The Jethro Tull/Ian Anderson Discography

[TAC]

Yeah, that totally makes sense.

But I need an asthma inhaler just to listen to that!

[Orbert]

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.

[Stadler]

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.

[Orbert]

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)



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)



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)



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.

[ErHaO]

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.

[Stadler]

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. 

[DragonAttack]

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.

[Orbert]

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.

[Stadler]

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.   

[Orbert]

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)



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

----------

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.

[Orbert]

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)



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


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

[TAC]

Nice. I’ll hit  this tonight

[Stadler]

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. 

[DragonAttack]

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!”

[TAC]

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.

[Orbert]

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.

[ErHaO]

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.

[Evermind]

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.

[Orbert]

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)



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?"

[DragonAttack]

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.

[TAC]

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.

[Orbert]

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.

[TAC]

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.

[Orbert]

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.

[Orbert]

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)



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"

----------

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

----------

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.

----------

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

[Stadler]

But I like the tight core.

Don't we all. 

[Stadler]

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)

[TAC]

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.

[DragonAttack]

'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. 

[Orbert]

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)



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"

----------

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

----------

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."

[TAC]

Sorry O. I owe a listen to JTull.com

[Orbert]

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.

[TAC]

But I like the tight core.

Don't we all.

 

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)

Please tell me that's the Cat's (or whatever the hell that animal is) tail between his legs.


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.

[Orbert]

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.

[Stadler]

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!).