Ian Anderson's
comments below are quoted from the 'Chrysalis Biography'
(1982), a press release announcing this album. I'm very
grateful to Andy Jackson who sent them to me. Apart from
his ilucidations, Ian talks about working with a producer
for the first time, and how the release of the album was
delayed because they couldn't find a suitable guy to work
with. Then a couple of pages follow with information
about Gerry Conway and Peter Vettese. The whole press
release was written by Ian Anderson.
*
Chrysalis Biography, Buckinghamshire, March 1982.
Slow Marching Band
"I don't write many songs about
human relationships in the boy/girl context, but
this is one that deals with the sadness of
parting. But I hope it contains a hint of
optimism!"
* Ian Anderson, Chrysalis Press
release, 1982.
"A
slow marching band" refers to
bands that preceed funeral processions, as still
can be seen in e.g. southern Italy and Greece.
They play sad and slow melodies, thus expressing
(and supporting) the feelings of grief of the
relatives. In this
song this methaphore is used to portray the end
of a relationship. However, in spite of 'the
decease' of a relation that wasn't viable ("and join together in the
passing of all we shared through yesterdays in
sorrows neverlasting" (and) "You paid the piper and
called the tune and you marched the band
away"), life goes
on and our narrator summons his (former) love to
take life up again and go on: "just hum along and keep on
going" and "Walk on slowly, don't look
behind you".
* Jan Voorbij
Since "Broadsword and the
Beast" was recorded just after
"A",
which saw the rough dismissal of Barry Barlow,
John Evans and Dave Palmer, and the creation of a
new Jethro Tull formation, I have thought that
the song could be interpreted as a kind of
apologise and farewell to these ex-members of the
band, who were not quite happy with what Ian had
just done... Consider the followings lines in
this light:
"And join together in the
passing of all we shared through yesterdays/in
sorrows neverlasting./Take a hand and take a bow/
You played for me; that's all for now,oh, and
never mind the words:
just hum along and keep on going."
I see this as an encouragement not to
think to harshly on the past, but
instead of thinking on the good times they had
together, even when things
were quite difficult for the band, and then a
last farewell before telling
them that each of them has to go his own way in
life...?
* Fred Sowa
 
Broadsword
- It
seems that Ian - when writing this song - was
inspired by an important theme in Britain's
history: the invasion of the British isles by all
kinds of tribes and peoples, especially from
Northern Europe. In the opening verse this theme
is seen from the perspective of the coastal
inhabitants, somewhere in Scotland. They see
enemy ships approach from the sea "I see a dark sail on the horizon", the
defense is organized and women and children are
hidden in a safe place, possibly in the roundhouse.
Then in the second verse the perspective
changes: we see the invaders approaching the
coast, preparing themselves mentally for the
battle to come. Their first intention is to
establish a beachhead "Hold fast by the river." The
verseline "Put our backs to the northwind." indicates
they are sailing south, coming from a
Scandinavian country. The necessity of their
operation is emphasized by their thinking of the
people they left behind: "Bless the women and children who
firm our hand"
and "Sweet
memories to drive us on for the motherland". In the
last verse these two perspectives come together,
as for both the defendants and the invaders as
well only one thing really matters in the end:
surviving and finding c.q. maintaining a steady
place to live for their families. I assume that
the invaders in this song are Vikings
("Danes"), since a "cross of gold" is used as
a talisman. As the spread of Christianity reached
England in the fourth century and Northern Europe
in the sixth, I'm quite sure that the invasion in
this song cannot have taken place earlier.
* Jan Voorbij
The Mousa Broch, one of Scotland best
preserved brochs.
Courtesy of the Shetland Museum, Lerwick, UK
"Get up to the roundhouse on the
cliff-top standing". The here
mentioned roundhouses are by archaeologists known
as 'brochs', towerlike buildings made of stone.
The word 'broch' derives from the Old Norse word
'borg', meaning 'fortification'. (Compare the
Dutch ' borg' or ' burcht' , the German ' burg'
and ' burcht' , the French ' bourg' ). More than
700 brochs are known to have existed along the
north coast of Scotland, the Hebrides, the
Shetlands and the Orkney Islands, from where they
probably originate. They are without exception to
be found near fields and arable land, built on a
cliff or hill, overlooking the sea. In most cases
little settlements were established near these
brochs. Excavation has revealed, that these
towers are in fact defensive structures and most
of them were built during the late Iron Age (600
BC - 100 AD). Their structure and position in the
landscape leads one to think they were erected
for defense against dangers coming from the sea,
probably the Roman fleet. There is evidence that
Romans raided the islands and Scottish coast
frequently between 100 BC - 100 AD, hunting for
people they could take away as slaves. It is
assumed that people would take refuge in a broch
when a raiding party was sighted, possibly taking
some of their valuable live stock with them. In
later centuries these stongholds played a modest
role in the defense against invaders: the Vikings
from Scandinavia for instance. In 1974 Maureen
Mollie Hunter McIlwraith published 'The
Stronghold", an interesting historical novel
about the genius who 'invented' the concept of
the broch. She was awarded for it with the
Carnegie Medal.
* Jan Voorbij
"Set in historical times,
lyrically as well as musically, this song is about a
man's responsibility to protect the family
unit".
* Ian Anderson, Chrysalis Press release,
1982.
Pussy Willow
"A song about a girl in an
unrewarding job who fantasises about a more
romantic, ideal sort of existence, but she still
has to face the reality of catching the train to
work in the morning".
* Ian Anderson, Chrysalis Press
release, 1982.
"The
Spey" is a river
in Scotland; "Mayfair" is a part
of London once only inhabited by nobility.
Watching Me Watching You
Seal Driver
"This song is deliberately
ambiguous. It could be about a boat, or it could
be about a girl, but since ships and boats are
always female, it seems quite a nice fitting sort
of analogy".
* Ian Anderson, Chrysalis Press release,
1982.
Cheerio
"A closing song - perhaps 'au
revoir' or 'auf wiedersehen' would be appropriate!"
* Ian Anderson, Chrysalis Press release,
1982.
For over 15 years this song was/is
the last one played at every Tull-gig, ending the
'encore' and saying goodbye to the audience.
* Jan Voorbij
|
Introduction 