War Child (album)

For other uses, see War Child (disambiguation).

War Child
Studio album by Jethro Tull
Released	14 October 1974 (US) 26 October 1974 (UK)
Recorded	1974 at Morgan Studios, London (except tracks 6 and 8: August 1972)
Genre	Progressive rock, hard rock
Length	39:21
Label	Chrysalis Records(US), Island Records(UK)
Producer	Ian Anderson
Jethro Tull chronology
A Passion Play (1973) War Child (1974) Minstrel in the Gallery (1975)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Rolling Stone	(favourable)

War Child is the seventh studio album by Jethro Tull, released in October 1974.

Originally meant to accompany a film project (the album was planned as a double-album set), it was reinstated as a ten-song, single-length rock album after failed attempts to find a major movie studio to finance the film.

The "War Child" movie was written as a metaphysical black comedy concerning a teenage girl in the afterlife, meeting characters based on God, St. Peter and Lucifer portrayed as if shrewd businessmen. Notable British actor Leonard Rossiter was to have been featured, Margot Fonteyn was to have choreographed, while Monty Python veteran John Cleese was pencilled in as a "humour consultant".

Tracks slated to accompany the film such as "Quartet" and "WarChild Waltz" were unearthed and released across several Tull compilations, and finally all of them appeared on the 2002 CD reissue.

Three of the songs, "Only Solitaire", "Bungle in the Jungle" and "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day", were left over from the 1972-1973 writing sessions for what was to have been the follow-up to Thick as a Brick. Ian Anderson told Songfacts: "It was actually late '72 or early '73 when I was in Paris recording an album that never got released, although one or two of the tracks made it out in 1974, but that was at a time when I was writing an album that was exploring people, the human condition, through analogies with the animal kingdom." "Two Fingers" is a rearrangement of "Lick Your Fingers Clean", a track from the Aqualung recording sessions that was not included on that album's original release.

The front cover is a composite photograph featuring a positive color print of Melbourne, Australia at night, and a negative print of a studio photo of lead singer Ian Anderson.

The back cover of the album contains images of people, including the five members of the band, friends, wives, girlfriends, Chrysalis Records staff, and manager Terry Ellis, all related to the song titles. Anderson's personal touring assistant (and future wife) Shona Learoyd appears as a ringmaster, while Terry Ellis appears as a leopard skin-clad, umbrella-waving aggressive businessman.

Track listing

All songs written by Ian Anderson.

Side one

1. "War Child" – 4:35
2. "Queen And Country" – 3:00
3. "Ladies" – 3:17
4. "Back-Door Angels" – 5:30
5. "Sealion" – 3:37

Side two

1. "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day" – 4:09
2. "Bungle in the Jungle" – 3:35
3. "Only Solitaire" – 1:38
4. "The Third Hoorah" – 4:49
5. "Two Fingers" – 5:11

Bonus tracks

The 2002 remastered CD added bonus tracks and extensive liner notes:

11. "Warchild Waltz" – 4:21
12. "Quartet" – 2:44
13. "Paradise Steakhouse" – 4:03
14. "SeaLion 2"  (Anderson/Jeffrey Hammond) – 3:20
15. "Rainbow Blues" – 3:40
16. "Glory Row" – 3:35
17. "Saturation" – 4:21

Personnel

• Ian Anderson - flute, acoustic guitar, saxophones, vocals
• Barriemore Barlow - drums, percussion
• Martin Barre - electric guitar, Spanish guitar
• John Evan - piano, organ, synthesisers
• Jeffrey Hammond - bass guitar, string bass
• David Palmer - orchestral arrangements

Charts

• Peaked at #2 on the Billboard pop albums chart

External links

• War Child (1974) at Allmusic
• War Child (2002) at Allmusic (bonus tracks)
• Excerpt of War Child movie story outline
• Explanation of "Bungle In The Jungle"