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Post by My God on Feb 2, 2012 13:14:36 GMT -5
Okay, hunted down this topic so we can eventually finish This Was (sometime this decade ) 1) Does the album break any new ground? Hard to say on this one. I personally think Songs from the Wood and Heavy Horses were incredibly groundbreaking from a folk rock perspective (for example, Tull succesfully merged disco and folk in "Acres Wild" not an easy feat). But This Was was obviously groundbreaking just in the fact that it was a blues album fronted by a flute. I'd have to say this is a tie. 2) The complexity/quality of the music: how adventurous is it? Are the melodies consistently good? This one definitely goes to Heavy Horses, very adventurous album, This Was had a lot of creativity in some places, but was generally a blues album. Melodies definitely go to Heavy Horses. 3) The quality of the lyrics in terms of imagery, rhyme, metaphor, content and meaning. Heavy Horses is one of Ian's best in terms of lyrics, and I mean to whole album. Definitely HH. 4) How essential the album is to the Tull catalogue? Does it contain any Tull classics? Again I think this would have to go to Heavy Horses. Definitely one of Tull's essential albums. 5) How well-sung is the album? This Was had some great singing on it, but I think Ian had really developed his vocal style well by the time of HEavy Horses. 6) Are there any unusual or interesting musical touches, like the claghorn on This Was for example. I know I'm missing something, but I don't remember any instruments out of the norm on the Heavy Horses album, perhaps other than the short purr you hear at the very beginning. I must be missing something, but for now this one will have to go to the Claghorn. 7) The overall packaging and presentation of the album, including artwork, liner notes, etc. One of my favorite album covers ever is HH. 8) Production and sound quality of the album. This Was was definitely produced well when you consider the price it was done for, but how can it compare to HH. 9) Does the album have a sense of humor? Again would have to go to HH. Neither album has much humor, but I think you all are forgetting the coughing of the furball at the end of "Mouse Police" This Was: 2, Heavy Horses: 12 (if I counted right) Heavy Horses is the winner! (not surprising) Hallelujah! Thanks, Kai, for updating ths particular round of Album Wars, and now, with your tally, Heavy Horses has pulled into a commanding lead. The score so far, is: Heavy Horses - 4 votes This Was - 1 voteBut it's far from over, because it takes 5 votes for an album to win a round, so maybe This Was can still make it interesting! Would anyone else like to participate in our Album War game? The rules, and our mandatory nine-point analytical scoring system, can be found here: thejethrotullboard.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=whizzkid&thread=990&page=13#14501Jeff Heavy Horses hands down. Love No Lullaby and Mouse Police. Superbly written and performed. Next question. And the Mouse Police never sleeps.
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Post by tootull on Feb 2, 2012 13:33:25 GMT -5
2009 thread ? I say we vote by picture. Hear! Here!
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Post by jtul07 on Feb 2, 2012 13:51:51 GMT -5
I forgot to vote. I was too busy looking at Paul's TAAB2 artwork. Well I guess it was a real mismatch. "This Was" the sentimental favorite vs. Ian's own livestock.
