Jethro Tull: Classic or Dud?

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Prog's only singles band?

― sundar subramanian, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

...well I LOVE 'Living In The Past' - that flute sound really sums up an era for me. Have you heard Cud's version - it's sung against Mission Impossible - works perfectly.

― Jez, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

CARMODY TO THREAD!

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

Living In The Past is great, although I have to admit I am still ashamed that I like it. I fear all else.

― emil.y, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

Living in the Past is a great, great collection of songs, better than their actual albums I think. Honest oddities like "Inside," bitter little Ian Andersonisms a la "Christmas Song," and intriguing things like "Witch's Promise" and nonsense like "Singing All Day" .. Don't be ashamed with your good taste, e.mily.

Songs from the Wood and Aqualung aren't bad albums, either. But you can skip "A Passion Play," their 60-minute-opus w/fairy-tale- intermission, as well as all of their 80's material. 'Living in the Past' =/= synthesizers.

― Dare, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

ouch. emil.y that is.

― Dare, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

Insert Heavy Metal/ Metallica Joke here. OK - it's done - forget it.

Tull - one of those bands that everyone secretly likes.... for about 25 minutes at a time, every few years.

Teacher, Locomotive Breath - classics.

― Dave225, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

Any time I hear Jethro Tull, I think of Stellan Skarsgård getting [SPOILER!!!] beaned in the head.

― Andy K, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

witchiz promiss - shaggd 2 gothchX TO THAT therefore - yayayay

iz crop rotation iz bifta alzo

yuzzah ahhl dddddddmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmd

― a-33, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

At the same time or on different occasions?

― sundar subramanian, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

'Summerday Sands' Is a super song, and so is "Thick as a Brick": I put that on when I'm painting houses.

― A Nairn, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

Yayyyyaqualung...

Sweet Dream video from "Slipstream": CLASSIC!

― Joe, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

Have to admit that Tull is a guilty pleasure every once in awhile.

― Pump Wellington, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

There's quite a dilemma; yes, Jethro Tull have some brilliant tunes; yes, I have... uh... fond childhood memories connected with them (you may all now feel thoroughly disgusted); but really, that BEARD is a CRIME against HUMANITY and it must be STOPPED.

― Elisa, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

Has ILM consensus finally been achieved?

― sundar subramanian, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

There's lots by Jethro Tull that I find boring at best, and Ian Anderson can get pretty affected, but their best stuff is really good. "Wond'ring Aloud" and "Mother Goose" are beautiful songs.

― Phil, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

The sound of Ian Anderson taking a deep breath in the middle of a flute solo a la Locomotive Breath = CLASSIC,even if only for its hilarity.

― Damian, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

i kind of assume i hate em but to be honest i only know quite a small amount: the JT fan i was at achool with was far and away the weirdest fellow i knew

― mark s, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

I'm listening to "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day" right now, and I must say, it sounds pretty damn good. I say classic.

― o. nate, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

Jesus, it's like punk NEVER HAPPENED!

― Andrew L, Saturday, 16 March 2002 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

Is it anything like emo?

― Prude, Sunday, 17 March 2002 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

three months pass...

"Tull - one of those bands that everyone secretly likes.... for about 25 minutes at a time, every few years."

I'd say more like every TEN years...just like the Doors!

― Matt Riedl (veal), Tuesday, 25 June 2002 00:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

one month passes...

I quite like that Aqualung, even though it is uttery absurd. There's some good stuff on there though, you know, the one that goes: dum dum de de de de dum dum; blah du, de blah du, de blah du, de blah du; dum dum de de dum day dum, wah wah waaaa wa wa wa wah wah waaah... etc

― Roger Fascist, Wednesday, 31 July 2002 00:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

one year passes...

Reviving because of this odd story: "Former member of Jethro Tull changes sex"

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Saturday, 24 January 2004 05:02 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

He added: “The moment when the new Palmer identity was revealed to me was when the then, still David, phoned me to say ‘Ian, there’s something I need to get off my increasingly ample chest’.”

Between that and Jackie Enx of Rhino Bucket, it shows that Jayne County was merely the start of something good.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 24 January 2004 05:06 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

you mean it wasn't ian that became a she?

you know, my dad and my philly relatives pronounce "ann" and "ian" almost identically.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Saturday, 24 January 2004 05:09 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

I pretty much gave my all for "Stand Up", "Benefit", "Aqualung" and - somewhat - for "Thick As A Brick", but ended up gving away their later releases. You have to keep in mind, though, the context in which this stuff was first heard {in amongst the likes of ...America, Neil Diamond and The Carpenters} wuz just a little bit awesome. Just another old guy talking here... [ me ]
I still revisit.

