Under Wraps (Jethro Tull album)

Under Wraps
Studio album by
Jethro Tull
Released7 September 1984[1]
Recorded1984
StudioIan Anderson's home studio
Genre
Length43:13 (Vinyl)
58:39 (CD)
LabelChrysalis
ProducerIan Anderson
Jethro Tull chronology
The Broadsword and the Beast
(1982) 		Under Wraps
(1984) 		A Classic Case
(1985)
Singles from
Under Wraps
  1. "Lap of Luxury"
    Released: August 1984
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllmusicStar[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStar[3]

Under Wraps is the fifteenth studio album by the band Jethro Tull, released on 7 September 1984 on Chrysalis Records.

The album saw the band take a radical departure from its previous work, adopting a heavily electronic rock sound dominated by keyboards and synthesizers. The album's subject matter and lyrics were also a departure from the typical fantasy fare of prior Tull albums, instead exploring Cold War and espionage themes, influenced by bandleader Ian Anderson's love of spy fiction.[4] Unlike most Tull albums, other members of the band beyond Anderson contributed heavily to the writing process, particularly keyboardist Peter-John Vettese, who is credited as a co-writer on a majority of the album's tracks. The CD version of the album features an additional four tracks not included on the vinyl track listing.

Under Wraps peaked at number 18 on the UK Albums Chart and number 76 on the US Billboard 200.[2] The album received poor reviews from critics upon release and was highly polarizing among fans due to its markedly different sound; the album's use of a drum machine in place of a live drummer was particularly controversial. The band have offered various views on the album since its release: Anderson has described the album as "an experiment, and not everyone was ready for that kind of change from Jethro Tull", bassist Dave Pegg has been quoted as saying that the tracks cut from the sessions for The Broadsword and the Beast (1982) would have made a better album,[4] while guitarist Martin Barre has referred to it as one of his favourite Tull albums.[5][6]

A reissue box set featuring full remixes of the album by Bruce Soord, including a mix with newly replaced drum samples, is scheduled to be released in May 2026.

Release

The original 1984 release had 11 tracks, with "Astronomy", "Tundra", "Automotive Engineering" and "General Crossing" only appearing on the cassette version. Of these extra tracks, "General Crossing" became the first Jethro Tull track never to be released on vinyl, as "Astronomy", "Tundra" and "Automotive Engineering" all appeared on the 12-inch single release of "Lap of Luxury".

The CD editions of the album carry all 15 tracks. The 2005 enhanced CD also contains a QuickTime video for "Lap of Luxury".

A reissue box set, "The Unwrapped Edition", will be released in May 2026, featuring full remixes of the album by Bruce Soord, including a mix with newly replaced drum samples as well as a mix with the original drum sounds. Also included in the set will be a remix of Ian Anderson's 1983 solo album, Walk Into Light and portions of the previously released Live at Hammersmith '84 live album.

Live performances

For the 1984 tour to promote Under Wraps, Jethro Tull offered artistic stage production as usual. In a manner quite similar to the Thick as a Brick tour, the roadies appeared onstage sweeping the floor, counting the audience and studying the place. All band members and instruments were covered in "wraps", with Anderson then releasing them and the music starting.[7] During the tour, due to the more ambitious nature of the vocals, Anderson had strained his throat in the process of performing the album's vocally demanding songs.[8]

Track listing

Original vinyl

All tracks are written by Ian Anderson and Peter-John Vettese except where indicated.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Lap of Luxury"Anderson3:35
2."Under Wraps #1"Anderson3:59
3."European Legacy"Anderson3:23
4."Later, That Same Evening" 3:51
5."Saboteur" 3:31
6."Radio Free Moscow" 3:40
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Nobody's Car"Anderson, Martin Barre, Vettese4:08
2."Heat" 5:37
3."Under Wraps #2"Anderson2:14
4."Paparazzi"Anderson, Barre, Vettese3:47
5."Apogee" 5:28

CD

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Lap of Luxury"Anderson3:35
2."Under Wraps #1"Anderson3:59
3."European Legacy"Anderson3:23
4."Later, That Same Evening" 3:51
5."Saboteur" 3:31
6."Radio Free Moscow" 3:40
7."Astronomy" 3:38
8."Tundra" 3:41
9."Nobody's Car"Anderson, Barre, Vettese4:08
10."Heat" 5:37
11."Under Wraps #2"Anderson2:14
12."Paparazzi"Anderson, Barre, Vettese3:47
13."Apogee" 5:28
14."Automotive Engineering" 4:05
15."General Crossing" 4:02

Personnel

Additional personnel
  • Trevor Key – cover photo, photography
  • John Pasche – artwork, cover design
  • Sheila Rock – photography

Charts

Chart (1984) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[9] 45
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10] 15
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[11] 43
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[12] 9
UK Albums (OCC)[13] 18
US Billboard 200[14] 76

References

  1. ^ "Music Week" (PDF).
  2. ^ a b Patrick Little. "Under Wraps - Jethro Tull | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  4. ^ a b Minstrels in the Gallery: History of Jethro Tull by David Rees ISBN 978-0-946719-22-8
  5. ^ Rees, David (1998). Minstrels in the Gallery: A history of Jethro Tull. Firefly. ISBN 0-946719-22-5.
  6. ^ https://www.loudersound.com/music/albums/it-was-an-experiment-and-not-everyone-was-ready-for-that-kind-of-change-jethro-tull-announce-six-disc-reissue-of-1984-album-under-wraps
  7. ^ "Jethro Tull - Full Concert - 10/28/84 - Capitol Theatre (OFFICIAL)". YouTube. 6 January 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  8. ^ "Sleevenotes from 'Under Wraps' CD reissue, 2005". Discogs. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  9. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 155. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Jethro Tull – Under Wraps" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  11. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Jethro Tull – Under Wraps". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  12. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Jethro Tull – Under Wraps". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  13. ^ "Official Albums Chart on 9/9/1984 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  14. ^ "Jethro Tull Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
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