Song Review: Mandoki Soulmates feat. Ian Anderson - “We Say Thank You”
- Anderson releases another video from ... Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull
When his friend Leslie Mandoki called to ask if he’d contribute to a COVID-19-themed song, Ian Anderson had a thought:
“My first reaction was, ‘Hopefully not another sanctimonious, self-serving and smug pop-star utterance we can really do without,’” Anderson said in a statement.
“But, when I actually heard the master tracks ... I was very touched by the simple and direct sentiments of the lyrics. So the usually cynical and grumpy Mr. A. decided to give it a go. “
Bad call. Because “We Thank You” is a sweeping ballad with trumpets, corny-beyond-words lyrics and overwrought singing - exactly the kind of song Anderson didn’t want to make - that would cause even frontline coronavirus workers to recoil in horror when first Mendoki and then Anderson sing:
At this time of our life with this virus in the air/I do what I can do and say thank you/at this time of our life, we need to stay at home/I do what I can do and say thank you
Anderson’s voice is shot, but he tries his best as he puts a twist on the preceding line:
For the nurses and the grocery clerks who cannot stay at home/there’s nothing left to do but say thank you, he sings.
Nice sentiment. Crummy track.
Grade card: Mandoki Soulmates feat. Ian Anderson - “We Say Thank You” - D-
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Song Review: Ian Anderson - “Up the ’Pool” (Live, Dec. 8, 2004)
More than 30 years on and surrounded by an entirely new cast of players, Ian Anderson in 2004 was still able to conjure that circa-’72 Jethro Tull sound.
Switching between guitar and flute and back again, Anderson and his band played the slightly medieval ode to Blackpool, “Up the ’Pool,” on Dec. 8, 2004, in Germany. Though previously released on 2006’s Ian Anderson Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull, it’s another in the series of videos Anderson’s been reissuing of late.
Anderson’s voice is toast now. But it still worked well at the dawn at the 21st century, making these videos even more of a treat.
Grade card: Ian Anderson - “Up the ’Pool” (Live - 12/08/04) - B
6/3/20
