Crest of a Knave [Original recording remastered]

Product Description
The Album that Won the Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Although Not a Metal Album! this Album Originally Went Gold in the UK after Having Two Videos on Heavy Rotation on MTV. Steel Monkey, with Its Nod to the Great ZZ Top, Opened the Album with Its Rapid-fire Sequenced Piano Intro, While the Best Classic Tull Song Ever - Budapest - Provided Both Brain and Brawn on Record and Subsequent Live Performance Alike. The First Tull Record to Be Mastered on Digital Media, Crest Combined the Best of Martin's Guitar and Ian Anderson's Flute in the Harmony and Unison Phrasing Evident in Songs Like "Farm on the Freeway" and "Jumpstart".

Crest of a Knave,Jethro Tull,Capitol,Album Rock,Hard Rock,Pop,Prog-Rock/Art Rock,Rock,Rock/Pop

Crest of a Knave [Original recording remastered]

Average customer rating:

electronic rock?!
Jethro Tull - Metal Grammy? No, But A Great Album
different
Completely conventional but occasionally interesting
Tull-ophile

Crest of a Knave
Jethro Tull
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Broadsword and the Beast
Stormwatch
Heavy Horses
Minstrel in the Gallery
Warchild

ASIN: B00070DK1E
Release Date: 2005-04-26

Tracks:

Steel Monkey
Farm On The Freeway
Jump Start
She Said She Was A Dancer
Dogs In The Midwinter
Budapest
Mountain Men
The Waking Edge
Raising Steam
Part Of The Machine

Album Details

The Album that Won the Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Although Not a Metal Album! this Album Originally Went Gold in the UK after Having Two Videos on Heavy Rotation on MTV. Steel Monkey, with Its Nod to the Great ZZ Top, Opened the Album with Its Rapid-fire Sequenced Piano Intro, While the Best Classic Tull Song Ever - Budapest - Provided Both Brain and Brawn on Record and Subsequent Live Performance Alike. The First Tull Record to Be Mastered on Digital Media, Crest Combined the Best of Martin's Guitar and Ian Anderson's Flute in the Harmony and Unison Phrasing Evident in Songs Like "Farm on the Freeway" and "Jumpstart".

Customer Reviews:

electronic rock?!.......2007-07-07

Luis Mejia (son) - Jethro Tull had always different forms and techniques to play rock, even when they came mixing rock with blues and folk, but this is truly a big step Jethro took by making electronic rock. It's not a miss, don't get me wrong, they're a lot of tracks that didn't lose the rock genre, such as Raising Steam, Jump Start and Farm On the Freeway, excellent songs based mainly on Barre's guitar, and in these songs the electronical arrengements were few and nice, but in the other side they're songs that are almost completely new for Jethro Tull style, specially the first track, Steel Monkey, wich is a song with nice arrengemets and melodies, but not for putting it on the first track.

Jethro experimentations have always being copletely different and brutal, switching from blues to prog, from prog to hard rock, and so on, and I regard Crest Of A Knave as the most brutal of all their experimentations. It was also awkward that they didn't follow the new techno pattern, instead they decided to continue with rock, like in Rock Island, but it was to expect more electronic arrengements since past albums, specially those seen in A and Under Wraps.

Another aspect to consider is Ian Anderson's voice, in result of a recent operation his voice changed, in this album is still nice to hear, but I heard later On Every Street of Dire Straits and I thought it was the same singer! (really, as this was my first Jethro album).

It was funny to me when I heard the situation about the hard rock grammy, which of course it was totally ridiculous, imagine the poor Jethro being booed by the audience, and all the accusations including fraud and all the insults (like the famous "the flute is a heavy, metal instrument").

In conclussion Jethro didn't make a big effort here, or they did too much, but still nice and comfortable to hear discounting all the other aspects.

Jethro Tull - Metal Grammy? No, But A Great Album.......2007-06-08

Unfortunately for Jethro Tull most people know this album for having the dubious honor of winning the first best "heavy metal / hard rock" category at the Grammy awards in 1988. It has become a running joke over the years since Tull beat out several true metal acts such as Metaillca for the award. The album has served as a continuous punch line of jokes at awards shows ever since. The sad thing about all of this is, that this really is a great Tull album and I think it was very cool that it was awarded a Grammy (even if it was not in the right category). "Crest" marked a bit of a comeback for Jethro Tull. The band had not fared so well in the 80's putting out several so so albums that were completely ignored by radio. Sales figures had slipped significantly during this period as well. With the release of "Crest" the band actually received praise from the critics and two songs, "Steel Monkey" and "Farm On The Freeway" were actually heard quite a bit on AOR radio. The "band" by this point had been reduced down to just Ian Anderson, Martin Barre and Dave Pegg. This album rocks in places and simmers in a cool mellow way in others. There is very little of the band's folk-ish sound to be found here, and the album was very modern sounding for it's time. The opener "Steel Monkey" almost sounds like 80's era ZZ Top. Martin Barre has some great stuff here and I think this is one of his best albums. There are some great songs on this disc especially "Farm On The Freeway", "Budapest", Mountain Men", and the sexual double meaning "Raising Steam". The only negative thing really is that by this time Anderson's voice was continuing to deteriorate, but for the most part things are notched down a peg and he sounds good here. Although different from their earlier works I have always really like this album and thought that it was a nice return to form for the band at the time of it's release.

different.......2007-05-26

I've always enjoyed this 'album' as being Jethro Tull in a different sound. Tull is my all time favorite group, partially because of their versatility.

