I saw the Thanksgiving 1984 show in L.A. - Ian was really ill and his voice was awful. The band improvised a lot of show as Ian kept on going off stage. They cancelled the rest of the tour after that show. Ian's voice was never the same and it is hard to think of how strong his voice once was. Nonetheless, I've noticed a real improvement over the past few years and though it is not the voice it once was, Ian has a rich legacy of great songs and he is one of the great ones.
This is the beginning of the end. I saw this tour in Vancouver, not the Tull I knew from previous 50 shows I attended. The "A Passion Play Tour" was the first. That was the REAL TULL!
This is painful to watch because you know this tour is when Ian's voice cracked. Even then, you could hear the quality in his voice get worse and worse since 1978
Odd ... you now what I notice here is something very odd ... Ian appears to be wearing BLUE JEANS!!
I have never seen Ian wearing BLUE JEANS before and he always used to rail against people weaing jeans to his concert, imploring them to try some brown cordoroy!
He looks great here, but it is so funny .... I know something was different but it took a while to register!
You don't know what you are talking about . His voice is great here ... it was not until the Catfish Rising tour that he really started to drop out. This is a great recording of some of the most dynamic playing I have heard Tull ever do. Saw this in Brisbane CA in 1984 live.
This was the start of the initial decline though, you can hear him almost "rasping" the notes out here. Go check out the Aqualung version from 1984 and 1985 to see what I mean. His voice DID recover by 1987 for Crest of the Knave and he sounded GREAT up until about 1992.
But yeah, compared to today, his voice is great here.
My first Tull show 1973 for "Passion Play". Ian always had a distinctive style of singing I think that is what you are hearing here, super-energetic/raspy. If you listen to him now, it's hard to explain, but he almost lags the sound. It's like there is this massive machine going really fast, but his voice pulls it uncomfortably back, and slows it down.
His style for COAK is very different, he started to sing like Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. He means to sound like this - here i like it.
I agree with his sound now. Ian sounds GREAT here with the raspiness. What I was getting at was, was compare his voice from here to like 1977, it's MUCH more raspy here.
When I first saw Ian in 1973 he had a nasally sound to his voice, in 74-77 as well. I used to say he sounded llike Helen Reddy, a kind of nasally Australian sound. In fact live he has not always sounded so great. He always sounds perfect on records. That is why I think he sounds so great here. There was a point where he really put out a lot of energy singing, from about 78 thought the 80s ... but starting with Catfish Rising his voice has deteriorated.
The big question is: should Ian have embraced the new technology of the 1980s and attempted to update the Tull brand, or should he have taken the 1980s off like his peers, saved his voice, and come back as a stadium filling legend?
In my opinion, I think they should have updated their sound, but not to the point of the Under Wraps sound. I felt that they should have instead built on the sound of The Broadsword And The Beast (it was very successful worldwide), for an an album or two, THEN do Crest Of a Knave. Under wraps didn't even sound like Jethro Tull (except for Under Wraps #2 and Ian's flute throughout the album).
I'd rather Ian had gone acoustic after the big split and played to his strengths. I was never a fan of the keyboard driven Tull sound of this period, nor of Gerry Conway's weedy drumming. Crest would have been a glorious return to form had Barrie and John been back in the fold.
Yes. Looking back, it's amazing how driven old Uncle Ian was. I remember seeing two versions of Tull in the same year touring two different albums, Stormwatch and A.
Additionally, Ian used to improvise with his voice, singing all up and down the register to surprise the audience, you can here it here, he switches melody lines and it is really great.
Nice one underwraps2. Thanx for your feedback, I intend to post more Tull stuff in the future, I'm only going to put stuff up that i haven't seen elsewhere on youtube , like the under wraps stuff you've seen here, when I get it off VHS . Watch this space...
I saw the Thanksgiving 1984 show in L.A. - Ian was really ill and his voice was awful. The band improvised a lot of show as Ian kept on going off stage. They cancelled the rest of the tour after that show. Ian's voice was never the same and it is hard to think of how strong his voice once was. Nonetheless, I've noticed a real improvement over the past few years and though it is not the voice it once was, Ian has a rich legacy of great songs and he is one of the great ones.
baguayo1 1 month ago
para mi entender lo mejor de ellos
alfredferrariify 3 months ago
What a pity they weren't able to get more shots of Ian Anderson during this song...
drumrnva 6 months ago
Not the best of JT for sure, but much much much better to every music we are listening tese days!!!!
gmascioli63 7 months ago
@gmascioli63
better to EVERY music nowadays??? well this is surely much much better than some of what Tull did later. ;)
on this tour i saw them the first time.
hayzeephantayzee 1 month ago
This is the beginning of the end. I saw this tour in Vancouver, not the Tull I knew from previous 50 shows I attended. The "A Passion Play Tour" was the first. That was the REAL TULL!
Puseye2 7 months ago
This is painful to watch because you know this tour is when Ian's voice cracked. Even then, you could hear the quality in his voice get worse and worse since 1978
Pasalaqcua 11 months ago
Amazing stuff ))) thanx a lot. love this album.
drainfunk 1 year ago
under wraps and crest of a knave are soooo under-rated...
jstarang1 2 years ago
I think Crest won a Grammy, so I wouldn't exactly say it was under-rated. You're right about Under Wraps. A lot of people seemed to hate it.
EdiblePlanets 2 years ago
i love it x)
claramacdowell 2 years ago
every one of tull's albums were damn good. there were none that were not worth listening to.
rodrico50 2 years ago
Odd ... you now what I notice here is something very odd ... Ian appears to be wearing BLUE JEANS!!
