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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: Orbert on May 19, 2020, 05:25:55 PM
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Ian Anderson was born in Scotland, but moved to Blackpool, England, when he was 12. He formed his first band, The Blades, with four friends from school: Michael Stephens (guitar), John Evans (keyboards), Jeffrey Hammond (bass), and Barrie Barlow (drums). Anderson sang and played harmonica, and they played mostly Blues and Soul because it was the 60's and that's what most bands played. They changed both their name and personnel multiple times during the early years. They were at various times Navy Blue, Ian Henderson's Bag o' Nails, and Candy Coloured Rain. It was common for booking agents to "suggest" names for the band, and Ian Anderson recalls one time looking at a poster for a band, only to realize that it was for his band, he just didn't recognize the name. At one point, they were The John Evan Band, mostly because Hammond thought "Evan" sounded cooler than "Evans", and John Evans eventually adopted the name John Evan.
Their big break came when they were booked at The Marquee Club in London. One of the staffers at the booking agency was a history buff, and thought the name Jethro Tull was a good name for a band. Jethro Tull was an 18th Century Agriculturist, but the band didn't know that at the time. They just knew that they were booked at The Marquee and the band was now called Jethro Tull.
According to Anderson, he attended a Cream concert one night and after seeing Eric Clapton play, rather than being inspired to pursue the guitar, he instead realized that he would never be that good. Every blues band had a harmonica, so he decided to trade his guitar for a flute.
The band continued to evolve, and by the time they recorded their first album for Island Records, Jethro Tull consisted of Anderson (vocals, flute), Mick Abrahams (guitar), Glenn Cornick (bass), and Clive Bunker (drums). Anderson and Abrahams were essentially co-leaders of the band, but constantly butted heads over the band's musical direction, with Abrahams wanting to continue in a blues vein, and Anderson wanting to pursue a more eclectic sound. Abrahams ultimately quit the band over these musical differences, leaving Anderson in charge.
Anderson chose the title This Was (as in "This was Jethro Tull"), hinting at the changes to come.
This Was (1968) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2shXfsqOXwM&list=PL8a8cutYP7frqPhZUXIlzPFyAWH15AMa0)
(https://imgur.com/Aax4Jf9.jpg)
Mick Abrahams - Vocals, Guitars
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Mouth Organ, Claghorn, Piano
Clive Bunker - Drums
Glenn Cornick - Bass
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My Sunday Feeling 3:43
Some Day the Sun Won't Shine for You 2:49
Beggar's Farm 4:19
Move on Alone 1:58
Serenade to a Cuckoo (Instrumental) 6:07
Dharma for One (Instrumental) 4:15
It's Breaking Me Up 5:04
Cat's Squirrel (Instrumental) 5:42
A Song for Jeffrey 3:22
Round (Instrumental) 1:03
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A mix of standard blues (with flute in the position typically occupied by harmonica) and jazzy, proto-progressive rock. I've indicated which tracks are instrumentals, because it's interesting how many there were on this debut album. Also, the overall sound is not as dual-natured as one might expect. My first impression was that it sounds like Jethro Tull, but a bit rougher and more heavily blues-influenced. And that's basically what it is.
This Was features the only Jethro Tull song with lead vocals by someone other than Ian Anderson. Abrahams sings lead vocals on "Move On Alone", the only song for which he has sole writing credit. The "band advisors" (presumably booking agents who effectively doubled as managers) had tried to persuade Anderson to both give up the flute and let Abrahams do all the lead vocals. At this point, Anderson was playing rhythm guitar, but as mentioned above, he'd traded in his guitar for a flute, so it would seem that the band did not heed their advice.
"Serenade to a Cuckoo" is a cover of a piece by jazz multiinstrumentalist Roland Kirk. "Cat's Squirrel" is a folk tune arranged by Abrahams. The rest are either band compositions or Anderson solo compositions. "A Song for Jeffrey" was written for Anderson's old schoolmate and bandmate Jeffrey Hammond. The album was received well in the U.K., reaching #10, but didn't do as well in the U.S., peaking at #62 on the Billboard 200 chart.
The 2001 remaster contains three bonus tracks:
One for John Gee 2:06
Love Story 3:06
Christmas Song 3:06
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Ian says:
"It’s all in the title, isn't it? This was Jethro Tull. That's no accident because when we were recording it, the one thing I felt sure about is that if we were lucky enough to make another album, I knew it wouldn't be like this one: based on blues elements and black American folk culture. That's not part of my life and I couldn't keep doing that – I'd look like a complete twit. The cover had no logo or anything and people were telling me we couldn't do that, but we did it, of course."
From Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
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OK, I'm going to try and stay with this.
What is the latest any of these songs remained in their setlists?
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Thank you for doing this, Orbert.
My Sunday Feeling was a favourite of mine as a little kid, mainly because it had a funny Pink Panther vibe.
Never gave the whole album a real chance once I discovered the Barre era.
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OK, listening now.
My Sunday Feeling is nice enough for sure.
I liked Beggar's Farm but the flute was annoying as hell.
Dharma For One was excellent, as I was already thinking the drumming was excellent on this album.
Tush, I mean Cat's Squirrel , is easily the best thing here.
I think the damn flute could be a deal breaker here.
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TAC, you realize that the flute is an integral part of the Jethro Tull sound, actually its most defining characteristic, right?
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TAC, you realize that the flute is an integral part of the Jethro Tull sound, actually its most defining characteristic, right?
Of course I do! :lol I'm not a noob!
I only know their radio hits so I am going into this with an open mind. Too many people I respect love Jethro Tull, so I'm following.
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How much did these guys snort before shooting this album cover? holy moly!
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I know right. That album cover is fried as hell.
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The Labrador that has to have his paw on that dude sitting down is like 'bitch, you are grossing me out, don't touch me!' :lol
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TAC, you realize that the flute is an integral part of the Jethro Tull sound, actually its most defining characteristic, right?
Of course I do! :lol I'm not a noob!
I only know their radio hits so I am going into this with an open mind. Too many people I respect love Jethro Tull, so I'm following.
If you're relatively new to JT, I'm not sure this is a great spot to hop off the diving board. But it's a nice little album. This is truly to JT fans what the self titled is to Rush fans. A good album in its own right, with some brief flashes of what was to come, but not really representative of the band's sound.
I know that every time I have spun it I've enjoyed it, but it's not high on my list of JT albums either. I'm off work again for at least the remainder of the week (wife has symptoms of COVID and is being tested...we'll get the results this week, but we're quarantined til then) so I will spin this again tomorrow. I'm really glad you're doing this Orbert. This is going to be fun.
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I should probably try to follow along with this. Love classic prog and lots of bands who have flute in them, but for some reason never have gotten much out of Tull. The only album I have is Crest of a Knave which isn’t especially representative.
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What is the latest any of these songs remained in their setlists?
Sunday Feeling, Beggar's Farm, Some Day, and Song for Jeffery would pop up until the very end. I've seen all four of them at various shows since 98.
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TAC, you realize that the flute is an integral part of the Jethro Tull sound, actually its most defining characteristic, right?
Of course I do! :lol I'm not a noob!
Okay, just making sure. I was a bit concerned by
I liked Beggar's Farm but the flute was annoying as hell.
and
I think the damn flute could be a deal breaker here.
I mean, it's Ian Anderson's main instrument, so complaining about the flute on every album is going to get old really fast.
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Easy there, O. You missed the 5 positive things I had to say about the album as well as a legit honest question that Bart answered.
OK, listening now.
My Sunday Feeling is nice enough for sure.
I liked Beggar's Farm but the flute was annoying as hell.
Dharma For One was excellent, as I was already thinking the drumming was excellent on this album.
Tush, I mean Cat's Squirrel , is easily the best thing here.
I think the damn flute could be a deal breaker here.
So you complaining about me complaining about the flute is going to get old real fast. :P :P :lol :lol
Look, I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to explore this. I'm trying to find something to like, and if it ultimately gets to much for me, I'll quietly bough out, but there was easily enough good stuff on this first album to keep me interested.
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I'm a moderate Jethro Tull fan, saw them live a few times (well, I saw Ian Anderson live, but close enough) before Ian's voice began deteriorating completely. Nowadays whenever I want to listen to Tull I just go with TAAB or Crest of a Knave. This would be a good opportunity to listen to some of the other material again.
Just finished my listen to This Was and honestly it's not even that bad. For one, I forgot how many instrumentals were there and how good they were. :lol I liked Beggar's Farm, which was the only song from this record I remembered, and I'd say all the instrumentals were highlights. The rest is kinda forgettable, but still better than I expected from a debut album.
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Easy there, O. You missed the 5 positive things I had to say about the album as well as a legit honest question that Bart answered.
OK, listening now.
My Sunday Feeling is nice enough for sure.
I liked Beggar's Farm but the flute was annoying as hell.
Dharma For One was excellent, as I was already thinking the drumming was excellent on this album.
Tush, I mean Cat's Squirrel , is easily the best thing here.
I think the damn flute could be a deal breaker here.
So you complaining about me complaining about the flute is going to get old real fast. :P :P :lol :lol
Look, I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to explore this. I'm trying to find something to like, and if it ultimately gets to much for me, I'll quietly bough out, but there was easily enough good stuff on this first album to keep me interested.
It's good that you did find some things to like, and I did not miss that you mentioned them. It just seems odd to say that the "damn flute" is annoying and could be the deal breaker when it's clearly the featured instrument. It's the first thing people think of when someone mentions Jethro Tull. But if you can listen to their music and enjoy some things about it in spite of the flute, then that's cool.
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My dad is a huge fan, and I always enjoy hearing it. Actually, I really love A Passion Play (except for the Hare bit) and Thick as a Brick. I also think Ian Anderson's Thick as a Brick 2 and Homo Erraticus are great (both a continuation of the Thick as a Brick concept), despite the decline in vocals. Only know a couple of their albums though, never did a deep dive. Will follow the thread.
For my dad's 65th birthday I ordered the official book "The Ballad of Jethro Tull", which was released a couple of months back, as well as Martin Barre's 50th anniversary Jetrho Tull cover album.
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Easy there, O. You missed the 5 positive things I had to say about the album as well as a legit honest question that Bart answered.
OK, listening now.
My Sunday Feeling is nice enough for sure.
I liked Beggar's Farm but the flute was annoying as hell.
Dharma For One was excellent, as I was already thinking the drumming was excellent on this album.
Tush, I mean Cat's Squirrel , is easily the best thing here.
I think the damn flute could be a deal breaker here.
So you complaining about me complaining about the flute is going to get old real fast. :P :P :lol :lol
Look, I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to explore this. I'm trying to find something to like, and if it ultimately gets to much for me, I'll quietly bough out, but there was easily enough good stuff on this first album to keep me interested.
For the next 20 years or so that damn flute is only going to become more prominent. This Was was as much a blues album as anything else, and they're going to get into their prog phase with. . . more flute! Ha, just wait for Martin Barre to come along and play a second flute from time to time. :lol
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I love reading about music. Jethro Tull is one of those bands that I know about just enough (and appreciate just enough songs here and there) to follow.
In times of smart working where each day I have 8 hours of music to listen to, they're a band as good as any to get the temptation to fully explore.
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Following.
Also, I'm so glad to have you, Orbert, hosting a discography thread again. You are the originator on this site and still the gold standard. I've never heard this debut album, so I'll fire up Spotify and get busy.
Edit:
I really enjoyed this! I loved everything on side 2, Dharma For One through Round, but then I've always been a big fan of the blues so that's hardly surprising. Nice flow too. As for side 1, My Sunday Feeling and Beggar's Farm were the highlights for me. Will listen again.
The bonus track Love Story is excellent and has a more recognizable JT style.
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Thank you, Mr. Peccary (I just listened to Studio Tan last night, and thought of you!). I like blabbing about music with whoever will listen, and I have a captive audience here. Well, not really captive, but people are mostly home and have lots of time, so what the fuck.
By the way, I started a thing with the Gentle Giant discography where you can just click on the album title. It's a link to the YouTube playlist for the album. I'm gonna do the same here as long as there are available links/videos (which seems pretty likely).
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This is one I never owned, or heard more than a few cuts from, so now my interest is peaked.
btw....thanks for the history lesson. All these decades later, and now I learn how the band got their name. Always thought it was Anderson's idea, and that Jethro Tull fit the band's persona. Well, it certainly did. Just glad the promoter didn't come up with something like 'Humpy Bong' and had it stick ;)
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In one interview with Ian, I remember him saying that the band was essentially booking gigs under one name, and then when they wouldn't get invited back to any venue, they would change their name and then book the circuit again. Jethro Tull just happened to be the "musical chair" name they landed on when they finally got invited back to do another gig. He also stated pretty clearly that he never much cared for the name, but it just was what it was.
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Thank you, Mr. Peccary (I just listened to Studio Tan last night, and thought of you!).
It's been too long since I listened to Studio Tan. I need to rectify that!
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About that damn flute.
I would say that in the following albums, the band found ways to integrate the flute a little better into the context of their music. It slowly became a more organic part of the composition, whereas sometimes in This Was, the flute sounds like it was tacked on top of what is essentially a blues album. As Orbert suggests, the flute was practically a novelty to help distinguish them from the zillions of blues-based rock bands coming out at the time.
That still doesn't mean that TAC will take to it. :D
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Following. My best friend in high school was a big fan, even though it was the 90s. I've heard a lot of their stuff over the years but don't really know their discography beyond a few albums. I've got most of their 70's output on vinyl (from thrift stores before the "vinyl revival"), so this will be a good excuse to go through it.
Also, I'm so glad to have you, Orbert, hosting a discography thread again. You are the originator on this site and still the gold standard.
Agreed. I don't post much, but I lurk here a lot and I've immensely enjoyed Orbert's discography threads. I'm a Yes fan, so that one was especially fun.
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For the next 20 years or so that damn flute is only going to become more prominent. This Was was as much a blues album as anything else, and they're going to get into their prog phase with. . . more flute! Ha, just wait for Martin Barre to come along and play a second flute from time to time. :lol
So double damn flute? :lol :facepalm: :lol
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Every blues band had a harmonica, so he decided to trade his guitar for a flute.
Inadvertently, that may be the best descriptor for Ian Anderson I've ever heard.
Dharma For One was excellent, as I was already thinking the drumming was excellent on this album.
Getting ahead of ourselves here, there's a REALLY good live version on "Living In The Past" (from the Carnegie Hall show, the rest of which was on the second box set, though missing this track)
I think the damn flute could be a deal breaker here.
Hmmm; give it a moment; there are certainly songs where it's a prominent instrument, but there are just as many where it's less "flute-like". I'm not saying you'll definitely like it, but his playing evolved a fair amount through the years. And some songs - "Locomotive Breath" for one - there are official versions with and without flute.
What is the latest any of these songs remained in their setlists?
Sunday Feeling, Beggar's Farm, Some Day, and Song for Jeffery would pop up until the very end. I've seen all four of them at various shows since 98.
Add Dharma For One to that as well. We're jumping ahead a bit (again!) so I want to be clear I'm not saying El Barto is wrong at all, but SF, SFJ and DFO have been in Ian Anderson's setlist as recently as this past fall.
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In one interview with Ian, I remember him saying that the band was essentially booking gigs under one name, and then when they wouldn't get invited back to any venue, they would change their name and then book the circuit again. Jethro Tull just happened to be the "musical chair" name they landed on when they finally got invited back to do another gig. He also stated pretty clearly that he never much cared for the name, but it just was what it was.
Orbert, will there be a separate discography for Jethro Toe? :) :)
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I was trying to figure out how to work Jethro Toe into the writeup, but ultimately decided against it. The writeup for the first album typically includes a lot of background on the band and stuff other than the actual content of the first album, and I was afraid that this might be one anecdote too many. But for the curious, here's a "deleted scene" from the writeup for the first album:
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Shortly after Jethro Tull became Jethro Tull, and before the first album, they recorded a song called "Sunshine Day" for MGM Records. But to release it as a single, they needed a song to put on the other side, so they took an old John Evan Band song called "Aeroplane", mixed out the saxophones, and it became the B-side. When it was released, it was credited to "Jethro Toe". Ian Anderson has always (jokingly?) questioned whether this was intentional, as a way to avoid paying royalties on it. There are physical copies of the single out there, but the ones which correctly say Jethro Tull on them are counterfeits, produced later by a company in New York.
"Sunshine Day" and other early singles appear on the 40th Anniversary edition of the album, released in 2008.
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Thanks for that; I was going for a cheap laugh, but it's a good story, and indicative of the lack of deep insight into the naming of the band. I actually love that song "Aeroplane". It's Tull, but not, if that makes sense.
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What is the latest any of these songs remained in their setlists?
Sunday Feeling, Beggar's Farm, Some Day, and Song for Jeffery would pop up until the very end. I've seen all four of them at various shows since 98.
Add Dharma For One to that as well. We're jumping ahead a bit (again!) so I want to be clear I'm not saying El Barto is wrong at all, but SF, SFJ and DFO have been in Ian Anderson's setlist as recently as this past fall.
That doesn't surprise me. I've pretty much tuned Ian Anderson out. Honestly, I don't much like the guy personally, so I'm no longer interested in paying to see him. I did really enjoy the Bricks 1 and 2 tour, but the last tour I saw really sucked. Martin Barre comes to town and I'm all over that, though.
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Thanks for that; I was going for a cheap laugh, but it's a good story, and indicative of the lack of deep insight into the naming of the band. I actually love that song "Aeroplane". It's Tull, but not, if that makes sense.
The John Evan Band was an ancestor to Tull, and most members of that band did end up in Tull later, so it makes sense that the sound is similar. (I know you knew that; I'm just extrapolating a bit for the benefit of the general reading public.) I actually included the lineup of the original John Evan Band because so many of them ended up joining Jethro Tull later, and I wanted to make the connection more clear.
In fact, I had always assumed the changes to be more subtle and gradual. It wasn't until researching this album that I learned that Ian Anderson was the only member of The John Evan Band in the original Jethro Tull lineup. Ian kinda started recruiting them into Tull later, one by one.
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I just wanted to throw in that the manner in which flute is used in Ayreon is Tull-like in the extreme.
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What is the latest any of these songs remained in their setlists?
Sunday Feeling, Beggar's Farm, Some Day, and Song for Jeffery would pop up until the very end. I've seen all four of them at various shows since 98.
Add Dharma For One to that as well. We're jumping ahead a bit (again!) so I want to be clear I'm not saying El Barto is wrong at all, but SF, SFJ and DFO have been in Ian Anderson's setlist as recently as this past fall.
That doesn't surprise me. I've pretty much tuned Ian Anderson out. Honestly, I don't much like the guy personally, so I'm no longer interested in paying to see him. I did really enjoy the Bricks 1 and 2 tour, but the last tour I saw really sucked. Martin Barre comes to town and I'm all over that, though.
If you don't want to share, that's fine, and I can sort of guess why, but I'd be interested in the discussion of why you dislike Anderson. I know for me, he's polarizing; there are some things I really like about him, and others... not so much.
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What is the latest any of these songs remained in their setlists?
Sunday Feeling, Beggar's Farm, Some Day, and Song for Jeffery would pop up until the very end. I've seen all four of them at various shows since 98.
Add Dharma For One to that as well. We're jumping ahead a bit (again!) so I want to be clear I'm not saying El Barto is wrong at all, but SF, SFJ and DFO have been in Ian Anderson's setlist as recently as this past fall.
That doesn't surprise me. I've pretty much tuned Ian Anderson out. Honestly, I don't much like the guy personally, so I'm no longer interested in paying to see him. I did really enjoy the Bricks 1 and 2 tour, but the last tour I saw really sucked. Martin Barre comes to town and I'm all over that, though.
If you don't want to share, that's fine, and I can sort of guess why, but I'd be interested in the discussion of why you dislike Anderson. I know for me, he's polarizing; there are some things I really like about him, and others... not so much.
He's always kind of struck me as a dick towards his bandmates, and somewhat pretentious. Not a good combination. He's quick to fire people and not necessarily in a reasonable way. THere's a famous story about a couple of his bandmates that were sacked by the manager at the airport when they were to head home from the tour. Something along the lines of "where do you think you're going? This flight's for bandmembers only." That's probably apocryphal, but only slightly. And the way he finally disbanded Tull was also pretty uncool. He told Barre that he was tired of Tull and wanted to move on, then promptly released a sequel to a Tull album and toured playing both. I'm a big Doan Perry fan, and as far as I know he wasn't even really informed. Despite (I believe) being the third longest tenured member of the band. For my part, once his voice really hit rock bottom I was going to see the band and not him, other than as a very good flute player. It was a group effort and not the Ian Anderson band, which he presumably was wanting it to be. The last time I saw him, I believe touring as Ian Anderson's Jethro Tull, he was very clearly just going through the motions. It was obviously a cashgrab and nothing more. I'm a big fan of their music, and his contributions, but no so much him.
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Yeah, I kind of figured that's where you were going. The whole Martin Barre thing is fascinating to me. I cannot for the life of me fathom that in 50 years (well, 40-ish for the period Barre was in the group) that he wrote almost NOTHING that deserved credit. Maybe he and Dave Murray are just cut from the same humble cloth, but it's baffling to me. And you didn't even mentioned the firing of Dee Palmer by mail.
On other things, though, he's spot on. He's handled the catalogue pretty well; the box sets are legit and with value (their first box set is one of the best I own, for various reasons). And they were fun live until his voice went.
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Orbert, I don't know if you're planning to include them, but I wouldn't mind seeing Ian's solo albums here too. :) Up to you, of course.
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I don't have any of Ian's solo albums, except for Thick as a Brick 2. I was planning to include that one, for hopefully obvious reasons, but wasn't sure about the others, since I don't think I've even heard them. But if I can find them and find time to listen to them, I'll try to include them.
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The Secret Language of Birds is one of my personal favourites, so even if you won't include them, listen to that one. :P
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I will read along to this thread, but might not contribute a lot. Tull has always been a band I like more than I love. They have some songs I definitely love like crazy, yet they've never really been a band that has grabbed me in a big way. No clue why.
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After Mick Abrahams' departure, Jethro Tull needed to find another guitarist. The list of names to potentially replace Abrahams reads almost like a Who's Who of the London scene at the time. The first was David O'List, guitarist from The Nice (which had recently broken up when Keith Emerson left to form Emerson Lake & Palmer). They rehearsed with him for a week, then O'List suddenly stopped showing up, and the band lost all contact with him.
Their next choice was Mick Taylor, who turned them down because he already had a band (John Mayall's Bluesbreakers) and Taylor of course would go on to join The Rolling Stones after the departure of Brian Jones.
So they put out an ad in Melody Maker, which was answered by Tony Iommi. Iommi left the band he was in at the time (Earth) and they started rehearsing together. After one very strange gig (The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rolling_Stones_Rock_and_Roll_Circus)), Iommi decided to go back to his old band Earth, who later changed their name to Black Sabbath.
At the same auditions as Tony Iommi was a gentleman named Martin Barre. Barre played the flute as well as the guitar, which presented some interesting possibilities. They arranged a second audition with him, and Barre ended up joining Jethro Tull. The new lineup was complete.
Stand Up (1969) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru9EWlMnbF4&list=PLDD6nAEVVZxHiTWuTF7IQn3kA3MoeMki1)
(https://i.imgur.com/DvT1XbV.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Hammond Organ, Piano, Mandolin, Balalaika, Mouth Organ
Martin Barre - Electric Guitar, Flute
Clive Bunker - Drums
Glenn Cornick - Bass
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A New Day Yesterday 4:10
Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square 2:12
Bourée 3:46
Back to the Family 3:48
Look into the Sun 4:20
Nothing Is Easy 4:25
Fat Man 2:52
We Used to Know 4:00
Reasons for Waiting 4:05
For a Thousand Mothers 4:13
Andy Johns - Bass on "Look into the Sun"
Dee Palmer - String Arrangements, Conductor
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Although Stand Up starts off with the bluesy "A New Day Yesterday", which is very similar in sound to the first album, the next track "Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square" takes you in a completely different direction. It is here that we first hear the Scottish Folk influence, complete with Anderson on mandolin. Martin Barre provides the second flute, as he would continue to do on occassion throughout his time with the band.
Next up is "Bourée", taking the listener in yet another direction. Anderson called it a "cocktail jazz" version of J.S. Bach's "Bourée in E minor". So far, three songs in three different genres (four if you count "Bourée" as both Classical and Jazz, which it is).
"Back to the Family" is... hard to describe. It starts with something like an R&B vibe, but after a brief odd-metered segue, the chorus cuts loose into full blown Rock, with Anderson's flute and Barre's guitar swapping fours.
I'm not going to bore you with my impressions of every single track. Let's just say that this is where "the Jethro Tull sound" was fully formed. Classical, Folk, Jazz, Blues, and of course Rock and Roll, plus string arrangements, Ian Anderson's unique voice, and two damn flutes! This is a solid album, made even better by the various CD reissues which include a couple of Top Ten singles as bonus tracks.
Stand Up went to Number 1 on the U.K. album charts, and reached #20 on the Billboard charts in the U.S. This is the album where Ian Anderson was first able to realize his vision for the band, and he has called it his favorite Jethro Tull album. I was surprised by how many songs I recognized from the Classic Rock radio stations. I know I've heard "Nothing is Easy" many times, and "Reasons for Waiting" with its beautiful flute duet interludes. But apparently "Bourée" was the only official single from this album, with "Fat Man" as the B side. It reached #5 on the U.K. singles chart.
"Living in the Past", recorded prior to the Stand Up sessions, and "Sweet Dream", recorded during the sessions, were both released as standalone singles. "Living in the Past" reached #3 and "Sweet Dream" reached #7. As mentioned, both are usually included among the bonus tracks on CD.
About the Cover
The cover art is a woodcut of the band by American artist James Grashow (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Grashow). He followed them around for a week, getting to know them, so that he could "properly represent them in wood". The original album gatefold was a cutout, also by Grashow, which "stood up" when you opened it.
(https://i.imgur.com/djFt9v6.jpg)
In 2016, this album got the full "Steven Wilson treatment", with 2 CDs and a DVD, including a full 5.1 mix, some video, and other goodies, but perhaps most important (okay, maybe not), the "stand up" woodcut was back!
(https://i.imgur.com/5QkuUvl.jpg)
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Ian says:
"The coming of age, in a way. The birth of more original music for us. It was then that what was referred to as progressive rock music was coming into being. If it's in that vein, it's rock music rather than folky, but it's progressive in that it reflects more eclectic influences, bringing things together and mixing and matching and being more creative. For me, it's a very important album, a pivotal album."
From Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
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Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Hammond Organ, Piano, Mandolin, Balalaika, Mouth Organ
While I have no idea what a Balalaika is, WTF is a Mouth Organ? :lol
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(if you count "Bourée" as both Classical and Jazz, which it is).
True enough, which is a hard thing to do. At times it's classical tonally with an upbeat jazz rhythm, and other times it's exactly opposite. Not sure how many other tunes are so very baroque and very jazzy at the same time.
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Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Hammond Organ, Piano, Mandolin, Balalaika, Mouth Organ
While I have no idea what a Balalaika is, WTF is a Mouth Organ? :lol
It's what people call a harmonica if they don't want to sound like hillbillies.
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Love, love this album! I had the LP with the original stand up cover (it was a birthday gift from my best friend in elementary school), but some low life stole it from me when I had a party at my apartment around 1978 or so. I'll listen to it again, and get back in here tomorrow to reminisce.
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Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Hammond Organ, Piano, Mandolin, Balalaika, Mouth Organ
While I have no idea what a Balalaika is, WTF is a Mouth Organ? :lol
It's what people call a harmonica if they don't want to sound like hillbillies.
I'd rather sound like a hillbilly than some sort of perv.
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Yeah, I was gonna say I'd rather play a harmonica than be known for playing the mouth organ. That just sounds wrong. But I'm including the album credits pretty much the way they are on the album (hopefully, anyway. I'm getting a lot of these from Wiki, since I don't own physical copies).
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I love how the first post-Abrahams album starts with a Cream-esque blues, even featuring some harmonica; sounds like a big playful "screw you, pal!"
We Used to Know made me a fan of Barre's playing, and showed me who actually wrote Hotel California.
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I love how the first post-Abrahams album starts with a Cream-esque blues, even featuring some harmonica; sounds like a big playful "screw you, pal!"
:lol I never thought of it that way! I just figured they'd start with the bluesiest tune, so fans wouldn't figure they'd changed, before hitting them with all the eclectic stuff. But the effyu to Abrahams angle is a fun way to look at it.
We Used to Know made me a fan of Barre's playing, and showed me who actually wrote Hotel California.
Tull opened for the Eagles on a tour back in the 70's, and Ian Anderson has speculated that they must have subconsciously remembered the song and it showed up later on an Eagles album. But "Hotel California" was written by Don Felder, who didn't join the Eagles until a few years later. So who knows? It's a basic circle-of-fifths type of progression, though, not entirely uncommon, so it's probably just a coincidence. Anderson is very good-natured about it; he doesn't say they ripped him off or anything. He even gives them credit for creating a better song out of it.
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I had the LP with the original stand up cover (it was a birthday gift from my best friend in elementary school), but some low life stole it from me when I had a party at my apartment around 1978 or so.
I knew a guy, a huge Tull fan, who had the original jacket, but it had been wrecked by a drunken roommate. One side was ripped and it didn't stand up correctly anymore. He had tried to tape it, but structural integrity was compromised. There was no way that tape could hold it properly to make it work.
He still seemed pissed about it, which I guess I would be, too.
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Late to the party but gave This Was a listen. I enjoyed it. Actually more flute than I expected in some parts, but overall indeed a different feel than the albums I am familiar with.
As for Stand Up I only know Look into The Sun and Bouree, and I really like those (when I started with vinyl my dad gave a bunch of his 7" doubles, so I do know some seperate JT tracks outside the context of their albums). Looking forward to listening it.
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Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Hammond Organ, Piano, Mandolin, Balalaika, Mouth Organ
While I have no idea what a Balalaika is, WTF is a Mouth Organ? :lol
It's what people call a harmonica if they don't want to sound like hillbillies.
I'd rather sound like a hillbilly than some sort of perv.
Haven't you ever seen Deliverance? Ask Ned Beatty what the difference is. Actually, don't. I hear he's still rally sensitive about that whole thing. :lol
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That was the first thing I thought of when I read you post in the first place.
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I have no idea what a Balalaika is
By the way:
(https://i.imgur.com/JdPyNk0.jpg)
The Balalaika is a traditional Russian stringed musical instrument with a characteristic triangular wooden, hollow body, fretted neck and three strings. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balalaika)
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Ahh, a three stringed ancient flying V.
I thought A New Day Yesterday sounded familiar. Then I remembered Indiscipline sent it to me in my Opposites Attract Roulette.
12. Indiscipline-Jethro Tull-A New Day Yesterday
"I was thinking about this band while putting together my Banned List. A kind of premonition. I appreciate getting this song very much."
I have literally only heard 4 Jethro Tull songs in my life..the classic radio hits. I have never disliked anything I've heard. But I have never taken the time to investigate them. I'm a metal guy, not a flute man. But I loved this old school sound and feel. Some fantastic drumming too. And I never knew Ian Anderson had such a soulful voice. This song was quite different than anything else in this round. This was easily the best song in this round, but would probably rank 5th or 6th against the Night songs. This song really took me back big time. This was a risk, but it paid off.
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Back To the Family is excellent.
I cannot stand the vocal effects of Look Into The Sun. Feels like Jimmy Page is playing.
The first thing I thought of when Fat Man started was Van Halen's Dance The Night Away.
Nice album.
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'Look Into The Sun' has that 'Hat's Off To Roy Harper' irritating echo affect, but not AS irritating.
Took me until 2001 to get the CD, as it had the non album 45 tracks included. As I'm want to do with some albums, my 'improved' version.
New Day Yesterday
Living In The Past *
Driving Song *
Bourée
Back To The Family
Look Into The Sun
Side Two
Sweet Dream *
Nothing Is Easy
Fat Man
We Used To Know
Reasons For Waiting
For A Thousand Mothers
bonus: Nothing Is Easy [live], Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square, 17
*non album songs
'Nothing Is Easy' [live] is from the 'Isle of Wight' 1970 performance (2004 release) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axEK3x5KIYc Very much worth the listen
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I really dig this period of Tull.
Living In The Past, Driving Song, Fat Man, 17... all solid, all songs I go back to fairly frequently.
FYI, in case anyone tries to seek it out, the RnR Circus footage with Iommi I believe is mimed, except for the vocals themselves. He doesn't play; he does wear a bitchin' hat.
EDIT: Tull starts at 2:26, but for sheer ridiculousness, the first two minutes are hard to top (https://dai.ly/x3r40q4). (Check the video out; I can't tell if he's plugged in, and honestly, I can't even tell if there are strings on his guitar).
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I really dig this period of Tull.
Living In The Past, Driving Song, Fat Man, 17... all solid, all songs I go back to fairly frequently.
FYI, in case anyone tries to seek it out, the RnR Circus footage with Iommi I believe is mimed, except for the vocals themselves. He doesn't play; he does wear a bitchin' hat.
EDIT: Tull starts at 2:26, but for sheer ridiculousness, the first two minutes are hard to top (https://dai.ly/x3r40q4). (Check the video out; I can't tell if he's plugged in, and honestly, I can't even tell if there are strings on his guitar).
Edited by Steve Harris's dad.
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Just an anecdote to the Iommi/Tull side story. Iommi has said that his short stint was an eye-opener for him. It showed him how tight a ship it was, with Anderson having set rehearsal times with mandatory attendance and no one strolling in whenever they wanted. He took this revelation back with him and applied it when he re-started Earth/Sabbath. Iommi also found the Tull vibe weird, with Anderson eating lunch at one table while the other members were together at another table.
I'm an unapologetic Ian Anderson fan. He certainly may have been dickish to quite a few members of his band, but I chalk it up to being the control freak that has kept the band together, allowing it to flourish all these decades. Obviously every band has its own dynamic, but whatever he did seemed to work.
The Ian Anderson/Martin Barre relationship really seemed to fit hand-in-glove, lasting longer than almost any musical partnership I can think of. When you have two strong personalities (Gilmour/Waters and Lennon/Mccartney come to mind), it can serve to tear a band apart. To my mind, Steven Wilson and Michael Akerfelt are modern-day Ian Andersons in the spirit with which they run their bands.
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^ I'm in tune with this; I've often used the analogy of a sports team with a band; I think there has to be a dick (of some sort) in the band, someone to push the band and to make sure the t's get crossed and the i's get dotted. I think there, in most cases, has to be one or more people for whom the role isn't to make the decisions, it's to carry them out. We can name these people all day long: Alex Van Halen, Dave Murray, Roger Glover... and in this case, maybe Martin Barre.
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He still seemed pissed about it, which I guess I would be, too.
I'm still pissed about the thief, 42 years later. I'm pretty sure the bastard swiped a spare bottle of Elsha cologne, too. :lol
Anyway, I'll spare ya'll they stupid tales of trying to sing Fat Man as a sort of impromptu audition to be a singer for a JHS garage band.
Side one is brilliant and iconic. Barre really made his presence felt right away and Ian was able to branch out from the blues a bit. I get the criticism with the vocal effects on Look into the Sun (sounds like the recorded his voice through a Leslie speaker, to me) but I have never been bothered by it.
Side two's start with Nothing Is Easy through We Used To Know is probably my favorite Tull three song stretch. I know, there's more to come, and my feelings are rooted in youthful nostalgia. So sue me.
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Just an anecdote to the Iommi/Tull side story. Iommi has said that his short stint was an eye-opener for him. It showed him how tight a ship it was, with Anderson having set rehearsal times with mandatory attendance and no one strolling in whenever they wanted. He took this revelation back with him and applied it when he re-started Earth/Sabbath. Iommi also found the Tull vibe weird, with Anderson eating lunch at one table while the other members were together at another table.
Thanks for those details. One of the accounts I read of the early days of Jethro Tull mentioned in passing how they'd rehearse/record 9 to 5 during the day, then Anderson would work on stuff during the evening -- reviewing and/or editing tapes, preparing the agenda for the next day's sessions, etc -- and then the band would work 9 to 5 the next day. Basically like a "regular" job, and Anderson was the boss. And of course, no one eats lunch with the boss.
I can see how Iommi, or most people really, would find that kinda weird. A rock and roll band by nature is rebellious, crazy, impulsive, etc. If you were in Jethro Tull, you worked hard, and you were serious about the band and the music. None of this rock and roll hippie bullshit.
Apparently Jethro Tull was invited to play at Woodstock, and Anderson told them No. The band was still in the early stages, and he didn't want them to become pigeonholed as one of "those" bands (whatever that means). I got the impression that he really didn't care for the hippie scene in general. He's a pretty straight-laced guy. Anderson seems much like Zappa, or Fripp with King Crimson. Leave your rock and roll rebel or diva shit at the door. If you're in this band, it's 100% about the music.
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Benefit (1970) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyVj8AeeVpg&list=PLF3A3CFBDBBCF8A5D)
(https://i.imgur.com/HyejAzK.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Guitars, Flute, Balalaika, Keyboards
Martin Barre - Electric Guitar
Clive Bunker - Drums
Glenn Cornick - Bass
Dee Palmer - Orchestral Arrangments
John Evan - Piano, Organ
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U.K. Track Listing
With You There to Help Me 6:15
Nothing to Say 5:10
Alive and Well and Living In 2:43
Son 2:48
For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me 3:47
To Cry You a Song 6:09
A Time for Everything? 2:42
Inside 3:38
Play in Time 3:44
Sossity; You're a Woman 4:31
U.S. Track Listing
With You There to Help Me 6:15
Nothing to Say 5:10
Inside 3:46
Son 2:48
For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me 3:47
To Cry You a Song 6:09
A Time for Everything? 2:42
Teacher 3:57
Play in Time 3:44
Sossity; You're a Woman 4:31
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In 1970, Ian Anderson finally convinced John Evan to join Jethro Tull. Evan appeared on Benefit as a session player, but after the recording was complete, Anderson pointed out that they would need a keyboard player on the tour, and Evan agreed to become a full-fledged member of the band. He'd been resistant, as he had enrolled at the University of London to study music, which meant he had free access to a studio. Evan was living with Anderson at the time, the two of them having stayed together since the breakup of The John Evan Band. It seems to me that Anderson's thoughts were never far from the old band, as evidenced by "A Song for Jeffrey" on This Was and "Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square" on Stand Up, both for Jeffrey Hammond, and now "For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me" from this album.
Anderson was excited about the new possibilities that came with having a full-time keyboard player, but he also says that this is primarily a "guitar riff" album, and that its darker sound was part of the natural evolution of the band. Martin Barre said that this album was a lot easier than Stand Up, as the success of that album gave them more artistic latitude for this one. There may be a few more songs more clearly based on a guitar hooks, but I hadn't really noticed or thought of it that way. The album overall feels proggier, with the average track length increasing and the band taking more chances musically. The U.K. and U.S. versions differ slightly, but both start with the longest track "With You There to Help Me" which treats the listener to some great instrumental work. But that's true of every song. The instrumentals and arrangements are tight, and the production is great. Anderson has sole writing credit on every track here.
Ian Anderson also continues to draw upon personal experience for inspiration, including his family. On Stand Up we had "Back to the Family" and "For A Thousand Mothers"; here we have "Son".
This one took me a few more listens to get into, but wow, once it clicked, it clicked hard. I guess I can see how the band themselves thought of it as more guitar-driven. It's heavier, but there are many sides to Jethro Tull. We get some really nice interplay between the guitar and flute here, and the keyboards add some new textures. I like that Tull albums seem to each have their own nature, but all sound like Jethro Tull.
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Ian says:
"A darker album. You have to put that into the context of a band returning from the first of three forays into the USA and that altered my mindset. It's not all gloom and doom, but it's a slightly more oddball album. On For Michael Collins, Jeffrey And Me, we referenced Michael Collins, the astronaut who was stuck in the command module and we now know was given the instructions to leave the others behind. The loneliest man in space, and also he gets no glory because he's not the guy who walked on the moon."
From Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
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If not my favourite of theirs, surely the one I've played the most; this is where the classic JT progressions and harmonies are established. Arrangements and orchestration will virtually vary with every album, but many constant ideas in their career can already be found here. Plus, there's a certain dark edgy, almost uncomfortable mood keeping the songs from ever becoming stale.
Personal highlights: With You There to Help Me, Nothing to Say (dress rehearsals for Aqualung's atypical rock chord progression), and - above all - To Cry You a Song: great joke on Bach's Bandinerie, and - bear with me, I like to dick around with musical similarities - a four bars instrumental break we'll hear almost verbatim ten years later in Charlotte The Harlot's intro.
Orbert, thank you with all my heart for giving me an excuse to play one of the most beloved records from my pre-teen years. :)
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OK, I just listened to Benefit. I definitely recognized Teacher, though I had no idea what the title was.
I must say I almost gave up on it halfway through. I liked the previous album much better. I felt that save for To Cry You A Song and Play In Time, this album has no life. To Cry You A Song rocks pretty good though.
Stand Up made me want to hear what was next. Benefit does not. But I'm in this for the long haul. :)
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Minor point, but in case anyone cares, there are two versions of "Teacher": the UK single version and the US album version, and they are rather different. I'm stealing this from Wikipedia because I think "fluteless" is funny: "the US version (with flute) of "Teacher" was placed on side two of the album and the track "Alive and Well and Living In" was excluded. In the UK "Teacher" was the B-side of the non-album single "Witch's Promise" and fluteless." While I like the flute generally (phrasing!) "Teacher" is one of my favorite Tull songs, and I prefer the UK version myself.
So TAC, if you're put off with the flute... ;)
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I don't know if I've ever heard this album before...listening now to the Steven Wilson mix. With You There to Help Me is a real ripper, innit?
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Minor point, but in case anyone cares, there are two versions of "Teacher": the UK single version and the US album version, and they are rather different. I'm stealing this from Wikipedia because I think "fluteless" is funny: "the US version (with flute) of "Teacher" was placed on side two of the album and the track "Alive and Well and Living In" was excluded. In the UK "Teacher" was the B-side of the non-album single "Witch's Promise" and fluteless." While I like the flute generally (phrasing!) "Teacher" is one of my favorite Tull songs, and I prefer the UK version myself.
So TAC, if you're put off with the flute... ;)
Actually, the damn flute wasn't the issue. This album just felt dead to me. There was some nice guitar in the first song. I forgot to mention that.
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Okay, finished my listen.
In addition to With You There to Help Me, I loved To Cry You a Song, Play in Time and, of course, Teacher. Of the bonus songs I liked Sweet Dream and the end jam of 17. The UK version of Teacher was cool, but I still like the U.S. version better.
Overall, an interesting and mostly enjoyable album. Like I said, I really loved what I highlighted and was just kinda flat with the rest.
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I wasn't that impressed either, my first couple of listens. It seemed like more of the same from Stand Up, but not as interesting, possibly because it wasn't as novel or fresh. But upon further listens, I started noticing the arrangements and the production, and of course the excellent musicianship. I think that musicially, it's another step forward for the band, even if the results don't really have the "wow" factor. As Anderson himself points out, it's a darker, heavier, more guitar-driven album. I don't have a problem with that. I think it's proggier than either of the first two albums and takes some chances, musically, and that's another way to measure the progress and evolution of a band.
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I'm pleasantly surprised I'm not alone with my impression of this album.
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Added the UK version of 'Teacher' at the end of Side One for my version. The lyrics are a bit more introspective, occasionally 'darker'. Anderson's longing for home during/after touring are apparent throughout, the ultimate loneliness in 'Michael Collins....' family issues in 'Son', and so on. Tull's music has always been the type I can listen to at any time of day in any type of weather, but 'Benefit' isn't. Definitely a 'night time' album.
I had no idea that 'Stand Up' reached #1 in the UK before this thread. For 'Benefit', the numbers were UK #3, USA #11. I had no idea their chart success was this good before the upcoming release. The non album single 'Witch's Promise' was #4 in the UK with (surprisingly to me) 'Teacher' as the B side. Always thought the opposite.
****Sept 26 addition*******
From the LA Forum in 1970, with 'My God' but before the 'Aqualung' LP release. This above average bootleg was uploaded in July.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGs3L5S9g7w
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As others have mentioned, a dark brooding album for sure. I remember playing it in the car many years ago and when my son heard that opening eerie flutter of Ian’s flute, he said “Whoa” as in whoa this is some strange scary music.
I like it quite a lot, but I’ve always seen Benefit as kind of a transitional album for the band.
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Jethro Tull were becoming bigger, and were invited to perform at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival. Unlike the earlier invitation to play Woodstock, which Ian Anderson declined, they accepted the invitation to play at the Isle of Wight Festival, their largest audience yet. Another U.S. tour followed, and it was during this time that the growing rift between bassist Glenn Cornick and the rest of the band became apparent. While most of the band was fairly reclusive during the tour, Cornick preferred to "socialize". He was eventually invited to leave the band by their management. Cornick says he was fired. Semantics.
Anderson called upon another of his friends from the old John Evan Band, Jeffrey Hammond, to play bass. Jeffrey's parents, prior to getting married, both had the surname Hammond, so the ever-whimsical Anderson, following the British tradition of using both parents' surnames, dubbed him Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond.
Aqualung (1971) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fEB6v5SsLI&list=PLfGibfZATlGqX1Y8hVufdbUmOZpN0p-E9)
(https://i.imgur.com/YTDyjEn.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Flute
Martin Barre - Electric Guitar, Descant Recorder
Clive Bunker - Drums
John Evan - Keyboards
Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond - Bass, Alto Recorder, Backing Vocals
Dee Palmer - Orchestral Arrangments
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Side One: Aqualung
Aqualung 6:34
Cross-Eyed Mary 4:06
Cheap Day Return 1:21
Mother Goose 3:51
Wond'ring Aloud 1:53
Up to Me 3:15
Side Two: My God
My God 7:08
Hymn 43 3:14
Slipstream 1:13
Locomotive Breath 4:23
Wind-Up 6:01
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First things first. Many consider this to be Jethro Tull's first concept album. Ian Anderson is adamant that this is not the case. He does say that there are some recurring themes in the lyrics, which makes sense because he tends to write about whatever is on his mind at the time. Anderson's family and friends figure into many lyrics, and he had been thinking about God and organized religion. Also, his wife Jennie was a photography student, and she had recently taken several pictures of homeless people. All of these themes are present in the lyrics. For no reason other than that he thought it would be kinda cool to do, he subtitled Side One "Aqualung" and Side Two "My God", after the first song on each side, and he arranged the song order to more or less fit into one theme or the other. But according to Anderson, that doesn't make it a concept album, as there is no overarching concept or story.
Jennie Franks ("Jenny Anderson" on this album) has lyric credits on the song "Aqualung", otherwise all music and lyrics are by Ian Anderson. One particular photo of a homeless man inspired Ian and Jennie to come up with a backstory for him. Ian came up with the idea that the old man had some kind of pulmonary disease which made him wheeze, resulting in the "deep sea-diver sounds" which are his labored breathing, thus the name "Aqualung". Ian similarly came up with the backstory for "Cross-Eyed Mary".
Anderson thought that a painting would make a better album cover, so he commissioned American artist Burton Silverman (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burton_Silverman) to do the painting. Anderson recalls posing for the painting, although Silverman has said that it is a self-portrait. Later, Anderson admitted that the original photo by Jennie would probably have been a better choice for the cover.
Jeffrey Hammond had not actually played the bass since the breakup of The John Evan Band years earlier. He'd been focusing on his studies as an art student. Anderson wasn't worried about that; he wanted Hammond (or "Hammond-Hammond" as he called him) because he was a better fit for the band in terms of personality.
Aqualung has several tracks which contrast lighter, acoustic sections with heavier sections where the drums, bass, and electric guitars come in. Yet Jethro Tull still seemed to not go "full prog" with extended musical interludes and instrumental wankery. Some of the songs are a bit longer, but it always feels organic, that the song is longer simply because there is more to say.
The only other thing I can think of to add for now (because I'm on lunch break and also anxious to get to the discussion) is a personal note. When people find out that I play the flute, the first thing they ask me is "Do you guys do any Jethro Tull?" I'm proud to say that I performed "Locomotive Breath" a few times with the guys back in Michigan. It's only possible because there's piano at the beginning, which drops out once the guitars, bass and drums come in, and that frees me up to take the flute solo. Then the piano comes back for the jam at the end. Great song, and great fun to play.
Aqualung was and still is Jethro Tull's most successful album in terms of sales. It sold seven million copies upon initial release and reached #4 on the U.K. Album Chart, and #7 on the Billboard North American Pop Album chart. When it was released on CD in 1996, it sold enough to re-enter the U.K. Album Chart and peak at #52.
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Ian says:
"That's the singer/songwriter side of things, where a lot of the music did come out of me strumming an acoustic guitar with a view to keeping it that way, as opposed to writing that way and turning it electric. That big title track riff came out of an acoustic jam – you've just got to have that imagination to hear that. You have to know that you can make it sing. It went on to sell and sell across the world. It's the album that broke us in countries beyond the UK and US."
From Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
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A great album, due largely to the songs nobody's ever heard of. Up to Me, Wind Up, and My God are all among the best things Tull ever did. While I'm not much of an Ian Anderson fan, his vocals really bring out the tone he was looking for, particularly in the sheer disgust he feels in My God.
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A fantastic album and a favorite of mine for many a year. This is the first JT album where I thought Anderson's voice really worked throughout. To be honest, on the first three albums, I get a little tired of hearing his voice and trademark phrasing--his whole minstrel persona (my description) can get a bit tiring and cartoonish for my tastes. Yet on this album, it all fits.
My favorites are Cross-Eyed Mary, Mother Goose, Up to Me, My God, and Wind-Up. Aqualung, Hymn 43, and Locomotive Breath are great too, but I've heard them a bit too often on classic rock radio.
I think this is the go to Tull album for a good reason.
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I can't think of twenty songs I love more than Wind Up.
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I can't think of twenty songs I love more than Wind Up.
Thanks for that. There's nothing I love more than piss flavored Cheerios!
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Great write up Orbert. Some tidbits in there that I’d not known about.
Growing up in the 70s, Aqualung was huge for me. It had the same impact on me that Led Zeppelin II and Dark Side of the Moon had.
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I can't think of twenty songs I love more than Wind Up.
Thanks for that. There's nothing I love more than piss flavored Cheerios!
???
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Confused here, also, at first. But somewhat understandable because that's a somewhat odd way to phrase what I took to be a compliment, and I think Podaar misinterpreted it.
If I may: You love Wind Up. You love it so much that there aren't many songs you can think of that you love more. Twenty tops.
Something like that?
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Confused here, also, at first. But somewhat understandable because that's a somewhat odd way to phrase what I took to be a compliment, and I think Podaar misinterpreted it.
If I may: You love Wind Up. You love it so much that there aren't many songs you can think of that you love more. Twenty tops.
Something like that?
Exactly that, thank you Orbert.
Sorry for the poor phrasing :)
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No problem. :) I love pretty much every song in this album. Like many my age, this album was my introduction to the band. Maybe we'd heard of Jethro Tull before, or had heard "Boureé" or "Teacher" on the radio (I know I remember "Hey man, what's the plan, what was that you said?"), but the song "Aqualung" with its killer guitar hook and start-stop cadence was all over the radio where I was growing up. We all went out and got this album.
I picked up one of the Steven Wilson repackages, the 2-CD version without the DVDs and 5.1 mix. In retrospect, I should've just grabbed the full-blown version, but money was tight at the time. Now I'm having trouble justifying the additional cost of triple-dipping. Anyway, as with the earlier albums, there are lots of extra tracks that didn't make it onto the album, and if you love Aqualung the album and want more of the same, then the 40th Anniversary releases are great for exactly that.
A warning, first. When Steven goes back to the master tapes, he remixes as well as remasters. There may another guitar part, or some extra backing vocals, etc., that they ultimately decided to not include in the final mix. Steven isn't afraid to bring some of these back. For the most part, I like it; it's cool hearing that extra thing here or there that the band almost used. But it's also distracting sometimes. I know this album so well, every song, that hearing that extra guitar line sticks out. I'm sure that he's aware of this and why he always also includes the original version of the album, just cleaned up and remastered. So you can always choose which version you want to listen to.
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I can't think of twenty songs I love more than Wind Up.
Thanks for that. There's nothing I love more than piss flavored Cheerios!
???
:rollin
I'm an idiot! I totally misread that. I can't imagine why my comprehension skills are so bad. Sorry, buddy!
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Nice, I can't wait to listen to this tonight.
I freaking love Aqualung (the song). I know it's a classic rock staple but I think it's an amazing song. I remember the early MTV video where I think Ian Anderson starts out on a bench or something. I remember being blown away by that clip.
I definitely recognize Cross Eyed Mary and Locomotive Breath too.
I've always been lukewarm on Locomotive Breath. I don't not like it, but it doesn't really do a ton for me.
I do like Cross Eyed Mary a lot though, and ironically, I can't stand Iron Maiden's version. I think it's one of their worst covers tbh.
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If I remember correctly, it was still early on in Bruce's time with the band, and they recorded the song in a higher key than Bruce would have preferred.
I like the Tull version better too; the trill on the flute doesn't have the same effect on guitar. I love that sound at the end of the Maiden version though. It was like a freight train engine coming to a stop.
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Hey, I know Mother Goose. And Hymn 43! :)
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So I thought My God was pretty cool, but I gotta say, while I don't mind the flute embellishing the sound on top of the rest of the band, that extended flute solo almost caused me to hyperventilate. :lol
I would've definitely preferred the um..mouth organ in that spot.
Wind Up, as you guys have said was really good, and I liked Lick Your Fingers Clean. The flute playing the melody in the beginning didn't really bug me at all.
Easily the best album so far!
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Aqualung is the one Tull album I love from start to finish. I always liked it, but Steven Wilson's remaster made it sound like 100 times better, and it elevated the album big time for me. So many great songs.
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Ian guessed on some weird albums in the 80's. For example on a Honeymoon Suite song.
https://youtu.be/3X2bKc-MhkI
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Wow, I would've never had guest that.
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Sounds good too. Cool to hear the cross pollination on genres. Hell, Michael McDonald sang on a Honeymoon Suite song. That shouldn't be a surprise though. Lol
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:facepalm:
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:lol
He plays on anyone's albums. Lol. Sounds good though.
https://youtu.be/Lo703mkKTWE
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Ian guessed on some weird albums in the 80's.
Wow, I would've never had guest that.
Owe ewe guise.
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I knew Cross Eyed Mary from Iron Maiden, and Locomotive Breath from Helloween.
Aqualung however (the song) I must have heard it in its original form.
This is one of the few Jethro Tull albums I've actually explored, and I always knew it was one of their landmark ones anyway; maybe I'll give it another try soon :hat
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Speaking of Cross-Eyed Mary, Bruce and Maiden, just give the head's up when it's time to post the link to Bruce singing Revelations and Jerusalem (the Blake poem) in the cathedral with Ian. It's mandatory listening. ;) :)
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I'm not sure where it would fit in with the Discography, if at all, but it sounds like it would be of general interest to Tull fans. Go ahead and post it in this thread.
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As a very young teenager, along with the harder songs, it was amazing just how 'beautiful' some of the music is on this release. It was often my 'Sunday morning, read the newspaper, anti church establishment' background music. An album that was in just about anyone's collection that loved rock 'n roll.
To show how times have changed, here is an American 45 version of 'Locomotive Breath'. No piano and guitar intro (not surprising for AM radio) but note the beep at 2:55, because 'balls' was too 'edgy'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yYcbKV1LqU
Also in the USA, the first guitar riff of 'Aqualung' was removed (?). I had the 8 track, the songs were all in order, but the entire stanza in 'Hymn 43' that starts with 'and the unsung Western hero' and chorus were edited out. That part really jumped out at me when I finally bought the vinyl.
I can also remember hearing 'Mother Goose' played often on the radio. A shame that 'Lick Your Fingers' clean didn't make it on the end of Side One. A real treat in that 20th Anniversary release.
I just read a sad history of the individual who did the artwork. Will post later. In the meantime....
http://www.tullpress.com/aquatext71.htm
************** Sept 24 edit ************
********************
Someone just uploaded this concert in August from the LA Forum in June of '71. Good quality, very receptive audience, and concerts from this era of decent quality are hard to find.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9g2se9nT7Q
Support: Fanny, Livingston Taylor (a week later Yes would open in Edmonton...their first North America concert....)
First verified appearence of 'Hard-Headed English General'.
My God (w. flute solo, incl. Bourée), With You There To Help Me/By Kind Permission Of..., Sossity: You're A Woman/Reasons For Waiting, Nothing Is Easy, To Cry You A Song, Aqualung, Cross-Eyed Mary (w. drum solo), Wind-Up/Guitar Solo, Locomotive Breath, Hard-Headed English General, Wind-Up (reprise)
Also......'Lick Your Fingers Clean / 'Wind Up' was originally intended as the promo single. The nonalbum A side track would not see the light of day until the 20th Anniversary box set release in '88. A shame, as it's a fun little song.
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Bit late to this but following along. I have upgraded my vinyl set up recently and am working my way through my Dad's old records. Other than the debut I have the other records (including the pop up version of Stand Up).
I've already listened to Stand Up, Benefit and Aqualung a few times but I'm going to try and listen to the debut, then chronologically through the rest.
My favourite out of the 4 so far is Stand Up, can't remember specifically why but it stood out the most.
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One other thing; I thought I posted this but I guess I didn't: this was recorded at Island Studios in December 1970 through February 1971. Led Zeppelin began the recording sessions for their untitled record at that same time in that same studio (though they later moved out to Headley Grange in January, before returning in February to do overdubs.
Anderson has said that he was greatly influenced by Roy Harper and Bert Jansch on that album (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqualung_(Jethro_Tull_album)#cite_note-Classic_Rock_Presents_Prog-6); both are crucial influences on the acoustic side of Led Zeppelin, so much so that it might actually be Anderson's way of indicating his being influenced by a certain aspect of Jimmy Page's playing (though he's also placed the influence earlier, before Page made any waves with Zeppelin (https://www.guitarworld.com/features/interview-jethro-tulls-ian-anderson-discusses-gear-and-thick-brick-2).)
Either way, I find it mildly fascinating that if you were to go to Island Studios in December of 1970, depending on what room you went into you would see a bunch of young (Anderson was 23, Plant was 22, Page was 26) Englishmen "making history", as Derek would say.
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^
Read about that when this thread started. Quite the group of talent in that small area (understatement)
My favorite from the album is 'My God'. I find parts that had to have influenced Brian May of Queen for 'Brighton Rock', specifically the guitar solo.
To 'wind up' my contributions for this album, here's the long, sad story related to the artwork and the legalities.
https://theoutline.com/post/4490/jethro-tull-aqualung-cover-artist-burton-silverman?zd=1&zi=tk5evn4e
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Wow, that's a sad story indeed. It's pretty much what I'd assumed, based on the few sentences about it in the Wiki articles I'd read. There was no contract, and the fee was a flat $1500. By not specifying what the paintings could be used for, they effectively became the property of Chrysalis Records to do whatever they wanted with them. That's why we see the iconic image of "Aqualung" everywhere, yet Burton Silverman has never seen a penny more than that original $1500 fee.
I also wasn't surprised at how the stories behind the paintings themselves don't line up. Silverman says the paintings were "self-portraits" based on photos taken by his wife. Anderson says he remembers posing for them. Interesting, then, that we also know that Jennie, Anderson's wife at the time, had taken a bunch of photos of homeless people, and supposedly the paintings were based on those. The three stories intersect a bit in different ways, and also diverge in some important ways. Why would Ian pose for the paintings if they were based on photos? That question struck right away.
Memory is a funny thing. There are things I know, things I recall quite vividly from my youth. Yet when I get together with the guys back home, they recall certain events very differently, yet their memories are just as clear. They absolutely believe their version of events to be the truth, since they were there and saw it with their own eyes. I too was there, and saw it with my own eyes. But somehow years later, our stories completely contradict each other.
What I believe is true that Silverman was paid a flat fee for the paintings and has never seen a penny beyond that. Everyone agrees on that point. But the origins of the paintings themselves, which is (unfortunately) tied to how much of a "claim" he can later make against any monies earned from them, are lost, just as much as the other two paintings. The stories of Silverman, Ellis, and Anderson all diverge too much, and too much time has passed for any account to be taken as "truth".
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I was all ears from the beginning with JT. Clive Bunker was the best drummer they had IMO. Barlowe was good (of course), but he didn't have the snappy, dynamic approach as CB.
'This Was' was good, but not that interesting for me. I still like it though, it had that charming miss of discipline from all members - something you don't see today, except for jazz recordings f.ex.
Mick Abrahams had too much blues influence, he would have hindered the prog development of the band, if he didn't leave IMO. Later he formed Blodwyn Pig, which was much better for his particular playing style. I happened to see them live sometime back in the early 70s, it was magnificient, a concert I really remember as outstanding.
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I've never listened to Blodwyn Pig. I wondered if they were any good. No reason not to think so, but Abrahams was just one guy. I agree that Jethro Tull would probably have turned out differently if he'd stay with them. But my guess is that he would have left sooner or later anyway. Ian Anderson just doesn't seem the type to share control of a band.
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I was all ears from the beginning with JT. Clive Bunker was the best drummer they had IMO.
I'm not into Jethro Tull, so I'm not really familiar with any of these albums, but the drumming has been the thing that had stood out the most to me so far.
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Following the huge success of Aqualung, Jethro Tull continued to grow, and continued to tour extensively. Clive Bunker chose this time to leave the group in order to spend more time with his family. Ian Anderson once again took the opportunity to bring in an old school chum, this time drummer Barrie Barlow, to fill the void. As John Evans was now "John Evan" and Jeffrey Hammond was now "Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond", Barlow's name needed an embellishment, so Anderson renamed him "Barriemore Barlow".
Except for guitarist Martin Barre, Jethro Tull was now all former members of The John Evan Band from Blackpool. Also, Jethro Tull now had five albums, by five different lineups.
Thick as a Brick (1972) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X15PsqN0DHc)
(https://i.imgur.com/voab9Up.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Flute, Violin, Trumpet, Saxophone
Barriemore Barlow - Drums, Percussion, Tympani
Martin Barre - Electric Guitar, Lute
John Evan - Piano, Organ, Harpsichord
Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond - Bass, Spoken Word
Dee Palmer - Orchestral Arrangments
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Ian Anderson was annoyed by the media somehow deciding that Aqualung was a concept album and continuously asking him about it, so he decided that the next album would be "the mother of all concept albums". Anderson and the rest of the group were big fans of the British Comedy troupe Monty Python, and decided that the entire album would flow as a continuous piece of music, much as the TV show Monty Python's Flying Circus had a stream-of-consciousness style to it, with individual pieces linked together (often with the aid of Terry Gilliam's animations) to form each half-hour program.
They started with Anderson's basic song which opens and closes the album, and some other bits that Anderson had, and the group came up with a number of additional pieces in the studio. There was some improvisation, but nearly everything was worked out prior to recording, and it was later edited all together into a single piece of music. All band members contributed to the music. Because of the physical limitations of an LP record, the final 43-minute piece was split across the two sides near the midpoint, where they had placed a bit which fades down and then back up again. The original CD version splices these two pieces back together nicely but not quite perfectly. Later versions correct this.
There had been other concept albums, but never a rock album which is one continuous composition. This was a first. The mother of all concept albums indeed.
And then there was the packaging. The original LP package had additional folds at the bottom, so that the jacket unfolded into a 12" x 18" newspaper named "The St. Cleve Chronicle". It is meant to evoke a small-town newspaper and the types of things one might find in a small-town newspaper. In this case, the big story was the scandal involving eight-year-old Gerald Bostock, who had recently won a local poetry competition with his epic "Thick as a Brick". Bostock was given the nickname "Little Milton". Apparently there was some last-minute controversy, and Gerald was stripped of his title, when it was determined that the epic poem was really a number of shorter pieces linked together in order to appear impressive. (Sound familiar?) The lyrics to Thick as a Brick are Bostock's epic poem set to music. Of course, Gerald "Little Milton" Bostock and everything else in the newspaper are fictitious. Everything in the newspaper was written by Anderson, Jeffrey Hammond, and John Evan. They say that it took longer to write the newspaper than it took to write the album.
(https://i.imgur.com/LBAty9i.jpg) (https://i.imgur.com/gUW3yBd.jpg) (https://i.imgur.com/4zSF4Wm.jpg)
Here's a close-up of the Children's Corner. Print it out and connect the dots!
(https://i.imgur.com/QdKpQU2.jpg)
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Ian says:
"After Aqualung, I felt we had to take a big step forward. Many writers wrote about Aqualung as a concept album, and I kept saying, 'Maybe two or three songs in the same area, but not a concept.' In the wake of all of that, I thought, 'Right, let’s show them what a concept album is,' and it seemed like an amusing idea to go down that route in this Pythonesque way and to try to use surreal humour. It clicked in America, which was a surprise, and it was our first real foray in that sort of theatrical presentation."
From Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
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I love the first 10 minutes or so of Thick as a Brick, but it loses the plot quickly after that and just kind of meanders along till it ends. It definitely sounds like Anderson went out of his way to write a super long song rather than it coming out and flowing organically and naturally.
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I adore every single second of this album. More in the morning. I’m tired.
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I adore every single second of this album.
2
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Top 10 album ever for me. I was fortunate enough to see Ian performing it live six years ago (or so), and it was a blast.
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Leave it to Ian Anderson's unique brand of wit to commence a 40 plus minutes song with the stanza: "Really don't mind if you sit this one out" :D
For at least a decade I discarded side B except for the drum solo, then it finally clicked, and I never looked back.
The children corner page has been my greatest temptation as a kid; defacing dad's album would have meant - best case - being sold to slave child traffickers.