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Post by Jethro Tull FTW on Feb 17, 2012 19:13:39 GMT -5
1) Does the album break any new ground? This Was of course bring flute into rock and blues music, but Heavy Horses doesn't do anything incredibly different. TW=2 HH=0 2) The complexity/quality of the music: how adventurous is it? Are the melodies consistently good? TW's music is mostly quite simple and follows the traditional format, but Heavy Horses has so many instruments going on (plus the orchestra) which wins this round for it. TW=2 HH=2 3) The quality of the lyrics in terms of imagery, rhyme, metaphor, content and meaning. TW's lyrics are standard bluesy lyrics (It's Breaking Me Up, My Sunday Feeling), but HH has much deeper lyrics that makes you imagine all sorts of animals and the like. HH wins for me. TW=2 HH=4 4) How essential the album is to the Tull catalogue? Does it contain any Tull classics? TW contains classics like Song for Jeffrey, My Sunday Feeling and Serenade to a Cuckoo, where HH has other great songs like Heavy Horses and Journeyman. Hm.. I think This Was wins this one for me. TW=4 HH=4 5) How well-sung is the album? TW's vocals are quite good for me, but Ian's voice is far better on HH. TW=4 HH=6 6) Are there any unusual or interesting musical touches, like the claghorn on This Was for example. TW has the flute which was original at the time, but HH has the some crazy stuff aswell. I'm gonna' go for TW on this one. TW=5 HH=6 7) The overall packaging and presentation of the album, including artwork, liner notes, etc. TW has some enjoyable and humourous liner notes written by the band, but HH thanks the horses. XD TW on this one. TW=6 HH=6 8) Production and sound quality of the album. HH hands down. No explanation needed. TW=6 HH=7 9) Does the album have a sense of humor? TW has the humourous Song for Jeffrey while HH has the Mouse Police Never Sleeps. Yeah probably HH. TW=6 HH=8 Heavy Horses wins!
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Post by Jethro Tull FTW on Feb 19, 2012 8:27:08 GMT -5
So, I believe Stormwatch is next.
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Post by Nonfatman on Feb 20, 2012 16:58:47 GMT -5
1) Does the album break any new ground? This Was of course bring flute into rock and blues music, but Heavy Horses doesn't do anything incredibly different. TW=2 HH=0 2) The complexity/quality of the music: how adventurous is it? Are the melodies consistently good? TW's music is mostly quite simple and follows the traditional format, but Heavy Horses has so many instruments going on (plus the orchestra) which wins this round for it. TW=2 HH=2 3) The quality of the lyrics in terms of imagery, rhyme, metaphor, content and meaning. TW's lyrics are standard bluesy lyrics (It's Breaking Me Up, My Sunday Feeling), but HH has much deeper lyrics that makes you imagine all sorts of animals and the like. HH wins for me. TW=2 HH=4 4) How essential the album is to the Tull catalogue? Does it contain any Tull classics? TW contains classics like Song for Jeffrey, My Sunday Feeling and Serenade to a Cuckoo, where HH has other great songs like Heavy Horses and Journeyman. Hm.. I think This Was wins this one for me. TW=4 HH=4 5) How well-sung is the album? TW's vocals are quite good for me, but Ian's voice is far better on HH. TW=4 HH=6 6) Are there any unusual or interesting musical touches, like the claghorn on This Was for example. TW has the flute which was original at the time, but HH has the some crazy stuff aswell. I'm gonna' go for TW on this one. TW=5 HH=6 7) The overall packaging and presentation of the album, including artwork, liner notes, etc. TW has some enjoyable and humourous liner notes written by the band, but HH thanks the horses. XD TW on this one. TW=6 HH=6 8) Production and sound quality of the album. HH hands down. No explanation needed. TW=6 HH=7 9) Does the album have a sense of humor? TW has the humourous Song for Jeffrey while HH has the Mouse Police Never Sleeps. Yeah probably HH. TW=6 HH=8 Heavy Horses wins! Welcome aboard, young "Jethrotullftw" (may we know your first name? it's okay if you prefer not, though), great analysis there, and thanks for taking the time to go through our nine-point criteria. I didn't want this thread to be just a standard 'which do you like better', or 'which is your favorite kind of thing', because I wanted us to subject each album to the nine tests, so as to have some good analysis. The goal was to establish, to the extent possible, objective standards of excellence, and to the extent possible, put aside subjective feelings. So, for instance, when we get to This Was v. A, I happen to like A better, but I think when I honestly subject both albums to our test, I'm going to have to score it in favor of This Was! Anyway, you are correct, with your vote the final score in this round is: Heavy Horses - 5 votes, This Was - 1 vote , so poor This Was remains winless at this point. One question, though. Didn't you originally score this a 7-7 tie? I thought I noticed that a day or so ago, because I was thinking that was the first tie we ever had. It's possible you were still in the process of editing your post, though, or maybe I imagined it since I've been very, very tired lately. So, we are finally ready to move on to our next round, This Was v. Stormwatch. I will set that one up in a day or so! Jeff
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2012 2:54:37 GMT -5
Definitely like the analysis style of doing this. It makes you think about the albums differently. You might even find the album that you think you liked the least scoring the highest