Completely conventional but occasionally interesting.......2007-04-13

Perhaps better known as "The one that won the Grammy", and Crest actually isn't all that bad of a record. I'd go out on a limb and say it's better than Thick as a Brick (yeah, I know if you dig deep enough in my profile you'll find a five-star review on that one, but it's only rated that high as of today because I'm too lazy to edit it - as of now, I'd give it two stars. Clearly, my mind's changed). Anyway, this is actually quite a good record for a band that walked off an artistic cliff after their FOURTH FRIGGIN' RECORD, and only reclaimed their former glory on occasion - think Minstrel in the Gallery, Heavy Horses and this one.
This isn't as good as the group's two best: Stand Up and Benefit. (I'm serious. I think those two are their best). And the whole thing bottoms out on tracks like the ten-minute Budapest: I know Anderson regards it as their masterpiece, but it's snooze-inducingly dull and uncomfortably reminiscent of Thick as a Brick at times. Same with the war protest Mountain Man - I've always liked war protests, but the Far East gimmicks are grating (compare to Fat Man off Stand Up, which nails the Far East Sound and is pretty funny to boot). And the record's drenched in those stupid '80s drums. You know, the ones that play a straight "one two THREE four one two THREE four..." beat with absolutely no rolls, eighth or sixteenth notes, or anything else to break the monotony, to the point where they sound like metronomes? Yeah, those. You'd think they were drum machines, and for all I know, they were. But the credits list a live drummer, albeit one who sounds annoyingly like a metronome. To top off the complaint list, Anderson's voice ain't half of what it used to be, so he won't be doing the cool singing he did on Locomotive Breath and such.
But when Crest's good, it's really good. I'm talkin' tracks like Steel Monkey, bolstered by Martin Barre (who still is so underrated it's shocking)'s guitar solo and a great "Can you guess my name/can you guess my trade?" refrain that stays in your head for ages; Farm on the Freeway, a nice little mellow environmentalist thing, classic Tull rocker-with-flute Jump Start, and especially the witty country-folk-rock Said She Was a Dancer, a Cold War espionage parody that works better than you'd think.
So even though this sounds like Dire Straits (a band I despise with every fiber of my being - okay, I exaggerate, but I still hate them) at times, and even though it isn't creative, it doesn't wallow in egotistical misery like Thick as a Brick or WarChild, and there's some good music here. So if you're a fan, you might as well give it a try.

Tull-ophile.......2007-04-05

I enjoy this album. I have almost the whole tull collection and this was a missing album in my set. This album fits into the Post-Broadsword world of Tull nicely.

Average customer rating:

Great Album, Right on to John S. Ryan's Review!!!
Second only to Aqualung
Crest of a Knave
Jethro Tull 80's gem
A hint of Dire Straits

Crest of a Knave
Jethro Tull
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Broadsword and the Beast
Stormwatch
Benefit
The Broadsword and the Beast
Minstrel in the Gallery

ASIN: B000008H1U
Release Date: 2000-09-12

Tracks:

Steel Monkey
Farm On The Freeway
Jump Start
Said She Was A Dancer
Dogs In The Midwinter
Budapest
Mountain Men
The Waking Edge
Raising Steam

Customer Reviews:

Great Album, Right on to John S. Ryan's Review!!!.......2007-01-14

I really can't add anything to the words of the review I read here by John S. Ryan. He summed up my feelings (and a lot of other Tull fans and quality music lovers everywhere I'd imagine) by writing of the Grammy fiasco when Metallica was supposedly "robbed" of the Grammy by a deserving Jethro Tull. Thanks John for summing up the truth of this subject so eloquently.

