The Secret Language of Birds
Encyclopedia
The Secret Language of Birds (2000) is the 3rd solo album
by
Jethro Tull
frontman
Ian Anderson
.
It is named after the dawn chorus
, the natural sound of birds heard at dawn, most noticeably in the spring.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by
Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
frontman
Ian Anderson
Ian Anderson (musician)
Ian Scott Anderson, MBE is a Scottish singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work as the leader and flautist of British rock band Jethro Tull.-Early life:...
.
It is named after the dawn chorus
Dawn chorus (birds)
The dawn chorus occurs when songbirds sing at the start of a new day. In temperate countries, this is most noticeable in spring, when the birds are either defending a breeding territory or trying to attract a mate. In a given location, it is common for different species to do their dawn singing at...
, the natural sound of birds heard at dawn, most noticeably in the spring.
Track listing
- "The Secret Language Of Birds" – 4:17
- "The Little Flower Girl" – 3:37
- "Montserrat" – 3:21
- "Postcard Day" – 5:07
- "The Water Carrier" – 2:56
- "Set-Aside" – 1:29
- "A Better Moon" – 3:46
- "Sanctuary" – 4:42
- "The Jasmine Corridor" – 3:54
- "The Habanero Reel" – 4:01
- "Panama Freighter" – 3:21
- "The Secret Language Of Birds, PT. II" – 3:06
- "Boris Dancing" – 3:07
- "Circular Breathing" – 3:45
- "The Stormont Shuffle" – 3:20
- Extra Track Intro (unlisted) – 0:08
- "In the Grip Of Stronger Stuff" (unlisted) – 2:50
- "Thick as A Brick" (unlisted) – 2:37
Introductions
To each track, Anderson wrote an introduction:- The Secret Language Of Birds: "The big dawn chorus. Morning after a night before. Could turn out to be the special person. Everything's riding on this one."
- The Little Flower Girl: "Sir William Russell Flint's fully clad but coquettish flower girl. Was it his favourite model Cecilia? Just showing up for anotherday's work. Hats off to one of the greatest technical watercolourists of all time."
- Montserrat: "Been there. Between eruptions. Last gasp of colonial betrayal. Heart goes out. Dwarf Poincianas still growing strong, here at home. Ashfall wasteland where I picked them."
- Postcard Day: "Holiday guilt. Having a simply wonderful time. Wish you were here, but sort of glad you're not."
- The Water Carrier: "H2O at any price. No Delhi Belly. No regrets. No small change left. The best earthenware pots by Sir W.R.F. and Walter Langley. Would they have as lovingly executed the form and colour of the 1.5 litre plastic bottle? Of course."
- Set-Aside: "Pointless and undignified prevarication."
- A Better Moon: "Sultry and sub-tropical images of a Foweraker fantasy five thousand miles from home."
- Sanctuary: "Last haven of zoo rejects and children wasted. Tricky one to try. Made me cry."
- The Jasmine Corridor: "Nice place to say goodbye. Smells good, looks good, was good. Faces east. Always the optimistic light. Nothing ever really ends."
- The Habanero Reel: "On a lighter note, I think quite a few people know that I'm keen on spicy food, particularly those who have visited our website . I use a lot of chilli peppers when I cook at home and the generally accepted number 10 strength killer is the habanero - in the Caribbean a close relative of this is the Scotch Bonnet, which I also refer to in this song. 'The Habanero Reel' is just an ode to capsicum, which gives off that excessive, burning heat. Of course, the best thing about it, as I say in the song, is that it is strictly legal!"
- Panama Freighter: "Lonely Planet guide to traveller's romance. Pragmatism. Cynicism. You take U.S. dollar?"
- The Secret Language Of Birds, Pt. II: "Semantic set-aside. You with me? "
- Boris Dancing: "I've always had a soft spot for Boris Yeltsin, I wrote the music to 'Boris Dancing' based on a visual image of a CNN news report from when Boris was seeking re-election. He was filmed in Red Square, sweating profusely, bright red in the face, boogieing frantically in front of a young Moscow rock band. He nearly died from a heart attack just a couple of days later. The song is in several rather difficult to follow time signatures, as when Boris was dancing he wasn't quite on the beat. 'Boris Dancing' is just a celebration of his strange, individual dance style."
- Circular Breathing: "The deep breath that goes on forever. Strangely detached but objective view from a height. Pink Floyd's 'Learning To Fly' meets L.S. Lowry meets Status Quo's 'Pictures Of Matchstick Men'. Or not."
- The Stormont Shuffle: "Peace, Love, Misunderstanding. Decommissioning the vipers' tongues. Two part tune: north and south, slippery Sams, moaning Minnies. Doublecross, double talk, double trouble."
Credits
- Ian AndersonIan Anderson (musician)Ian Scott Anderson, MBE is a Scottish singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work as the leader and flautist of British rock band Jethro Tull.-Early life:...
– vocals, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, acoustic guitar, bouzoukiBouzoukiThe bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
, acoustic bass guitarAcoustic bass guitarThe acoustic bass guitar is a bass instrument with a hollow wooden body similar to, though usually somewhat larger than a steel-string acoustic guitar...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, piccoloPiccoloThe piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written... - Andrew GiddingsAndrew GiddingsAndrew Giddings Born July 10, 1963 in Pembury, Kent) is an English keyboardist and was a member of classic rock band Jethro Tull from 1991 to 2007.-Early life:...
– accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, marimbaMarimbaThe marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
, percussion, electric bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, orchestral sounds - Gerry ConwayGerry Conway (musician)Gerald Conway is an English folk and rock drummer/percussionist, best known for having performed with the backing band for Cat Stevens in the 1970s, Jethro Tull during the 1980s, and currently a member of Fairport Convention as well as his side projects...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Darren Mooney – drums
- James Duncan Anderson – drums
- Martin BarreMartin BarreMartin Lancelot Barre is an English rock musician.Barre has been the guitarist for rock band Jethro Tull since 1969. He has appeared on every Jethro Tull album except their debut This Was...
– electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...