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Post by Jethro Tull FTW on Feb 21, 2012 12:31:18 GMT -5
Please call me Jack. I agree that I like this method of voting too. Otherwise I probably would have said This Was. Also, I did edit my post, because I listened to "And the mouse police never sleeps" and it made me chortle as it often does, so I changed the one about humour. Well, I gave some of the songs of Stormwatch another listen and here's my view on it: 1) Does the album break any new ground? TW has the flute and that epic claghorn. SW doesn't have too groundbreaking, so.. TW=2 SW=0 2) The complexity/quality of the music: how adventurous is it? Are the melodies consistently good? TW's music is mostly quite simple and follows the traditional format, but SW has some far more beautiful and impressive music (plus the great D. Palmer) which wins this round for SW. TW=2 SW=2 3) The quality of the lyrics in terms of imagery, rhyme, metaphor, content and meaning. TW's lyrics are standard bluesy lyrics (It's Breaking Me Up, My Sunday Feeling), but SW has much more meaningful and thought provoking lyrics (Dun Ringill has some pretty good lyrics) TW=2 SW=4 4) How essential the album is to the Tull catalogue? Does it contain any Tull classics? TW contains classics like Song for Jeffrey, My Sunday Feeling and Serenade to a Cuckoo, whereas SW has Dun Ringill, Something's on the Move, Flying Dutchman, Dark Ages. Hm.. I'm not sure if you mean does Ian and the gang play them often or is it just the songs you prefer. I'm gonna' go for the latter and say SW wins this round. TW=2 SW=6 5) How well-sung is the album? TW's vocals are quite good for me, but Ian's voice is far better on SW. TW=2 SW=8 6) Are there any unusual or interesting musical touches, like the claghorn on This Was for example. TW has the flute which was original at the time, but SW whilst not quite standard is fairly normal. TW=3 SW=8 7) The overall packaging and presentation of the album, including artwork, liner notes, etc. TW has some enjoyable and humourous liner notes written by the band, but SW has that cool little poem thingy. TW on this one. TW=4 SW=8 8) Production and sound quality of the album. Need I even explain. TW=4 SW=9 9) Does the album have a sense of humor? TW has a more humourous feel about it. Which brings the total score to: TW=5 SW=9 Give one point to Stormwatch.
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Post by TM on May 28, 2013 15:12:13 GMT -5
Would anyone like to help resurrect the Album Wars as we bury This Was? Last we played, we had just began Round 12: This Was v. StormwatchTo refresh our recollection, and for the benefit of our new members, let's review. We have developed a comprehensive nine-category system where we objectively analyze every aspect of the two albums that are "doing battle." First Five Categories: Two points are awarded to the winner of each of the first five main categories. In the case of a tie, each album earns a single point for that category. Last Four Categories: For the last four categories, which are of lesser importance, one point is awarded to the winner of each category, and in the case of a tie, neither album earns a point for that category. Determining the winner of the round: When you are done with all nine categories, simply tally up the total number of points for each album and award the round to the album which has amassed the greater number of points. Then, cast your vote in favor of the album which you gave the most points. Ties: As always, a round may end in a tie, so if the two albums have earned the same number of points, you must call the round a draw, and your vote will be counted as a tie. Note: New policy! In the past, we've sometimes been a little lax about the nine-category system, but from now on, in order for your vote to be counted, you must subject the two albums to the nine-point system, because that's what makes this interesting. Simply choosing one over the other, with little or no explanation would be boring. Objectivity is the key here, as we are trying to keep subjective preferences out of the equation, to the extent possible. As always, an album is declared a winner of a given round, when it has amassed five votes from members of the board, based on the nine-point system. So with that in mind....here goes with Round 12 - This Was v. Stormwatch:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The main categories (two points awarded to the winner of each, but in the case of a tie, each album gets one point): 1) Does the album break any new ground?2) The complexity/quality of the music: how adventurous is it? Are the melodies consistently good?3) The quality of the lyrics in terms of imagery, rhyme, metaphor, content and meaning.4) How essential the album is to the Tull catalogue? Does it contain any Tull classics?5) How well-sung is the album?And now, the less important categories (one point is awarded to the winner of each, but in the case of a tie, neither album gets a point): 6) Are there any unusual or interesting musical touches, like the claghorn on This Was for example.7) The overall packaging and presentation of the album, including artwork, liner notes, etc.8) Production and sound quality of the album.9) Does the album have a sense of humor?-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Round 12 score thus far: S - 1 vote, TW - 0 votes Five votes are required for either album to win this round. So who wants to go next?
