Stand Up (Jethro Tull album)

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Stand Up
JethroTull-albums-standup.jpg
Studio album by Jethro Tull
Released September 1969
Recorded April–May, August 1969 at Morgan Studios, London, also Olympic Studios on 24 April 1969
Genre Blues rock, folk rock, hard rock
Length 37:48
51:07 (remaster)
155:49 (3 Disc Collectors Edition)
Label Island, Reprise
Producer Ian Anderson and Terry Ellis
Jethro Tull chronology
This Was
(1968)This Was1968		 Stand Up
(1969)		 Benefit
(1970)Benefit1970
Singles from
Stand Up
  1. "Bourée"
    Released: October 1969
  2. "Sweet Dream"

Stand Up is the second album by Jethro Tull released in 1969; it quickly went to number 1 in the UK charts while a single, "Sweet Dream", rose to number 5.[1] Before Stand Up, the band's original guitarist Mick Abrahams resigned because of musical differences with Ian Anderson; Abrahams wanted to stay with the blues-rock sound of This Was, while Anderson wished to add other musical influences such as folk rock. The result was an eclectic album with various styles appearing in its songs, yet an album which remained broadly in the blues-rock mould, which would be the last such album from Jethro Tull.

Stand Up represents the first album project on which Anderson was in full control of the music and lyrics. It also marks the first appearance of guitarist Martin Barre, who appeared on every Jethro Tull album from this point on.

Production

The band began recording the album on 17 April 1969, starting with "A New Day Yesterday", "Back to the Family", "Fat Man", "Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square" (referring to Anderson's schoolmate Jeffrey Hammond), "Nothing Is Easy", and "Bourée". Most of the songs were recorded at Morgan Studios in North London, but "Bourée" was recorded at Olympic Studios in South London because Morgan Studios was already booked for 24 April. The general routine was that the band would arrive at the studio at 9 am to work on one or two songs which would be finished by 4 or 5 pm.[2] Recording engineer Andy Johns tried some new techniques, for instance on "A New Day Yesterday" he achieved a swirling, stereo-shifting guitar effect by swinging an expensive Neumann U67 microphone on its cable in wide circles around the studio.[3] The song "Bourée" proved the most difficult session, with Anderson and the band unsatisfied with any of the takes they recorded. The final version was compiled later from several takes, with more touches added by Anderson.[4][5]

Two more songs were recorded on 1 May 1969: "For A Thousand Mothers" and "We Used to Know".[6] In August, the band returned to the studio to finish the record.[3]

Album cover

The design of the album started with a visit to New Haven, Connecticut, during a concert tour in late February 1969. Under the direction of producer Terry Ellis, the band met a woodcarver named James Grashow who followed them for a week in order to properly represent them in wood.[2] The resulting gatefold album cover, in a woodcut style designed by Grashow, originally opened up like a children's pop-up book, so that a cut-out of the band's personnel stood up—evoking the album's title. Stand Up won New Musical Express's award for best album artwork in 1969.

Musical style

The album still shows a great influence of blues, like in the first track "New Day Yesterday". The song "Fat Man" shows an interest in unusual instrumentation, as Ian Anderson played mandolin, one of the first times the instrument had been used by a rock band. The acoustic pieces, like "Reasons for Waiting" already shows Anderson influence of Roy Harper. The instrumental "Bourée" (one of Jethro Tull's popular concert pieces) is a jazzy re-working of "Bourrée in E minor" by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Ian Anderson has said that the chord progression in "We Used to Know" was picked up subconsciously by the Eagles when they toured together in 1971 or 1972 and used in their song "Hotel California".[7] However, Don Felder, who wrote the music for "Hotel California", did not join the Eagles until 1974.

Themes

Although not a concept album, Stand Up lyrically is filled with references to Anderson's relationship with his parents (a subject continued on Benefit), especially in "Back to the family" and "For a Thousand Mothers". Observational poetry could also be found, as in "Fat Man" and "Jeffrey goes to Leicester Square". The difficult life before the band's success were described in "We used to know" – remembering the hard life Anderson and bassist Glenn Cornick had at the beginning of the group.[8][9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 3.5/5 stars[10]
Rolling Stone 4/5 stars[11]
Disc and Music Echo (Very favourable)[12]
Robert Christgau B−[13]
Sputnik Music 4/5[14]

Stand Up was the first album of Jethro Tull to receive good reviews as a whole, for the production and musicianship.

The Rolling Stone review was quite positive, stating that the album "has a fairly low raunch quotient, true to form, but it is quite marvelous... As I've said, the album is not really funky; rather, it is a meticulously crafted work (no sterility implied) which deserves careful listening. At a time when many of the established stars are faltering, it is a particular pleasure to hear an important new voice."[11]

AllMusic review was positive, saying that the band had "solidified their sound" with the album, bringing an "English folk music" influence to several of the songs, atop an overall blues rock foundation.[15]

Legacy

A variety of renowned rock artists have cited Stand Up as an all-time favorite album over the years, including Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder,[16] Aerosmith's Tom Hamilton,[17] Joe Bonamassa,[18] and Joe Satriani.[19]

During an interview with BraveWords in 2015, Anderson selected Stand Up as his favorite Tull album - "I suppose if you were to really twist my arm, I would probably go back to 1969, with the Stand Up album, because that was my first album of first really original music. It has a special place in my heart."[20]

Releases

The album was re-issued in 1973 by Chrysalis Records.

In 1989, an MFSL remaster was released, catalogue number UDCD 524. The booklet featured the pop-up woodcut band.

Again the album was re-issued in 2001 as a digital remaster.

The album was reissued on 5 October 2010 as a deluxe edition including six bonus tracks on disc one, and two additional discs: a disc of live material recorded at Carnegie Hall on 4 November 1970, and a disc with a DTS surround mix. The material was mixed by Peter Mew at the Abbey Road studios.[21]

Track listing

Standard (CD and LP version)
(1973 cassette version has same track order, but on opposite sides.)[22][23]

All songs written by Ian Anderson unless otherwise indicated. (Original LP album states "All titles written by Ian Anderson").

1969 Original release

Side one
No. Title Length
1. "A New Day Yesterday"   4:10
2. "Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square"   2:12
3. "Bourée" (instrumental, J. S. Bach arr. Anderson) 3:46
4. "Back to the Family"   3:48
5. "Look into the Sun"   4:20
Side two
No. Title Length
6. "Nothing is Easy"   4:25
7. "Fat Man"   2:52
8. "We Used to Know"   4:00
9. "Reasons for Waiting"   4:05
10. "For a Thousand Mothers"   4:13

2010 3 Disc Collectors Edition

Chart positions

The album reached No. 1 on the British charts, also selling well in the United States, where it reached No. 20. In the Norwegian charts (where the band toured along with Jimi Hendrix), the album was the first to chart there, at No. 5.

Chart Year Peak
position
UK Albums Chart[24] 1969 1
Preceded by UK Albums Chart number-one album
9 August 1969 – 30 August 1969		 Succeeded by
From Elvis in Memphis
by Elvis Presley
Preceded by
From Elvis in Memphis
by Elvis Presley
 UK Albums Chart number-one album
6 September 1969 – 20 September 1969		 Succeeded by
Blind Faith by Blind Faith

Personnel

Jethro Tull
Additional personnel

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rabey 2013, p. 52.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Nollen 2001, p. 48.
  5. ↑ Rabey 2013, pp. 52–3.
  6. ↑ Rabey 2013, p. 53.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 2 August 1969
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Jethro-Tull-Stand-Up/release/2620113
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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