Even if Ian came out and said "the tapes don't exist," then people would point out "you said the same thing about 'Sailor' so we don't believe you." Ian also said the 1978 concert tapes simply replicated the Bursting Out track list, but of course those tapes also have "Heavy Horses" and a few lesser bits and pieces left off the album for time reasons. So even if the tapes really don't exist, there will probably remain at least a few who are not convinced.
I find it hard to fathom why this doesn’t happen? It’s not going to take anything away and only adds to the great legacy of the band by having it out there for us to enjoy, I mean most Tull fans are in their fifties and sixties and beyond we ain’t going to be around forever!
There are some excellent quality Tull audience recordings from that period (although I haven't heard the ELP boots you mention, so maybe you wouldn't agree).
As far as i know, Ian never said that 'Sailor' didn't exist, apart from one time on the Tull website, and in that case it was him just being humorous. The fact is that he didn't like it, and that's why it took so long to get released.
Terry Ellis said that they didn't film the shows, because he felt that if the people could watch the show on the widescreen or their TV set, they wouldn't come to see the show. And of course, filming a show far more expensive back then than it is today. They also didn't multitrack the shows, because there were no plans to release a live album. They did however, record the 1970 Carnegie Hall show, and filmed the 1975 Paris, but apart from those, there were no proper multitrack recordings until the 1978 Bern show. But that doesn't mean there are no soundboards, or more 8-track recordings. We'll see.
Clearly Ian was either joking about "Sailor," or he'd forgotten he had the tape, or perhaps was fibbing in a vain effort to get people to shut up about it. But now and for all time, it will be an example that people can point to and say "just because Ian says he doesn't have the tapes doesn't mean he really doesn't have the tapes."
Stormwatch is one of my favorite Jethro Tull albums and I'm really looking forward to the reissue for a few reasons. 1. Surprise unreleased songs. I'm hoping there are few happy surprises. There were a number of these for the Heavy Horses reissue so I'm hoping the same applies here. 2. Sound. I like the murky sound of the album, but I think on songs like North Sea Oil, Orion, Dark Ages, and Something's on the Move, a harder hitting drum sound and guitar would help a lot. Half of this album is a somber, brooding mood piece, but the other half (the songs I mentioned) is one of their most rocking albums and it would be nice if the production brought that out just a little more. 3. Live stuff. From reading set lists this is one of their more unusual tours and I'd love to have a whole live album from this period!
Highly doubt it. More like second half of the year. See: Ian Anderson reveals initial plans for his next solo album
I know we do not have the Wilson stormwatch out yet,realalisticly will we see A from Wilson,will that be the last.
My fave post Stormwatch album. I think it is full of beautiful songs and there are lots of fine details in the playing.
I will never understand what people have against Rock Island. I mean, play anything after it, compare the quality of the vocal melodies....imo there were hardly any singable songs after Rock Island. Ofcourse there are exceptions to that rule, but you get my drift.
What vocal melodies do you find to be outstanding on Rock Island (besides the excellent Another Christmas Song)?
Not outstanding. Just fine singable songs. The dropoff to Catfish Rising and even more to Roots To Branches is huge. Mind you, these are albums i do enjoy, the vocal melodies just were lacking. Particularly on Roots. All imo ofcourse. Play Rock Island back to back with Dot.Com and tell me there is no quality difference in the vocal melodies.....
For me Rock Island is just Crest part two. A little harder because of the Grammy maybe. It sounds rushed to me especially on the heels of the 20 years Box. Part of the Machine would have really elevated Rock Island to something a little higher. I’m embarrassed by a few of the Rock Island songs. Big Riff and Mando comes to mind first.