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^
:rollin
(so you never found out why Fluffy the Duck was slobbering? ;))
It really helped me when I came across a website eons ago that had the album broken down into:
SIDE ONE
Thick As A Brick 3:01 / A Son Is Born To Fight 3:06 / The Poet And The Painter 4:20 / What Do You Do? 2:02 / Down From The Upper Class 3:51 /
You Curl Your Toes In Fun 1:03 / Come On Ye Childhood Heroes 3:41 / Fadeout 1:21
SIDE TWO
A Son Is Born For Peace 4:02 / Clear White Circles Of Morning 2:28 / Do You Believe In The Day? 4:27 / Post Day Instrumental 1:52 /
Let Me Tell You The Tales Of Your Life 2:01 / Building Castles 3:10 / Childhood Heroes- Thick As A Brick finale 3:05
(times are very, very close approximations)
I know the remaster has the 'song' broken down differently. Being able to jump about, hearing the first three 'tracks', then on to 'Do You Believe In The Day' (beautifully done song) might be the way for those who don't want some of the repetitive music of the differing themes of the younger 'son'.
For a shorter, six minute radio friendly version, there is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9bk2MrMGaA
There are many shorter live versions available, including the 'Bursting Out' version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqlbayGMn2w
#1 in the US and many other countries, #5 in the UK.
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Leave it to Ian Anderson's unique brand of wit to commence a 40 plus minutes song with the stanza: "Really don't mind if you sit this one out" :D
I've always loved that. Chuckled the first time I heard it, because I knew what was coming.
Back in high school, I managed to find a used copy of the original LP package, complete with the newspaper, and no one had done the Children's Corner connect-the-dots yet. Because I had no concept that the package might become a collector's item someday, and probably was really high at the time, I did the connect-the-dots. Wrote with a pencil right on the newspaper, seriously lowering its collector's value.
On the other hand, I'm pretty sure I'd never sell it anyway. If things ever get so bad that I end up selling my vinyl collection or any part of it in order to eat, maybe, but I don't see that day ever coming. In the meantime, I did the puzzle and it was fun, so I'm glad I did it. I don't like having somewhat rare things just because I can look at them and think "This is worth $xxx". I like having them because I like them and think they're cool. The newspaper jacket is cool, that's all. The fact that someone somewhere might think it's worth $xxx doesn't really figure into it. Same with the rest of my vinyl and other collectable stuff. Doesn't matter what it's supposedly worth, because I'm not going to sell it anyway.
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Between the pop up on Stand Up, the striking paintings on Aqualung and the weirdness of the newspaper on TAAB, this thread has made me nostalgic for the lost art of the album cover. Half the joy was unwrapping the shrink and opening up those glorious gatefolds for the first time.
Like most people, it took some time for me to warm up to TAAB, but I love it now. There is a lot of quirky music here that takes some effort from the listener to connect to. I remember reading about the band members complaining about how TAAB was a bitch to play live in its entirety.
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I have the original release on vinyl and I’m almost positive the newspaper is fully intact and unscathed. But I don’t think the record itself is in very good shape. I picked it up mostly because it was the only one I had ever seen with the fully intact original newspaper.
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Huh, I never realized the album was only two songs, or ONE song. I've heard the radio version of Thick As A Brick. OK, well onto the album...
It really helped me when I came across a website eons ago that had the album broken down into:
SIDE ONE
Thick As A Brick 3:01 / A Son Is Born To Fight 3:06 / The Poet And The Painter 4:20 / What Do You Do? 2:02 / Down From The Upper Class 3:51 /
You Curl Your Toes In Fun 1:03 / Come On Ye Childhood Heroes 3:41 / Fadeout 1:21
SIDE TWO
A Son Is Born For Peace 4:02 / Clear White Circles Of Morning 2:28 / Do You Believe In The Day? 4:27 / Post Day Instrumental 1:52 /
Let Me Tell You The Tales Of Your Life 2:01 / Building Castles 3:10 / Childhood Heroes- Thick As A Brick finale 3:05
(times are very, very close approximations)
Thank you for this breakdown.
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OK. Well that was a fucking earful. :lol
I didn't recognize anything from the radio, other than the opening part.
I didn't find the first half having a ton of flow, and I found the damn flute a bit distracting in parts.
The last 8 minutes or so of Side 2 rocked pretty good.
After just one listen, my first impression is that it would be a stretch to call this one song. I didn't feel any cohesion at all. It's like calling 6 D's one song, when it's clearly 8 defined different ones.
But there were definitely a shitload of really cool parts. I definitely didn't not like it. I'm not sure I can promise myself more listens, but I'm pretty sure it would improve with each one.
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OK. Well that was a fucking earful. :lol
I didn't recognize anything from the radio, other than the opening part.
I didn't find the first half having a ton of flow, and I found the damn flute a bit distracting in parts.
The last 8 minutes or so of Side 2 rocked pretty good.
After just one listen, my first impression is that it would be a stretch to call this one song. I didn't feel any cohesion at all. It's like calling 6 D's one song, when it's clearly 8 defined different ones.
But there were definitely a shitload of really cool parts. I definitely didn't not like it. I'm not sure I can promise myself more listens, but I'm pretty sure it would improve with each one.
Look, let’s put aside the fact that you’re wrong and just please not start this **** again. :rollin
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Lyric page
http://www.collecting-tull.com/Albums/Lyrics/ThickAsABrick.html
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Probably because it was never a big part of the live shows I've seen, nor the box sets I have, I haven't ever gotten into this much. I'm not sure I've ever heard it all the way through, to be honest. Just the "edits" from the best ofs. I might give this a listen if I have an hour block to share.
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I never have trouble listening to Thick as a Brick all the way through. To me, it's similar to Yes' Tales from Topographic Oceans, or Transatlantic's The Whirlwind. I don't put it on unless I'm planning to listen to the whole thing, which means I've already decided that I'm in the mood for it and have set aside the time to listen. I'm not suggesting that anyone "force" themselves to listen to it and try to appreciate it, but obviously going into it with an open mind will certainly help.
The music changes throughout, and I find the piece overall to be more cohesive than many give it credit for. The 6/8 pattern returns often, and it leads to different variations. No large-scale piece of music is literally a single concept from start to finish, except maybe "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", which is literally just a regular song with a ridiculously long solo. I suppose you could write a song with 100 verses and call that an epic, too. But if the music changes as you go through the different movements of the song, then people are quick to say "See, this is where they spliced into a different section." Well, good for you! So it's not "really" a single piece of music because you can tell where the sections fit together?
Anderson freely admits that the whole thing is meant to be a bunch of stuff put together in order to appear impressive. That's the whole point of "Little Milton" Bostock being disqualified from the poetry competition. The judges decided that the epic poem is really just a number of shorter pieces put together. The entire thing is a satire of prog rock epics, before we even called them prog rock epics.
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I never have trouble listening to Thick as a Brick all the way through. To me, it's similar to Yes' Tales from Topographic Oceans, or Transatlantic's The Whirlwind. I don't put it on unless I'm planning to listen to the whole thing, which means I've already decided that I'm in the mood for it and have set aside the time to listen. I'm not suggesting that anyone "force" themselves to listen to it and try to appreciate it, but obviously going into it with an open mind will certainly help.
The music changes throughout, and I find the piece overall to be more cohesive than many give it credit for. The 6/8 pattern returns often, and it leads to different variations. No large-scale piece of music is literally a single concept from start to finish, except maybe "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", which is literally just a regular song with a ridiculously long solo. I suppose you could write a song with 100 verses and can that an epic, too. But if the music changes as you go through the different movements of the song, then people are quick to say "See, this is where they spliced into a different section." Well, good for you! So it's not "really" a single piece of music because you can tell where the sections fit together?
Anderson freely admits that the whole thing is meant to be a bunch of stuff put together in order to appear impressive. That's the whole point of "Little Milton" Bostock being disqualified from the poetry competition. The judges decided that the epic poem is really just a number of shorter pieces put together. The entire thing is a satire of prog rock epics, before we even called them prog rock epics.
Due to this thread, I gave TAAB a spin today. And it was good, really good. I especially enjoyed the parts with acoustic guitar, very tasteful playing by IA, I believe.
On a side note, I went frequently to a local youth club in the 70s. They played music there (of course), and 3 albums were played again and again. And again. They were 'Truth' with Jeff Beck, 'Ahead Rings Out' with Blodwyn Pig and then...'In-A-Gadda-Davi-Da' with Iron Butterfly. I can't express how much I hated that album, and still do today. It's simple playing, simple awful singing, simple everything. But what can you say, ppl have different tastes. The two first mentioned, however, I loved to death and still do today.
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Exactly. Different people have different tastes. I personally have different tastes every day, because it's a different day and I'm a different person.
I have no idea what that's supposed to mean. I just think it's cool that you listened to Thick as a Brick and liked it. And different people have different tastes.
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Also, I find it kinda funny that I mentioned "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" here, and then I went over to the Movie thread and Stadler had mentioned the same song there, also as an example of taking something "normal sized" and bloating it up and out for no reason other than that they could. :lol
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The music changes throughout, and I find the piece overall to be more cohesive than many give it credit for. The 6/8 pattern returns often, and it leads to different variations. No large-scale piece of music is literally a single concept from start to finish, except maybe "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", which is literally just a regular song with a ridiculously long solo. I suppose you could write a song with 100 verses and can that an epic, too. But if the music changes as you go through the different movements of the song, then people are quick to say "See, this is where they spliced into a different section." Well, good for you! So it's not "really" a single piece of music because you can tell where the sections fit together?
Anderson freely admits that the whole thing is meant to be a bunch of stuff put together in order to appear impressive. That's the whole point of "Little Milton" Bostock being disqualified from the poetry competition. The judges decided that the epic poem is really just a number of shorter pieces put together. The entire thing is a satire of prog rock epics, before we even called them prog rock epics.
Not sure if this was directed at me O, but that was just my first impression as I have never heard it before. I guess the bolded part of what Anderson said kind of conforms that impression.
And I don't mean it to rag on it by any means, just an observation. I'm sure with additional listens, it all clicks and flows much better.
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That wasn't directed at you specifically, TAC, but only because lots of other people have said pretty much the same thing, so I was kinda refuting the point in a general way. It was going to come up sooner or later. I'm glad you're still following and listening with an open mind.
I'm just saying that it's not a bad thing when there are abrupt changes, and too many people have pointed out the changes to me as some kind of "proof" that a larger piece is made up of obvious smaller pieces. You didn't say that, so my comment was pre-emptive, but again, it was going to come up sooner or later. For this album, I chose to limit my own comments about the work itself. I wanted to see how the comments about its length and structure came up naturally, and respond accordingly.
I think it's musically quite an accomplishment when you can juxtapose different ideas and make it "work". Sometimes it's quite jarring, and meant to be that way. Sometimes it's more subtle, and meant to be that way. So I listen to longer pieces of music and note where the changes are, not really to literally "take it apart" but out of a genuine interest in how it's all put together. In my amateur career as an arranger (such as it is), I'm challenged sometimes to do similar things, so any opportunity to study and learn is welcome. It almost always leads me to a greater appreciation for what the real masters have done.
So in a way, my rebuke is ultimately directed at those judges who disqualified poor Gerald Bostock from the poetry competition because "Thick As A Brick" is made up of smaller pieces. Milton didn't write "Paradise Lost" all in one sitting, either. It was published in ten books, with over 10,000 lines, so it too is quite obviously composed of smaller pieces.
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One can read into Tull almost infinitely, and at some point we have to say that "enough is enough; he is and was a '70's rock star, so some of this is just dumb luck", but I thought - and this fits with Anderson's general sardonicism towards the musical establishment - that the critics calling him "Little Milton" then rejecting him on grounds that weren't totally in keeping with the facts on the ground was Anderson taking a jab at the critics themselves.
If that was said already I apologize, but...
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I don't usually include compilation albums in discographies, but this one is an exception.
Living in the Past (1972) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=din0-BRBBpg&list=PLfGibfZATlGrCill8xZZ0Ivb3QpvsHU04&index=1)
(https://i.imgur.com/kiYF1W2.jpg)
A Song for Jeffrey (remix of album track from This Was) 3:18
Love Story (stereo remix of 1968 UK single) 3:00
Christmas Song (stereo remix of 1968 UK single) 2:56
Living in the Past (stereo remix of 1969 UK single) 3:18
Driving Song (stereo remix of 1969 UK single) 2:37
Bourée (Bourrée in E minor by Bach arr. Jethro Tull) (from the album Stand Up) 3:40
Sweet Dream (stereo remix of 1969 UK single) 4:00
Singing All Day (previously unreleased, recorded in 1969) 3:03
The Witch's Promise (stereo remix of 1970 UK single) 3:48
Teacher (remix of track from the US version of Benefit) 4:06
Inside (from the album Benefit) 3:42
Just Trying to Be (previously unreleased, recorded in 1970) 1:34
By Kind Permission Of (instrumental – John Evan, previously unreleased) 10:07
Dharma for One (Anderson/Clive Bunker, previously unreleased) 9:55
Wond'ring Again (previously unreleased) 4:11
Locomotive Breath (from the album Aqualung) 4:24
Life Is a Long Song (from 1971 UK EP) 3:17
Up the 'Pool (from 1971 UK EP) 3:09
Dr. Bogenbroom (from 1971 UK EP) 2:58
From Later (instrumental, from 1971 UK EP) 2:06
Nursie (from 1971 UK EP) 1:35
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As noted earlier, Jethro Tull released numerous non-album singles in the early years, as was quite common at the time. The various CD remasters include most of these as bonus tracks if they're from the same sessions, or were recorded around the same time. This album also collects most of them, but not all of them, in one package. It also includes some album tracks, some alternate or new mixes, and some previously unreleased material. Among the previously unreleased tracks are two somewhat longer pieces ("By Kind Permission Of" and "Dharma for One") which were recorded live and formed Side Three of the original double LP. Jethro Tull did not have an official live album out yet, so one might think that this would be something to fill that gap, but these two tracks are definitely meant to show another side of Tull.
Because it doesn't include all of the singles, and not enough live material to really present live Jethro Tull in that setting, I'm not really sure what the "point" of this album was, other than to get some more Tull music out there. Thick as a Brick was definitely not a normal album, and as we'll see shortly, neither was the album which followed. Radio edits were made of "Thick as a Brick" (the song), but I can't find any information about how well it charted. So perhaps this was as good a time as any for a bizarre, quasi-compilation album. From Ian Anderson, I suppose this should not be surprising.
The title comes from the song "Living in the Past" which was a non-album single. It reached #3 in the U.K. back in 1969, but did not chart in the U.S. until its release on this album, three years later. It reached #11 on the Billboard Top 20 in the U.S. It's notable for being one of the few pop songs in 5/4 time to chart in the U.S. (Trivia: Name another!)
The packaging of the original LP release is quite impressive. The outer jacket is thick, and slightly larger than the standard 12" LP cover. It housed not only two LPs, but also several pages of high-quality photographs. Overall, the presentation is meant to evoke a photo album collection, a very nice one.
(https://i.imgur.com/r6Rjqog.jpg) (https://i.imgur.com/x9ck4FM.jpg)
This was my first Jethro Tull album. Yeah, be jealous. I have the original LP release in pristine condition, and best of all, I got it free. My mom organized one of those multi-family rummage sales at the community center across the street from our house, and my sisters and I all "volunteered" to work it with her. There was a bin of used records which someone had donated, and my mom told me I could pick five of them before the sale began, as my compensation. This was my introduction to Jethro Tull.
I have to be honest, I didn't dig it at first. Not my usual thing, lots of weird stuff. Even the live side, which I thought I'd like more because they were longer tracks, hopefully more proggy, didn't grab me. Looking back, I just wasn't ready for this level of esoterica. Again, I'm not quite sure who the target audience is here. It does serve as a nice primer to the band, with its variety of early singles. Even Tull fans of the time might not have all of them, as there were so many. The live tracks (which I appreciate more now) would likely appeal mostly to completists and hardcore fans.
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I have two copies of this. And I’m pretty sure one is the first pressing. It’s the one that looks a little bit more like a hardbound book. But it’s on chrysalis records, and I thought he was still on Reprise for the first pressing? I’m not sure when the transition of record labels took place.
If the first pressing was done on chrysalis records, then I’m 99.9% sure that I have one in near mint condition
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From the Jethro Tull website:
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In the United States, Living in the Past was the first Jethro Tull album to appear on the Chrysalis Records label; while each of the band’s previous albums were marked as “a Chrysalis Production”, the albums were released by Warner Bros. Records’ Reprise Records subsidiary. Early U.S. editions of Living in the Past bore both a Chrysalis catalogue number (2CH 1035) and a Reprise catalogue number (2TS 2106), suggesting that the album was scheduled to appear on Reprise Records but that Chrysalis gained control of the band’s USA releases in late 1972.
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I just checked mine. It has both logos, so it's a first edition as well. Cool. :hat
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Oh awesome! Thank you! You just confirmed mine is as well.
And I also got mine for free! It was one of the records that I inherited from a dear friend of mine who ran a record store out of his garage. When he passed away about six or seven years ago his son enlisted my help in cataloging over 100,000 pieces in his collection and told me that I could pretty much take anything I want with a street value of less than 20 bucks or so (give or take a few bucks. He had things that were worth far far more) I think I grabbed this one with permission just seeing it was Jethro Tull and not really knowing exactly what it was.
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That's awesome! We pretty much did the same thing, obtaining it gratis in exchange for services rendered. :lol
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Just out of curiosity, is that picture of yours personally, or is that a stock photo from somewhere? I ask because my copy shows very little signs of outer wear and tear. Maybe just some minor scuffs around the edges. But the goldleaf imprinting is very faded to the point of being nearly illegible. I’m just wondering if that age or maybe the fact it was never kept in a plastic sleeve.
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Those are pictures I found online, but mine looks similar. The gold leaf is a little faded, but still quite legible.
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This was my first Jethro Tull album. Yeah, be jealous. I have the original LP release in pristine condition, and best of all, I got it free. My mom organized one of those multi-family rummage sales at the community center across the street from our house, and my sisters and I all "volunteered" to work it with her. There was a bin of used records which someone had donated, and my mom told me I could pick five of them before the sale began, as my compensation. This was my introduction to Jethro Tull.
I love that!
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I don't have cool stories or artifacts like Orbert or Jammin, but this is MY first Tull record too, albeit on CD (and thus missing "Bouree" and "Teacher").
I LOVE these songs. LOVE them. This is one of my favorite Tull records, even such that it is.
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It's notable for being one of the few pop songs in 5/4 time to chart in the U.S. (Trivia: Name another!)
Mission Impossible Theme ;D
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It's notable for being one of the few pop songs in 5/4 time to chart in the U.S. (Trivia: Name another!)
Mission Impossible Theme ;D
Ding! Winner!
I was starting to wonder if anyone would take a shot.
There's one more that I can think of off the top of my head. Anyone?
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The obvious one would be Brubeck's Take Five, but I don't know whether it charted
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I thought about that later. I already knew that it is the biggest-selling Jazz single (of all time!) and assumed that it had charted somewhere, but I didn't actually check until just now. Whew!
From Wiki: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_Five#:~:text=%22Take%20Five%22%20is%20a%20jazz,biggest%2Dselling%20jazz%20single%20ever.)
Although released as a single on September 21, 1959, "Take Five" fulfilled its chart potential only when reissued for radio play and jukebox use in May 1961, that year reaching No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 (October 9), No. 5 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart (October 23) and No. 6 on the UK Record Retailer chart (November 16). The single is a different recording than the LP version and omits most of the drum solo.
The single version was recorded separately the same day.
Same with "Mission: Impossible" by Lalo Schifrin. I know it was on the radio when I was growing up, so it had to chart, but I didn't actually check, because I'm lazy. It made #41 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967.
:yarr
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I don't have cool stories or artifacts like Orbert or Jammin, but this is MY first Tull record too, albeit on CD (and thus missing "Bouree" and "Teacher").
I LOVE these songs. LOVE them. This is one of my favorite Tull records, even such that it is.
I was reading the wiki page about this release, and I'm like 'WTW?' Removing 'Bouree' and 'Teacher'?!?! Ouch. I get that editing for single CDs could be really problematic (with just 74 minutes available at the time), but editing down 'By Kind Permission Of' and/or 'Dharma For One', would have made more sense.
The title track received a lot of airplay at the time in the States, so decades later it surprised me that it was done before Aqualung. 'A Song For Jeffrey' is a rather harsh opening song ('New Day Yesterday' is my choice). 'Wondring Again', not used on 'Aqualung', is a nice addition. A shame there wasn't room for 'Lick Your Fingers Clean'.
It is a good album to have, collecting all the non LP singles and EP tracks together. A very 'adult contemporary' collection. I do have fond memories of it, as my best friend's Dad owned it! Who knew that anyone over 40 could be 'hip'. ;).
Question about this and the prior two LPs: were lyrics included in any of these?
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The lyrics for Thick as a Brick were included in the newspaper, in their entirety. I'm pretty sure the lyrics for Aqualung appeared on the inner sleeve, or maybe on a separate piece of cardstock, which they did sometimes back then. But we don't get lyrics for Living in the Past. The book includes lots of pictures and full track credits, but no lyrics.
I was reading the wiki page about this release, and I'm like 'WTW?' Removing 'Bouree' and 'Teacher'?!?! Ouch. I get that editing for single CDs could be really problematic (with just 74 minutes available at the time), but editing down 'By Kind Permission Of' and/or 'Dharma For One', would have made more sense.
I can't agree with that last part. I get the frustration, but songs from previous albums are to me the lowest priority here. The whole point of including extended live instrumentals is to show off your band doing extended live instrumentals. Editing them would defeat the entire purpose.
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The lyrics for Aqualung were on the inner sleeve:
(https://i.imgur.com/a1lr6wO.jpg)
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^
Thank you. Seeing the pic of 'Aqualung' reminds me that I did have it. As to TAAB, a friend bought it many years later, I recorded it, and for the life of me I don't even remember if it had the newsletter included. <aging isn't often kind...>
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I actually have both the initial release on reprise records and the re-release on chrysalis. The original version on reprise records contained a separate slip card with the lyrics as Orbert described. The chrysalis re-release had the lyrics printed on the inner sleeve.
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I actually have both the initial release on reprise records and the re-release on chrysalis. The original version on reprise records contained a separate slip card with the lyrics as Orbert described. The chrysalis re-release had the lyrics printed on the inner sleeve.
(https://i.imgur.com/p5bkOfY.jpg)
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That's weird because that style of Chrysalis labels weren't used until the 80's. (all my Pat Benatar records have that style of label) So that might be yet another reprint with different packaging that someone at the record label came up with?
EDIT - a quick Google search confirmed that the blue and white label wasn't introduced until 1977 and lasted through the 80's. Cool find though.
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I don't remember that inner jacket illustration! I haven't pulled Aqualung out in so long that I don't remember the last time I even looked at it. What a great picture! I was watching a live Tull concert on YouTube, and every one of those guys was a total ham on stage. John Evan was cracking me up. :lol
Jethro Tull Live at the Capital Centre 1977 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QByXiqkECKQ). Great concert! Great venue, too. I saw Yes on the Union tour in 91 at that same venue, also saw Rush there on Counterparts.
Oh yeah! The article about Silverman, the painter who got screwed (according to some), mentioned that there were three paintings: the front and back covers, and the inside gatefold that Ellis had on his office wall for a while, the only original still around since the other two were lost.
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By the way, it should be noted that it was first leg of the 1972 European tour which had Gentle Giant opening for Jethro Tull. The two bands were a great match, as one might expect. Both had that acoustic, almost medieval side to them, the ability to really let things rip, and both had a very theatrical way of performing onstage. Derek Shulman, lead singer of Gentle Giant and later an executive with PolyGram Records (he signed Bon Jovi, Dan Reed Network, Cinderella, Kingdom Come, and Enuff Z'nuff among others) and Ian Anderson got to be good friends, a friendship which has lasted to this day. They were both born in Scotland in 1947. It was Derek Shulman who asked Ian Anderson "Whatever happened to Gerald Bostock?" prompting Anderson to think about the Bostock character, and where he might be today. Thick as a Brick 2 is subtitled "Whatever Happened to Gerald Bostock" and explores five possible ways Gerald's life might have turned out. But I'm getting ahead of things again.
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By the way, it should be noted that it was first leg of the 1972 European tour which had Gentle Giant opening for Jethro Tull. The two bands were a great match, as one might expect.
I love music touring history nuggets like this. It's one of the things I like to do, is look up old tours.
Derek Shulman, lead singer of Gentle Giant and later an executive with PolyGram Records (he signed Bon Jovi should've quite while he was ahead , Dan Reed Network who the hell is this? , Cinderella meh, but it explains the 1986 tour pairing , Kingdom Come sucks, and Enuff Z'nuff blows among others)
:)
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I don't remember that inner jacket illustration! I haven't pulled Aqualung out in so long that I don't remember the last time I even looked at it. What a great picture! I was watching a live Tull concert on YouTube, and every one of those guys was a total ham on stage. John Evan was cracking me up. :lol
Jethro Tull Live at the Capital Centre 1977 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QByXiqkECKQ). Great concert! Great venue, too. I saw Yes on the Union tour in 91 at that same venue, also saw Rush there on Counterparts.
Oh yeah! The article about Silverman, the painter who got screwed (according to some), mentioned that there were three paintings: the front and back covers, and the inside gatefold that Ellis had on his office wall for a while, the only original still around since the other two were lost.
That venue is a pretty popular one for live recordings. I have at least one (I think two) live Kiss shows from there (one is in the Kissology set), and both of the AC/DC box sets (the DVD set and the rarities set) have a significant amount of live stuff recorded there across a couple of tours.
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By the way, it should be noted that it was first leg of the 1972 European tour which had Gentle Giant opening for Jethro Tull. The two bands were a great match, as one might expect.
I love music touring history nuggets like this. It's one of the things I like to do, is look up old tours.
Derek Shulman, lead singer of Gentle Giant and later an executive with PolyGram Records (he signed Bon Jovi should've quite while he was ahead , Dan Reed Network who the hell is this? , Cinderella meh, but it explains the 1986 tour pairing , Kingdom Come sucks, and Enuff Z'nuff blows among others)
:)
Cinderella is one of my favorite 80's/90's rock/metal bands. Maybe my favorite. I love them (though not as sold on Tom Keifer solo). I also kinda dig Enuff Z'nuff as a sort of junior Cheap Trick. They blow without their singer (who isn't that good, but who's voice has character) but their first couple records are pretty good power pop.
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By the way, it should be noted that it was first leg of the 1972 European tour which had Gentle Giant opening for Jethro Tull. The two bands were a great match, as one might expect.
I love music touring history nuggets like this. It's one of the things I like to do, is look up old tours.
I found this one almost accidentally. I knew that Gentle Giant had opened for Jethro Tull at some point, having unearthed that tidbit while doing the Gentle Giant Discography, and more recently learned that it was Derek Shulman who had asked the question "Whatever happened to Gerald Bostock?" I checked into it, and found that it was in fact the 1972 tour, so the timing was perfect to include it here. I imagine Ian and Derek chatting, finding out that they're both Scottish but moved to England, and were actually born the same year. They then proceeded to bond over their mutual love of Scottish Folk Music and ways to incorporate it into Rock and Roll. When I first heard Gentle Giant, I was trying to figure out who they reminded me of, and Jethro Tull was the closest thing I could think of; an even crazier, even more adventurous and esoteric version of Jethro Tull.
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By Kind Permission Of: I love the live riffing that they do off of Beethoven’s Pathetique sonata, Debussy’s Golliiwogs Cakewalk and Rachmaninov’s prelude.
BTW, Derek Shulman also signed Dream Theater to Atco records.
But yeah, Gentle Giant and Tull both developed the idea of the rock band as minstrels and troubadours traveling the land to entertain the people, an idea that Blind Guardian sorta latched onto. Orbert rightly calls the music esoteric; another word for them is eclectic. I love how both GG and Tull whip out violins, piccolos, mandolins, triangles and whatnot, all adding to the sounds and spectacle of the show.
GG seemed to go out of their way to make their music as quirky and inaccessible as possible. Tull, on the other hand, had a Beatles-esque pop sensibility hidden behind all the madness, which I definitely appreciate a lot more.
Tull is like prog for the unwashed masses. Even though most of their songs are shorter, they inject so much ‘stuff’ in the span of a 4 or 5 minute song. While many prog bands were experimenting with synthesizers, Tull was using handclaps and finger snaps in their songs. Who does that? No moogs for this band, we prefer the glockenspiel.
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All very good points! Definitely different bands, with different sensibilities, but also many similarities. I struggled for years to identify that element I immediately found common to both bands, that eclectic acoustic side, which we now recognize as Scottish Folk Music. Anderson and the Shulman brothers are all Scottish, and I'm sure were exposed to a lot of it growing up.
BTW, Derek Shulman also signed Dream Theater to Atco records.
:facepalm: I knew that, and I think I mentioned it in the Gentle Giant discography, but somehow forgot to include it here. (I wonder if that raises his rep at all with TAC. ;))
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In the song "Taxman" by The Beatles (George Harrison's jab at the U.K. tax system) there's the line "There's one for you, nineteen for me, 'cause I'm the Taxman" which for a long time I thought was hyperbole. It's not. If you lived in the U.K. in the 70's and made a certain amount of money, your tax rate could be as high as 95%. One for you, nineteen for The Crown. So in the 70's, it wasn't uncommon for bands and other celebrities to spend a year abroad in order to avoid the insane taxes. If you didn't work in the U.K., The Crown can't touch your money.
So in 1973, Jethro Tull went into "tax exile". They went to France, to the famous Château d'Hérouville (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_d%27H%C3%A9rouville), to record their next album. This is the same place that Elton John used for Honky Château (also Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road). Everyone from Uriah Heep to David Bowie to Pink Floyd, Cat Stevens, and The Rolling Stones recorded albums at Château d'Hérouville in the 70's.
The sessions were disatrous. The recording conditions weren't actually that great, not up to Jethro Tull standards anyway, and the band nicknamed the studio "Château d'Isaster". They abandoned the project, and returned to England. Ian Anderson tossed aside most of the material they'd worked on, and instead came up with the idea of doing another concept album, another single work spread across both sides of the LP, only this time he really meant it. He immediately began working on new material, they'd recorded it by March, and it was released on July 13 in the U.K. and July 23 in the U.S. It was the first time that Jethro Tull had recorded two consecutive studio albums with the same lineup.
A Passion Play (1973) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BqugCZVtXA)
(https://i.imgur.com/CAL5voF.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Lead Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Soprano and Sopranino Saxophone
Barriemore Barlow - Drums, Percussion, Timpani, Glockenspiel, Marimba
Martin Barre - Electric Guitar
John Evan - Backing Vocals, Piano, Organ, Synthesizer
Jeffrey Hammond - Bass Guitar, Spoken Word (on "The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles")
Dee Palmer - Orchestral Arrangements
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My introduction to this album was on cassette tape, with only Side One and Side Two and no other credits, titles, or anything else. That is how I consider the work, just as Thick as a Brick has different parts but it's all one piece. But I learned while researching this album that it does have a track listing. The timings are different between the various LP and CD releases and remasters, and sometimes the tracks themselves are divided up differently. But this is the original LP track listing according to Wiki, edited for clarity.
SIDE ONE: A Passion Play, Part I 23:09
Act 1: Ronnie Pilgrim's funeral — a winter's morning in the cemetery 9:08
- I. Lifebeats (instrumental) 1:14
- II. Prelude (instrumental) 2:14
- III. The Silver Cord 4:29
- IV. Re-Assuring Tune (instrumental) 1:11
Act 2: The Memory Bank — a small but comfortable theatre with a cinema-screen (the next morning) 14:01
- I. Memory Bank 4:20
- II. Best Friends 1:58
- III. Critique Oblique 4:38
- IV. Forest Dance #1 (instrumental) 1:35
Interlude: The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles 1:30
- I. The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles 1:30
SIDE TWO: A Passion Play, Part II 21:58
Interlude: The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles 2:48
- I. The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles 2:48
Act 3: The business office of G. Oddie & Son (two days later) 9:30
- I. Forest Dance #2 (instrumental) 1:12
- II. The Foot of Our Stairs 4:18
- III. Overseer Overture 4:00
Act 4: Magus Perdé's drawing room at midnight 9:40
- I. Flight from Lucifer 3:58
- II. 10:08 to Paddington (instrumental) 1:04
- III. Magus Perdé 3:55
- IV. Epilogue 0:43
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Historically, a Passion play depicts the final week in the life of Jesus Christ ("The Passion"), from his arrival in Jerusalem to his capture, crucifixion, and eventual resurrection. It is sometimes referred to as an Easter Pageant. With roots in the Catholic tradition and other Christian denominations, originally they were dramatic presentations, but gradually came to sometimes incorporate music and song to varying degrees. Jesus Christ Superstar by Webber and Rice is a Passion play. So is Mel Gibson's 2004 film The Passion of the Christ.
This album therefore isn't actually a Passion play, based on any known definition. But it's somewhat related, due to its religious themes. It is the spiritual journey of one man in the afterlife. Like some actual Passion plays, which can be quite intense and exhausting, there is an intermission, bookended by two parts of a "lighter" non-sequitor spoken-word piece. In this case, "The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles" serves that purpose. This "play within a play" was cooked up by Ian Anderson, John Evan, and Jeffrey Hammond. Hammond is the narrator.
Question: What is the practical difference between an album which is a single piece made up of smaller parts edited together in an effort to ridicule the whole concept of concept albums, and an album which is a single piece made up of smaller parts edited together but this time embracing the whole concept of concept albums?
Answer: None, really. All we knew is that Jethro Tull had released another album, and it was another amazing concept album, all one song. This one's darker, with more of the themes in minor keys, and it feels more "serious" whereas Thick as a Brick had something of a more whimsical feel to it. But there's that crazy break, "The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles". And this one has sections with Roman numerals and subtitles (although I didn't know that until just now). But it was generally seen as another album in the same vein, for good or bad. It's what Jethro Tull were doing these days.
As with Thick as a Brick, response from fans and critics alike was divided, and A Passion Play generally came up short in comparison to its predecessor. But there are champions on both sides, as one might expect. The album only reached #13 in the U.K., but went to #1 in both the United States and Canada, the second Jethro Tull album to do so.
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Ian says:
"The 'step too far' album. We decamped to the Château d'Hérouville in France where Elton had recorded, and had a rotten time: technical issues, gastric bugs… we just wanted to go home. So we did, and had a frantic few weeks of writing a new album. Two pieces made it on to the War Child album and one or two morphed into something more sophisticated, but they never came to light on that album. Steve Harris [Iron Maiden] loves A Passion Play. I'm glad someone liked it!"
From Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
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Thanks for this very interesting review. I didn't know much about the history and concept of this album, although it's probably my favourite Jethro Tull album. I have to listen to it again!
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Thanks for this very interesting review. I didn't know much about the history and concept of this album, although it's probably my favourite Jethro Tull album. I have to listen to it again!
I highly recommend Steven Wilson's remix of the thing.
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Steven Wilson has done deluxe repackages for a lot of Jethro Tull albums. You can tell he's a fan, because he's said a few times that he only does the albums he wants to do (so everybody, please stop contacting him and asking him to do certain albums). With Tull, there are a lot of multi-CD packages with Blu-rays or DVDs, video, 5.1 mixes, etc.
A Passion Play: An Extended Performance is nuts. 80-page book, original mixes and remixes, video, 5.1, the works. And he even dug up and remixed the "Château d'Isaster" sessions, so you get to hear them here. Yeah, he's a big fan.
(https://i.imgur.com/ir7ofBT.jpg)
Thanks for this very interesting review. I didn't know much about the history and concept of this album, although it's probably my favourite Jethro Tull album. I have to listen to it again!
Some may have noticed that I'm giving a lot of background to the music and how it came about, but not commenting a lot on the material itself. This album doesn't have anything to do with taxes or the Chateau in France, and it isn't even an actual Passion play. So I thank you for even calling this a "review". ;D
Jethro Tull is a band I've known about for a long time, and I listened a lot to the few albums of theirs that I had, but I never really dug deeply into them, not like I did with other bands. Many years ago, I went on a mad downloading spree and attempted to accumulate the full catalogs of pretty much every band I could think of that I liked, or were even somewhat interested in. But that's all I have; no credits or anything. I have to look all that up. And in doing so, I learn about the band and the changes they went through.
So this discography is as much for me to learn about the band as it is for others. I like knowing why the music came about the way it did. If I was going through my album collection with someone, I would say things like "This next album was different, as the new guitarist had more of a jazz side." That's the stuff I want to know about. So I provide that, and leave it to the group to discuss the music, its relative merits, and what they like and don't like about it.
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I really want to revisit this album. I remember being intrigued by the concept immediately. I have it on vinyl, but I had only spun it maybe one time. So one day after I just received a rather handsome paycheck and was at the local CD store on a buying spree, I happened to notice that the Stephen Wilson mix had just been released. The bonus material alone seemed like it was well worth the price tag so I nabbed it. But, for the last couple of years, most of my listening habits have been of the “shuffle“ variety. And I have been listening to a lot of Jethro Tull that way. Currently, I’ve got about half the catalog on my music player that I use at work. I just haven’t put APP on the player because the track separations make it a very difficult listen. But today I think I will sit down and listen to the entire piece.
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That sounds like a plan! :tup
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Hey, here's another fun tidbit that I meant to include in the original writeup but ultimately cut because it's not just anectdotal; it's anectdotal to an anectdote to the album itself. A Passion Play began with the "Château d'Isaster" sessions, which were in France for tax reasons. But the band ended up using very little of the material created there.
In The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (the second book in Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series) there's a character named Hotblack Desiato. Hotblack Desiato is the front man for the band Disaster Area, insanely rich, and "once spent a year dead for tax reasons". I always took this as a reference to spending a year abroad for tax reasons, which so many were doing. The Taxman strikes again.
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I’d bought A Passion Play back in the late seventies after hearing a couple tracks off their Best Of JT compilation. It’s their weirdest album ever imo and I found it hard to get into at first. If you thought that Thick As a Brick was far afield, A Passion Play is even more so.
That bizarro ‘Hare’ piece is especially divisive, with many fans despising it. I’ve grown to enjoy it as sort of an intermission or interlude, a break from the dark music on the rest of the album. It’s reminiscent of those goofy cartoon pieces that Monty Python ran between their skits.
But as much as I love A Passion Play as a whole, I’m rather surprised that quite a few fans have this as their number one JT album.
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Normal people are weird enough, and prog fans are even weirder. There's no accounting for who prefers what, so I just accept that different people are drawn to different things.
A Passion Play is certainly a more mature work than Thick as a Brick. It was created in a relatively short amount of time, but the group creating it had come to really gel, and I think the music reflects that. As mentioned, we now have the original John Evan Band back together except for guitarist Martin Barre, who's been with Jethro Tull since the second album. This lineup toured Thick as a Brick in its entirety. So the group is tight. It's similar to how Tales from Topographic Oceans is regarded by Yes fans. Some see it as the epitome of what Yes was all about, a huge achievement; others can't even get through it, and they like Yes.
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Steven Wilson has done deluxe repackages for a lot of Jethro Tull albums. You can tell he's a fan, because he's said a few times that he only does the albums he wants to do (so everybody, please stop contacting him and asking him to do certain albums). With Tull, there are a lot of multi-CD packages with Blu-rays or DVDs, video, 5.1 mixes, etc.
A Passion Play: An Extended Performance is nuts. 80-page book, original mixes and remixes, video, 5.1, the works. And he even dug up and remixed the "Château d'Isaster" sessions, so you get to hear them here. Yeah, he's a big fan.
The full "book" versions were limited runs and some - NOT ALL OF THEM but SOME - can be ridiculously expensive. I got Heavy Horses on release for like $40 at Newbury Comics; some of the earlier ones are running upwards of $200 on eBay and Discogs. You have to do a little homework, but if you have half a mind, and see them for under $50, you might consider it. (Songs From The Wood and Minstrel In The Gallery are both getting $225 on Discogs, TAAB is $200, and APP and Aqualung are both about $100.)
So this discography is as much for me to learn about the band as it is for others. I like knowing why the music came about the way it did. If I was going through my album collection with someone, I would say things like "This next album was different, as the new guitarist had more of a jazz side." That's the stuff I want to know about. So I provide that, and leave it to the group to discuss the music, its relative merits, and what they like and don't like about it.
I'm a big fan of this idea; sometimes the backstory is as interesting as the music itself, and I find it often informs the music. I'm getting into Wings lately, and some of the shenanigans and tomfoolery behind the scenes explains a LOT about the music I'm hearing, and in some cases - the Band On The Run album, for one - gives it a new context and insight. I'm right now reading a biography of Elton John (by Philip Norman who is by turns an amazing and yet frustrating author); it's interesting to hear Tumbleweed Connection or Madman Across The Water in the context of his ascending (at the time) career.
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^
Great book. Same with U2's and The Eagles Don Felder. Insightful as all hell, and.....well written with 'some' of the warts hidden. Not all.
As to 'A Passion Play'..... another part of the 'dirty dozen' of my Columbia House 8 track order as a 16 year old. What a 'joy' to have at the 2:28 mark of 'Memory Bank', the middle of 'The Hare...' and around 2:20 of 'Overseer Overture'....fade out, track change, then fade back in when the next track switched on. <aaaaargh>
This release was, shall we say, 'different'. Another Sunday morning listen to whilst reading the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press instead of going to church.
'The Hare' drove me nuts. Reading up years later made me understand the various aspects of the stage show (which also included breaks for newspaper readings from TAAB and other sundry items).
Of noted instruments is Ian Anderson playing the soprano and sopranino saxophone. So, for the anti flutists (anti dentites ;)) here is a drastic change. Not a smart move by him, as it caused mucho problems on tour.
[edit: track listing removed, now in Orbert's modified post]
The 20th anniversary box set in 1988 included three Chateau d'Isaster tracks as one: 'Scenerio' / 'Audition' / 'No Rehearsal'. Loved the eleven and a half minutes of this. In '92, 'Nightcap' was released, with Disc One having almost all the unreleased APP tracks (minus 'Big Top') with flute overdubs ('Scenerio'/'Audition'/'No Rehearsal' divided into three tracks).
The 40th anniversary release has all of these, and the Steve Wilson remixes (minus flute).
Of note, is that 'Skating Away (On The Thin Ice Of A New Day)' was to be placed before 'No Rehearsal', and 'Solitaire' (from 'Nightcap') found their way onto 'WarChild'. Tossed aside tracks also included 'Animalee', 'Law of the Bungle', 'Tiger Tune', and Law of the Bungle II' (ya think that 'Bungle in the Jungle' might have been part of this session?).
The other unreleased tracks and various versions are listed here, and can be found on youtube.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Passion_Play
One can envision what the planned double LP would have turned out to be had they not had to rush the finish before touring the States, as well as suffering through electrical problems (along with food poisoning) at the Château d'Hérouville. 'Aqualung' and 'Thick As A Brick' are musts for any rock music collector. 'A Passion Play'
(and its extras) are a must listen for anyone interested in the band. You will like it, love it, or leave it.
Next post before tomorrow night....the vids of the interesting concert beginning. Ballerina, when you dance there's music......
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Haven't really had the time to listen to all the albums thoroughly unfortunately, but will say I enjoyed Benefit, really like Aqualung.
I already knew Thick as A Brick and that is one hell of an album. A Passion Play I also knew is fantastic as well. I only think the hare bit drags a bit, I am fine with it in concept and execution, but it is just too long for me. If not for that, I'd probably prefer it to Thick as a Brick, actually.
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In depth info on ‘A Passion Play’
http://www.ministry-of-information.co.uk/app/
Well worth a read as to the background and the concerts. A tiny light on the center of the stage screen for twenty minutes, the volume of ‘Lifebeats’ eventually increases as the tiny dot pulses and enlarges to show the ballerina.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFiUTnmwFJc&t=1s
After she jumped through the screen, the band would appear, and then Anderson follows suit. A damn shame that there are no professional films of this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHFqwudqFN8
Thanks to ‘Nightcap’ and the APP reissue, I ended up with another ‘album’ (simply titled ‘Chateau d’Isaster)
Side One: The Big Top / Scenario / Audition / No Rehearsal / Skating Away … [demo] / Rainbow Blues
Side Two: First Post / Left Right (minus the first 47 seconds of ‘noise’) / Solitaire / Critique Oblique/ Sailor/ Post Last
(‘Rainbow Blues’ is a leftover from ‘WarChild’, but the lyrics reference the stage, so I included it on my version. I am aware that Blackmore’s Night covered this, but that’s for further comment for the next LP).
Also, for eons I had a cassette I recorded of the APP LP, one side with 'The Hare', one side without. And, though APP is not my favorite Tull album, I've listened to it more than any other.
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[deleted]
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A quick note about Dee (David) Palmer
Many of these early albums contains a credit for Orchestral Arrangements to either David Palmer or Dee Palmer. To be honest, I hadn't noticed, I thought I'd just misremembered the name, as I'm basically copying and pasting what I find on Wiki and on the Jethro Tull website. Eventually I did notice, however, and investigated further.
Dee Palmer was born David Palmer. Orchestral Arrangements on all the early albums are credited to David Palmer. As is now the norm, credits are retroactively "corrected" to the person's current name/identity. (Similarly, the groundbreaking album Switched-On Bach is now credited to Wendy Carlos everywhere I can find it, although the cover art clearly credits Walter Carlos.) I'll try to do the same thing here.
I offer no judgement, only explanation. Whatever your position is on gender reidentification, it does cause confusion sometimes. You may have an old Tull album with David Palmer credited, or you may have a newer version naming Dee Palmer. They are the same person.
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The tour for A Passion Play included Jethro Tull's most elaborate staging yet. After all, it was supposedly a Passion play. But as mentioned, reactions from critics and fans alike were mixed, and this applied to both the album itself and the concerts it supported. In a strange move, business manager Terry Ellis announced in Melody Maker magazine that in response to the negative reviews of the album and concerts, Jethro Tull would be retiring from live performances. This was actually a publicity stunt of which Ian Anderson had no prior knowledge. There's a saying "Any publicity is good publicity" but Anderson declared that this is not the type of publicity they wanted. He didn't take it well, or any of the countless subsequent questions about the future of the band.
Still, it seems rather obvious in hindsight that the next album needed to be something a bit more accessible.
War Child (1974) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3avz7f1lqEU&list=PL94gOvpr5yt1kGiI7N6y55FR9uYEPQfnr)
(https://i.imgur.com/7rUdwQw.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Saxophone
Barriemore Barlow - Drums, Percussion
Martin Barre - Electric Guitar, Spanish Guitar
John Evan - Piano, Organ, Synthesizers, Accordion
Jeffrey Hammond - Bass Guitar, String Bass
Dee Palmer - Orchestral Arrangements
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War Child 4:35
Queen and Country 3:00
Ladies 3:17
Back-Door Angels 5:30
Sealion 3:37
Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day 4:09
Bungle in the Jungle 3:35
Only Solitaire 1:38
The Third Hoorah 4:49
Two Fingers 5:11
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Anderson went back to the "Château d'Isaster" sessions and recovered "Only Solitaire" and "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day". Basic tracks and lead vocals had been recorded and formed a good starting point. "Bungle in the Jungle" which eventually became the lead single for the album, also came partly from the same 1972 sessions, and "Two Fingers" is a reworking of a song from the Aqualung sessions called "Lick Your Fingers Clean". The rest of the album is new material.
Originally, War Child was conceived as the soundtrack to a film based on the concept from A Passion Play, which is about one's experiences in the afterlife. The film changed the main character from a man named Ronnie Pilgrim to a little girl who is killed in an automobile accident. Anderson had gotten as far as getting actors John Cleese and Leonard Rossiter to commit to it, as well as director/choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton, but the project was eventually abandoned when Anderson learned more about what was involved in creating a Hollywood production.
Dee (nee David) Palmer's string arrangements are more prominent here than on previous albums, as much of the music was composed with a movie soundtrack in mind. While the resulting album might not seem to be very "conceptual" in nature, the 2002 remaster include several additional pieces which, along with the final album tracks, form a more cohesive album, both musically and in concept. And of course there's a Steven Wilson edition from 2014 with all of that and more, including even more unreleased material, full 5.1 mixes, and the original quadrophonic mixes.
This album, as did both of its predecessors (and indeed every Jethro Tull album) had widely mixed reviews. It went Gold in the U.S., topping out at #2 on the album chart, but only reached #14 in the U.K.
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I like this album. I have the 2002 edition, and the resulting 17-track album is great. But I also like Jethro Tull in general anyway. I like the bizarre blend of blues/rock with Scottish folk, and the flute was one of the first instruments I learned to play, so there's that additional draw for me. Hearing that in a full cinematic setting (though I didn't realize it at first) after two full-scale concept albums seems a logical next step. But I can understand how some folks were a bit underwhelmed by the album as released in its original form. "Bungle in the Jungle" is catchy and fun. I can't find any chart info on "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day" but I know it was a fan favorite and concert staple for years. "Only Solitaire" always catches my ear when he starts musically quoting various critics (you have to hear it). Maybe there aren't a lot of musical fireworks elsewhere, but the rest of the album is solid. No complaints here.
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Ian says:
"It's kind of okay. The big one on that was Bungle In The Jungle, which is a complete rebuild of a song from the Château tapes. Very much rewritten, but it used the reference of people behaving like they're animals in the jungle. It was written to be a radio hit, and in America it nailed it – we got AM radio play, which opened us up to a much wider audience and brought a lot more people into the concerts. It had its moment. Ritchie Blackmore has a soft spot for that album, for some reason."
From Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
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Big fan of Only Solitaire and Two Fingers; not a fan at all of Bungle, and I can take or leave Skating... As such, another Tull album I'm not really that familiar with.
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Warchild was a grower for me. It has a sort of meandering, unfocused and nondescript quality about it. The album gets better after Ladies and moves into some real solid territory with Sealion. Back Door Angels has this extended jammy guitar part towards the end, which I really enjoy but is not something they typically do in their albums.
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This is one I will have to revisit. After falling in love with several Jethro Tull albums I really thought War Child might be a sweet spot in the middle of the classic period. but when I picked it up I was extremely underwhelmed. I’ve never liked Bungle in the Jungle at all. In fact, that song was one of the main reasons that kept me from exploring Jethro Tull for the longest time. When I was in my 20s working construction, there would always be a jobsite radio playing the local classic rock station. But they had a tendency to play a lot of the same songs every single day, and eventually after hearing it for the 10th or 11th day in a row it kind of got stuck in my craw that it was the dumbest song I ever heard.
I got over it, and it no longer sets my teeth on edge, but I still don’t see what everyone thinks it’s so great about that song that keeps getting played on the radio constantly.
I did fall head over heels in love with Skating. But most of the rest of the album just seemed....there.
I’m really looking forward to the next one because that is still my #1 favorite.
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I remember hearing "Bungle in the Jungle" on the radio and thinking it was kinda dumb, too.
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O, I haven't given up on the thread. Between graduation last week, and work (has been a bitch) this week, I'll catch up!
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‘Bungle’ did not chart in the UK. It was one of only two Tull single releases to reach the US top 40 at #12. ‘Living In The Past’ was the other….in 1975 at number #11 !!!
As to the WarChild LP, it reached #2 in the States, 'only' #14 in the UK.
Dee Palmer…..as I’d started my Tull ‘kick’ just before you started this thread, I read her bio about a week earlier.
I am enjoying altrockchick’s Tull reviews, so…
https://altrockchick.com/2013/08/26/classic-music-review-a-passion-play-by-jethro-tull/
For me….yeah, it’s a hodgepodge of various leftovers and themes that mostly works. Wasn’t a big fan of the release then, though I’ve always loved ‘Bungle’ (the lyrics about people and society aren’t as happy go lucky as the music) which does have a lot of intricate musical bits, and ‘Skating Away’ (about global climate cooling of all things) was a leftover from APP, and has a lot of the TAAB ‘feel’. ‘Sealion’ has the original APP lyrical theme as to artists having to perform as animals (or individuals having to perform for company higher ups). ‘Back Door Angels’ was a concert staple at the time, with some good guitar by Barre (a ‘prelude’ of bits for ‘Minstrel’). ‘Only Solitaire’, ever so slightly remade from the APP sessions, a beautiful acoustic tune with scathing lyrics towards his critics. ‘Three Hoorahs’ has some familiar musical segments, but seems more fitting as an album closer, as it musically and lyrically references the title track.
Bonuses: Enough unreleased material, with a bit of polish here and there, for another LP. I bought the 2002 reissue in 2013. The 2014 reissue also included ‘Good Godmother’ (great tune) and ‘Tomorrow Was Today’ and the various orchestral tracks (eight minute ‘WarChild Waltz’, ‘On The Beach’ etc).
‘Rainbow Blues’ is interesting, as it was an unreleased song that they included on their second ‘Greatest Hits’ LP. And played during the WC tour. And, as mentioned earlier, covered by Blackmore’s Night.
‘March the Mad Scientist’ and ‘Pan Dance’ (on the ‘Minstrel’ 2002 reissue). I like these a lot.
Sealion 2, Paradise Steakhouse (one of the first recorded for this LP, with tidbits as if from APP).
‘Glory Row’ was released on the Spanish version of ‘Aqualung’ instead of Locomotive Breath (because it was already on ‘Living In The Past’…. or due to the lyrics?). Quite the odd decision. The song also appears on the Best of Jethro Tull II.
‘Saturation’ is a hard rocking tune with not the most joyous lyrics. ‘Quartet’ is a nice yet odd orchestral instrumental with occasional flute, church keyboards and chants…..taped intro for some following tours.
WarChild isn’t Aqualung or TAAB or Benefit….but after APP, the lighthearted approach during the recording sessions shows in this release. A very 'fun' listen all these years later.
An 'alternate' cover (Anderson minus the 'photo negative' image) and inner sleeve can be found by googling jethro tull warchild images. btw, the city backdrop is Melbourne (not London) for some reason.
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I know Blackmore's Night gets some scorn around these parts, but that cover of Rainbow Blues is EXCELLENT. They really do it justice, in my opinion.
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^
Yeah, it is so different, I don't follow Ritchie with this endevour, but I enjoyed the heck out of it.
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I checked out some Blackmore's Night a while back and thought they were pretty good. I like it when artists can get into a genre that might surprise some people. I need to check out their version of "Rainbow Blues".
DragonAttack, I've been meaning to thank you for providing a lot of additional insight and background. I started this Discography because I haven't done one in a while, I thought I had every Jethro Tull album, and things at work have been pretty light. I'd forgotten how much work they are, I figured out that there are still a few albums I need to get, and of course work has been picking up lately. So I'm not getting nearly as much research done as I normally would like to, plus a lot of the albums I'm not that familiar with anyway. So thanks for contributing!
O, I haven't given up on the thread. Between graduation last week, and work (has been a bitch) this week, I'll catch up!
Hey, you've been busy. Catch up when you can. Congrats again to Nolan!
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Thank you O!
Listened to Passion Play when I got home from work. I have to say...
I LOVED IT!!! It's really progressive and technical. The Damn Flute was there, but it's part of the whole. I don't mind that.
After one listen I'm pretty sure I liked The Silver Chord and Overseer Overture the most.
I must say that I will absolutely skip The Story Of The Hare. That was pretty bad. But other than that, this is a fantastic album and easily the best of the bunch so far. I would even consider buying it.
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I know Blackmore's Night gets some scorn around these parts, but that cover of Rainbow Blues is EXCELLENT. They really do it justice, in my opinion.
100% yes for this. Also a bit of an off-topic but I will repeat it every time I have the chance to, I think Blackmore's Night output was excellent up to and including The Secret Voyage, and then the quality dropped. Also I really liked them live, such a magical performance.
I need to spin A Passion Play and War Child. I remember liking the former and being fairly indifferent to the latter, curious if things have changed over the few years.
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I missed a couple of laps, my bad.
A Passion Play, while undeniably brilliant, has always stricken me as missing some of Thick as a Brick's ... self-irony, for lack of a better word. Love it though, even the Hare.
War Child has grown on me veeery slowly, and the more it grew, the more I kept neglecting Bungle in the Jungle; Bungle in the Jungle live is way more exciting though. Worth mentioning, this album's cover is locked in an endless struggle with (Black Sabbath) Born Again's one for the Worst Rock Album Cover Ever Belt.
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Thick as a Brick is all kinds of awesome. I've always enjoyed the sense of humor that comes through on this one.
I haven't had an opportunity to listen to A Passion Play since you posted the write-up. I don't recall if I've ever listened to it previously.
I've a real soft spot in my heart for War Child. It was one of the first records I ever had. My older sister bought it because she loved Bungle in the Jungle but could never identify with the rest of the album, so she gave it to me. The only real low spots for me are Queen and Country, and Ladies. All the rest is excellent to my ears especially Back Door Angels and Sealion.
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Thank you O!
Listened to Passion Play when I got home from work. I have to say...
I LOVED IT!!! It's really progressive and technical. The Damn Flute was there, but it's part of the whole. I don't mind that.
After one listen I'm pretty sure I liked The Silver Chord and Overseer Overture the most.
I must say that I will absolutely skip The Story Of The Hare. That was pretty bad. But other than that, this is a fantastic album and easily the best of the bunch so far. I would even consider buying it.
That’s cool! I’m genuinely shocked that you’ve shown any affinity for A Passion Play.
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Many years ago, if you lived in a castle, or maybe just a large manor house on a hill in the countryside, you had an area at the front of the house where travelling performers might come in and entertain you, your family, and whatever guests might be staying with you at the time. It usually adjoined or even overlooked the main room. This is the minstrel's gallery. They would perform, and you would pay them and give them something to eat. If they were very good, or just very fortunate, you might offer them lodging for the night. After all, you're filthy rich, and they've just provided live music for you this evening. Of course, live music is all there is, since recording devices haven't been invented yet.
Tonight there's some guy with a flute - he seems to be the leader, a guy with a guitar, and some others. And they're really good.
Minstrel in the Gallery (1975) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoQ2KwQ0h28)
(https://i.imgur.com/qfAOHUm.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar
Barriemore Barlow - Drums, Percussion
Martin Barre - Electric Guitar
John Evan - Piano, Organ
Jeffrey Hammond - Bass Guitar, String Bass
Dee Palmer - String Arrangements and Conducting
Rita Eddowes, Elizabeth Edwards, Patrick Halling and Bridget Procter - Violin
Katharine Tullborn - Cello
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Minstrel in the Gallery 8:13
Cold Wind to Valhalla 4:19
Black Satin Dancer 6:52
Requiem 3:45
One White Duck / 010 = Nothing at All 4:37
Baker St. Muse 16:39
a) Pig-Me and the Whore
b) Nice Little Tune
c) Crash-Barrier Waltzer
d) Mother England Reverie
Grace 0:37
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Jethro Tull continued to get bigger and better. They were one of the first bands to use giant video screens ("Tull-A-Vision") for their stadium gigs. After they sold out five nights at the L. A. Forum, Melody Maker's headline asked "Jethro Tull -- Now The World's Biggest Band?" Well, in 1975 they were certainly one of them.
The music here is much more like Aqualung and other earlier albums in that it is much more song-based, but with the songs themselves often rather exploratory, with acoustic sections contrasting with heavier sections, and everything in between. It's solid and consistent, yet another candidate for "the best one yet" and indeed another one widely considered the apex of their 70's progressive work. I really like this one. The 2002 remaster adds three more studio tracks and live versions of "Minstrel in the Gallery" and "Cold Wind to Valhalla", and of course there's a Steven Wilson edition with another 80-page book, 5.1 mixes, and everything else.
(https://i.imgur.com/ULlS8dU.jpg) (https://i.imgur.com/ULlS8dU.jpg)
The "Orchestrations" by Dee Palmer, integral to the past several albums, are replaced here by credits to Palmer as Arranger and Conductor. There are also four violinists and a cellist credited. I had always assumed that "Orchestrations" more or less meant the same thing as Arranger and Conductor; unless Palmer had actually played all the strings, then naturally other musicians did instead. So either they decided that it was time to present the credits differently, or some other change was made in structure of things. I can't seem to find out anything else about that. It sounds the same to me; there are sections where we have strings, and it adds a lot to the sound. I hadn't actually noted whether it was a string quartet or quintet, or just "orchestrations".
Final note from a Math geek regarding "One White Duck / 010 = Nothing at All". Zero to any power (except zero itself, which is undefined) is zero. The denominator is therefore zero. One divided by zero is undefined. One White Duck divided by zero doesn't make any freaking sense, and therefore equals nothing at all. See? It all works out.
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Ian says:
"That's an odd one. It's the last one that Jeffrey Hammond played on, so it has this negative undertow to it as we knew he was going. So with Jeffrey leaving, it made me think, 'Maybe I need to do this without relying on others so much.' I started working more on my own in the studio, writing and recording, playing to a click track, so a lot of it was a bit more 'them and me' – a bit more insular, musically speaking, which wasn't great in the spirit of working together."
From Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
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I have not heard every Jethro Tull album, but I have heard most of them. And out of them all, this one is by far my favorite. Baker St. Muse is my number one favorite Jethro Tull song of all time and I think it is criminal that the song was never played live. I also think that it would be my number one candidate for “if you could have Dream Theater cover a song that they’ve never played before what would it be?”
Unlike most other Jethro Tull songs, that song in particular seems to be tailor made to be a Dream Theater cover.
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Wasn't feeling War Child at all, easily the worst of the bunch so far.
Minstrel in the Gallery sounds cool, need more listens to get a full grip. Love the title track already and I love the guitar sound in particular (Steven Wilson remix).
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Initially, I was taken aback by the number of acoustic tracks on Minstrels, but have come to realize that the album is an exquisite piece of work. Top echelon Tull album.
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Orbert: Thank you for the previous 'thank you'.
Briefly due to time restraints ('I have no time for Time magazine, or Rolling Stone.....'), I'll briefly state that this does not have the four minute slightly 'pop' song(s) or segment(s) that all the prior releases have. It isn't a sunny afternoon driving album. There are times when it will rock quite heavy, but this is an evening 'lights off, sit down and listen and get swept away' experience....after having given it a listen whilst following along with the lyrics sheet. It may take a few attempts to truly appreciate, but once that happens :tup
I love the medley, but absolutely adore 'Mother England Reverie' on its own.
To the 'math geek': look at 'One White Duck' the same as 'Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey' (it's better than Star Trek's '1 to the 14th power' idiocy ;))
The LP hit #7 in the States, #20 in the UK.
A couple reviews that are more in depth and are written way better than anything I could provide...
http://bullmurph.com/2015/08/17/16232/ and https://altrockchick.com/2016/03/10/classic-music-reviews-minstrel-in-the-gallery-by-jethro-tull/
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To the 'math geek': look at 'One White Duck' the same as 'Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey' (it's better than Star Trek's '1 to the 14th power' idiocy ;))
Ah, I see. The slash indicates that it's a medley/suite sort of thing. I saw numbers and a slash and my mind immediately went to mathematics, with the slash indicating division.
I can't believe that "1 to the 14th power" actually made it past script readings and editing. Seriously, no one on that show had any idea how completely idiotic it sounded? We're talking junior high algebra, and people who liked to imagine that they were making a "serious" sci-fi show missed it.
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Eh, I like Orbert's take on "One White Duck"; a medley doesn't account for the "=" as well. My opinion, only.
I just realized I've never heard this album in it's entirely, but have heard all but one track - "Baker St. Muse" - from other sources (greatest hits, box sets, live). And every song is KILLER. I think I need to go listen to this in context, because it has the potential to be my favorite Tull album ever (my favorite so far has not been discussed yet).
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War Child (1974) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3avz7f1lqEU&list=PL94gOvpr5yt1kGiI7N6y55FR9uYEPQfnr)
War Child 4:35
Queen and Country 3:00
Ladies 3:17
Back-Door Angels 5:30
Sealion 3:37
Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day 4:09
Bungle in the Jungle 3:35
Only Solitaire 1:38
The Third Hoorah 4:49
Two Fingers 5:11
I ain't gonna lie. This album was pretty tough to get through. I almost tapped out halfway through, but I am committed to this thread.
I'm glad I didn't tap out because the last three tracks, starting with Only Solitaire are the best three tracks. So much better than the previous part of the album.
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Just want to say that I'm reading, since I like these in-depths discussions about musical history, and that I've decided to explore better the Tull catalogue.
Guess I'll begin with the albums from Aqualung through Minstrel (but skipping War child), and then the three folk-ish albums since I love a lot folk music.
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Minstrel In The Gallery and Cold Wind To Valhalla are both amazing.
The second half of Black Satin Dancer is great too.
The only song I wasn't crazy about was Requim.
But the rest of this was mellow, but quite cool.
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I listened to A Passion Play and Minstrel yesterday. Wasn't feeling it with APP, but I loved MitG--so much so that I ordered the CD from Amazon to add to my permanent collection.
Guess I'll begin with the albums from Aqualung through Minstrel (but skipping War child), and then the three folk-ish albums since I love a lot folk music.
I wouldn't skip War Child if I were you. You might find some gems to identify with. Back Door Angels and Two Fingers for example.
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I identify War Child with One Finger. ;D
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Listened to A Passion Play and found it way worse than I remembered. Almost nothing has stuck with me. I'll take Thick as a Brick and Aqualung over it any day.
I'll try War Child and Minstrel today perhaps.
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Finally read through your ‘Yes’ discography up through ‘Talk’, when my interest in the band mostly ended (though I did see them with Peter Frampton a few years back). Very well done. ‘Minstrel’ has a similarity to your purchase of ‘Fragile’, and has emotional ties (though different and not as strong) that touched me when reading lonestar discuss ‘Tales from Topographic Oceans’
Dee Palmer ‘string arraingements and conductor’: just surmising that the credit was changed as they did not use any orchestra (note all the instrumental bonuses for ‘WarChild’)? Palmer’s use is certainly more subtle than in ‘WarChild’. Nice catch that I would never have noticed.
Singles: the title track (b/w 'Summerday Sands') made it to #79 in the States. No idea of when in '75 that it was released. The beginning four minutes is removed, and would appear on the second greatest hits release https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNz-vBBWRig
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'My lords and ladies, for your 'entertainment'....
I associate it with snowy days and quiet evenings, and there were times when Mom would sit in her rocker and sew while I was doing school work or simply ‘lost’ with this LP (or others) playing at a moderately low volume (until turning it up for ‘Requiem’ and Side Two). Or one of us would doze off at one point or another. I ruined that vinyl with the cheap needle and constant playing.
Martin Barre is really allowed to kick axe on the first three tracks (and parts of the medley), though there are those softer moments that also shine throughout. ‘Requiem’ was that nice mellow track to end side one before perhaps moving on to something else for the day, or to take a break before side two.
