Jethro Tull - Rock Island (1989) + Bonus Tracks

 (U.K 1967 - 2012, 2017 - Present)

1987’s Crest Of A Knave pushed Jethro Tull in a harder rock direction which renewed their popularity. Ian Anderson’s frenetic style and his signature flute virtuosity enabled the group to retain its uniqueness as their sound moved into the modern age.

'Rock Island' released two years later in 1989, continued their hard rock journey. It did not have the consistent quality of its predecessor but there were enough high points to make it a solid release.

The core of the group remained the same. The ever present Ian Anderson, guitarist Martin Barre, and bass player David Pegg were together for the fifth studio album in a row. Drummer Doane Perry, who had worked with them part time on their last album, was elevated to full time member status. Former member Peter Vettese returned on a part time basis to add keyboards to four tracks.

When Jethro Tull is good they are usually very good. The title track contains some nice flute/guitar interplay and the lyrics are philosophical as they explore the theme of loneliness. “Another Christmas Song,” which re-appeared on their 2003 Christmas Album, is a rare soothing and positive song from the group. I have always liked the music of “Kissing Willie” but the lyrics move in a risqué direction to say the least. “The Whaler’s Dues” tells a poignant tale as it explores the story of a whaling man.

Now, I can't say that I'm a 'huge' Jethro Tull fan, yet this record kills me every time. Not just the guitar playing of course (Martin Barre 's licks are killers) but the songs themselves also.

Gotta love these lyrics and melodies. Both mature (yeah I know what Willie means but it's still a cool song anyway!) and catchy.

The Album 

"Kissing Willie" is a straight rocker with organ and guitar rhythm.   "The Rattlesnake Trail" continues the same vein with more use of flute in rock style. 

"Ears of Tin" is a very nice mellow track with good melody and nice acoustic guitar. 

"Undressed To Kill" brings the music back to rock but this time with harmonious flute and electric guitar work. 

"Rock Island" is my best song coming out from this album. It has a very strong melody with solid composition. It reminds me of the band's "Heavy Horses" album. 

"Heavy Water" is another good rocker with aggressive flute work and electric guitar, while "Another Christmas Song" is a slow ballad with pop structure. "The Whaler's Dues" has an ambient opening with flute and keyboard augmented with electric guitar work. It's another good composition with a bit of complex arrangement in some segments. Melody-wise, this is the strongest track of the whole album and it has become my favorite as well. 

"Big Riff And Mando" brings the music up to an energetic one with guitar riffs and "Strange Avenues" is another excellent track with ambient flute and guitar work in atmospheric setting. Oh, I love the aggressive flute work in dynamic music setting and spacey nuance. It's a favorite.

Ears of Tin, Rock Island, Whaler's Dues and Strange Avenues - these may be the highlights but each track is a killer. Funny that it's the only Tull album that I can listen to from start to finish - other albums tend to have 2 or 3 great tracks and the rest boring fillers. Yet I'm shocked to read all the 'negative' reviews on the Internet. Seems like hardened Tull fans hate this one for some reason!

What's the problem with this one? It's so head and shoulders above the rest of their catalogue (except for maybe Thick As A Brick and Aqualung), so I'm kinda puzzled. Sure I'm not a die hard fan, but really.  

Sadly, Rock Island tends to get lost in the large Jethro Tull catalogue as there are a number of better stops. Still the album remains very listenable and is a good example of Tull’s current sound.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my CD which was my introduction to this album. I have since looked high and low for a copy on vinyl, with no luck. This LP is certainly high on my wish list. One nice bonus with the CD release are the 3 extra live tracks from a concert held in Zurich, Switzerland in Oct, 1989.  

To make this post even more desirable, I am also including a couple of rare studio outtakes from the Rock Island recording sessions. Of course, full album artwork for both vinyl and CD are included, along with label scans.

Tracklist:

01 Kissing Willie 3:32

02 The Rattlesnake Trail 3:59

03 Ears Of Tin 4:53

04 Undressed To Kill 5:24

05 Rock Island 6:52

06 Heavy Water 4:12

07 Another Christmas Song 3:30

08 The Whalers Dues 7:53

09 Big Riff And Mando 5:57

10 Strange Avenues 4:09

11 Christmas Song (Live) 3:06

12 Cheap Day Return, Mother Goose (Live) 3:09

13 Locomotive Breath (Live) 3:38

14 Piece Of Cake (Studio Outtake) 3:38

15 Hard Liner (Studio Outtake) 3:46

Bonus Tracks 11-13 "The Dressing Room Tape" Recorded Live in the dressing room at the Zurich Sports Hall, Zurich, Switzerland on 13th October 1989

Line-up / Musicians

- Ian Anderson / vocals, flute, mandolin, keyboards (Synclavier), acoustic guitar, drums (2,7), producer 

- Martin Barre / electric guitar 

- David Pegg / electric & acoustic basses, mandolin 

- Doane Perry / drums

With:

- Martin Allcock / keyboards (1,10)

- Peter-John Vettese /keyboards (3-6)

Rock Island Link (459Mb)