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Post by Mothfairy on May 28, 2013 19:50:11 GMT -5
I'd be interested in playing but I don't think I can do this. I don't feel I can be objective, and I don't think I'm good at explaining. Sometimes trying to explain music like this is like...trying to dance to explain colors. Most of the time I don't know if it breaks any new ground. Compared to what? Other Tull music or all the music in the world? See why I suck at this. haha.
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Post by TM on May 28, 2013 20:36:57 GMT -5
I'd be interested in playing but I don't think I can do this. I don't feel I can be objective, and I don't think I'm good at explaining. Sometimes trying to explain music like this is like...trying to dance to explain colors. Most of the time I don't know if it breaks any new ground. Compared to what? Other Tull music or all the music in the world? See why I suck at this. haha. I will personally guide you through your first vote. Breaks new ground = music in general.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2013 21:21:35 GMT -5
Would anyone like to help resurrect the Album Wars as we bury This Was? 1) Does the album break any new ground?2) The complexity/quality of the music: how adventurous is it? Are the melodies consistently good?3) The quality of the lyrics in terms of imagery, rhyme, metaphor, content and meaning.4) How essential the album is to the Tull catalogue? Does it contain any Tull classics?5) How well-sung is the album?And now, the less important categories (one point is awarded to the winner of each, but in the case of a tie, neither album gets a point): 6) Are there any unusual or interesting musical touches, like the claghorn on This Was for example. 7) The overall packaging and presentation of the album, including artwork, liner notes, etc.8) Production and sound quality of the album.9) Does the album have a sense of humor?--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2013 23:06:59 GMT -5
1) Does the album break any new ground?This Was - Blues Rock with Yaz Flute! 2) The complexity/quality of the music: how adventurous is it? Are the melodies consistently good?Stormwatch - Flying Dutchman alone. Main chord progression similar to something like "Nights in White Satin" but with many great changes and embedded with beautiful piano melodies. Elegy, Dun Ringill etc.. Loved David Palmer's contributions to this record! 3) The quality of the lyrics in terms of imagery, rhyme, metaphor, content and meaning.Stormwatch - "And silver shadows flick across the closing bistro. Sweet waiters link their arms and patter down the street, their words lost blowing on cold winds in darkest Chelsea. Prime years fly fading with each young heart's beat." 4) How essential the album is to the Tull catalogue? Does it contain any Tull classics?Stormwatch - While I Kind of agree with Darin, the majority would feel This Was has more essential songs on it and mainly because he resurrected them so much through the years but the songs on Stormwatch are by far more essential Tull songs. 5) How well-sung is the album?Stormwatch - I immediately think of the documentary where Ian is working out Dark Ages in the studio. What a powerful voice! And now, the less important categories (one point is awarded to the winner of each, but in the case of a tie, neither album gets a point): 6) Are there any unusual or interesting musical touches, like the claghorn on This Was for example. Stormwatch - A different feel from SFTW and HH which were similar this album had more orchestration, mixed with nylon string acoustics and gentle piano melodies gave it a more sophisticated fresh vibe to it. 7) The overall packaging and presentation of the album, including artwork, liner notes, etc.This Was - I remember staring at the cover as a little kid and being pretty freaked out. I may have thought for a second that I was listening to these really old men from the cover. (I also love the Stormwatch cover) 8) Production and sound quality of the album.This Was - I think Stormwatch could have been a little better produced (as I do with other Tull albums of the time) More tracks means more that can go wrong. This Was obviously has much less production overall and therefore more of a live feel. It's a great sounding jazzy blues record if you find a good vinyl press. Drums sound great. 9) Does the album have a sense of humor?This Was - Old Men - The Fishbone I always fond humorously odd. add em up..