The first half of the short medley ‘One White Duck’ (along with ‘Black Satin Dancer’ and ‘Requiem’) really resonated with me, having my long high school romance end months before). 0 10=Nothing At All …well, he’s on his way out, sex isn’t enough to keep him home, etc etc. THAT….well, that would be another relationship for me in the future…….
Today, as I sat down to finish this post off on a Word doc, I looked up the lyrics for the medley before I began to type. Whispered at the beginning
('Baker Street Muse', take one. Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t, take two). Well, I’ve owned and listened to this for over four decades, and for THE first time, after reading that and turning up the volume, I know what he semi whispered at the beginning!!! A tiny nugget that made me this sometimes easily amused individual happy.
A lot to digest here. Dark and damp streets of London, various encounters, and contemplating his life in the process. And then, from 10:03 onwards comes my favorite segment with reprise, starting with flute, acoustic guitar, and background street noises....
‘I have no time for Time magazine, or Rolling Stone (though having been on their covers)
I have no wish for wishing wells, or wishing bones….
Love the reprise, and again, the clever ‘Indian restaurants that curry my brains…..’ line
After his finish and walking away and little singing off into the distance, he finds himself trapped inside the studio. His lot in life? Well, there’s always hope. For thirty seven seconds of the beautiful ‘Grace’…..things aren’t all bad, waking up and having breakfast is indeed good, and maybe life is worth living after all. Let’s give the day a try, fight the good fight, and do this again tomorrow.
(I just heard that demo (minus strings) last night. Enjoyed, but it’s almost haunting without the strings).
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‘Minstrel’ was not released until September, the concert from July 75 Paris is in the bonus package (the yet to be released title track is in the setlist). For those that gave 'WarChild' one finger :D, this concert should make up for that disappointment.
Introduction (The Beach Part II) / Wind Up / Critique Oblique / Wondr’ing Aloud / My God (incl. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / Bouree / Quartet / Living In The Past / Thick As A Brick / My God (reprise) / Cross-Eyed Mary / Minstrel In The Gallery / Skating Away… / Bungle In The Jungle / Aqualung / Guitar Solo / Back-Door Angels/ Locomotive Breath with improvisation and including Hard-Headed English General / Back-Door Angels (reprise)
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So, to catch up, I listened to:
Thick As A Brick (way better than I thought; I've either never heard all of it, or heard it once)
A Passion Play (not as good as I had hoped; I've never heard the whole thing)
War Child (about what I remembered)
Minstral In The Gallery (I've heard all but Baker Street, and was better than I expected)
I'll DEFINITELY pick up MITG. I'll look for TAAB and WC in case I can get a deal. Prolly won't bother with APP.
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So, to catch up, I listened to:
Thick As A Brick (way better than I thought; I've either never heard all of it, or heard it once)
A Passion Play (not as good as I had hoped; I've never heard the whole thing)
War Child (about what I remembered)
Minstral In The Gallery (I've heard all but Baker Street, and was better than I expected)
I'll DEFINITELY pick up MITG. I'll look for TAAB and WC in case I can get a deal. Prolly won't bother with APP.
TAAB will probably be very easy to find in some form of re-release or another, there are tons of them.
War Child: yeah I probably will never return to it again, big meh. Will spin Minstrel tomorrow.
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At the end of 1975, after the 'Minstrel' 45 , 'Living in the Past' (b/w 'Requiem' (UK), 'Christmas Song' (US)) was released. Perhaps as an appetizer for the upcoming 'best of' album. It was their first Top 40 hit in the States in 1972, and the highest charting one, reaching #11 (one spot higher than 'Bungle..'). It did not chart in the UK, but had reached #3 in 1969.
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Eh, I like Orbert's take on "One White Duck"; a medley doesn't account for the "=" as well. My opinion, only.
I was actually coming around on this one. "One White Duck" is the first part, and "010 = Nothing at All" is the second part. The equals sign is in the title of the second part. I said it was the combination of seeing numbers and slash which led my mind in the direction of mathematics, but I guess the equals sign was part of that, too. I tried to parse it as an equation.
Either way, it's kind of a dumb title for a track anyway.
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Singles: the title track (b/w 'Summerday Sands') made it to #79 in the States.
By the way, it almost slipped through the cracks, but 'Summerday Sands' is one of the most beautiful songs in the catalogue (ever, really, at least for me) and one of my very favorites. I LOVE that song.
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I really like Minstrel. It overall has a great acoustic vibe and good use of strings. And when the record rocks/progs, it is great and stands out.
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You know what’s truly unfortunate about this album? I believe it’s one of the more ignored albums from a live standpoint. Martin Barre has called it a top 3 JT album, and Steven Wilson says in the remix package that it’s his favorite. It consistently gets top ratings from most JT fans as being a highlight...but only 2 or 3 songs have ever been played live that I know of. The title track and Valhalla have made their appearances, but not much else. Maybe Ian doesn’t care for it?
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My first thought is that the arrangements don't lend themselves to live performance, the strings and other complex things, but that doesn't stop a lot of bands from doing them anyway, maybe rearranging some things or just not worrying about the extra parts. It hasn't really stopped Jethro Tull, either, so that's probably not it.
When you get right down to it, the song list for a live album or concert comes down to two things, which are related: Which songs will work best live, and which combination of songs will present the best overall show? And within those constraints, there are many subtleties. You want to give the audience what they want, but you also want to give them what you want to give them, and those are often different. You don't want to do too many songs from the same album, except perhaps the latest, which you want to feature. There are great songs which just don't work in a live setting (even if people would still want to hear them). There are great songs that you've played every tour for 25 years now and are sick of, or that the audience might be okay without.
I'm just not familiar enough with the entire catalog, or the material on this album in particular, to have a good idea why this album gets neglected. Does anyone else have any thoughts about that?
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Hmm. Why is such a great album as Minstrels generally overlooked? I think it boils down to a couple of things.
For one, the preponderance of acoustic tracks. Even those songs that have bits of heaviness and hard rock start off acoustically. As great as these “softer” songs are, people lose patience. As I intimated in my previous post, I was rubbing my hands together in anticipation of hard rock goodness, especially after the kickass opening track, but was a bit disappointed when mostly everything that followed was acoustic. I remember attending a Porcupine Tree concert at the Beacon, and when Steven Wilson announced that they’d start off the show with an acoustic set, there was almost an audible groan from the crowd (I actually like the way Zeppelin did it, sandwiching the acoustic set, That’s the Way, Goin to California etc, in the middle of the show).
Secondly, even though Warchild is an inferior album imo, it had two supremely accessible radio hits in Skating and Bungle that etched themselves firmly in the minds of Tull fans, both casual and non. Minstrels didn’t have that.
BTW, Baker Street Muse is a fantastic piece that I find to be reminiscent of the grand medley that finishes off side two of The Beatles’ Abbey Road album.
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Can I ask a question to the Tull Heads?
On the Minstrel cover, why is there an alligator and an ape on the cover?
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They're 'bungling in the jungle'.... ;)
I have no idea, though the 'animals' are actually costumes with people inside of them. All part of the traveling minstrel show?
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I has never heard the entire A Passion Play album, only the excerpt of it that was on the double album best of I had many years ago, so I listened to it last night. Pass. Seems like it was a barrage of ideas that just sort of meandered along and then the song ended. Thick as a Brick is kind of the same thing, but at least that has some pretty high highs, and I will listen to the whole thing every three or four years. :lol I can't imagine ever listening to A Passion Play again.
On the flip side, I had never heard Minstrel in the Gallery before either, outside of the title track, and I liked most of it. I am debating getting it, but I might spin it again on YT to see if it is something I will actually listen to on any kind of regular basis before ponying up.
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Yeah, I revisited Minstrel and it's really good. I should get that album.
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Can I ask a question to the Tull Heads?
On the Minstrel cover, why is there an alligator and an ape on the cover?
I think the cover is an original XIX century painting.
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Can I ask a question to the Tull Heads?
On the Minstrel cover, why is there an alligator and an ape on the cover?
If you have to ask....
:) :)
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I always figured the alligator and the monkey were there to add to the "this is one wild-ass party" aspect of things.
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The original drawing/painting (I'd only come across this in the past week or so)
https://vinylconnection.com.au/2015/09/04/art-on-your-sleeve-3/
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The original drawing/painting (I'd only come across this in the past week or so)
https://vinylconnection.com.au/2015/09/04/art-on-your-sleeve-3/
Reading the writeup this line at the end caught my attention:
"Overall, a terrific addition to the Jethro Tull larder."
WTF is a larder??
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The original drawing/painting (I'd only come across this in the past week or so)
https://vinylconnection.com.au/2015/09/04/art-on-your-sleeve-3/
Reading the writeup this line at the end caught my attention:
"Overall, a terrific addition to the Jethro Tull larder."
WTF is a larder??
It's another word for a pantry. A storage room, typically for victuals.
I know, I know...WTF are victuals.
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The original drawing/painting (I'd only come across this in the past week or so)
https://vinylconnection.com.au/2015/09/04/art-on-your-sleeve-3/
Reading the writeup this line at the end caught my attention:
"Overall, a terrific addition to the Jethro Tull larder."
WTF is a larder??
The first time I played Betrayal at House on the Hill I asked the same question, didn't know it was even a word
Betrayal at House on the Hill is a board game btw, just so you don't have to make another post
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Haha, thank you for that Ruslan. :lol
I know what victuals are. I've heard that.
I'm 51 years old and I have never heard of the word larder.
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(https://cf.geekdo-images.com/original/img/x8j_9YBjaQ6pSWlhv_-y5AhWRvQ=/0x0/pic3327749.png)
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Colonel Mustard, with the Revolver, in the Larder. :neverusethis:
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I'm 51 years old and I have never heard of the word larder.
Wait, you were serious?
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Of course. Never heard the word before.
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Larder is more lard, isn't it? :)
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The larder you eat, the smoker you get.
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(https://i.imgur.com/z9OfZIZ.jpg)
M. U. - The Best of Jethro Tull (1976) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTxmWXQzBYo&list=PLaH1kVwLwVWjqgf0axjVdEJ0fghkxm6SG)
Teacher 3:54
Aqualung 6:38
Thick As A Brick Edit #1 3:00
Bungle In The Jungle 3:40
Locomotive Breath 4:38
Fat Man 2:52
Living In The Past 3:25
A Passion Play Edit #8 3:30
Skating Away (On The Thin Ice Of The New Day) 4:01
Rainbow Blues 3:39
Nothing Is Easy 4:24
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In 1976, we were treated to the first proper "greatest hits thing" from Jethro Tull. Longtime Orbert followers know this term as representing any "Best of" or "Greatest Hits" or "Classic" or other collection of previously released songs. I've always been of two minds about these: First, they were usually (to me) completely optional, since if I liked a band, I had all their albums anyway. Second, I recognize that that's a snotty, elitist attitude, and that not everyone is as obsessive about music as I am, and that these handy "mix tape" compilations do have their purpose. Some people just want the hits or "best of" a band, they often serve as nice intro samplers to a band, etc. Hey, I did say that I recognize my position as an elitist snob.
Anyway, I later discovered that there's a third category: Include some rare or alternate tracks, and now even completists or others who already have every release so far have to buy this one, too! You're already hitting up the casual listeners, why not gouge your loyal fans as well, under the guise of giving them something rare or otherwise new?
So it's a mixture of hits and oddities, and as such, not quite optional. Also, it's something of an oddball for another reason: It is not mentioned at all on the official Jethro Tull website. I know a lot of people who have this album, and as I said, it was the first real "greatest hits thing" we got from Jethro Tull, so I'm not sure if there's a long sordid tale behind its omission, or what. But it's not under "Compilations" or "Studio Albums" (or "Live Albums" or "All" for that matter).
I haven't listened to "M.U." lately, but I'm pretty sure "Teacher" is the version with the flute.
"Aqualung" is the alternative mix, including the song's opening guitar riff played twice. Previous US edits of the song began three seconds later, with the second playing of the riff. So if you listen to the radio and you thought you heard the riff twice, but then some other time you only heard it once and thought maybe you were mistaken, it wasn't just you. There are two versions. Also I think this is the version without the audio effect on the voice the first time (you know the spot).
"Thick as a Brick Edit #1" is the first three minutes of "Thick as a Brick, Part One".
"Locomotive Breath" is an alternate mix. At only 4:38, I'm assuming they've cut out the piano solo intro.
"A Passion Play Edit #8" is the "Overseer Overture", which occurs about 11 minutes into "A Passion Play, Part Two".
Final note: "M.U." stands for Musician's Union, probably a reference to the vast array of players in the band so far. Even though the lineup had become stable in recent years, as we shall soon see, more changes were in the wind, and would continue on throughout the life of Jethro Tull.
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The Overseer Overture is awesome!!
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Crap, I don't have this one!
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This was one of the first three Tull albums I’d ever bought, between Songs From the Wood and Aqualung. It gave me a pretty good overview of what came before Aqualung. After that, I decided to dive into their entire back catalog. I figure this was around ‘77/78 when SFtW had just come out.
Also, throughout all those years I never knew what M.U. meant. Thanks Orbert!
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I never knew what it meant, either. I found that tidbit on Wiki, but it's attributed to Minstrels In The Gallery: A History Of Jethro Tull (https://www.amazon.com/Minstrels-Gallery-History-Jethro-Music/dp/0946719225) by David Rees, one of many books about the band. Being only a casual fan myself, I haven't read any of them and cannot vouch for their accuracy, but it did seem to answer a question I've always wondered about, so I went with it.
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Just spun A Passion Play again. That's a cool album.
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It's different. I get why it doesn't work for some people, but I think it's solid.
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It has this feeling of picking you up and taking you to another place. I really liked the progressiveness and there are a lot of moments that remind me of Dream Theater. It's a real experience, and I'm surprised it seems to be a lesser album so far by the guys in the thread.
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The only thing that keeps me from putting Passion Play on no 1 is the hare part. Otherwise I think is an excellent album. Thus far I rank it right behind Thick as a Brick (and right before Minstrel).
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If memory serves, for many years Anderson was "mum" on what "M.U." stood for, and I want to even go farther and say I seem to recall there being a sort of contest or something around it. I'll call my buddy Goog and ask him.
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Released in January 1976, only four months after ‘Minstrel In The Gallery’, and four months before their next studio release (so much for taking a break). The album peaked at #44 in the UK and went gold in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Germany. ‘Best of’ reached #13 in the States, and was a Platinum seller (as well as in Canada).
Up to this point, the band’s discography totals eight studio LPs and two compilations (‘Living In The Past’ and ‘Best of’). All reached Gold or Platinum status in the States except for ‘This Was’.
Single: "Living in the Past" / "Requiem" (Chrysalis CHS 2081, 16 January 1976) #3 in the UK in 69, #11 in the States in ’72.
‘Locomotive Breath’ may have had the guitar a bit quieter in spots, I’ve listened to both, and it is real hard to distinguish the differences. This version still has the piano and guitar intro, it just fades out a few seconds earlier. Not so with ‘Aqualung’. Didn’t care for the vocal changes.
Of note is the inclusion of ‘Fat Man’. The song was a bit of a dig at Mick Abrahams, maybe that’s why it is on here. ‘A New Day Yesterday’ would have made a better choice IMHO. ‘Rainbow Blues’…..most likely from the Chateau d’Isaster / APP sessions. It was performed at some concerts, but never found its way onto an album or B-side, which was a shame. Later included on the ‘Warchild’ 2014 bonus edition.
The album included a poster of current and former members at a reunion dinner, minus Mick Abrahams. The ‘last supper’, taken in LA in 75:
https://altrockchick.com/jethro-tull/
I've known for eons what the 'MU' stood for. Back in the day, we always called it the 'FU' album. With Anderson's word play and such, we wouldn't put it past him to have a 'FU, here's the best of Tull' in shortened form, and anything else you want to make of it.
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I stumbled onto a website last week with details of how each album fared in various countries. For results up through M.U.:
This Was 1968 UK 10 - Nov 1968 (17 weeks), Billboard 62 - Mar 1969 (17 weeks), RYM 129 of 1968
Stand Up 1969 UK 1 - Aug 1969 (29 weeks), US Gold (certified by RIAA in Nov 1972), Norway 5 - Aug 1969 (24 weeks), Dutch 70s 10 - Dec 1969 (10 weeks), Billboard 20 - Oct 1969 (40 weeks), ODK Germany 48 - Nov 2016 (1 week), WXPN 627 (1969), Acclaimed 1570 (1969), RYM 52 of 1969
Benefit 1970 Norway 2 - Mar 1970 (23 weeks), UK 3 - May 1970 (13 weeks), Australia Goset 3 - Sep 1970 (14 weeks), US Gold (certified by RIAA in Nov 1970), Billboard 11 - May 1970 (41 weeks), Dutch 70s 13 - Jun 1970 (7 weeks), Australia (Kent) 25 of 1970 (peak 4), US CashBox 54 of 1970, Italy 59 of 1970, US BB 61 of 1970, WTMD 402, WXPN 463 (1970), RYM 92 of 1970, Xgau rating B- (1970)
Aqualung 1971 US 3 X Platinum (certified by RIAA in Nov 1989), Norway 3 - Apr 1971 (31 weeks), Australia Goset 3 - Jul 1971 (16 weeks), UK 4 - Apr 1971 (22 weeks), Germany Gold (certified by BMieV in 2008), Billboard 7 - May 1971 (76 weeks) (16 weeks in top 10), US 70s 7 - Jun 1971 (4 months), US BB 12 of 1971, US CashBox 14 of 1971, Italy 15 of 1971, Australia (Kent) 19 of 1971 (peak 3), ODK Germany 21 - Oct 2005 (3 weeks), Fox101 26, Dutch 70s 34 - May 1971 (13 weeks), Radio Caroline 48 (1971), WTMD 66, WXPN 100 (1971), Defin200 169 (1971), Rolling Stone 337, Acclaimed 448 (1971), RYM 23 of 1971, Xgau rating C+ (1971)
Living In The Past 1972 Canada 1 for 3 weeks - 1972, Australia Goset 2 - Jan 1973 (16 weeks), Billboard 3 - Nov 1972 (31 weeks) (10 weeks in top 10), US 70s 4 - Dec 1972 (3 months), US Gold (certified by RIAA in Nov 1972), Norway 5 - Aug 1972 (18 weeks), UK 8 - Jul 1972 (11 weeks), Australia (Kent) 13 of 1973 (peak 2), US BB 25 of 1972, US CashBox 33 of 1973, Italy 37 of 1972, WXPN 228 (1972), RYM 187 of 2002
Thick As A Brick 1972 Billboard 1 - May 1972 (46 weeks) (2 weeks at number 1) (10 weeks in top 10), US num 1 for 2 weeks - Jun 1972, US 70s 1 - May 1972 (3 months), Canada 1 for 1 week - 1972, Australia num 1 for 11 weeks - Jul 1972, Australia Goset 1 - Jul 1972 (30 weeks), Australia (Kent) 2 of 1972 (peak 1), Norway 3 - Mar 1972 (17 weeks), Dutch 70s 3 - Mar 1972 (12 weeks), US Gold (certified by RIAA in May 1972), UK 5 - Mar 1972 (14 weeks), Italy 8 of 1972, US CashBox 12 of 1972, US BB 17 of 1972, Radio Caroline 36 (1972), ODK Germany 53 - Nov 2012 (1 week), WTMD 611, Acclaimed 1549 (1972), RYM 9 of 1972, AVrev 81, Xgau rating C- (1972)
A Passion Play 1973 Billboard 1 - Jul 1973 (32 weeks) (1 week at number 1) (6 weeks in top 10), US num 1 for 1 week - Aug 1973, Canada 1 for 2 weeks - 1973, US 70s 3 - Aug 1973 (2 months), Austria 4 - Aug 1973 (4 months), US Gold (certified by RIAA in Jul 1973), Norway 5 - Aug 1973 (8 weeks), Australia Goset 9 - Sep 1973 (7 weeks), UK 16 - Jul 1973 (6 weeks), Italy 31 of 1973, ODK Germany 34 - Jul 2014 (1 week), US BB 45 of 1973, US CashBox 50 of 1973, UK Silver (certified by BPI in Oct 1973), RYM 105 of 1973
War Child 1974 Billboard 2 - Oct 1974 (31 weeks) (16 weeks in top 10), US 70s 3 - Dec 1974 (3 months), US Gold (certified by RIAA in Nov 1974), Norway 8 - Nov 1974 (6 weeks), US BB 9 of 1974, UK 14 - Nov 1974 (4 weeks), US CashBox 15 of 1975, France (InfoDisc) 39 of 1974 (peak 15, 20 weeks), Italy 46 of 1974, RYM 185 of 1974
Minstrel In The Gallery 1975 US Gold (certified by RIAA in Nov 1975), Billboard 7 - Sep 1975 (14 weeks) (5 weeks in top 10), Austria 7 - Oct 1975 (1 month), US 70s 9 - Oct 1975 (2 months), Norway 13 - Oct 1975 (5 weeks), ODK Germany 14 - May 2015 (2 weeks), UK 20 - Sep 1975 (6 weeks), US BB 58 of 1975, Italy 71 of 1975, UK Silver (certified by BPI in Jan 1976), RYM 48 of 1975
MU The Best Of Jethro Tull 1976 US Platinum (certified by RIAA in May 1978), UK Gold (certified by BPI in Jan 1983), Germany Gold (certified by BMieV in 2008), Billboard 13 - Jan 1976 (23 weeks), UK 44 - Jan 1976 (5 weeks), US BB 71 of 1976, US CashBox 75 of 1976
A couple of odd things to me: In the UK ‘Stand Up’ reached #1, ‘Benefit’ #3, but did not attain Gold status. From wiki, ‘Aqualung’ did not hit that sales total until 2013.
https://tsort.info/music/bhb4n0.htm
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Following the 1975 tour for Minstrel in the Gallery, bassist Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond had had enough of being a rock star and chose to leave Jethro Tull and return to his first love, which was painting. The classic lineup which had been together since Aqualung was known for (among other things) their flamboyant and colorful stage attire. Hammond's was a black-and-white striped suit which matched his black-and-white striped bass. He ceremoniously burned the suit, and in the words of Ian Anderson "put down his bass guitar, never to play again".
He was replaced by John Glascock from the prog band Carmen, which had opened for Jethro Tull on the 1975 tour. Thus, after five studio albums with the same lineup, the longest in the band's history either before or since, Jethro Tull had a new member.
Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die! (1976) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D-cc8omeyg&list=PLfGibfZATlGotchhET7XNxxmdQ01OXJsI)
(https://i.imgur.com/4yqnYZT.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Acoustic and Electric Guitar, Harmonica, Percussion
Barriemore Barlow - Drums, Percussion
Martin Barre - Electric Guitar
John Evan - Piano, Keyboards
John Glascock - Bass, Backing Vocals
Dee Palmer - Orchestrations and Conducting, Saxophone, Piano
Maddie Prior - Backing Vocals
Angela Allen - Backing Vocals
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Quizz Kid 5:09
Crazed Institution 4:48
Salamander 2:51
Taxi Grab 3:54
From a Dead Beat to an Old Greaser 4:09
Bad-Eyed and Loveless 2:12
Big Dipper 3:35
Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die 5:44
Pied Piper 4:32
The Chequered Flag (Dead or Alive) 5:32
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In the 1970's, it was still far more common for rock bands to eventually break up and their individual members fade into obscurity than it was for them to continue into their 30's, 40's, or older. Rock and Roll hadn't really been around long enough for there to be many aging rockers in the first place. So when Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die! came out, we all thought it was either an autobiographical concept album, or a commentary on the music business in general, or perhaps both. Ian Anderson has stated repeatedly that this is not the case.
But you could hardly blame us for not believing him. The cover art features Ian's likeness, or someone who certainly looks a lot like him. The album did turn out to be a concept album, the story of an aging rocker named Max Lomas, but in the included comic which fleshes out the story, Max Lomas also bears more than a passing resemblance to Ian Anderson.
(https://i.imgur.com/pWQhnMF.jpg) (https://i.imgur.com/pWQhnMF.jpg)
In addition to playing bass, John Glascock also provided backing vocals on this album, which was a first for Jethro Tull. John's girlfriend at the time, Angela Allen, and another singer named Maddie Prior also sang backing vocals.
The album was originally going to be a rock musical, the story of an aging, retired rock star named Max Lomas. Lomas appears on a television quiz show and wins a huge amount of money, but finds that he can't really enjoy it. The world has changed too much since his glory days. He's getting too old, he's retired from Rock and Roll, and there's no one around anymore to have fun with. So he decides to commit suicide by crashing his motorcycle.
He survives the accident, but is hospitalized and in a coma for an unspecified amount of time. When he awakens, he finds that the reconstructive surgery on his disfigured face makes him appear 20 years younger. Not only that, but his style of music and dress has come back into fashion. He becomes an overnight sensation, and young people everywhere now dress and act like him.
This isn't really obvious if you just follow the lyrics. As mentioned, the story is fleshed out by the cartoon strip included with the album. The lyrics leave a few holes and even contradict the comic in a few places. But presumably the music and lyrics went through some changes once it became apparent that Too Old to Rock and Roll: Too Young to Die! was going to be a concept album and not a musical stage show. Anderson says that the story is not autobiographical, but simply a tale about how music, fashion, and the like tend to go out of style, but everything eventually comes back again.
The album was not as well received as its predecessor Minstrel in the Gallery, breaking the generally upward trajectory of Tull albums. It only reached #25 in the U.K., although it did reach #14 in the United States.
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Ian says:
"The title track came to me on a plane journey when I was in heavy turbulence and very frightened. It was a piece about the kind of 50s Brit rock'n'rollers. Those bikers in that era, it was their world and they were already pushing 40 or 50 by then. You could mock that but there's something rather noble and determined and dignified about it, and I just wanted to explore that dichotomy. It's wistful and nostalgic and also a bit of a put‑down, and it's finding that balance in a song sometimes."
From Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
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Listening now. Did the guy that did the comic do the Unmasked album cover?
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Great album.
I actually know a guy who has the cover tattooed on his shoulder, but that's beside the point.
The title track is a song I will never tire of, just a perfect progression, and I've always found Crazed Institution one of their best live songs.
Thinking about it, '76 to '79 may very well be their live finest hour to my ears and eyes.
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The title track is a song I will never tire of,
I'm listening to this now. There's a small Alice Cooper vibe to this song.
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OK, I just finished. It's OK. There's nothing that really wowed me.* I would bet a couple of tunes would be a bit more powerful live. Something like Big Dipper.
I'm kind of amazed that I have never heard anything from this before on classic rock radio growing up. Seems anything the radio played was pre 1975. I'm a but surprised at that.
* And when I say nothing wowed me, I don't mean to sound like a dick. I mean, I'm not a fan, but I really want to hear the albums in this thread. But even albums before at least gave me something to think, "gee, that's cool". I thought the acoustics in Salamander were pretty cool, and was one of the only times listening that I felt "swept up in it".
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I put off listening to this album for a very long time because everybody tended to place it further down the list of Tull albums. But after a few spins I found myself really enjoying this one. It is (dare I say it?) catchier than many of their other classic period albums. It seems to take what Warchild was trying to do (whittle ideas down into simpler, straight forward, stand alone songs that stand on their own outside of “the concept”) but just did a much better job of it.
Crazed Institution really grabbed me right away. Salamander is really good, but the riff borders on self-plagiarism (Cold Wind to Valhalla is IDENTICAL, and literally on the very last album). I quite like Pied Piper as well.
Just a very solid album and much better than what I was expecting.
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(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/36/12/70/361270ec8f3474491b8825cde3e1fe31.jpg)
Badass! :metal
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I should've dug up a picture to include in the writeup, but didn't get to it. This is awesome!
According to the stories, Anderson had to ask him many times to join Jethro Tull. Once Cornick got the boot, Anderson practically begged Hammond to join and be the bass player. Hammond hadn't played since the old John Evan Band days and didn't even own a bass at the time, so Anderson bought him one, so he wouldn't have any more excuses.
After five years (and five great albums), he finally got out of it. I guess he really did want to be a painter and not a rock star.
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I put TOtRnR in the same class as Warchild. They both have a whimsical quality about them
and both took their time to grow on me.
I find it odd how the more refined Minstrel in the Gallery is stuck in between these two albums.
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It may be because both War Child and Too Old started off as more than what they eventually became. War Child was to be a movie, and the music that ended up on the album was adapted from what was to be the soundtrack for the movie. Too Old was to be a musical, and the music on the album was adapted from material written with that in mind. Ian Anderson always had lofty goals for Jethro Tull, which isn't a bad thing. But when these "advanced" projects didn't work out, he found himself having to rework a lot of stuff and still get an album out in the normal time frame, which may result in the "less refined" sound that you hear. Just a theory.
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My second (to Aqualung) favorite Tull CD. I like the whole thing but the title track through the end especially. I know it's not universally highly regarded but it's a definite #2 for me.
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I've had a listen to this one a few times in the past couple of days. I quite like it. In fact, other than Crazed Institution and Bad-eyed and Loveless I think all of these songs are quite strong...well, maybe not Pied Piper. My absolute fave is From a Dead Beat to an Old Greaser. Love it.
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It may be because both War Child and Too Old started off as more than what they eventually became. War Child was to be a movie, and the music that ended up on the album was adapted from what was to be the soundtrack for the movie. Too Old was to be a musical, and the music on the album was adapted from material written with that in mind. Ian Anderson always had lofty goals for Jethro Tull, which isn't a bad thing. But when these "advanced" projects didn't work out, he found himself having to rework a lot of stuff and still get an album out in the normal time frame, which may result in the "less refined" sound that you hear. Just a theory.
Good point. Both Warchild and Too Old have a charming cheesiness that suggests aspirations to more than just the music itself. By that standard, you can also probably put A Passion Play in the same boat. Music that came out of failed projects, if you will. Music that sounds like it needs to be rounded out by the story behind a play, movie or comic book or what have you, lending to the overall quirkiness.
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Does A Passion Play feel incomplete to you Gord? I mean, It picks me up and brings me somewhere. That's how I feel listening to it?
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Single releases at the time:
"Too Old to Rock and Roll, Too Young to Die" b/w "Rainbow Blues" "Bad-Eyed and Loveless" (US)
"Locomotive Breath" b/w "Fat Man" US Billboard #62
Years ago, I made up a compilation called ‘War Gallery Songs’. These were bonus tracks and a couple of nonalbum B-sides of the era from ‘Warchild’ through ‘Songs From The Wood’:
Side One: Quartet edit 1:52 (just for fun) / Paradise Steakhouse / Rainbow Blues / Good Godmother / Tomorrow Is Today / Summerday Sands
Side Two: Saturation / Glory Row / March The Mad Scientist / Old Aces Die Hard / Pan Dance
It has ‘pop’, some rock, a bit of prog, a short acoustical, some hidden messages….all that drew me to Tull. And I listen to it often.
As to ‘Too Old’….. my favorite track is the acoustic demo version of ‘A Small Cigar’, a song that was not on the album proper. As well as a ‘One Brown Mouse’ demo. I remember being disappointed when this album was first released, and I’ve tried on occasion to find …something ….that would grab me, but, well, nothing ever has. There are occasional short lived moments, but they disappear rather quickly.
The still young Anderson was only 28 at the time of this release.
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Did I mention yet how good a song is "Summerday Sands"?
(I know I did; it's just THAT GOOD that it deserves another shout out.)
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Did I mention yet how good a song is "Summerday Sands"?
(I know I did; it's just THAT GOOD that it deserves another shout out.)
It’s amazing to me that the song wasn’t on the original album release.
Does A Passion Play feel incomplete to you Gord? I mean, It picks me up and brings me somewhere. That's how I feel listening to it?
TAC, I find it hard to describe how I feel about A Passion Play, but yeah it does feel incomplete somehow, like a big tease. I also wonder if that wasn’t simply Anderson’s intent, i.e. a collective mindfuck. But as Stadler has suggested, you could go on forever trying to read between the lines when it comes to Jethro Tull (something I love about the band). I think that some of the albums from this era can appropriately be called musical ‘farce’.
I agree that the music transports you someplace otherworldly, like you’re embarking on a grand adventure. The Hare bit could almost be something from Alice in Wonderland.
I really wasn’t expecting you to connect with A Passion Play at all. It’s probably their proggiest album, and certainly their least accessible work. It’s an odd duck. That said, Ian’s vocals drip with sentimentality and nostalgia.
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I've had a listen to this one a few times in the past couple of days. I quite like it. In fact, other than Crazed Institution and Bad-eyed and Loveless I think all of these songs are quite strong...well, maybe not Pied Piper. My absolute fave is From a Dead Beat to an Old Greaser. Love it.
I got a chuckle out of the fact that you literally singled out my favorite songs. :rollin
This is why I love discussion threads.
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I think it is a solid record, but for some reason it does not grab me that much. I do really enjoy Quiz Kid, Pied Piper and especially the title track.
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Did the guy that did the comic do the Unmasked album cover?
Credits for Too Old to Rock and Roll: Too Young to Die! include
Michael Farrell – cover design, illustrations
David Gibbons – design, illustrations
According to Wiki, the Unmasked "album cover and poster insert, designed by artist Victor Stabin".
So similar styles, but not the same artist.
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A few more items for this era...
Jeffrey Hammond Hammond google images, also includes his zebra outfit and matching stand up bass :D
Tampa Stadium ’76, video footage from the ‘Tullevision’ screen. Concert is not complete. Beginning taped instrumental is ‘Quartet’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAW6hOM1azo
A couple of above average bootlegs:
Paris, May ‘76
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsDm0A03VzE&t=881s
Munich, May ‘76
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GbAFdFse_U
Just read this review of the expanded bonus release. There are all sorts of extras in this package. Very tempted to purchase it in a few years (gotta get a BluRay and surround sound first….)
https://mikeladano.com/2016/01/07/review-jethro-tull-too-old-to-rock-n-roll-too-young-to-die-tv-special-edition-2cd2dvd-set/
Did I mention yet how good a song is "Summerday Sands"?
(I know I did; it's just THAT GOOD that it deserves another shout out.)
I kinda recall it mentioned once or twice ;)
I do like Quizz Kid, and kinda like ‘Too Old…’ I just wish there was ‘more’ surrounding them. 'Isolation' is almost a carbon copy of ‘Cold Wind To Valhalla’. Going back to APP, which had its first sessions scrapped and then the final rushed before heading out on tour, 'Too Old' seems too big of a concept, then narrowed down, and almost too 'polished'. It came out about the same time as Alice Cooper's 'Goes To Hell', which has similar traits.
Thanks to Orbert's prior comment regarding the 'Minstrel in the Gallery' book, I mentioned it to my wife, and she ordered it for me a few days ago. :tup
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It came out about the same time as Alice Cooper's 'Goes To Hell', which has similar traits.
There's a small Alice Cooper vibe
;D ;D
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Forgot if I posted about it, but since books have been mentioned, I can say The Ballad Of Jetrho Tull, which I recently gifted to my dad, is a beautiful illustrated oral history of the band, with lot's of comments by the many band members. The book has a nice premium feel to it. Haven't really read it though, so cannot comment on the actual content.
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Songs from the Wood (1977) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3Xlmh0lvK0&list=PLDBDDF67784F70864)
(https://i.imgur.com/lBtHzbf.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin, Cymbals, Whistles
Barriemore Barlow - Drums, Percussion, Marimba, Glockenspiel
Martin Barre - Electric Guitar, Lute
John Evan - Piano, Organ, Synthesizers
John Glascock - Bass, Backing Vocals
Dee Palmer - Piano, Portable Pipe Organ, Synthesizers
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Songs from the Wood 4:52
Jack-in-the-Green 2:27
Cup of Wonder 4:30
Hunting Girl 5:11
Ring Out, Solstice Bells 3:43
Velvet Green 6:03
The Whistler 3:30
Pibroch (Cap in Hand) 8:35
Fire at Midnight 2:26
Ian Anderson played all instruments on "Jack-in-the-Green"
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We see now the folly of blindly accepting what's on Wikipedia. Both Wikipedia and the official Jethro Tull website state that the next album, Songs from the Wood, was recorded immediately folowing the tour for Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die! (As an aside, a lot of the text on Wiki and the Jethro Tull website is the same, word for word, indicating that one is simply a copy/paste of the other. I have no idea which came first.) The problem is that if this is true, then when was the album written? You do not literally start recording an album immediately following a tour unless you've managed to write and rehearse the new album during the tour of the previous one. This may be true. I cannot find any information about when the next album was written, and as mentioned, the only two sources I've been following clearly are just copies of each other.
The other thing that both sites state is that the previous five albums were Jethro Tull's "Progressive Rock" period, and the next three represent Tull's "Folk Rock" period. But let's be fair. Jethro Tull music has always had the Scottish Folk element, and the preceding albums all had both acoustic and electric instrumentation in various ratios. I don't hear a huge change in sound. I hear the next phase in the evolution of their sound. It's not like everything is suddenly acoustic. "Pibroch (Cap in Hand)" starts and ends with a growling, dirty electric guitar and is easily as prog as anything they'd done thus far.
The underlying musical structures do perhaps reflect more of a folk influence, even if the arrangements do not. We have tuned percussion as well as mandolin, lute, and the tin whistle, so if one were forced at gunpoint to identify the delineation between Jethro Tull's "Progressive" and "Folk" periods, I suppose this is where it starts. But as is always the case with progressive rock, attempting to pigeonhole the music to fit a genre label is usually an exercise in futility. Wiki also goes on to mention that the arrangements are quite complex and feature a lot of keyboards as well as Martin Barre's electric guitar, making it one of their most progressive albums. So what's all this about the album being "Folk" and not "Prog"?
Dee Palmer (then David) who had been providing orchestrations for several albums now, and also performing live with the band, was finally promoted to a full member of Jethro Tull as of this album, bringing the roster up to six. It is her presence and classical background that contributed so much to the sound of this album.
This one's a fave for both myself and the general public. Rolling Stone (who hate everything prog) actually said that Songs from the Wood may be their "best record ever", though they didn't mention that until the review for the following album, Heavy Horses.
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Ian says:
"More than any album we've done, this is one where the band had more to do with the elements of the songs. Martin Barre and David Palmer particularly had worked some material up that would fit right into a song, and where the recording process had all the band involved. There was an exception or two – Jack-In-The-Green was me one Sunday after lunch in there alone – but the rest of it was all of us. I feel perhaps since the days of This Was or Stand Up, it had much more of a band vibe. It was good."
From Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
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This is the album I tell people is my favorite.
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I have been listening to this one in advance and it has been on repeat for days now, I really love it. I think it is my second favourite, after Thick as a Brick. Also, to me this album feels like prog for sure, but with more folk instrumentation than before.
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One of the few Tull albums I own on CD. I like it, but it's a bit bumpy for me. The Whistler is one of my favorite Tull songs of any era. Love that one.
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Songs From the Wood is absolutely masterful. To me, the band found a renewed sense of focus, honing their songwriting skills and instrumental talents to a razor sharp focus. The album is hard rock with a heavy dose of prog AND folk, but everything is so seamlessly done, that it's useless to try and classify it.
Most of the songs are short-ish, in the 2 - 6 minute range, but the fact that they managed to pack so much proggy goodness into the span of these short songs is where the album shines. Pulling these songs off live is a wonder. A ton of exotic instrumentation is used, some of which Orbert has mentioned, but it's also full of folky stuff like hand claps, finger snaps, knee claps and foot stomps, etc. And I love the way that bass is way up in the mix.
By galliard, if there's one album that transports me back to the 17th century, then this is it. Maybe even more so than listening to a collection of Bach harpsichord concertos.
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By galliard, if there's one album that transports me back to the 17th century, then this is it. Maybe even more so than listening to a collection of Bach harpsichord concertos.
Yeah, I'm gonna have to take your word for it. :lol
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From front to back, simply a terrific album.....
(https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ftralfaz-archives.com%2Fcoverart%2FJ%2Fjethro_tull_songsb.jpg&hash=335c2fb8cec4d4237df6875b018b20c14c59af08)
The charts: released in February '77. US Gold (certified by RIAA in Feb 1977), Billboard 8 - Mar 1977 (22 weeks) (4 weeks in top 10), Norway 8 - Feb 1977 (6 weeks), US 70s 9 - May 1977 (1 month), UK 13 - Feb 1977 (12 weeks), Sweden 22 - Feb 1977 (6 weeks), Austria 23 - Mar 1977 (2 months), US BB 46 of 1977, US CashBox 51 of 1977, Holland free40 75 of 1977, Italy 78 of 1977, Radio Caroline 215 (1977), WXPN 675 (1977), WTMD 850, RYM 27 of 1977
The band's tenth studio album, and eighth to reach Gold or Platinum sales in the States. The last one to chart in the Top Ten.
Single releases: Oddly, only "The Whistler" b/w "Strip Cartoon" (unreleased from the 'Too Old...' sessions) reached #59 on the US charts.
Simply put, I loved it then, and have grown to admire it more ever since.
Another fun altrockchick review https://altrockchick.com/2013/05/24/classic-music-reviews-songs-from-the-wood-by-jethro-tull/
Also, these sessions were so good that they produced the eight plus minute 'Old Aces Die Hard' (I mentioned earlier in the 'Too Old..' segment) that it didn't find its way onto this album. One could make a point of it replacing 'Pibroch (Cap in Hand)' if one so desired. It's that good, and would have fit right in. A shame it wasn't made available until a few years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPRC-b0ml8E
The related tour, with various concert boots and videos, are other added bonuses (for a later post).
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By galliard, if there's one album that transports me back to the 17th century, then this is it. Maybe even more so than listening to a collection of Bach harpsichord concertos.
Yeah, I'm gonna have to take your word for it. :lol
;D By that token, I'm expecting you to hate Songs From the Wood
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Although not my favourite one (still great), this is the album I would point to if asked the impossible question: "What's Jethro Tull's sound?"
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Heard it as well today, in my exploration of the classic Tull albums. Yup, this one is quite good.
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By galliard, if there's one album that transports me back to the 17th century, then this is it. Maybe even more so than listening to a collection of Bach harpsichord concertos.
Yeah, I'm gonna have to take your word for it. :lol
;D By that token, I'm expecting you to hate Songs From the Wood
Well...
(https://www.memesmonkey.com/images/memesmonkey/be/be2a1c89041b8c0aa1f17c12c40e5bfd.jpeg)
I thought it was awesome!!! :lol
Seriously, the first thing that jumped out at me in the title track was the drumming and bass playing being in real delicate synch. That carries on throughout the entire album.
And speaking of carrying through the entire album, I find this album remains stylistically consistent basically from beginning to end. The only song I felt out of place was the last one, Beltane.
Phibroch is amazing, and one of the best things I've heard in this thread so far. I also liked Hunting Girl a lot too.
I mentioned that A Passion Play seemed to transport me, and this album does even more so. It's style is really unique, and its direction is confident.
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Hooray for small miracles!
Kidding aside, your points are spot on, especially in regard to the rhythm section.
It should be mentioned that Beltane was not on the original album, as it’s a bonus track from the reissue/remix. The original album ended with Fire At Midnight.
I’m glad you like it!!
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I was listening the Steven Wilson remix and Beltane isn't even on there it seems. What is on there as a bonus is Old Aces Die Hard and I think that is a great track. Am I understanding it correctly that this was never released before or...?
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According to Wiki, that is correct. "Beltane" is on the 2003 CD, along with a live version of "Velvet Green", as bonus tracks.
The Steven Wilson version has one CD with the original nine album tracks, and a number of other unreleased, alternate, and live tracks, but not "Beltane".
The other two CDs together are a live concert from 1977, 22 tracks altogether.
There are also two DVDs, one with the 5.1 remixes and other goodies, and the other with a live 1997 concert, the famous one from the Capital Center in Landover. The tracks listing is the same as on the two CDs, so it is possibly the same concert, and possibly another concert from the same tour. I don't own it, so I can't check, and I can't find a definitive answer online.
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So TAC concurs with Steven Wilson in that Beltane was not worthy of release. Such impeccable musical instincts! Will wonders never cease? ;D
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So TAC concurs with Steven Wilson in that Beltane was not worthy of release. Such impeccable musical instincts! Will wonders never cease? ;D
Yeah, you know me and Steven Wilson...
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So TAC concurs with Steven Wilson in that Beltane was not worthy of release. Such impeccable musical instincts! Will wonders never cease? ;D
Yeah, you know me and Steven Wilson...
As the Dire Straits song goes: Brothers in Arms!
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Before we move on...
LIVE IN LONDON ’77 video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di4xztwcKvU&t=213s
The terrific Capital Centre 77 video from the old Capital Centre in Landover MD (found out a couple of months ago that my best friend attended this) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QByXiqkECKQ&t=5726s
Manchester Apollo 77 audio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DPpelfJLq8&t=3939s
Louisville 77 audio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1WF89nnhZQ&t=205s
Songs from the Wooden Gramophone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1WF89nnhZQ&t=205s
Back to the album for a second: progish, yet very pop. All of side one received plenty of air play back in the day. As did the first two songs on side two. Hell, any or all of the first seven songs could all find their way onto one’s ‘best of’ compilation. Add in a couple of sexual encounter lyrics (Hunting Girl, Velvet Green...which steals at times from 'PigMe and the Whore' from 'Minstrel') that often found their way onto Tull releases. Then the bombastic Pibroch (Cap In Hand) regarding a long lost love (or a spirit coming back home, or a stalker….it’s up to your interpretation), and it is the band at their best. ‘Fire At Midnight’ is a perfectly titled finale of our trip through the woods, and yet, when it ends, it like there should be another song after. Perhaps because it didn’t have a short instrumental end or fade out. Along with the fact its one damn fine album, and you want more.
JULY 11th edit: "Ring Out, Solstice Bells" / "March, the Mad Scientist" / "Christmas Song" / "Pan Dance" ...released in 1976. The EP charted at #28 in the UK. The main track has been on a holiday mix tape of mine for eons.
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Before we move on...
LIVE IN LONDON ’77 video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di4xztwcKvU&t=213s
The terrific Capital Centre 77 video from the old Capital Centre in Landover MD (found out a couple of months ago that my best friend attended this) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QByXiqkECKQ&t=5726s
Manchester Apollo 77 audio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DPpelfJLq8&t=3939s
Louisville 77 audio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1WF89nnhZQ&t=205s
Songs from the Wooden Gramophone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1WF89nnhZQ&t=205s
Back to the album for a second: progish, yet very pop. All of side one received plenty of air play back in the day. As did the first two songs on side two. Hell, any or all of the first seven songs could all find their way onto one’s ‘best of’ compilation. Add in a couple of sexual encounter lyrics (Hunting Girl, Velvet Green...which steals at times from 'PigMe and the Whore' from 'Minstrel') that often found their way onto Tull releases. Then the bombastic Pibroch (Cap In Hand) regarding a long lost love (or a spirit coming back home, or a stalker….it’s up to your interpretation), and it is the band at their best. ‘Fire At Midnight’ is a perfectly titled finale of our trip through the woods, and yet, when it ends, it like there should be another song after. Perhaps because it didn’t have a short instrumental end or fade out. Along with the fact its one damn fine album, and you want more.
Thanks for the live links, I enjoyed the 1976 performance you linked a while back.
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(https://i.imgur.com/LnOYA64.jpg)
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Minstrel in the Gallery (Edited version) 4:17
Cross-Eyed Mary 4:11
A New Day Yesterday 4:10
Bourée 3:46
Thick as a Brick (Edit #4) 3:27
War Child 4:37
A Passion Play (Edit #9) 3:33
To Cry You a Song 6:14
Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die 5:42
Glory Row 3:33
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Another "greatest hits thing" which, as far as I know, was an official release on Chrysalis Records, but which for reasons unknown is not acknowledged on the official Jethro Tull website. It's like Ian Anderson disavows the existence of the early compilations (this and M.U.). Maybe he doesn't like the line-art renderings of him posing with the flute.
Someone once asked Ian Anderson what the deal is, standing on one leg and playing the flute like that. He said it goes back to when he played harmonica. With both hands on the harmonica, he still needed a way to steady the microphone stand, so he'd wrap one leg around it to hold it in place. Maybe he kept bumping it and knocking it over. Anyway, he got so used to playing harmonica and wrapping his leg around the mic stand to steady it that when he switched to flute, it felt natural. So that became his thing, standing on one leg and playing the flute.
Anyway, another batch of previously released, alternate versions, and one previously unreleased track, "Glory Row". "Glory Row" is now included as a bonus track on CD versions of War Child.
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Ian Anderson is like some sort of tunesmith. It’s incredible the number of fully composed and recorded songs that never made it to original album releases.
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Looks like he's modeling Buck Naked underwear.
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Didn't know the history behind his 'flamingo' stance until Orbert's post.
This LP was by far the worst selling up to this point, only reaching #94 on the Billboard charts (six weeks). In a two year span, there were three studio LPs, and this second 'greatest hits' offering. There were no tracks off of 'Songs From The Wood' (then again, it had only dropped off the charts a couple of months earlier). There were no related single releases, I don't recall any airplay, or any friends owning it.
It is a nice little offering, but 'too soon' comes to mind.
'Saturation' (originally an unreleased track from the 'War Child' sessions) would have been a fitting addition, as Chrysalis was certainly over saturating the market at this time.....
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I've listened to Songs from the Wood maybe a dozen times in the past week. I'm embarrassed to say, How has this not been in my life before?! Seriously! I was sixteen when this came out. I would have thought at least one of my friends, someone at a party, anyone, would have created a buzz about it.
Anyway, thanks again for this discography, Orbert. I'm really enjoying it.
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I've listened to Songs from the Wood maybe a dozen times in the past week. I'm embarrassed to say, How has this not been in my life before?! Seriously! I was sixteen when this came out. I would have thought at least one of my friends, someone at a party, anyone, would have created a buzz about it.
So this in interesting Gregg. Were you aware of Jethro Tull at this point? Did you listen to them at all in early high school, or were they just a radio band for you?
And I'm going to value your "in real time" testimonies in The UFO Discog Thread. Your view of No Heavy Petting has always stuck with me.
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I've listened to Songs from the Wood maybe a dozen times in the past week. I'm embarrassed to say, How has this not been in my life before?! Seriously! I was sixteen when this came out. I would have thought at least one of my friends, someone at a party, anyone, would have created a buzz about it.
So this in interesting Gregg. Were you aware of Jethro Tull at this point? Did you listen to them at all in early high school, or were they just a radio band for you?
Oh, hell yeah I was aware of Jethro Tull. At this point in time I had Stand Up, Aqualung, and War Child in my record collection. I'd heard plenty of, but never bought, Thick as a Brick and Too Old... I knew of, but never heard Minstrel in the Gallery. I bought Heavy Horses and Stormwatch when they came out but somehow, I completely missed Songs from the Wood. As you will soon see, it's quite complementary of the next two albums, which I love.
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Ian Anderson is like some sort of tunesmith. It’s incredible the number of fully composed and recorded songs that never made it to original album releases.
I am super surprised at some of the bonus tracks on the Steven Wilson remixes, as they are listed as previously unreleased and are simply finished songs straight out of the 70's, released 40 years later. Old Aces Die Hard is a good fully produced 9 minute track.
Official youtube link to that one for those that didn't listed to the Steven Wilson package of Songs for the Wood:
Old Aces Die Hard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJs82y2gURw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJs82y2gURw)
(Edit: apparently Working John is an older song? Was reading the comments on yt. Ah, it is on A, have yet to listen to that one)
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Looks like he's modeling Buck Naked underwear.
It's known as a codpiece.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codpiece
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:lol
Gee thanks.
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Heavy Horses (1978) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V_8FByoT4g&list=PL-BW_uEXq3cVxCk-t2NT5hVzH7Utu2zet&index=1)
(https://i.imgur.com/UZzuYZT.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Mandolin
Barriemore Barlow - Drums, Percussion
Martin Barre - Electric Guitar
John Evan - Piano, Organ
John Glascock - Bass, Backing Vocals
Dee Palmer - Piano, Portative Pipe Organ, Orchestral Arrangements
Darryl Way - Violin on "Acres Wild" and "Heavy Horses"
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...And the Mouse Police Never Sleeps 3:11
Acres Wild 3:22
No Lullaby 7:55
Moths 3:24
Journeyman 3:55
Rover 4:17
One Brown Mouse 3:21
Heavy Horses 8:58
Weathercock 4:02
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The second in the so-called "Folk Rock Trilogy" of albums, this one actually feels a bit more folksy than Songs from the Wood. Still, as I mentioned in the writeup for Songs from the Wood, I don't hear a drastic change in the music, just a different mix of acoustic and electric instrumentation, this time leaning a bit more to the acoustic side. Martin Barre's electric guitar doesn't make itself known until the third track, "No Lullaby", but as with "Pibroch (Cap in Hand)" from the previous album, it both opens and closes the track, and the track itself is an eight-minute mini-epic. So once again, it's not like Jethro Tull has forsaken the prog; they've just changed the mix a bit. The arrangements are often lush and complex, thanks to Dee Palmer's keyboards and orchestrations, giving the album an overall prog feel, even if the instrumentation leans more towards that found in folk music. It still sounds very much like Jethro Tull to me.
Ian Anderson had by this time purchased a house out in the country, and the subject matter reflects that a bit. The title track refers to the draft horses traditionally used to plow the fields and pull the carts. We also have songs named "Acres Wild", "Moths", "Weathercock" and two with the word "Mouse" in the title. As is often the case, Ian was just writing about what was on his mind, in this case his new farmhouse and reconnection with nature. This perhaps is also why the album has such a folksy, acoustic sound to it.
In terms of production, the album sounds much like Songs from the Wood, and has a similar composition in terms of songs and song length. Mostly shorter songs, but also a couple of mini-epics (the aforementioned "No Lullaby" and the title track at eight and nine minutes, respectively), although the shorter songs here are markedly shorter, with two around the four-minute mark and the rest shorter than that. The result is interesting. The songs have some complexity and often many layers to them, but with so many shorter songs and lighter instrumentation, the album feels a bit sparse overall. When I get to the end, I sometimes think "Was that it?" But at around 40 minutes, it's an average-length album for its time. The 2003 CD version adds two songs, "Living in These Hard Times" (3:10) and "Broadford Bazaar" (3:38), and for reasons unknown, the version of "Rover" is different from the original LP.
Heavy Horses reached #19 on the Billboard Album Chart, and #20 in the U.K.
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Ian says:
"You have to remember, this was at the time punk's final embers were burning out and you had bands like The Police and The Stranglers, who were, collectively speaking, a bunch of old hippies. The brave new world of punk rock had perhaps become commercialised at that point. But bands like those two used punk as a means to get their foot in the door, just as I did with the blues in 1968.
"So from our perspective then, it wasn't that we were vindicated that this new, intrusive music form had somehow ousted us from the public eye and approval, it was just a parallel event. I don't really recall being moved as a music maker by any of those changes in music that were going on. I knew what it was about and I rather liked some of it, but it was entirely separate to what I was writing. I didn't want to try to catch up or be influenced by it. We were still making Jethro Tull albums at that point."
From Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
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I know Joe has posted some live links, but without going through the thread, is there an official live album at this point?
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I know Joe has posted some live links, but without going through the thread, is there an official live album at this point?
The first official live album was Breaking Out, and that would be coming up next.
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I know Joe has posted some live links, but without going through the thread, is there an official live album at this point?
The first official live album was Breaking Out, and that would be coming up next.
Cool, thank you. I thought I might've missed it. Surprised it would take this many albums though to put out a live album, no?
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After really liking SFTW, I was told that I'd also really like Heavy Horses, except O posted another Best Of collection. I was really jonesing for some new JT!
OK, just listened to Heavy Horses.
I was getting concerned because the first three songs really didn't grab me. But as soon as Moths started, everything changed. That and Journeyman were really good, and again, these songs have a way of picking you up and holding you.
I now think Heavy Horses (the song) is the best thing I've heard so far. That song gave me goosebumps. It is spectacular. It really is. Now I'm a hard rock/metal guy, and I would love to hear that a bit heavier. I was thinking about which guitarists I would love to hear play this, and I went to the usual suspects... Michael Schenker, then Gary Moore. Robertson/Gorham . Even Murray/Smith.
Hell if in 1978, this song was on Long Live Rock And Roll, that would even be better.
Still its a GREAT song either way. But I immediately set out on looking for a hard rock cover album of Tull tunes, and came up empty.
It kind of ends with a dud with Weathercock (ok..WTF is a ….), but I pulled up the 2003 Remaster on Spotify, and after a forgettable Living In These Hard Times, this album would've been far better served if Broadford Bazaar closed the album. It felt like a natural.
I also want to address Ian Anderson. I pretty much like that Jethro Tull marches to their own drum, and has a really distinct style. Their voice (Anderson) is unique and definitive. He's a storyteller, and I like that style.
I'm a huge fan of Phil Mogg and Phil Lynott. But for some reason, I don't hear, or more importantly feel the vulnerability in his voice. There's almost a pompousity about it, that is...offputting is too strong of a word, but along those lines.
I gather that if one can really connect with Ian Anderson's voice, the world of Jethro Tull will really open up. I'm just not there with him yet.
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Hell yeah to Heavy Horses (the song). That is probably my favorite Tull song.
I don't remember much else about this album, however, other than that it didn't make a dent with me way back when and I don't think I ever gave it a second listen.
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A weathercock is a weather vane in the shape of a cock. A male chicken, you perv. The original meaning of the word.
(https://i.imgur.com/G4mTvhS.jpg)
Weathervanes are very common out in the country, so most farms have them. And since they're farms, chickens are kinda popular. Presumably at some point they just started calling them weathercocks.
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Yeah, the first time I've heard the song, I had to Google it. :lol
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A weathercock is a weather vane in the shape of a cock. A male chicken, you perv. The original meaning of the word.
(https://i.imgur.com/G4mTvhS.jpg)
Weathervanes are very common out in the country, so most farms have them. And since they're farms, chickens are kinda popular. Presumably at some point they just started calling them weathercocks.
I know what a weathervane is! I've just never actually heard them called a weathercock.
Presumably at some point they stopped calling them weathercocks. ;D
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Concert from their European Heavy Horses tour, May '78. The ending is missing, but it's the best one I could find for now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peEhz2AXOdM&t=2092s
My 'Minstrels in the Gallery' book (purchased by my wife) arrived a few weeks early. From '97, it's a good read by a Tull fanzine writer (yet very candid). I've caught up to this era, and found a few things that are different from Wiki and the official bonus releases.
EDIT: Their eleventh studio album, the ninth to reach Gold or Platinum in the States. Silver in the UK.
As I’ve been reading ‘Minstrels’, I realize part of the reason for the better sales and certifications over here: many more concerts. They would spend six months or so touring North America, go back home and play a handful of sold out shows in London, a few in Europe, take a short break, and then head back to the studio.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
US Gold (certified by RIAA in Apr 1978), Norway 13 – Apr 1978 (7 weeks), Austria 18 – May 1978 (4 months), Billboard 19 – Apr 1978 (17 weeks), ODK Germany 19 – Jun 1978 (21 weeks), UK 20 – Apr 1978 (10 weeks), Sweden 27 – Apr 1978 (4 weeks), Holland free40 79 of 1978, UK Silver (certified by BPI in Sep 1978), RYM 46 of 1978
Single release: “Moths” b/w “Life Is A Long Song” (from 'Living in the Past'), did not chart.
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So glad to see the title track (my favourite Tull song) loved and praised.
A bit of silly overthinking: a couple of years earlier Ian felt too old to r'n'r but too young to"die", now he's reflecting on the old ways of field labour doomed to oblivion by technology's progress. Isn't this one of the rock titans speaking his mind about a couple of transformative and critical years for rock music, indirectly explaining the rationale behind his "folk turn" as a reaction, while many of his contemporaries were either folding or compromising with the current fads in order to stay relevant?
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Looks like he's modeling Buck Naked underwear.
It's known as a codpiece.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codpiece
I often wear those around the house. Very comfortable.
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On second thought... Bosk, close the forums!
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After really liking SFTW, I was told that I'd also really like Heavy Horses, except O posted another Best Of collection. I was really jonesing for some new JT!
I originally wasn't going to include all the compilations and greatest hits things, but someone had asked specifically if I was going to cover M.U. when it was up next chronologically. I included it because it does have some different versions of things and unreleased tracks. I ended up including Repeat mostly for the same reason, and a little bit because I find it interesting that Anderson seems to disregard these early compilations.
I gather that if one can really connect with Ian Anderson's voice, the world of Jethro Tull will really open up. I'm just not there with him yet.
Ian definitely has a unique voice, and to be honest, I like it but do tire of it after a while. What I'm finding is that I'm drawn to the music and the arrangements, both of which I think are brilliant, and the voice becomes one of the instruments. I'm pretty familiar with few Tull albums I've owned since the 70's, but with the newer ones, the lyrics aren't really sinking in. That's my own fault. But as I said, his voice mostly becomes just another instrument, until it gets to the chorus, which a lot of times is just him repeating the title of the song over and over. I first noticed this with "Cross-Eyed Mary" where he says "Cross-Eyed Mary" over and over at the end. With "Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll, Too Young to Die" it was the same thing. He keeps repeating it, over and over ad nauseum. I get it, Ian, it's a clever phrase, and was cool the first couple of times. The next 20 or so times, not so much. There are other examples that I can't think of off the top of my head right now, but "Heavy Horses" is the latest example. Again, great music, and if I listened closely to the lyrics I'm sure they're very good, but mostly I listen to the music, then at some point Ian just starts singing "Heavy Horses, Heavy Horses" over and over.
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I also want to address Ian Anderson. I pretty much like that Jethro Tull marches to their own drum, and has a really distinct style. Their voice (Anderson) is unique and definitive. He's a storyteller, and I like that style.
I'm a huge fan of Phil Mogg and Phil Lynott. But for some reason, I don't hear, or more importantly feel the vulnerability in his voice. There's almost a pompousity about it, that is...offputting is too strong of a word, but along those lines.
I gather that if one can really connect with Ian Anderson's voice, the world of Jethro Tull will really open up. I'm just not there with him yet.
This is pretty profound, if you ask me, and something I've sort of felt for years but haven't ever put into words. I LOVE Tull, but for me, I've never really connected to him in the way I think you mean with Mogg and Lynott. I can't speak as much to Lynott, but with Mogg, HE'S the guy in "Love To Love", or "Dreaming Of Summer". With Anderson, I always get the sense that he's talking about someone else. That's not to say it's not emotive, but there's a sort of... judgement or snark (I think that's what you're going for with "pomposity") that underlines everything, and I don't think that would be there if he was really talking about HIM and baring his soul.
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I didn’t think Tull would be able to top SFtW, but Heavy Horses at least equals it. In this album, we move from the dark urgency of the wilderness to bucolic pastures and farmlands, and you can feel it in the music. The driving intensity in SFtW is ratcheted down a notch, making HH a warmer, more mellow experience.
I get what Tim and Stadler mean about the pomposity and snarkiness in his delivery. I just take it as part and parcel of what Tull is all about. There is quite a bit of social commentary in the music and Ian’s attitude mirrors that. In these last two albums, you can hear him railing against rampant modernization in the sentimentality he shows for the simple pleasures of plowing a field of crops, hunting or sitting around a campfire. In that, he might be the most famous “tree hugger” in music. I can see how the preachiness can rub the wrong way. Anyway, if you’ve ever seen Anderson in interviews, he does come off as rather pretentious.
For all of that, one can’t overlook his skills as a multi-instrumentalist. There’s a sense of adventure in his hunger to explore ancient instrumentation. And it seems that whatever he decides to pick up And try, he can be pretty good at. The joy on his face when you see him crashing the cymbals during a live performance of SFtW is contagious.
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So glad to see the title track (my favourite Tull song) loved and praised.
I love the title track, it's probably one of my favourite Tull songs ever (definitely in Top 3 or Top 5) but nothing tops Budapest in my book. Heavy Horses is amazing though and I love this little run of folk-inspired albums, even though there's plenty of prog rock on them.
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I also want to address Ian Anderson. I pretty much like that Jethro Tull marches to their own drum, and has a really distinct style. Their voice (Anderson) is unique and definitive. He's a storyteller, and I like that style.
I'm a huge fan of Phil Mogg and Phil Lynott. But for some reason, I don't hear, or more importantly feel the vulnerability in his voice. There's almost a pompousity about it, that is...offputting is too strong of a word, but along those lines.
I gather that if one can really connect with Ian Anderson's voice, the world of Jethro Tull will really open up. I'm just not there with him yet.
This is pretty profound, if you ask me, and something I've sort of felt for years but haven't ever put into words. I LOVE Tull, but for me, I've never really connected to him in the way I think you mean with Mogg and Lynott. I can't speak as much to Lynott, but with Mogg, HE'S the guy in "Love To Love", or "Dreaming Of Summer". With Anderson, I always get the sense that he's talking about someone else. That's not to say it's not emotive, but there's a sort of... judgement or snark (I think that's what you're going for with "pomposity") that underlines everything, and I don't think that would be there if he was really talking about HIM and baring his soul.
In The Big Interview with Dan Rather (which is really the only in-depth interview with Ian Anderson I've ever seen), Ian talks a bit about acting and singing, and how they're kinda the same thing, to him anyway. When he's singing, he puts himself mentally into the character of the person telling the story. Even if the person is him, it's a version of him from 20 years ago or whenever he wrote the song, and he is no longer that person, but for the purpose of the song, he must "become" that person again, and sing from that viewpoint. He's acting, playing the part of the person singing the song.
So if Ian doesn't come across convincing, or somehow pompous and detached from the words he's singing, it's because he's a great singer but not a great "actor".
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Besides, how can it be prog if there isn't any pomposity and pretension?
Seriously though, there's a hint of pretension even in band name itself. Who names their band after a 17th century English agriculturist?
I need to check out that Dan Rather interview. It almost seems like Anderson's a frustrated actor, especially in light of the number of projects that became failed plays, movies and musicals. But he seems to make up for it with the immense amount of theatrics he injects in a Tull show. I love it.
@ Tim - if Anderson's pomposity is a roadblock for you, then I don't know HOW you can tolerate Bruce Dickinson :lol
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Besides, how can it be prog if there isn't any pomposity and pretension?
