Jethro Tull: Ian Anderson (vocals, acoustic guitar, flute, bass); Martin Barre (electric & classical guitars, mandolin); John Evan (piano, organ); David Palmer (portative organ, synthesizers); Barriemore Barlow (drums, percussion).

Additional personnel: John Glascock (bass).

Recorded at Maison Rouge Studios, Fulham, England and in the Maison Rouge Mobile.

Personnel: Ian Anderson (vocals, acoustic guitar, flute, bass guitar); Martin Barre (electric guitar, classical guitar, mandolin); John Evan (piano, organ); John Glascock (bass guitar); Barriemore Barlow (drums, percussion).

Liner Note Authors: Kaz Akaiwa; Ian Anderson .

Recording information: Maison Rouge Mobile; Maison Rouge Studios, Fulham.

Arranger: Jethro Tull.

Stormwatch marked the end of an era in Jethro Tull's history, as the last album on which longtime members Barriemore Barlow, John Evan, and David Palmer participated, and the final appearance of bassist John Glascock, who played on three of the cuts (Anderson supplied the bass elsewhere) and died following open-heart surgery a few weeks after its release. Anderson's inspiration seemed to be running out here, his writing covering environmental concerns ("North Sea Oil") and very scattershot social topical criticism ("Dark Ages"). The fire is still there in some of the hard rock passages, especially on "Dark Ages," but most of the songs generally lack the craftsmanship and inspiration of such albums as Minstrel in the Gallery or Heavy Horses, much less Aqualung. Just when "Something's on the Move" seems like it could be the most tuneless track in Tull's history, "Old Ghosts" and "Dun Ringill" follow it with even less memorable melodic material. The latter, in particular, proved that Anderson's well of folk-inspired tunes was also running dry, apart from the instrumental "Warm Sporran." ~ Bruce Eder

Changes in personnel (yet again) brought forth this rather chilling record. Following the story of a world frozen over, this is a very wintry record from a band that always managed to inject some warmth into even the chilliest of topics. A very cold way to end the seventies. ~ James Chrispell

Stormwatch, Jethro Tull's 12th studio album, found lead singer/songwriter Ian Anderson (who also played flute as usual, while on most tracks adding bass guitar for the ailing John Glascock) bewailing the greedy, anti-environmental tilt of contemporary governments and corporations, and sternly warning of dire consequences to come. Anderson began with a specific topical concern, the British government's decision to develop the North Sea oil reserves off Scotland, in the opening song, "North Sea Oil." Later songs were more general and poetic, but he carried the theme throughout, celebrating the qualities of nature ("Orion") and home ("Home") before predicting a return to the "Dark Ages." The album's narrator clearly located himself in Scotland, from which he both celebrated ancient traditions and deplored modern trends. These views were set to typical Jethro Tull music, the sort of madrigal folk-rock Anderson and company had been playing for years, and the familiarity of the sound, along with the cranky sentiments, may have contributed to the album's turning out to be a holding action commercially; despite respectable showings in the Top 30, it placed lower in the U.K. and U.S. charts than any of the band's albums in ten years, which is to say that it sold to Jethro Tull's existing fan base and no more. Coming at the end of the 1970s, it also marked the end of a phase in the group's career, with only Anderson and guitarist Martin Barre continuing to later lineups. The 2004 reissue adds four previously released tracks of the period (all drawn from the box set 20 Years of Jethro Tull). The catchy "A Stitch in Time" was a one-off single released the year before Stormwatch appeared, while "Crossword," "Kelpie," and the traditional instrumental "King Henry's Madrigal" are all songs recorded during the Stormwatch sessions but left off the original release, presumably because they don't really contribute to the main part of the album's theme. ~ William Ruhlmann