― jim wentworth (wench), Saturday, 24 January 2004 06:28 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

Stand Up and Benefit are both great! Aqualung is pretty solid too. That's about as far as I go.

I love "A New Day Yesterday" and "To Cry You a Song".

― Broheems (diamond), Saturday, 24 January 2004 06:35 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

Songs from the Woods is an incredible album.

― Joe (Joe), Saturday, 24 January 2004 14:35 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

About as dud as you can get without being The Grateful Dead.

(though "Living In The Past" is a nice tune)

― LondonLee (LondonLee), Saturday, 24 January 2004 16:11 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

nine months pass...

Revive!

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 05:35 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

These are my initial and rambling thoughts:

I love pretty much everything up to "War Child", plus "Songs from the Wood" and "Heavy Horses"*. I don't think "Stormwatch" is bad. The lyrics on most of "Minstrel in the Gallery" (except for the title song) start to make me cringe. "Broadsword and the Beast" has an unpleasant, bloated-puffy synthesizer sound as well as pretty uninteresting songs. "Crest of a Knave" is hard to imagine as the same band - I can't stand Martin Barre's guitar sound at that time, and the lyrics are brutal. "Rock Island" and "Catfish Rising", as probably everyone will tell you, are just embarassing. I haven't heard anything since, though a friend has told me that "J-Tull.com" (sp?) is not too bad.

*I do think that "Thick as a Brick" is a bit structurally clunky, but when I consider that it was kind of a big piss-take of a concept album, it makes sense that it's that way - it's a pretty funny idea for an album. "A Passion Play" is my favourite: the saxophone and synthesizer parts sound great and the melodies are really deft. I don't know why people got mad about "The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles". "War Child" continues with similar arrangements and impressive playing (Barriemore Barlow is a superb drummer), though I'd have preferred "Bungle in the Jungle" as a non-LP single.

― Pangolino (ricki spaghetti), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 06:19 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

I listened to them back in the day. Like everyone. "Living in the Past" is good but his vocal kind of makes me laugh--he's trying so hard to "swing" and "go Latin" somehow (the flute playing too) and he's just so fucking English and doesn't make it, no way. But the early stuff like on "Benefit" is sort of all right, some nice riffs. "Aqualung" was huge when it came out and a required pretentioso purchase for everyone too dumb to spend their money on JBs albums or something. Because we'd been sold this Jethro Tull shit. There's some movie with Owen? Luke? Wilson and Steve Buscemi about these schlubs who get recruited for a mission to blow up an asteroid and during the interviews Luke? Owen? is asked what really bothers him. "That people think Jethro Tull is just a dude in the band..."

But it's not offensive like ELP (whose best moments were Greg Lake's Paul McCartney/Neil Young knockoff songs w/ cheap synth solos just to remind you who's IN CHARGE HERE). And the later dumb pop hits he had, around the mid-'70s, are quite enjoyable. Normally I don't bring up Lester Bangs but his piece "Jethro Tull in Vietnam" does sum it all up nicely.

― eddie hurt (ddduncan), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 15:12 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

Lester Bangs wasn't infallible; Tull is pretty classic. There should be some kind of rule (the Jethro Tull rule?) where if you make at least three great albums you shouldn't have shit albums count against you. Notwithstanding all their crap, the three great Tull albums are

1) Stand Up. One of the great, great psychedelic albums, stuffed with killer riffs and enough otherworldly moods to simulate or enhance being baked. If this album were a one-off by an obscure British folk band (a la Mellow Candle) it would fetch hundreds of $$$$ in collector's circles.
2) Aqualung. There isn't a bad song on it. The flute solo in "My God" is some scary shit. In my experience people who badmouth this are trying to prove another point, like they're cool, or even good music can get overplayed, or something.
3) Thick as a Brick. Some parts drag, but there's no other album like it (I guess besides Passion Play), and most of it's engaging, not an easy thing to pull off over the course of 40+ minutes.

Songs from the Wood, War Child, Benefit, and Minstrel in the Gallery aren't bad, either, and there are timeless singles like "Living in the Past" to get off on.

There's also a ton of shitty albums--Too Old to Rock & Roll. . ., A, Stormwatch, etc. but who cares, really.