Seriously though, there's a hint of pretension even in band name itself. Who names their band after a 17th century English agriculturist?
I need to check out that Dan Rather interview. It almost seems like Anderson's a frustrated actor, especially in light of the number of projects that became failed plays, movies and musicals. But he seems to make up for it with the immense amount of theatrics he injects in a Tull show. I love it.
@ Tim - if Anderson's pomposity is a roadblock for you, then I don't know HOW you can tolerate Bruce Dickinson :lol
They're different though, and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to articulate this. Right or wrong - and he's sometimes wrong, don't misunderstand me - Bruce is like a raw nerve at times. He says some shit; I've heard him tell the press, the critics, the fans that don't like Maiden, security, preachers, and God to basically "fuck off" at one point or another, but there's an authenticity to it that is somehow lacking in Anderson. Bruce is pompous, in the sense of "blow hard", but it comes off like street thug, and there's no doubt that he'd be first into the scrum if it came to that. It's different with Ian Anderson. There's a... distance, a coldness to it.
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After really liking SFTW, I was told that I'd also really like Heavy Horses, except O posted another Best Of collection. I was really jonesing for some new JT!
OK, just listened to Heavy Horses.
I was getting concerned because the first three songs really didn't grab me. But as soon as Moths started, everything changed. That and Journeyman were really good, and again, these songs have a way of picking you up and holding you.
I now think Heavy Horses (the song) is the best thing I've heard so far. That song gave me goosebumps. It is spectacular. It really is. Now I'm a hard rock/metal guy, and I would love to hear that a bit heavier. I was thinking about which guitarists I would love to hear play this, and I went to the usual suspects... Michael Schenker, then Gary Moore. Robertson/Gorham . Even Murray/Smith.
Hell if in 1978, this song was on Long Live Rock And Roll, that would even be better.
Still its a GREAT song either way. But I immediately set out on looking for a hard rock cover album of Tull tunes, and came up empty.
It kind of ends with a dud with Weathercock (ok..WTF is a ….), but I pulled up the 2003 Remaster on Spotify, and after a forgettable Living In These Hard Times, this album would've been far better served if Broadford Bazaar closed the album. It felt like a natural.
I also want to address Ian Anderson. I pretty much like that Jethro Tull marches to their own drum, and has a really distinct style. Their voice (Anderson) is unique and definitive. He's a storyteller, and I like that style.
I'm a huge fan of Phil Mogg and Phil Lynott. But for some reason, I don't hear, or more importantly feel the vulnerability in his voice. There's almost a pompousity about it, that is...offputting is too strong of a word, but along those lines.
I gather that if one can really connect with Ian Anderson's voice, the world of Jethro Tull will really open up. I'm just not there with him yet.
This song will get a fair amount of live play, and it'll be heavier then. Personally, I never much cared for studio Tull, but loved live Tull. Perhaps the added oomph is why. Never thought about it. Something else that occurs to me is that a lot of their live output (I'm thinking DVDs rather than CDs) features Doane Perry on drums, and that probably adds some heaviness, as well.
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Besides, how can it be prog if there isn't any pomposity and pretension?
Seriously though, there's a hint of pretension even in band name itself. Who names their band after a 17th century English agriculturist?
I need to check out that Dan Rather interview. It almost seems like Anderson's a frustrated actor, especially in light of the number of projects that became failed plays, movies and musicals. But he seems to make up for it with the immense amount of theatrics he injects in a Tull show. I love it.
@ Tim - if Anderson's pomposity is a roadblock for you, then I don't know HOW you can tolerate Bruce Dickinson :lol
They're different though, and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to articulate this. Right or wrong - and he's sometimes wrong, don't misunderstand me - Bruce is like a raw nerve at times. He says some shit; I've heard him tell the press, the critics, the fans that don't like Maiden, security, preachers, and God to basically "fuck off" at one point or another, but there's an authenticity to it that is somehow lacking in Anderson. Bruce is pompous, in the sense of "blow hard", but it comes off like street thug, and there's no doubt that he'd be first into the scrum if it came to that. It's different with Ian Anderson. There's a... distance, a coldness to it.
Actually, you articulated that pretty well. By that description, I can picture Ian Anderson as that intimidating and unapproachable college professor who you kind of hated, while Bruce Dickinson is the rabble rouser who could get anyone to join in on a healthy street rumble.
But I'm glad you used the phrase 'right or wrong'. I remember attending a Maiden concert at Jones Beach Theater at a series of shows that were sponsored by companies like Tommy Hilfiger. Before the show barely even started, he started a rant on 'trendy, fashion' companies like Tommy Hilfiger. At the time, I was thinking, "Well, you wouldn't even have the benefit of performing at this venue if it weren't for corporate sponsors like Tommy Hilfiger."
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I get what Tim and Stadler mean about the pomposity and snarkiness in his delivery. I just take it as part and parcel of what Tull is all about. There is quite a bit of social commentary in the music and Ian’s attitude mirrors that. In these last two albums, you can hear him railing against rampant modernization in the sentimentality he shows for the simple pleasures of plowing a field of crops, hunting or sitting around a campfire. In that, he might be the most famous “tree hugger” in music. I can see how the preachiness can rub the wrong way. Anyway, if you’ve ever seen Anderson in interviews, he does come off as rather pretentious.
This is pretty well put. It is what he and Tull are about, and sometimes it works great. He really conveys some strong contempt all over Aqualung, for example, and it works very well. His digust at being "groomed for success" certainly sticks out in my head. I think he does occasionally take it too far, though. Plenty of instances live he just seems to be hamming it up when it's not necessary. Perhaps that's more a result of his voice tanking; I'm not sure.
I'd say he comes off as more than pretentious, though. I mentioned early in the thread about not liking him personally, and because of that and his pretentiousness I probably let his over-dramatic delivery get to me more than it should. I quote your post in particular as it reminded me that there actually was a purpose to it rather than just Ian being Ian.
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What better to aid this discussion than Bruce singing a Jethro Tull song (Cross-Eyed Mary), though I am sure you guys know the cover already.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNHVlvmGeio (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNHVlvmGeio) :metal
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I get what Tim and Stadler mean about the pomposity and snarkiness in his delivery. I just take it as part and parcel of what Tull is all about. There is quite a bit of social commentary in the music and Ian’s attitude mirrors that. In these last two albums, you can hear him railing against rampant modernization in the sentimentality he shows for the simple pleasures of plowing a field of crops, hunting or sitting around a campfire. In that, he might be the most famous “tree hugger” in music. I can see how the preachiness can rub the wrong way. Anyway, if you’ve ever seen Anderson in interviews, he does come off as rather pretentious.
This is pretty well put. It is what he and Tull are about, and sometimes it works great. He really conveys some strong contempt all over Aqualung, for example, and it works very well. His digust at being "groomed for success" certainly sticks out in my head. I think he does occasionally take it too far, though. Plenty of instances live he just seems to be hamming it up when it's not necessary. Perhaps that's more a result of his voice tanking; I'm not sure.
I'd say he comes off as more than pretentious, though. I mentioned early in the thread about not liking him personally, and because of that and his pretentiousness I probably let his over-dramatic delivery get to me more than it should. I quote your post in particular as it reminded me that there actually was a purpose to it rather than just Ian being Ian.
The hamminess in live performance helps to offset some of the pretension, imo. Some might see it otherwise, however. I specifically remember Anthony Bourdain in one of his shows spitting hate at the pomposity of Jethro Tull and Anderson's 'one-legged flute' stand.
It IS over the top. John Evans is all sorts of foppish. But those live antics makes you feel like Jethro Tull is a band of 17th century troubadours playing it up HARD just to earn that measly coin from a royal court of skeptics.
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I now think Heavy Horses (the song) is the best thing I've heard so far. That song gave me goosebumps. It is spectacular. It really is. Now I'm a hard rock/metal guy, and I would love to hear that a bit heavier. I was thinking about which guitarists I would love to hear play this, and I went to the usual suspects... Michael Schenker, then Gary Moore. Robertson/Gorham . Even Murray/Smith.
Hell if in 1978, this song was on Long Live Rock And Roll, that would even be better.
This song will get a fair amount of live play, and it'll be heavier then. Personally, I never much cared for studio Tull, but loved live Tull. Perhaps the added oomph is why. Never thought about it. Something else that occurs to me is that a lot of their live output (I'm thinking DVDs rather than CDs) features Doane Perry on drums, and that probably adds some heaviness, as well.
That's good to know. I'll definitely start checking some of the live links.
@ Tim - if Anderson's pomposity is a roadblock for you, then I don't know HOW you can tolerate Bruce Dickinson :lol
Good question. Honestly, I personally think Bruce Dickinson is a dick. BUT, that's actually never come across in Maiden's music. Even in Bruce's lyrics.
He has always been my least favorite member of the band, even as far back as the 80's. I've always found him disingenuous and full of shit with his stage banter.
I do find him to be a great singer and performer though. And if the Blaze Era tells you anything about Maiden, it's that there needs to be a strong personality present to offset Steve Harris.
I bought Bruce's book. I literally put it down halfway through. I couldn't finish it. He's a bit too full of himself. Props to him because he has most certainly put in the work and has earned every bit of what he has. But he acts like he fucking discovered the cure to cancer, when he is lucky enough for his rock band to achieve the greatness it has.
Oh, and this...What better to aid this discussion than Bruce singing a Jethro Tull song (Cross-Eyed Mary), though I am sure you guys know the cover already.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNHVlvmGeio (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNHVlvmGeio) :metal
...might literally be my least favorite Maiden cover song.
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I can understand studio Anderson can be lived as somewhat "distant". Live Anderson will solve the matter though; you can still be irked by the pompous factor, but involvement and communication you will have plenty of.
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Bonus tracks on the ‘Heavy Horses – New Shoes’ Anniversary Edition
Jack A Lynn / Horse-Hoeing Husbandry / Beltane / Botanic Man / Living In These Hard Times demo / Botanic Man Theme / A Town In England /Everything In Our Lives / Jack A Lynn demo / Quatrain / Living In These Hard Times / A Town In England
Some of these are confusing. When bonus tracks were made available in 2003, ‘Beltane’ was on SFtW, but not on the 40th anniversary release. From reading ‘Minstrels’, it was considered for a single at the time of the ‘Heavy Horses’ release, and is on this ‘New Shoes’ edition. ‘Broadford Bazaar’, a terrific bonus track in 2003 for ‘Heavy Horses’, is not on the ‘New Shoes’ release, but ‘Stormwatch’. ??????
(I'm going to purchase this edition, to read more about this time period, to check out the added band pictures, and get my hands on the Switzerland concert.)
Quatrain….perfectly placed during the HH tours, is a solid instrumental jam. 'Living In These Hard Times' (version 1), 'Botanic Man Theme'…a beautiful instrumental….., 'Everything In Our Lives' is fair, and 'Jack A Lynn' would have been worthy addition (or made for a nice extra disc along with other prior leftovers for a double album...)
'Horse Hoeing Husbandry' fits so well with the theme, but what an odd title. It’s a really good tune, has all the old time Tull elements, worth a listen or two, but the lyrics just kill it IMO. Who wants to sing along with the repetitive title chorus? A shame this wasn’t reworked. Then again, the actual Jethro Tull created and designed the original horse hoe. (How's that for a fun fact? :D)
As to the album, at the time of its release, and with the title ‘HEAVY Horses’, I thought this was going to be a real rocker. I liked it, but there was something missing for me. SFtW was a hard act to follow for sure, and there’s lots of good stuff, but…
IMHO…..’Mouse Police’ is a weak opener, with a grating ending. ‘Moths’ …Cat Stevens should have sued for copyright infringement, as the melody and vocals sounded like a ‘Freedom Train’ ripoff. And half the songs fade out, just when Martin Barre’s guitar is making an appearance. I do really enjoy the fun 'Acres Wild' and 'Rover', along with 'One Brown Mouse' and the darker 'No Lullaby' and title track.
My alternate version:
Side One: Living In These Hard Times / Acres Wild / No Lullaby / Broadford Bazaar / Quatrain
Side Two: Rover / One Brown Mouse / Heavy Horses / Weathercock / Jack A Lynn (demo) / Botanic Man theme
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JULY 16th edit: came across this fine review of 'Heavy Horses', interview, and great pictures that is worth the read (as are others by the writer)
https://musicaficionado.blog/2019/04/29/heavy-horses-by-jethro-tull/
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Then again, the actual Jethro Tull created and designed the original horse hoe. (How's that for a fun fact? :D)
That's pretty cool! I didn't realize that.
IMHO…..’Mouse Police’ is a weak opener, with a grating ending.
Totally agree. It was the first thing I noticed (not surprising since it's the opening track :p) but it kinda gets this one off to a poor start.
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IMHO…..’Mouse Police’ is a weak opener, with a grating ending.
Totally agree.
Yeah, me too.
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I like the album. Starts out solid and gets better throughout. Title track is indeed great.
I have decided to buy some of the Steven Wilson remixes on vinyl and started with this one and A Passion Play because they were the most affordable (20 each). While the Steven Wilson vinyl releases only have the main albums, I think they are nicely done. The large sized booklets are nice. I will buy Thick as a Brick, Songs for the Woods and Stormwatch. Probably also Minstrel but that one is either very expensive or has to be imported from the US, which ain't cheap either. Maybe I will opt for the original release there.
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^
This thread has certainly put many purchasing ideas into my future as well
Whilst googling ‘horse hoeing husbandry’ and coming across Jethro Tull the agriculturalist, I finally looked up Maddy Prior of Steeleye Span. Some time in 1978, Anderson, Barlow, Barre, and Palmer were all involved on various tracks of her solo release ‘Woman In The Wings’. Anderson, Palmer, and Robin Black are credited as producers. Ian had produced Steeleye Span’s ‘Now We Are Six’ LP in 1974 (Bowie played alto sax on one song!). Prior had appeared prior on Tull’s ‘Too Old…’ title track (repetitiveness intended).
https://mainlynorfolk.info/steeleye.span/records/womaninthewings.html
The sessions players are an impressive lot. Worth googling their affiliations and backgrounds.
The album: a big band ‘Baggy Pants’ was unexpected. Barre’s guitar in ‘Cold Flame’ really kicks the song in gear, as does Anderson’s flute in ‘Gutter Geese’. I was pleasantly surprised at my enjoyment of those, the title track, and a few others. Now I know why her and Steeleye Span gained such popularity in folk/rock. Prior has a terrific and very pleasing voice.
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Dragon Attack does the Steeleye Span Discography Thread next!
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Back in junior high, a friend of mine was telling me about this band he liked called Steeleye Span. At first I thought he was joking about the name, or just really stoned or something. I laughed and said "You mean Steely Dan?" and he said "No, Steeleye Span" and showed me one of their albums that he had. I don't remember which one it was.
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Dragon Attack does the Steeleye Span Discography Thread next!
:D :D :D
Nah. But I might mention Uriah Heep once or twice in an upcoming post.
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Jethro Tull Live: Bursting Out (1978) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bybInjK-Yl8&list=PLiRoPIsKLQTeTqCELIGBGHMQIPyiogUVW)
(https://i.imgur.com/2WqpFHz.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar
Barriemore Barlow - Backing Vocals, Drums, Percussion, Glockenspiel, Additional Flute
Martin Barre - Backing Vocals, Electric Guitar, Mandolin, Marimba
John Evan - Backing Vocals, Piano, Organ, Synthesizers, Accordion
John Glascock - Backing Vocals, Bass, Additional Electric Guitar
Dee Palmer - Backing Vocals, Portative Pipe Organ, Synthesizers
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Introduction by Claude Nobs 0:50
No Lullaby 4:48
Sweet Dream 6:30
Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day 4:30
Jack in the Green 3:13
One Brown Mouse 3:53
A New Day Yesterday 2:27
Flute Solo Improvisation / God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / Bourée [medley] (instrumental) 6:08
Songs from the Wood 2:40
Thick As A Brick 12:27
Introduction by Ian Anderson 0:43
Hunting Girl 5:45
Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die 3:57
Conundrum (instrumental) 6:57
Minstrel in the Gallery 5:41
Cross-Eyed Mary 3:58
Quatrain(instrumental) 1:33
Aqualung 8:38
Locomotive Breath 5:33
The Dambusters March (instrumental) 3:26
Originally two LPs. The first U.S. version on CD omitted "Quatrain", "Sweet Dream" and "Conundrum" in order to fit onto a single CD. In the U.K. and the rest of Europe, it was released on two CDs and included all tracks, although the "Introduction" tracks were incorporated into the first song on each disc. The 2004 version has the above track listing.
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The first official Jethro Tull live album came 10 years into their history. True, there was one LP side of live material on Living in the Past, but those tracks clearly were not meant to represent an entire Jethro Tull concert. This album definitely was.
I love this album. Ian's introductions and between-song banter is engaging and entertaining, and is an important part of the live Jethro Tull experience. The performances are amazing. Recorded on multiple dates during the 1978 European Tour for Heavy Horses, we don't have exact dates and venues for most tracks, but based on Ian's introductions, at least some tracks were recorded at the Bern Festhalle in Switzerland, on May 28, 1978.
The important thing is that this means that the version of each song here was selected from multiple recordings, and the results are edited together so as to provide a cohesive concert experience, with the best version of each song.
It seems that the album was not treated with similar care by the labels, at least not in the United States. The original U.S. LP release had the title mispelled "Busting Out". This same version was released in Spain and Sweden. It was spelled properly in the U.K. and the rest of Europe. As mentioned above, the original U.S. version of Bursting Out on CD was missing three tracks in order to fit the album onto a single CD.
I can't think of much more to say about this album, other than it's amazing. A fantastic document of live Tull in their prime. Oh yeah, I suppose I could mention that my friend the huge Tull fan had Bursting Out and we discussed whether that was its proper title, or "Busting Out" as written on the LP spine. We decided that it must be Bursting Out because a spelling mistake in the cover art seemed less likely than one on the spine. We were right.
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Up to this point in their career, 9 of 11 studio LPs reached Gold or Platinum in the States (only ‘This Was’ and ‘Too Old…’ failed to reach those statuses)
Two of three compilations went Gold(Living In the Past) or Platinum (MU-The Best of Jethro Tull).
It only made sense that their first live album would make number twelve:
US Gold (certified by RIAA in Sep 1978), ODK Germany 16 - Oct 1978 (12 weeks), Austria 16 - Nov 1978 (2 months), UK 17 - Oct 1978 (8 weeks), Norway 20 - Nov 1978 (1 week), Billboard 21 - Oct 1978 (15 weeks), UK Silver (certified by BPI in Oct 1978), RYM 57 of 1978
A pretty good 10+ year run.
One can always wish that this song or that song could have been added or subtracted on live releases, but this is a damn fine album. It’s worth it just for ‘Thick As A Brick’ and ‘Quatrain/Aqualung’. As Orbert mentioned, a fine document of Tull at their prime. For those here who like instrumentals with drum solos, 'Conundrum' is right up your alley.
A bootleg from the same time period, London, May ’78 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peEhz2AXOdM&t=2092s
Only the taped ‘Quartet’ intro, ‘Heavy Horses’ and ‘Wond’ring Aloud’ were omitted from ‘Bursting Out’. ‘Thick As A Brick’ was performed after ‘Cross Eyed Mary’
(I wish that in the long era of reissues, just as with Queen’s ‘Live Killers’, that the PTB would release this with the complete set list and correct order).
To help promote ‘Bursting Out’, did they release a single to go along with it? Yes they did, an unreleased studio track ‘A Stitch In Time’, with the ‘Sweet Dream’ studio version as the B-side. The picture sleeve uses a concert photo. No one seems to have a clue as to why.
https://www.discogs.com/Jethro-Tull-A-Stitch-In-Time/master/235745
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Big fan of "A Stitch In Time". I have that on the Tull boxset (one of the best box sets EVER.)
I too am a fan of re-releasing these legendary live sets in complete form. Yes (sort of) did that with the Yessongs box set. I'd buy that for Tull or Queen.
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'Stitch In Time' is a fun track. Such odd timing though.
Jethro Tull, Madison Square Garden, ’78. The first worldwide live televised concert.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0_vW5vhsGo&list=PLXCPYKdHVB5DmH71cNwk13iEnSY9lUqGy
First three songs are audio only, then the broadcast starts, it ends, and the audio encore replayed (must have made for a confusing time for the audience.
Late October, I drove down to Kalamazoo on a Friday to get a couple tickets for an upcoming Queen concert two weeks later. Visited a friend, who had an extra ticket for the Tull concert the next night, so I stayed until Sunday morning. Uriah Heep opened. I only knew ‘Easy Livin’’ of their discography (which I’m not going to go into here :D).
As to the show, it was entertaining x10. Almost on par with my Queen concert in ’77, which had been favorite up to that point. The setlist from the spring European leg and ‘Bursting Out’ saw some changes on these shores in the fall
Montreal 78 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcVZWz4URm8&t=516s
So, I lose out on ‘Minstrel’, ‘Hunting Girl’, 'Wond’ring Aloud', 'Skating Away', ‘Jack In The Green’, ‘New Day Yesterday’, I wasn’t familiar with the new studio LP, so I couldn’t follow along with ‘No Lullaby’ and ‘Heavy Horses’. Memories intertwine as to what was played that night, and what wasn’t, having listened to parts of ‘Bursting Out’ before and after the show.
I had my hands on both of these items for one day.
Kzoo
https://www.google.com/search?q=jethro+tull+kalamazoo+october+28+1978&sxsrf=ALeKk008YCK0FWtzd-p-NCV2ctc-YnQ64w:1594545936577&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi2vILBssfqAhVLlXIEHYWbB9cQ_AUoAnoECAwQBA&biw=1600&bih=749#imgrc=re_3W9pyC6OKZM
https://www.amazon.com/Jethro-Bursting-Concert-Program-Programme/dp/B00J3D2GES
The antics, stage persona, and music of Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull was damn entertaining. Definite Top Ten of my experiences. Two weeks later, Queen then show up and perform what still is my favorite concert, from drop down stage, acoustic set, the amazing ‘Pizza Oven’ light rig, and a fair front man with a pretty good guy playing a ‘fireplace’.
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Who opened the Queen show?
Was John Lawton fronting Uriah Heep at that point?
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Listening to Bursting Out now. Sweet Dreams is great. Love the double bass. These are studio vocals though?
Jethro Tull, Madison Square Garden, ’78. The first worldwide live televised concert.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0_vW5vhsGo&list=PLXCPYKdHVB5DmH71cNwk13iEnSY9lUqGy
Thanks for the link. Heavy Horses is amazing.
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Tim….darn you, you still made me look up Uriah Heep, you cunning xxxxxxxx :D Tim Lawton did join Uriah Heep as their lead vocalist in ’76.
Short story long sidebar: This Queen show in ’78 was General Admission. We arrive at 5pm, and there are lines all around Wings Stadium from the two entrances. We grab some beers and chat with people twenty feet from the door. At 6, they forced us all onto the sidewalks, so we semi cut in line. Doors opened early, and there was a semi mass stampede push forward. Very scary. The horrible incident at Riverfront Coliseum for The Who took place less than a year later. I consider myself lucky that it didn’t happen that night in Kalamazoo.
Queen had Bob Seger in ’76 and Thin Lizzy in early ’77 as opening acts at shows I attended. This night, the lights go down, thunder is playing over the loudspeakers for a couple of minutes, guitar and drums erupt into a song I’ve never heard, lights come on with the set covered in fog, and there’s Freddie center stage as they perform the fast version of ‘We Will Rock You’. So, nope, no warm up band.
Moving on…….here is the ‘Thick As A Brick’ performance from MSG that was deleted in the above link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCLz1kWZOSE Anderson is already in his ‘Stormwatch’ attire before removing it.
I would heavily wager against vocal overdubs for ‘Sweet Dream’. This was never intended for official release, which did not take place until 2009. Maybe they ‘touched it up’ ever so slightly. That I cannot answer.
'HEAVY Horses' lived up to its name for sure.
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Tim….darn you, you still made me look up Uriah Heep, you cunning xxxxxxxx :D Tim Lawton did join Uriah Heep as their lead vocalist in ’76.
Short story long sidebar: This Queen show in ’78 was General Admission. We arrive at 5pm, and there are lines all around Wings Stadium from the two entrances. We grab some beers and chat with people twenty feet from the door. At 6, they forced us all onto the sidewalks, so we semi cut in line. Doors opened early, and there was a semi mass stampede push forward. Very scary. The horrible incident at Riverfront Stadium for The Who took place less than a year later. I consider myself lucky that it didn’t happen that night in Kalamazoo.
Queen had Bob Seger in ’76 and Thin Lizzy in early ’77 as opening acts at shows I attended. This night, the lights go down, thunder is playing over the loudspeakers for a couple of minutes, guitar and drums erupt into a song I’ve never heard, lights come on with the set covered in fog, and there’s Freddie center stage as they perform the fast version of ‘We Will Rock You’. So, nope, no warm up band.
Regarding John Lawton, I was really aiming for a Lucifer's Friend reference... ;D
I have both albums he did with Uriah Heep.
I would've loved to have seen Thin Lizzy circa 1977.
I know they also opened for Queen in 1978 too. Gary Moore walked off the tour at some point and they flew Midge Ure out to finish the tour. I wonder if your show was one of the shows Thin Lizzy missed.
I would heavily wager against vocal overdubs for ‘Sweet Dream’. This was never intended for official release, which did not take place until 2009. Maybe they ‘touched it up’ ever so slightly. That I cannot answer.
'HEAVY Horses' lived up to its name for sure.
I'm confused. Sweet Dream was not on the original release of Bursting Out?
The vocals sounded really canned on the Spotify version of Sweet Dream Bursting Out. I think at that point, I clicked the link to (is it Montreal or MSG?) link you posted, which was awesome. I ended up listening to that instead of the album.
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In my rush to post, I misread and confused myself as to the 'Sweet Dream' reference. :facepalm: Perhaps there were overdubs (what live albums weren't?) or it's the best version they had. I haven't noticed anything all these years from the vinyl or CD.
Not stressed enough: Barre is quite on fire for 'Bursting Out'. And I rather like the shortened versions of various tracks ('No Lullaby', 'Songs From The Wood', 'Minstrel in the Gallery', and, of course, 'Thick As A Brick'). As is Barlow on drums, glockenspiel, and his fifteen seconds or so on flute :D
(Thin Lizzy opened for Queen throughout the USA 'A Day at the Races' tour in. Some great playbills and ticket stubs provided here. http://www.thinlizzyguide.com/tours/year/1977.htm After all these years, now I have the January 22nd Kzoo playbill :tup
Then they headlined or opened with various artists in '78 http://www.thinlizzyguide.com/tours/tour_ram.htm From everything I've checked out, Queen had no opening acts for their 'News Of The World' or 'Jazz/Live Killers' tours. Some band called 'Dakota' for the USA 'The Game' tour ....which was a waste...)
I knew you'd ask about 'Lucifer's Friend' :lol
Drove to volunteer work today with a newly created 'Repeat: The Best of Tull 2' today. On the official release, 'Minstrel in the Gallery' is only 4 minutes. I used the final 5:58 of the album version, inserted SFtW after 'Cross Eyed Mary', shortened 'Bouree', edited down 'Too Old...' to 3:32......and was pleasantly surprised. I do like that the tracks of both their first two 'hits' releases were not in chronological order. After all these years, I wish I'd bought it then. Moving to the 'present topic', if one really wants a couple of 'best of' creations, then 'Quatrain/Aqualung' from 'Bursting Out' is a must, and probably should be the final track.
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I LOVE websites like that. I can lose myself for an entire day looking through them. I like to see what tours came through my area.
I could've sworn I had a Thin Lizzy show from Philadelphia 1978, and I thought they were supporting Queen.
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I LOVE websites like that. I can lose myself for an entire day looking through them. I like to see what tours came through my area.
I could've sworn I had a Thin Lizzy show from Philadelphia 1978, and I thought they were supporting Queen.
I'm good like that too.
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Stormwatch (1979) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZxaH8SQgs8&list=PL94gOvpr5yt1DyOij7inSuUdfaUC9fHF4)
(https://i.imgur.com/hQV3NSh.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Bass
Barriemore Barlow - Drums, Percussion
Martin Barre - Electric Guitar, Classical Guitar, Mandolin
John Evan - Piano, Organ
John Glascock - Bass
Dee Palmer - Synthesizers, Portative Pipe Organ, Synthesizers
Dave Pegg - Bass on "King Henry's Madrigal" (Bonus Track)
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North Sea Oil 3:12
Orion 3:58
Home 2:46
Dark Ages 9:13
Warm Sporran 3:33
Something's on the Move 4:27
Old Ghosts 4:23
Dun Ringill 2:41
Flying Dutchman 7:46
Elegy 3:38
2004 Bonus Tracks
A Stitch in Time 3:40
Crossword 3:38
Kelpie 3:37
King Henry's Madrigal 3:01
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I mistakenly said that John Glascock became ill during the American leg of the Bursting Out tour and that that was his last appearance with Jethro Tull. I have since corrected that. Glascock had heart surgery, made a partial recovery, and was well enough to appear on some tracks on this album ("Orion", "Flying Dutchman", "Elegy" and bonus tracks "Crossword" and "Kelpie") before again falling ill. Ian Anderson played bass on the remaining tracks.
On the ensuing tour, Dave Pegg from Fairport Convention was recruited to play bass. Pegg also appears on the final bonus track here. John Glascock died during the Stormwatch tour from congenital heart disease, so this is definitely his final appearance with Jethro Tull. It is sometimes rumored that "Elegy" is a tribute to John Glascock, but that is not true. It was actually written by Dee Palmer for her father. Also, Glascock plays on "Elegy" and it would be weird to play on your own elegy.
This is the final album from the "classic" lineup featuring drummer Barriemore Barlow and keyboardists John Evan and Dee Palmer, who all left the band following the Stormwatch tour, an event sometimes referred to as the "Big Split". More on that later.
The album itself, third in the so-called "Folk-Rock Trilogy", finds Ian writing about such topics as oil, money, and the environment. In terms of the music, it is once again a mix of shorter tunes and a few mini-epics, running the gamut from acoustic folk to hard rock. As seemed to be the trend, the shorter songs kept getting shorter, so the original 10-song LP felt a bit light. The 2004 remaster added four tracks, which helped considerably.
I only mention the divide between Jethro Tull's "progressive" and "folk" periods because both Wikipedia and the official Jethro Tull website mention it, though as I've also mentioned, most of the text on the two websites is the same, literally copied and pasted from one to the other. Personally I think it's something that somebody came up with and others ran with it, because it's a meaningless distinction. All of their albums thus far have featured rock, blues, folk, classical, and perhaps a few other influences, to various degrees. It's all Jethro Tull.
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Ian says:
"There was a lot of stress within the band, mainly to do with John Glascock’s illness. We sent him home and told him he had to get out of this spiral he was in because it wasn't just his illness, it was lifestyle. He'd be on stage and his face would be white like wax, with a film of sweat. I made him leave to get himself well and sadly he got worse and then we got the terrible news that he'd passed away. Did we do everything we could to help? That's a question we'll ask ourselves forever."
From Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
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Dun Ringill = Top Ten Tull Song for me.
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This is the final album from the "classic" lineup featuring drummer Barriemore Barlow and keyboardists John Evan and Dee Palmer, who all left the band following the Stormwatch tour, an event sometimes referred to as the "Big Split". More on that later.
Oh wow. That sounds interesting.
Can't wait to hear more.
So Ian returns with an entire new band?
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OK, just finished Stormwatch.
This album is EXCELLENT!
It's really consistently strong throughout, even though the songs range from mellow to relatively heavy.
I'll be honest. I find nothing folky about this album. I mean other than Jethro Tull's rooted style, there is no folk rock at all on this album.
Please tell me Something's On The Move made the tour setlist. That's a rocker, and I bet it's even heavier live.
Dark Ages is a Progsterpiece.
But everything else is really cool. I love The Flying Dutchman. Those first early riffs reminded me a bit of Alice Cooper's Devil's Food. And being that this has an "at Sea" concept, after the Flying Dutchman, the album ends with a really fitting instrumental.
Since this is the end of the "Classic Era", I need to pause and take stock of where I'm at..re:Lists!
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So Ian returns with an entire new band?
No, but kinda yes, but really no, just mostly. It's complicated, and I've been working out how to write it up in the intro to the next album. Don't worry, it will probably be soon. The next one is one of my faves.
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So after the first 12 albums and the apparent end of the "Classic Era", here are my initial rankings.
Songs
Aqualung
Heavy Horses
Dark Ages
A New Day
Minstrel In The Gallery
Pibroch
Hunting Girl
Something's On The Move
Flying Dutchman
Overseer Overture
HM's
Hymn 43
Bouree
The Silver Chord
Memory Bank
Songs From The Wood
Albums
Stormwatch
Songs From The Wood
A Passion Play
Aqualung
Stand Up
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To the Tull heads..
Where does Stormwatch generally rank? It's easily my favorite album so far. I think, for me, is that it has some heavy parts. And the entire thing really seems coherent.
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I have a question for our host, Orbert...
What are your 3 to 5 favorite bands?
Where does Jethro Tull stand on that list?
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You could basically guess my all-time favorite bands by the discographies I've done. Yes is definitely #1. There's something truly transcendant about their music that goes beyond the virtuoso playing, although that certainly helps. Genesis is probably next as far as old-school prog goes. Chicago is always up there just because they were my first love, and you always keep a special place in your heart for your first love. Pink Floyd is up there, too. I love Gentle Giant because they're so insane, so fearless, and I associate them with a certain time of my life, but they're a bit too nuts for me sometimes. Which actually says a lot.
Jethro Tull is one of those bands who I always liked, but somehow never dug really deep into. I've had Aqualung, Thick as a Brick, and Living in the Past basically forever, picked up A Passion Play, and A a bit later, and Crest of a Knave was my first Tull CD years later. I was pleased and not really surprised that their sound had evolved, but was still very much Jethro Tull. But most of the others were just "the others". I listened to a lot of Tull courtesy of my friend Steve, and I liked everything I heard, but by then I was into so many different bands and also other genres. So I guess they're something of a second-tier band for me. That's one of the reasons why I wanted to do this discography, so I could really dig into them.
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Dun Ringill = Top Ten Tull Song for me.
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I don't know if I could answer that question. "3 to 5 favorite bands". I always say "The Beatles" when asked, but any of these can be top five:
Beatles
Kiss
Deep Purple/Rainbow
Marillion
Genesis
Yes
Led Zeppelin
Iron Maiden
Neal Morse
And I'm forgetting at least four or five top bands. Dream Theater; Cheap Trick; Billy Squier; Cars; Pink Floyd; Tull...
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The first of two or three related posts I’ll make for this era, as there is much to cover, and is best divided up. My last (overly) in depth comments, as my interest waned after this release for the most part.
I’ll start with https://musicaficionado.blog/2019/04/29/heavy-horses-by-jethro-tull/ Came across this yesterday, and will place it as an edit at the end of one of my Heavy Horses entries. (Also a couple of interesting reviews of https://musicaficionado.blog/2018/11/28/relayer-by-yes/ and
https://musicaficionado.blog/2019/10/04/the-beatles-playing-the-moog-on-abbey-road/ with terrific pictures, many of which I had never come across before. They’ll be moved as well
As to Stormwatch: the tenth of their twelve studio LPs to reach Gold or Platinum in the States (also Gold in Canada). Thirteenth release overall out of sixteen.
US Gold (certified by RIAA in Feb 1980), Norway 15 - Nov 1979 (11 weeks), Billboard 22 - Oct 1979 (17 weeks), ODK Germany 28 - Oct 1979 (8 weeks), UK 40 - Oct 1979 (3 weeks), US CashBox 91 of 1979, RYM 161 of 1979
A note that this release took over four months to reach Gold in the US. No idea as to what countries the following singles were released, but they did not chart:
'North Sea Oil' b/w 'Elegy', and 'Home' b/w 'Warm Sporran'
The end of an era. And we didn’t know it at the time. Only one more studio release, and a compilation, would reach Gold, but that would be in the somewhat distant future. I was truly amazed as this thread went along at how successful their sales were in North America, chart positions, lengths of time in the charts, Gold records, etc.
Netherlands, 1980, soundboard from the anniversary edition And, yes, ‘Something’s On The Move is here and on the two complete bootlegs listed below)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46ggeu-6jRg&t=264s
Santa Monica 79 bootleg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOge3-whKzk&t=568s
Montreal '79 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrrgW9S4THo
Long Beach Arena, 11/14/79 (a few nights before the dreadful ending of their North American tour) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VUqy-XwQIk
Selland Arena, Fresno CA, 79……44 minute video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFUuIJe9hNI
She skipped ‘Heavy Horses’, but here is altrockchick’s at times harsh review of ‘Stormwatch’:
https://altrockchick.com/2019/08/22/jethro-tull-stormwatch-classic-music-review/
It really gets Side Two going, but I agree that ‘Something’s On The Move’ would have made a great album opener. There is over an hour of 'unreleased' bonus material on the 40th anniversary 'Stormwatch 2' edition that, depending on one's preferences, would have made fine additions/replacements to the original.
That list and comments are upcoming.
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I think it is a very good record. While listening ahead this one (because a shiny new version has just released this year) was what promted me to go to the record store. Ended up buying the other ones, but this one will be added to my collection for sure. This record feels like it has a somewhat darker tone and it has a fuller sound. Dark Ages in particular is a great track that has it all for me.
I have no idea why people refer to this one as the ending of the "folk trilogy" though, to me it sounds nothing like the previous two. But as I have been listening ahead, Stormwatch for sure marks the end of the classical era though, that I can definitely hear. Thankfully I am liking the next one more than I would have expected, given my lack of interest in that direction of 80's music.
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I'll check out those links Joe! Thank you.
Selland Arena, Fresno CA, 79……44 minute video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFUuIJe9hNI
Fresno Media Restorations is easily one of the best Youtube channels out there. I already subscribe to them. Any fan of 70 rock should know this channel.
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I was just reading up on the death of John Glascock.
He was only 28 when he passed away. That is awful.
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Apparently because of his heart condition, Ian repeatedly tried to get him to take it easy on the partying and the Rock and Roll Lifestyle, but Glascock was determined to not let it slow him down. Well, it eventually did slow him down, all the way down. I'm sure this was a contributing factor to the Big Split, as it had to have affected Ian and band overall. How, exactly, is not for us to know, but I'm sure it did.
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Not quite with the flow (I'm still working on that aspect...sorry), but my follow up as to 'Stormwatch 2':
The bonus disc available in the 40th anniversary edition (and on iTunes, unlike most others). For easier reading, I've divided them as follows:
Crossword / Dark Ages (12 minute early version) / Kelpie / Dun Ringill (early version) / A Stitch In Time / Broadford Bazaar / Orion (9 minute full version) / Urban Apocalypse / Man Of God / Sweet Dream (live)
Instrumentals: A Single Man / King Henry’s Madrigal (performed during this tour)/ The Lyricon Blues / Rock Instrumental (unfinished master)/ Prelude To A Storm
‘Prelude To A Storm’ would have made a damn good album intro (before ‘Something’s On The Move’, or leading into the extended ‘Dark Ages’ perhaps?).
‘Old Aces Die Hard’ a superb unreleased track mentioned a few times prior, has some ideas places into ‘Dark Ages’, which is three minutes longer than the studio version, and well worth it. 'Orion' has an additional six minutes from the album version, semi prog, semi jazz fusion, it is really damn good. 'Broadford Bazaar'...one of my favorite Tull songs. 'King Henry's Madrigal' was part of this tour's setlist. Fine tuned a touch here or there, these could have been turned into a stand alone album. A couple of the instrumentals feel as if lyrics were meant to be added at some point (maybe not), but that doesn't distract from them.
The wealth of extra material tossed aside on so many albums is truly amazing, as are the quality of the songs. The band and their bandleader were quite prolific. Proficient? Too perfectionistic? Bored and moved onto other ideas?
Stormwatch 2 also has the Netherlands concert on two CDs, along with 2 DVDs (all the album and bonus tracks) of ‘flat transfers’ as well as Steven Wilson remixes
For fun a couple of years ago, my Stormwatch 2
Side One: Prelude To A Storm / Something's On The Move / Kelpie / Dark Ages
Side Two: Broadford Bazaar / Crossword / / Dun Ringill / Flying Dutchman / King Henry's Madrigal
Side Three: North Sea Oil / Old Ghosts / Orion (extended version) / A Stitch In Time
Side Four: Home / Urban Apocalypse / Man Of God / Elegy
(Tim, as a subscriber for the Selland shows, do you get the whole show, or 40 minute segments I’ve seen of various bands? Indeed, they have an array of high quality footage that is almost impossible to find anywhere else of the 'old' days.)
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I think Urban Apocalypse is a really excellent track, love that guitar work on that one. And Man of God is nice too. Unfortunately spotify does not have the entire bonus material of the Steven Wilson edition.
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(Tim, as a subscriber for the Selland shows, due you get the whole show, or 40 minute segments I’ve seen of various bands? Indeed, they have an array of high quality footage that is almost impossible to find anywhere else of the 'old' days.)
Looks like they only have the 40 minute clip.
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part 3
David Rees is the author of ‘Minstrels in the Gallery’, the book I got my hands on a few weeks back. He was the editor for the Tull fanzine, and one of two ‘common’ folk, who, along with the heads of Chrysalis Records, put together the 20th Anniversary boxset. I point this out for various quotes that follow.
The band 'UK' opened most shows on the ‘Stormwatch’ USA. They released two albums. Members were Brian Wetton (ex King Crimson and Uriah Heep... ahh, that band again😊), Eddie Jobson (Roxy Music, Zappa), Allan Holdsworth…. and some drummer by the name of Bill Bruford!
Regarding John Glascock, this from Wiki: In a September 1978 Guitar Player interview, Ritchie Blackmore had said "... John Glascock is a brilliant bass player, the best in the business in rock.”
Glascock sang lead on some songs for his former band Carmen, and was the only Tull member to do backing vocals up to this point. He had a congenitive heart issue, along with complications from an infection of an abscessed tooth (similar to Bobby Simone’s demise on NYPD Blues….). His partying had not subsided whilst 'recuperating' at home.
In regards to his final days, from two Tull band members:
David Palmer: We were in San Diego, and the band had played like the Mexican Tramways Orchestra. It was an appalling, dreadful gig. And afterwards, we were called into the food room and I thought ‘Ah, good, we are going to get a bollocking!’ I thought it was late in coming, that it should have happened a couple of weeks before. Ian came in and said, ‘Is everybody here?’ and I thought ‘Oh, it’s going to be a major bollocking!’ I honestly thought he was going to say we were playing like crap, and if we didn’t sort it out, he was off. Because he didn’t have to say we were fired: if he went, the band was finished. But Ian said ‘John Glascock died tonight.’ That was such a strange experience, having expected him to say something else, and then he said something that actually really did completely demolish us. I know that’s life, something like that happens once to all of us at some point, but that was salutary, for sure.”
That was November 17, 1979. Oh, and btw, Happy 33rd Birthday, Martin Barre...
Drummer Barriemore Barlow: “We were like brothers, John and I. He couldn't do anything other than play the bass and guitar, that's all he ever wanted to do.
He lived a fairly 'rock 'n roll' life before joining Tull, and he was a shot in the arm for the band, a marvelous player.….At the end of every gig, Ian and I had to wring out our clothes, and John was the third person to do that, he’d put everything into it.
A very nice man (new bassist David Pegg), a great player, added something to the band, but I missed John. I couldn’t help it, I missed him. I called John from LA, I asked if he fancied joining me and David Allen (from Carmen) in forming a band. He was absolutely elated, so I called David Allen and he was up for it. I met him, we had lunch -and the next day John was dead.
We had one more gig (Oakland), and I didn’t want to do it, but management bludgeoned me into doing it, and I cried all the way through the gig. I was like a zombie, and must have been like a zombie for months and months. It hurt. And the hurt was magnified by the way he had been treated (by Anderson).”
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Post Last
The band flew back to Europe within days, and resumed the tour the following March. Barrie Barlow had already decided to leave and start up another band. Even though John Glascock had died, he’d decided to do so anyway. He would rehearse with Tull until 6pm, and then his new bandmates afterwards until midnight at the same studio.
Author David Rees: “The Stormwatch tour, which finished with an uprecedented five-night sell out stint at the Hammersmith Odeon, was another slightly lackluster affair, although it was not the new material that was at fault. On the contrary, Tull played almost all of the album from the outset until the familiar strains of ‘Aqualung’ allowed the fans to revel in a bit of the customary nostalgia. The live perfomance breathed new life into the material, and it was a tremendous musical success.
Oddly, the second half of the set was where it started to show the strain. The familiar material had become, well…too familiar, and the little oddities set up as a special live treat were not up to par. ‘Peggy’s Pub’, a jolly jig from new boy Dave Pegg was OK, as was ‘King Henry’s Madrigal’, featuring David Palmer’s Portative Pipe Organ. ‘Elegy’ too was a very nice piece. But all together in a Tull set it was just too much distraction from the main course, genuine Jethro Tull songs.
This writer remembers the uncomfortable realisation at the Hammersmith Odeon that, for the first time ever at a Jethro Tull gig, he was bored!”
The ‘John Evan Band’ would end at the Odeon, and this is what would be the last concert performance of Barriemore Barlow, David Palmer, and John Evan as members of Jethro Tull.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFH95YBrabw&t=1278s
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I was reading that their contracts with Anderson were pretty bad.
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I've read where that was true. One figures Ian made the vast majority from album sales, and I doubt at the end that they all received 16.67% from concert receipts. However, I did read in the 'Minstrels' book that John Evan got quite a bit of unexpected royalties after the band broke up, then proceeded to blow it on a boat and investments and ‘other stuff in a very short time. He needed to make repairs on his home, was somewhat out of cash, found that he was pretty good at it, then started a successful construction company.
Back to the bonus tracks: indeed, ‘Man of God’ is one of my favorites, a bit repetitive with the chorus, but it has been a great listen the past year. All the extras are. I have a disc that starts with ‘Prelude To A Storm’ to the extended ‘Dark Ages’, and then the rest follow in the order that was provided. I love the six minutes of extra instrumentals in 'Orion', the fun of 'Kelpie' and 'Stitch in Time' and 'Broadford Bazaar'. It's all just good stuff.
I LOVE websites like that. I can lose myself for an entire day looking through them. I like to see what tours came through my area.
I could've sworn I had a Thin Lizzy show from Philadelphia 1978, and I thought they were supporting Queen.
I'm good like that too.
Hell, for the Tull show in ’78, I think the only time I didn’t have a drink in my hand from early Friday evening until that Sunday afternoon was the short time I slept, and during the Tull concert. My friend loved liquid breakfasts, and the gang had a keg in the van to and from the concert. Schnapp’s in a wine sack. A weekend I’ll never forget (though I somewhat remember very little😉). Two weeks later for Queen, I had a couple beers before and after, and that was it.
Final comments on their ‘golden age’. I'll forever kick myself for not giving enough spins to 'Benefit' and 'Stand Up' before this thread started. Wish I could have had the now available bootlegs (and bonus material decades earlier), and that I could find some better ones from the 'Aqualung' to 'Passion Play' era.
Finally.....over a dozen Gold or Platinum albums in just over a decade , multiple sold out shows at MSG and the LA Forum and Boston, Detroit, Chicago…..five sold out nights at the Hammersmith Odeon in ’80, and they aren’t in the RRjokeHOF…….
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I had a minute, so I thought I'd look up some other new or previously hidden Tull concerts on youtube.
From the LA Forum in 1970, with 'My God' but before the 'Aqualung' LP release. This above average bootleg was uploaded TODAY!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGs3L5S9g7w
******Sept 26 addition*******
Uploaded on August 28th: 'Something's On The Move', Long Beach ’79 (two nights before John Glascock died).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u2qUfjFPOQ (there's a few more to add)
On the ‘pirate ship’, Evans in his parka :D. In spite of all the bows and 'thank you good nights' and walking off the stage, this was not the end of the concert proper or the encore, just the end of the thirty minute ‘Stormwatch’ beginning set. After a long applause and intro by Anderson, ‘Aqualung’ follows.
It is videos like this that I can watch and really enjoy. I get to see the stage often, other band members, and not someone’s hands dancing on a keyboard or guitar while so much else is going on with the lights and other musicians.
*** Sept 26 PM addition ******
Dun Rungill' and some comedy, and snow falling on stage in Long Beach '79 (uploaded in May) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY_W-Qesf30 and 'Aqualung' uploaded September 18th https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h11dOh5vde4 ('jethro tull long beach' search on youtube will bring up the other results).
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The details behind the "Big Split" seem to differ greatly, depending upon whom you ask. We know that the death of John Glascock hit the band hard. Perhaps most affected was drummer Barriemore Barlow, who was quite close to Glascock, and he fell into depression following Glascock's death. He later said that he would have left the band anyway, as he wasn't happy with the new direction the band was taking. It's unclear whether he was referring to the direction up through Stormwatch, or what eventually became the new album, which is indeed different from the now well-established Jethro Tull sound.
Keyboardists John Evan and Dee Palmer each received a letter in the mail notifying them that they were no longer members of Jethro Tull. The timing of this is also unclear. Ian Anderson wanted to make a solo album, and had shared that with the band, but ultimately Chrysalis Records insisted on releasing the new album as a Jethro Tull album, with a new lineup. Were the letters to Evan and Palmer sent before or after the new album, and were they sent by Anderson himself or by the label? Anderson says that he had never intended to replace them, and that this wasn't meant to be the new Jethro Tull; that was the label's decision.
Most fans didn't know anything about any of this. We just knew that the next album still had Martin Barre on guitar, and everyone else was different. And it sounded different. Dave Pegg, who had filled in on bass for the American leg of the Stormwatch tour, also appeared, but unless you had caught that tour, you didn't know who he was either.
A (1980) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OooRBGC29oM&list=PLi-Y73aIHeoMwA_uUYi5zdguhB_Zu7M1G)
(https://i.imgur.com/MtPWlvG.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute
Martin Barre - Guitar
Mark Craney - Drums
Dave Pegg - Bass, Mandolin
Eddie Jobson - Keyboards, Electric Violin
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Crossfire 3:55
Fylingdale Flyer 4:35
Working John, Working Joe 5:04
Black Sunday 6:35
Protect and Survive 3:36
Batteries Not Included 3:52
Uniform 3:34
4.W.D. (Low Ratio) 3:42
The Pine Marten's Jig 3:28
And Further On 4:21
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There is a certain bliss in not knowing the details and dirty laundry, and just listening to the music. I like this album a lot, and considered it the 80's version of Jethro Tull, with synthesizers and a stripped-down sound, because that's what everyone was doing at the time. I'd been a fan of keyboardist/violinist Eddie Jobson since the band U.K., and the prospect of hearing him with Jethro Tull was pretty exciting to me. Jobson always seems to get screwed when it comes to credits, though. He did some work with King Crimson (which is where he met John Wetton and Bill Bruford, who were in the original U.K.) but was never a member of that band. He also appeared on the cover of Frank Zappa's Zoot Allures, but doesn't actually play on that album; he plays on Zappa in New York. And he was briefly in Yes, replacing keyboardist Tony Kaye long enough to appear in the video for "Owner of a Lonely Heart", then leaving the band when Tony Kaye decided to be in Yes after all.
Anyway, Jobson's keyboards and violin give A a different, more modern sound, and while some longtime Tull fans had issues with that, I'm fine with it. We still have Martin Barre on guitar, doing a few different things and trying out some new sounds, but it's still Martin Barre. The rhythm section of Pegg and Craney overall give the album something of a different attitude, but we still have Ian's unique voice and flutework ("Protect and Survive" is a fave), and that's practically all you need to make it sound like Jethro Tull. Who else could it be? "Batteries Not Included" has that synth hook which is clearly influenced by Anderson's Scottish folk background. "Uniform" is weird, with Jobson doing double-stops on the violin, but I like the dissonance and atonality of it. And we get another great instrumental, "The Pine Marten's Jig".
So this is a different sounding album for Jethro Tull, or at least it was at the time. With the benefit of a decades of perspective, we see (and hear) once again that it was perhaps not so great a change in the big picture, just the next step in the evolution of Jethro Tull. True, it didn't start out that way, and wasn't meant to be Jethro Tull at all, but it still sounds like Jethro Tull to me. Just the updated, 80's version of the band.
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Ian says:
"It was as simple as A for Anderson because it was supposed to be a solo album. I wanted to take some time out and I asked Eddie Jobson to be involved, so we started in the studio. I heard this guitar line in this bit I'd written and I called Martin Barre and he ended up staying. Then the record company said, 'It sounds like a new Tull album,' and I regret giving in to that. It sits there on the edge of our repertoire: it's quite the mainstream thing."
From Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
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What does the A stand for? Was that going to be the original name of Anderson's "band" for his solo album?
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OK, so I just listened to this.
42 minute albums...you have to love them!
When Crossfire started, and for the first 20 seconds of the song, I was like..."oh boy :\" no wonder people turned on them. And then Bam, out of nowhere, it became a Jethro Tull song. The chorus is excellent on that song.
For the most part, I can hear many Tull-isms throughout this album. It's delivered a bit differently with an emphasis on "new" sounding keyboards.
Fylingdale Flier and Working John are familar Tull styled songs.
I though Black Sunday was amazing. The new wave opening was a bit misleading, but that is one of the best tracks I've heard so far in this thread. Great playing.
The only two songs that are way off the mark are Batteries Not Included, and the dreadful Uniform.
I can see why fans may have had a problem with this album, especially after Stromwatch, which was quite heavy. But these are Jethro Tull songs through and through.
This was the same year Alice Cooper released Flush The Fashion, which is wicked new wave sounding, but one of my favorite albums of his.
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I think it is another good album. Despite the heavy use of synth sounds, I think all the other instruments are used very well. Sometimes when classic rock bands venture into the 80's, it seems that synth focus kind of buries the rest, but here it all feels balanced and it gives the album a fresh new flair in comparison to previous albums.
Also, in regards to Stormwatch, listening to the bonus stuff on the Steven Wilson remix version (on spotify and youtube), I really get the feeling that one could've been a fantastic double album.
For the vinyl lovers out there, next month a limited record store day release will be "Stormwatch 2", which contains the following: 1. Broadford Bazaar 2. Crossword 3. Dun Ringill (Early Version) 4. Dark Ages (Early Version) side 2: 1. Urban Apocalypse 2. Kelpie 3. Man Of God 4. Sweet Dream Fanfare 5. Sweet Dream (Live).
As an additional note, Sweet Dream Fanfare straight up sounds like a 90's Final Fantasy game track.
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OK, so I just listened to this.
42 minute albums...you have to love them!
When Crossfire started, and for the first 20 seconds of the song, I was like..."oh boy :\" no wonder people turned on them. And then Bam, out of nowhere, it became a Jethro Tull song. The chorus is excellent on that song.
For the most part, I can hear many Tull-isms throughout this album. It's delivered a bit differently with an emphasis on "new" sounding keyboards.
Fylingdale Flier and Working John are familar Tull styled songs.
I though Black Sunday was amazing. The new wave opening was a bit misleading, but that is one of the best tracks I've heard so far in this thread. Great playing.
The only two songs that are way off the mark are Batteries Not Included, and the dreadful Uniform.
I can see why fans may have had a problem with this album, especially after Stromwatch, which was quite heavy. But these are Jethro Tull songs through and through.
This was the same year Alice Cooper released Flush The Fashion, which is wicked new wave sounding, but one of my favorite albums of his.
For Working John they actually finished a version in the Song for the Woods era:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r-hvgiN5x0w (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r-hvgiN5x0w)
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What does the A stand for? Was that going to be the original name of Anderson's "band" for his solo album?
Crap, I was going to mention that but it got lost during the editing. The master tapes were labelled "A" for Anderson, so that became the album title. It's unclear whether this was the label's decision or Anderson's, or if there's any other meaning, because (stop me if you've heard this before) the only sources I'm working from just copy and paste the same factoids, and that's all they said. DragonAttack may have more info on that.
As for other meaning, I mean like if the label asked Anderson about the title right after forcing him to release it as a Jethro Tull album, he may have just pulled something out of his ass because he was pissed at the time. He looks around the room, the masters are sitting there with an "A" on them, so he just says to call it A. I always imagine little scenarios like that, and it's kinda weird how often I'm right (and not really surprising how often I'm way off base :p).
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Here's a good link of Tull news and 'the big split'.
http://www.tullpress.com/80-81.htm
Briefly, from the 'Minstrels' book, Barlow had handed in his resignation months before, shook hands with Anderson, and everything was cool. He was stunned and pissed at how Melody Maker wrote that they were all fired. David Palmer found out from his daughter after she was razzed at school because of the article. John Evan found out via the tabloid article. And then they got their 'letters of dismissal'. Whether it was directly the fault of manager Terry Ellis, or Anderson, Chrysalis, or....fate, a whole book would probably be required to cover all angles. Ian held the power, and could have simply said 'no' to the use of the Tull name. A solo album and a much needed break might have revitalized the 'band'. Though the lyrics of the prior two albums still had some bite at times, and dark moments throughout, he was more at peace than during 'Minstrel'. He was older, happily remarried, a father, living in a countryside estate, and didn't have that hunger or angst that seems to propel so many bands to their best material early in their careers.
Going back briefly, as to the song 'Elegy', Dee Palmer wrote it as Orbert mentioned earlier. It was the first Tull song not to have an Anderson credit since Mick Abraham's 'Move On Alone' from 'This Was'. When I did my last 'Stormwatch' listen before moving on to 'A', during the final cut on the album, I teared up. It is beautiful, it is sad, and it was the end of their 'golden age'. A fitting 'swan song' in many ways. Having recently read of Barrie Barlow and Dee Palmer's accounts in 'Minstrel' (and written in my prior 'part 3' post) of John Glascock's passing, I couldn't help but think of the pain (and angst) they went through then, and still felt months later (as well as the diehard fans who knew of this at the time). And I'll think of it every time I listen to 'Elegy' in the future.
Ya know.......perhaps that total break was necessary.
What does the A stand for? Was that going to be the original name of Anderson's "band" for his solo album?
Crap, I was going to mention that but it got lost during the editing. The master tapes were labelled "A" for Anderson, so that became the album title. It's unclear whether this was the label's decision or Anderson's, or if there's any other meaning, because (stop me if you've heard this before) the only sources I'm working from just copy and paste the same factoids, and that's all they said. DragonAttack may have more info on that.
As for other meaning, I mean like if the label asked Anderson about the title right after forcing him to release it as a Jethro Tull album, he may have just pulled something out of his ass because he was pissed at the time. He looks around the room, the masters are sitting there with an "A" on them, so he just says to call it A. I always imagine little scenarios like that, and it's kinda weird how often I'm right (and not really surprising how often I'm way off base :p).
That's basically it in a nutshell.
Moving on..."A" Released: 29 August 1980 (UK), 1 September 1980 (US)
Charts: Norway 9 - Oct 1980 (6 weeks), Austria 10 - Sep 1980 (3 months), ODK Germany 21 - Sep 1980 (13 weeks), UK 25 - Sep 1980 (5 weeks), Billboard 30 - Sep 1980 (12 weeks), Holland free40 74 of 1980
The 18th best selling Tull release, behind ‘Too Old…’
Single release: (mentioned earlier, the SFtW leftover) "Working John, Working Joe" b/w "Fylingdale Flyer" did not chart
Various reviews below:
http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=2031#:~:text=PROG%20REVIEWER,-This%20JETHRO%20TULL&text=This%20album%20is%20one%20of,to%20me%20a%20fabulous%20one.
https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/38633/Jethro-Tull-A/
'Black Sunday' is pretty good, as is 'Pine Marten's Jig', but I was taken aback at the time by the change in music, that 80's 'sound', and their attire. I had similar reactions to Freddie with the mustache, then 'Hot Space', and Yes' 'Tormato'.
I'll end on a good note: Eddie Jobson. He won the "Lifetime Achievement" award at the 2017 Progressive Music Awards. In March 2019, he was inducted into the RnRHOF as a member of Roxy Music. He'd also been with Zappa, ties to Yes, and UK (with, of course, John Wetton of ...Uriah Heep :D)
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The new image Tull in their spacesuits performing ‘Aqualung’ (fast and slow motion) from the ‘Slipstream’ video release of ’81, that was aired often on MTV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fxh-40RdS3w
The USA tour began in Salisbury MD in October 80 with Whitesnake opening most nights. Tull was down to two nights at MSG (18th and final MSG performance in September), two nights in Houston, and single nights throughout (final performance as well at the old Boston Garden…the most headlining acts there with 14), until concluding the tour with two nights at the LA Sports Arena (not the Forum)
Fresno (audio) Nov 80 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDZRH3BxY1I&t=1450s
The European tour started a week after LA at the Royal Albert Hall for the only two UK shows
Germany (audio) Feb 81 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZmPeIwRLcs&t=2408s
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Sorry about the rehash, been awol for the past week.
So glad to see the title track (my favourite Tull song) loved and praised.
A bit of silly overthinking: a couple of years earlier Ian felt too old to r'n'r but too young to"die", now he's reflecting on the old ways of field labour doomed to oblivion by technology's progress. Isn't this one of the rock titans speaking his mind about a couple of transformative and critical years for rock music, indirectly explaining the rationale behind his "folk turn" as a reaction, while many of his contemporaries were either folding or compromising with the current fads in order to stay relevant?
Silly overthinking? Maybe, but it is fascinating to try and (over)analyze about the direction that Tull took at this point. I'm pretty sure Anderson was acutely aware of the musical changes taking place around Tull at the time, and it's tricky to read into exactly what he thought of it all. My simple take is that he was extremely taken by what bands like Steeleye Span were doing and decided to steep himself in that. I tried Steeleye Span myself; it's okay, but I found the music to be a little clunky. Tull just hits the right spot between prog and a certain facile pop sensibility. I'm guessing that's also what appeals to someone like Steven Wilson.
OK, just finished Stormwatch.
This album is EXCELLENT!
It's really consistently strong throughout, even though the songs range from mellow to relatively heavy.
I'll be honest. I find nothing folky about this album. I mean other than Jethro Tull's rooted style, there is no folk rock at all on this album.
Moving onto Stormwatch, I used to rank it a half-notch lower than SFtW and HH, but now I'm not so sure. They're pretty equal in my book now. To me, this was the band's last great album.
I agree with Tim that it's not really folky, but for some reason, it gets lumped in with the other two, possibly because it just maintains that overall consistency of great Tull music. Stormwatch actually moves away from an overt folkiness and back to a more traditional Jethro Tull sound.
Dun Ringill = Top Ten Tull Song for me.
Yep, so good that Opeth ripped it for Will O the Wisp.
With regard to 'A', I have to admit that back when it was first released, I jumped off. I've since come back to appreciate it as a solid, if mid-tier Tull album, hovering around the likes of TOtRR and Warchild. But the album cover for 'A' hit me the same way that Metallica's Load album cover did, as in YUCK.
To me, 'A' the album is the equivalent of Rush, Hold Your Fire /Genesis, And Then There Were Three / Yes, 90125/ Kansas, Audio-visions. To me, these albums represent tacit admissions by classic 70s prog bands that they must adapt to the times, or die trying. Mind you, none of these are bad albums in their own right.
I have a question for our host, Orbert...
What are your 3 to 5 favorite bands?
Where does Jethro Tull stand on that list?
Speaking for myself, Tull hovers around 1-3 in my overall ranking, solidly up there in my top 10 along with Zeppelin, Opeth, Dream Theater, Blind Guardian, Iron Maiden, Kansas and Genesis.
@ TAC - after sifting thru the bulk of the discography, how are you feeling about the flute at this point?
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@ TAC - after sifting thru the bulk of the discography, how are you feeling about the flute at this point?
Honestly it's not an issue. There was one spot on A, I forget which song, where the flute and the drums did a brief run together and it was really cool.
In no way has it been overbearing. It's interesting that none of their Classic Rock radio hits really feature it. In fact, I'm kind of surprised that after Aqualung, or maybe Cross Eyed Mary, that I haven't recognized a single song.
My biggest complain about the damn flute is that if he's on an extended flute part, I literally start hyperventilating. :lol
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In 1981, Jethro Tull released their first Concert Video Thing. I haven't really come up with a term for these things yet, and I probably never will, other than just calling them Concert Video Things. Similar to how I refer to any compilation which purports to be the "best of" a band, or their "greatest hits" or "classics", as simply a Greatest Hits Thing, a Concert Video Thing isn't just a video of the band in concert. That is a Concert Video. A "Concert Video Thing" also includes video segments which are anything from actual promotional videos for the song, short dramatic presentations, animations, fantasy sequences, or anything else, interspersed within the concert footage, taking you out of the moment, and reminding you that you're not watching a concert video, but somebody's artistic vision. Think Led Zeppelin's The Song Remains the Same concert video thing.
Slipstream (1981) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otsv3BNXuvM)
(https://i.imgur.com/4RROrFM.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Flute, Vocals
Martin Barre - Electric Guitar
Mark Craney - Drums, Bass on "Skating Away"
Eddie Jobson - Keyboards, Electric Violin, Electric Guitar on "Skating Away"
Dave Pegg - Bass, Bouzouki on "Skating Away"
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Introduction 3:27
Black Sunday 6:23
Dun Ringill (music video) :37
Fylingdale Flyer (music video) 4:03
Songs from the Wood 3:35
Heavy Horses 7:25
Sweet Dream (music video) 4:04
Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll (music video) 5:37
Skating Away 3:36
Aqualung 8:57
Locomotive Breath-Black Sunday (reprise) 6:25
Credits 1:05
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Slipstream was officially released on VHS, Laserdisc, and a format known as Capacitance Electronic Disc (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitance_Electronic_Disc). The cover above is from the one of the many bootleg editions on DVD, as the only official DVD release of Slipstream is with the DVD version of A.
The concert segments of Slipstream were recorded on the tour for A. Although it features exteriors of London's Hammersmith Odeon, the footage itself came mostly from their November 1980 appearance at the L.A. Sports Arena.
The video for "Dun Ringill" is inspired by the Stormwatch album cover, and was filmed at a beach near Beachy Head.