I have never seen Ian wearing BLUE JEANS before and he always used to rail against people weaing jeans to his concert, imploring them to try some brown cordoroy!
He looks great here, but it is so funny .... I know something was different but it took a while to register!
AWESOME VIDEO!
themountainviewguy 2 years ago
They're not blue jeans!
I thought so too, but they're just gray pants.
Gregsynth 2 years ago
Ian's voice is SO going here. It's very sad. :(
Gregsynth 2 years ago
You don't know what you are talking about . His voice is great here ... it was not until the Catfish Rising tour that he really started to drop out. This is a great recording of some of the most dynamic playing I have heard Tull ever do. Saw this in Brisbane CA in 1984 live.
themountainviewguy 2 years ago
This was the start of the initial decline though, you can hear him almost "rasping" the notes out here. Go check out the Aqualung version from 1984 and 1985 to see what I mean. His voice DID recover by 1987 for Crest of the Knave and he sounded GREAT up until about 1992.
But yeah, compared to today, his voice is great here.
Gregsynth 2 years ago
My first Tull show 1973 for "Passion Play". Ian always had a distinctive style of singing I think that is what you are hearing here, super-energetic/raspy. If you listen to him now, it's hard to explain, but he almost lags the sound. It's like there is this massive machine going really fast, but his voice pulls it uncomfortably back, and slows it down.
His style for COAK is very different, he started to sing like Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. He means to sound like this - here i like it.
themountainviewguy 2 years ago
I agree with his sound now. Ian sounds GREAT here with the raspiness. What I was getting at was, was compare his voice from here to like 1977, it's MUCH more raspy here.
Maybe he was singing like that for effect.
Gregsynth 2 years ago
When I first saw Ian in 1973 he had a nasally sound to his voice, in 74-77 as well. I used to say he sounded llike Helen Reddy, a kind of nasally Australian sound. In fact live he has not always sounded so great. He always sounds perfect on records. That is why I think he sounds so great here. There was a point where he really put out a lot of energy singing, from about 78 thought the 80s ... but starting with Catfish Rising his voice has deteriorated.
themountainviewguy 2 years ago
I'd say his best live years were 1969-1984.
Gregsynth 2 years ago
Yes, 84's Under Wraps was Tull's undoing in my opinion, but they have continued to rock awesome and shall indefinitely.
rdubtastic 2 years ago
Nah, Under Wraps isn't that bad.
Gregsynth 2 years ago 2
The big question is: should Ian have embraced the new technology of the 1980s and attempted to update the Tull brand, or should he have taken the 1980s off like his peers, saved his voice, and come back as a stadium filling legend?
dirtyflute 2 years ago
In my opinion, I think they should have updated their sound, but not to the point of the Under Wraps sound. I felt that they should have instead built on the sound of The Broadsword And The Beast (it was very successful worldwide), for an an album or two, THEN do Crest Of a Knave. Under wraps didn't even sound like Jethro Tull (except for Under Wraps #2 and Ian's flute throughout the album).
Gregsynth 2 years ago
I'd rather Ian had gone acoustic after the big split and played to his strengths. I was never a fan of the keyboard driven Tull sound of this period, nor of Gerry Conway's weedy drumming. Crest would have been a glorious return to form had Barrie and John been back in the fold.
dirtyflute 2 years ago
Question: The "big split" is when all the members except for Ian and Martin left during the "A" era?
Gregsynth 2 years ago
Yes. Looking back, it's amazing how driven old Uncle Ian was. I remember seeing two versions of Tull in the same year touring two different albums, Stormwatch and A.
dirtyflute 2 years ago
There's a few songs on Broadsword that are direct precursor's to the Under Wraps sound, such as "Watching Me, Watching You".
I think Under Wraps is brilliant. I like it just as much as Broadsword, and more than Crest of a Knave.
AragornIsStrider 2 years ago
You mean his peers like Rush, Genesis, Yes and Pink Floyd, who all updated their sound and filled stadiums?
AragornIsStrider 2 years ago
Additionally, Ian used to improvise with his voice, singing all up and down the register to surprise the audience, you can here it here, he switches melody lines and it is really great.
themountainviewguy 2 years ago
I noticed!
Gregsynth 2 years ago
lol @ what they are all wearing..
timmo1782 3 years ago
I Love Under Wraps
Cheers for uploading this grat clip!!
uncleambient 3 years ago
Rare! You never fail, TullVidz! Thanks for this upload!
CzechGuardian 3 years ago
"Under Wraps" is a WONDERFULL Tull album, I do love it.
kulten 3 years ago 2
Cigarettes ruined his voice. Throughout the 70s, he was never without one...
artawc 3 years ago
Unfortunately the tour that ruined his voice...
MrUrgando 3 years ago
Thanks so much, I love this song and I can't thank you enough for putting this up here.
Jackinart 3 years ago
Thank you very much. This is the best quality video from the Under Wraps tour that I have seen.
BenRossington 3 years ago 2
Nice one underwraps2. Thanx for your feedback, I intend to post more Tull stuff in the future, I'm only going to put stuff up that i haven't seen elsewhere on youtube , like the under wraps stuff you've seen here, when I get it off VHS . Watch this space...
TullVidz 3 years ago
I will hope you put more awsome vids on. KEEP ROCKING!!!
Underwraps2
underwwraps2 3 years ago
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
underwwraps2 3 years ago