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Post by TM on May 29, 2013 11:08:20 GMT -5
Would anyone like to help resurrect the Album Wars as we bury This Was? 1) Does the album break any new ground?2) The complexity/quality of the music: how adventurous is it? Are the melodies consistently good?3) The quality of the lyrics in terms of imagery, rhyme, metaphor, content and meaning.4) How essential the album is to the Tull catalogue? Does it contain any Tull classics?5) How well-sung is the album?And now, the less important categories (one point is awarded to the winner of each, but in the case of a tie, neither album gets a point): 6) Are there any unusual or interesting musical touches, like the claghorn on This Was for example. 7) The overall packaging and presentation of the album, including artwork, liner notes, etc.8) Production and sound quality of the album.9) Does the album have a sense of humor?-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That's 7 points for each album Darin and our first tie I believe. So our score is TW = 0, S = 1, with 1 Tie. First album with 5 points wins.
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Post by TM on May 29, 2013 11:09:58 GMT -5
1) Does the album break any new ground?This Was - Blues Rock with Yaz Flute! 2) The complexity/quality of the music: how adventurous is it? Are the melodies consistently good?Stormwatch - Flying Dutchman alone. Main chord progression similar to something like "Nights in White Satin" but with many great changes and embedded with beautiful piano melodies. Elegy, Dun Ringill etc.. Loved David Palmer's contributions to this record! 3) The quality of the lyrics in terms of imagery, rhyme, metaphor, content and meaning.Stormwatch - "And silver shadows flick across the closing bistro. Sweet waiters link their arms and patter down the street, their words lost blowing on cold winds in darkest Chelsea. Prime years fly fading with each young heart's beat." 4) How essential the album is to the Tull catalogue? Does it contain any Tull classics?Stormwatch - While I Kind of agree with Darin, the majority would feel This Was has more essential songs on it and mainly because he resurrected them so much through the years but the songs on Stormwatch are by far more essential Tull songs. 5) How well-sung is the album?Stormwatch - I immediately think of the documentary where Ian is working out Dark Ages in the studio. What a powerful voice! And now, the less important categories (one point is awarded to the winner of each, but in the case of a tie, neither album gets a point): 6) Are there any unusual or interesting musical touches, like the claghorn on This Was for example. Stormwatch - A different feel from SFTW and HH which were similar this album had more orchestration, mixed with nylon string acoustics and gentle piano melodies gave it a more sophisticated fresh vibe to it. 7) The overall packaging and presentation of the album, including artwork, liner notes, etc.This Was - I remember staring at the cover as a little kid and being pretty freaked out. I may have thought for a second that I was listening to these really old men from the cover. (I also love the Stormwatch cover) 8) Production and sound quality of the album.This Was - I think Stormwatch could have been a little better produced (as I do with other Tull albums of the time) More tracks means more that can go wrong. This Was obviously has much less production overall and therefore more of a live feel. It's a great sounding jazzy blues record if you find a good vinyl press. Drums sound great. 9) Does the album have a sense of humor?This Was - Old Men - The Fishbone I always fond humorously odd. add em up.. 9 points for Stormwatch and 5 points for This Was. Score is: TW = 0 S = 2 1 Tie
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Post by Nonfatman on May 29, 2013 11:10:35 GMT -5