The video for "Sweet Dream" is a vampire-themed homage to horror movies. The character Aqualung is pursued by a vampire and -- as is the title character from television series "The Prisoner" -- giant pink balloons. Meanwhile, a ballerina pirouettes (recalling A Passion Play), a giant tarantula emits death rays, and an evil projectionist starts his movie. Ultimately and quite fortunately, a Nun supplies the right equipment to defeat the vampire.
In the video for "Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll," the elderly band is in a giant pinball machine, drinking their tea like the tea party in Alice in Wonderland.
In the video for "Fylingdale Flyer," the band is in an air traffic control tower, when they see some impending disaster. The cover of A is taken from this video. RAF Fylingdales is the site of a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar situated in the North York Moors National Park, which explains the lyric to the song.
For all that, the video runs less than an hour total, including the credits.
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Wow!
Link to a playlist version with much better audio quality, but the "Too Old to Rock and Roll" video is blocked in the U.S. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E_ZftZkGJs&list=PLXCPYKdHVB5AWjVcJIjxj_pV61tIHICkR)
So I have to admit, I had not seen Slipstream, only read reviews and synopses of it, prior to today. And between the reviews and synopses, plus my own biases against Concert Video Things in general, I was dismissive of it, and quite unfairly I must admit, and that came through in the tone of my writeup above.
What I forgot is that while a lot of Concert Video Things are kinda bad -- with the music and musical performances taking a back seat to the "amazing" and "cutting edge" video wizardry (which all looks horribly dated today) -- there are also those at the high end of the spectrum. The ones that get it right. Well, Slipstream gets it right.
What the crappy reviews fail to mention is that the music and musical performances are the primary focus here, as they should be. The video effects are sometimes used sparely, sometimes quite prominently, yet they always complement the music, sometimes elevating it, and at the very least they rarely distract from it. As it should be.
The framing device based on the character of Aqualung (played of course by Ian Anderson) introduces the video and recurs throughout. The video segments are not Oscar-quality, but they're interesting and fun, and used well. They permeate the entire video, tying the concert segments and the video segments together, sometimes blurring the lines (in a good way). They're not just four videos dropped into the blender along with six concert video segments with cheesy, sometimes hokey segues holding things together. Quite the opposite, actually. The song videos are part of the overall presentation, blending seamlessly with the concert footage. I think it's really well done. The letter [A] logo is a recurring theme, the aforementioned Aqualung character, even those pink balloons.
You know how some Frank Zappa albums kinda blur the lines between live albums and studio? Elements of each blend together nicely, but at the end it's clearly live and you hear him introducing the band and all? Think Sheir Yerbouti or Bongo Fury. Anyway, this is like that, but in video form. And man, the live footage and performances are all excellent. Eddie Jobson on the keyboards, violin, and even guitar on one song; Martin Barre on fire with the guitar; newcomers Dave Pegg and Mark Craney on bass and drums don't get a lot of screen time, but they're rock solid. Ian is Ian, of course; 100% showman. There's a part where Jobson (on violin), Anderson, and Barre bust into a trio that just smokes. The instrumental breaks are all amazing, every one of them. Dave Pegg's background vocals are very nice, very effective. I wasn't expecting that.
The link I posted in the original writeup is to a single 50-minute YouTube rip of the entire DVD video, but its audio quality is kinda crappy. The link here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E_ZftZkGJs&list=PLXCPYKdHVB5AWjVcJIjxj_pV61tIHICkR) is to a playlist of the individual segments, some of which don't seque that cleanly, and again "Too Old to Rock and Roll" is blocked, but it's the one I watched today on the big screen, and I was blown away. And by "big screen" I mean my TV, with the sound pumping through the stereo; my home theater such as it is. I find it much easier to achieve immersion that way, as opposed to on my PC, even though my PC speakers are pretty nice.
I feel like I owe someone an apology for so grossly underestimating this video and writing it up without watching it first. I watched it this afternoon and was blown away, and I watched some of the concert segments again tonight during dinner, and was blown away again.
So this is a Concert Video Thing, but it's a good one, the best I've ever seen. One hour, so it doesn't overstay its welcome. It's not meant to take the place of a full concert experience; it offers something different instead. And it's a nice document of the "new" Jethro Tull in 1980, which wasn't even supposed to be Jethro Tull to start with; maybe that's why the [A] symbol permeates everything. At the very least, it introduces the world to the great Eddie Jobson, plus we get plenty of Martin Barre, and of course Ian Anderson, his voice, and his damned flute, all in their prime.
Seriously, set aside some an hour and watch this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E_ZftZkGJs&list=PLXCPYKdHVB5AWjVcJIjxj_pV61tIHICkR), loudly.
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O, I literally watched that very same video this afternoon, and I must say it was awesome.
I was reading the comments about Mark Craney. Seems kind of beloved.
How much longer would he be in the band?
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This is his one time with Jethro Tull. Craney was on the A album and in the Slipstream video, then he moved on, as did most of this band. Only Martin Barre remained from this band.
Craney is indeed awesome. That's him in the early Jean-Luc Ponty band (Imaginary Voyage and Civilized Evil), and the early Gino Vanelli band. Do not disrespect Gino Vanelli! Seriously, listen to the title track from Brother to Brother (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZrF76MuF0w) and try to tell me that that's not one killer band (the break starts around 3:00).
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So I have the Slipstream DVD as part of the ‘A’ CD/DVD package I bought years ago. I’d watched the video when I first got it and remember it being good but had forgotten a lot of it. I just put it on in my DVD player again and yes it’s quite good, even for not being my favorite Tull lineup.
It was cool to see Jobson pull out the electric violin for Heavy Horses and Aqualung. It worked exceedingly well! Jobson’s stage appearance even works to bring the band’s look into the eighties. Standing astride his keyboard rig, he looks like some kind of futuristic android.
I’ll let Orbert relate the story of Mark Craney. While I sorely missed Barrie Barlow, Craney seemed like he could’ve been a good replacement. it was too bad that he left because I was supremely disappointed by what came after him on the drum set.
Also, watching this video reminded me of how much Bruce Dickinson acquired much of Ian Anderson’s expansive stage presence, movements and persona.
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I have to admit, I don't know what story there is to relate regarding Mark Craney and why he left. All I can find is that Craney and Jobson both left after the A tour. I had assumed that it was because they didn't originally sign on to join Jethro Tull in the first place; remember that the A project started as an Ian Anderson solo album, and only became Jethro Tull at the label's insistence.
Jobson, for some reason, was never regarded as a full member of the band, or at least it seems that way. He's not listed with the rest of the band in the credits for A, but instead under Additional Personnel. And in Slipstream, he is the Special Guest, again distinguished from the rest of the band. I do love his keyboard stance, though. He stands "Emerson-style", facing the audience with keyboard racks on either side of him, and of course never looking the keys because he's far too cool for that. Many keyboard players of the time preferred the "Wakeman-style" of surrounding themselves with keyboards in an arc.
Irrelevant side story: I played in a production of The Wiz back in the 90's. We had some strings, horns, electric guitar and drums, and a grand piano for me, but no bass player for some reason. I was out of the game at the time and didn't own any keyboards, but they had a couple of Korgs for me to use. I found a decent bass patch on the smaller one and set it on the left side of the grand (actually on top of the amp, on a couple of 2x4's to get it up to a decent height), and the bigger one was on my right, for organ and additional brass and string patches. For most of the jams (dance numbers), I went "Emerson-style" because of the layout, and I had to face forward of course to watch the conductor. During the final music when everyone's taking their bows, the pit rose up to stage height, revealing the pit orchestra so we could get our applause. I had people come up to me later, slightly insane about how cool it was that I was playing that way. Also, they didn't realize the music was being played live; they thought it was pre-recorded because they didn't see the pit orchestra until the end. To me, that's a compliment. I've had people come up to in recent years complimenting us on our use of tracks and how we integrate them so seamlessly with our live shows. Um, no. That's Bob on the keyboards. Every note in every group I play in is played live. That's a rule. I quit the last band that introduced tracks and other bullshit.
But I still can't find anything about Craney's departure, so if there's a story there to tell, go for it, LudwigVan.
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Cool story Orbert! You are one uncompromising sonofagun!
Here’s an article that gives some insight into Craney’s departure:
https://www.moderndrummer.com/article/june-1983-mark-craney-pursuing-art/
Essentially, Ian decided against moving forward with having only one member of the band lineup being situated in the US. So apparently, Craney’s departure was not of his own volition.
I’m a pretty big J L Ponty fan and have both those albums that he played on in my collection. Craney definitely had some chops. Sadly, according to Wikipedia, he died quite young at age 53 from complications of diabetes and pneumonia.
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Here’s an article that gives some insight into Craney’s departure:
https://www.moderndrummer.com/article/june-1983-mark-craney-pursuing-art/
Essentially, Ian decided against moving forward with having only one member of the band lineup being situated in the US. So apparently, Craney’s departure was not of his own volition.
I’m a pretty big J L Ponty fan and have both those albums that he played on in my collection. Craney definitely had some chops. Sadly, according to Wikipedia, he died quite young at age 53 from complications of diabetes and pneumonia.
Wow, that's an interesting article. Not a very flattering pic, though.
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Also, watching this video reminded me of how much Bruce Dickinson acquired much of Ian Anderson’s expansive stage presence, movements and persona.
Oh hell yes for sure!
Good call!
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So the Slipstream version of Aqualing was the video they played on the early days of MTV, right?
I always loved that.
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Here’s an article that gives some insight into Craney’s departure:
https://www.moderndrummer.com/article/june-1983-mark-craney-pursuing-art/
Essentially, Ian decided against moving forward with having only one member of the band lineup being situated in the US. So apparently, Craney’s departure was not of his own volition.
I’m a pretty big J L Ponty fan and have both those albums that he played on in my collection. Craney definitely had some chops. Sadly, according to Wikipedia, he died quite young at age 53 from complications of diabetes and pneumonia.
Wow, that's an interesting article. Not a very flattering pic, though.
Nope not at all. As seen by the instances described thru this entire thread, Anderson pretty much treated his fellow band members (employees ?) like shit.
I recall Barrie Barlow being especially bitter about how the lineup change/dismissals went down.
Speaking of Barlow, he was tagged by Led Zeppelin as a possible replacement for John BOnham (who regarded Barlow as one of the best). Man oh man how I would’ve loved to have seen that come to fruition.
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Yeah, he even played on a couple of tracks on The Principle Of Moments right, and was he on Outrider too?
I only know the name really from Yngwie's first album.
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The more I learn about Ian Anderson as a person, the less I like him. I suppose it's fortunate, then, that I can pretty easily separate the artist from the art. Let's face it, people are people. Some people are assholes, some are pretty cool, most are somewhere in between, and there isn't always a strong correlation between that and who makes it big. We'd like to think that good people are rewarded with success while the assholes suffer, but that's just not how the world works. Also, there's some merit to the idea that the egomania and arrogance which makes some people such assholes is what helps them survive and succeed in their chosen careers. I remember seeing Bruce Willis on the David Letterman show years ago, not long after the Die Hard movies and Willis really starting to take off as a movie star. Letterman said a lot of people say that he (Willis) had become a real (beep)hole. Willis just said Hey, I was an <beep>hole before. I haven't changed. I think that was the first time I realized that hey, some people can be famous and admired and all that, and really, they're assholes and always have been. People are people.
Anyway, regarding Ian Anderson. What I find baffling is that most of his former band members, especially in the early days, were all friends of his. As noted upthread, the classic Jethro Tull lineup was almost entirely made up of members of the old John Evan Band, guys he'd known since his schooldays playing in garages and basements like so many of us. Jeffrey Hammond escaped early, but John Evan and Barriemore Barlow were apparently kicked to the curb without much thought. Dee Palmer joined later, but had worked with the band for years before becoming an official member, and she was out, too. Later, Anderson claims that that's not how he wanted it to happen, and that Chrysalis Records had forced it on him. Even if that's true, you'd think he could've picked up the phone and called them personally. They were friends, right? Explain to them that something kinda shitty is going down with the record label and his solo album is going to be a Jethro Tull album after all, without them on it. Also, was there something stopping him from getting them back later? Some reason why he never worked with them again (except for the "reunion" thing years later)?
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So, I'll follow up this thread with The UFO Discography And Listening Party Thread, and you'll see Chrysalis in action pulling that kind of thing again, both for UFO and the Michael Schenker Group.
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Yeah, he even played on a couple of tracks on The Principle Of Moments right, and was he on Outrider too?
I only know the name really from Yngwie's first album.
Yep and yep; two tracks on Plant's record and two tracks on Page's (interesting, because they are both instrumentals, NOT the songs with John Miles, even though Barlow played on Miles' solo album right before working on Page's album).
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Bring on the Beast!
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The more I learn about Ian Anderson as a person, the less I like him. I suppose it's fortunate, then, that I can pretty easily separate the artist from the art. Let's face it, people are people. Some people are assholes, some are pretty cool, most are somewhere in between, and there isn't always a strong correlation between that and who makes it big. We'd like to think that good people are rewarded with success while the assholes suffer, but that's just not how the world works. Also, there's some merit to the idea that the egomania and arrogance which makes some people such assholes is what helps them survive and succeed in their chosen careers. I remember seeing Bruce Willis on the David Letterman show years ago, not long after the Die Hard movies and Willis really starting to take off as a movie star. Letterman said a lot of people say that he (Willis) had become a real (beep)hole. Willis just said Hey, I was an <beep>hole before. I haven't changed. I think that was the first time I realized that hey, some people can be famous and admired and all that, and really, they're assholes and always have been. People are people.
Anyway, regarding Ian Anderson. What I find baffling is that most of his former band members, especially in the early days, were all friends of his. As noted upthread, the classic Jethro Tull lineup was almost entirely made up of members of the old John Evan Band, guys he'd known since his schooldays playing in garages and basements like so many of us. Jeffrey Hammond escaped early, but John Evan and Barriemore Barlow were apparently kicked to the curb without much thought. Dee Palmer joined later, but had worked with the band for years before becoming an official member, and she was out, too. Later, Anderson claims that that's not how he wanted it to happen, and that Chrysalis Records had forced it on him. Even if that's true, you'd think he could've picked up the phone and called them personally. They were friends, right? Explain to them that something kinda shitty is going down with the record label and his solo album is going to be a Jethro Tull album after all, without them on it. Also, was there something stopping him from getting them back later? Some reason why he never worked with them again (except for the "reunion" thing years later)?
And it kept going right up until the bitter end in 2013. Martin Barre's taken the high road, but it's kind of clear that Anderson just wanted rid of them. Doan Perry had been around 23 years, second only to Barre, and Anderson pretty much just dumped them.
Also, Slipstream was awesome. The live stuff was very good, as were a couple of the videos.
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Bring on the Beast!
When I checked the thread Saturday, and saw that no one had commented on Slipstream, I was ready to do just that. But I had to at least check out Slipsteam myself; it wasn't right to blow it off otherwise, especially with multiple versions at my disposal. I keep forgetting that everything is on YouTube. And I'm very glad I did. I watched it yet again yesterday. I'm up to three or four times now.
I'll probably get to Beastie in the next day or so.
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I'm up to once. ;D
But it was awesome.
I cheated and got to Beatie yesterday.
As a long time music fan, I'm generally fascinated how 70's bands transitioned into the 80's. One of the things about A was that while it didn't always work, it was definitely a Jethro Tull album.
And watching Slipstream, there was no doubt.
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I've never seen Slipstream; I may try to watch it today if I can squeeze it in.
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As a long time music fan, I'm generally fascinated how 70's bands transitioned into the 80's. One of the things about A was that while it didn't always work, it was definitely a Jethro Tull album.
And watching Slipstream, there was no doubt.
I can listen to all of it now and think it all sounds like Jethro Tull to me. Ian has a unique voice, his writing style is distinctive and recognizable, and by time you add the damned flute on half the songs, it all sounds like Jethro Tull. But I also understand how Ian himself felt that the new 80's sound was different and wanted to distinguish it from Tull's previous body of work. He wanted to try new things, get into synthesizers and electronic drums and stuff, and saw a solo album as the appropriate way to do that.
In the next few albums, we'll see a continued dichotomy between Jethro Tull and Ian's solo work (he did end up releasing solo albums), and listening to some of them now, I can hear the difference. Then, after officially disbanding Jethro Tull (for good this time (supposedly)), his last few solo albums all sound like Tull to me anyway. And really, it doesn't matter. As I said, there are so many markers that if you didn't know what it was and someone played you an Ian solo album, you'd immediately say "That's Jethro Tull". No else sounds like that.
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I enjoyed Slipstream, never really seen a hybrid like this (though I am sure others have done this), but it works well.
Also, wanted to gift my dad something because we were supposed to see Steven Wilson and other concerts (but that ship has sailed, no concerts here for the rest of the year I am sure), so figured I looked which of those SW remix books of JT he did not have. Sooo, some of them are like 200-300 dollars on ebay?! (the complete editions with the surround mixes). He does already own most of them it seems though, but Songs for the Wood not and that one is expensive as hell. Anyways, went for Stormwatch, even ordered it from the UK for 40 pounds because here that one already costs like 85 euros.
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Yeah, those Steven Wilson super-amazing-deluxe editions can be pretty pricey, then add to that the fact that they were all limited production and are now collector's items, and they're really just for the serious collectors who also have some serious money to spend.
Or someone looking to find a really nice gift for their dad.
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I enjoyed Slipstream, never really seen a hybrid like this (though I am sure others have done this), but it works well.
Also, wanted to gift my dad something because we were supposed to see Steven Wilson and other concerts (but that ship has sailed, no concerts here for the rest of the year I am sure), so figured I looked which of those SW remix books of JT he did not have. Sooo, some of them are like 200-300 dollars on ebay?! (the complete editions with the surround mixes). He does already own most of them it seems though, but Songs for the Wood not and that one is expensive as hell. Anyways, went for Stormwatch, even ordered it from the UK for 40 pounds because here that one already costs like 85 euros.
Try Discogs. You're still not going to get below 100 euros for any of the middle period versions (Aqualung through Songs From The Wood) but you might fall within your range. I have Heavy Horses, but I bought that on release. Kicking my own ass like Artie Fufkin for not getting the others when I had the chance.
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I enjoyed Slipstream, never really seen a hybrid like this (though I am sure others have done this), but it works well.
Also, wanted to gift my dad something because we were supposed to see Steven Wilson and other concerts (but that ship has sailed, no concerts here for the rest of the year I am sure), so figured I looked which of those SW remix books of JT he did not have. Sooo, some of them are like 200-300 dollars on ebay?! (the complete editions with the surround mixes). He does already own most of them it seems though, but Songs for the Wood not and that one is expensive as hell. Anyways, went for Stormwatch, even ordered it from the UK for 40 pounds because here that one already costs like 85 euros.
Try Discogs. You're still not going to get below 100 euros for any of the middle period versions (Aqualung through Songs From The Wood) but you might fall within your range. I have Heavy Horses, but I bought that on release. Kicking my own ass like Artie Fufkin for not getting the others when I had the chance.
Thanks. Indeed some are a cheaper by a significant margin, but Songs for the Wood is still at the very least 200 dollars it seems. That might be in my range when I get my next job, but not now. Heavy Horses is still affordable, so ordered it as well, and ordered the Songs for the Wood vinyl for myself (the vinyls are surprisingly cheap here). He owns the other ones, save for Warchild and one of the 60's albums, I think.
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After A and Slipstream, drummer Mark Craney and keyboardist/violinist Eddie Jobson left the band, the band which was originally assembled only to back Ian Anderson's solo project but became the "new" Jethro Tull. Guitarist Martin Barre elected to stayed on, as did bassist Dave Pegg. Gerry Conway, a longtime member of Cat Stevens' band, was brought in to play drums. Jazz/Fusion keyboardist Peter-John Vettese answered the ad in Melody Maker for a keyboard player, which he was surprised to learn was for Jethro Tull, and the new lineup was complete.
The Broadsword and the Beast (1982) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1IGpIVKEBI&list=PLiRoPIsKLQTfML4Fa5M21KdRVWC9dz9s9)
(https://i.imgur.com/A6SQSzX.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Fairlight CMI
Martin Barre - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar
Gerry Conway - Drums, Percussion
Dave Pegg - Bass, Mandolin, Backing Vocals
Peter-John Vettese - Keyboards, Backing Vocals
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Side One: Beastie
Beastie 3:58
Clasp 4:18
Fallen On Hard Times 3:13
Flying Colours 4:39
Slow Marching Band 3:40
Side Two: Broadsword
Broadsword 5:03
Pussy Willow 3:55
Watching Me, Watching You 3:41
Seal Driver 5:10
Cheerio 1:09
Bonus Tracks
Jack Frost And The Hooded Crow 3:22
Jack-A-Lynn 4:40
Mayhem Maybe 3:06
Too Many Too 3:28
Overhang 4:29
Rhythm In Gold 3:08
I Am Your Gun 3:19
Down At The End Of Your Road 3:31
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The album was originally going to be called Beastie, but during production there were discussions within the band whether to call it Beastie or Broadsword. Eventually, they decided to name each side of the original LP after the first track on the side (similar to how Side One of Aqualung is subtitled "Aqualung" and Side Two is "My God") and the album title combined the two, resulting in The Broadsword and the Beast.
The cover art (by artist Iain McCaig (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iain_McCaig)) features Ian Anderson as some sort of beast with claws, tail, and wings, resting upon a broadsword. The runes going around the frame are the opening lyrics to "Broadsword" in the Cirth runic system:
I see a dark sail on the horizon, set under a black cloud that hides the sun.
Bring me my broadsword and clear understanding. Bring me my cross of gold as a talisman.
The music is something of a return to the folk-based sound generally associated with Jethro Tull, with plenty of rock and roll of course, and the more modern production introduced with A. We have the acoustic guitars and mandolin, and acoustic piano, but we also have synthesizers and the Fairlight CMI (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairlight_CMI) (Computer Musical Instrument), one of the first keyboards to incorporate digital processing and sampling. I remember when the CMI hit the mainstream; it was indeed so different and groundbreaking that calling it a CMI rather than just a synthesizer didn't seem strange at all. It really deserved to be distinguished from the pack somehow, as everything up to that point was analog. Of course, I'm a keyboard player. Normal people didn't care about stuff like that.
Ian Anderson has said that this album contains some of Jethro Tull's best music. I just think he's a genius, the way he seamlessly combines acoustic and electric instruments, and now electronic instruments, into music that is melodic, consistent, and damned good. There's still nothing like Jethro Tull.
The album sold better than its predecessors Stormwatch and A, reaching #19 in the U.S. and #27 in the U.K. The single "Fallen on Hard Times" reached #20 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart.
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Ian says:
"That followed a bit of hiatus and we were getting towards the end of the record, and I thought, as I have before, 'I’ve spent so much time with this material, I’d really like someone else to come in and mix.' We found Paul Samwell-Smith, who we knew from The Yardbirds, and he came in towards the end and took a lot of pressure off me. We worked well together – we had this good accord and bounced off each other very well. I'd been feeling very pressured on the previous albums, nursemaiding everything to the end."
From Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
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O, are these your words or did you cut and paste this from somewhere?
The music is something of a return to the folk-based sound generally associated with Jethro Tull, with plenty of rock and roll of course, and the more modern production introduced with A.
Ian Anderson has said that this album contains some of Jethro Tull's best music. I just think he's a genius, the way he seamlessly combines acoustic and electric instruments, and now electronic instruments, into music that is melodic, consistent, and damned good. There's still nothing like Jethro Tull.
I ask, because I could not disagree more, and I don't want to seem like I'm going at you. :)
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Definitely more of a rocker than a folksy album. Pussy Willow's always been a favorite. Hard Times, and of course Broadsword are also bigtime. Great album.
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Bart, you really think so?
Now I'm hearing all of these Jethro Tull albums for the first time, but I'm doing it totally open minded, and I have to say.....
......this is the worst album I've heard so far.
Even though A sounded a bit different, it was undeniably Jethro Tull. Save for a couple of tracks on side 2, the Tull-isms shined through.
There is nothing about Broadsword that even hints Jethro Tull except the beginning of Clasp, and of course Pussy Willow, which I agree is the best song on the album. To my ears anyway.
I have to think that if you were a Tull fan in real time, if A made you concerned, then Broadsword realized your fears. They just sound so neutered.
On a positive note, I find the lead guitar playing on this album really gorgeous.
And I do recognize Fallen On Hard Times. Not a bad song. But that's a long stretch from Cross Eyed Mary to Fallen On Hard Times that rock radio would ignore them.
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I stand by what I said. Don't be fooled by the instrumentation. The first two tunes are straight-up rock with synths and electric guitars, but listen to the music. It's right from the Jethro Tull Scottish Folk-rock playbook. The chords, the voicings. Then with "Fallen on Hard Times" we have the mandolins and acoustic guitars woven right in with the synths. Three-part vocal harmonies, not common before Dave Pegg joined, but becoming more a part of their sound at this point, and probably the only thing previously missing from the true folk-rock idiom.
"Flying Colours" starts with just voice and piano. After just the slightest bit of embellishment, the rest of the band comes bursting into the room, but rather than coming across as jarring, it feels very organic to me. After the quiet intro, it makes perfect sense. And again, don't be fooled by the synths and electric guitars, it's still the same Tull it's always been. "Slow Marching Band" is acoustic, start to finish.
"Broadsword" honestly I think is one of the weaker tracks. The slow rockers always kinda bore me. I get the vibe he's going for, but... nah. "Pussy Willow" has synths where "Mother Goose" (from Aqualung) had recorders in harmony, but otherwise it's nearly the same instrumentation. Acoustic feel throughout, and even when Martin's electric guitar comes in towards the end, it's just the right extra edge you would expect at that point, just as it was in "Mother Goose".
"Watching Me Watching You" goes full electronics, and is another one I'm not wild about. But I think it's bold, and again, still feels like Tull to me. "Seal Driver" starts pulling us back more towards mainstream rock, and other than the synth bass being a bit more promniment than I'd prefer, I think is another one in the classic style. "Cheerio" is a nice little closing track.
Okay, listening to it track by track, breaking it down like this, there is less acoustic to the mix than I thought. I've tried to avoid doing that this time around, as I'm sure many have noticed, first because it's exhausting to do that for as many albums as Jethro Tull has, including several I was not previously familiar with and some I've never heard at all. But also because I wanted to "zoom out" a little bit and get a feel for each album as a work in and of itself, and think in terms of the overall sound and vibe of each album.
Maybe it's because the voicings evoke acoustic instruments (the synths emulating strings and recorders, and arranged the same way), and Ian's damned flute at the end leaving me with the impression that "yep, the flute is still there", but it still feels very organic to me, even if the instrumentation is nearly all electronic. Weird how that works.
To me the overall feel definitely leans more toward the folk overall than A, which was a deliberate step towards a more modern, electronic sound. I feel like with this album, he's learned to blend them a little more.
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I stand by what I said. Don't be fooled by the instrumentation.
To me the overall feel definitely leans more toward the folk overall than A, which was a deliberate step towards a more modern, electronic sound. I feel like with this album, he's learned to blend them a little more.
Wow, I totally feel the complete opposite than you on A vs Broadsword.
And I'm generally not fooled by instrumentation. I feel like that's how I could clearly see Jethro Tull behind it all on A. I could not on Broadsword.
OK, I'll try again.
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There is nothing about Broadsword that even hints Jethro Tull except the beginning of Clasp, and of course Pussy Willow, which I agree is the best song on the album. To my ears anyway.
Now it's my turn to ask a question and hope you're not offended. Are you a musician? Everything about this album sounds like Tull to me. Ian's use of syncopation, his instrumental voicings, and the way he turns chords are very distinctive and have changed very little at this point, and never really changed throughout the rest of the catalogue. If you're one of those to whom guitar=rock and mandolin=folk, then no, this is not Thick as a Brick. But I'm talking about the music itself, the structure, the composition, not just the instrumentation. Playing a folk song on an electric guitar doesn't make it not a folk song, just as playing AC/DC on a piano doesn't make it not metal.
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You know, I think most elements are solid, but the drums/rythm work on some of these tracks are super boring to the point it actively distracts from the album. Beastie for example, the drums make the song feel plodding to me. And I feel the sound is a bit at odds with the direction of the album. I can definitely hear the rock and folk in the songwriting, but the production is overwhelmingly something different to my ears. Can't really put it into words but the album feels a bit off to me.
The next one is one most fans seem to hate with a passion, but to my ears that one at least leans fully towards a direction where all the elements fit together.
For me Broadsword is also the weakest, though I'd have to listen to Warchild again to decide.
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I love this album. I'm going to listen again to see what I think of the criticisms, but I just recall loving this. I also am a huge fan of the "bonus songs", most of which appeared on the 20th Anniversary box set: "Jack-A-Lynn" (another strong favorite), "Mayhem Maybe", "Too Many Too", and especially "Overhang" and "Rhythm In Gold".
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You know, I think most elements are solid, but the drums/rythm work on some of these tracks are super boring to the point it actively distracts from the album. Beastie for example, the drums make the song feel plodding to me. And I feel the sound is a bit at odds with the direction of the album. I can definitely hear the rock and folk in the songwriting, but the production is overwhelmingly something different to my ears. Can't really put it into words but the album feels a bit off to me.
The next one is one most fans seem to hate with a passion, but to my ears that one at least leans fully towards a direction where all the elements fit together.
For me Broadsword is also the weakest, though I'd have to listen to Warchild again to decide.
I think Broadsword is a good album that’s at least on par with ‘A’. The songwriting is really quite good.
But I also have to agree with Erhao to a great extent. I intimated about this in my earlier post about Mark Craney, but I feel like the rhythm section on Broadsword has been practically gutted. Gone is the hard/rock/prog attack that was so evident on Songs From the Wood, replaced by the plodding (Erhao’s apt wording) drum track sounds.
As much as a vocalist and lead guitarist might be the ‘face’ of a band, I’ve discovered that what usually drives me to listen to an album over and over again is the quality of the rhythm section. From hereon out and starting with the next album Under Wraps, as much as I love Tull (top 2/3 band for me), the band fails in this regard. Amazingly, I don’t think I’ve sat thru a listening of an entire Tull album post Broadsword. Admittedly, Ian’s declining vocals have something to do with that as well.
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There is nothing about Broadsword that even hints Jethro Tull except the beginning of Clasp, and of course Pussy Willow, which I agree is the best song on the album. To my ears anyway.
Now it's my turn to ask a question and hope you're not offended. Are you a musician? Everything about this album sounds like Tull to me. Ian's use of syncopation, his instrumental voicings, and the way he turns chords are very distinctive and have changed very little at this point, and never really changed throughout the rest of the catalogue. If you're one of those to whom guitar=rock and mandolin=folk, then no, this is not Thick as a Brick. But I'm talking about the music itself, the structure, the composition, not just the instrumentation. Playing a folk song on an electric guitar doesn't make it not a folk song, just as playing AC/DC on a piano doesn't make it not metal.
Hah, I'm not offended in the slightest. We're just two dudes talking music over a couple of beers...
Just listened to a couple of tracks with this post in mind, and here is what I would say..
I have never listened to Jethro Tull, other than a handful of radio hits, before this thread. I've been totally open minded and have really enjoyed this a lot. They're not a standard TAC band, but it's been really cool anyway. You've been a long time fan and could name every nuance that makes Jethro Tull..Jethro Tull. And I totally respect that.
To my ears, I sense a lack of a number of things that I found on previous albums. A sense of adventure, A sense of spirit. It just feels a bit neutered to me. I don't really know how else to explain it. And I'm not bashing it, as I am fascinated at how 70's bands would adapt to the 80's.
As we'll find out in the upcoming (shameless plug) UFO Discography And Listening Party Thread, I will say the same thing about them as well.
It's without a doubt Jethro Tull. Ian Anderson is unmistakable, and while he may have some consistently identifiable traits in his music, it feels far more subtle on Broadsword to me.
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That's all I'm saying. I think musicians tend to listen to music differently from non-musicians. And that's not a good thing, bad thing, or in-between thing; it's just what it is. Some people say "It's unmistakeably Jethro Tull" because they hear things that say "Jethro Tull" to them, while you (and others) say that it doesn't sound anything like them. I have to think that there's a reason for that. Maybe it's how we listen to music. I'm not saying that non-musicians won't hear the similarities, but I don't see how a musician would not.
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A couple of tidbits to start.
The album did reach Silver status in the UK. The following were released as singles:
"Beastie" b/w "Pussy Willow" #50 US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart (a new way of measuring chart 'success')
"Fallen On Hard Times" b/w "Broadsword" (UK) "Pussy Willow" (US) #20 US mainstream
The remastered CD added bonus tracks (which had been on the 20 Years of Jethro Tull box-set) and extensive liner notes. Further tracks from the same sessions (and not included on the remastered CD) are ‘Motoreyes’ (from the 20 Years box) and ‘Crew Nights’, ‘The Curse’, ‘Commons Brawl’, ‘No Step’, ‘Drive On The Young Side Of Life’, and ‘Lights Out’ from the outtakes album ‘Nightcap’. All have the same production sound as the LP and previously mentioned bonus tracks. The album was produced by 'outsider' Paul Samwell-Smith, the last time that someone other than Anderson would be at the 'helm'. Ian's opinion was rather dismissive of those efforts in the 'Minstrels' book.
Broadsword reviews
http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=2032#:~:text=%22Broadsword%22%20and%20%22Seal%20Driver,their%20finest%20hours%20no%20doubt.
https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/38435/Jethro-Tull-The-Broadsword-and-the-Beast/
And a nice review by altrockchick
https://altrockchick.com/2016/08/08/classic-music-review-the-broadsword-and-the-beast-by-jethro-tull/
Audio concerts (there was no touring between Feb '81 and April '82):
Nice, France ’82 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wDbSgZet38&t=41s
Pittsburgh '82 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ2eoCGtfnk&t=316s
Video: Italy '82 (from two shows) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsFJ1gfdNP0
And, two songs with Phil Collins on drums from a Prince's Trust performance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XWVezm98MQ
I did not find any opening acts listed for their UK/European tour. They did headline a few festivals, with Marillion the opening act at one of them.
Basic setlist: Clasp, Hunting Girl, Pussy Willow, Broadsword, Jack-In-The-Green, One Brown Mouse, Seal Driver, Heavy Horses, Weathercock/Fire At Midnight/Keyboard w.Drums/Sweet Dream, Flying Colours, Songs From The Wood, Watching Me Watching You, The Swirling Pit, Pibroch/Black Satin Dancer (inst.), Beastie, Too Old To Rock'N'Roll..., Aqualung, Locomotive Breath/Black Sunday (inst.), Cheerio
A four day break before starting off at the Meriweather Pavilion (a few miles down the road). The days of multiple shows in one city were over. Saga was often the opening act.
North American setlist: Intro, Something's On The Move, Hunting Girl, Fallen On Hard Times, Broadsword, Heavy Horses, A Song For Jeffrey, Keyboards w.Drums, Fat Man, One Brown Mouse, Clasp, Watching Me Watching You, Instrumental, Beastie, The Swirling Pit, A New Day Yesterday, Thick As A Brick, Sweet Dream, Too Old To Rock'N'Roll..., Aqualung, Locomotive Breath, Black Sunday (inst.), Cheerio
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I don't even remember this album coming out. Or maybe I heard 'Fallen On Hard Times' and just went 'meh' and moved on. I'd kind of jumped ship after a friend's listening party for 'A'. I heard the other tracks on the 20th Anniversary set a few years later, and most didn't interest me. The album cover certainly fooled me into thinking it would be similar to SFtW. Just not a fan of the 80's production with the overloud bass/synth and drumming. The rythm section is often standard and repetitive. I admit, I miss the flute, the acoustic guitars, the other bells and whistles, and the 70's sound. And the album is mostly verse/chorus/verse/chorus, instrumental (where Barre often shines), chorus, fade out.
I gave this a spin months ago, and a couple of spins the past two weeks. I don't have the nice 12 band equalizer in my current car, just a factory model player, with bass/treble ranges from -5 to 5. Treble is set at 5, bass at 2 or 3. For this, I had the bass down to -2. I've always liked 'Jack Frost and the Hooded Crow', 'Jack-A- Lynn', and 'Mayhem Maybe' (with the '88 added vocals). I wish there were more that I liked.
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With regard to the song structures, I agree with Orbert that, for the most part, Broadsword maintains much of the Tull “folk” style. Apart from the ‘neutered’ ( TAC’s apt wording) drum sound and rhythm section, a good chunk of the songs on Broadsword wouldn’t be out of place on an album like Heavy Horses.
Broadsword is a really good album that succeeds at blending in the modern synth sounds with the traditional folkiness of classic Tull.
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You guys are wicked familiar with Jethro Tull. So it’s probably easier for you to spot.
Even A, to me, felt like it had more in common with the earlier albums.
Oh well, what’s next?
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Don't ask :tdwn ;)
As to 'A', I heard it at a Labor Day weekend listening party at college. Never listened to again until skimming through parts of each song two weeks ago. I liked 'Black Sunday' and have listened to it a couple of times since. Not a fan of anything else.
Finally home, and decided to listen to my version of 'Heavy Horses' because it was laying next to my desk. Wow.....it went way up in enjoyment after listening to 'Broadsword'.
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Ok my last comment. Listening to Broadsword and comparing it to their 70’s stuff feels like comparing Signals to Hemisperes. Sure a devout Rush fan can pick out the Rush-isms on Signals, and sure Signals has aged very nicely, but in real time it was a shock to hear. I remember thinking what the hell happened to Rush.
I can’t help but feel that Broadsword must’ve been a huge kick in the nuts to Tull fans back in the day.
Can any of you guys discuss how you felt AT THE TIME?
And I’m not arguing the point. But I am following this thread, not just to hear the music, but also to share the “real time” experiences some of you may have had.
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I didn't hear 'Broadsword' until seven years ago. But it is similar to me as comparing it and 'A' to 'Aqualung', as Queen's 'Hot Space' was to 'A Night at the Opera' (or 'A Day at the Races' or 'News of the World' or even 'Jazz' and 'The Game').
Or, to direct my comments to those on this forum, since I was busy collecting the DT back catalog after seeing them for the first time during the 'Six Degrees' tour, purchasing 'Octavarium'.......and then getting my hands on 'Train of Thought'.
They were WTW!?! moments.
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You guys are wicked familiar with Jethro Tull. So it’s probably easier for you to spot.
Even A, to me, felt like it had more in common with the earlier albums.
Oh well, what’s next?
Next is the first actual Ian Anderson solo album, Walk Into Light (1983). Since Ian is intimately tied into Jethro Tull's history, and we've already seen how the line between his solo work and official Jethro Tull work is quite blurry, it makes sense to include it. Also, because I personally like Walk Into Light more than what followed it, which was the next Jethro Tull album Under Wraps. IMO, Walk Into Light sounds more like Jethro Tull than Under Wraps, and if someone told me that Under Wraps was the solo album and Walk Into Light was Tull, I would totally believe it.
Also, someone asked way upthread whether the Ian solo material would be covered. I hadn't actually thought about it, but I think it makes perfect sense to include them. At the very least, it's a good excuse to check them out, and since I'm doing that anyway, we might as well discuss them.
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Ok my last comment. Listening to Broadsword and comparing it to their 70’s stuff feels like comparing Signals to Hemisperes. Sure a devout Rush fan can pick out the Rush-isms on Signals, and sure Signals has aged very nicely, but in real time it was a shock to hear. I remember thinking what the hell happened to Rush.
I can’t help but feel that Broadsword must’ve been a huge kick in the nuts to Tull fans back in the day.
Can any of you guys discuss how you felt AT THE TIME?
And I’m not arguing the point. But I am following this thread, not just to hear the music, but also to share the “real time” experiences some of you may have had.
I mentioned somewhere (not sure if it was in this thread) that I did, in fact, step away from Tull when ‘A’ was first released. And that wasn’t 100% due to any changes in the music itself, but more an emotional knee-jerk reaction to hearing that 80% of the band had been fired. Then when I heard that synth sounds were included and saw the cheesy album cover, I sort of dismissed it out of hand, undeservedly so in retrospect.
I picked up both ‘A’ and Broadsword several years later and after listening to them without the emotional baggage attached, have come to recognize these 2 albums as rock solid entries in the Tull oeuvre, despite the 80s synth trappings and neutered rhythm section. Ian’s songwriting skills simply shine through. What comes next, however... ugh.
BTW I didn’t find Signals to be that big of a shock. And I loved Grace Under Pressure and Power Windows. Hold Your Fire was the big synth-era stinker in my book.
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Wow, Walk Into The Light is really keyboard heavy.
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Also, someone asked way upthread whether the Ian solo material would be covered. I hadn't actually thought about it, but I think it makes perfect sense to include them. At the very least, it's a good excuse to check them out, and since I'm doing that anyway, we might as well discuss them.
That was me, I think, and I'm happy you're including them. I like Ian's solo work way more than some of Tull's albums.
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Yeah, I like Ian's late post-2000's solo work, and think it is very much relevant as his last two solo albums are tied to Thick as a Brick in concept (one being a sequel).
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Gerry Conway, who had joined the band for A and stayed on through The Broadsword and The Beast, decided that he could not be the one to replace Barriemore Barlow as the drummer for Jethro Tull, and tendered his resignation. Ian Anderson began experimenting with electronic percussion and, along with Peter-John Vettese, started working on music of a more electronic nature, first hinted at on A and more fully incorporated into the Jethro Tull sound on The Broadsword and The Beast. Eventually, he had enough music for an album. Ironic, then, that the first Ian Anderson solo release would be his most collaborative work to date, with Peter-John Vettese having co-writing credits on half the songs and his keyboard work permeating the album.
Walk Into Light (1983) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaOrCYgzOoI&list=PL8F3AFA279BC27492)
(https://i.imgur.com/eggkwJf.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards
Peter-John Vettese - Keyboards
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Fly By Night (Anderson, Vettesse) 3:55
Made in England (Anderson, Vettesse) 5:00
Walk Into Light (Anderson) 3:11
Trains (Anderson, Vettesse) 3:21
End Game (Anderson) 3:20
Black and White Television (Anderson) 3:37
Toad in the Hole (Anderson) 3:24
Looking For Eden (Anderson) 3:43
User-Friendly (Anderson, Vettesse) 4:03
Different Germany (Anderson, Vettesse) 5:24
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So this is a different album. A few posts ago, I said that if someone told me that this was a Jethro Tull album, while the next official Tull album Under Wraps was the Ian solo album, I would believe it. Now I'm not so sure. The 80's "electronic era" Jethro Tull (including this album, I suppose) definitely has a different sound, but TAC's comment about what makes something sound like Jethro Tull got me thinking more critically about the musical structure, and this one is definitely different. Presumably that is the influence of co-writer Peter-John Vettese. Under Wraps also embraces the electronic sound, but musically it sounds closer to Jethro Tull's earlier work. I briefly considered writing up both albums at once, as the two are now paired in my mind. They were also the last albums before Tull took a three-year break. But I'm getting ahead of things again.
The credits for Walk Into Light include keyboards for both Vettese and Anderson but none for either drums or a drum machine. I'm curious about that. I remember seeing credits for keyboard programming and drum programming show up on other albums around this time, but it wasn't universal. Electronic music wasn't mainstream yet, and there was still something of a mentality that a drummer is credited, because he actually played on the album. Programming the drum machine might show up in the musician credits, but might show up in the production credits, or not at all. Same with keyboards; you credited the keyboard player, but if he didn't program the keyboards himself (!) then there was often a separate credit for that, usually under "additional personnel" or the production credits. It's also possible that the drums were performed on keyboards. It's different, but entirely possible; I've done it myself. But I can't find anything definitive online about who or what provided the electronic percussion we hear on this album.
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Whether people like this or not, I thought of the same era of releases. Freddie Mercury's 'Mr. Bad Guy' and Queen's 'The Works' as examples. As much as I hated Freddie's disco-ish dance tracks, there were a handful of good songs that did not have the dance sound that would have been good replacements for Side One of 'Hot Space' and a couple for 'The Works'. Later demos that had just Freddie's vocals and piano were actually quite good, and I could envision them as band efforts with May's guitar added in spots, and Taylor's drums added in.
I was really shocked to hear this Anderson solo offering a few weeks ago for the first time. Didn't listen to any song all the way through. If one likes Spandau Ballet, one can listen to them. That's not what I was looking for here. At least Freddie had just him and piano at times. Thought Ian would have had just vocals and flute or acoustic guitar at times for a solo effort.
Once again, just my opinion, but this was a big 'ouch'.
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I hope nobody thinks I've come off as negative in any way, because I'm not trying to. I'm really enjoying this trip, and again, we're just a bunch of dudes at a bar..
I've said a few times that I find the really 80's transitions of 70's bands really interesting. Seems Ian Anderson, like Rush, really embraced the technology, or at least experimented with it.
Like Joe mentions with Queen, Alice Cooper 1980-1983 is about as fucked up as you can get. Black Sabbath seemed to stay the same. Rainbow sounded a bit more commercial. UFO stopped pushing boundaries, and oddly enough, Think Lizzy got heavier!
Seems O hinted at an upcoming break, but it seems that Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull was straight out for about 15 years. That in itself is amazing.
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I don't like this one at all, easily Ian's worst effort for me. And that is very much due to the style.
I often do not like 70's prog/rock bands going into the 80's. For Queen it worked for me, but for most others I am aware of it didn't for me personally. Ian Anderson seems to be a 50/50 case for me, because A is pretty damn solid and Crest seems really enjoyable as well. This solo record is not enjoyable at all for me. The next one (Under Wraps) is one I can't place. It is everything I tend to dislike, but it does actually have some tunes I enjoy that have what I enjoy about JT (but like this solo record, the overall sound production is super focused on 80's electronic stuff). But I will wait for full comments until we are there in this thread.
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I hope nobody thinks I've come off as negative in any way, because I'm not trying to. I'm really enjoying this trip, and again, we're just a bunch of dudes at a bar..
I've said a few times that I find the really 80's transitions of 70's bands really interesting. Seems Ian Anderson, like Rush, really embraced the technology, or at least experimented with it.
Like Joe mentions with Queen, Alice Cooper 1980-1983 is about as fucked up as you can get. Black Sabbath seemed to stay the same. Rainbow sounded a bit more commercial. UFO stopped pushing boundaries, and oddly enough, Think Lizzy got heavier!
Seems O hinted at an upcoming break, but it seems that Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull was straight out for about 15 years. That in itself is amazing.
As much as I love Tull, they were one 70s band that failed to make the transition into the 80s. In this category, I think Genesis was the most successful, with Rush following. Signals/Grace Under Pressure/Power Windows were all really good albums, but they hit an impasse with Hold Your Fire, which was subpar. King Crimson was good too, I like the Adrian Belew era. Yes and Kansas had mixed results for me, with most of their 80s material leaning toward the ‘no go’ zone. Every time I try to listen to 80s or 90s stuff from these two bands, I always think: why am I not listening to Relayer or Leftoverture instead? ELP was an abject failure, but at least we got Asia, which was an amalgamation of 70s superstars making some decent (and commercially successful) music. But there didn’t seem like there was any space for a musician like Keith Emerson in the 80s. He’d become an anachronism. It’s telling that the keyboardist on Asia was the only one who was not in a classic 70s prog band.
As far as the hard rock world...not that they became all 80s or anything, but I don’t care much for UFO material after Obssession. Meanwhile, Thin Lizzy’s entire discography is pretty damn solid.
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As much as I love Tull, they were one 70s band that failed to make the transition into the 80s. In this category, I think Genesis was the most successful, with Rush following. Signals/Grace Under Pressure/Power Windows were all really good albums, but they hit an impasse with Hold Your Fire, which was subpar. King Crimson was good too, I like the Adrian Belew era. Yes and Kansas had mixed results for me, with most of their 80s material leaning toward the ‘no go’ zone. Every time I try to listen to 80s or 90s stuff from these two bands, I always think: why am I not listening to Relayer or Leftoverture instead? ELP was an abject failure, but at least we got Asia, which was an amalgamation of 70s superstars making some decent (and commercially successful) music. But there didn’t seem like there was any space for a musician like Keith Emerson in the 80s. He’d become an anachronism. It’s telling that the keyboardist on Asia was the only one who was not in a classic 70s prog band.
To me, there's a theme that runs through all of these bands. I hate to use this phrase, because I think it's too strong or comes across as too negative, but there seemed to be a "dumbing down" of these bands. Genesis hit a goldmine with poppy Phil Collins fronting them.
Asia? It's nice music, so there's that, but compared to the members' 70's output, it's...for lack of a better term "dumbed down." Simplified? Is that a better term?
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Eh. I bristle at that. I love/loved the 80's Genesis, it's what got me into the band. Abacab is, in it's own way, their most progressive album. I think the Rabin era of Yes (starting with Owner Of A Lonely Heart in '83) is consistently strong. Asia is a Top 10 all time record for me. Maybe it is "dumbed down" relative to their most complicated work, but "dumbed down" also has a connotation of inferior, and I don't think that's fair. Many of these bands were coming off works that were considered by many to be stale, bloated and out of touch (Love Beach; Tormato) and they were trying to reconnect in any way they knew how.
Many of those albums are "more complicated" in the way they touch the listener. Wetton had not produced songs/lyrics/melodies at that level in the past. Trevor Rabin shifted the Yes sound to a very technologically complicated level, even if the music itself wasn't quite at the level of "The Revealing Science of God". ELP, with Black Moon, brought a level of composition they hadn't felt in a while. Tony Banks had made his songwriting more weird even if the lyrics weren't "The Supernatural Anaethetist".
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Eh. I bristle at that. I love/loved the 80's Genesis, it's what got me into the band. Abacab is, in it's own way, their most progressive album. I think the Rabin era of Yes (starting with Owner Of A Lonely Heart in '83) is consistently strong. Asia is a Top 10 all time record for me. Maybe it is "dumbed down" relative to their most complicated work, but "dumbed down" also has a connotation of inferior, and I don't think that's fair. Many of these bands were coming off works that were considered by many to be stale, bloated and out of touch (Love Beach; Tormato) and they were trying to reconnect in any way they knew how.
Many of those albums are "more complicated" in the way they touch the listener. Wetton had not produced songs/lyrics/melodies at that level in the past. Trevor Rabin shifted the Yes sound to a very technologically complicated level, even if the music itself wasn't quite at the level of "The Revealing Science of God". ELP, with Black Moon, brought a level of composition they hadn't felt in a while. Tony Banks had made his songwriting more weird even if the lyrics weren't "The Supernatural Anaethetist".
Don't bristle at me! :lol
Unfortunately I'm not familiar with anything you mentioned, which probably negates my opinion on it.
I suppose 10 years later we would see Metallica do exactly the same thing.
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I'm familiar with everything Stadler mentioned, and I agree with him. I see the 80's output (and beyond) from artists who made it big in the 70's as the logical extension of their work. As much as I'd love to have another dozen 70's-style classic prog albums from Yes, Genesis, ELP and the rest, it's just a fact that the music business was changing, and the artists themselves were changing. They weren't going to keep doing the same things over and over. They themselves wouldn't stand for it, and their audiences would be split between loving it because it's just like what they've done before and hating it because it's just like what they've done before. It's not progressive music if it doesn't progress.
I also understand TAC's point. The 80's music is simplified compared to the exploratory, experimental music of the 70's. It's what happens when talented musicians finally learn how to write commercially successful music. Whether or not that was their goal, or that they even wanted to do it in the first place, is practically irrelevant. They had to do it to survive. The ones who didn't... well, there aren't any examples of them because they didn't survive. The music business had become the music "industry". When I think of the word "industry" I think of assembly lines, interchangable parts, and product being mass-produced for mass consumption by the general public. But when the choices are between that and getting a day job, which ironically might well have meant working on an assembly line, I know I'd at least want to keep creating music.
Musical trends, musical "fashions" if you will, change over time, just as any other art form must evolve. Every time I do one of these discographies, I come away with a greater appreciation for the albums I'd previously written off by isolating them. Consider each work on its own merits. Don't compare it to what they'd done before. Don't even compare it what was on the radio or MTV at the time, although that's always an interesting reference. Listen to what is there, as opposed to what is not.
I don't know if I like Walk Into Light, but I can say that it is a great album. I listen to it and I hear some amazing keyboard work. There are times when I thought I heard violin(s), but no, that's a Fairlight. The drummer has some great riffs and fills, and even takes some fun breaks. Except that there's no drummer; that's Ian's drum programming, and this was still at the dawn of drum programming. I hear clever concise tunes composed and performed by two very talented musicians. I honestly don't think it's possible for Ian Anderson to create a bad album. He's just too damned talented.
I too mourn for the passing of 70's prog. But it's gone and it's not coming back. Even the neo-prog bands of today, with genuine long-form compositions, pseudo-classical sensibilities and virtuoso playing, aren't just rehashing what came before. They incorporate modern techniques, modern sounds and production.
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I think "we" (generally, no one here) forget, particularly when discussing the prog artists, that the 70's work was equally "forging ahead", along with the mainstream. Who were the popular acts of the late 60's, early 70's? Elvis was on a high; The Beatles were famously imploding, but they were still the undisputed heavyweight champs. The Beach Boys were on the wane but they were coming off the transcendental "Pet Sounds". Dylan. Hendrix. So we look back on the prog extravaganzas of ELP and Yes and Genesis, and apart from Yes, these were not stadium acts. Genesis struggled to play small theaters on their Lamb tour in '75. But they were all embracing the new sounds of the day; Moog synthesizers, better amplification and effects on the guitars, better sound systems for the drums and percussion, incorporation of the new(er) 16-track recording facilities as well as the new mobile units that were coming of age.
They were looking to find something new, and not repeat the successes of the 60's. I don't see much difference between that and what happened in the early 80's. I think the "commercial" aspect is a part of the acceptance problem, the idea that somehow "commercial" must mean "compromise", but I give Anderson and Squire a lot of credit for entrusting their "baby" to a relatively unknown Trevor Rabin. I give Tony Banks - by all accounts a stubborn and willful man who was the tacit leader of Genesis - a TON of credit for moving in that direction (you'll also note that at that time, Genesis went back to the "group credit" for compositions, after nakedly deciding that enough was enough when Gabriel left). AND doing so without as much compromise as many think. Turn It On Again is in 7/8, an odd time signature for a hit single, and some of the work on Abacab is downright wierd ("Me And Sarah Jane" for one).
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Yep. Music continues to change, and artists need to adapt or perish. I agree with pretty much everything you've said.
Except "Turn It On Again" is in 13/8. Verses and chorus are alternating bars of 6/8 and 7/8. Other sections (which don't fit the traditional labels such as "break", "pre-chorus", etc, because the song structure itself is quite unusual) are in 3/4 and 4/4.
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Musical trends, musical "fashions" if you will, change over time, just as any other art form must evolve. Every time I do one of these discographies, I come away with a greater appreciation for the albums I'd previously written off by isolating them. Consider each work on its own merits. Don't compare it to what they'd done before. Don't even compare it what was on the radio or MTV at the time, although that's always an interesting reference. Listen to what is there, as opposed to what is not.
[\quote]
Yes, and that’s the beauty of these discography threads. They allow us to take a step back and take a retrospective look at a given bands career/lifespan, sans all the emotional baggage and reactionary knee-jerks that we may have felt in real time. It forces me to pluck an album and listen to the music on its own terms, instead of in the context of a 20-something college-age prog snob (that would be me :)) who scoffed at the release of Asia’s first album or 90125 or Broadsword and the Beast.
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Musical trends, musical "fashions" if you will, change over time, just as any other art form must evolve. Every time I do one of these discographies, I come away with a greater appreciation for the albums I'd previously written off by isolating them. Consider each work on its own merits. Don't compare it to what they'd done before. Don't even compare it what was on the radio or MTV at the time, although that's always an interesting reference. Listen to what is there, as opposed to what is not.
Yes, and that’s the beauty of these discography threads. They allow us to take a step back and have a retrospective look at a given band’s career/lifespan, sans all the emotional baggage and reactionary knee-jerks that we may have felt in real time. It forces me to pluck an album and listen to the music on its own terms, instead of in the context of a 20-something college-age prog snob (that would be me in the early 80s :)) who scoffed at the release of Asia’s first album or 90125 or Broadsword and the Beast.
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I'm a prog-snob and I scoffed at the first Asia album. It was 1981, and was thrilled to discover that former members of some of my favorite prog bands had gotten together to form a "supergroup". Brought it home, put it on, and was absolutely crushed. John Wetton's glorious voice, now crooning for teenaged girls. Steve Howe reduced to playing power chords. Carl Palmer playing 4/4 on every song (probably with just one hand). I'm pretty sure Geoff Downes was in there somewhere, too.
But... the playing of course is top-notch, the production is great, the songs are tight and well-written, and it sold millions of copies. I still scoff at it, and every album they're done since then (I've heard at least five or six of them, and am disappointed every time). But what the hell. Lots of people love those albums. I've seen videos of Asia, and Steve Howe is actually smiling. Steve Howe never smiles when he plays! He said it was actually pretty cool to play in a way he never got to do with Yes (I assume he meant the power chords). So it's not for me, but if the artists themselves enjoy doing it, and fans dig it, more power chords to them.
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I'm a prog-snob and I scoffed at the first Asia album. It was 1981, and was thrilled to discover that former members of some of my favorite prog bands had gotten together to form a "supergroup". Brought it home, put it on, and was absolutely crushed. John Wetton's glorious voice, now crooning for teenaged girls. Steve Howe reduced to playing power chords. Carl Palmer playing 4/4 on every song (probably with just one hand). I'm pretty sure Geoff Downes was in there somewhere, too.
Hey wait a minute, you're starting to sound like me now. :lol
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The next official Jethro Tull release was similar to Walk Into Light in that it was primarily driven by Ian Anderson and keyboardist John-Peter Vettese. Guitarist Martin Barre is back, however, as is bassist Dave Pegg, so this is truly a Jethro Tull album.
Under Wraps (1984) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p6MZjWeRT0&list=OLAK5uy_mwzNmSq7hVND_pNQCMws6prLYy34dP31o)
(https://i.imgur.com/gJkuAh7.jpg)
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
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Lap of Luxury 3:35
Under Wraps #1 3:59
European Legacy 3:23
Later, That Same Evening 3:51
Saboteur 3:31
Radio Free Moscow 3:40
Astronomy 3:38
Tundra 3:41
*Nobody's Car 4:08
Heat 5:37
Under Wraps #2 2:14
*Paparazzi 3:47
Apogee 5:28
Automotive Engineering 4:05
General Crossing 4:02
*All tracks by Ian Anderson except for "Nobody's Car" and "Paparazzi" by Anderson, Barre, Vitesse
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Ian Anderson continued to drive the band forward, into the 80's, with all of its synthesizers, drum machines, and vocal processing effects. The first time I heard this album, I wasn't even sure that it was Anderson on vocals. It sounded like someone who sounded like Ian Anderson, but much younger. The timbre wasn't quite right; it was higher, and had a slightly different delivery. As it turns out, it's Ian, but the songs themselves are written to put him in a higher register than normal. (He ended up straining his vocal cords doing the tour for this album, which led to surgery and a three-year break for himself and Jethro Tull.) Also, the album just sounds different. The production is very much of its time. But yes, that's Ian's voice and occassional flute and acoustic guitar, and that's definitely Martin Barre on electric. This is Jethro Tull.
Martin Barre has cited this album as one of his favorites. My personal theory is that it's because all he had to do was show up and play some solos; most of the basic tracks are keyboard-based. Great solos, though, as always. Dave Pegg on the other hand said that the songs cut from The Broadsword and The Beast would have made a better album than this. I wonder how much of that had to due with being a bass player having to work with a drum machine. So much of a band's foundation is the rhythm section, the bass-drums combination. I have to think that bass players aren't thrilled about working with machines. Rather than the usual give-and take, the resulting fluid precision, it's all one-way.
The good news is that we have credits for the drum programming. No more guesswork; Ian did them. Gerry Conway had still not been replaced, at least in part because Ian didn't see any particular reason to do so. He was making good use of the drum machines, and was IMO very good at it.
The last Jethro Tull tour to feature the elaborate costumes and staging the band was known for was The Broadsword and The Beast, with the entire stage made up to look like a pirate ship (which Ian Anderson later said was "very silly"). The staging for this tour was scaled down quite a bit. Similar to the Thick as a Brick tour, it starts with the roadies, this time as museum curators or maintenance of some kind. There are various items on stage under wraps. The crew dusts does some basic dusting and appears to be studying the venue itself. The last one begins knocking a few of them down, but some of them move. He uncovers them, revealing the band, the crewman is Ian, and the concert begins.
Once I got over the initial shock at how different this album sounds, I've found that I kinda like it. As we've been discussing, it's important to judge the album on its own merits, rather than focus on how it compares to previous albums. As with every Jethro Tull album, the songs are well written and arranged, the production is top notch, and the playing is excellent. The overall "theme" for the album (it's not a concept album per se, but does have some recurring themes, as with many Jethro Tull albums) is espionage fiction. Spy novels, which Ian Anderson happened to be reading a lot of at the time.
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Ian says:
"That was following my solo album called Walk Into Light where I'd been exploring what was then the new technology of the emerging world that was moving from analogue to digital – drum machines, very primitive sequencers and so forth. I thought we could use that on a Tull album. It's got some great songs and it's arguably the one album where I really pushed myself as a vocalist. It's a great album apart from the drum machine – it annoys me to this day, and the public didn't like it either. I'm glad I did it though."
From Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
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On it.
Oh my.. :omg:
When did Herbie Hancock join Jethro Tull?
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I've been watching parts of this 1984 show on youtube (Capitol Theater)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITco4Sj2qNc
The Under Wraps tunes played by the drummer on electric drums. Once they get the Under Wraps songs out of the way, the band rocks.
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Doane Perry was hired to play drums for the Under Wraps tour, and he ended up staying on with Jethro Tull, although as mentioned above, the next album came after a three-year break.
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This album sounds like I should absolutely hate it, but I don't, I honestly found it was a decent listen. Despite the drums being programmed, I think they are programmed more interestingly than the playing was on Broadsword. And I am not sure if I'd really apply "simplified" to this album; there is plenty going on in some songs, with a good amount of variety. As for my favourites, European Legacy and Under Wraps II in particular are some pretty legit songs. Ian's vocals also work for me, but he indeed sounds very different here.
Ultimately, it is low on the overall list but I prefer it to Broadsword, the first solo record, and probably Warchild. I find those records boring, I personally don't think Under Wraps is boring, even if I don't like the type of sound production.
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Also, here is a lovely studio version of Under Wraps 2 with female vocals by the Martin Barre band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXXlnVu09FU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXXlnVu09FU)
(Gifted Barre's 50th anniversary CD to my dad earlier this year, so already knew this song)
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I take everything I said about Broadsword back. :lol
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Under Wraps, 1984.
Charts: Switzerland 9 - Sep 1984 (7 weeks), ODK Germany 15 - Sep 1984 (10 weeks), Germany 15 - Oct 1984 (3 weeks), UK 18 - Sep 1984 (5 weeks), Billboard 76 - Oct 1984 (11 weeks)
"Lap of Luxury" b/w "Astronomy" (Non-album track) US mainstream #30, UK #70
Reviews
http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=2033
European setlist (still no warm up band): Under Wraps Intro, Locomotive Breath (inst. intro), Hunting Girl, Under Wraps, Later That Same Evening, Nobody's Car, Apogee, Thick As A Brick, Level Pegging, Skating Away..., Pussy Willow, Clasp, Living In The Past (inst.), Serenade To A Cuckoo, Fat Man, Keyboard w. Drums, Fly By Night, Made In England, European Legacy, Black Sunday, Aqualung, Locomotive Breath, Too Old To Rock'N'Roll/Different Germany (inst)/Thick As A Brick (reprise)
North American tour, Honeymoon Suite often as a warm up. The setlist for the Meadowlands (still packing them into 20,000 seat arenas)
Under Wraps (intro), Locomotive Breath (inst. intro)/Hunting Girl, Under Wraps, Later That Same Evening, Nobody's Car, Thick As A Brick, Skating Away..., Clasp, Living In The Past (inst.), Serenade To A Cuckoo, Fat Man, Drum Solo, Fly By Night, Made In England, European Legacy, Apogee, Songs From The Wood, Minstrel In The Gallery, My Sunday Feeling, Aqualung, Locomotive Breath, Too Old To Rock'N'Roll, Thick as a Brick (reprise)
Australia, 12/84....performed five shows, adjusted the set list due to Anderson's worsening throat problems, then had to cancel the rest of the tour.
******
From 'Minstrels': Even Dave Pegg was outraged by the reaction the finished album evoked from Chrysalis Records, in the person of Terry Ellis. Ellis was brought into Ian's home, along with the rest of the band, to listen to the results.
As the whiskey flowed, Ellis delivered his verdict: "If you think I'm going to release this f*cking pile of crap on my label, you can think again! This isn't Jethro Tull. It's sh*t!" Terry Ellis had been there from the start, and had always been proud to be associated with Jethro Tull. It was Ellis who had greeted a Chrysalis employees convention by making them all stand, lift up their chairs, and read what was written underneath the seat. Underneath every chair was written, simply "JETHRO TULL". He said "That band has given you your job. Now put your chairs down, have a good lunch, enjoy yourselves, but don't ever forget it!"
******
I'll somewhat echo his feelings, but I only had to listen to thirty seconds of each song before skipping to the next a few weeks ago. Same with this morning.
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On it.
Oh my.. :omg:
When did Herbie Hancock join Jethro Tull?
If Herbie Hancock had joined Tull, I would’ve been fully on board with that. With Under Wraps, however, we got Flock of Seagulls.
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On it.
Oh my.. :omg:
When did Herbie Hancock join Jethro Tull?
If Herbie Hancock had joined Tull, I would’ve been fully on board with that. With Under Wraps, however, we got Flock of Seagulls.
A Flock Of SeaTulls. :neverusethis:
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Herbie Hancock is awesome.
I'm not surprised by the mixed reaction here. It pretty much seems to echo the response at the time. Bands have to change with the times, and we hope that our favorites continue to make music that we like. It's really as simple as that. Bands could keep cranking out more of the same, and of course there are plenty of people who would like it. Bands could change, and if the new stuff makes enough people happy, that works too. Will that make them a "sell out" or is there a strong enough argument that they've kept their artistic integrity blah blah blah? The artists ultimately are the ones who choose how to navigate things, and it's not always up to them, either; not completely, anyway.
