Δύο τραγούδια από το Crest Of A Knave, άλμπουμ που “έκλεψε” το βραβείο για την καλύτερη μέταλ κυκλοφορία από το …And Justice For All των Metallica. Στο πλαίσιο του θορύβου που προκλήθηκε, δεν απουσίασαν κάποια ασεβή σχόλια για τους Jethro Tull “παντελώς άσχετους με το metal” κοκ. Κατά την ταπεινή μου άποψη, και μόνο για το ριφ του ‘Aqualung’ θα έπρεπε να χαίρουν τεράστιου σεβασμού από τη μέταλ κοινότητα.
Παρεμπιπτόντως, το ‘Steel Monkey’ μπορεί να μην είναι αμπαλαρισμένο / σερβιρισμένο σαν κάτι καινοφανές, δεν παύει όμως να αποτελεί συνδυασμό heavy ροκ κιθάρας και ηλεκτρονικών, τη στιγμή ακριβώς [middle – late ’80s] που το industrial metal γεννιέται ως είδος.

Two songs from Crest Of A Knave, album that “stole” the best metal release award from … And Justice For All by Metallica. In the context of the noise caused by that, there were some disrespectful comments about Jethro Tull “completely unrelated to metal” etc. In my humble opinion, for the riff of ‘Aqualung’ only they should be hugely respected by the metal community.
By the way, ‘Steel Monkey’ is not been packaged / served as something groundbreaking, but it still is a combination of heavy rock guitar and electronics, at the exact time [middle – late ’80s] when industrial metal is been born as a genre.

STEEL MONKEY [00:00]
As the moon slips up, the sun slips down,
I’m a highrise jockey, and I’m heaven bound.
Do the woorkboot shuffle, loose brains from brawn.
I’m a monkey puzzle and the lid is on.
Can you guess my name? Can you guess my trade?
I’m going to catch you anyway.
You might be right. I’ll give you guesses three.
Feel me climbing up your knee
Guess what I am. I’m a steel monkey.
Now some men hustle and some just think.
And some go running before you blink.
Some look up and some look down
From three hundred feet above the ground.
Can you guess my name? And can you guess my trade?
Well, I won’t rest before the world is made.
Arm in arm the angels fly.
Keep me from falling out the sky.
Steel monkey. I work in the thunder and i work in the rain.
I work at my drinking, and I feel no pain.
I work on women, if they want me to.
You can have me a climb all over you.
Now, have you guessed my name?
And have you guessed my trade?
I’m cheap at the money I get paid.
In the sulphur city, where men are men,
We bolt those beamsthen climb again.

FARM ON THE FREEWAY [03:38]
Nine miles of two-strand topped with barbed wire
Laid by the father for the son.
Good shelter down there on the valley floor,
Down by where the sweet stream run.
Now they might give me compensation
That’s not what I’m chasing. I was a rich man before yesterday.
Now all I have got is a cheque and a pickup truck.
I left my farm on the freeway.
They’re busy building airports on the south side
Silicon chip factory on the east.
And the big road’s pushing through along the valley floor.
Hot machine pouring six lanes at the very least.
They say they gave me compensation
That’s not what I’m chasing. I was a rich man before yesterday.
Now all I have left is a broken-down pickup truck.
Looks like my farm is a freeway.
They forgot they told us what this old land was for.
Grow two tons the acre, boy, between the stones.
This was no Southfork, it was no Ponderosa.
But it was the place that I called home.
They say they gave me compensation
That’s not what I’m chasing. I was a rich man before yesterday.
And what do I want with a million dollars and a pickup truck?
When I left my farm under the freeway.