Second only to Aqualung.......2005-10-13

Crest of a Knave is a CD that put Jethro Tull back on the map after several substandard albums.
This CD is second only to Aqualung and could be considered a "Career album"
Martin Barre is back to playing the best lead guitar of his career and Anderson is playing his flute and acoustic guitar as well as he ever has also.
Steel Monkey is a heavy metal rocker with a very hard driving sound, all about Iron workers.
Farm on the Freeway is another solid song with a very lively flute.
She said she was a dancer is a nice acoustic piece and has a very lively guitar.
Budapest is another song on the album that is as good as any song Ian Anderson has ever done, either with Tull or solo.
No Jethro Tull collection is complete without this CD.
After all it was voted Heavy Metal CD of the year, a Prize Ian Anderson would probably like to forget............Enjoy

Crest of a Knave.......2004-08-03

For a band that never seemed to hit its stride, this particular album stands out. There is a bit of a Cold War theme to many of the tracks and the others all have relavance. Other Tull recordings never seemed to get it together for an entire album, but Crest of a Knave hits the mark. Like just about every other Tull recording, this one received minimal air play but that cannot be an indictment of the quality. Ian Anderson seems to back off of his dictatorial leadership and let guitarist Martin Barre share the spotlight.

If anyone has never given Jethro Tull a serious look (or listen), this album might be among the best opportunities to get a flaavor of what the band is capable of. Tull fans have already rang in with their endorsements of this effort. There is a good flow to the songs and they compliment each other in their placement on the disc.

Jethro Tull 80's gem.......2004-07-17

This is one of my favorite albums from the 80's.
Included on this disc is the singles 'Steel Monkey' and 'Farm on the Freeway'.
As always great musicianship and vocals by Ian Anderson and great guitar work by Martin Barre.
It is definitely a Tull album that's worth giving a listen to.
Check it out.

A hint of Dire Straits.......2004-06-08

The best of the 80's Tull albuns. Can't be compared to the old classics of the 70's, but has some good songs. Budapest and Farm on a Freeway are two of these. They have a Dire Straits mood in the storytelling lyrics and in the voice - guitar interplay.

Average customer rating:

Wordy and Precise
A pleasure after the disastrous Under Wraps
Great, classic Tull
Another Tull Masterpiece

Crest of a Knave
Jethro Tull
Manufacturer: Chrysalis
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Rock Island
Bursting Out: Jethro Tull Live
Original Masters
Minstrel in the Gallery
The Broadsword and the Beast

ASIN: B000005JFL
Release Date: 1997-02-26

Tracks:

Steel Monkey
Farm On The Freeway
Jump Start
Said She Was A Dancer
Dogs In The Midwinter
Budapest
Mountain Men
The Waking Edge
Raising Steam

Customer Reviews:

Wordy and Precise.......1998-10-01

The musical skill of a mature band has never been more realized. While not showing the improv of the early years, their mastery of music is immense on this one. The band is tight and precise throughout, and the lyrics, too, show a fine maturity and understanding. Heavily underappreciated, this is a must.

A pleasure after the disastrous Under Wraps.......1998-09-11

Tull came back pretty strong on this album. Metal heads were up in arms over its win for Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album of the Year -- which they were right about! On the other hand, Tull deserved at least some sort of achievement award for their '70s work.

Strong songs include Steel Monkey, Farm on the Freeway, Jump Start and Raising Steam.

Great, classic Tull.......1998-07-17

This recording is wonderful, a stroll through mysterious Budapest, if you have an imagination (i.e: pre MTV) when you hear music, this will surely take you places. Each song invokes a different feeling. Very contemplative.

Another Tull Masterpiece.......1998-07-13

Like Aqualung, this album is a work of genius. That genius may not be apparent to non-Tull fans, but listen carefully to Budapest, and Mountain men What you have is pure Tull. The same insight and emotion that made Aqualung such an ageless classic is here in this work. In a day and age where no one remembers who the top 40 groups were last season, here stands a work that like Aqualung and Thick as a Brick, will find following long after Ian Anderson is dead and buried.

Average customer rating:

Crest of a Knave
Jethro Tull
Manufacturer: Chrysalis
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

A
Under Wraps
Ssssh

ASIN: B0007TFCK2
Release Date: 2005-05-02

Tracks:

Steel Monkey
Farm on the Freeway
Jump Start
Said She Was a Dancer
Dogs in the Midwinter
Budapest
Mountain Men
Waking Edge
Raising Steam

Album Description

Limited Edition Japanese paper sleeve pressing features the same bonus track that graces the UK and US reissues, 'Part of the Machine'. Crest of Wave won the Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal although not a metal album! This album originally went gold in the UK after having two videos on heavy rotation on MTV. Steel Monkey, with its nod to the great ZZ Top, opened the album with its rapid-fire sequenced piano intro, while the best Classic Tull song ever - Budapest - provided both brain and brawn on record and subsequent live performance alike. The first Tull record to be mastered on digital media, Crest combined the best of Martin's guitar and Ian Anderson's flute in the harmony and unison phrasing evident in songs like Farm On The Freeway and Jumpstart. Doane Perry made his drumming debut on a couple of tracks - while Gerry Conway returned briefly for some drum additions elsewhere. The keyboards were kept simple and atmospheric. Apart from two tracks the record was recorded and mixed in Anderson's home studio with Martin Barre playing most of the guitar parts and searing solos through a 15-Watt single 12-inch speaker Marshall mini combo amp. EMI. 2005.