I can't say Under Wraps is my favorite Tull album, but I still hear plenty of interesting, creative music here. My wife is constantly baffled by the fact that I can completely separate music that I like or don't like from music that I consider good versus not good. We'll be in the car, and some song will come on the radio and I'll crank it up, and she'll say "I thought you didn't like <some band>" and I'll say "I don't, but this is a great song" and she'll say "But didn't you say the singer's voice bothers you?" and I'll say "Yep, it bugs the shit out of me, but the guitar solo..."
So I listen to Under Wraps and I honestly can't even say whether I like it or not. It draws me, I appreciate what they've done. I likely won't ever buy it, and I don't have it downloaded; I just listened to it on YouTube three or four times so I could write about it. I probably won't even listen to it again. But I'm not gonna say it sucks or anything like that. This is what Ian, Martin, and the others came up with. You put that much musical talent together, you're gonna get something worth listening to. Now, whether you like it or not is a completely different question.
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I probably won't even listen to it again.
Probably? :lol
The thing is, if you like Ian Anderson enough...his style, his wit, his delivery...then you'll be able to appreciate him in what ever form he expresses himself. There's nothing wrong with that.
But you gotta be a real fan to get through this POS. :lol
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I'm a prog-snob and I scoffed at the first Asia album. It was 1981, and was thrilled to discover that former members of some of my favorite prog bands had gotten together to form a "supergroup". Brought it home, put it on, and was absolutely crushed. John Wetton's glorious voice, now crooning for teenaged girls. Steve Howe reduced to playing power chords. Carl Palmer playing 4/4 on every song (probably with just one hand). I'm pretty sure Geoff Downes was in there somewhere, too.
But... the playing of course is top-notch, the production is great, the songs are tight and well-written, and it sold millions of copies. I still scoff at it, and every album they're done since then (I've heard at least five or six of them, and am disappointed every time). But what the hell. Lots of people love those albums. I've seen videos of Asia, and Steve Howe is actually smiling. Steve Howe never smiles when he plays! He said it was actually pretty cool to play in a way he never got to do with Yes (I assume he meant the power chords). So it's not for me, but if the artists themselves enjoy doing it, and fans dig it, more power chords to them.
Orbert what did you think of UK? I think that band showed some promise as a vehicle for John Wetton’s talents. Too bad they capped out at only two albums. As it is, UK seems like a transitional band. Herbie Hancock would’ve fit in pretty good here! It feels like Eddie Jobson could’ve been much bigger than he actually turned out, i.e. wasted potential. He could never stick with one band.
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Orbert what did you think of UK? I think that band showed some promise as a vehicle for John Wetton’s talents. Too bad they capped out at only two albums. As it is, UK seems like a transitional band. Herbie Hancock would’ve fit in pretty good here! It feels like Eddie Jobson could’ve been much bigger than he actually turned out, i.e. wasted potential. He could never stick with one band.
I loved U.K. The first album was better, IMO. Jobson was and still is amazing, Bruford and Holdsworth were both excellent, as always. I was still fully onboard with John Wetton, having loved his work with King Crimson. His voice had that rich side that I loved on things like "Fallen Angel" and "Exiles" but could still scream on things like "One More Red Nightmare" and "Lament". It was perfect for "In the Dead of Night" and "Thirty Years".
By the second album, you feel the changes. Allan Holdsworth simply cannot work in a band situation; I'm sure he would admit that himself (were he still alive). Bruford too can lose interest in a project very quickly. The original concept for U.K. was probably intriguing enough, but obviously he didn't consider it worth sticking around if it was to continue as a trio. But I love Bozzio too, having loved his work with Zappa and Jeff Beck. But... with songs like "Rendezvous 6:02" and "Nothing to Lose", and the title track to "Night After Night", you could feel Wetton's crooner side struggling to break loose. He was becoming Greg Lake, even as Greg Lake was becoming something else. When Wetton formed the original Asia lineup, and later was temporarily replaced by Greg Lake, we laughed, as it seemed to have come full circle. Two amazing prog bassist/vocalists, each with great chops in both, each with the commercial songwriting streak, had reached convergent evolution, with one replacing the other in a band and no one even batting an eye.
Anyway, U.K. was great, but Eddie, apparently the same as the rest of those guys, could never stay in a band very long. After only two albums, it was clear that U.K. was pulling in different directions. Asia became the band John Wetton always wanted it to be, and Eddie at least got to do something interesting with Jethro Tull for a short while.
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I'm a prog-snob and I scoffed at the first Asia album. It was 1981, and was thrilled to discover that former members of some of my favorite prog bands had gotten together to form a "supergroup". Brought it home, put it on, and was absolutely crushed. John Wetton's glorious voice, now crooning for teenaged girls. Steve Howe reduced to playing power chords. Carl Palmer playing 4/4 on every song (probably with just one hand). I'm pretty sure Geoff Downes was in there somewhere, too.
But... the playing of course is top-notch, the production is great, the songs are tight and well-written, and it sold millions of copies. I still scoff at it, and every album they're done since then (I've heard at least five or six of them, and am disappointed every time). But what the hell. Lots of people love those albums. I've seen videos of Asia, and Steve Howe is actually smiling. Steve Howe never smiles when he plays! He said it was actually pretty cool to play in a way he never got to do with Yes (I assume he meant the power chords). So it's not for me, but if the artists themselves enjoy doing it, and fans dig it, more power chords to them.
I love how the same piece(s) of music can inspire entirely different reactions in two different people. Bearing in mind that my real experience with Wetton was King Crimson, I thought Asia was his coming out party. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the way he sings on those first two records. Then, I thought his singing was a side-bar after thought with Crimson (in reality, it wasn't that, it was just one piece of many in the Crim stew) and I never once ever thought "this is for teen age girls". It was talented artists not wanting to be afterthoughts or in the "where are they now?" bin. After the first two Asia albums, Wetton became one of my favorite singers (I love that warm tenor of him, Greg Lake... Neal Morse is in that bucket two, though he doesn't sound much like them.)
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Wetton was one of my favorite singers. Still is, I suppose, and I agree, Asia was his coming out party. What did you think of U.K.?
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Before I forget: Happy Birthday to Ian Anderson!
Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
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O, any chance you could add that link to the OP?
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Wetton was one of my favorite singers. Still is, I suppose, and I agree, Asia was his coming out party. What did you think of U.K.?
Give me a couple days. I had heard of UK but not any actual music. I bought the box set that was released a couple years ago, but I misplaced it in a move before I had a chance to listen to it. I found it about a month or so ago. Let me give it a listen!
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I have to admit, John Wetton's vocals in Asia were so silky amazing.
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O, any chance you could add that link to the OP?
I'm still trying to figure out what to do about that. I ran across it a few months ago, when I first starting doing my research for this discography, then forgot about it. Then it showed up in my Facebook feed today because it's Ian Anderson's birthday.
I was thinking of adding a little "Ian says..." section to each album writeup, but putting it right in the OP makes sense, too. Maybe I'll do both.
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Yeah, when we are done, I just wanted to be able to refer back to it.
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I do appreciate Asia more than I did back then, but given my druthers, I’d still prefer listening to U.K. And yes, as Orbert suggested, you do feel Wetton’s vocals looking for space to break out in between the morass of prog/fusion on those U.K. albums.
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O, any chance you could add that link to the OP?
I'm still trying to figure out what to do about that. I ran across it a few months ago, when I first starting doing my research for this discography, then forgot about it. Then it showed up in my Facebook feed today because it's Ian Anderson's birthday.
I was thinking of adding a little "Ian says..." section to each album writeup, but putting it right in the OP makes sense, too. Maybe I'll do both.
I did both. Incredibly, we're already getting towards the end of the official Jethro Tull studio releases, so there aren't many more "Ian says" bits to include, but there is still more stuff that's been released and I'll try to cover things in a way that makes sense.
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Before I forget: Happy Birthday to Ian Anderson!
Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
LOL so Steve Harris loves A Passion Play and Ian can’t understand why.
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That article is interesting. Ian tosses out little tidbits about who liked it and such. I wouldn't be surprised if that was culled from a much longer interview. I mean, like Ian originally had two or three paragraphs, or more, about each album, but they trimmed it down to just a few sentences about each just so the article wouldn't be super long.
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Before I forget: Happy Birthday to Ian Anderson!
Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
LOL so Steve Harris loves A Passion Play and Ian can’t understand why.
I knew I was onto something. ;D
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Before I forget: Happy Birthday to Ian Anderson!
Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
LOL so Steve Harris loves A Passion Play and Ian can’t understand why.
I knew I was onto something. ;D
:lol I never pegged you to like A Passion Play. I would’ve put money on you hating it.
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So I thought I'd spin A Passion Play tonight.
I was thinking that in my past life, there were times where I'd go off in another room and lay down on the couch and chill to Animals or Wish You Were Hear. I'm not a Pink Floyd guy by any stretch, but those albums were real stress relievers. At they same time, they could also recharge me.
That's what I thought about with A Passion Play. It's really transportative (is that even a word?). The music and arrangements are quite intricate and really well rehearsed.
Granted, I still owe many of these albums a second listen, but I stand by A Passion Play. It has character and flavor, save for The Hare. That song appears like the snacks and refreshments commercial mid way through a movie at the drive in, if you know what I mean.
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The Story of the Hare who Lost His Spectacles is meant to be the intermission, or at the very least, the break from all the seriousness normally associated with a Passion play. I understand why it bothers people; you really do have to have an appreciation for not only what they were going for, but how they did it. When Ian mentioned the band's universal love of Monty Python's Flying Circus, it all made sense.
I know some people create their own edits, removing that section. Fortunately, there are full stops both before and after it. They're short, but if you're making an edit anyway, I'm sure it can be done.
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As mentioned, the vocal parts in Under Wraps are particularly demanding, with Ian Anderson singing in the upper register most of the time, and he ended up damaging his vocal cords. On doctor's orders, Anderson took a break from singing and barely spoke, ultimately having surgery to repair the damage he'd done.
This is when you would normally expect another Greatest Hits Thing (and indeed, there is one following this release, so fair warning), but in February of 1985, A Classic Case: The London Symphony Orchestra plays the Music of Jethro Tull was released on RCA Records. If I had to guess, it would be because Chrysalis was not keen to release such an album, but RCA was, under their Red Seal label, which catered to classical recordings.
A Classic Case (1985) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0cAvRtCpoc&list=OLAK5uy_ncSiIa2eMy8Oce5AoDus9UsCZlNTVnKUg)
(https://i.imgur.com/RdyEAN2.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Flute, Acoustic Guitar
Martin Barre - Electric Guitar
Paul Burgess - Drums, Percussion
Dave Pegg - Bass Guitar
Peter-John Vettese - Keyboards
The London Symphony Orchestra
Dee Palmer - Orchestral Arrangments
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Locomotive Breath 4:16
Thick as a Brick 4:24
Elegy 3:41
Bourée 3:10
Fly by Night 4:12
Aqualung 6:22
Too Old to Rock ’n’ Roll; Too Young to Die 3:27
Teacher / Bungle in the Jungle / Rainbow Blues / Locomotive Breath 3:58
Living in the Past 3:29
War Child 4:56
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We've all seen these "Orchestral Things" before. Some orchestra, hopefully a well-known one or at least a good one, performing the music of some band, for people who like the music enough to maybe want to hear it in an orchestral setting. What makes this one different, and the reason I've included it here in the Discography, is that the band actually plays on the album. The four members of Jethro Tull at the time are joined by drummer Paul Burgess, best known as a member of 10cc and later Camel. The orchestral arrangements were done by Dee Palmer (then David), working again with Jethro Tull for the first time since Stormwatch and The Big Split. Perhaps the challenge of arranging for a full symphony orchestra was enough to let bygones be bygones.
I know that this isn't DTF's normal cup of tea, but I happen to come from a classical background and am always willing to check out orchestral music. The thing I find most interesting is how well will the music be able to carry the load, given that it was primarily written with lyrics in mind. Will the melodies be transcribed literally? Will they take certain liberties in terms of rhythm and phrasing? Or will they simply come across as pedestrian and boring because really, they were meant to be sung, not played?
Here, we get a bit of each. It's mostly done pretty well, occassionally taking a few chances and doing things a bit differently than you might expect. And at the very least, I like hearing the music in a new setting. And really, you're not gonna do much better than The London Symphony Orchestra. My biggest complaint is the fade-outs. In Rock and Roll, it's something of a necessary evil (though I don't like it any better there) but in orchestral music it's unforgiveable. Lazy arranging.
But overall, I actually kinda like this one. As Orchestral Things go, this is one of the better ones.
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These can be hit or miss, of course, but with Dee Palmer and the London Symphony Orchestra, this is quality stuff. By the way, I have a similar CD - also with Dee Palmer and the LSO - for the music of Genesis. Ian Anderson guests on that one on the track "I Know What I Like (In Your Warddrobe)".
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Yeah, I've listened to some of the Genesis one (We Know What We Like) and found it interesting, but largely unnecessary. In Tony Banks' interview in Keyboard magazine, they asked him if he sees his role in the band as "the orchestra", and his response was that he sees the entire band as the orchestra, and he contributes to that in an orchestral sense. In other words, that wonderful mini-concerto during the break of "Mad Man Moon" which could have become something really amazing, is actually a bit disappointing because I think Banks did a better job orchestrating it with his keyboards than Palmer did with an entire orchestra at his disposal. Genesis music is already quite rich, and while you'd expect a symphony orchestra to take it to the next level, it rarely happens.
Palmer is very good, and as I said, must have risen to the challenge of working with a symphony orchestra. But the arrangements sometimes lack the depth that an experienced arranger might have. Are you using all 120 voices (or however many you have), or do have sections largely doubling each other rather than working in layers? Are you taking full advantage of the contrast available to you? That kind of thing. Also, there are things like the guitar solo in "Aqualung" which is still performed by Martin Barre here. In fact, that part of the song is Jethro Tull, without the orchestra, which then comes back for the quiet section. So there are logisitical considerations as well, which you wouldn't have in a "normal" arranging situation. Sometimes the orchestra is just there to embellish the band, and sometimes the orchestra takes the fore and the band sits back.
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:corn
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Later in 1985, Chrysalis Records released the Greatest Hits Thing that most people would expect while the band is on hiatus.
Jethro Tull: Original Masters (1985) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POYycH5sRRE&list=OLAK5uy_kxkXmH1M3m1iy51ts4Sr7xBwsnvEPPIMA)
(https://i.imgur.com/8SfTRDt.jpg)
Living in the Past 3:18
Aqualung 6:34
Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die 5:38
Locomotive Breath 4:23
Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day 3:28
Bungle in the Jungle 3:34
Sweet Dream 4:01
Songs from the Wood 4:52
The Witch's Promise 3:47
Thick as a Brick (Edit #1) 3:00
Minstrel in the Gallery 7:47
Life's a Long Song 3:16
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Another Greatest Hits Thing, and as is so often the case, with its own share of peculiarities. Chrysalis had already released two Greatest Hits Things (M.U. and Repeat), which collectively covered up through 1977. You would expect that this one includes material released in the eight years since then, but you would be wrong. This compilation also covers material up through 1977, completely ignoring the five studio albums since then. And it's not a question of rights; all of these releases were on Chrysalis Records.
In fact, the version of "Aqualung" here (with the opening guitar riff played twice) is the same version as on M.U., as is "Thick as a Brick (Edit #1)".
And in case you were still wondering whether anyone at Chrysalis actually cared about this release, the title of "The Witch's Promise" is misspelled on the back of the original LP jacket (which is also the inner CD insert). It says "Witches Promise".
On the plus side, this collection does pare down the first two Greatest Hits Things to a single disk (or disc, as the case may be) and is a pretty good mix tape. "The best of the best of Jethro Tull", or something.
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A couple of tidbits here and there on both of the previous releases....
First, as to charts, the 'Original Masters' made it to #68 in the UK, and reached Silver status in sales. It didn't chart in the States. I do not know when it reached Gold certification, and it was eventually certified Platinum in 1999. 'Living In The Past' / 'Cross Eyed Mary' was the single offering.
And, at 53:48, was released as a single LP, with ‘Sweet Dream’ starting Side Two. ‘Minstrel’ is the full LP track, minus the spoken dialogue at the beginning. ‘Too Old…’ was also the full LP track, and not the much shorter 45 version (I just discovered that version a few weeks ago, and actually prefer it). I do happen to like various ‘best ofs’, and with the advent of CDs, they could have added songs such as ‘Teacher’, ‘New Day Yesterday’, 'Nothing Is Easy', ‘Overseer Overture’, ‘Hunting Girl’, 'Something's On The Move, 'Rainbow Blues', 'Summerday Sands', 'Broadford Bazaar', ‘Heavy Horses’, etc [feel free to insert your options] to fill out the disc for added sales (it certainly worked for Queen). I will say that the cover is quite appealing, and a stark improvement to the first two ‘best ofs’.
Another result from the workings with David Palmer and the LSO was a song called ‘Coronach’
Original https://jethrotull.proboards.com/thread/1420/coronach and the full version released on the anniversary box set https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHj2c9U8ORo (quite lovely until the overloud drums kick in, and Anderson is in fine voice). He wasn’t exactly crazy about the whole experience per ‘Minstrels’.
"Coronach" (credited as Jethro Tull and David Palmer) b/w "Jack Frost and the Hooded Crow" with a 12” UK release as well
Coronach /Jack Frost & The Hooded Crow / Living In The Past / Elegy
'Rock' symphonic releases: I have a few, and they always tend to be 'one listen wonders' with a song or two revisited years apart. This one is yet another 'it's OK', but they always seem to be played slower, with various powerful moments 'softened' throughout.
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In the modern era and most of my youth best of releases do not have much appeal I feel. Some bands put in some effort with remixes, rerecordings, alternate takes etc. I tend to like those, but regular best off's don't do much for me, outside some cheap vinyls that have a nice tracklist.
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Modern era, 'yes', because one only needs to go to Spotify, iTunes, etc. for individual song purchases and make their own 'best ofs'. So much different eons ago. The Beatles' 'Red Album' (though too short) and 'Blue Album' were 'must haves', and many other hits packages for 60's and 70's bands were things I'd grab out of the rack because I didn't have the money or willingness to buy the LPs due to finances. For example, I have two Sinatra albums, 'In The Wee Small Hours' (perhaps the first concept album) and a double LP 'Greatest Hits'. Same goes with a couple of Benny Goodman best ofs. I'm not going to invest in much more, but I bought and enjoy the hell out of those.
Queen's 'Greatest Hits' has sold 25 million copies worldwide, and is the biggest album seller ever in the UK. The Eagles Greatest Hits was the biggest selling album in the States until 'Thriller' passed it in 2009. 'Original Masters' eventually went Platinum.
Times have changed.
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In 1987, Jethro Tull returned after a three-year break. Well, most of them, anyway. The largely negative response to the keyboard-heavy sound introduced on The Broadsword and The Beast and further developed on Under Wraps, as well as Ian Anderson's solo album Walk Into Light, led Peter-John Vettese to quit the band in anger. Jethro Tull was down to three members: Ian Anderson, the everpresent Martin Barre on guitar, and Dave Pegg on bass. Anderson provided the keyboards, and three tracks had programmed drums. Drummers Doane Perry and Gerry Conway both returned to play on the remaining six tracks, though they were not credited as official members of the band.
Crest of a Knave (1987) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z56Qr7xmkEk&list=OLAK5uy_nOZ2i0MTwCKT82-KOUp3MvZ6Mm0Ytbevw)
(https://i.imgur.com/ZQwuFXf.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Percussion, Keyboards, Drum Programming (tracks 1, 5, 9)
Martin Barre - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar
Dave Pegg - Bass Guitar, Acoustic Bass (track 4)
Gerry Conway - Drums, Percussion (tracks 3, 4, 6, 8)
Doane Perry - Drums, Percussion (tracks 2, 7)
Ric Sanders - Violin (track 6)
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Steel Monkey 3:39
Farm on the Freeway 6:31
Jump Start 4:55
Said She Was a Dancer 3:43
Dogs in the Midwinter 4:37
Budapest 10:05
Mountain Men 6:20
The Waking Edge 4:49
Raising Steam 4:05
Bonus track (2005 Remaster)
Part of the Machine 6:54
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With the departure of keyboardist Peter-John Vettese, guitarist Martin Barre really steps up his game here, and as usual, he is amazing. This is the most guitar-driven Jethro Tull album since the 70's. Ian's damned flute is here, dancing through several songs and taking the occassional solo, and there's some nice keyboard work (which I didn't realize at first was done by Anderson). I didn't even notice that some songs had programmed drums while most had "real" drums. Honestly, Ian was becoming quite proficient as a drum programmer.
Ian's voice is quieter now. I had no idea about the issues he'd been having; I just assumed that he was getting older and that this is what he sounds like now. More subdued but still very expressive, something like Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits. In fact, this album was often compared to Dire Straits, though apparently it was meant in a negative way. I took it as a compliment. I like Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler's "just enough tonality to call it singing rather than talking" style of storytelling, and a few of the songs take their time to play out and tell the story ("Farm on the Freeway", "Budapest", and others).
Martin Barre recalls Crest of a Knave being "the album where a lot of things were of my invention. There are still chunks of the music where lan very much knew what he wanted, but I think my input was far greater on that album than on any other."
The Grammy Controversy
It's basically impossible to discuss this album without bringing up the "controversy" surrounding the 1989 Grammys. Also, this was the first Jethro Tull album to win a Grammy, so it would have come up anyway.
Fogies such as myself remember growing up with four music genres: Rock, Jazz, Country & Western, and Classical. Most towns only had one radio station, so it either had to mix things up, or pick a genre and stick to it. If you were lucky, you lived in an area where you had your choice of stations. But in the early days, all "pop", "rock", and even "heavy metal" fell under the basic "Rock" category. Country had their own station, and you maybe had a public radio station from the local college that played Jazz and/or Classical.
But by the 80's, music was fragmenting, and in 1989 The Grammys introduced a new category: "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental". Nominees were AC/DC for Blow Up Your Video, Iggy Pop for "Cold Metal" (from Instinct), Jane's Addiction for Nothing's Shocking, Metallica for ...And Justice For All, and Jethro Tull for Crest of a Knave.
Ian Anderson was surprised that they were nominated for this category, although if I had to guess, Martin Barre may not have been. I'd always considered Jethro Tull to be Prog more than Hard Rock, but think about "Aqualung", "Locomotive Breath", and even early stuff like "Teacher". Guitar-driven, great heavy riffs. Anyway, Tull's management didn't think they had any chance to win, and advised them to not bother attending, so they did not. Everyone was sure Metallica would win. They did not. Jethro Tull won for Crest of a Knave.
To pull it mildly, people lost their shit. "Jethro Tull is not heavy metal!" True, but in all fairness, the category was "Hard Rock/Metal", an attempt to separate the heavier side of Rock, and as I said, there are Jethro Tull songs out there which could be considered Hard Rock. Also "Performance" could mean either a song or an album (which is why Iggy Pop had a song nominated, while the other nominees were albums) and "Vocal or Instrumental" was even in there, suggesting that there could be other types of music performance. Let's face it, it was a stupid category. The very next year, they split it into "Best Hard Rock Performance" and "Best Metal Performance". At least they figured out that musical performances are either instrumental or include vocals.
When presenters Alice Cooper and Lita Ford opened the envelope, they were visibly surprised. When Alice read the winner, there was actual booing from the audience. Ian Anderson later said that he assumed it was one of those awards you give someone recognizing their body of work, and considered himself fortunate that he did not attend the awards, as "there's no way I could have accepted it under those circumstances."
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I missed most of the 80's, so when this album came out in 1987, I had no idea that Jethro Tull had gone through as much drama, trauma, and lineup turnover as they had in the years prior. I just knew that my life had stabilized to the point where I could once again buy the occassional album, CDs had replaced LPs as the medium of choice, and Jethro Tull had a new album out, so I bought it. My first Jethro Tull CD. I personally love this one. It's one of my favorite Jethro Tull albums. Is it Prog? Is it Hard Rock? I know it's not Metal, but I don't really care. Jethro Tull has always defied labels and genres.
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Ian says:
"I was going out and doing Under Wraps live, and I ripped up my throat – I couldn’t sing and I thought maybe time was up and I’d blown my voice completely. I spent a year not doing anything but seeing throat specialists, so it wasn’t until the summer of ’86 that we went out and did some shows, including one in Budapest where I wrote the song of the same name. In America it was the early days of MTV and Steel Monkey got quite a lot of prominence. That album did well in the US and won the Grammy."
From Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
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My second favourite Jethro Tull album after Thick as a Brick, and this one actually barely made my Top 50. I love it.
Farm on the Freeway, Budapest (the best Jethro Tull song, in my opinion), Said She Was a Dancer, Mountain Men are all top Jethro Tull songs. I love this album, and I still revisit it quite often. I think a bit of this stems from how underwhelmed I was with Under Wraps as I was listening to their album in chronological order when I was discovering the band, but I truly think this is one of the best Jethro Tull albums. Strong songwriting, strong vocal melodies, strong instrumental parts, the band is in their top form on this record.
I saw Budapest live two times, and despite Ian's voice being pretty shot these days, I loved every minute of it. I never grow bored of this song. This song is the pinnacle of Jethro Tull, in my opinion.
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I LOVE this album. LOVE it. I started with the 20th Anniversary box set, which came out in '88, then I got this, the "current" album, so I guess you could say this was the first album of NEW material that I got since becoming a Tull fan (late in the game, as you can see).
You have to mention the ad that appeared in UK papers following the Grammy kerfluffle, taken out by the record company: "The flute is a metal instrument" with "heavy" pencilled in before the "metal".
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http://truemusicfactswednesday.blogspot.com/2013/10/tmfw-1-jethro-tull-heavy-metal.html
(I had a copy of this ad at one time...)
https://www.loudersound.com/features/what-happened-the-night-jethro-tull-beat-metallica-to-a-grammy-award
**************
Crest of a Knave charts: US Gold, certified May 1988 (the last Tull release to reach Gold or Platinum in the States),
UK Gold (certified by BPI in Feb 1989...the last in the UK),
Switzerland 7 - Oct 1987 (9 weeks), ODK Germany 10 - Sep 1987 (16 weeks) (1 week in top 10), Germany 10 - Oct 1987 (5 weeks), UK 19 - Sep 1987 (10 weeks), Austria 22 - Nov 1987 (1 month), Billboard 32 - Oct 1987 (28 weeks), Sweden 40 - Oct 1987 (2 weeks), RYM 144 of 1987
Singles: "Farm on the Freeway"/b/w "Said She Was a Dancer" #7 US Mainstream, "Steel Monkey"/b/w "Down at the End of Your Road" (from 20 Years of Jethro Tull) #10 US Mainstream, #84 UK, "Jump Start" #12 US Mainstream, and "Said She Was a Dancer"/b/w "Dogs in the Midwinter" #55 UK
The original LP vinyl track listing was:
Side One
Steel Monkey 3:39 / Farm On The Freeway 6:31 / Jump Start 4:55 / Said She Was A Dancer 3:43
Side Two
Budapest 10:05 / Mountain Men 6:20 / Raising Steam 4:05
Absolutely loved side one when it came out, along with occasionally listening to 'Budapest'. And all of that was before the Grammys. :D
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Maybe I'm the one who's out of touch, but to me, it was an upset for sure, but not the huge travesty everyone says it was. I make a distinction between Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. Apparently most people don't, because all of the criticism is that Jethro Tull is not Heavy Metal. They're not. But since there isn't a Prog category, the next closest thing that Tull might be is Hard Rock. If you're gonna lump Hard Rock in with Heavy Metal, the winner will be the most popular band from either genre. And as the articles mention, Metallica was still pretty new, and the academy is a bunch of old fogies. Since I'm a much bigger Tull fan than I am a Metallica fan, I thought it was hilarious.
(https://i.imgur.com/qLA5SnC.jpg)
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When Metallica actually won the Grammy in '92, Lars had the best line..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhJarG5jft8
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The original "joke" was kinda funny, if you didn't know that it was the same joke that Paul Simon made years earlier, thanking Stevie Wonder for not releasing an album that year. Then he went on to belabour the point and basically bitch about it because they didn't get to say anything three years earlier, and I thought that that was just being a whiner. Read between the lines? Come on, we get it. We're not morons. Right or wrong, nobody likes a whiner.
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I thought the line was funny, but I don't vouch for anything else that came out of his mouth. In fact, he's usually full of shit anyway.
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I'm sure my bias against Lars is showing, because yeah, he is full of shit. It was funny. He's just not the first person to think of that line.
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^
yes, to all the previous comments...
Reviews: http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=2035 ....and the last one from
https://altrockchick.com/2013/06/10/classic-music-review-crest-of-a-knave-by-jethro-tull-original-vinyl-version/
The vocals: Anderson intentionally toned down in the studio, so as not to cause him problems trying to recreate them on tour. Indeed, having not heard any Tull songs since ‘Broadsword’ (and that was just one listen), I was rather taken aback, having no idea of his throat issues. I just thought he’d become an ‘old man’ at around 45 or so at this time. And had no idea as well in regards to all the turmoil and line up changes and such. Interesting to think of those hearing this as their first Tull offering.
Mark Knopfler-esque: interesting that he had asked Hamer guitars to make him one that sounded like Martin Barre. Chicken or egg?
And lyrically, they range from tongue in cheek to serious to story telling to….well, what Anderson was often so damn good at. Musically, I get to rock, to appreciate, to ‘drift’ off at times. What I had enjoyed so much of their pre 80’s offerings.
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I really enjoy this album. Easily their best 80's effort. Farm on the Freeway and Budapest are probably my favourites, but I need more listens.
As someone born at the start of the 90's and getting into music in the 00's, it is so hard to imagine anyone in the metal genre really caring about the Grammies. I do think it is nice when your favourite artist gets recognition, the nominations of Dream Theater being an example.
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I really enjoy this album. Easily their best 80's effort. Farm on the Freeway and Budapest are probably my favourites, but I need more listens.
As someone born at the start of the 90's and getting into music in the 00's, it is so hard to imagine anyone in the metal genre really caring about the Grammies. I do think it is nice when your favourite artist gets recognition, the nominations of Dream Theater being an example.
The Grammy’s used to be a bigger deal than they are now. It was the music version of The Oscars. And it was the first time the metal genre had even been acknowledged in any way. And our new up and coming heroes were actually being asked to perform live at this major event. It was a very big deal.
Also the biggest collective “blue ball” in the history of announcements. :rollin
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Orbert, I started with Crest today, until I saw the Pete Way news. I was only three songs in, but so far, this album rocks!
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Wow, bummer about Pete. I hadn't heard.
Have fun with Crest of a Knave, though. It's better than Metallica.
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From ‘Minstrels’: Doane Perry was supposed to play drums for all songs on the album, but his mother became ill during the sessions, and soon died while he was away. He came back and tried to finish off the remaining ones in a rush, but they were not deemed acceptable by both him and Anderson.
All the tracks that made it to the original CD were played to various Tull fans in the States prior to the album’s release, and they were allowed to vote on their favorites. Whether that influenced what made it to the vinyl version is anyone’s guess.
David Pegg did a reunion LP with Fairport Convention, and finally talked Ian & Martin to appear with them at the Cropredy Festival in August for a short set. Pegg, along with future Tull members Maart Allcock and Dave Mattacks performed for 45 minutes. ‘Crest’ played over the loudspeakers between band performances. Fairport opened for most of the European and all of the North American dates……with Pegg playing bass for both bands.
******
The 'Not Quite The World, More The Here And There Tour' in Europe and across the pond was a short one, lasting from October through December
Typical setlist
Songs From The Wood, Thick As A Brick/Steel Monkey, Farm On The Freeway/Heavy Horses, Living In The Past/Serenade To A Cuckoo, Budapest, Hunting Girl, The Waking Edge (inst.)/Peggy Instrumental,Keyboard Solo, Drum Solo, Wond'ring Aloud, Skating Away..., Jump Start, Too Old To Rock'N'Roll..., Aqualung, Locomotive Breath/Thick As A Brick (reprise), Wind Up
I’ve listened to bits of a couple shows.
Nassau Coliseum (audio) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNISkaXGvzo&t=5290s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m2ocEC0evA (A- audience audio, good video, Maple Leaf Garden, and quite enjoyable once the taper’s hand steadies)
same show, but with most of the intro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0LCZNuCQlM
SFtW was a pretty good visual show opener. Anderson’s voice can be a bit ‘nasally', but is in quite good form most of the time. His frickin’ energy throughout the shows is a damn enjoyable experience. ‘Aqualung’ ‘Locomotive Breath’ ‘Thick (reprise) gave me goosebumps, as did ‘Wind Up’ (and the instrumental and the ever present balloons) as the encore. Short haired, slimmed down, marathon running Martin Barre is in great form throughout.
The band would still perform in the same cities, and some times the same large venues as year’s past, but more often it would be a downgrade (Joe Louis Arena in Detroit 20K seating to Cobo Hall 11K …..from the LA Forum 20K seating to the Amphitheater 6K over three nights).
Watching the Toronto show……I passed on the Detroit show with some friends, as it was on ‘Black Friday’, and I would eagerly work 72-80 hours most T’giving weeks. Now I know why my friends had such a great time. Frick!
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What is this, the Dire Straits Discography Thread??
Just finished Crest. It was really interesting. The Dire Straits feeling had me wanting more lead guitar. Knopfer would have given the lead guitar a bit more breathing room, and I could've used that here. Not a major complaint though.
I found this album quite varied, but pretty good actually. The first three songs are pretty rocking, but the music does get dialed back for sure the rest of the way. I liked Mountain Men the best.
Even the mellow songs had a lot of character to them, and I liked the keyboards on this. Had I randomly heard any of these songs though, I would've never guessed that that was Ian Anderson singing.
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Would have been an even more interesting album perhaps, had 'Budapest' remained as a 20+ minute track, encompassing all of Side Two (just read that today).
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Not sure, I think Budapest is perfect as it is, although I would definitely be curious to check out the longer version.
Tim, I've never thought about this album being similar to Dire Straits, but I think it makes sense. That actually might be why I love it so much.
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Budapest became a live staple, and the Knopfler side really comes through there. It's always been a favorite of mine, partly for that reason.
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Here's a quickie to keep hold things over until I get a chance to listen to Rock Island a few more times.
20 Years of Jethro Tull (1988)
(https://i.imgur.com/EgHd6M4.jpg)
In 1988, Chrysalis released the first Jethro Tull boxed set, 20 Years of Jethro Tull. It was available on five LPs, or three CDs, or three cassettes. The CD and cassette versions were in boxes the same size as the LP version, as were all boxed sets at the time.
The five LPs each had their own titles: The Radio Archives, The Rare Tracks (Released But Only Just), Flawed Gems (Dusted Down), The Other Sides of Tull, and The Essential Tull. The CD and cassette versions had all the same tracks, but combined them in different ways to fit the formats, and named them slightly differently. It's actually a very nice collection, with a lot of rarities and some never-heard-before live versions. If you were a Jethro Tull fan, you probably had this one because of all the nonstandard material.
The Wikipedia article, because I'm not going to recreate it all here. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20_Years_of_Jethro_Tull)
There was also a 2-LP version with 27 tracks, called 20 Years of Jethro Tull: Highlights.
(https://i.imgur.com/Cps7QWD.jpg)
The Highlights version on CD was a single disc with 21 tracks. The highlights of the highlights.
Wiki for the Highlights (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20_Years_of_Jethro_Tull:_Highlights)
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Holy shit, another fucking compilation?? They have more compilations than actual albums! :lol
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At any given time, there are always people who've heard of a band but never really dug into them. There will therefore always be a market for compilations, so record companies cranked them out. Well, at least until the current downloading singles generation.
Boxed sets were a huge thing in the 80's. CDs had replaced LPs as the medium of choice, but millions of music lovers still had vinyl collections and weren't going to just replace every album on CD. Not right away, anyway. Boxed sets gave most of the hardcore fans most of their faves on CD for the first time, and they still functioned as the primers they always have, at least some of them. This particular set is a good one, with separate disks for each target area. It's well thought-out and organized the way I would want a boxed set to be. Not just a huge compilation. The CD/cassette version doesn't break things down quite as nicely, but with CDs there's always the Skip button and/or you could program them back then (remember those days?), and I don't know anybody who seriously collected music on cassette. I'm sure such people exist, but it's pretty niche.
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This was a welcome purchase for me when it first came out, and still a prized possession. I didn't buy the two 'best ofs' or the 'best of the best' 'Original Masters (though I missed out on 'Rainbow Blues' and 'Glory Row' for decades because of those decisions). Sadly, those aren't included here, along with the vast majority of unreleased songs that didn't see the light of day for another 15-30 years. Which is a shame, because there were so many gems that have been mentioned before in this thread.
It contains a 24 page color booklet, with its odd out of focus cover pic of Anderson and approximately 100 photos throughout the years. It provides short details of the songs, and a little 2"x2" mini 'Stand Up' album sleeve, with a 'pop up' of the then members upon opening :D A very good intro by Anderson of how the project was greeted with an 'oh well' to a 'I better get involved with this', where it became quite time consuming for all parties involved (you just know he had to have control or final say because.....well, he was always that way). David Rees, the author of 'Minstrels' gets credit from Ian two times for him and his friend's expert knowledge, and Rees provides the written material throughout.
The band created one new song, 'Part of the Machine' for this release, mentioned earlier as a 'Crest Of A Knave' 2005 CD bonus (it did not chart). 62 songs all together, the vast majority only available at the time in this package. Just the BBC Session offerings, 'Lick Your Fingers Clean', and the Chateau d'Isaster medley made the $20 spent more than worthwhile to me, my first box set for my first CD player in '88.
some other reviews https://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=10952
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This is the type of boxset that would even work for me in the current day and age. So much extras. And I am familiar with a good deal of them due to the Steven Wilson remixes. Some of these extra tracks are great. The other collections where just album releases, but this set is much more than that.
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I would have enjoyed more 'unreleased' material from the 70s, a couple of the live performances '(Minstrel...', '..Valhalla' were drastically shortened and edited), but it was a good historical overview. I think there were only a handful of songs where the versions in this boxset were previously (or easily) available.
North American tour, June ’88, Europe in July, first time in Brazil in August. Fairport Convention is often the opening act.
Typical setlist (and quite a good one at that)
Cross-Eyed Mary, Nothing Is Easy, Thick As A Brick, Steel Monkey, Farm On The Freeway, A New Day Yesterday, Fat Man, Budapest, The Swirling Pit, Mother Goose, My God (incl. Bourée/Soirée), Pussy Willow/Pibroch (inst.), Jump Start, Too Old To Rock'N'Roll, Wind Up, Aqualung, Locomotive Breath/Seal Driver (inst.)/Black Sunday (inst)/Thick As A Brick (reprise)
Mountain View, California (complete concert, superb audience recording, uploaded in June) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnfeznNdElU
Brazil (uploaded three weeks ago) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-7oTFcekGg (average audience recording, Anderson occasionally substituting the flute for vocals)
Sao Paulo video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaS__8F0oto
The tongue in cheek beginning, as Anderson is pushed onstage in a wheelchair in ‘celebration’ of the anniversary tour. His vocals are still hit or miss (holding his hand to his right ear often). ‘Locomotive Breath’ is a real struggle, but ‘Fat Man’ is a real treat. The entire band is ‘front and center’ for this mostly acoustic track….Anderson on mandolin, Perry on bongos, Barre on flute (always enjoyed this type of 'at ease' segment at Queen concerts). Later on, the fun little ‘The Girl From Ipanema’ intro for ‘Aqualung’.
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I've got zero complaints about the Tull box set (wait until the 25th Anniversary one....). This was my entre into the catalogue. I forget how or when, but if I had to guess, my friend and concert buddy at the time (who I've sadly lost touch with over the years) was into Tull and I heard this through him. I flipped and ended up getting it myself and it's still a favorite. On my iPod, I still group those songs together, even if they are from wildly different eras and times. I saw Tull like three or four times in a succession, including seeing them at the legendary Orpheum Theater in Boston on the acoustic tour. Good times.
Side bar, but I tend to be that guy anyway. I'm not a hits guy, and there are several bands for whom I have the odds'n'sods records but none of the more popular releases. I kind of like when the artists let their hair down or stretch out a bit. For all the bands I really like - Genesis, Maiden, Marillion, Purple, Dream Theater, Tull - my top whatever list has an over-representation of b-sides and weird stuff.
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While Crest of A Knave is certainly better than Under Wraps, I still can’t get fully behind it. Budapest is quite good, but a tad overrated I think. And at times I do feel like I’m listening to a Dire Straits album instead of Jethro Tull. If I wanted to listen to Dire Straits, I’d go to the real thing.
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Rock Island (1989) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaMkzHSmfL4&list=PLiRoPIsKLQTcrrkLdeczmYQ7tHD0nqwDN)
(https://i.imgur.com/tpeXMYy.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards, Mandolin, Drums, Percussion
Martin Barre - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar
Dave Pegg - Bass Guitar, Acoustic Bass, Mandolin
Doane Perry - Drums, Percussion
Maartin Allcock - Keyboards
Peter-John Vettese - Additional Keyboards
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Kissing Willie 3:32
The Rattlesnake Trail 4:02
Ears of Tin 4:55
Undressed to Kill 5:25
Rock Island 6:54
Heavy Water 4:12
Another Christmas Song 3:32
The Whaler's Dues 7:53
Big Riff and Mando 5:58
Strange Avenues 4:10
2006 remaster bonus tracks
Christmas Song (Live) 3:06
Cheap Day Return/Mother Goose (Live) 3:10
Locomotive Breath (Live) 3:38
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Doane Perry was hired for the Under Wraps tour, but as DragonAttack pointed out, he was not available during much of the recording sessions for Crest of a Knave, so Gerry Conway returned to play on some tracks, and some were done with electronic drums programmed by Ian Anderson. I assume that that's why he's not credited as a full member on Crest of a Knave, since Wikipedia seems to think he's been a regular member since 1984. He makes his studio debut here as a member of Jethro Tull.
Dave Pegg's old Fairport Convention bandmate Maartin Allcock plays keyboards on two tracks here, and Peter-John Vettese returns to play on four more.
Rock Island continues primarily in the Hard Rock (but not Heavy Metal) vein established on Crest of a Knave. A couple of songs, however, make it a point to start with acoustic guitars and/or mandolins and flute, so as with most Jethro Tull albums, it's a mix of electric and acoustic, Rock and Folk.
Ian seems embarassed now by the lead single "Kissing Willie", full of double entendres and with a video that MTV refused to play because of its blatant sexual imagery. "The Rattlesnake Trail", "Heavy Water", and "Another Christmas Song" were all singles as well.
Overall, Rock Island didn't do as well as Crest of a Knave either critically or commercially, though it did go Gold in the U.K.
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As much as I love working from home and not having to commute, I do miss the solid 30-40 minutes in my car twice a day to listen to tunes. That's when I'd normally be listening to these albums, with nothing to distract me. I'd be able to get much more in depth on the individual songs and especially the instrumentals. At home, I'll sometimes put an album on and at some point realize I'm only half listening to it. I've tried to listen more "actively", especially to the albums with which I'm less familiar (or not familiar at all), but I put it on, and almost immediately start surfing the web or checking my phone. A lot of songs, the lyrics mostly blow past me, except for the occassional witty line here or there, or where it reaches the point where Ian just repeats the title over and over. (There seem to be a lot of those, and it's probably the thing about Jethro Tull that bothers me the most. This album is no exception.)
This album seems to be ranked relatively low amongst Tull fans, but I like it. I know, I just said that I haven't listened as actively as I've liked, which is why I needed time to give this one a few more spins. Well, I've been listening the entire time I've been writing this, and I think it's solid. I haven't felt the urge to hit the Skip button, and the music has caught me and demanded my attention many times. Sometimes even the lyrics. This is the 17th studio album by Jethro Tull, and I honestly haven't found a single one that I don't like. Some didn't grab me at first, and some flat out surprised me (Under Wraps, for example), but every one of them has a lot of good music and playing. And that's all the matters.
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Ian says:
"The antidote to the more cheerful Crest Of A Knave, it's mostly dark subject matter of alienation and desolation, except for the absurd Kissing Willie – an all-too-regrettable, unsubtle piece of saucy innuendo. Benny Hill would have been proud of that one. But the song Strange Avenues is still a favourite of mine. And Another Christmas Song too, which talks of origins and cultural identity. 'Everyone is from somewhere, even if you’ve never been there.'"
From Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
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I give you a ton of credit for all of these repeated listens. I bought the CD when it came out, and was very underwhelmed. There are some good moments, but it gets rather repetitive, without anything really standing out to me, though Barre shines once again throughout.
I believe the 'live' cuts were actually done in a dressing room in Zurich. Certainly different.
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I thought the album was pretty good. There were times where it suffered from the "80's sound", but overall, I thought it was pretty solid. I think I'd lean to Crest between the two, but I was more than pleasantly surprised with both of these albums
The Knopffler style vocals are still present. Does Anderson ever regain his range?
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The Knopffler style vocals are still present. Does Anderson ever regain his range?
Only a bit. The strength he once had never fully returns, but he learns to be more expressive in other ways.
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I thought the album was pretty good. There were times where it suffered from the "80's sound", but overall, I thought it was pretty solid. I think I'd lean to Crest between the two, but I was more than pleasantly surprised with both of these albums
The two are certainly better than the other '80s offerings IMO, but I just can't get past the 80's sound, and so I miss out on whatever the lyrics may hold as well. It wasn't just Tull that had that affect on me at the time. I think back to Rush's albums that often seemed to have two to four 'standout' tunes, with the rest just being 4-6 minute fillers (and now I'll duck from the bricks to come my way ;))
Oddz and sodz related to Rock Island......
ODK Germany 5 - Sep 1989 (15 weeks) (4 weeks in top 10), Germany 5 - Sep 1989 (7 weeks), Switzerland 7 - Sep 1989 (9 weeks), Norway 14 - Sep 1989 (1 week), UK 18 - Sep 1989 (6 weeks), Austria 20 - Oct 1989 (1 month), Sweden 35 - Sep 1989 (2 weeks), Billboard 56 - Sep 1989 (17 weeks), UK Silver (certified by BPI in Sep 1989)
"Kissing Willie" b/w "Heavy Water" #6 US Mainstream Album reviews: http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=2037
Tour: Aug through mid october 89 Europe, then til early December in North America (warm up band 'It Bites')
Hamilton Copps Coliseum, Canada (video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRwJ3XLb9tE
Basic setlist: Strange Avenues, Steel Monkey, Big Riff And Mando, Thick As A Brick, Rock Island, Requiem/Black Satin Dancer (inst.), Cheap Day Return, Mother Goose, Jack-A-Lynn, Another Christmas Song, My God (incl. Bourée/Soirée), The Pine Marten's Jig/Drowsy Maggie, The Whaler's Dues, Budapest, Farm On The Freeway, SeaLion (inst.), Kissing Willie, Nothing Is Easy, Aqualung, Locomotive Breath, The Third Hoorah (inst., incl. The Dambusters March)
May 90, all UK, mostly acoustic and smaller venues to towns they had rarely or never performed.
I searched for the 'Kissing Willie' video, and found the part that MTV edited https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVbjNvyT-2U
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I liked the explanation: "This is the part of Kissing Willie that was edited out (not so good quality) but you can see Ian Anderson and his genitals." :)
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Catfish Rising (1991) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NejW8HKOyno&list=OLAK5uy_kUHzPrxbewY22DY7IutUv_LXTNLZlv6v4)
(https://i.imgur.com/9Cfa0bA.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Mandolin, Electric Mandolin, Flute, Keyboards, Drums, Percussion
Martin Barre - Electric Guitar
Dave Pegg - Acoustic Bass Guitar, Electric Bass Guitar
Doane Perry - Drums, Percussion
Andy Giddings - Keyboards (tracks 1, 4, 8)
John Bundrick - Keyboards (track 11)
Foss Patterson - Keyboards (track 10)
Matt Pegg - Bass Guitar (tracks 1, 4, 7)
Scott Hunter - Drums, Percussion (track 5)
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This Is Not Love 3:57
Occasional Demons 3:49
Roll Yer Own 4:26
Rocks on the Road 5:32
Sparrow on the Schoolyard Wall 5:22
Thinking Round Corners 3:32
Still Loving You Tonight 4:32
Doctor to My Disease 4:35
Like a Tall Thin Girl 3:38
White Innocence 7:44
Sleeping with the Dog 4:26
Gold-Tipped Boots, Black Jacket and Tie 3:41
When Jesus Came to Play 5:05
2006 remaster bonus tracks
Night in the Wilderness 4:06
Jump Start (live) 7:49
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Ian says:
"A rather good collection of songs, but at a time when Tull weren't exactly in fashion! Some people felt it went back to our bluesy base – maybe too much for one reviewer who referred to it as 'cod blues'. This Is Not Love, Still Loving You Tonight and Rocks On The Road stand out for me. A lot of this was recorded alone in my studio with overdubs from Martin and Dave Pegg. The worst thing about the record was the album cover. Too much black! Too much Spinal! No space to sign autographs with a black Sharpie."
From Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
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This is another one that I wasn't familiar with before, and I've listened to it four or five times recently trying to get a feel for it. My overall impression is that this is "more of the same", which often carries negative connotations, but that's not always true. If you like late 80's, early 90's Tull, electric guitar up front, electronica stripped away, occassional flute and keyboards, and Ian Anderson's unique vocals, here you go. This one sounds very similar to Rock Island to me, but the compositions and arrangements aren't as adventurous. Not as "prog". But it's another batch of good songs.
If, on the other hand, you found Rock Island disappointing, especially as a follow-up to Crest of a Knave, then "more of the same" is not good news. But as I've said before (too many times, I'm afraid), I don't think it's possible for a group of musicians at this level to record a bad album. I might not care for it, but I can't say that it's not good music. That is subjective. The songs are catchy and well-produced. Everything sounds great. There's just not much that jumps out at me as really groundbreaking.
One thing that caught my ears a few times is the Hammond organ, which I'm guessing is why some people have referred to this album as a return to the classic, more blues-based Jethro Tull sound.
The other thing that caught my ears and which I can't say is a positive thing is Ian's tendency to repeat the title of the song over and over, seemingly when he's run out of words to say, or feels the need to keep singing something when the song might have been served better without vocals at that point. He seems to do it more often here, even more than on other albums.
There doesn't seem to be much information online regarding this album. The Wikipedia content is quite sparse, and once again the official Jethro Tull website writeup is essentially a copy-and-paste; that is, also quite sparse. Both mention that this is the first Jethro Tull album to feature Andy Giddings, but there's not a lot of keyboards anyway, and he's one of three keyboard players on the album, so I don't know if I would consider him "featured". There are multiple links to Andy Giddings which redirect back to the Jethro Tull main page. I can't find anything on Foss Patterson, and John Bundrick's Wiki page has quite a list of studio appearances, but Catfish Rising is not among them.
There are also three tracks with Matt Pegg on bass. Matt is Dave Pegg's son, is an excellent bassist in his own right, and has filled in for Dave for on for both Jethro Tull and Fairport Convention gigs.
And one track with "guest drummer" Scott Hunter. Collectively, this is the most extensive cadre of additional personnel on any Jethro Tull album so far, but it's also consistent with what Ian himself said about the album. It was mostly basic tracks recorded by himself, with other parts added later. All this considered, the album is consistent, and of good if not of stellar quality.
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Nice, new album tonight!
So musically, this is pretty cool. Very easy on the ears. I thought the first half was a lot stronger.
I must say the run of Doctor To My Disease-Like A Tall Thin Girl-White Innocence have some God awful lyrics. I feels like they took the first half seriously, and were in full fuck it mode on the second half.
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Foss Paterson worked with Fish as well, if memory serves (and it does; I looked it up, he was there from "Songs From The Mirror" in '93 through "Sunsets On Empire" in '97).
As for the lyrics, this is going to be hard to articulate, but I think Anderson was struggling with his ideas at this point. The lyrics throughout the 70's and even into the 80's were strong, direct, sometimes biting, but always literate and honest. The lyrics to me on the last couple records started to become quippy and maybe a shade too clever for their own good. Again, this is just my perception, a feeling, and so it's hard to articulate, but I just think "Doctor To My Disease" and a couple others have the whiff of someone who is falling into cliche kicking and screaming.
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I think Rock Island and Catfish Rising are both pleasant albums to listen to. There are not a lot of things that immediately stand out, but I think they are of good quality, I definitely prefer them over Warchild, Broadsword, and Under Wraps.
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Charts
Switzerland 12 - Sep 1991 (7 weeks), Norway 12 - Sep 1991 (3 weeks), ODK Germany 21 - Sep 1991 (12 weeks), UK 27 - Sep 1991 (3 weeks), Austria 40 - Oct 1991 (1 month), Billboard 88 - Sep 1991 (5 weeks)
"This Is Not Love" b/w "Night in the Wilderness" #14 US Mainstream
EP and single:
"Rocks on the Road" (Live) /"Bouree" (Live, non-album track) / "Jack-A-Lynn" (Home demo, non-album track) /"Night in the Wilderness" (Non-album track)
"Jump Start" (Non-album track) #47 UK
"Night in the Wilderness" appeared as the B-side to many Catfish Rising -era singles.
The live version of "Jump Start" appeared as the B-side to several single releases of "This Is Not Love".
Reviews:
http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=2039
https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/39108/Jethro-Tull-Catfish-Rising/
Taken from 'Minstrels', 'Catfish Rising' was mostly written using a mandolin, thus a more 'bluesy' feel ('Sparrow On A Schoolyard Wall' references this). The band toured Europe and North America for ten weeks, then returned to Europe for a third leg, with a different line up but the same set list. And some members were notified of their dismissal by letter yet again (when would Anderson ever learn? :facepalm:)
Some individual promotions throughout, including David Letterman in August '91: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FZHZWXs4MY and the rehearsals https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzo3Xvpqfnc
Tour dates and set lists http://www.ministry-of-information.co.uk/setlist/91.htm
'Roll Yer Own' is a fun track, 'Rocks On The Road' is top notch, and 'White Innocence' has the old time Tull instrumental middle, but, those lyrics....
WTW vocal moments in 'Nights In The Wilderness' (almost Alice Cooper-ish at times) and 'Thinking Round Corners' .....already weakening vocals that have an Alvin & the Chipmunks feel. And the album (CD) feels too long with too much filler. A 45 minute combo of the best from this and 'Rock Island' would have been quite a good release.
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So this is where things start getting really sketchy, and the remainder of the discography is going to be tricky to present. But as they say, nothing is easy.
Over the next 12 years, Jethro Tull would release three more studio albums, then officially disband. During that same time, there was another official live album, three Ian Anderson solo albums, compilations and live albums of semi-official status, and at least one release which is all of the above: a compilation live album of semi-official status with both Jethro Tull and Ian Anderson solo material. I'm not kidding.
Since the final Jethro Tull album in 2003, Ian Anderson has released four solo albums, and there have been even more compilations and live albums, but Ian has stuck to his guns; there have been no more Jethro Tull studio albums.
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And now, without further ado...
Jethro Tull in Concert (recorded in 1991, released in 1995) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uF73wBPbj5w)
(https://i.imgur.com/5kui1AE.jpg)
Maartin Allcock - Keyboards
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Mandolin, Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica
Martin Barre - Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Dave Pegg - Bass
Doane Perry - Drums
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Minstrel in the Gallery/Cross-Eyed Mary 4:00
This Is Not Love 4:00
Rocks on the Road 6:30
Heavy Horses 7:33
Tall Thin Girl 3:28
Still Loving You 4:40
Thick as a Brick 7:48
A New Day Yesterday 5:45
Blues Jam 3:00
Jump Start 6:30
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I've included this one and given it something like a real writeup because it's a BBC recording and pretty high quality. I'm listening to it right now. It's also the last "real" Jethro Tull live album. There is an official live recording yet to come, but it was recorded on their 1992 "semi-acoustic" tour.
Even though Jethro Tull in Concert was released in 1995, I've placed it here in the Discography because it's from the Catfish Rising tour.
In the old days, we called these bootleg recordings, although that usually meant that it was illegally recorded by someone who snuck a recording device into the concert (perhaps actually in their boot, hence the term). This was legitimately recorded by the BBC, presumably for a radio broadcast (though I can't find much information about it), but the "cover art" -- such as it is -- screams "bootleg!" to me.
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I listened up through Heavy Horses.
What happened to Ian's voice again? Did it just run out on him? Was there an injury?
I've really enjoyed watching some of the footage of them in the 70's. The band was really cracking. On this, it sounds like a job.
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Basically, he blew his vocal cords out on the Under Wraps tour. He'd specifically written those songs in a higher register than he normally sings, I'm sure as part of trying to make everything sound more modern and cool and all that, but singing those songs every night did some real damage, and even after taking most of three years off to recover (and have surgery), his voice has never fully recovered. This is what he sounds like now, or at least did in the 90's. It's too bad, because I think the band sounds great here. If anything, Ian puts more into his damn flute now that he can't sing anymore, but I understand if that's no consolation to you. :p
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If you think he sounds bad here, don't go see him live now. :lol Last time I saw him, which admittedly was around 2014, his voice was completely shot. In fact there was a young guy (I think) who sang most of the parts instead of Ian.
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I watched a fan vid on youtube of around that time, and, yes, he was bad when he didn't have the young fill in vocalist singing much of his parts.
btw......I don't think we'll see him perform again, considering he has inoperable lung cancer.
I think back to various Queen forums and bootleg comments. Freddie often suffered from irritations with his nodules, along with the fact that he smoked like a fiend (much like Anderson). And both bands tended to tour the States during the fall/winter months. And both bands toured like madmen without a break.
Once Mercury quit smoking around '86, his voice held up (and improved) for the latter albums. Ian continued to puff on cigarettes (or a pipe) well beyond the times of his vocal problems. And then he never rested.......ego or stubbornness, one doesn't know.
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If you think he sounds bad here, don't go see him live now. :lol Last time I saw him, which admittedly was around 2014, his voice was completely shot. In fact there was a young guy (I think) who sang most of the parts instead of Ian.
This. That 91 show sounded great compared to nowadays. He started touring with Sideshow Cecil when he did TaaB2 in 2013, and they split the vocals 50/50. Honestly, I'd have preferred all Cecil. Dude was engaging and could actually sing. I thought that was was a very good show. On subsequent tours he just used pre-recorded video of Cecil and other people singing much of the parts, which is pathetic. That's when I stopped going to see him. Take along a second singer by all means. Hell, there are a lot of bands that should go that route. Just letting a video do the vocals is a cop out, though.
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If you think he sounds bad here, don't go see him live now. :lol Last time I saw him, which admittedly was around 2014, his voice was completely shot. In fact there was a young guy (I think) who sang most of the parts instead of Ian.
This. That 91 show sounded great compared to nowadays. He started touring with Sideshow Cecil when he did TaaB2 in 2013, and they split the vocals 50/50. Honestly, I'd have preferred all Cecil. Dude was engaging and could actually sing. I thought that was was a very good show. On subsequent tours he just used pre-recorded video of Cecil and other people singing much of the parts, which is pathetic. That's when I stopped going to see him. Take along a second singer by all means. Hell, there are a lot of bands that should go that route. Just letting a video do the vocals is a cop out, though.
Man, his recent concerts would've been amazing if he just stopped singing. He can talk and entertain really well and he plays the guitar and flute, he has plenty to do on stage in terms of being a frontman. During the Thick as a Brick 1+2 tour the other guy sang a lot, which was nice. But the Homo Erraticus tour had a worse balance (but the second singer was still there) and then later tours it was just Anderson. And Anderson got even worse the last couple of years.
I find it frustrating as everything else about the concerts is real quality.
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In May 1992, Jethro Tull embarked on a "semi-acoustic" tour. The band was scaled back again, and nearly every song was rearranged at least a little bit, some quite a lot. This tour was documented with the second official Jethro Tull live album.
A Little Light Music (1992) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ne0qgqVOSU&list=OLAK5uy_nXcxVq0hzb8DM68wwQE8ocXYXRRwRKKWE)
(https://i.imgur.com/3QZQ5dh.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Flute, Mandolin, Harmonica, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Vocals
Martin Barre - Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Dave Pegg - Bass, Mandolin
Dave Mattacks - Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Hi-Hat, Cymbal, Glockenspiel, Percussion, Keyboard
George Dalaras - Co-lead vocal on "John Barleycorn"
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Someday the Sun Won't Shine for You 3:59
Living in the Past (instrumental) 5:07
Life Is a Long Song 3:37
Under Wraps (Instrumental) 2:30
Rocks on the Road 7:04
Nursie 2:27
Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die 4:43
One White Duck 3:15
A New Day Yesterday 7:33
John Barleycorn 6:34
Look into the Sun (instrumental) 3:45
A Christmas Song 3:46
From a Dead Beat to an Old Greaser 3:51
This Is Not Love 3:53
Bourée 6:06
Pussy Willow (instrumental) 3:31
Locomotive Breath 5:51
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Okay fine, this is the last "real" Jethro Tull live album, not the previous entry Jethro Tull Live in Concert. I was all set to not like this one, being an obvious attempt by Ian to obscure the fact that he can't sing anymore by focusing on the acoustic side of Jethro Tull, and rearranging some of the more rocking songs. But I like it. I like it when artists find other ways to interpret songs, either their own or someone else's, and a musician of Ian Anderson's caliber cannot help but come up with something that I find damned impressive. Some of the songs are completely redone as instrumentals, and I like them, too. I like live music, and I can't help but enjoy a performance by top-notch musicians playing great music.
I was fooled by the numerous poor reviews of this album (obviously by people who cannot appreciate songs being redone as "semi-acoustic") and also a little bit by the way utility player Dave Mattacks is credited, specifically saying he played Snare Drum, Bass Drum, etc., instead of just saying "Drums". But what they've really done is point out the fact that he's not playing a regular drum kit, as this is a "semi-acoustic" gig. (Are you tired of me putting "semi-acoustic" in quotes every time, yet? Yeah, me too.)
From the opening notes, with Ian ferociously attacking the harmonica, you know that this is going to be different. "Someday the Sun Won't Shine for You" goes all the way back to the first album, This Was. Then an instrumental version of "Living in the Past". Well, you can read the track listing above. Again, I was surprised at how well it all works, and I really should not have been.
And don't be fooled. There are a few times when they do rock out. I was listening, and thinking that it would be cool if they broke loose at least once, and like 30 seconds later, Boom! That's why it's only a semi-acoustic concert. Martin plays acoustic and electric guitar. And once things get going, you have to listen closely to note that Dave isn't playing a full drum kit, just a basic trap set.
Ian even jokes a bit, introducing "Under Wraps" as a song from an album that people didn't like very much. He talks about how he'd dug into electronics and stuff, when it turns out that all he needed to do was "keep Dave". Actually, I don't remember now whether he said that on this album or on the bootleg DVD of the entire concert (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leBFOV1Dkp8), which is also very good. The video has the advantage of course of us being able to see the band, which is always nice, and it's a single show. A "you are there" concert video, warts and all. A Little Light Music is taken from various shows on the tour, edited together to form a single (and much shorter) concert. The only real downside to the video is that George Dalaras, a Greek singer who is apparently quite famous over there, wasn't there that night, so they didn't do "John Barleycorn" that night.
Anyway, I was quite pleasantly surprised by this album. No, Ian can't sing anymore, but that can't be helped. Instead, he puts more into the instrumentals, and as always, the whole band is on fire. Thumbs up. A little different kind of live album, but excellent performances.
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Charts: Switzerland 22 - Sep 1992 (6 weeks), UK 34 - Sep 1992 (2 weeks), Billboard 150 - Oct 1992 (2 weeks)
http://www.ministry-of-information.co.uk/setlist/92.htm going through the locations and set lists, one can find information from where the songs on 'A Little Light Music' were performed. 'Aqualung' and 'Thick As A Brick' were part of many concerts, but not included. David Rees in 'Minstrels' stated that Anderson's voice "was fine some nights, awful on others, and this time it was harder to disguise the vocals with electric bombast from the rest of the band".
prog archives is currently down, but https://kingcrimsonprog.wordpress.com/2011/09/22/jethro-tull-a-little-light-music-review/ and amazon gave the release rather high marks.
So....from Orbert to other reviewers, I'll have to give this a first spin some time this year.
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This is a really cool release. I remember liking Bouree from an earlier album, and it's still cool here. It's not the flute playing that bothers me. but as Ian gasps for breath, I personally start to hyperventilate. :lol
The bass playing really stands out on this too.
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I like it, definitely a live record worth checking out. Vocals aren't really distracting here (and sometimes blend very well with the music approach) and there are a lot of nice extended instrumental sections.
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This is a really cool release. I remember liking Bouree from an earlier album, and it's still cool here. It's not the flute playing that bothers me. but as Ian gasps for breath, I personally start to hyperventilate. :lol
The bass playing really stands out on this too.
He does that a lot in his playing though; there is a lot of breathing. It's noticeable to me, but not as bad as when singers do it (Graham Bonnet and David Coverdale are two of the worst for this. Like nails on a chalkboard to me.)
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I always took Ian's flute style -- with the exaggerated breathing, overblowing, and kinda singing/screaming into the instrument -- as his way of making it "heavier". I mean, with a guitar, you can distort the hell out of it and make it sound more intense; you can do the same with an electric violin or any electrifed instrument; even with a harmonica you can overdrive it.
But with a flute, you can have a nice clean tone, or... what? How do you make it more intense? You do all that stuff that Ian does. The exaggerated breathing, overblowing, and screaming into the instrument while you play it.
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Yeah, that totally makes sense.
But I need an asthma inhaler just to listen to that! :lol
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Yeah, it's gets a bit much sometimes. I've been playing the flute for a long time, and Ian's style used to bother me quite a bit. It went against all the stuff they drill into your head when they teach you the "right" way to play the instrument. But I was getting into Jethro Tull in junior high, around the same time I was entering my rebellious phase (which I'm still in) and experimenting with different ways to play various instruments. I'm okay with the overblowing and the screaming/singing thing, but the hyperventilating still bugs me. I think it's because it's purely theatrical; it doesn't actually change the sound of what he's playing; it just adds noise.
