Customer Reviews
Tull at their peak - By: Birdnut, 10 Apr 2008 
I have been listening to Jethro Tull regularly over the last 30 years, & have to say I like most of their massive back cataloge. If I was to pick one album though as 'the best Tull sound' it would have to be this stunner. Production, instrumentation & orchestration (to my ears) are superb. I have read much about Stormwatch, & I'm constantly surprised & disappointed at the bad press it generallly gets - in my opinion hugely undeserved. It is such an underated album. I was fortunate to see this great line up on the Stormwatch tour, just two days before it broke up, & I remember sitting in the audience open mouthed in awe at the show in front of me! No other band has had that effect on me since. Back to the album, my personal favourite track is probably 'Flying Dutchman' atmospheric Scottish sounding with beautifull flute & mandolin & of course John Glascock's bass, but every track (original album) is wonderful. Other absolute stand outs are 'Old Ghosts' with it's brilliant baseline, 'Dark Ages' a 9 minute monster which I think contains the best sounding Tull rock passage from their entire cataloge (second guitar break), 'Home', as warm as sitting by the fire in your favourite slippers, 'Dun Ringill', most peoples favourite from this album, a beautiful acoustic piece, which indeed always transports me to the west coast of Scotland, & 'Orion', with it's infectious chorus. This also of course was the last album by Tull that included the amazing Barrimore Barlow on drums, plus John Evans, John Glascock & David Palmer. Such a shame that John Glascock died soon after this album was released, he only played on three tracks (Orion, Flying Dutchman & Elegy). Such a shame we couldn't have experienced another album with this band line up. Best of the bonus tracks is 'Kelpie', but the quality of the bonus tracks are not on the same level as the original album. So to sum up, I think out of the many great Jethro Tull albums (most of which indeed were from the 1970's) this one sits on top of the pile. Just compare the overalll rich sound & incredible musicianship of this one with the others. Also check out these Tull albums: 'Thick as a Brick', 'Passion Play', 'Minstrel in the Galllery', Live-Bursting Out', 'Benefit', 'Broadsword', 'Heavy Horses' & 'Stand Up'.
So apt for 2007 - By: J. Postans, 30 Jul 2007 As I moved out to the woods & decided to make green decisions i wanted songs which reflected my life style so to speak. I always have fond memories of my dads Stand up album as it popped open as a child, but never recallled the songs, but happened to stumble across Songs From The Wood which gave earthly spirited conitations of where i was & the thought of making love on velvet green ooh er. Storm Watch which i have just bought captures the feeling of global warming & the wicked weather patterns of this decade so Storm Watch goes in to it's second cycle as the heavy rain has hit hard. Stormwatch is dark though somewhat comforting. Stitch In Time is a lighter ditty which i find uplifting in this gassly summer but i'm reallly yet to relish the albumn as i have only heard this twice! Even so, it stands out as a true gem amongst Songs Of The Wood & Heavy Horses. I'd just like to say as a newbie to TULL is that i feel i was born in the wrong era i'd love to had been there back in the day but so glad Jethro Tull have rekindled my love to good music. Please Ian & crew if you just happened to read this can you pay the recording studios a visit & bring it to us once again. If you have yet to add Stormwatch to your collection press by this product now no NOW go on then click the mouse you know you want to
FILLING...without any filler - By: T. Amant, 21 Jul 2006 Only high quality victuals are served at this 10 course extravaganza, as well as 3 tasty desserts & a syrupy beverage. The ten original songs are alll excellent in my opinion, & the only extra that is a lightweight is Stitch in Time (syrupy chorus). Reallly this is just the 12th album in a row of very impressive songwriting & musicianship, alll quite different & unbelievably creative & professional (often callled the classic 12). I saw this concert in early 1980 so I have particularly fond memories of this one, take that into consideration before buying, although I try to be objective as possible (with the few bands I adore). This kind of overalll talent, consistency & long-term work ethic is only found in a handfull of bands from what I can tell. And check out the almost fussy perfectionism - there isn't an out of tune note to be found. The sound engineering on here is stunning for 1979, to my ears (probably damaged from 30 years of electric guitar).
