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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
This edition of the album is the remastered version. Though it's tempting, in hindsight, to view it as just another of Ian Anderson's legendary affectations--the runes adorning the cover, the overriding air of eldritch portent--for Tull fans, this 1982 album came as a welcome relief. After the spooked futurism of Stormwatch and A--a mode they would revisit, just two years later, with the Peter Vetesse-dominated Under Wraps--Broadsword marked a return to the band's pastoral, slightly archaic sound, the laconic strain of English gentility that had informed such classics as Songs from The Wood and Heavy Horses. What had changed, however, was the singer's outlook: the air of melancholy in "Slow Marching Band", while beguiling, sounded more resigned than romantic; while "Watching Me Watching You" anticipated the tech-driven paranoia of his solo debut, Into the Light. The sound was tougher--stalwart guitarist Martin Barre contributed some chunky riffs to "Beastie" and "Pussy Willow"--and the mood darker. But too old to rock and roll? Not quite. --Andrew McGuire
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
A cracking Tull album finally gets the sonic clear-up it deserves. Broadsword fuses medieval themes with sprightly arrangements, 'modern day' instrumentation and shiny production to produce a sort of folky Dire Straits sound. Sadly, whilst the remastering definitely improves what was always one of Tull's thinnest sounding albums, Gerry Conway's drums still sound like synthesized biscuit tins.
The eight extra tracks are very welcome, but to these ears it's a shame they're all the same ones anthologised on the 20 Years Box set - no room for 'Crew Nights', 'Commons Brawl', 'No Step' or 'Drive on the Young Side of Life', each of which tower over the drivel like 'Watching Me Watching You' and others included in this set.
But enough of my carping. This is one of Tull's best albums - whether splicing the mainbrace on Broadsword, wallowing in the pastoral yearning of Slow Marching Band, progging out on Seal Driver or synth-throbbing on The Clasp - this is an album as old as the hills and as futuristic as its 1981 heritage allows. Ironically, having confused the occasional punters so comprehensively on Stormwatch and A, it was Broadsword that suffered in overall sales. Ian's solo album and Under Wraps showed that he still had a way to go on his personal synthesizer journey, but this album was a very high watermark in a meagre few years.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This album marked a change in style of the band, moving from the elven woods of trad. prog. into the hedgehog-splattering highway of a heavier style of rock. The band took on a darker, more politicized tone in later albums which I did not care for (esp. Rock Island). But this was the album that first introduced me to Tull in particular and Prog rock in general, and so sets the standard for all albums before and since.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is my favorite album from Jethro Tull. All titles are very well written musically and have a more "rock" orientation than the ones on other albums, where you could sense the folk influences. I think the best track is "Flying Colors", a song that has everything from rhythm, guitar solos to very good lyrics and interpretation.
A very nice surprise are the bonus tracks, from which "Jack a Lynn" is by far the best one (it could have been easily introduced on the original recording side by side with the other tracks).
The album was made and appeared in Germany at that time, being a big succes.
All in all a must have for any Jethro Tull fan, in a improved edition.
A very nice surprise are the bonus tracks, from which "Jack a Lynn" is by far the best one (it could have been easily introduced on the original recording side by side with the other tracks).
The album was made and appeared in Germany at that time, being a big succes.
All in all a must have for any Jethro Tull fan, in a improved edition.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The 80s Tull sound not up to standard...
"Broadsword and the Beast" is an 80s album with an 80s sound that Jethro Tull were literally forced to embark on. Read more
Published 1 month ago by S Tuffnell
Superb Remaster
As I own the original CD of this album, I'm limiting my comments to this remaster. Read the other reviews for commentary on the music. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Libertus
From early days of infancy
Through trembling years of youth, long merky middle ages, final hours long in the tooth. When an album starts with these lyrics then you know you are in for treat. Read more
Published 5 months ago by P. S. Co-head
value
it is about time older music was a sensible priced download,lets face it the customer is supplying the storage media & hardware on which to listen to it.
Published 5 months ago by M. S. Roberts
THIS is music! I should know I grew up on it!
My Mum in the 80's would play this and other great's like Zepplin all evening and night, I'd here it threw the wall as I went to sleep and this was one of my fav's, I love this... Read more
Published 5 months ago by R. G. Hird
Excellent
One of the (many) excellent, unique, masterful albums from the legendary Jethro Tull.
Their musicianship (even though the line-up changed over the years) is never less than... Read more
Their musicianship (even though the line-up changed over the years) is never less than... Read more
Published 7 months ago by M. R. N. Shackelford
I was wrong.
I'm afraid that when this first came out I rather foolishly dismissed it as being a Tull pastiche, with previous themes revisited but not to the same earlier very high standards. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Allan Davy
A Beastie Of An Album
I think this is Jethro Tull's best album, full of great songs. On this CD are also eight bonus track recorded at the same time but could not be fitted on to the original album due... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Paul Dean
The Demon Anderson now stands alone!
The last truly produced studio album. Though with the new line up following the regrettable events at the turn of the 80's this for me is the last proper solid TULL album. Read more
Published on 27 Dec 2009 by Rev. Kevin P. Robinson
"I'll Pour A Cup To You My Darling"
"Raise it up - say Cheerio" - thus ends the original release of Jethro Tull's "Broadsword and the Beast", one of the groups best albums, though long overlooked in the U.S. Read more
Published on 22 Aug 2009 by Dave_42
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