Under Wraps is the fifteenth studio album by the band Jethro Tull, released on 7 September 1984 on Chrysalis Records.
The album saw the band take a radical departure from its previous work, adopting a heavily electronic rock sound dominated by keyboards and synthesizers. The album's subject matter and lyrics were also a departure from the typical fantasy fare of prior Tull albums, instead exploring Cold War and espionage themes, influenced by bandleader Ian Anderson's love of spy fiction. Unlike most Tull albums, other members of the band beyond Anderson contributed heavily to the writing process, particularly keyboardist Peter-John Vettese, who is credited as a co-writer on a majority of the album's tracks. The CD version of the album features an additional four tracks not included on the vinyl track listing.
Under Wraps peaked at number 18 on the UK Albums Chart and number 76 on the US Billboard 200. The album received poor reviews from critics upon release and was highly polarizing among fans due to its markedly different sound; the album's use of a drum machine in place of a live drummer was particularly controversial. The band have offered various views on the album since its release: Anderson has described the album as "an experiment, and not everyone was ready for that kind of change from Jethro Tull", bassist Dave Pegg has been quoted as saying that the tracks cut from the sessions for The Broadsword and the Beast (1982) would have made a better album, while guitarist Martin Barre has referred to it as one of his favourite Tull albums.
A reissue box set featuring full remixes of the album by Bruce Soord, including a mix with newly replaced drum samples, was released in 2026.
Contents
Release
The original 1984 release had 11 tracks, with "Astronomy", "Tundra", "Automotive Engineering" and "General Crossing" only appearing on the cassette version. Of these extra tracks, "General Crossing" became the first Jethro Tull track never to be released on vinyl, as "Astronomy", "Tundra" and "Automotive Engineering" all appeared on the 12-inch single release of "Lap of Luxury".
The CD editions of the album carry all 15 tracks. The 2005 enhanced CD also contains a QuickTime video for "Lap of Luxury".
A reissue box set, "The Unwrapped Edition", was released in May 2026, featuring full remixes of the album by Bruce Soord, including a mix with newly replaced drum samples as well as a mix with the original drum sounds. Also included in the set is a remix of Ian Anderson's 1983 solo album, Walk Into Light and portions of the previously released Live at Hammersmith '84 live album.
Live performances
For the 1984 tour to promote Under Wraps, Jethro Tull offered artistic stage production as usual. In a manner quite similar to the Thick as a Brick tour, the roadies appeared onstage sweeping the floor, counting the audience and studying the place. All band members and instruments were covered in "wraps", with Anderson then releasing them and the music starting. During the tour, due to the more ambitious nature of the vocals, Anderson had strained his throat in the process of performing the album's vocally demanding songs.
Track listing
Personnel
Ian Anderson – vocals, flute, acoustic guitar, drum programming, Fairlight CMI
Martin Barre – electric guitar
Dave Pegg – bass guitar, double bass
Peter-John Vettese – keyboards, electronic programming
Additional personnel
Trevor Key – cover photo, photography
John Pasche – artwork, cover design
Sheila Rock – photography