― martin hilliard, Wednesday, 17 November 2004 16:29 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

yeah, but that Aqualung guy--he smoked too much or what? It's that level of non-specific '70s social commentary crap that gets me about the great band of seed-drillers, you know. If it had been just about another band and the dude plays a flute, then fine. But that other shit, forget it.

and no, Bangs is not infallible. But his central insight into Tull--no rebop--is a good 'un. And I want rebop myself.

― eddie hurt (ddduncan), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 21:29 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

I dunno — the church stuff on Aqualung is pretty specific. And good.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 21:59 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

I don't know--I always thought that Aqualung was homeless because he grew up poor (Cross-Eyed Mary being the "Robin Hood of High Gate" who could help a brother out sexually if not financially), and homelessness is a stain on Christian culture, the hypocracies of which are elaborated on side 2 of the album. You're right though the rebop isn't there, but it's not like all good music's got it, either. Aqualung's got the rock, opening up with The Riff, and it never lets up over however many songs. I mean whatever, it all comes down to taste. No harm in not liking Tull; but making them out to be bad guys like Bangs does just doesn't register anymore. At least I don't think so.

xpost

― martin hilliard, Wednesday, 17 November 2004 22:01 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

Even today, they're hard to pin down. I think at the bare minimum, even if you can't stand what my friend once described as "Ian Anderson's village idiot routine," you have to credit him with writing several very melodic, even atmopheric, acoustic songs. Chris Dahlen and I were brainstorming what all of them were and came up with:

"Wond'ring Aloud"
"Slipstream" (I think)
"Thick as A Brick" (the intro, but many other parts, too)
"Skating Away On the Thin Ice of a New Day"
"One White Duck/Nothing At All"
"Baker St. Muse"
"Salamander" (again, I think -- it's been awhile)
"Dun Ringill"

My personal tastes tell me they also have a few very good hard rock moments, including "Minstrel In the Gallery", "Pibroch" and much of Aqualung. That and Songs From the Wood has a very cool electro-folk production

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 22:47 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

Along the same lines, nobody who hears "Cheap Day Return" with an open mind could not get the shivers. There's some spooky acoustic tip these guys were on early on that's pretty evil and pagan.

― martin hilliard, Wednesday, 17 November 2004 23:20 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

two years pass...

Thick as a Brick really is ridiculously good. Sweet tunes, fierce playing, beautifully arranged. The strings near the end are next level.

― Noodle Vague, Saturday, 4 August 2007 12:40 (eleven years ago) Permalink

"Locomotive Breath" still rocks greatly.

― Alex in NYC, Saturday, 4 August 2007 12:51 (eleven years ago) Permalink

1) ...If this album were a one-off by an obscure British folk band (a la Mellow Candle) it would fetch hundreds of $$$$ in collector's circles.

Yes yes yes. In the run up to becoming full-on prog, they created some moody and unfussy stuff. Stand Up layers all sorts of acoustic instruments with blues riffing in a way that is intuitive and natural, rather than the hyper-organized feel they soon took on. Really solid songs that would hold up outside of the textures and arrangements.

― bendy, Saturday, 4 August 2007 13:31 (eleven years ago) Permalink

Their true masterpiece was "A Passion Play". Jethro Tull at their most progressive was also Jethro Tull at their best.

But they did some interesting folk influenced stuff later too.

― Geir Hongro, Saturday, 4 August 2007 14:25 (eleven years ago) Permalink

To me, Minstrel In The Gallery through Stormwatch = classic. The expansive prog notions recompressed into concise songs without losing the progginess.

The stuff from the first heyday's great, but I don't get the urge to put it on very often.

The string of high-concept records (Thick, Passion, Too Old) I have no time for.

― Jon Lewis, Saturday, 4 August 2007 17:22 (eleven years ago) Permalink

i own 'aqualung'. i like it and think it's pretty creative and inspired, but i don't listen to it often

― Charlie Howard, Sunday, 5 August 2007 06:25 (eleven years ago) Permalink

nine months pass...

I went to see them live a few days ago. I only really went along to the gig after a mate said he wanted to go.

I hadn't much listened to them for 30 years, and though I wasn't a big fan I had mates who were very keen indeed and back in the day I did have a soft spot for the quirkier, pop-eyed silliness.

Before the gig I was kinda worried about all that zany 70s catweazle'n'codpiece stuff, since I figured it wouldn't have aged well...

