Stand Up Jethro Tull Music Review

1969 release of 2nd albun plus the whole album on audio
New Day Yesterday / Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square / Bouree / Back To The family / Look Into The Sun
/ Nothing Is Easy / Fat Man / We Used To Know / Reasons For Waiting / For A Thousand Mothers

Before I speak of the actual music, the cover art deserves a mention. It consists of a charming sketched caricature of the band members. The original vinyl sleeve was designed so when opened, a cutout of the band stood up in its center. Which ties in with the records title I suppose! That particular feature of the art-work, needless to say, is lost with the CD issue of the album. 'Stand Up' is often spoken of by Ian Anderson as a personal favourite of his, and perhaps with good reason. Following the fairly well received 'This Was' and with the addition of a new guitarist, 'Stand Up' saw the group stretching out a little and incorporating different styles and elements to compliment the blues influences. The opening 'A New Day Yesterday' may well still be firmly rooted in blues music, but it's done fantastically well. A propulsive bass rhythm, some great exhilarating guitar work including solos, the obligatory flute work ( of course! ) and an interesting vocal leaning towards Hendrix, perhaps? Whatever, it's a song that propels itself along with the rhythm section doing well in particular. The flute and guitar solos are a delight to behold. The second song 'Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square' rams home the diverse nature of this record early on, being a quirky little folksy pop song. It's very light, but very enjoyable and the flute work is again accomplished. 'Bouree' is a little piece of Bach transformed into an exhilarating instrumental featuring great playing from everyone but especially notable once more for Ian Andersons superlative flute work. It gave the group a distinctive sound. 'Back To The Family' is a little blues, a little pop. Starts off quietly before a more rocking blues sequence comes through. It has a passion and a pace about it, and utter conviction in terms of the performance. 'Look Into The Sun' mellows things out with some acoustic guitars to close the first side of the record.

Following a fairly flawless first half actually, no weak songs at all although 'Look Into The Sun' does lack the convinction of other songs, 'Nothing Is Easy' carries on from the blues sound of 'A New Day Yesterday' and again features interesting vocals and some great guitar and flute instrumental
work in addition to notable drum parts. It's hugely enjoyable!

Adding in a bit of quirkiness again, 'Fat Man' has some Indian sounding guitar work and very eccentric lyrics that are lots of fun. 'We Used To Know' is a little soft guitar led ballad morphing into another group blues workout and includes a wonderful guitar solo half way through. The whole song sounds haunting, but it's very accomplished with it. And, the guitar really does sound great! 'Reasons For Waiting' is another nice mellow song that perhaps doesn't do anything 'Look Into The Sun' doesn't, but it's welcome enough all the same. More superlative flute work and all-out performances mark the closing song 'For A Thousand Mothers'. The flute mixed in with the blues influenced Rock music works extremely well. It's a little different, I suppose. You know, Eric Clapton never played flute! The most recent CD-Reissue of 'Stand Up' has four bonus tracks including the perennial 'Living In The Past' which became the groups biggest selling single. There is much more to Jethro Tull than 'Living In The Past' although this record won't sound strange or anything to fans of said song.

Richard Vasiliy tijemart@yahoo.com
Yeah, the album is really good and I give it a similar rating as Adrian. It begins from powerful blues-oriented A NEW DAY YESTERDAY (I prefer it's live version of 1977) - one of the favourite JT fans' songs. I like it too though. Maybe this one is the best song on album, but it's the same good as JT-version of Bach's BOUREE (flute is excellent here!), "Celtic-Indian" reel FAT MAN (oh, it's not about Ian Anderson :)) and 100%-English Medieval ballad WE USED TO KNOW (it's rather similar to WITH YOU THERE TO HELP ME from the next album). NOTHING IS EASY and FOR A 1000 MOTHERS are excellent too. But the other 4 songs are weaker (but rather good too) and more traditionally for '76-'78 JT albums (not their best period, to my opinion). Anyway, STAND UP is very good to me!
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. by Anderson) 3:46
4. "Back to the Family" 3:48
5. "Look into the Sun" 4:20
Side two
No. Title Length
1. "Nothing Is Easy" 4:25
2. "Fat Man" 2:52
3. "We Used to Know" 4:00
4. "Reasons for Waiting" 4:05
5. "For a Thousand Mothers" 4:13

1973 cassette version has same track order, but on opposite sides.[21]
Sides one and two were combined as tracks 1-10 on CD reissues.

2001 remaster bonus tracks
No. Title Length
11. "Living in the Past" 3:23
12. "Driving Song" 2:44
13. "Sweet Dream" 4:05
14. "17"
Personnel

Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson - vocals, flute, acoustic guitar, Hammond organ, piano, mandolin, balalaika, mouth organ, production
Martin Lancelot Barre - electric guitar, additional flute (on tracks 2 and 9)
Glenn Cornick - bass guitar (all tracks but 5 and 7)
Clive Bunker - drums, percussion

Production

Terry Ellis - production, cover concept
Andy Johns - engineer, bass guitar (on track 5)[9]
David Palmer - string arrangements and conductor (on track 9)
John Williams - cover concept
James Grashow - cover art

We Used To You
Whenever I get to feel this way,
try to find new words to say,
I think about the bad old days we used to know.
Nights of winter turn me cold --fears of dying, getting old.
We ran the race and the race was won by running slowly.
Could be soon we'll cease to sound,
slowly upstairs, faster down.
Then to revisit stony grounds,
we used to know.
Remembering mornings, shillings spent,
made no sense to leave the bed.
The bad old days they came and went
giving way to fruitful years.
Saving up the birds in hand
while in the bush the others land.
Take what we can before the man
says it's time to go.
Each to his own way I'll go mine.
Best of luck with what you find.
But for your own sake remember times
we used to know.