The Jethro Tull/Ian Anderson Discography

[jammindude]

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.

[Orbert]

I remember hearing "Bungle in the Jungle" on the radio and thinking it was kinda dumb, too.

[TAC]

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!

[DragonAttack]

‘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.

[Stadler]

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.

[DragonAttack]

^
Yeah, it is so different, I don't follow Ritchie with this endevour, but I enjoyed the heck out of it.

[Orbert]

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!

[TAC]

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.

[Evermind]

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.

[Indiscipline]

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.

[Podaar]

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.

[LudwigVan]

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.

[Orbert]

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)



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

----------

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

----------

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.



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.

----------

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

[jammindude]

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.

[ErHaO]

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).

[LudwigVan]

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.

[DragonAttack]

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  

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/                               

[Orbert]

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.

[Stadler]

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).

[TAC]

War Child (1974)

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.

[MirrorMask]

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.

[TAC]

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.

[Podaar]

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.

[TAC]

I identify War Child with One Finger.

[Evermind]

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.

[DragonAttack]

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

**********************
'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).

************************
‘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 , 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)

[Stadler]

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.

[Evermind]

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.

[DragonAttack]

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. 

[Orbert]

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.

[Stadler]

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.

[ErHaO]

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.

[jammindude]

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?

[Orbert]

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?

[LudwigVan]

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.