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I always took Ian's flute style -- with the exaggerated breathing, overblowing, and kinda singing/screaming into the instrument -- as his way of making it "heavier". I mean, with a guitar, you can distort the hell out of it and make it sound more intense; you can do the same with an electric violin or any electrifed instrument; even with a harmonica you can overdrive it.
But with a flute, you can have a nice clean tone, or... what? How do you make it more intense? You do all that stuff that Ian does. The exaggerated breathing, overblowing, and screaming into the instrument while you play it.
But he CAN play it traditional way as well, so there's that. But you brought up something else: so he DOES seem to "sing" or "scream" into the flute while playing? I could never tell if that was a sort of "background vocals" or him making that noise with his voice while playing. I kind of like that. I saw them in '92 (theater) and '96 (shed) and don't remember it. By the way, that '92 show was in October, and was called the "The Light And Dark" tour, but I think they were moving away from the "semi-acoustic" format into more of a traditional full band set-up. But again, memory is hazy.
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I'm going out of town for a while, so here's some more stuff to keep you busy.
After the 1992 tour (which, thanks to Stadler, we know as "The Light and Dark" tour, from which A Little Light Music was taken), Jethro Tull took another break.
In 1993, three new compilations were released. With the first two, great care was taken to actually create something that people would want to add to their Jethro Tull collections. Lots of unreleased live and studio material, and alternate versions both old and new. They are not just Greatest Hits Things. The third one, well...
Nightcap (1993) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl3_4qxBkT8&list=OLAK5uy_kLkboI7D4j730aKG5N0H7xalHEl6TEN7E)
(https://i.imgur.com/AgH9aOy.jpg)
DISC ONE My Round: Chateau d'Isaster Tapes
First Post 1:54
Animelée 1:41
Tiger Toon 1:36
Look at the Animals 5:09
Law of the Bungle 2:32
Law of the Bungle Part II 5:26
Left Right 5:01
Solitaire 1:25
Critique Oblique 9:03
Post Last 5:35
Scenario 3:26
Audition 2:34
No Rehearsal 5:12
DISC TWO Your Round: Unreleased and Rare Tracks
Paradise Steakhouse (recorded 1974) 4:01
Sealion II (recorded 1974) 3:21
Piece of Cake (recorded 1990) 3:40
Quartet (recorded 1974) 2:45
Silver River Turning (recorded 1990) 4:52
Crew Nights (recorded 1981) 4:33
The Curse (recorded 1981) 3:39
Rosa on the Factory Floor (recorded 1990) 4:38
A Small Cigar (recorded 1975) 3:39
Man of Principle (recorded 1988) 3:57
Commons Brawl (recorded 1981) 3:24
No Step (recorded 1981) 3:38
Drive on the Young Side of Life (recorded 1981) 4:13
I Don't Want to Be Me (recorded 1990) 3:29
Broadford Bazaar (recorded 1978) 3:38
Lights Out (recorded 1981) 5:16
Truck Stop Runner (recorded 1991) 3:47
Hard Liner (recorded 1989) 3:47
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Two CDs, the first of which is the famous "Chateau d'Isaster Tapes" which preceded the recording of A Passion Play. Some of this material was later reworked and appeared on War Child, some had not seen the light of day until this release. The second disc is unreleased material through 1991. Most of this material has found its way onto remasters and other re-releases, but not all.
The album was produced in limited quantities, with proceeds going to charity.
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25th Anniversary Box Set (1993)
(https://i.imgur.com/b2ImHGk.jpg)
Sorry, that's the best image I could find. Another limited edition release, this one was designed to resemble a cigar box.
DISC ONE Remixed Classic Songs
My Sunday Feeling
A Song for Jeffrey
Living in the Past
Teacher
Sweet Dream
Cross-Eyed Mary
The Witch's Promise
Life Is a Long Song
Bungle in the Jungle
Minstrel in the Gallery
Cold Wind to Valhalla
Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die!
Songs from the Wood
Heavy Horses
Black Sunday
Broadsword
DISC TWO Carnegie Hall, New York City, New York, 1970
Nothing Is Easy
My God
With You There to Help Me
A Song for Jeffrey
To Cry You a Song
Sossity: You're a Woman
Reasons for Waiting
We Used to Know
Guitar Solo
For a Thousand Mothers
DISC THREE The Beacons Bottom Tapes
So Much Trouble
My Sunday Feeling
Some Day the Sun Won't Shine for You
Living in the Past
Bourée (Instrumental)
With You There to Help Me
Thick as a Brick
Cheerio
A New Day Yesterday
Protect and Survive (Instrumental)
Jack-A-Lynn
The Whistler (Instrumental)
My God
Aqualung
DISC FOUR Pot Pourri Live Across the World & Through the Years
To Be Sad Is a Mad Way to Be (Recorded at Stockholm Concert Hall, Stockholm, Sweden – 9 January 1969)
Back to the Family (Recorded at Stockholm Concert Hall, Stockholm, Sweden – 9 January 1969)
A Passion Play (Extract) (Recorded at Palais des Sports, Paris, France – 5 July 1975)
Wind-Up/Locomotive Breath/Land of Hope and Glory (Recorded at Golders Green Hippodrome, London, England – 2 February 1977)
Seal Driver (Recorded at Congress Centrum, Hamburg, Germany – 8 April 1982)
Nobody's Car (Recorded at Hammersmith Apollo, London, England – 9 September 1984)
Pussy Willow (Recorded at Hammersmith Apollo, London, England – 9 September 1984)
Budapest (Recorded at Leysin Festival, Leysin, Switzerland – 10 July 1991)
Nothing Is Easy (Recorded at Leysin Festival, Leysin, Switzerland – 10 July 1991)
Kissing Willie (Recorded at Tallinn Festival, Tallinn, Estonia – 20 July 1991)
Still Loving You Tonight (Recorded at Hammersmith Apollo, London, England – 8 October 1991)
Beggar's Farm (Recorded at Beasley Theater Quad, Pullman, Washington – 24 October 1992)
Passion Jig (Instrumental) (Recorded at Riviera Theater, Chicago, Illinois – 10 October 1992)
A Song for Jeffrey (Recorded at Riviera Theater, Chicago, Illinois – 11 October 1992)
Living in the Past (Recorded at Theatre St. Denis, Montreal, Quebec, Canada – 9 November 1992)
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Disc One is remixed versions of classic Jethro Tull songs. Just because.
Disc Two is the rest of the famous Carnegie Hall recordings, from which "By Kind Permission Of" and "Dharma For One" (on Living in the Past) were taken. Those two songs are not included here.
Disc Three is new recordings of older Jethro Tull songs. Just because.
Disc Four is a collection of live material from various places and various times.
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The Best of Jethro Tull – The Anniversary Collection (1993) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYLMbfL9BI0&list=PLiRoPIsKLQTc4GTTKNudw1ljpvELhGJ6d&index=1)
(https://i.imgur.com/s4I6qhL.jpg)
A Song for Jeffrey 3:19
Beggar's Farm 4:19
A Christmas Song 3:07
A New Day Yesterday 4:09
Bourée 3:46
Nothing Is Easy 4:23
Living in the Past 3:21
To Cry You a Song 6:15
Teacher 4:01
Sweet Dream 4:02
Cross-Eyed Mary 4:09
Mother Goose 3:53
Aqualung 6:36
Locomotive Breath 4:25
Life Is a Long Song 3:19
Thick as a Brick (extract) 3:02
A Passion Play (extract) 3:47 ("Magus Perdé")
Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day 3:52
Bungle in the Jungle 3:39
Minstrel in the Gallery (Edited version) 6:10
Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die 5:40
Songs from the Wood 4:54
Jack-in-the-Green 2:30
The Whistler 3:32
Heavy Horses 8:57
Dun Ringill 2:41
Fylingdale Flyer 4:32
Jack-a-Lynn 4:42
Pussy Willow 3:53
Broadsword 4:59
Under Wraps II 2:14
Steel Monkey 3:34
Farm on the Freeway 6:28
Jump Start 4:53
Kissing Willie 3:31
This Is Not Love 3:54
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The obligatory Greatest Hits Thing, but at least this one had to good grace to cover all studio albums thus far.
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Will listen to nightcap for sure, as I find some of their bonus stuff to be their best. I really love Broadford bazaar, for example, which is on disc two. But I don't know most of those other songs I think. It will also be interesting to hear their failed attempt at an album before the Passion Play released.
The second one might be worth checking out. As for the third, I don't care for greatest hits in this day and age.
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I have the first two. The middle one comes (or came, in early pressings) in a cool cigar box with a booklet. The music is... well, the Carnegie show is phenomenal; on my iPod I spliced in the two songs from Living In The Past (there was something else about the order, and I can't remember what it was off hand). The live stuff is SOLID, the remixes unnecessary, and the re-recordings, well... you have to hear them. I can see some people loving them, others not; I fall in between.
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On vacation as well, so I'll edit this post later. 'Nightcap' Disc 1 was an absolute gem when I bought it fifteen years ago. Disc 2 could have had more of the 70 non releases, certainly should have been placed in order, but has many extras that never saw the light of day as bonuses on the 80s releases.
*** Sept 13 edit ***
25th anniversary
Reviews https://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=9894
Only two reviews, and I’d disagree with them both. As would David Rees, who once again was chosen, along with Martin Webb, to work on this box set. He was quite pleased, but not totally satisfied, with what ended up on the 20th anniversary boxset. Him and his friend were miles apart from Chrysalis this time in their initial thinking. After much badgering, the 25th package came to be. Rees has glowing comments on the Carnegie Hall performance being included (though dismayed that it wasn’t complete in spite of room on the CD), and disappointment with the other three discs.
I agree with his sentiments.
Disc One was yet another ‘remixing’ job.
Disc Two. Superb. The correct, complete set list (including the two songs made available way back on ‘Living In The Past’ * ) would have been:
Nothing Is Easy / My God / With You There To Help Me / *By Kind Permission Of…* / A Song For Jeffrey / To Cry You A Song / Sossity: You're a Woman/ Reasons for Waiting / Sossity: You're a Woman / *Dharma For One (incl. drum solo)* / We Used to Know / Guitar Solo / For A Thousand Mothers
Sidebar: Support act for this benefit concert was McKendree Spring. Tull sold out the LA Forum a few weeks earlier. Other support acts during the short stateside tour: the night before was the Bob Seger System in Wilkes-Barre, a few nights earlier was Mountain, a few nights later it was Black Sabbath. A week after this would be Clive Bunker’s last performance. and a month later would have Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond on board to start recording ‘Aqualung’ (‘My God’ being a staple of their set lists before its release).
Disc Three: ‘Beacon’s Bottom Tapes’….1992 performance(s), mostly acoustic versions slowed down, with Anderson’s weakened voice making these almost painful to listen to.
Disc Four…..live performances from recent tours. The ‘Passion Play Extract’ is instrumental, and is worth a listen. I could only make it through 20-30 seconds of a few samples.
Nightcap: reviews: http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=2041
As evidenced from the ‘Scenerio/Audition/No Rehearsal’ medley released on the 20th Anniversary set, ‘Chateau d’Isaster’ wasn’t so bad after all. In fact, there are plenty of gems to listen to. Some of the other tracks had flute added later on. There are noticeable gaps where vocals were to have been added, and wisely Anderson did not add any due to the change in his vocals (his own admission).
Left/Right……irritating beginning. The APP anniversary issue included ‘Big Top’ (probably the opener for the medley) and ‘Sailor’. Including these, along with the ‘Skating Away’ demo would have been icing on an already tasty offering.
Disc 2 ‘A Small Cigar’ and ‘Broadford Bazaar’ should have been placed in order, specifically due to the change in Anderson’s voice.
Mentioned by others as to compilations and chronological order: Using The Beatles as a prime example……having ‘She Loves You’ or ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ before or after ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’, ‘Helter Skelter’, or ‘Revolution’ would never make sense.
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Disc 2 could have had more of the 70 non releases, certainly should have been placed in order, but has many extras that never saw the light of day as bonuses on the 80s releases.
In general, if I'm listening to a compilation -- whether an entire boxed set, a single disc from one, whatever -- I'd prefer that they be in chronological order. Why would you want to jump around in history? You get no feel at all for what space the band was in at the time, and to me that's the whole point of a compilation. How did the band change over time?
My wife was a pretty big Fleetwood Mac fan for a while, so she got the four-disc box that came out some years ago. The songs are a jumbled mess. You get an old bluesy Peter Green era song, followed by a Stevie Nicks era song, then a Bob Welch era song, etc. No apparent organization to it at all. I'm fine with all eras of Fleetwood Mac, but I'd still rather hear the songs in chronological order. And no, I'm not going to rip the entire thing, then sit and rearrange them to put them in order. If I'm gonna do that, I'd rather just listen to the albums anyway. So as it turns out, neither of us ever listen to the set. It was a waste of money, when it easily could have appealed to both of us.
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Disc 2 could have had more of the 70 non releases, certainly should have been placed in order, but has many extras that never saw the light of day as bonuses on the 80s releases.
In general, if I'm listening to a compilation -- whether an entire boxed set, a single disc from one, whatever -- I'd prefer that they be in chronological order. Why would you want to jump around in history? You get no feel at all for what space the band was in at the time, and to me that's the whole point of a compilation. How did the band change over time?
My wife was a pretty big Fleetwood Mac fan for a while, so she got the four-disc box that came out some years ago. The songs are a jumbled mess. You get an old bluesy Peter Green era song, followed by a Stevie Nicks era song, then a Bob Welch era song, etc. No apparent organization to it at all. I'm fine with all eras of Fleetwood Mac, but I'd still rather hear the songs in chronological order. And no, I'm not going to rip the entire thing, then sit and rearrange them to put them in order. If I'm gonna do that, I'd rather just listen to the albums anyway. So as it turns out, neither of us ever listen to the set. It was a waste of money, when it easily could have appealed to both of us.
YES, YES, and more YES! I have that same box and thought the exact same thing. When I ripped it to my harddrive, the first thing I did (and I did this with Nightcap too) is rearrange in chronological order.
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Following the 1992 semi-acoustic tour, Ian Anderson took some time off and learned how to play the flute.
His daughter was learning to play the flute in school, and together they discovered that Ian (who was self-taught) was using some incorrect fingerings. Ian decided to learn the proper way to play. The first Jethro Tull recordings with Ian Anderson using proper flute technique were the re-recorded material on The 25th Anniversary Box Set. Then in 1994, he recorded an album of instrumental music, released in 1995.
Divinities: Twelve Dances with God (1995) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRKHDB0lZl4&list=OLAK5uy_kv0ruw3WUA56YCz7bkZXOlO72gtBQ-N_U)
(https://i.imgur.com/dh7Mmdf.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Concert and Bamboo Flutes
Andrew Giddings - Keyboards
Doane Perry - Tuned and Untuned Percussion
Douglas Mitchell - Clarinet
Christopher Cowrie - Oboe
Jonathon Carrey - Violin
Nina Gresin - Cello
Randy Wigs - Harp
Sid Gander - French Horn
Den Redding - Trumpet
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In a Stone Circle 3:25
In Sight of the Minaret 3:54
In a Black Box 3:24
In the Grip of Stronger Stuff 2:48
In Maternal Grace 3:21
In the Moneylender's Temple 3:19
In Defence of Faiths 3:11
At Their Father's Knee 5:43
En Afrique 2:54
In the Olive Garden 2:50
In the Pay of Spain 4:05
In the Times of India (Bombay Valentine) 8:09
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Yeah, yeah, you were expecting the new Jethro Tull studio album, especially after a week. Too bad! Ian Anderson's solo work is inextricably linked to the Jethro Tull Discography because they inform each other, and there's going to be a point where the latter stops and the former continues.
Also, this album is really good. Obviously, it's very different from Jethro Tull material. 12 instrumentals, each highlighting the music from another culture. Many of them are clear from the title ("In the Pay of Spain", "In the Times of India") and some are more obscure ("In the Grip of Stronger Stuff" is Celtic in nature). Ian is accompanied by Jethro Tull's drummer at the time Doane Perry, Andrew Giddings who had appeared on Catfish Rising and would later become a regular Tull member, and a wind & string ensemble. Compositions and orchestrations are co-credited to Ian Anderson and Andrew Giddings.
It's not for everyone. The music is often atmospheric, and not everyone is open to "ethnic" music from other cultures, or listening to instrumental music by an acoustic ensemble when they thought they were getting some Rock and Rock. Fear not! The next Jethro Tull album is coming soon.
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Dave Mattacks did not stay with the band following the recording of A Little Light Music, and sometime early in the recording of the next album, Dave Pegg also chose to leave. Pegg was still a member of Fairport Convention, and they were ramping up at the time. He was also said to be less than enthusiastic about the musical direction Jethro Tull had taken at the time, which reflected Ian Anderson's world travels and experiences with other music and cultures.
Doane Perry returned to play the drums and brought with him his friend Steve Bailey, known mostly for his session work, to play the bass. Bailey has published several books on playing the bass and is currently Chair of the Bass Department at the Berklee College of Music. Ian Anderson allowed Bailey and Perry full control over the arrangements for the rhythm section. Dave Pegg recorded bass parts for at least three tracks before leaving the band (we know this because he's credited on three tracks) but the rest are credited to Steve Bailey.
Andrew Giddings, who had contributed so much to Ian's solo album Divinities, was officially the new keyboard player for Jethro Tull.
Roots to Branches (1995) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN8VJp8Gdn4&list=OLAK5uy_mg_e3DyTvsBOofTzWJ3ZSVhQnEe8T3f7M)
(https://i.imgur.com/GMRzXtA.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar
Martin Barre - Electric Guitar
Andrew Giddings - Keyboards
Dave Pegg - Bass Guitar (tracks 3, 5, and 11)
Doane Perry - Drums, Percussion
Steve Bailey - Bass Guitar (tracks 1 and 6-10)
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Roots to Branches 5:11
Rare and Precious Chain 3:35
Out of the Noise 3:25
This Free Will 4:05
Valley 6:07
Dangerous Veils 5:35
Beside Myself 5:50
Wounded, Old and Treacherous 7:50
At Last, Forever 7:55
Stuck in the August Rain 4:06
Another Harry's Bar 6:21
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I really like this one, but I can understand why others might not. Ian's flute has never sounded better. Unlike on Divinities, where the bamboo flute is specifically credited, it only says "Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar" here, but there are times when it sounds like a bamboo or even wooden flute, the tone is so crisp yet pure and round. There are no purely instrumental tracks, but the instrumental/vocal ratio seems a bit higher here than average. There is an increased presence of the flute on nearly every track, and Ian continued to reduce the role of vocals.
The Eastern influence is clear, somehow tied up with good old American-style blues, and of course a dash of Scottish folk as with all Tull albums. There are also lots of those great instrumental bits with syncopation and odd meters, just to remind you that this is still Jethro Tull and they are still a prog band. Martin Barre continues to find new sounds and new ways to contribute to Jethro Tull, pushing the overall quality of the music upward and providing a reassuring consistency to the sound. Yes, this is still Jethro Tull. All songs were written by Ian Anderson, and recorded at his home studio.
As I've said before, there are no bad Jethro Tull albums. There are only the ones which certain people don't like, or which don't fit their concept of what a Jethro Tull album should sound like. And as has been clear since the first tour, Jethro Tull is what Ian Anderson says it is; no more and no less. So if Ian decides that the next Jethro Tull album should incorporate both world music and a return to their "roots", then that's what we get.
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Ian says:
"The last album with Dave Pegg who played, I think, only on three tracks due to the resurgent popularity of Fairport Convention – always his first love – and the increasingly difficult task of being the bass player of two bands at the same time. All the songs on this record still work for me. We enlisted American jazz rocker Steve Bailey to play bass. He turned up on a freezing January morning to start work on the record in my new studio. These days he’s Chair of Bass at Berklee College."
From Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
Ian also says:
"I see Roots To Branches as the 90's version of Stand Up, because it has a lot of the things that I feel represented the key elements of Jethro Tull: there's lots of flute, lots of riffy guitars and quite a broad palette of influences, from the blues and classical to the Eastern motifs that were apparent on Stand Up. The only thing about it that lets me down is that I made it sound a little too Seventies. I deliberately made the album sound like it was in the context of a live performance, rather than have it sound too 'studio.' But looking back on it, I think it should have been a bit more varied."
From The Official Jethro Tull Website (http://jethrotull.com/)
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Nice. I’ll hit this tonight
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I should probably revisit these last two records; I tuned out on Tull after these, but the reality is, I tuned out around the "Light Music" record. When I'm in a Tull mood, I invariably go for the 20th box stuff, Living In The Past, or something from the late 70's/early 80's.
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Charts: UK 20 - Sep 1995 (3 weeks), Sweden 21 - Sep 1995 (2 weeks), Switzerland 25 - Sep 1995 (3 weeks), Norway 27 - Sep 1995 (1 week), ODK Germany 55 - Oct 1995 (7 weeks), Billboard 114 - Sep 1995 (1 week)
Bailey and Perry arranged all of the bass and percussion for this one (per the 'Minstrels' book), and it shows. The rhythm sections shines throughout, along with an A+ production. There are various tracks where Anderson basically 'talks' rather than sings, and they are quite good. Plus, there's an old time snarl in his voice at times. Barre's guitar is not as prominent as the past two studio albums, but, along with the arrangements, often sounds like the glory days of the 70's.
I think back to listening to this more than a few times after its release (eventually editing out a song or three) and now with this refresher.....there's an occasional weak track or moment here and there, but this is a really good album. I'd have loved if 'Broadsword' and 'Crest of A Knave' had sounded like this.
Is this release a 'wow'? No, it isn't as good as the 70's releases,....but I was in my late 30s at the time. I quite enjoyed it then, and quite enjoyed it today.
Mostly positive reviews http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=2043
(I typed this during Stadler's comment....I know you'll like this one based on your tastes, and.....I've got a ton of catching up to do and inserting in the appropriate spots for the hundred or so tracks mentioned over the past week..........)
Oh, and 'Divinities', though I wish Barre was included on this project, was quite the enjoyable first ever listen. My type of late night/early morning 'do the books/ read the newspaper' type of music.
** Sept 13 edit **
As to 'Divinities', quoting Anderson in 'Minstrels': “This gave us a #1 hit in America….on the Billboard Classical Crossover Chart. Whatever the f*ck that is!”
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Only made it through the first half tonight, but I like it. Has an old school feel to it. I like Jethro Tull when they have the real tight drumming and bass.
Out Of The Noise is an amazing track.
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I think you're actually being converted, TAC. The flute is really out front a lot on this album, and I was sure that that wouldn't work for you. I'm happy to be wrong.
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I think this is their best since the 70's, a lot of moments that grab me. Could probably do with a different sound production (not sure how to describe it), but the songs are consistent and good. I also think the Eastern influences work really well and make it feel unique in their discography.
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I think this is their best since the 70's
That's Crest of a Knave for me, but this album is definitely solid. I like it.
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Wow, I'm glad you guys are digging this one. I can never tell; I thought for sure that this would be one of the less popular ones because of the emphasis on "correct flute technique", de-emphasis on vocals, and the world music influence. I mean, I like it, but I liked Divinties too, and no one even commented on that.
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Roots to Branches was the last Jethro Tull album on Chrysalis Records, their home for many, many years. I don't really know how this stuff works, but often times, after a band leaves their home label, there are releases of dubious authenticity on other labels. The album Jethro Tull in Concert came out during this period, but I included it after Catfish Rising in the discography because it was recorded on that tour. It came out on Windsong International, who I've never heard of before or since.
Another interesting release came out in 1995, this one on Disky Communications, another label I've never heard of, although the cover below clearly shows the EMI Gold brand, and I've definitely heard of them.
Jethro Tull Through The Years (1995) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9TvF4hkJd0&list=OLAK5uy_meV8raZYEvO5sgT91nwwwMt-b05_1IMCY)
(https://i.imgur.com/lIIXFMH.jpg)
Living in the Past (live) 5:03
Wind Up 6:04
Warchild 4:33
Dharma for One (instrumental) 4:11
Acres Wild 3:22
Budapest 10:00
The Whistler 3:30
We Used to Know 3:55
Beastie 3:57
Locomotive Breath (live) 5:36
Rare and Precious Chain 3:34
Quizz Kid 5:08
Still Loving You Tonight 4:30
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This one is interesting to me because it's not a Greatest Hits Thing, but instead an actual attempt at a retrospective. It includes songs not typically found on Greatest Hits Things, and covers everything from their first album to their latest at the time, with some live versions included as well, presumably because someone decided that that version offerred something more than the studio version did. It does, however, commit the cardinal sin of not placing the tracks in chronological order.
I always wonder who the intended audience is for releases like this. I figure some small label somewhere managed to get rights to release this collection and put it out there, but who is it for? If someone isn't a serious Tull fan, I suppose they might be "fooled" into buying this and thinking it's a regular Tull album and buy it in their initial attempt to explore them. If so, it's a pretty good mix tape, but they wouldn't have any way of knowing that. Serious Tull fans would recognize it for what it is -- a cash-grab by some minor label -- but it has a few rarities and oddities that the completists might want. Either way, it seems like there would be limited appeal, and relatively high risk overall.
Maybe Disky Communications was able to produce it for relatively cheap, so their profit margin was potentially a bit better than you might think. Again, I don't know how this all works. I would have assumed that Chrysalis retained the rights to material they'd released, but maybe they were willing to sell some for cheap because the contract with Jethro Tull was done and they weren't planning on doing anything with them anyway.
If I were intending to get into a band without knowing much about them, I would probably ask a friend for recommendations. I might even have them make a mix tape for me, and I did for countless folks back in the day; it was kinda my thing for a while. And the resulting collection of tunes might even resemble something like what we have here. Except that it would be chronological.
The liner notes contain a short history of Jethro Tull, starting humorously with the question "Didn't Jethro Tull die of a drug overdose?"
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There's been a ton to digest in the last week or so, and I'm still catching up on some of the 25th Anniversary stuff that I had ignored decades ago (and, come to find out, for good reason <sigh>). Read the two reviews of this release at https://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=16752 . I'd agree with them. 'Living In The Past' is from '92, and the 'Locomotive Breath' live version is from some time in the 70's, as Barlow, Palmer, and Glascock are credited.
I only recall this last release from using the cover for a combination 'best of' for 'Stand Up', 'Benefit', and the nonalbum 45s of that era.
UFO has interfered slightly, and I still need to enjoy another 'Roots to Branches' spin over the weekend.
btw....I was one who enjoyed 'Divinities'. It is on my agenda again for this Sunday morning's tea and newspaper.
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I think you're actually being converted, TAC. The flute is really out front a lot on this album, and I was sure that that wouldn't work for you. I'm happy to be wrong.
While I still owe a listen to the second half of Roots, what I like about Jethro Tull is the tight rhythm section. When that is the feature, it really doesn't matter whether it's the flute or guitar over it. That is what has been the real draw in their music for me.
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Interesting. While I appreciate a good rhythm section, I don't know if they're ever the main draw for me. The entire ensemble, and how they work together, is probably the most important thing for me. And a good rhythm section is a big part of that, just not the main thing I guess. Like I said, I'm glad I was wrong about this one.
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Interesting. While I appreciate a good rhythm section, I don't know if they're ever the main draw for me. The entire ensemble, and how they work together, is probably the most important thing for me. And a good rhythm section is a big part of that, just not the main thing I guess.
Well, yeah, especially in some of those earlier album, the ENTIRE band is locked in pretty good. But I like the tight core.
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Yeah, they had a run of five or six early albums with all the same lineup, and they got really tight. It's great when the whole band locks in like that.
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In 1999, Jethro Tull released their 20th studio album. The "dot com" boom was in full swing, and the title reflects that. This was to be their final studio album.
J-Tull Dot Com (1999) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C70T0QJ-5_4&list=OLAK5uy_k-SrZvYHhskahnUvtBIXL2zg1FLBqC8q4)
(https://i.imgur.com/gqMY3yv.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Bouzouki
Martin Barre - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar
Andrew Giddings - Piano, Keyboards, Hammond Organ, Accordion
Jonathan Noyce - Bass Guitar
Doane Perry - Drums, Percussion
Najma Akhtar – Backing Vocals on "Dot Com"
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Spiral 3:50
Dot Com 4:25
AWOL 5:19
Nothing @ All (Instrumental) (Andrew Giddings) 0:56
Wicked Windows 4:40
Hunt by Numbers 4:00
Hot Mango Flush (Martin Barre, Anderson) 3:49
El Niño 4:40
Black Mamba 5:00
Mango Surprise 1:14
Bends Like a Willow 4:53
Far Alaska 4:06
The Dog-Ear Years 3:34
A Gift of Roses 3:54
All compositions by Ian Anderson, except as noted
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Jonathan Noyce had played bass on Martin Barre's 1995 solo album The Meeting, and Ian Anderson recruited him to play bass on the tour supporting his Divinities album. Noyce officially joined Jethro Tull for the Roots to Branches tour. This is the first album with Andrew Giddings on keyboards and Noyce on bass, and they stayed with the band until 2007, resulting in the longest-lasting Jethro Tull lineup of all, although this is the only album of all-new material from this lineup.
This is the follow-up to Roots to Branches and feels much the same, and I like it. You wouldn't guess that it came four years later, but by this point both Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull were slowing down. The subject of advancing age shows up in the lyrics of "The Dog-Ear Years", "Wicked Windows" (reading glasses), and "Another Harry's Bar" and "Wounded, Old and Treacherous" from Roots to Branches.
More of the wild, Eastern-style flute playing, more Martin Barre blues-rock guitar, more Scottish Folk, and more World Music, all blended in a way you might not think would work, but it does. That has always been the genius of Ian Anderson; combining disparate influences into something completely new, yet somehow familiar.
Editorial/Rant: I hate it when credits include things like "Piano, Keyboards, Hammond Organ". A piano is a keyboard instrument. An organ (of which Hammond was but one manufacturer) is a keyboard instrument. I'm sure you're quite proud of that Hammond Organ, but come on, why not just say "Keyboards"? Or if you must elucidate, say "Piano, Organ, Synthesizers" or something. I'll give them "Accordion" which is unique enough that you would mention it separately, but technically it too is a keyboard instrument. End Rant.
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Ian says:
"With the advent of the internet, I thought we should have our own website. After some legal arm-wrestling with the cheeky owner of the name www.jethrotull.com, I beat him into submission in a Swiss court and got the name freed up for our use. The title track stands out, along with Hunt By Numbers and Wicked Windows – a reference to the heinous Heinrich Himmler of the bespoke dodgy specs. I was in the Auschwitz museum recently where the glasses of many incoming prisoners are on display. I thought of him while I was walking around. A lot."
From Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
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But I like the tight core.
Don't we all.
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I just listened to Roots and Branches and J-Tull Dot Com, and they're solid if unspectacular albums. There's some great playing but it seems... I don't know. Uninspired? Unemotional? Sometimes music grabs you and sometimes it doesn't. Doesn't mean it's not well-crafted or well-played, it just doesn't.
Interesting lyrics to AWOL, though.
Two other interesting bits:
- My copy has a hidden track after "A Gift Of Roses", namely, Ian's solo track "The Secret Language Of Birds", which is excellent, with a corny introduction by Ian himself.
- The song "Dot Com" has a guest vocal by Najma Akhtar (Orbert noted this). She does a BREATHTAKING duet with Robert Plant on "The Battle Of Evermore" on the "No Quarter: Unledded" CD/DVD. (Don't say I never did anything for you: https://youtu.be/wCQiPXDZHcc)
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Sorry, O! I fell a little behind. Just finished the back half of Roots. That's a damn cool album. I can't imagine any Tull fan from the 70's not being happy with that, especially after what Ian put then through in the 80's.
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'Indeed' as to 'Roots'. As to 'jtull.com', I listened to it for the very first time this week. The name 'scared' me, thinking it was some sort of electro pop again (Q2K had the same effect for a while....). Agree with Stadler, it is very well crafted, sounds quite good, his voice is fine, but there aren't too many moments that grabbed me.
During the 'break' between studio releases, they still did a ton of touring and were still selling out the 10-15K seat arenas (Anderson's vocals still hit or miss), hooked up with Mick Abrahams on an album and at conventions, Barre released a couple of solo efforts, and had Dave Pegg drop out to focus entirely on Fairport Convention.
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So here's where I'm guessing things are going to get pretty sparse, even more sparse than they've been lately. The next four years saw two more Ian Anderson solo albums, two more compilations, and finally The Jethro Tull Christmas Album (2003). There have been (as of this writing) four more Ian Anderson solo albums, and in an interview from sometime in the 2010's (I forget exactly when), Ian stated that Jethro Tull as an entity officially ceased to exist around 2004. Whether he decided on that year because the last Jethro Tull album came out the previous year, or the last Jethro Tull album came out because he had decided ahead of time that Jethro Tull would be ending after the Christmas album, wasn't clear.
But I'm going to cover all of Ian's solo albums as well as the final Jethro Tull album, because I've gone this far already and I'm a completist. Also I've heard them all, and I really think Ian's solo albums get better as we go. Obviously he's always been a musical genius, but that does not always translate to musical vituosity, and neither of those necessarily translate to music that people actually like. I really like Ian's solo albums. The Jethro Tull Discography is now officially The Jethro Tull/Ian Anderson Discography.
The Secret Language of Birds (2000) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnA965QQ1Rg&list=OLAK5uy_kHyuUj9PtzHuwkm4YGnY4gw8T5iZzkY_I)
(https://i.imgur.com/PjhNgKH.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Bouzouki, Acoustic Bass Guitar, Mandolin, Percussion, Piccolo
Andrew Giddings - Accordion, Piano, Organ, Marimba, Percussion, Electric Bass, Keyboards, Orchestral Sounds
Gerry Conway - Drums on "The Secret Language of Birds", "The Little Flower Girl"
Darrin Mooney - Drums on "Sanctuary", "The Secret Language of Birds, Pt.II"
James Duncan Anderson - Drums on "Panama Freighter"
Martin Barre - Electric Guitar on "Boris Dancing", "The Water Carrier"
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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
In the Grip of Stronger Stuff (unlisted bonus track on US release) 2:50
Thick as a Brick (unlisted bonus track on US release) 2:37
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The flute as an instrument has long been associated with the songs of birds. Sergei Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" more or less cemented that into the modern consciousness. (In a somewhat less well-known example, I was asked recently to contribute something "bird-like" via recorder to a composition about taking a walk in nature.) So here we have a collection of songs and instrumentals, some inspired by birds and nature.
Longtime collaborator Andrew Giddings is back again, and the vast majority of the tracks are just Ian and Andrew. The more "rocking" tracks feature actual drums, and Martin Barre even appears on a few tracks.
A lot of people might ask the question "What exactly is the difference between a Jethro Tull album and an Ian Anderson solo album, since Ian pretty much is Jethro Tull?" I think the answer lies in Ian's concept of the band as a vehicle for his music, and how the vehicle itself defines the music in some ways. [A] began as a solo album because Ian didn't think the music fit into what Jethro Tull was about at the time. He thought that getting into synthesizers and other electronic music was something more appropriately explored outside the band, and he had the means to do so, so he did. His attitude has changed a bit since then. Ian knows full well that Jethro Tull was primarily his vehicle, but simply prefers to use his own name rather than someone else's. And since the record labels as well as millions of fans seem to pretty much equate the two, he might as well.
I've reached the point where I explore new music, and often find new (to me) music that I enjoy quite a bit, but very few "new" albums and/or songs reach the point where I know them inside and out, like the albums I spent entire days listening to when I was a kid, reading every word of the lyrics and credits, checking out the pictures, knowing every member of the band and what they played, and every word to every song. Instead, I find new albums to add to my growing library on my hard drive, to play during the countless hours I spend on my computer working and playing. So while I really like this album a lot, and have listened to it three or four times now, I couldn't tell you much about the individual tracks. I'll let Ian himself do that:
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."
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Sorry O. I owe a listen to JTull.com
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Hey, I'm not trying to guilt-trip anyone; just explaining. Most of the discographies are like this, and it makes perfect sense. The "main albums" that everyone knows get a lot more participation. Often the really early stuff, or later stuff after the band's prime, get less discussion simply because fewer people have heard them and/or fewer people are interested in them. I'm pimping these later albums because I really do like them and want other people to experience them as well. I know the flute isn't everyone's favorite instrument, and Ian's voice by this point was definitely past its prime, but I still think his musicality and virtuosity shine through.
I feel like I spend most of my waking hours right here, on the computer, since it is both where I work and spend a significant amount of my leisure time. So I'm always looking for new music to check out, and I'm just trying to expose other people to it as well.
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But I like the tight core.
Don't we all.
:lol
In 1999, Jethro Tull released their 20th studio album. The "dot com" boom was in full swing, and the title reflects that. This was to be their final studio album.
J-Tull Dot Com (1999) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C70T0QJ-5_4&list=OLAK5uy_k-SrZvYHhskahnUvtBIXL2zg1FLBqC8q4)
(https://i.imgur.com/gqMY3yv.jpg)
Please tell me that's the Cat's (or whatever the hell that animal is) tail between his legs. ;D
WOW, this is a great album. Love the heaviness of it. It seems to be a collection of Tull styles from over the years. Spiral is a great tune, and Hunt By Numbers is so damn chunky.
A Gift Of Roses really feels classic.
The title track is the obvious dud to me, but I pretty much liked everything else. I'm putting this on the list to follow up on.
Jonathan Noyce would go on to play with Gary Moore, so I have heard of him before.
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I don't think that's his tail. And why anyone thought that that would be a good picture for an album cover is beyond me. Also, I was thinking it's a rat, but whatever the case, that picture is messed up, and is probably responsible for the poor sales of this album, because yeah, the album itself is pretty solid.
I had a few more lines about Noyce, but it's always a balancing act, figuring out how much to include about the individual members who have come and gone over the years. I found it more interesting that the Giddings-Noyce lineup is the longest-lasting lineup of all in terms of years, so I included that instead. Of course, it's easier to be in the longest-lasting lineup when you make one album and then the leader makes some solo albums and doesn't officially break up the band until several years later. Jethro Tull did continue touring pretty much constantly in the early 2000's, though. In fact, both Giddings and Noyce left the band in 2006, citing the constant touring and not enough time left to spend with family. That would make Ian's statement that the band officially ended around 2004 slightly off, though I'm pretty sure he did say "around 2004". I wish I could remember where I read that.
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I've reached the point where I explore new music, and often find new (to me) music that I enjoy quite a bit, but very few "new" albums and/or songs reach the point where I know them inside and out, like the albums I spent entire days listening to when I was a kid, reading every word of the lyrics and credits, checking out the pictures, knowing every member of the band and what they played, and every word to every song.
I think about this a lot, and sometimes it makes me very sad. For a couple bands - Kiss, Maiden, Sabbath, Yes, Genesis - I can tell you each song and where it falls on the album, who wrote it, and in some cases how long the song is - for their first couple albums. Even recent albums I LOVE, like Maiden's The Final Frontier, I'm not sure I can name all the songs on it (or even how many there are!).
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Yep. I consume albums these days the way most people consume songs. I put on an album I like, and let it play. If it's one I know from years ago, sure, I can tell you everything about it. But if it's newer, I couldn't tell you the names of the individual songs, or maybe just the ones that stuck out so much that I made the effort to find out. I just like the album, and it provides somewhere between 40 and 80 minutes of music while I work, or workout, or play.
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All positive reviews from http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=3810
Really well done. Acoustic and mandolin make all of these sound as if they could be inserted into a 70s album. By this time, one was used to the 'gentler' vocals. There's nothing 'heavy' or prog included, so there can be a 'sameness' type of feel, but it is yet another well composed and performed effort.
'The Habenero Reel' jumps out simply because it's a tad more upbeat and different.
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The Very Best of Jethro Tull (2001)
(https://i.imgur.com/uYw55xQ.jpg)
Living in the Past (Anderson, Terry Ellis; Non-album single, later from the album of the same name) 3:39
Aqualung (Anderson, Jennie Anderson; from Aqualung) 6:35
Sweet Dream (Non-album single, later from Living in the Past) 4:02
The Whistler (from Songs from the Wood) 3:28
Bungle in the Jungle (from War Child) 3:35
The Witch's Promise (Non-album single, later from Living in the Past) 3:49
Locomotive Breath (from Aqualung) 4:24
Steel Monkey (from Crest of a Knave) 3:36
Thick as a Brick (Edit #1) (edit of the first 3 minutes of the song; from the album of the same name) 3:00
Bourée (Anderson, Johann Sebastian Bach; instrumental; from Stand Up) 3:44
Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die (single edit; from the album of the same name) 3:54
Life Is a Long Song (from the EP of the same name; later from Living in the Past) 3:16
Songs from the Wood (from the album of the same name) 4:51
A New Day Yesterday (from Stand Up) 4:08
Heavy Horses (edit; from the album of the same name) 3:19
Broadsword (from The Broadsword and the Beast) 4:59
Roots to Branches (the CD pressings had mistaken the name of the song as "Root to Branches"; from the album of the same name) 5:11
A Song for Jeffrey (from This Was) 3:17
Minstrel in the Gallery (single edit; Anderson, Martin Barre; from the album of the same name) 3:49
Cheerio (from The Broadsword and the Beast) 1:10
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Another compilation. Apparently the big draw here is that Ian Anderson selected the tracks himself, and approved the new edits necessary to fit 20 songs onto a single CD. The cover is kinda cool.
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Jethro Tull toured in 2001, performing songs from throughout their history as well as some songs from Ian Anderson solo albums. In 2002, a double CD and a DVD, both titled Living with the Past, were released.
Living with the Past (2002)
(https://i.imgur.com/yh91hgG.jpg)
Intro 0:22
My Sunday Feeling 4:00
Roots to Branches 5:34
Jack in the Green 2:40
The Habanero Reel 4:03
Sweet Dream 4:54
In the Grip of Stronger Stuff (Instrumental) 2:57
Aqualung 8:20
Locomotive Breath 5:26
Living in the Past 3:27
Protect and Survive (Instrumental) 1:01
Nothing Is Easy 5:16
Wond'ring Aloud 1:54
Life Is a Long Song 3:32
A Christmas Song 3:05
Cheap Day Return 1:12
Mother Goose 1:57
Dot Com 4:28
Fat Man 5:06
Some Day the Sun Won't Shine for You 4:13
Cheerio 1:36
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Disc One of the CD version of Living with the Past is live material from the Hammersmith Apollo show on November 20, 2001 (track listing above). Disc Two is yet another compilation of earlier material.
The DVD is quite different from the CD. It is not a concert video, but instead a retrospective look at the band, with includes historical footage and interview snippets as well as live footage. The good news is that the live performances aren't broken up; they are included in their entirety. It's just that you get interviews and stuff in between. "Some Day the Sun Won't Shine for You" is from a one-off reunion concert from the original lineup (Mick Abrahams, Ian Anderson, Clive Bunker, Glenn Cornick).
I couldn't find a YouTube link to the album on CD, but I did find what appears to be the complete DVD posted in multiple parts.
Living with the Past, Part I (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxNlm_VEgbk)
Living with the Past, Part II (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNO8k1-uzHQ)
Living with the Past, Part III (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuvAr4FMtI8)
Living with the Past, Part IV (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSf9NvQgoxk)
Living with the Past, Part V (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4gLE8_7NgE)
Living with the Past, Part VI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqc0r6MSevw)
Living with the Past, Part VII (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db4Ed2LstT4)
I like the DVD. You hear a lot from the other members of the band, and their impressions, instead of just Ian all the time.
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Thanks for putting all the youtube links together. I skimmed through various points of a couple, and will certainly check them out at a later date. Found the 'bar' performances quite enjoyable. Also wanted to comment and ask your thoughts regarding the stage performances. 'Roots to Branches' was terrific, but that is Ian singing to later material that fit his current limited range. 'Aqualung' and other older material was a tough listen for me, though I knew full well in advance that it would be that way.
'The Very Best of'... yet another compilation. I had searched around for a couple of tracks months ago, specifically the shortened versions of 'Too Old...' and 'Heavy Horses'. I liked and have used the 'Too Old...' version for my compilations since, as the album version's additional two minutes just kind of dragged for me, and it also meant I couldn't use it due to time restraints. Meanwhile, as to 'Heavy Horses'.....that was somewhat of an 'ouch'. No middle section, but suprisingly, no instrumental intro. All the songs were remastered, and they did have the common sense to use the original 'Aqualung' and not that odd remix used for 'M.U.' and 'Original Masters'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBi1GJaZYlo (a more recent and better 'horse' visuals at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GnJFeKhMu4)
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Going back in time: I'm will go back to the 'Aqualung' era and insert this into a post, as someone just uploaded this concert a month ago from the LA Forum in June of '71. Good quality, very receptive audience, and concerts from this era of decent quality are hard to find.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9g2se9nT7Q
Support: Fanny, Livingston Taylor (a week later Yes would open in Edmonton...their first North America concert....)
First verified appearence of 'Hard-Headed English General'.
My God (w. flute solo, incl. Bourée), With You There To Help Me/By Kind Permission Of..., Sossity: You're A Woman/Reasons For Waiting, Nothing Is Easy, To Cry You A Song, Aqualung, Cross-Eyed Mary (w. drum solo), Wind-Up/Guitar Solo, Locomotive Breath, Hard-Headed English General, Wind-Up (reprise)
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There's tons of great live Jethro Tull on youtube. I'm not familiar enough to subject myself to an audio boot, but there's so many great videos from way back.
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This is the only show I've been able to find of that tour this year that is complete.
(a Springsteen performance at Joe Louis Arena in '81....that I attended....was uploaded four years ago. I was in heaven. I downloaded and saved it, fortunately, as I was going to post the link a few months back in that thread.....but it is no longer available <sigh>)
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Also wanted to comment and ask your thoughts regarding the stage performances. 'Roots to Branches' was terrific, but that is Ian singing to later material that fit his current limited range. 'Aqualung' and other older material was a tough listen for me, though I knew full well in advance that it would be that way.
I love live music. I love the energy, I love watching people doing what they were born to do and enjoying it, and I can appreciate everything that goes into it. Maybe it's because I myself am a musician and love to perform live, but I'll watch and listen to just about anything performed live. My wife and kids are totally baffled by this. I will literally watch videos of bands and music I don't even like because I'm so captivated by the performance itself.
Ian Anderson is smart, and knows very well his weaknesses and strengths and how to craft a show to emphasize the strengths and downplay the weaknesses. For as much whining as I've read about his voice in later shows, I've yet to see/hear anything that really turned me off. Sure, I love hearing a great voice, but the quality of the voice is still not nearly as important to me as the performance itself. Does it convey nuance and expression, emotion, feeling? That's what counts. And it took me a while to warm up to Ian's stage presence; his "character" of the travelling minstrel and his way of making it clear that the performance is exactly that, a performance, kept him at arm's length. But now that I'm used to it and know what to expect, I thought it's all great.
TAC mentioned that there are a lot of great Jethro Tull videos on YouTube, and I've watched a bunch of them. I'm blown away every time. Ian doesn't sound like he used to. Doesn't matter. There's someone else up there singing most of the time now. Doesn't matter. Is it a good performance? Does it grab me, do they sell it, is it worth watching? If I were there, would I be totally digging it? If yes, then what's the problem? A good performance is a good performance. That's all that matters.
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And let's not get too far afield: it's not as if he was Freddie Mercury or Bruce Dickinson back in '72, either. He always had a very English, very spoken-word sort of style to his voice.
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I was thinking of a couple of those artists after reading Orbert’s comments earlier today. As well as LaBrie, Paul Stanley, Geoff Tate, and, of all people, Alice Cooper.
I’ve listened to some/most/all of around a hundred Queen performances. Freddie had many subpar to poor nights, often due to nodule problems or colds from so many North American tours in the winter. And I’ll bet 99% of those attending those shows didn’t notice. LaBrie…for seventeen years of being at DT concerts, I’ve noticed the occasional note or verse being off, and know him and each bandmate have had an occasional off moment or evening, but I’ve never left a show feeling anything other than admiration and elation.
Alice Cooper has somehow managed to stay ‘in the range’ all these decades later. Not smoking sure helped, unlike Tate, Anderson, and Mercury (whose vocals did rebound once he quit for his last five years). Looking way back, before ’84 or so when the initial problems occurred, I would have thought Ian would be somewhat ‘Cooperish’ in the 90s and later. You know, kind of like an uncle (or a Walter Cronkite) whose voice seemed the same for decades, not as similar to Stanley on his last tour (how that man managed all those decades with all the screaming dialogues alone though is amazing).
Hope that made sense.
All the band and solo studio LPs from ‘Crest of A Knave’ were solid and enjoyable, the good to very good songs far outweighing the weak track or two, vocal limitations be damned. He adapted, the songwriting adapted, and his flute playing, which I had always enjoyed, went way up once he learned how to play it 'correctly'. Wish I could have been so good at doing something 'wrong'. ;)
Only a handful of reviews for ‘Living With The Past’ https://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=7169
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I know I'm a fan boy, but while I concede Paul is no longer what he was (remember, he's 68 though) but given the amount of touring Kiss has done over the years, his run of "good voice" from '73 through about 2013 is almost unprecedented. That's 40 years.
I've seen Kiss more than any other band, and I can't name a show where he was in BAD voice (notwithstanding the 2014 tour, after his surgery).
By the way, I'm with DragonAttack; I rarely listen to bootleg vids of shows I've gone to, because the vocals (actually, all the performance) are often very different than what I remember. This isn't a legal negotiation, this isn't a life or death thing; I'm very fine with my flawed perception and my positive memories. :) :) :)
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Listening to live bootleg recordings to me is very different from watching live videos. In both cases, the audio and the performances themselves can be imperfect, but if I'm watching it, then there's the visual element as well. It doesn't "distract" from the audio per se, but it often informs it. Like if there's a spot where the vocals don't come in quite right; if you're watching, you see the guys running around, jamming off of each other, that kind of thing, then the singer runs up to the microphone and doesn't quite get there in time, but whatever, it's live. If you're just listening to the audio, you don't know any of that; you just hear the singer come in late and out of breath. Or if there's a funky bad spot in the guitar solo. On the audio, you just hear some bad notes, but on the video you see a roadie on the stage trying to fix something and actually bump into the guitarist, and you can laugh at it.
As for watching/listening to video of a show you were actually at, I think the element of "being there" plays into it. With concerts, the event can be as important as the show itself. You're there with thousands of people, there's an atmosphere, there's the show, and if they don't get every note perfect, whatever. But sitting in your living room, those bad notes stick out. There's nothing to distract from them. In that case, I would think that the "flawed perception and positive memories" are more important than the band getting every note perfect.
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For Orbert and TAC, ‘Something’s On The Move’, Long Beach ’79 (two nights before John Glascock died).
Just uploaded four weeks ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u2qUfjFPOQ
On the ‘pirate ship’, Evans in his parka :D. In spite of all the bows and 'thank you good nights' and walking off the stage, this was not the end of the concert proper or the encore, just the end of the thirty minute ‘Stormwatch’ beginning set. After a long applause and intro by Anderson, ‘Aqualung’ follows. (I’ll go back and edit an earlier ‘Stormwatch’ post with this and other songs from this concert)
It is videos like this that I can watch and really enjoy. The camera angles don't change every five seconds, I get to see the stage often, other band members, and not just someone’s hands dancing on a keyboard or guitar while so much else is going on with the lights and other musicians.
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Oh wow! That is glorious footage.
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Now that's what I'm talking about.
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Cool footage. I love that you can clearly hear Barre's signature tone, even in concert. Ian sounds great here.
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'Dun Rungill' and some comedy, and snow falling on stage in Long Beach '79 (uploaded in May) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY_W-Qesf30 and 'Aqualung' uploaded last week! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h11dOh5vde4 ('jethro tull long beach' search on youtube will bring up the other results).
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As to 'Living With The Past', I have had a chance now to check out more than a few minutes of each song, and other than 'Sweet Dream', Ian's voice was OK/good/quite good for the rest. Being able to listen to it loud for a change always helps. ;) The use of different footage from color to black and white and back was a bit distracting at times, but I understand the reasons for it, and was fine with it. The performances were really spot on. :tup
The ending cuts between the youtube segments are a bit disappointing ('Aqualung' stopping thirty seconds before the end, then starting the next link) but I got to watch it for free, the next link would start right off the bat with no commercials, so that's a minor quibble. I'm saving the interviews for later, though I enjoyed the little bits of banter regarding Doane Perry's 'small bongos' and the 'squeezy (squeegie?) thing :D
Being honest.....you know I absolutely loved the 70s material and just generally 'like' and 'appreciate' this era, but this introspective/retrospective offering is really damn good+.
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Yeah, I liked the interview stuff this time for some reason. Usually, I just want to get back to the live concert footage, but it's so rare to hear from anyone other than Ian that I was really digging it. I'm sure there's interview footage around from the other guys, but since I don't usually seek out such stuff, I rarely see it. Since it was here, I checked it out, and found most of it pretty interesting.
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Rupi's Dance (2003) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m00r5rIAp-0&list=OLAK5uy_mnoJWgg2179XbpbQozCmxmHI30xOG-dvw)
(https://i.imgur.com/WIpkhS8.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Bamboo Flute, Accordion, Bass, Percussion
Ossi Schaller - Guitar
George Kopecsni - Guitar
Laszlo Bencker - Piano, Hammond B-3 Organ, Mellotron, Keyboards
John O'Hara - Accordion, Keyboard
Andrew Giddings - Keyboards, Bass
David Goodier - Stand-up Bass, Bass Guitar
Leslie Mandoki - Drums, Percussion
James Duncan - Drums
The Sturcz String Quartet
GUESTS:
Doane Perry - Drums on bonus track
Martin Barre - Electric Guitar on bonus track
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Calliandra Shade (The Cappuccino Song) 5:02
Rupi's Dance 3:00
Lost in Crowds 5:37
A Raft of Penguins 3:34
A Week of Moments 4:27
A Hand of Thumbs 4:02
Eurology 3:14
Old Black Cat 3:40
Photo Shop 3:20
Pigeon Flying over Berlin Zoo 4:18
Griminelli's Lament 2:56
Not Ralitsa Vassileva 4:45
Two Short Planks 4:00
BONUS TRACK
Birthday Card at Christmas 3:37
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Another Ian Anderson solo album. Unlike his previous solo album The Secret Language of Birds, which was largely instrumentals, this one is mostly songs, although each song has instrumental sections, sometimes pretty well developed. With occassional heavier sections, this one sounds almost like Jethro Tull in parts, but it's pretty definitely an Ian Anderson solo album. This is what Ian was writing at the time. With a host of additional musicians and an actual string quartet - often within the same song - this album has a nice variety in sounds and styles.
The "bonus track" is actually a preview for The Jethro Tull Christmas Album, which is why Martin Barre and Doane Perry are on it. It's the opening track to what would be the final Jethro Tull album.
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Orbert Says:
Sometimes people ask things like "What is the difference between Jethro Tull and Ian Anderson solo, if he writes it all anyway?" I suppose on the surface, they might sound similar, but hopefully by this point the differences are pretty obvious. There is a certain sound which Ian considers the Jethro Tull sound. This delineation got broken when [A] ended up being a Jethro Tull album and not a solo album as he'd originally intended, but with that knowledge, it actually makes the point more clear. Even though [A] was mostly a band effort, it went in a different direction from previous Jethro Tull albums, and is why Ian thought it was more appropriate to call it a solo album.
In the 90's and 00's, the divide continued, with Ian Anderson still defining what he feels Jethro Tull should be, and basically he just wasn't feeling Jethro Tull any more. He's said that he wants to continue to create music, but likes that he can actually do it under his own name, not someone else's, and without having to consider whether it fits any preconception.
I know this music isn't everyone's bag of tea, but I encourage everyone to at least check it out, because I think it's all great.
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Had never given this a thought before, but, due to your comments, ...well, it was quite good. Very good, in fact. There are zero complaints from me regarding Ian's vocals. In fact, he is in fine voice here, and I enjoyed it more than 'Birds'. Maybe it's because I needed something to mellow out to after the Ravens loss ;)
I was finally able to listen to the first half of the Tull LA Forum '71 boot that I just came across last week. So much 'free form' playing. If there was one tiny little negative to this release, it is the absence of any 6-10 minute tunes. A very small quibble. There were more than a few songs that would easily have fit in on the 70s Tull releases as 'mood' or 'flow' changes, due somewhat to the use of the small 'orchestra'. Took me back to what David Palmer added to those releases.
The xmas song 'bonus' was obviously done as a sales pitch. I found the listening experience better on my second go round by skipping over it.
Very favorable reviews at https://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=4296
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Secret Language didn't do much for me, but Rupi's Dance is very good in my opinion. A nice surprise, especially because somehow it's ugly cover set expectations low And I agree, the vocals are notably nice on this one. I like Lost in Crowds and Photo Shop in particular.
Haven't checked out Dot Com yet, will probably combine that with the next one.
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Less than a month after the release of Ian Anderson's solo album Rupi's Dance, Jethro Tull released what was to be their final album, though no one knew it at the time.
The Jethro Tull Christmas Album (2003) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr6TSEu2NUA&list=OLAK5uy_mnVYUtyJbjwxABISnbNerYMPu_x7L41f0&index=1)
(https://imgur.com/qtIV9ZN.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin, Piccolo, Percussion
Martin Barre - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar
Andrew Giddings - Keyboards, Accordion
Jonathan Noyce - Bass Guitar
Doane Perry - Drums, Percussion
James Duncan - Additional Drums and Percussion
Dave Pegg - Additional Bass Guitar and Mandolin
The Sturcz String Quartet:
Gábor Csonka - 1st Violin
Péter Szilágyi - 2nd Violin
Gyula Benkő - Viola
András Sturcz - Cello (Leader)
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Birthday Card at Christmas (Ian Anderson) 3:37
Holly Herald (Instrumental medley arranged by Anderson) 4:16
A Christmas Song (Anderson) 2:47
Another Christmas Song (Anderson) 3:31
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Trad. instrumental arranged by Anderson) 4:35
Jack Frost and the Hooded Crow (Anderson) 3:37
Last Man at the Party (Anderson) 4:48
Weathercock (Anderson) 4:17
Pavane (Instrumental, Gabriel Fauré, arranged by Anderson) 4:19
First Snow on Brooklyn (Anderson) 4:57
Greensleeved (Trad. instrumental based on "Greensleeves". Arranged by Anderson) 2:39
Fire at Midnight (Anderson) 2:26
We Five Kings (Instrumental "We Three Kings", Rev. J. Hopkins, arranged by Anderson) 3:16
Ring Out Solstice Bells (Anderson) 4:04
Bourée (Instrumental J. S. Bach, arranged by Anderson) 4:25
A Winter Snowscape (Instrumental, Martin Barre) 4:57
Starting in 2009, a second CD with the live recording Christmas at St Bride's 2008 has been included.
Weathercock (Ian Anderson) 4:41
Introduction: Rev. George Pitcher / Choir: What Cheer (William Walton) 3:32
A Christmas Song (Anderson) 3:19
Living in These Hard Times (Anderson) 3:44
Choir: Silent Night (Traditional) 3:06
Reading: Ian Anderson, Marmion (Sir Walter Scott) 2:17
Jack in the Green (Anderson) 2:33
Another Christmas Song (Anderson) 3:56
Reading: Gavin Esler, God's Grandeur (Gerard Manley Hopkins) 1:50
Choir: Oh, Come All Ye Faithful (Traditional) 3:50
Reading: Mark Billingham, The Ballad of The Breadman (Charles Causley) 3:33
A Winter Snowscape (Martin Barre) 3:39
Reading: Andrew Lincoln, Christmas (Sir John Betjeman) 3:12
Fires at Midnight (Anderson) 3:38
We Five Kings (Instrumental "We Three Kings", Rev. J. Hopkins, arranged by Anderson) 3:19
Choir: Gaudete (Trad. arranged by Anderson) 3:39
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen / Thick as a Brick (Trad. arranged by Anderson / Anderson) 10:25
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First things first: Yes, this is a genuine Jethro Tull album. It rocks, it lays back, sometimes it jams, and sometimes it stays more inside the lines. The arrangements are Tull. And it's also a Christmas album. Contemporary arrangements of traditional Christmas songs and other "seasonally appropriate" songs from the Jethro Tull repertoire. No recycling, though; these are new versions of "A Christmas Song", "Another Christmas Song" and all the rest. "Bourée" has gone through many changes over the years -- it's different in every live Tull recording I've heard -- and it's different again here. And the addition of the live second CD makes this a very nice set indeed.
I have to admit that I sometimes have a hard time with contemporary Christmas albums. I'm old, and old-fashioned. Like many of us, I have fond, hazy memories of Christmases past and the wonderful music that comes with the season. A lot of times, hearing the traditional songs updated and rocked out just sounds "wrong" to my ears, even as I admire the musicianship and the clever, imaginative arrangements. When I arrange Christmas music for the various ensembles at my church, I come up with (IMO) some pretty clever stuff, but the overall "feel" is always close to what people are familiar with. That's at least partly because it's what my audience is expecting; the rest of it is because I don't have the imagination that Ian Anderson does. Taking "We Three Kings", playing it in 5/8, and calling it "We Five Kings" would never occur to me, yet here it is. It's brilliantly arranged and executed, and I'm still not sure how much I like it. Rocking or jazzed-up versions of traditional songs are hit-or-miss for me.
But I also know that most people don't have the prejudice against such things that I do. A lot of people I know absolutely love hearing rocked-up versions of traditional Christmas songs. Sometimes I do as well; I'm not going to name-drop yet because I don't want to distract too much from the album at hand, but some of my favorite Christmas music is material released in the past 20 or 30 years.
Two things I'll praise unequivocably are the arrangements and the performances. This is great stuff. And it's also Jethro Tull. So I suppose if you're going to go out with a bang, this is one way to do it. This album was the biggest seller for Jethro Tull since 1987's Crest of a Knave.
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Ian says:
"When the record company suggested we do a Christmas album, my immediate reaction was no, but I started to wonder if there was a way to do something not altogether cheesy and trivial. So I came up with some variations on Christmas carols, looking at the 'other side' of Christmas. Some Tull material was re-recorded as I already had a few pieces in the repertoire that touched on the spirit of winter. Birthday Card At Christmas is special for me as my daughter’s birthday is on December 22 and it tends to be glossed over in the days before Christmas."
From Every Jethro Tull album in Ian Anderson's own words (https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-jethro-tull-album-in-ian-andersons-own-words)
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Orbert says:
When I read that, I immediately sympathized. One of my best friends from the old neighborhood was born on Christmas Day, which means that every year, friends and many family members take the "shortcut" of getting him one present for both Christmas and his birthday. And it's no one's fault, but something that most people take for granted, celebrating a birthday as your special day, is completely overshadowed by something else, every year. What a rip-off! For that reason, I always make it a point to wish him a Happy Birthday on Christmas every year.
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I'm planning on getting to this over the weekend.
I know I've been zoning out on the Ian solo stuff, but I do at least want to stay on track with the Tull Proper albums.
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It's worth it. Plus, this is the last proper album, so you kinda have to.
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The Return Of The Weathercock :metal :lol
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Surprised he didn’t recycle Ring Out, Solstice Bells for this one. Based on his description, it seems like the perfect blend for the theme.
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I'd forgotten about that one! It would definitely fit right in.
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I love this album. It's always in my rotation during Christmas / New Year time. Another Christmas Song and First Snow on Brooklyn are fantastic.
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I have to admit that I sometimes have a hard time with contemporary Christmas albums. I'm old, and old-fashioned. Like many of us, I have fond, hazy memories of Christmases past and the wonderful music that comes with the season. A lot of times, hearing the traditional songs updated and rocked out just sounds "wrong" to my ears, even as I admire the musicianship and the clever, imaginative arrangements. When I arrange Christmas music for the various ensembles at my church, I come up with (IMO) some pretty clever stuff, but the overall "feel" is always close to what people are familiar with. That's at least partly because it's what my audience is expecting; the rest of it is because I don't have the imagination that Ian Anderson does. Taking "We Three Kings", playing it in 5/8, and calling it "We Five Kings" would never occur to me, yet here it is. It's brilliantly arranged and executed, and I'm still not sure how much I like it. Rocking or jazzed-up versions of traditional songs are hit-or-miss for me.
But I also know that most people don't have the prejudice against such things that I do. A lot of people I know absolutely love hearing rocked-up versions of traditional Christmas songs. Sometimes I do as well; I'm not going to name-drop yet because I don't want to distract too much from the album at hand, but some of my favorite Christmas music is material released in the past 20 or 30 years.
I have some relatively current Christmas songs I like, but generally they are newer songs and not covers of traditional stuff. I'm sort of with you on this. I like the IDEA of, say, Gary Hoey doing surf/metal covers of Christmas tunes, but they never seem to satisfy in the listening. Yet I could listen to Elvis' Christmas Album all day long.
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It would be nearly a decade before any new studio work was released by Ian Anderson, and it wasn't immediately known whether Jethro Tull was on hiatus again, or actually disbanded. There was no announcement, and Ian himself did not make it clear until asked several years later. In the meantime, a number of live releases came out, which can be seen as either cash grabs or some long-vaulted live material finally being released. I suppose it depends on how big of a Jethro Tull fan you were.
Nothing Is Easy: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 (2004) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOPtkngoa1A&list=OLAK5uy_lbicJjzMYWkIRlE3bhnlxgrB0BMUoVMBA)
(https://imgur.com/4FGurjG.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Acoustic Guitar, Flute, Vocals
Martin Barre - Guitars
Clive Bunker - Drums
Glenn Cornick - Bass
John Evan - Keyboards
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My Sunday Feeling 5:22
My God 7:33
With You There to Help Me 10:00
To Cry You a Song 5:42
Bourée 4:36
Dharma for One 10:10
Nothing Is Easy 5:38
We Used to Know / For a Thousand Mothers 10:37
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The famous Isle of Wight gig, from the very early days of Jethro Tull. Martin Barre had joined the band by this time, and John Evan appears on keyboards even though he had not yet officially joined the band.