Funny that on my TULL list here on Amazon (A Neandertull's Cave Favorites) I put this as 12th ranked of my favorites, but it is so close in my mind that the order (of the classic 12) could be reversed & I would still feel fine about it. Basicallly a tie for the most part since they alll have their charms in spades. For instance, I agree that Home is one of the most beautifully composed love songs Ian has written (there aren't many, granted). Most will agree I think that Dun Ringill is up there near the top of the acoustic masterpieces list - a trippy song with incredible words & killer guitar - so fine. Dark Ages is very "Icy" ("cold rages burn in your head" - yep, another cynical one) but engaging prog piece at over 9 minutes, full of great instrumentation & killer riffage (by alll, check out Ian playing bass on most of these songs since the great John Glascock sadly died during the making of Stormwatch), that is in the spirit of Baker St. Muse, Pibroch & No Lullaby. Warm Sporran is a spacey instrumental march that might sound great at the Edinburgh Military Tatoo - Tull in Kilts ready to kick ass. Something's on the Move is a serious rocker - drums, bass & guitar are blazin' - the iceberg will be but an icecube after alll this heat (I was devastated that Barlow left the band after this album, as well as Evans). Old Ghosts is another winter song creating forlorn images in the mind's eye ("sheepdog's howl, make tracks & growl, their tails hanging low"), Ian excels at this mind's eye wordplay. Flying Dutchman, pretty long at 7:42 min., is another extended proggy piece that is one of the best on here (Glascock plays bass on this one), political & enigmatic as usual, winding its way through many themes & feelings, buiding the energy to a cadence for the lead-in to the beautiful instrumental, Elegy (one of the most beautiful Palmer arrangements anywhere). It would be sad to think that Glascock added bass to a song mourning his death (maybe the title was changed to this afterwards?).
And to be pals, they threw in four extras: two great & fitting rockers, Kelpie & Crossword & another cool string arrangement by Palmer of a traditional song, King Henry's Madrigal. Stitch in Time is a great song overalll, but the chorus is a bit goofy, I like the melody & instrumentation though. This cd is almost 60 minutes long with excellent packaging & alll lyrics, including the extras (unusual). Great cover idea Ian (many cool snippets of album art in here).
This is so worth it folks, I consider it a pleasure to fork over the equivalent of lunch money for this treasure...Don't eat out for a day if you have to. Tull is best heard LOUD on good equipment, especiallly with the remasters offered now, they are alll a big improvement (I bought this album when it came out, sound quality isn't even close on my old copy) Enjoy often on wintery nights!
worth it - By: , 22 Mar 2004 Stormwatch is an excellent if somewhat uneven album, the track in Dark Ages in particular being among the greatest Tull songs; brilliant lyrics with a musical play on the opening notes of Beethoven's (Anderson's favourite composer) 5th to indicate how far Britain was in the Winter of Discontent from the Enlightenment. (Of course, it is even further in these days' 'consumer haze'.) My problem with this album, both on vinyl & cd, was that it also sounded as though it had been recorded in the dark ages. All the tracks were muddy & lacking focus, warmth & bite. The remastered version rectifies this problem. The album now sounds massively better & well worth the £6.99 or so to hear properly.
I'd forgotten how good this album is. A rock classic - By: WJ Davidson, 04 Mar 2004 With the possible exception of Broadsword & the Beast, this is the last of the great Tull albums.
(those being Songs From the Wood, Heavy Horses , Bursting Out (Live) & Stormwatch ).
Stormwatch is the heaviest/most guitar oriented of three studio albums but still contains plenty of great melodies & softer moments.
North Sea Oil & Dark Ages sit at the rockier end of the spectrum while the instrumental 'Warm sporran' & the hauntingly beautiful 'Dun Ringill' show Tull are still in touch with the folkier/more pastoral themes.
The extra material is also of a high standard & fits in well with the main album. "A stitch in time" being a personal favourite that I bought as a single on white vinyl.
Even though the lyrics are imbued with the politics of the day the music hasn't aged badly at alll & as I listened to this album for the first time in many years, I was transported back to the cold winter of 1979.
Magical stuff.
Where Old Ghosts play right enough.
