postie
Prentice Jack
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Post by postie on Apr 6, 2018 20:38:33 GMT
Heh yeah, Saboteur is another good one but it really lacks a live drummer. Those bass drums need some flesh behind them!
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Post by schubertmachiavelli on Apr 12, 2019 13:39:26 GMT
Suddenly occurred to me the other day to consider the writing process for Under Wraps. Assuming that Vettese took on a considerable amount of the arranging and execution of the electronic/synth/sequence parts of each song (especially as he had a background in the new tech and IA was learning on the job) — and given his lion's share of the co-writer credits, which suggests he made vast alterations to the songs as presented to him by IA… well, it all begs two questions:
1: did IA record demo versions of the songs to present to PV, to give him something to work from/with? Possibly acoustic demos, or just perfunctory 4-track run-throughs?
2: if so, could we have a disc of those 'pre-synthed' versions come the day that Under Wraps gets the book-set treatment, please?
Throw in a re-recorded Doane Perry drum part (or even a time-stretched part 'flown-in' from live recordings: he must have played to a click for most of the UW songs, given their reliance on sampled/triggered sounds) and I'd be delighted with that as a set.
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Post by maddogfagin on Apr 12, 2019 15:43:01 GMT
1: did IA record demo versions of the songs to present to PV, to give him something to work from/with? Possibly acoustic demos, or just perfunctory 4-track run-throughs? Judging from other demos we've heard, I would suspect that IA provided basic acoustic songs as demos recorded whilst on holiday somewhere in sunnier climes. Begs the question as to how many of these never made the "final cut" and if any were from the Walk Into Light sessions which, again, may have been held back for Under Wraps. Often thought that Made In England would have fitted nicely into Under Wraps. |
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Post by schubertmachiavelli on Apr 12, 2019 15:56:24 GMT
Yes, and Different Germany too, the subject matter fits the UW aesthetic.  I'm sure IA records demos for many songs as he goes, but I just suspect the ones for the UW sessions (and Walk Into Light for that matter) would probably sound as far removed from the finished product as demos get, more than most other albums (can't imagine, say, Rocks On The Road being much different) which would make them that bit more fascinating. But then again there hasn't been a policy of releasing demos from Tull reissues, and never has been, so I suspect IA is wary of letting people hear the earliest works-in-progress, especially of 'classic' songs. Assuming he even has such recordings. |
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Post by maddogfagin on Apr 13, 2019 7:05:22 GMT
Yes, and Different Germany too, the subject matter fits the UW aesthetic. I'm sure IA records demos for many songs as he goes, but I just suspect the ones for the UW sessions (and Walk Into Light for that matter) would probably sound as far removed from the finished product as demos get, more than most other albums (can't imagine, say, Rocks On The Road being much different) which would make them that bit more fascinating. But then again there hasn't been a policy of releasing demos from Tull reissues, and never has been, so I suspect IA is wary of letting people hear the earliest works-in-progress, especially of 'classic' songs. Assuming he even has such recordings. Yes I reckon the early versions differed wildly from the finished versions, mainly due to the electronic input of Peter Vettese, at the time ('82 -'84) an electronic protege that Ian had found via an advert in Melody Maker asking for keyboard players. However it begs the question after all this time as to whether (a) the rough demos still exist and (b) would Ian actually want us to hear such rough and ready recordings. Now I know he's released other early demos and even finished songs that never made the final cut, but I expect he thinks that enough is enough and that the ones we have heard are the cream and many others are working guides and not up his usual high standards. These days and in my dotage I tend to leave the research into early recordings/demos etc to others preferring the originals and live interpretations over the erroneous "tullileaks" of the past. If it's genuine and available I'll buy it but the days of pursuing every version of a song are behind me somewhat. If Ian had wanted an early demo released then he would had agreed to it but if not then it's either of poor quality or doesn't exist anymore. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2019 14:55:40 GMT
'Under Wraps Unplugged' - that'd be an intriguing album.
For me, UW and WiL are two sides of the same coin - but very different sides indeed. As noted above, 'Different Germany' could make the leap but I'm not at all sure anything else could, as the mood/feel/subject-matter of each album is pretty distinctive (to my ears). Predominantly domestic/nostalgic/'English' for WiL, overwhelmingly stark/threatening/'international' for UW.
An old schoolmate of mine recently picked up a second-hand vinyl copy of UW - and hated it! Speaking as a huge fan of the album, I think UW does really need the four bonus tracks that came with the cassette/CD versions. 'General Crossing', in particular, has always been a massive favourite of mine - though I completely understand why others find it totally off-kilter.
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Post by maddogfagin on May 23, 2019 14:29:13 GMT
With all this talk of drum machines versus a live drummer on Under Wraps both here and elsewhere , I dug out my copy of the 2005 remastered version. Here are the first two pages of the booklet - interesting reading   |
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Post by JTull 007 on Aug 17, 2020 1:37:23 GMT
@master_of_pythons Mesa with Jethro Tull-Under Wraps vinyl 
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Post by JTull 007 on Sept 7, 2020 1:57:08 GMT
 Happy 36th Anniversary to Under Wraps !!! September 7, 1984  
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Post by bunkerfan on Dec 11, 2020 19:31:49 GMT
A nice bit of Tull nostalgia
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Happy 36th Anniversary to Under Wraps !!! 