Live albums were different back then. You could have extended jams and solos and other things you can't do today because there's no way to click-track them and synchronize them to your expensive amazing impressive sound and light show. This early version of "My God" contains an extended flute solo, "With You There to Help Me" has the piano solo, "Dharma for One" incorporates the drum solo, and Martin Barre's guitar solo bridges the two songs which make up the final track.
Sound quality isn't bad, and it's definitely a "warts and all" recording, giving a nice peek into the early live Jethro Tull. A DVD version with the same title but slightly different track listing was released a few months later, in early 2005.
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Live albums were different back then. You could have extended jams and solos and other things you can't do today because there's no way to click-track them and synchronize them to your expensive amazing impressive sound and light show. This early version of "My God" contains an extended flute solo, "With You There to Help Me" has the piano solo, "Dharma for One" incorporates the drum solo, and Martin Barre's guitar solo bridges the two songs which make up the final track.
Word up on that one. I was watching a couple DVDs of old - early 70's footage - of Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, and they just strolled on stage, with the house lights up, took up their instruments and started to play. No fanfare, no curtain drop, whatever, and the music just flowed. If Page or Blackmore wanted to vamp for ten minutes during Whole Lotta Love/Space Truckin' (and they usually did) then they vamped. I kind of miss that.
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At the other end of the timeline thus far, we have the live recording of Aqualung (the album) from 2004 and released in 2005.
Aqualung Live (2005) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbkyPE_4LyM&list=OLAK5uy_n44sSTkINNKR7dIcydZX45L1vGJAqCJH4)
(https://imgur.com/aKTu1Vu.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Flute, Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Martin Barre - Electric Guitar
Andrew Giddings - Keyboards
Jonathan Noyce - Bass
Doane Perry - Drums, Percussion
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Aqualung 7:56
Cross-Eyed Mary 4:34
Cheap Day Return 1:21
Mother Goose 5:39
Wond'ring Aloud 2:00
Up to Me 3:35
My God 8:27
Hymn 43 4:22
Slipstream 0:59
Locomotive Breath 5:19
Wind-Up 6:40
Riffs – Another Monkey 1:27
Recording the Original 2:05
Choosing My Words with Care 1:17
Hummmmmm 43 0:35
A Different Kettle of Very Different Fish 1:02
But is It Any Good? 1:42
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This is an intimate recording before an audience of 40 people at XM Studios in Washington, D.C. Royalties from the European release went to various charities benefitting the homeless. It was given away to ticket holders at almost all U.S. concerts in October and November 2005 (presumably because arranging having the proceeds go to charity proved too much of a hassle). It was eventually released in the U.S. in March 2006.
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In 2004, Ian Anderson embarked on a series of concerts with the Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neue_Philharmonie_Frankfurt) called "Ian Anderson Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull". The performance on December 8, 2004 was recorded and released on both CD and DVD in 2005. The concert tour with Ian, the orchestra, and conductor John O'Hara continued throughout Europe and the U.S. from 2004 to 2006.
Ian Anderson Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull (2005) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyb41bVtJ90&list=OLAK5uy_m0mOo2GSnP2F8gRE8yMvSRD0mLnSj1zw8)
(https://imgur.com/pLOQyfB.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Flute, Bamboo Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
James Duncan - Drums, Percussion
David Goodier - Bass Guitar, Glockenspiel
John O'Hara - Keyboards, Accordion
Florian Opahle - Acoustic and Electric Guitar
Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt
Soloists:
Kathrin Troester - Flute
Sibylle Wähnert - Bassoon
Astrid Cienia - Oboe
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Eurology 3:30
Calliandra Shade (The Cappuccino Song) 5:42
Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day 4:03
Up the Pool 3:22
We Five Kings 3:32
Life Is a Long Song 3:34
In the Grip of Stronger Stuff 3:02
Wond'ring Aloud 2:11
Griminelli's Lament 3:10
Cheap Day Return 1:27
Mother Goose 5:46
Bourée 5:17
Boris Dancing 3:31
Living in the Past 4:48
Pavane 4:37
Aqualung 10:24
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 4:58
My God 8:52
Budapest 14:04
Locomotive Breath 6:42
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By 2004, you could feel Ian Anderson looking for ways to expand beyond Jethro Tull, yet somehow still embrace the name recognition which came with it. This was one of the results. Tull fans of course knew that there was no Jethro Tull without him, but more casual audiences didn't necessarily know the name Ian Anderson. So you have this rather unwieldy name for a concert series, CD, and DVD. Note that the track listing actually starts off not with a Jethro Tull song, but an Ian Anderson solo track, one of several in the set list. In addition to the orchestra, which doesn't actually join until Track 6, Ian is accompanied by a small band, essentially a substitute "Jethro Tull Lite" (guitar, keys, bass, drums). So Ian was fine with the orchestrations, but still felt the need to have a band as well.
The link above is to the DVD, ripped into individual tracks. The audio quality is fine, but I hope that the DVD has better video quality than this, and that the YouTube version is the result of poor video compression.
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Will edit and add some content to this post later....curr
In the meantime, being somewhat of a numbers geek, I'll touch on the record charts briefly for the recent album listings. 'The Very Best of Jethro Tull' actually went Gold in the UK (only the third one on the Isles....six others went Silver per Wiki). This was their first certification there since 'Rock Island'.
'Living With The Past' went Gold in the States and Canada. Thirteen of the first sixteen official releases went Gold in the States, and this was the first since 'Crest of A Knave'.
I'm only familiar with the original one 'Christmas' disc, which has been an annual December for the past decade. I do prefer the original 'A Christmas Song' and 'Ring Out Solstice Bells' (and 'Weathercock' :D) but these revisions fit in and work. 'Jack Frost and the Hooded Crow', from the 'Broadsword' sessions, was my favorite of that 'album' (though it was not released until the 20th anniversary box set. Without the 80s percussion mix, it is even better. This LP is a truly enjoyable listen.
'Nothing Is Easy': finally heard it this year. Damnit.....a shame it wasn't available decades ago.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Wight_Festival_1970
The night that Tull performed: Kris Kristofferson, Free, Joan Baez, Leonard Cohen, Donovan, The Moody Blues, Hendrix, Richie Havens, and others....
(time to go back and listen to a VH boot)
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I have to admit that I sometimes have a hard time with contemporary Christmas albums. I'm old, and old-fashioned. Like many of us, I have fond, hazy memories of Christmases past and the wonderful music that comes with the season. A lot of times, hearing the traditional songs updated and rocked out just sounds "wrong" to my ears, even as I admire the musicianship and the clever, imaginative arrangements. When I arrange Christmas music for the various ensembles at my church, I come up with (IMO) some pretty clever stuff, but the overall "feel" is always close to what people are familiar with. That's at least partly because it's what my audience is expecting; the rest of it is because I don't have the imagination that Ian Anderson does. Taking "We Three Kings", playing it in 5/8, and calling it "We Five Kings" would never occur to me, yet here it is. It's brilliantly arranged and executed, and I'm still not sure how much I like it. Rocking or jazzed-up versions of traditional songs are hit-or-miss for me.
But I also know that most people don't have the prejudice against such things that I do. A lot of people I know absolutely love hearing rocked-up versions of traditional Christmas songs. Sometimes I do as well; I'm not going to name-drop yet because I don't want to distract too much from the album at hand, but some of my favorite Christmas music is material released in the past 20 or 30 years.
I have some relatively current Christmas songs I like, but generally they are newer songs and not covers of traditional stuff. I'm sort of with you on this. I like the IDEA of, say, Gary Hoey doing surf/metal covers of Christmas tunes, but they never seem to satisfy in the listening. Yet I could listen to Elvis' Christmas Album all day long.
I like Elvis' Christmas Album because he's basically singing the songs "straight". Not rocking them up, not trying to do anything fancy with them, just singing them with feeling and that glorious voice. That approach always has a better chance with me.
Some of the less traditional yet mostly awesome music of recent years is the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Pretty obvious, yeah I know. Most people know "Sarajevo" (the one based on "Carol of the Bells") and some of the others. We went ahead and bought all the albums, and most of it's really good. "Carol of the Bells", despite being a capella, has a certain intensity to it that somehow translates well to a heavy metal treatment. I think that's why it works for me. The "feel" is the same even if the setting is not, and they didn't mess with the timing or the melody.
I also like Brian Setzer's rockabilly/big band Christmas stuff. He brings something new and different to it, but also respects the source material.
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Live albums were different back then. You could have extended jams and solos and other things you can't do today because there's no way to click-track them and synchronize them to your expensive amazing impressive sound and light show. This early version of "My God" contains an extended flute solo, "With You There to Help Me" has the piano solo, "Dharma for One" incorporates the drum solo, and Martin Barre's guitar solo bridges the two songs which make up the final track.
Word up on that one. I was watching a couple DVDs of old - early 70's footage - of Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, and they just strolled on stage, with the house lights up, took up their instruments and started to play. No fanfare, no curtain drop, whatever, and the music just flowed. If Page or Blackmore wanted to vamp for ten minutes during Whole Lotta Love/Space Truckin' (and they usually did) then they vamped. I kind of miss that.
Even in the 80's, when we were playing in bars, we'd go all the way with the jams. If the song had a guitar solo, there's always a chance that we'd double it up, and we'd fuck with each other just to keep each other on our toes. Is he gonna keep going? Are we coming back for the verse, or what? And if it's one of those songs that goes into a solo at the end, it was completely open-ended. Pete, our guitarist, was very excited about his early Nady wireless rig, which meant he could leave the stage and go running through the place while soloing. We'd keep the rhythm going and eventually developed some things to do with the chords (similar to how the live solo in "Stairway to Heaven" goes through some changes that aren't on the studio version), and he'd just keep going. People loved that. To me, that's part of the glory of live music. The fact that it's live.
The band I'm in now has a totally "modern approach" to that. No open-ended solos, everything has to be in groups of eight or 16 or 32 bars, blah blah blah. If there's a solo at the end, we have to agree on the number of times to repeat the pattern, then do our predefined ending. Hell, last year we started using a click-track. Drummer's ears only, because I can't play with one and neither can some of the others, but our drummer, incredibly, has tempo issues, so I guess the click is good. At least we don't start songs too damned fast or too damned slow. People can sing the praises of click-tracks all they want, but saying that they don't take anything away from live performance is bullshit. Of course they do. They remove one of the most important aspects of it, the fact that it's live. End rant.
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I have never....NOT EVEN ONCE...jumped on that whole "I miss MP" bandwagon. But when you guys talk about show improvisations, and then I think back to the BTL live jam on Budokan....
I miss MP now. :'(
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I never jumped on, either, but there are definitely some things that MP brought to DT that I miss.
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OK, just listened to The Christmas Album. I really must say that it is spectacular. I fucking love Christmas time. I know, obvious statement is obvious. But I really do, and when it comes to Christmas music, I am musically open, where I am otherwise usually closed.
I might even get this. I can totally put this on and it would be perfect. I really like it, and if that's the last studio album, then they go out winners. This was a fantastic listen and it gave me goosebumps.
I also checked out that Aqualung Live album. That's really cool. I like that it was an intimate audience like that. Gives more credibility to it, for me, as opposed to some "we're gonna play Aqualung in it's entirety" type of tour.
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I have to admit that I sometimes have a hard time with contemporary Christmas albums. I'm old, and old-fashioned. Like many of us, I have fond, hazy memories of Christmases past and the wonderful music that comes with the season. A lot of times, hearing the traditional songs updated and rocked out just sounds "wrong" to my ears, even as I admire the musicianship and the clever, imaginative arrangements. When I arrange Christmas music for the various ensembles at my church, I come up with (IMO) some pretty clever stuff, but the overall "feel" is always close to what people are familiar with. That's at least partly because it's what my audience is expecting; the rest of it is because I don't have the imagination that Ian Anderson does. Taking "We Three Kings", playing it in 5/8, and calling it "We Five Kings" would never occur to me, yet here it is. It's brilliantly arranged and executed, and I'm still not sure how much I like it. Rocking or jazzed-up versions of traditional songs are hit-or-miss for me.
But I also know that most people don't have the prejudice against such things that I do. A lot of people I know absolutely love hearing rocked-up versions of traditional Christmas songs. Sometimes I do as well; I'm not going to name-drop yet because I don't want to distract too much from the album at hand, but some of my favorite Christmas music is material released in the past 20 or 30 years.
I have some relatively current Christmas songs I like, but generally they are newer songs and not covers of traditional stuff. I'm sort of with you on this. I like the IDEA of, say, Gary Hoey doing surf/metal covers of Christmas tunes, but they never seem to satisfy in the listening. Yet I could listen to Elvis' Christmas Album all day long.
I like Elvis' Christmas Album because he's basically singing the songs "straight". Not rocking them up, not trying to do anything fancy with them, just singing them with feeling and that glorious voice. That approach always has a better chance with me.
Some of the less traditional yet mostly awesome music of recent years is the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Pretty obvious, yeah I know. Most people know "Sarajevo" (the one based on "Carol of the Bells") and some of the others. We went ahead and bought all the albums, and most of it's really good. "Carol of the Bells", despite being a capella, has a certain intensity to it that somehow translates well to a heavy metal treatment. I think that's why it works for me. The "feel" is the same even if the setting is not, and they didn't mess with the timing or the melody.
I also like Brian Setzer's rockabilly/big band Christmas stuff. He brings something new and different to it, but also respects the source material.
OK, just listened to The Christmas Album. I really must say that it is spectacular. I fucking love Christmas time. I know, obvious statement is obvious. But I really do, and when it comes to Christmas music, I am musically open, where I am otherwise usually closed.
I might even get this. I can totally put this on and it would be perfect. I really like it, and if that's the last studio album, then they go out winners. This was a fantastic listen and it gave me goosebumps.
I launched a thread a couple of years ago about Christmas music, when the time comes you're all more than welcomed to bump it and add new suggestions.
I knew of Tull's Christmas album, at least that such a thing existed, this thread helped me to remember about it and I guess I will listen to it in a month or so.
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https://youtu.be/jLhf8caVIiI
Is this the right time for this? It was in December, 2011, at Canterbury Cathedral, on Ian's "Ian Anderson Plays Christmas" tour. Bruce did this, "Jerusalem" (his solo song, which is a take-off on a more popular hymn by William Blake) and Locomotive Breath.
Here's Jerusalem: https://youtu.be/QJnPIdKATzU
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Three more fillers before we get back to the real stuff.
The Best of Acoustic Jethro Tull (2007) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW-TrUDrv1E&list=OLAK5uy_kP_rArMVRjJk7ihX_Z6IuYLOL4qbD5Cbg&index=1)
(https://i.imgur.com/65Fb1QK.jpg)
Fat Man 2:51
Life is a Long Song 3:18
Cheap Day Return 1:22
Mother Goose 3:53
Wond'ring Aloud 1:55
Thick as a Brick (Intro) (Edit No 1) 3:03
Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day 4:11
Cold Wind to Valhalla (Intro) 1:29
One White Duck / 010 = Nothing at All 4:38
Salamander 2:51
Jack in the Green 2:29
Velvet Green 6:03
Dun Ringill 2:41
Jack Frost and the Hooded Crow 3:23
Under Wraps 2 2:14
Jack-a-Lynn 4:56
Someday the Sun Won't Shine for You 2:01
Broadford Bazaar 3:39
The Water Carrier 2:56
Rupi's Dance 3:01
A Christmas Song 2:41
Weathercock 4:20
One Brown Mouse (2006 version) 3:41
Pastime with Good Company (Live in Denmark) 4:13
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Pretty much just what it sounds like, a compilation of acoustic Jethro Tull songs, plus a few solo Ian Anderson tunes.
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Live at Montreux 2003 (2007) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L057hdteud8)
(https://i.imgur.com/34Kjffg.jpg)
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica, Mandolin
Martin Barre - Electric and Acoustic Guitar, Flute
Andrew Giddings - Keyboard, Accordion
Jonathan Noyce - Bass Guitar, Percussion
Doane Perry - Drums, Percussion
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Some Day the Sun Won't Shine for You
Life Is a Long Song
Bourée (Version de Noël)
With You There to Help Me
Pavane
Empty Café
Hunting Girl
Eurology
Dot Com
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Fat Man
Living in the Past
Nothing Is Easy
Beside Myself
My God
Budapest
New Jig
Aqualung (includes Band Introduction)
(Encore) Locomotive Breath (includes Black Sunday (reprise) and Cheerio)
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Jethro Tull's 2003 performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival, released on CD and DVD in 2007. Link above is to the DVD rip.
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And once again going from relatively recent to something historical...
Live at Madison Square Garden 1978 (2009) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X9IjE3eUqE&list=OLAK5uy_nvVchdz3t7uC7g6A3BCw6lRCG7-pxERg8)
(https://i.imgur.com/mX2yEXJ.jpg)
Sweet Dream 6:52
One Brown Mouse 3:24
Heavy Horses 7:22
Thick as a Brick 11:23
No Lullaby (incl. Flute Solo) 9:00
Songs from the Wood 4:53
Quatrain 0:41
Aqualung 8:04
Locomotive Breath (incl. Dambusters March) 15:40
Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die 4:17
My God/Cross-Eyed Mary 6:59
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A performance from October 1978 recorded for the BBC television show "Old Grey Whistle Test". The TV broadcast only included 50 minutes of the performance; the CD is 78:40 and the DVD is 93:09. Not much more information is available, but presumably this is the same band as on Bursting Out, which was recorded in May-June 1978.
The link above is to the CD rip. Sound quality seems pretty good.
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Ian Anderson looks like he's checking out some chick's ass far more often than he should.
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In the video, or in general?
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Ian Anderson looks like he's checking out some chick's ass far more often than he should.
But that’s not a chick. That’s Martin Barre.
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The BBC started broadcasting approximately fifteen minutes into the show.
Start of Concert Recording (audio only)
"Sweet Dream"
"One Brown Mouse"
"Heavy Horses"
Start of broadcast – video
"Opening"
"Thick as a Brick"
"No Lullaby (incl. Flute Solo)"
"Songs from the Wood"
"Band intro"
"Quatrain" (Instrumental)
"Aqualung"
"Locomotive Breath (incl. Dambusters March)"
End of broadcast – video (During "Locomotive Breath")
"Too Old to Rock 'N' Roll: Too Young to Die"
"My God/Cross-Eyed Mary"
Encore
"Locomotive Breath (incl. Dambusters March)"
***************
When listening to the audio, it is so damn odd to hear a repeat of a couple of songs that the band had just played!!!! I can imagine how weird and confusing that had to be to the SRO audience.
Other than that....yet another live performance that I wish I could have listened to from the 90s onward.
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When listening to the audio, it is so damn odd to hear a repeat of a couple of songs that the band had just played!!!! I can imagine how weird and confusing that had to be to the SRO audience.
I guess I don't follow what you mean. What songs are repeated?
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"Locomotive Breath (incl. Dambusters March)"
Additional info: First ever Transatlantic simultaneous TV broadcast. Officially released on CD & DVD in 2009. Audience: 20,000.
The first of four shows at MSG, one supposedly cancelled due to Yom Kuppor
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Wow, that's weird. I didn't notice. For the encore, they played something they'd already played earlier, only three tracks ago? Kinda lame, really.
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Oh boy, that's shaky.. :lol
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You've heard this one before, but it's slightly on-topic:
My very first concert was The Grand Illusion by Styx, and the opening act was Ram Jam, one-hit wonders with the song "Black Betty" all over the airwaves at the time. They played their set, thanked the audience, and prepared to leave. But they were really good, and we screamed for an encore. They came back out and confessed that they literally had just played all the songs they had (they only had the one album). So they played "Black Betty" again. Bam-ba-lam! ♫♫
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The Grand Illusion tour is a great first concert! I love that album.
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Still my favorite album from Styx, although that entire late 70's run from Equinox through Cornerstone was really solid. Paradise Theatre was the first one that I thought didn't really bring anything new, and by Kilroy Was Here, I'd moved on. Still a great band, though. They always kept one foot in the prog, at least on album while Dennis was still in the band. Tommy and James are both great rockers, but when they try to go deep it's really just kinduv embarassing.
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Paradise Theater is awesome too. I saw them in the mid 90's on the Return To paradise tour, and they did a Grand Illusion tour as well. Both were great concerts!!!
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In the video, or in general?
In general. He has that creepy leer that seems to make it's way into a lot of pictures.
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Well, it is Rock and Roll. One of the main reasons to play live music is to check out the babes, so it makes sense that it ends up getting captured on film or video a lot.
Seriously though, I think that's just his stage persona. He is very expressive, always making faces and using his eyebrows to exaggerate his expressions and stuff. I never thought of it as a "creepy leer" but that's a valid interpretation.
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Remember Derek Shulman (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Shulman)? Good friend of Ian Anderson, fellow Scotsman transplanted to England, even born the same year? Fronted Gentle Giant and later as an Atco Record exec signed Dream Theater? Oh yeah, him.
Anyway, Derek once asked Ian "Whatever happened to Gerald Bostock?" Gerald Bostock of course was the fictitious eight-year-old poet who'd written the magnum opus Thick as a Brick, which Jethro Tull set to music and recorded as their 1972 album of the same name. Ian was inspired to explore possible answers to that question.
Thick as a Brick 2 (2012) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veYPyMok-DU&list=OLAK5uy_lYCelgDnVC7X_nqDbc76UnNr5k8NJbbG8&index=1)
(https://i.imgur.com/90IBAYg.jpg)
From a Pebble Thrown 3:05
Pebbles Instrumental / Might-Have-Beens 4:21
Upper Sixth Loan Shark / Banker Bets, Banker Wins 5:41
Swing It Far 3:28
Adrift and Dumfounded 4:25
Old School Song 3:07
Wootton Bassett Town 3:44
Power and Spirit / Give Till It Hurts 3:11
Cosy Corner / Shunt and Shuffle 3:37
A Change of Horses 8:04
Confessional 3:09
Kismet in Suburbia 4:17
What-ifs, Maybes and Might-Have-Beens 3:36
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Ian Anderson - Vocals, Flutes, Acoustic Guitars
Florian Opahle - Electric Guitar
John O'Hara - Accordion, Hammond Organ, Piano, Keyboards
Pete Judge - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Tenor Horn, E-flat Tuba
Ryan O'Donnell - Additional Vocals
David Goodier - Bass Guitar, Glockenspiel
Scott Hammond - Drums, Percussion
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I still have a little trouble with this whole "Is it Jethro Tull or not?" going on during this period. Ian had at some point made the decision to end Jethro Tull, and points to the official end of the band as occurring sometime between the release of The Jethro Tull Christmas Album and this album. He also spent most of this period touring on the strength of Jethro Tull's catalog and reputation, but also making sure that his own name was prominent. And what does he do on his first solo album since the official break-up? He releases the sequel to one of Jethro Tull's most well-known albums, credited to "Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson". But it is what it is. To many people, Ian Anderson was Jethro Tull.
Unlike Thick as a Brick, which was one continuous piece of music (originally broken across LP sides and since refused on CD), this sequel is broken into tracks, as it explores five different possible scenarios for how the life of Gerald Bostock might have turned out 40 years later. He could have been a greedy investment banker; a homosexual homeless man; a soldier in the Afghan War; a sanctimonious evangelist preacher; or a most ordinary man, married and childless, who runs a corner store.
The packaging for Thick as a Brick was an elaborate faux-newspaper called "The St. Cleve Chronicle". In keeping with modern times, the 2012 sequel appears to be the headline of online news source StCleve.com.
The music includes multiple callbacks to the original work, but mostly only enough to provide some continuity and rarely distracting. What I find more distracting are the interruptions with Ian's spoken word introductions to the various sections. Honestly, I'd rather just listen to the music. But again, it is what it is. The concept of the album lends itself to storytelling, and that it something that Ian does well. The music is fine, perhaps not on the same level as Jethro Tull in their prime, but this could easily have been the next Jethro Tull album in terms of sound.
The only other thing I can think of to mention is that the recording engineer for this album was Steven Wilson. Yes, that Steven Wilson.
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I like this album.
That being said, it feels like Ian had one big idea (the main melody and riff that repeats in the banker song, soldier song and the final song) and he wrote the whole album around it. I say this because I haven't listened to this album in a while, but as I try to remember what exactly I liked I can only come up with that descending riff and the vocal melody that goes with it during the verses. I like the quieter version of that melody in the soldier song, always get goosebumps when Ian sings "hourglass sands run through my veins".
All in all, I think this is a worthy follow up to the original album, unlike Homo Erraticus, but we'll get there soon enough I guess.
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Finally got a chance to run through this today. It's not bad at all.
I love the heaviness of the Upper Sixth Loan Shark/Banker song.
I also quite liked Adrift And Dumfounded.
The last minute of A Change Of Horses was awesome, even if it took too long to get there.
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Christmas album: Great sendoff for a great band. Will be listening to it again on, well, Christmas.
Thick as a Brick 2: I really enjoy it. I like the recurrent themes and the second vocalist works well. Upper Sixth Loan Shark / Banker Bets, Banker Wins and Kismet in Suburbia are probably my favourites. One of the better sounding Ian Anderson/Jethro Tull productions as well.
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Homo Erraticus (2014) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRf7fQhuq8U&list=OLAK5uy_kOca-V1mhlmA2crCXyUTzkbSa_EOUBl_o)
(https://i.imgur.com/ivViLKg.jpg)
Part One: Chronicles
Doggerland (7000 BCE) 4:20
Heavy Metals (750 BCE – 43 CE) 1:29
Enter the Uninvited (43 CE – 410 CE – 1960!) 4:12
Puer Ferox Adventus (313 – 600 CE) 7:11
Meliora Sequamur (1100s) 3:32
The Turnpike Inn (1750) 3:08
The Engineer (1847) 3:12
The Pax Britannica (1815 – 1914) 3:05
Part Two: Prophecies
Tripudium Ad Bellum (1914 – 1939) 2:48
After These Wars (1950s) 4:28
New Blood, Old Veins (1960s) 2:31
Part Three: Revelations
In for a Pound (2013) 0:36
The Browning of the Green (2014) 4:05
Per Errationes Ad Astra (2024) 1:33
Cold Dead Reckoning (2044) 5:28
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Ian Anderson - Lead and Backing Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar
Florian Opahle - Electric Guitar
John O'Hara - Piano, Organ, Keyboards, Accordion
David Goodier - Bass Guitar
Scott Hammond - Drums, Percussion
Ryan O'Donnell - Additional Vocals
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The final Ian Anderson/Jethro Tull studio album thus far is another concept album, something of an offshoot from the Thick as a Brick albums. The lyrics are once again attributed to Gerald Bostock, the literary child prodigy who wrote Thick as a Brick and whose many possible futures were explored in Thick as a Brick 2. He is now in his fifties, and has discovered in his town's bookstore a "dusty, unpublished manuscript, written by local amateur historian Ernest T. Parritt, (1873 -1928)" which is entitled either "Homo Britanicus Erraticus" or "Homo erraticus (The St Cleve Chronicles)".
Homo Erraticus is Latin for "wandering man". I mention that because apparently I never progressed beyond my adolescence in the 1970's, which means that I cannot take anything with the word "homo" in the title seriously, and if you're like me (which is a frightening thought, actually) you need to have some kind of definition or explanation, otherwise all you can think of is why in the hell anyone would name an album this way.
Anyway, Gerald Bostock is intrigued by the illustrated manuscript he has found, which appears to be some kind of historical document, summarizing key events in Britain's history, and apparently some prophecies as well, thus the years which accompany the track titles, including future dates.
I haven't commented much on the lyrics for any Jethro Tull or Ian Anderson albums in this discography for the simple reason that I don't have most of these albums in physical form, and can't seem to concentrate on the lyrics when I'm listening to them. I always end up distracted by the music, and while certain phrases jump out at me from time to time, the only time I really notice the lyrics is during those times or when Ian does the thing where he repeats the song's title over and over, with different phrasing and inflections each time. He hasn't done that in a while, though, which means that I've just been enjoying the music. And the music here is great. I like it better than Thick as a Brick 2 and put it nearly on par with the original Thick as a Brick. I guess I'm just a sucker for Scottish folk music in a Rock and Roll setting featuring Ian Anderson's damned flute. I could put on pretty much anything by Jethro Tull or Ian solo and just let it play, and have done so many times.
I think the music here is terrific. If this ends up being Ian's final opus, he's gone out on a high note. According to AllMusic.com, this album is "as close to 1970s progressive rock as is possible in 2014". Okay, I don't quite agree with that, but that's only because I'm aware of a lot of contemporary neo-prog, much of which recalls 70's prog, in attitude if not always in sound. This album does, however, come pretty close to 1970s Jethro Tull. If we had Martin Barre on guitar rather than Florian Opahle, we'd be even closer, but Opahle does a perfectly fine job here. John O'Hare is no John Evan on keyboards, either, but I don't think he's trying to be. The main difference between Jethro Tull and solo Ian Anderson may be that, though Ian pretty much wrote everything and called all the shots, with Jethro Tull each of the musicians was given some latitude in their contributions, whilst on the solo albums, everyone just plays what Ian has written. That's an oversimplification, though, or at least I'd hope so. Ian is a well-known control freak, but I would think that he'd want his supporting musicians to put at least a little bit of themselves into their performances, and not literally just play the notes they've been given. But I honestly don't know.
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Since I was on vacation for a week, I'll go back to TAAB 2 for a second. I made it through about fifteen minutes on my one and only listen back when this first came out. Reminded me to much of Qryche's O:M 2 sequel 'I'm a sucker for buying this' feeling. I'll give it another try over the weekend.
As to 'Wandering Man'....I'll be honest, I was not aware of it. Orbert, could you list a couple of individual highlights/lowlights for us?
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It's pretty consistently solid, to the point where picking out individual highlights is tough. Also, since I tend to listen to albums, not songs, I don't even think of them in terms of individual tracks. But here are some impressions:
The opening track, "Doggerland" is good. It sounds very much like classic Tull to me. The flute, the Scottish folk vibe, and even the electric guitar sounds like it could be Martin. Not exactly, but very close.
"Heavy Metals" goes the other way, evoking the classic Tull acoustic sound. Suitably, it's short and sweet.
"Puer Ferox Adventus" is the longest track, the mini-epic, and features the most instrumental fireworks. This is where the keyboardist first really got my attention.
"The Turnpike Inn" is short, but it goes into a quick jam that reminds me of the jam from "Minstrel in the Gallery".
"In for a Pound", at only 37 seconds, says what it wants to say quickly and is done. Another short little acoustic piece. But musically it reminds me of "Life is a Long Song" and I wish it had been developed more, musically.
"Per Errationes Ad Astra" is the dreaded spoken-word track. I really hate those. Since I'm not paying any attention to the lyrics and thus not following the concept at all, I have no interest in hearing a guy talk for a minute and a half. I just don't care what he has to say. This is easily the lowlight for me.
"Cold Dead Reckoning" is the closing piece, and it's pretty good, but concept albums tend to have "grand finales" and this one never seems to reach that. It's just the last song, not particularly grand. Plus it ends rather oddly, leaving an overall odd feeling to the entire experience.
It's hard to tell how much Ian is trying to sound like classic Tull, or if this is simply what he came up with and it happens to sound like classic Tull because it was written by the same guy and he happened to be in the same head space at the time. But I think it's great. If you're a Jethro Tull fan, take an hour and listen to it. Or if you're on your PC, just click (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRf7fQhuq8U&list=OLAK5uy_kOca-V1mhlmA2crCXyUTzkbSa_EOUBl_o&index=1) and let it play while you surf DTF. That's what I do.
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Orbert, I'm sorry, but there's one good song on the album for me, and that's Doggerland. Other than that, I think the album is shit. I have a deluxe digipack of it or some sort of that edition (a small book with 2 CDs I think, can't check right now), and it's easily one of the worst albums I physically own. If anyone wants it, I can ship it to you, except you'd have to pay the shipping costs and those will be fairly huge I'm sure.
I won't argue about Homo Erraticus as I'd have to listen to it again then, and obviously I've absolutely no desire to do it. :)
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Wow, okay. I certainly don't want to "argue" about it. I'd still like to discuss it, and at least find out why you think it's so horrible, but I guess I understand if you don't even want to do that.
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Some would argue that the real difference between Jethro Tull and Ian Anderson's solo work is the presence or absence of Martin Barre. Sure, Ian's distinctive voice and flute work are usually the first thing people think of. Still, most fans of the band, musicians or not, would agree that you have to have Martin Barre on electric guitar (and occassional second flute) or you don't call it Jethro Tull. He joined on the second album and played on every Jethro Tull album from that point forward.
We didn't get a huge announcement when Ian Anderson decided to end Jethro Tull. It just kind of happened, quietly, during a time that there wasn't much news. Ever since then, it's been a bit unclear exactly why, as though everyone involved has been sworn to secrecy. The few brief references to it we've gotten over the years have left a lot of room for interpretation and speculation.
Until now, as Martin appears to finally say something specific about it.
Martin Barre opens up on the moment Ian Anderson disbanded Jethro Tull (https://www.loudersound.com/news/martin-barre-opens-up-on-the-moment-ian-anderson-disbanded-jethro-tull)
"It was Ian's decision," he says. "Because in that year, I can't remember the gig, we were in America and me, Doan (Perry) and Ian sat in a room to talk, Ian asked us and then he dropped that bombshell. He didn't wanna play Jethro Tull. He didn't wanna do Jethro Tull concerts. Me and Doan were just speechless, really, because Ian has always been a very careful, planned out person, he knows exactly what he wants and what he's gonna do.
"In the back of my mind. I thought that this isn't something he's done on the spur of the moment, he really thought through it. It was a very abrupt ending for me and Doane. In a way, it shook me up because I think Tull were getting very lethargic [as a] band and the sets were becoming very much the same every tour and nobody wanted any change. I always try to get changes within the group and ideas in production and line up, but but there was no interest in doing it.
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As one might expect, the 2012 release of Thick as a Brick 2 led to a tour, on which Ian Anderson's touring band played Thick as a Brick and Thick as a Brick 2 in their entireties. The performance in Iceland on June 22, 2012 was released on CD as well as DVD and Blu-ray in 2014.
Thick as a Brick Live in Iceland (2014)
(https://i.imgur.com/ld56RDw.jpg)
Disc One - Thick as a Brick (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDpOV9U2FAQ)
Disc Two - Thick as a Brick 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WostR8Tvzdk&list=OLAK5uy_k5qVmpTcByMvzh-Swwpixw-wP0_I3PIaU)
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Ian Anderson - Lead and Backing Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar
Scott Hammond - Drums, Percussion
David Goodier - Bass Guitar, Glockenspiel
John O'Hara - Keyboards, Accordion
Florian Opahle - Electric Guitar
Ryan O'Donnell - Singing, Dance and Mime
Anna Phoebe - Violin
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The live show begins with video on the big screen; Gerald Bostock has arrived for his appointment with his therapist Dr. Quad (portrayed by Ian Anderson), who immediately asks about Gerald's feelings of rejection, when they first began, etc. He encourages him to "tell all", which leads into Thick as a Brick. The YouTube rips above are CD rips, so you hear the video play out (about a minute) before the music starts. The rip of Thick as a Brick 2 doesn't include the video introduction segment, which is Sir Archibald Parritt (also portrayed by Ian Anderson) of St Cleve TV outside his home. It's an odd, rambling bit that goes on for about 3.5 minutes, and the clip itself is presented as the result of a YouTube search for "Posh bloke in garden".
I couldn't find a DVD rip, but here is handheld footage of an entire show (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgTqK2Eob40) from Fort Myers Florida later in the same tour. What you hear on the live discs makes a lot more sense when you can see what's happening on the video screens.
It also makes it clear when Ryan O'Donnell is singing and when Ian Anderson is singing, which I'd actually forgotten about and which took me by surprise. Ian's voice sounds okay (though not great) on the parts he does sing, but Ryan sings most of the higher and otherwise more demanding vocal parts, as Ian just can't do them anymore. A shame, but I'm glad that Ian is realistic about it and has hired someone to sing the parts and present the songs properly. The show must go on. Ian has always tried to keep the highest standards for live shows, and he knows that this one's an exceptionally important one.
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I'm off tomorrow. I'll hit Homo Erraticus then.
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:tup
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The last official release by Ian Anderson is a collection of Jethro Tull music arranged for string quartet. The arrangements by Ian's longtime collaborator John O'Hara are true to the Classical idiom, augmented by occassional appearances by Anderson and O'Hara themselves.
Jethro Tull: The String Quartets (2017) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL854JQZxh4&list=OLAK5uy_lgnw9fFndR0C7pzj-x-HXLxVtnTqDLWg4&index=1)
(https://i.imgur.com/Lp9iLa3.jpg)
In the Past (Living in the Past) 4:10
Sossity Waiting (Sossity, You're a Woman/Reasons for Waiting) 4:45
Bungle (Bungle in the Jungle) 3:49
We Used to Bach (We Used to Know/Bach Prelude C Major) 4:54
Farm, the Fourway (Farm on the Freeway) 3:44
Songs and Horses (Songs from the Wood/Heavy Horses) 3:53
Only the Giving (Wond'ring Aloud) 1:58
Loco (Locomotive Breath) 4:33
Pass the Bottle (A Christmas Song) 3:02
Velvet Gold (Velvet Green) 4:06
Ring Out These Bells (Ring Out, Solstice Bells) 3:56
Aquafugue (Aqualung) 5:13
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The Carducci String Quartet
Matthew Denton - Violin
Michelle Fleming - Violin
Eoin Schmidt-Martin - Viola
Emma Denton - Cello
Ian Anderson - Flute, Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin
John O'Hara - Orchestral Arrangements, Celesta, Piano
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We've had Jethro Tull music played by an orchestra, but here we get something which I consider much cooler; arrangements for string quartet. I like Classical music, and sure, the power of a Beethoven Symphony performed by a full orchestra can totally kick your ass; but I'm just as impressed, probably moreso, by chamber music. Having 100 players gives you tons of potential, but what can you do with just four? There's nowhere to hide, every player has to be on fire, on top of their game. In that way, it's more like a Rock and Roll band. I just thought of that. Perhaps that's why I like chamber music so much, and prefer it to full-blown orchestral music.
Anyway, John O'Hara has been the keyboard player for both Jethro Tull and Ian's touring band since the dissolution of Jethro Tull, and his arrangements here benefit from both his Classical background and his obvious familiarity with the Tull Repertoire. What I like is how the arrangements serve both purposes. We move seamlessly from true classical motifs with the string quartet serving up Jethro Tull music as vigorously and passionately as they would a Bach partita, to sharing the stage with Ian's flute or voice, or O'Hara's keys. They don't just become "the backing band" in these times, however; after all, the continuo in a concerto still has some significant work to do. In fact, many of the tracks remind me of one of my favorite albums, which is a collection of Mozart flute quartets with Jean-Pierre Rampal on flute and Isaac Stern on violin. To the uninitiated, a flute quartet is not (usually) a piece for four flutes. It is a string quartet but with one of the violin parts played instead by a flute. Flute, violin, viola, and cello. In this setting, the flute and violin share "co-lead" duties much of the time, but the natural difference in sound between the two instruments results in different colors than one could get with a regular string quartet. The best ones have plenty of opportunities for all four players to shine, and of course Mozart was one of the best. And I daresay, O'Hara has done an admirable job capturing a similar approach. There are plenty of moments where it feels more like a "flute quintet", which is not a standard format, but if it were, it would be what you get here. Flute, two violins, viola, and cello.
I do have to be fair and mention that Ian's occassional vocals, while not in any way offensive, feel a bit out of place. Ian I'm sure was revelling in this opportunity to play Jethro Tull music in a different setting, with a different type of "band" to back his flute and voice, and just couldn't help himself. I know, I just got done saying that that's not what's happening here -- and it's really not -- but if someone is singing and there are four instruments playing the music, the instrumentalists will naturally take a supporting role. But it is only once in a while, a verse here or there. The vast majority of the album is instrumental.
So what's with the track titles? Ian says:
"In order to differentiate between the titles of the original tracks and these reworked arrangements, I decided to give them rather cryptic names for these versions. The publishing and record royalty payments get very complicated when the same song title applies to different albums, performers and writers. Better therefore, to avoid confusion with these pseudonyms. Although you are probably confused now, too. Sorry about that."
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Ian also says:
John O’Hara and I have worked on various orchestrations and performed many orchestral concerts in several countries over the last fifteen years.
A couple of years ago, I came up with the idea of recording a dedicated SQ album in a contemporary but “Classical” setting together with my own brief appearances. Having discussed this with John at various points during tours, we started in earnest by jointly choosing some potential tracks to work on.
It has really been a lot of fun to work on this project. The Carducci Quartet provided a spirited and committed performance, without which all would have been futile. And, I only had to pay for lunch once as they brought sandwiches. Bless.
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I'm off tomorrow. I'll hit Homo Erraticus then.
OK.. Ouch. I think you'd have to be a hardcore Ian Anderson fan to really enjoy this. I just didn't find it all that interesting, and I don't mean to be negative at all.
The last official release by Ian Anderson is a collection of Jethro Tull music arranged for string quartet.
Is this it, O? I'm not sitting through a string quartet. :lol
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I'm off tomorrow. I'll hit Homo Erraticus then.
OK.. Ouch. I think you'd have to be a hardcore Ian Anderson fan to really enjoy this. I just didn't find it all that interesting, and I don't mean to be negative at all.
The last official release by Ian Anderson is a collection of Jethro Tull music arranged for string quartet.
Is this it, O? I'm not sitting through a string quartet. :lol
Really good to know I'm not the only one who doesn't like Homo Erraticus.
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I like Homo Erraticus. I am more in favour of Thick as a Brick 2 now that I listened to them both, but I think Homo Erraticus is a very solid record. I recall it being well received as well. I think the opening song Dogger Land and the closer Cold Dead Reckoning are probably the best songs.
I will probably post a ranking of the albums here. Thanks for the thread, I have enjoyed the experience and I think Jethro Tull will likely end up as one of my favourite artists. I have bought some albums already. That 70's stretch in particular is just amazing, but for me there was plenty to like later into their career as well.
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Thank you for chiming in. I was wondering if anyone else even had anything positive to say about Homo Erraticus, beside myself. Although I don't follow charts anymore, or even bands in general, I'd read that it was well received by both fans and critics, so the overwhelming negative reaction surprised me.
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Positive reviews for 'Homo Erraticus' http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=44653
A good swan song. Anderson is in good voice. I like the old 1-2 minute songs to break things up, there's a couple gems, and I enjoyed it.
'String Quartets': I could see shortened versions of 'Farm, The Fourway' ('Crest Of A Knave') and 'Velvet Gold' ('Songs From The Wood') closing out their respective albums at the time. Not a big fan of this album overall, as the tempo is slowed down for most, and his vocals at times feel intrusive.
That said, I remember Dream Theater's 2008 concert. Between Opeth and DT was soft music over the PA, barely audible. Took me a few moments to realize that it was a string quartet playing a few 'Scenes From A Memory' (I believe they were 'Dance Of Eternity'/ 'One Last Time' / 'The Spirit Carries On' if my memory recalls correctly. :D) I enjoyed it, and wish I could have found a copy of this somewhere.
Sidebar: mentioned eons ago in another thread, I was also at that Styx 'Grand Illusion' concert Orbert attended with Ram Jam as the opening act at the old Lansing Metro Ice Arena. I didn't have a ticket, but while we were standing four feet from the doors we were hit with a massive downpour. About two minutes later they opened the doors, and everyone pushed their way in. Dennis DeYoung was 'skating' about on the rain soaked stage. And I still have that tour tee shirt, my first ever, since I didn't have to pay for a ticket.
And.....Wazoo Records was a used record store in East Lansing. In the late 80s, that's where almost all of my Jethro Tull albums were purchased (or repurchased). All in good/very good/excellent quality, but 'Benefit' and 'Stand Up' were never available <sigh> I think back to the almost 200 LPs that I purchased there, I returned only two or three because they were in quite bad shape, and they knew me. Ahhhh......living in the past again......
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Positive reviews for 'Homo Erraticus' http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=44653
A good swan song. Anderson is in good voice. I like the old 1-2 minute songs to break things up, there's a couple gems, and I enjoyed it.
To me, that really helped it feel like a return to form, the shorter pieces in between. Overall, Homo Erraticus felt and sounded like a classic Jethro Tull album. Maybe they weren't breaking any new ground, but I wasn't looking for that. I'm fine with "more of the same" if it's just as good, or at least comparable.
I know not everyone here digs Classical music, but I guess I thought that on a prog board, people would be more open-minded. String Quartets isn't for everyone, but I honestly don't understand at least appreciating the work and artistry that goes into creating such music. But, as I've mentioned, I'll listen to music I don't like if it's good. Good music is good music; genre does not matter.
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I know not everyone here digs Classical music, but I guess I thought that on a prog board, people would be more open-minded. String Quartets isn't for everyone, but I honestly don't understand at least appreciating the work and artistry that goes into creating such music. But, as I've mentioned, I'll listen to music I don't like if it's good. Good music is good music; genre does not matter.
Alright alright..jeesh! :lol
Ok so I listened to two songs. Living In the Past and Songs From The Wood/Heavy Horses. I mean, it's definitely nice enough, but it's not something I would really listen to for more than a song or so at a time.
It's better than Homo though.
And regarding Homo, I think if you're a fan already, sometimes bands reach a point where anything released is gravy, and can be enjoyed.
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I considered the wording of that post for longer than I should have. Basically accusing the board of not being open-minded seemed mean-spirited, but I couldn't think of any other way of expressing it. The whole point of the discography is to explore what there is, how it was created, in the context of the times and the personnel involved. Something else I consider an important aspect of the discography threads (at least the ones I do) is "finding the good". It's easy to listen to music and find things you don't like. What's more challenging, and thus more rewarding, is finding things you like in music you don't normally listen to. I mean, if you listen to something and can list a bunch of things you don't like about it, do you feel better? But finding something you like in an expected place? That's cool. I can't help but feel good about that. I'm not necessarily going to seek it out, might not ever listen to it again. But hey, I liked what I heard. That's something positive I wouldn't have otherwise experienced.
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I have found plenty good, that I'll definitely be revisiting.
And I've given every proper Jethro Tull album a proper and committed listening. They are not in my wheelhouse, but I wanted to experience them, and I'm glad I did.
I've been knee deep in my UFO discog thread, but once that's done, I have a bunch of albums I want to revisit. I actually want to hear them all again, but I have definite faves among them.
I hope I haven't come off as negative. I've been trying to stress the positive throughout.
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Actually, you've been generally positive overall, and I'm glad. Your early comments about the "damn flute" made me nervous, since the flute is clearly a major part of the Jethro Tull sound, and by extension Ian Anderson's music in general. I'm glad that someone who doesn't like flute music in general could still find merit in the music. That's all I'm trying to do, really, expand people's musical horizons. For some reason, that's very important to me.
I'm pretty psycho when it comes to music, though. I have to remind myself all the time that not everyone takes it as seriously as I do. Actually, pretty much no one I know. But we all have our failings, and if being over-obsessed with music is mine, I guess I can live with that.
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Actually, you've been generally positive overall, and I'm glad. Your early comments about the "damn flute" made me nervous, since the flute is clearly a major part of the Jethro Tull sound, and by extension Ian Anderson's music in general. I'm glad that someone who doesn't like flute music in general could still find merit in the music. That's all I'm trying to do, really, expand people's musical horizons. For some reason, that's very important to me.
Well, like you said, good music is good music. I loved the great musicianship throughout. Some of those early albums had some tight as shit stuff going on, and I think that's great.
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Due to all of the releases, one certainly can (will?) suffer through Tull/Anderson fatigue. The discography is quite overwhelming, a clunker or four, and yet I listened to 'Wandering Man' ;) for the first time, and found it to be more than enjoyable because of this thread. Much better than Brian May teaming up with Kerry Ellis and other odd studio decisions that we've totally ignored over this century). Being along for this ride after getting much of the bonus material earlier this year, and discovering additional songs after that, just getting through all the 60s and 70s material is quite the undertaking. Add in the BBC and live releases, and all of that could have been spread out over a year. And some quite good/excellent 'new' live stuff from that era has been put up on youtube in the past couple of months.
My wife did purchase the 'Minstrels in the Gallery' book once this got rolling, and a hardcopy of 'The Ballad of Jethro Tull' will be under the xmas tree :tup A little video of Ian pushing the paperback version in September https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnTR8q0_f3U
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"Tull/Anderson fatigue" -- I like it.
I don't actually like getting fatigued by anything, but that's a concise way to put it. There's a lot of material, even more if you consider Ian's solo stuff, the various mutations like the symphonic stuff, string quartets, semi-acoustic stuff, countless compilations and live releases, alternate versions of things, super-deluxe Steven Wilson editions of things... I mean, holy shit! This discography went nearly six months. I haven't actually checked, but that feels like a long time for a discography thread. I shouldn't be surprised that by this point, most people are done with Ian Anderson, his sardonic approach to life and music and pretty much everything, the way he treats his bandmates, and his damned flute.
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I'm doing the UFO Discography now going on 3 and a half months covering almost 50 albums in total. Of course half of that is running the Michael Schenker discography concurrent to UFO.
But I'm keeping a brisk pace, and have another month to go.
It's hard to know the best pace for these. I listened to every studio album at least once in this thread, but generally passed on all of the greatest hits. I dropped the needle on some of the live releases, but I checked out a lot of the links that Joe posted.
I didn't feel fatigued at all, honestly.
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I'm pleased to have read from a few here that they checked out some of those live youtube releases. *I* still haven't listened to all of the entire shows yet!!!! My project for next year.
The 'fatigue'...one has/had a year or three to savor an album release, spin it numerous times, give prior releases another listen or three, and then buy a new offering. Here it was days! And often I'd find some overlooked or recently added concert or three to check out (and there have been some quality ones in the last couple of months).
Throw in a few 'life is what happens while we're busy making plans' moments, and.....
I've often wanted to do a Queen discography here...just because. I can see from the Tull one the amount of time and effort and preplanning involved, and I'll pass for now (I'd chime in on a Cooper one though ;)).
Thank you, Orbert, for starting this, and letting me ride along. It got me through 2020 with a mostly sane mind still intact.
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I've often wanted to do a Queen discography here...just because. I can see from the Tull one the amount of time and effort and preplanning involved, and I'll pass for now (I'd chime in on a Cooper one though ;)).
It's a lot of work. I know you sat out the UFO thread, but holy shit, it's a ton of work. But most of it you can do before hand. The biggest task is formatting the album artwork, tracklists, and lineups. That takes a while to do.
The text is the easy part, depending on how you want to present it.
I would definitely follow a Queen one if you did it!
I would do Alice Cooper Discography And Listening Party Thread. But not for a while.
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Hey Jingle, you can update the OP. The Jethro Tull Discography is (finally!) done. We're just lingering in the bloody aftermath at this point.
O, Just wanted to make an official THANK YOU post for doing this. I realize they are not really in my wheelhouse, but I have always been somewhat intrigued by Jethro Tull. I know they were great musicians, and when they rocked it was really good. But I had no idea where to start.
Chronologically worked best, and I am very glad I committed to this thread.
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Thanks for the kind words, TAC. :)
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Was always a fan, but, to follow up yet again on TAC's remarks...'thank you'.
I am going to continue to post various youtube links and such, and also place them back 'where they belong'.
For instance, to the Bostonians.....
Up To Me / Tomorrow Was Today / Hymn 43 medley from The 'Gah-den' in '71 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3i168XlIPU
'Tomorrow Was Today' was a bonus track on the 2014 anniversary release of 'War Child'. It was not until a month or so ago when I found this little medley, which means the song was from the 'Aqualung' sessions.
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You're welcome, and by all means, please continue to post if you have something to contribute! I've been checking out Tull concerts on YouTube, as well as interviews and stuff (which I should have done more of during the discography) and it's all great. I think the person who got the most out of this discography was me. I liked Jethro Tull before, but other than listen to a handful of their albums over and over, hadn't really dug into them before. I've been converted.
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For instance, to the Bostonians.....
Up To Me / Tomorrow Was Today / Hymn 43 medley from The 'Gah-den' in '71 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3i168XlIPU
You rang??
Awesome. Listening now. I love researching old shows that played in my area back in the day. You give me a bootleg from the Garden and I'm on it! :metal
When I was going to shows, the Garden was pretty light on shows. The Worcester Centrum really took a lot of those shows. I only saw three shows at the old Garden. U2 in '87, Alice in '88, and Aerosmith in '89.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5l_iNj67Z4
Had never seen any of The Stones 'Rock n Roll Circus'. Interesting to see Lennon and Harrison as part of this, and Tull doing 'Song For Jeffrey' with then very temporary guitarist Tommy Iommi. Oh, the 60s..... :D
And....here's a full concert from The Gah den, November '72, second night. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nIpEYhurpM&t=3027s
(includes four songs from the 'failed' Chateau d'Isaster sessions from two months prior)
Thick As A Brick (incl. keyboard instrumental, flute solo (incl Animelee), news & weather reports, drum solo)
Cross-Eyed Mary / Left Right /Audition/ Aqualung / Wind-Up / No Rehearsal / Guitar Solo / Locomotive Breath / Hard-Headed English General / Wind-Up (reprise)
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Sooooo late to the party, but I just wanted to say that I heard the Christmas album and I loved it. Immediate addition to my December playlist, for sure.
I also followed the thread here and there, it's always nice to read about music, and I tried as I said to get back into the classic albums, but.... I didn't.
Make no mistake, there's nothing wrong with their albums, and on paper the band is perfectly fine for my tastes - good musicianship, some good folkish element, they anyway inspired Maiden etc etc.... but I didn't really connect with the albums.
There's nothing wrong with them, it's not that Minstrel or Passion Play or Thick are bad - I can go through them, it's just that the spark isn't there. It either grabs you or it doesn't. For example early this spring / summer I got the idea "hey, why don't I finally listen to Bruce Springsteen?".... and I was floored. Big fan now. This thread gave me the same idea, "how about I explore properly Jethro Tull's music this time?" and the same connection wasn't there. I'll just have to accept they're not a band for me.
Still, as I said, bring on the Christmas album in full rotation for the next month! :hat
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A new upload this month, Munich, February 1981 during the 'A' tour'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgX_TLFwdI4&t=4075s
Slipstream Intro/ Black Sunday/ Crossfire/Songs From The Wood/ Hunting Girl/ The Pine Marten's Jig/Dun Ringill/Fylingdale Flyer/Heavy Horses/Band Introduction
Skating Away.../Flute Instrumental / Solo (incl. Soiree)/ Trio Instrumental/ Keyboard Solo/ Something's On The Move/ Uniform/Drum Solo/Protect And Survive/ violin solo / Instrumental / Protect and Survive (reprise)/Too Old To Rock'N'Roll/ Bungle In The Jungle/ Guitar Solo/Aqualung/ Locomotive Breath/Instrumental/Black Sunday (reprise)/ Orchestral WarChild Theme (tape)
My interest started to wain with this album's release, but this is an A- audience recording (inconsistent volume and tone on some occasions) with a high quality performance. Tull were quite extreme in changing their setlists from album to album, and this is no exception. But there is a scarcity of 'old' tunes that were not 'hits'. That said, this was still quite an enjoyable listen.
And, TAC, 'Something On The Move' is still part of the setlist ;)
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finally got around to reading this thread. Great job, Orbert!
I have only ever been a casual Tull listener, but this thread has inspired me to pick up several albums I didn't have.
And one note on the artwork for Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die!: The David Gibbons to which it is credited is the same Dave Gibbons that eventually went on to collaborate with Alan Moore to create perhaps the most important and influential comic/graphic novel of all time, Watchmen.
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Wow, I did not know that! That's a pretty cool bit of trivia. I've never read the books, but I liked the movie a lot, if that counts. I only say that because I know the movie was not universally loved, by either fans or non-fans, but I thought it was great. A bizarre, twisted superhero story of some kind.
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yep, and that is what the book was really meant to be: a deconstruction of the tropes and themes you typically would see pretty much throughout the entire history of superhero comics to that point in time. Kind of a "what would really happen if superheroes were in a "realistic" world?" How would they act? Would they really be as altruistic as the comics make them seem?
And yes, while I felt the movie failed to capture the overbearing tone of the comic, I thought the ending (which is MUCH different than the graphic novel) was handled better in the movie.
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For instance, to the Bostonians.....
Up To Me / Tomorrow Was Today / Hymn 43 medley from The 'Gah-den' in '71 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3i168XlIPU
You rang??
Awesome. Listening now. I love researching old shows that played in my area back in the day. You give me a bootleg from the Garden and I'm on it! :metal
When I was going to shows, the Garden was pretty light on shows. The Worcester Centrum really took a lot of those shows. I only saw three shows at the old Garden. U2 in '87, Alice in '88, and Aerosmith in '89.
I share that interest (about old shows). I lament now how many shows were within an hour of me (I went to Uconn; it was a short drive relatively to both Springfield and Worcester) that I didn't see. I kick myself frequently in that regard.
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I love researching old shows that played in my area back in the day. You give me a bootleg from the Garden and I'm on it! :metal
When I was going to shows, the Garden was pretty light on shows. The Worcester Centrum really took a lot of those shows. I only saw three shows at the old Garden. U2 in '87, Alice in '88, and Aerosmith in '89.
I share that interest (about old shows). I lament now how many shows were within an hour of me (I went to Uconn; it was a short drive relatively to both Springfield and Worcester) that I didn't see. I kick myself frequently in that regard.
The world is just smaller these days. The thought of travelling for multiple shows wasn't ever a real consideration. I saw a bunch of shows at the Meadowlands, but my college roommate lived in NJ, and we always planned summer visits around concerts.
A bunch of us did travel to Hartford to see Metallica in 1989, and I know I've told you that we saw Paul Stanley at the West Hartford Ballroom in '89 too, but that was because the Boston show was sold out..
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The "[A] LA MODE" (Steven Wilson) Edition of the album [A] has been announced.
(https://i.imgur.com/ouTKOZk.jpg)
Three CDs and three DVDs. Original album and Live at the L.A. Sports Arena (from the [A] 1980 tour) on CD. [A], Live at the L.A. Sports Arena and Slipstream on DVD (remixed audio).
As mentioned in the thread, this is one of my favorite Jethro Tull albums, due in part to it being the only album with Eddie Jobson on keyboards and electric violin. The tour from the album was great, and the Slipstream concert/concept video was very well done IMO. I'll definitely be picking this up.
Link (https://www.superdeluxeedition.com/news/jethro-tull-a-la-mode-40th-anniversary-deluxe-edition/)
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Having recently gotten way into U.K., I might give this a whirl. At least revisit the album.
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https://bravewords.com/news/jethro-tull-to-release-first-new-album-in-nearly-20-years-the-zealot-gene-silent-singing-lyric-book-available-in-june
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https://bravewords.com/news/jethro-tull-to-release-first-new-album-in-nearly-20-years-the-zealot-gene-silent-singing-lyric-book-available-in-june
:o :o :metal :metal
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I will repeat what I said earlier in this thread, that official Jethro Tull book from last year, The Ballad of Jethro Tull, from the same publisher, is excellent.
And I will order A la Mode for my dad, good timing for another birthday gift, so thanks for the heads up ;D
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So I was listening to A La Mode for a bit before I gift it to my dad and to my ears it for sure sounds a lot better.
Live concert is actually really cool as well. A lot of 80's synths and stuff with altered versions of songs and all, but in this case I like it.
I think this version of Locomotive Breath is great: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXIGdOZ7uBg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXIGdOZ7uBg) I really like it when the guitars kick in (around 1:10 onwards) and the performance is energetic.
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Just picked up A La Mode last week and I haven't even had to chance to spin it yet. But I'm throwing it on my music player so I can spin it at work this week.
Really looking forward to the live material. Maybe I'll even get the chance to watch Slipstream before the night is over. I haven't seen that since it aired on MTV (or was it Night Flight?) probably 35 years ago.
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I believe these are new links, from youtubes posted in the past six months. Enjoy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAuWojfQf6o Zurich May 16 1976 new download (?) Sept 17 2021
somewhat of a ‘raspy’ staticky vocal
0:00 Introduction 0:18 1. Thick As A Brick 13:45 Introduction 14:45 2. Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll: Too Young To Die 20:58 Introduction 21:42 3. To Cry You A Song (Ian misses the first few lyrics) 24:25 4A. A New Day Yesterday 27:38 5. Flute Solo (incl God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Bouree) 33:44 6. Living In The Past Instrumental 34:46 7. Thick As A Brick Instrumental 35:29 4B. A New Day Yesterday (reprise) 36:29 Introduction, "It's A Boy", going electric, David Palmer is replacing our female string section 38:00 8. Requiem 41:41 9. Big Dipper 45:22 10. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (1:30 longer than the North American tour in July-August) 50:06 11. Minstrel In The Gallery (Martin's guitar instrumental not included here, but added in the encore) 55:43 12. Quizz Kid (cut) 58:33 Introduction 58:57 13. The Chequered Flag (Dead or Alive) 1:04:36 Introduction 1:05:48 14. Crazed Institution 1:08:53 15. Instrumental (incl 15 sec drum solo) 1:13:07 16. Cross-Eyed Mary 1:16:32 17. Aqualung (with Baby crying intro) 1:24:45 Thank you, Applause 1:27:44 18. Guitar Solo 1:30:35 19. Wind Up 1:35:14 20. Back Door Angels 1:38:10 21. Minstrel In The Gallery instrumental 1:39:44 22. Locomotive Breath 1:44:51 23. Instrumental 1:47:40 24. Back Door Angels (reprise) 1:48:53 Applause
SHOW LESS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGqsAb0BgUw&t=4291s Boston Mar 28 77 Feb 2021 ‘A’ quality
0:00 - Introduction 0:28 - Wondr’ing Aloud 3:28 - Skating Away 8:15 - Jack-In-The-Green 11:33 - Thick As A Brick 27:41 - Songs From The Wood 32:39 - Instrumental Jam / Drum Solo 37:08 - To Cry You A Song 39:40 - A New Day Yesterday 42.33 - Flute solo with God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Bourée (tape flip edit at 00:45:36:02) 50:09 - Living In The Past 51:46 - A New Day Yesterday(reprise) (tape pause edit at 00:52:46:22) SET 2 54:26 - Velvet Green 1.01:11 - Hunting Girl 1:07:11 - Too Old To Rock'N'Roll 1:11:07 - Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony 1:14:22 - Minstrel In The Gallery 1:20:05 - Cross-Eyed Mary 1:23:39 - Aqualung (tape flip edit at 01:32:19:05) 1:32:45 - Guitar Solo 1:36:28 - Wind-Up 1:41:04 - Back Door Angels 1:46:04 - Wind-Up (repise) 1:48:25 - Locomotive Breath 1:54:03 - Land Of The Hope And Glory 1:56:27 - Back Door Angels (reprise)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qgobAhF770 vienna april 75 B+ June ’21 Wind Up two times
0:00 The Beach (tape) 0:56 1. Minstrel in The Gallery (instrumental) 1:45 2. Wind-Up 3:59 3. A Passion Play Critique Oblique 7:13 Introduction 8:13 4. Thick As A Brick 21:46 Introduction 22:53 5. Wond'ring Aloud/Again 26:13 Introduction 27:06 6A. My God 30:18 7 Flute Solo (incl. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Bourée) 36:13 8. Living In The Past / Thick As A Brick instrumental 37:51 6B. My God (reprise) 38:42 9. SeaLion (with Pop Goes The Weasel intro) 41:09 Introduction to Barrie and Jeffrey 42:12 10. Skating Away... 46:05 Jeffrey Zebra Skit 48:25 11. Ladies 52:13 12. Drum Solo 57:05 13. WarChild 1:03:04 14. WarChild Suite (piano & strings, includes Reasons For Waiting) 1:09:05 15. Cross-Eyed Mary 1:12:46 Introduction 1:13:20 16. Bungle In The Jungle 1:15:33 Hare Who Lost His Spectacles Aqualung Intro 1:16:33 17. Aqualung 1:24:44 Applause 1:25:03 18. Guitar Solo 1:28:56 19. Back-Door Angels 1:33:50 20. Minstrel In The Gallery (instrumental) 1:36:20 21. Locomotive Breath 1:41:42 22. Hard-Headed English General 1:42:57 23. Instrumental 1:46:49 24. Back-Door Angels (reprise) "Hey, hey, see ya later" 1:48:01 Audience noise / applause 1:48:28 25. Wind Up (Complete) 1:55:27 Applause
SHOW LESS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEgLNrX_Zos Pasadena Jan 77 soundboard A++ upload july 21
Full soundboard from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium - January 14, 1977 (missing the intro) Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of The New Day Jack-In-The-Green Crazed Institution Fires At Midnight Instrumental Thick As A Brick Songs From The Wood To Cry You A Song A New Day Yesterday-Flute Solo-Kelpie-Bourée Living In The Past Thick As A Brick A New Day Reprise Velvet Green Too Old To Rock'N'Roll Bungle In The Jungle Beethoven's Ninth Symphony Minstrel In The Gallery Hunting Girl Cross-Eyed Mary Aqualung - Guitar Solo Wind Up Backdoor Angels Wind Up Reprise Locomotive Breath Land Of Hope And Glory Backdoor Angels Reprise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf2AFv0Xcx0&t=9s Anaheim 70 B+ june 21
0:00 Introduction 0:44 1A. My God 3:30 2. Flute Solo (incl Bourée) 10:34 1B. My God 12:34 2B. Flute Solo / My God 14:57 Introduction to John 16:38 3. With You There To Help Me 20:45 4. By Kind Permission Of 29:09 Introduction 30:24 5A. Sossity; You're A Woman 32:39 6. Reasons For Waiting 34:36 5B. Sossity; You're A Woman 35:48 Introduction 36:42 7.To Cry You A Song 42:05 Introduction 43:10 8.Aqualung 49:32 Introduction to Jeffrey 51:05 9A. Cross-Eyed Mary 54:24 10. Drum solo 55:05 9B. Cross-Eyed Mary 57:00 Welcome Barrie 57:45 11. Nothing Is Easy 1:05:08 Thank you (cut) 1:05:25 Introduction 1:06:27 12. Wind Up 1:10:58 13. Guitar Instrumental 1:13:07 14. Guitar Solo 1:21:35 15. Locomotive Breath 1:26:41 16. Hard-Headed English General (cut) 1:27:35 17. Instrumental 1:28:53 18. Wind Up (reprise) 1:30:48 Applause