Would anyone like to help resurrect the Album Wars as we bury This Was? 1) Does the album break any new ground?2) The complexity/quality of the music: how adventurous is it? Are the melodies consistently good?3) The quality of the lyrics in terms of imagery, rhyme, metaphor, content and meaning.4) How essential the album is to the Tull catalogue? Does it contain any Tull classics?5) How well-sung is the album?And now, the less important categories (one point is awarded to the winner of each, but in the case of a tie, neither album gets a point): 6) Are there any unusual or interesting musical touches, like the claghorn on This Was for example. 7) The overall packaging and presentation of the album, including artwork, liner notes, etc.8) Production and sound quality of the album.9) Does the album have a sense of humor?-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Great to see this thread being revived, and thanks to Paul for doing so after a lengthy hiatus. I will be coming out to play soon, and can't wait to catch up on your installment story with Holly and Dan. Then I can continue my latest one, which could be the first time we ever had two concurrent serial stories going at once! Steve, I added up your totals, and it comes to 7 points apiece for SW and TW, so it looks like you are calling this round a tie. Your vote brings the score to SW- 1 vote, TW - 0 Votes, Tie - 1 vote Five votes are needed for either album to win the round, and it looks like Erin has now weighed in on the side of SW, bringing our current updated total to: SW - 2 votes, TW - 0 votes, Tie - 1 voteLet's see if we can make it through Round 12 to Round 13, where perhaps TW will be able to finally pick up a win against A? Jeff
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Heavy Horse
One of the Youngest of the Family
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Post by Heavy Horse on May 29, 2013 11:18:43 GMT -5
My turn...
1) Does the album break any new ground? This Was - an odd sounding beast: neither pure blues, nor pop, nor jazz, nor rock. Stormwatch - some lovely songs, but also a bit tired sounding. Especially when compared to the previous two albums.
This Was (2-0) Stormwatch
2) The complexity/quality of the music: how adventurous is it? Are the melodies consistently good? This Was has some cool melodies - Begger's Farm is one of my favourites - but it is more limited in its scope and Ian is just starting as a songwriter. Stormwatch is complicated-made-to-sound-straightforward, and works pretty well, although I find Elergy dull as ditchwater and Dark Ages overwrought as hell....
This Was (2-2) Stormwatch
3) The quality of the lyrics in terms of imagery, rhyme, metaphor, content and meaning. No contest here!
This Was (2-4) Stormwatch
4) How essential the album is to the Tull catalogue? Does it contain any Tull classics? This Was provides clues of what is to come: the flute, Ian's voice, the quirkiness, the cynicism... Stormwatch has its (wonderful) moments but, as I said, it sounds tired and there's nothing really new... I'm going to give Stormwatch 1 point for Orion and Dun Ringill - I think they're classics!
This Was (4-5) Stormwatch
5) How well-sung is the album? Both albums are well sung. I prefer the singing on This Was though... It fits very well to the bluesy music. There is a misplaced harsh tone to the voice on some of Stormwatch, I think.
This Was (6-5) Stormwatch
6) Are there any unusual or interesting musical touches, like the claghorn on This Was for example. I like the churchy organ bit on Dark Ages ("and the vicar stands a-praying..."), but that's about it for Stormwatch. This Was still sounds fresh partly because of the innovative flute, which is certainly unusual and interesting, for the time.
This Was (7-5) Stormwatch
7) The overall packaging and presentation of the album, including artwork, liner notes, etc. I do like the front of Stormwatch. It was exciting to me when I saw "Slipstream" for the first time and Ian re-created it as he sang Dun Ringill! On the other hand, This Was had more care lavished on it. Also, I had some WEM speakers just like those...
This Was (8-5) Stormwatch
8) Production and sound quality of the album. I like the sound of This Was - at least in mono. It's quite an intimate sound, which I love about later albums like Minstrel. Stormwatch has a more expansive sound, but I really dislike the bass. there's hardly any bottom to it.
