It was announced some time ago, that when “Under Wraps” would be released as the next installment in JETHRO TULL‘s exemplary reissue series, it would include Ian Anderson‘s “Walk Into Light” as part of the package. Which is only logical, of course, because the former album, from 1984, and the latter platter, out in 1983, share not only a temporal point and the presence of Peter-John Vettese on keyboards, but also the sound – steeped in the now obsolete trend of using synthesizer and electronic percussion to quite an unnatural effect. No surprises here, then, in what is out as “Under Wraps (The Unwrapped Edition)” on May 15th… or, rather, there are things to get disappointed about.
While the previous box sets in the programme featured a lot of material which didn’t make the cut, this time such rarities are thin on the ground, yet that’s not the problem; the problematic aspects lie in the Bruce Soord’s fresh remixes of the two records, because he’s weaved traditional drums into the outdated drums machines’ groove – although the original tracks are also there, on separate discs. In addition to two CDs of the new mixes and two CDs of old ones, the collection offers a contemporary concert, in audio and not in its entirety, and hi-res and surround variants of all the cuts, in audio too, on Blu-ray where a couple of videos are stored for good measure. The question is: why the famous footage 1984 concert from the Capitol Theatre, easily available on YouTube, doesn’t appear here? Frustrating, really.
Under Wraps
(The Unwrapped Edition)
CD 1 – Under Wraps (2026 Drums):
1. Lap Of Luxury
2. Under Wraps #1
3. European Legacy
4. Later, That Same Evening
5. Saboteur
6. Radio Free Moscow
7. Nobody’s Car
8. Heat
9. Under Wraps #2
10. Paparazzi
11. Apogee
Associated Recordings 1983-1984:
12. Astronomy
13. Tundra
14. Automotive Engineering
15. General Crossing
16. Lap Of Luxury (demo) *
17. Bring Back The Waltz *
18. Her Love Is Strange *
CD 2 – Under Wraps (Original Drums):
1-18 – as on CD 1
19. Under Wraps Intro Music
CD 3 – Walk Into Light (2026 Drums):
1. Fly By Night
2. Made In England
3. Walk Into Light
4. Trains
5. End Game
6. Black And White Television
7. Toad In The Hole
8. Looking For Eden
9. User Friendly
10. Different Germany
Associated Recordings 1983:
11. Raincoat Man *
12. In Dark Tunnels *
13. Elizabeth In White *
14. User Friendly (version 1) *
15. Toad In The Hole (alt. vocal) *
16. Clean Away *
CD 4 – Walk Into Light (Original Drums):
1-16 – as on CD 3
CD 5 – Live at Hammersmith Odeon, 1984:
1. Under Wraps Intro
2. Locomotive Breath (Instrumental)
3. Hunting Girl
4. Under Wraps #1
5. Later, That Same Evening
6. Pussy Willow
7. The Clasp
8. Living In The Past
9. Thick As A Brick
10. Aqualung
11. Locomotive Breath
12. Too Old To Rock ‘N’ Roll
13. Different Germany / Thick As A Brick
Blu-ray:
* Dolby Atmos
* Analogue Master Mix
* Analogue Flat Transfer
Promo videos:
* Lap Of Luxury
* Tour Rehearsal
* previously unreleased
