The Broadsword and the Beast
The Broadsword and The Beast is the 14th studio album by Jethro Tull, released on April 10, 1982 (see 1982 in music) and according to Ian Anderson in the liner notes of the remastered CD, contains some of Jethro Tull's best music. It mixes electronic sound with acoustic instruments and is a cross between the synthesizer sound of the 1980s and the folk-influenced style that Tull had in the previous decade.
The tour for Broadsword was the last one for Tull to be exceedingly theatrical. It included the entire stage being decorated to look like a pirate ship, which Ian Anderson, as he said in the liner notes for the remastered CD, thought was very silly. Extensive notes on the production of the album and subsequent tour can be found at the official Jethro Tull website. [1]
The cover art is by renowned artist Iain McCaig.
The runic symbols around the edge of the cover are from the Cirth rune system used by J.R.R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings. The words are, however, English: the opening lyrics to Broadsword:
I see a dark sail on the horizon, set under a black cloud that hides the sun. Bring me my broadsword and clear understanding. Bring me my cross of gold as a talisman.
Cheerio, the final track of the original release, was for some years played as the final encore at Jethro Tull concerts. [2]
The 2005 CD reissue of the album was heavily expanded to include eight bonus tracks recorded during the Broadsword sessions, but not included in the original 1982 album.
Personnel
Track listing
(All songs written by Ian Anderson with additional material Peter-John Vettese)
Side one - Beastie
- "Beastie" – 3:58
- "Clasp" – 4:18
- "Fallen On Hard Times" – 3:13
- "Flying Colours" – 4:39
- "Slow Marching Band" – 3:40
Side two - Broadsword
- "Broadsword" – 5:03
- "Pussy Willow" – 3:55
- "Watching Me Watching You" – 3:41
- "Seal Driver" – 5:10
- "Cheerio" – 1:09
Bonus tracks
The remastered CD added bonus tracks (which had been on the 20 Years of Jethro Tull box-set) and extensive liner notes:
- "Jack Frost and the Hooded Crow" – 3:22
- "Jack A Lynn" – 4:40
- "Mayhem Maybe" – 3:06 (with vocals recorded circa 1988)
- "Too Many Too" - 3:28
- "Overhang" – 4:29
- "Rhythm in Gold" – 3:08
- "I Am Your Gun" – 3:19
- "Down At the End of Your Road" – 3:31
Further tracks from the same sessions (and not included on the remastered CD) are "Motoreyes" (from the 20 Years box) and "Crew Nights", "The Curse", "Commons Brawl", "No Step", "Drive On The Young Side Of Life" and "Lights Out" from the outtakes album Nightcap.
Ian Anderson's introductions
Ian Anderson wrote a short introduction for each song:
- Beastie: "All of us have some kind of private fear that we don't like to talk about, and this song is about those fears. When I was a boy growing up in Scotland, we called anything that was particularly nasty that we didn't like a beastie."
- The Clasp: "A song about people who shy away from physical contact. The word 'clasp' is used in the sense of a handshake, and the song is just exploring some of the ideas and attitudes behind the embrace of shaking hands, and saying wouldn't it be amusing and perhaps a little profitable to go up to a complete stranger and shake hands with him and say, "Hello, how are you, pleased to meet you." Ironically the handshake, when it is offered, is very often a forced gesture, far removed from its origin which was a way of demonstrating that you had no weapon in your hand and that you were offering your open hand to someone in peace."
- Fallen On Hard Times: "This song is not meant to be a political statement, but merely expresses the disillusionment that most people feel at some time or other with our political masters. The tune is a Scottish folk melody in essence, but it is given a slightly funky rock 'n' roll treatment which gives it a light-hearted feel."
- Flying Colours: "This song came about after witnessing several couples who were going through a bad patch with their relationships, taking delight in showing each other up in public. I'm sure we've all come across them in some sort of social gathering; they revel in digging up the dirt in front of an audience."
- Slow Marching Band: "I don't write many songs about human relationships in the boy-girl context, but this is one that deals with the sadness of parting. But I hope it contains a hint of optimism!"
- Broadsword: "Set in historical times, lyrically as well as musically, this song is about a man's responsibility to protect the family unit."
- Pussy Willow: "A song about a girl in an unrewarding job who fantasises about a more romantic, ideal sort of existence, but she still has to face the reality of catching the train to work in the morning."
- Watching Me Watching You: "The dilemma of people in the public eye! A song about the claustrophobic feeling of being watched all the time."
- Seal Driver: "This song is deliberately ambiguous. It could be about a boat, or it could be about a girl, but since ships and boats are always female, it seems quite a nice fitting sort of analogy."
- Cheerio: "A closing song - perhaps 'au revoir' or 'auf wiedersehen' would be appropriate!"
References
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