This Was (9-5) Stormwatch
9) Does the album have a sense of humor? This Was - Yes, in a bluesy sort of stylee "In the morning I'll be leaving; I'll leave your mother too". Stormwatch - Not at all. Stormwatch is Tull's most political album (if you don't count the Len Deighton style, Cold War themed Under Wraps) and it shows.
Final score: This Was (10-5) Stormwatch.
And yet, I've listened to Stormwatch over the years much more often than This Was... Strange.
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Post by Mothfairy on May 29, 2013 11:52:37 GMT -5
Holy crap, TW won one!
TM, alright, you can help. haha.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2013 14:25:45 GMT -5
Holy crap, TW won one! TM, alright, you can help. haha. I think its required that you actually listen to This Was before you go and torpedo it, ma'am. LOL (I can tell your a Stormwatch zealot!)
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Post by Nonfatman on May 29, 2013 15:08:04 GMT -5
My turn... 1) Does the album break any new ground?This Was - an odd sounding beast: neither pure blues, nor pop, nor jazz, nor rock. Stormwatch - some lovely songs, but also a bit tired sounding. Especially when compared to the previous two albums. This Was (2-0) Stormwatch 2) The complexity/quality of the music: how adventurous is it? Are the melodies consistently good?This Was has some cool melodies - Begger's Farm is one of my favourites - but it is more limited in its scope and Ian is just starting as a songwriter. Stormwatch is complicated-made-to-sound-straightforward, and works pretty well, although I find Elergy dull as ditchwater and Dark Ages overwrought as hell.... This Was (2-2) Stormwatch 3) The quality of the lyrics in terms of imagery, rhyme, metaphor, content and meaning.No contest here! This Was (2-4) Stormwatch 4) How essential the album is to the Tull catalogue? Does it contain any Tull classics?This Was provides clues of what is to come: the flute, Ian's voice, the quirkiness, the cynicism... Stormwatch has its (wonderful) moments but, as I said, it sounds tired and there's nothing really new... I'm going to give Stormwatch 1 point for Orion and Dun Ringill - I think they're classics! This Was (4-5) Stormwatch 5) How well-sung is the album?Both albums are well sung. I prefer the singing on This Was though... It fits very well to the bluesy music. There is a misplaced harsh tone to the voice on some of Stormwatch, I think. This Was (6-5) Stormwatch 6) Are there any unusual or interesting musical touches, like the claghorn on This Was for example.I like the churchy organ bit on Dark Ages ("and the vicar stands a-praying..."), but that's about it for Stormwatch. This Was still sounds fresh partly because of the innovative flute, which is certainly unusual and interesting, for the time. This Was (7-5) Stormwatch 7) The overall packaging and presentation of the album, including artwork, liner notes, etc.I do like the front of Stormwatch. It was exciting to me when I saw "Slipstream" for the first time and Ian re-created it as he sang Dun Ringill! On the other hand, This Was had more care lavished on it. Also, I had some WEM speakers just like those... This Was (8-5) Stormwatch 8) Production and sound quality of the album.I like the sound of This Was - at least in mono. It's quite an intimate sound, which I love about later albums like Minstrel. Stormwatch has a more expansive sound, but I really dislike the bass. there's hardly any bottom to it. This Was (9-5) Stormwatch 9) Does the album have a sense of humor?This Was - Yes, in a bluesy sort of stylee "In the morning I'll be leaving; I'll leave your mother too". Stormwatch - Not at all. Stormwatch is Tull's most political album (if you don't count the Len Deighton style, Cold War themed Under Wraps) and it shows. Final score: This Was (10-5) Stormwatch. And yet, I've listened to Stormwatch over the years much more often than This Was... Strange. Good anaylsis, HH, bringing us to our current tally: SW - 2 votes, TW - 1 vote, Tie - 1 vote This is getting interesting. Jeff
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Heavy Horse
One of the Youngest of the Family
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Post by Heavy Horse on May 29, 2013 15:38:54 GMT -5
Holy crap, TW won one! TM, alright, you can help. haha. BRING IT ON!!! ;D
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Post by TM on May 29, 2013 18:59:27 GMT -5
Holy crap, TW won one! TM, alright, you can help. haha. You ask me anything you want and I'm there for you. All I want is that signed backstage pass.
