Search - Jethro Tull :: Rock Island

Rocking the Boat (a little harder than usual)

Eugenius Dobson | from a global perspective I'm right here. | 12/19/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I remember hearing Kissing Willie on the radio a week or so before the album was released and it sounded to me like the Jethro Tull of yore returned with guitars and flute to the fore. Yes the lyrics are a bit obvious but it's a good sexual romp through a rocking tune, and while the record does rock more than is usual for the Tull, (even the mandolins occasionally sound almost heavy metal!) it does so through a landscape of interesting lyrics that range from the sexual to the political, the introspective to the observational, even taking a side trip on a sleigh to the seasonal. Musically it has moments that are both straight forward rock to more complex rocking arrangements. I think Kissing Willie, Ears of Tin, Rock Island, Another Christmas Song, The Whaler's Dues, Big Riff and Mando and Strange Avenues are the standout tracks. However they are standout tracks that stand out in a bunch of great songs that all stand up to shake their collective behinds in a very dramatic and boisterous manner.

The bonus tracks are from the Zurich dressing room tapes. While they have appeared elsewhere they're always good to hear, and they do help to bring the listener down a little more gently and less abruptly than the original release did.

The sound quality on this remaster is a great improvement over the original release of Rock Island. All of the instruments shine through clearly now and the sound is completely lifted up out of the muddier waters it used to lay in."

The roots of folk-metal

James B. Whitney | Minneapolis, MN. USA | 07/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have no idea if any of todays' folk metal musicians ever listered to Jethro Tull, but these guys have been mixing hard rock/metal with British traditional music since the early 70's. This brew has given Tull a certain recognizable sound which has defined them throughout their career even though they have incorporated a wide variety of influences over the years. Rock island has a hard edge to it which tilts it more toward metal than some of Tulls' earlier work but Ian Andrerson's flute and melodic sensabilities still make it classic Tull. I believe that Tull fans who liked Aquqlung as well as On the Crest of a Knave will enjoy this release. I also think that fans of folk metal will like this album since Jethro Tull were a folk metal band long before the term for the genre was coined."

Electric Tull

Mark | Denver, CO United States | 06/17/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Rock Island" is an album for those Jethro Tull fans who are more inclined toward the heavy rock side of Tull over their folkier, accoustic side. It opens with the fast paced rocking "Kissing Willie" and is followed by the riffy "The Rattlesnake Trail" complete with Martin Barre's searing guitar fills.



Then comes my personal favorite from the album "Ears of Tin." It's one of those 'stop-go' songs. The verses are melodic, featuring mandolin and flute while the refrains contain pulsating hard rock. Next is "Undressed to kill," a slow, steady rocking song. Then comes the title song, which is fairly subdued until the fast paced instrumental break.



"Heavy Water" is another moderate to slow paced rocker, which is followed by the subdued and melodic "Another Christmas Song." Then comes the another of my personal favorites: the slow, brooding "The Whaler's Dues." Between Martin Barre's jagged electric guitar fills and Ian Anderson's wheezing flute, the song just gets under your skin and stays there.



The last two songs from the original release, "Big Riff and Mando" and "Strange Avenues" are lackluster, in my opinion. But overall, "Rock Island" is a consistently enjoyable album. The song quality might not be as high as on their previous release, "Crest of a Knave," but it has the advantage (or disadvantage, depending on taste) of containing far fewer ballads than 'Crest.'



There are many who believe that the quality of Jethro Tull's music began a permanent decline following "Aqualung" in 1971 or "A Passion Play" in 1973. However, the music on "Crest of a Knave," "Rock Island" and "Catfish Rising," Tull's 1987, 1989 and 1991 releases, convinces me that Ian Anderson's songwriting has, if anything, improved over time.



As with most Tull albums, you'll need to give this one a half dozen spins in your CD player before familiarity breeds enjoyment."