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Post by Mothfairy on May 30, 2013 1:21:07 GMT -5
TM, I wouldn't even take 264 pounds for that! Why would I give it up for this?
I feel like now that I am going to go after everyone else I'm going to not be innovative in my answers. Can I just say, "Yeah, what he said." ha, I mean that's not very good.
I just checked, this album war was started in 2009, holy rotted bananas! My son's birthday is today and he was born in 09 and obviously he's four, just seems like so long ago! So by that calculation, if we engage each album in a battle of every other album and it takes the same amount of time, we'll be done by the 12th of never. Especially if I keep hemming and hawing like this. ha.
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Post by Mothfairy on May 30, 2013 1:31:39 GMT -5
Holy crap, TW won one! TM, alright, you can help. haha. I think its required that you actually listen to This Was before you go and torpedo it, ma'am. LOL (I can tell your a Stormwatch zealot!) Ooh, I just saw this. I believe I owned This Was before Stormwatch!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2013 14:55:18 GMT -5
My turn... 1) Does the album break any new ground?This Was - an odd sounding beast: neither pure blues, nor pop, nor jazz, nor rock. Stormwatch - some lovely songs, but also a bit tired sounding. Especially when compared to the previous two albums. This Was (2-0) Stormwatch 2) The complexity/quality of the music: how adventurous is it? Are the melodies consistently good?This Was has some cool melodies - Begger's Farm is one of my favourites - but it is more limited in its scope and Ian is just starting as a songwriter. Stormwatch is complicated-made-to-sound-straightforward, and works pretty well, although I find Elergy dull as ditchwater and Dark Ages overwrought as hell.... This Was (2-2) Stormwatch 3) The quality of the lyrics in terms of imagery, rhyme, metaphor, content and meaning.No contest here! This Was (2-4) Stormwatch 4) How essential the album is to the Tull catalogue? Does it contain any Tull classics?This Was provides clues of what is to come: the flute, Ian's voice, the quirkiness, the cynicism... Stormwatch has its (wonderful) moments but, as I said, it sounds tired and there's nothing really new... I'm going to give Stormwatch 1 point for Orion and Dun Ringill - I think they're classics! This Was (4-5) Stormwatch 5) How well-sung is the album?Both albums are well sung. I prefer the singing on This Was though... It fits very well to the bluesy music. There is a misplaced harsh tone to the voice on some of Stormwatch, I think. This Was (6-5) Stormwatch 6) Are there any unusual or interesting musical touches, like the claghorn on This Was for example.I like the churchy organ bit on Dark Ages ("and the vicar stands a-praying..."), but that's about it for Stormwatch. This Was still sounds fresh partly because of the innovative flute, which is certainly unusual and interesting, for the time. This Was (7-5) Stormwatch 7) The overall packaging and presentation of the album, including artwork, liner notes, etc.I do like the front of Stormwatch. It was exciting to me when I saw "Slipstream" for the first time and Ian re-created it as he sang Dun Ringill! On the other hand, This Was had more care lavished on it. Also, I had some WEM speakers just like those... This Was (8-5) Stormwatch 8) Production and sound quality of the album.I like the sound of This Was - at least in mono. It's quite an intimate sound, which I love about later albums like Minstrel. Stormwatch has a more expansive sound, but I really dislike the bass. there's hardly any bottom to it. This Was (9-5) Stormwatch 9) Does the album have a sense of humor?This Was - Yes, in a bluesy sort of stylee "In the morning I'll be leaving; I'll leave your mother too". Stormwatch - Not at all. Stormwatch is Tull's most political album (if you don't count the Len Deighton style, Cold War themed Under Wraps) and it shows. Final score: This Was (10-5) Stormwatch. And yet, I've listened to Stormwatch over the years much more often than This Was... Strange. Let's keep this going
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