I needn't have worried as there wasn't much of it, indeed there wasn't nearly enough of it. Stripped of the theatrics, left pretty much the music unadorned, though that did reveal some elements which I hadn't noticed before (or didn't know anything about to notice) such as the Mingus influences (though I guess the Roland Kirk stuff was always obvious).

Mainly though they sounded polite 80s rock. Barre's guitar sounded especially cleaned up, Dire Straits and (80s) Supertramp.

So not great then, mostly not even good, but now and then there were flashes about what made them interesting and did confirm there were interesting bits in the War child and earlier albums.

― Sandy Blair, Tuesday, 6 May 2008 19:24 (ten years ago) Permalink

Their guitarist kicks ass and besides that they are fucking Jethro Tull. So many songs to love by them.

― CaptainLorax, Wednesday, 7 May 2008 06:39 (ten years ago) Permalink

eleven months pass...

Oh god, I had an urge to hear "Skating Away" so I downloaded the Anniversary collection and I'm kind of enjoying it.

Kill me.

― Full Metal Slanket (Oilyrags), Friday, 1 May 2009 17:01 (nine years ago) Permalink

They are classic beyond classic.

― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Friday, 1 May 2009 20:29 (nine years ago) Permalink

people who HATE this band hate fun

― kamerad, Friday, 1 May 2009 20:32 (nine years ago) Permalink

Skipping 112 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Another favorite Passion Play lyric

"Here's the everlasting rub: neither am I good or bad.
I'd give up my halo for a horn and the horn for the hat I once had."

― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 10 February 2018 21:22 (eight months ago) Permalink

I'm gonna have to hear the Wilson mix and see if it changes my mind!

― Full of bile and Blue Nile denial (Turrican), Saturday, 10 February 2018 21:27 (eight months ago) Permalink

Really fallen in love with this band. I liked them a decade ago but now I really love them. Scooped up 4 reissues this week (This Was has the best artwork ever) and listened to the Chateau sessions a lot, a lot of which got reused as Passion Play and War Child, but since I haven't heard War Child, I'm hoping that the best unfamiliar tracks are on it in some form.
The way Anderson just talks about the theatre being bombed then sings out the same sentences afterwards is hilarious.

"Look at the animals in the zoo, how would you like to be one?
[...]
Look at the animals look at you, how would you like to free one?"

Their first album since 2003 is coming out next year!

― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 23 February 2018 22:20 (seven months ago) Permalink

"thick as a brick" (all 40+ odd minutes) is top shelf symphonic rock and a killer concept besides

― reggie (qualmsley), Friday, 23 February 2018 22:27 (seven months ago) Permalink

Xpost with Martin barre on board?

― Lockhorn. Lockhorn breed-uh (Jon not Jon), Friday, 23 February 2018 23:16 (seven months ago) Permalink

Cant see anything about Barre but I'm not sure. I know next to nothing about Tull after the 70s (apart from actress Lucia Micarelli being in the band, wow) but there must be a reason this isn't just another solo album.

― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 23 February 2018 23:25 (seven months ago) Permalink

Barre and Anderson are on pretty bad terms right now it seems, also IA's voice is really quite shot so it'll be interesting to see what comes up with this new record.

― MaresNest, Saturday, 24 February 2018 00:02 (seven months ago) Permalink

That sucks about this voice, he was always one of rock's great enunciators.

― henry s, Saturday, 24 February 2018 00:27 (seven months ago) Permalink

On one of those solo albums I thought he made good use of his ravaged voice. Not really trying to sing

― Lockhorn. Lockhorn breed-uh (Jon not Jon), Saturday, 24 February 2018 00:55 (seven months ago) Permalink

I would love for there to be a Steven Wilson remix of "Walk Into Light".

― Acid Hose (Capitaine Jay Vee), Saturday, 24 February 2018 01:13 (seven months ago) Permalink

two weeks pass...

Re: Chateau sessions. I cant believe they never used "Left Right", such an awesome song, I think it did appear on other compilations but I'd urge anyone to grab the Passion Play: Extended Performance before it's gone, because the sessions are remastered too.

― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 10 March 2018 04:41 (seven months ago) Permalink

it was only $21 on Amazon the other week, so I picked it up. Heavy Horses too!

― erry red flag (f. hazel), Saturday, 10 March 2018 05:03 (seven months ago) Permalink

Cool, I think I'll jump into town to get Heavy Horses this week.

― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 10 March 2018 11:22 (seven months ago) Permalink

On a Tull kick myself (see other thread).

Also, Ian Anderson's vaguely synth pop / occasionally baeleric album Walk Into Light is...not bad?

― Paul Ponzi, Saturday, 10 March 2018 13:15 (seven months ago) Permalink

I have found my way into some of the early 80s stuff but haven’t tried that one yet

― when worlds collide I'll see you again (Jon not Jon), Saturday, 10 March 2018 13:43 (seven months ago) Permalink

I'm not an expert on his solo career by any means, but this one seems like an anomaly

Title track is my jam right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs6V91LgdKs

― Paul Ponzi, Saturday, 10 March 2018 14:09 (seven months ago) Permalink

Had a look over my Heavy Horses book. Never knew they had so much work with Maddy Prior, she's interviewed.

― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 16 March 2018 21:47 (seven months ago) Permalink

that walk into light title track deserves resuscitation on some resident advisor mix imo, it's really good

― she carries a torch. two torches, actually (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Friday, 16 March 2018 23:15 (seven months ago) Permalink

definitely own like 6 or 7 albums by these guys and never quite decided if I am a fan or not

― The Desus & Mero Chain (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 16 March 2018 23:26 (seven months ago) Permalink

Other favorite Chateau moments

"The editor lies screaming, baking in his waking dream,
QUESTIONING "WHO IS GOD'S FAVOURITE ROCK BAND THIS WEEK?"
And will the front page take him?
The deadline for the headline is the breadline"

"Who the hell can he be when he's never had V.D. and he doesn't even sit on toilet seats?"

― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 16 March 2018 23:47 (seven months ago) Permalink

one month passes...

I love "Broadford Bazaar" from the single-disc remaster of Heavy Horses, although I have no idea if it's from the same recording sessions or just tacked on as a good bonus track.

Based on Anderson’s vocal, there is less than a zero percent chance this was recorded contemporaneously with Heavy Horses.

― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 24 April 2018 03:51 (five months ago) Permalink

Also, “Inside” from Benefit is an absolute jam. Glen Cornick’s bass on this is just incredible.

― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 24 April 2018 04:48 (five months ago) Permalink

hmm... the Nightcap liner notes say Broadford Bazaar was "recorded 1978 at Maison Rouge Mobile Studio, Fulham London" so maybe it's from the Stormwatch recording sessions?

― erry red flag (f. hazel), Tuesday, 24 April 2018 05:37 (five months ago) Permalink

the song is like a Heavy Horses sound with a definite Stormwatch vibe

― erry red flag (f. hazel), Tuesday, 24 April 2018 05:40 (five months ago) Permalink

hmm... the Nightcap liner notes say Broadford Bazaar was "recorded 1978 at Maison Rouge Mobile Studio, Fulham London" so maybe it's from the Stormwatch recording sessions?

Anything’s possible. But if so, it would be the only example of him signing in that style after 1976 or so.

― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 24 April 2018 10:45 (five months ago) Permalink

—>singing

― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 24 April 2018 10:46 (five months ago) Permalink

The Horses in those Heavy Horses photos are fucking massive.

― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 27 April 2018 18:44 (five months ago) Permalink

The horses were much smaller than intended, so they got a midget to pose for the photoshoot. That's why "Ian's" head is tilted down.

― Mungolian Jerryset (bendy), Friday, 27 April 2018 20:26 (five months ago) Permalink

He said he regrets the cover because it's too close and you don't really get a proper look at their size. The book has lots of better photos from that shoot.

― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 27 April 2018 20:40 (five months ago) Permalink

Loving "Acres Wild", a beauty. Loving the Heavy Horses tracks which Anderson noted as going in a Scottish direction. I wouldn't know where to begin with traditional Scottish dance music, the stuff I used to hear my gran listening on the radio was a bit too leisurely so anyone could keep up with it. But of course I want it fast and complex and only professionals could dance to properly.
Writer Jack Vance once recommended Jimmy Shand but I doubt he ever goes nuts with it.

In the notes Anderson is quite ashamed of some of the bonus tracks, like "Botanic Man" (an unused tv theme tune), and the start of a track which he said he wouldn't subject the biggest Tull nerds to (it's not listed on the back tracklist for some reason).

I had "Beltane" on an earlier Songs From The Woods CD as a bonus track and I wasn't too fond of it, but I'm quite impressed by it now. Oddly Anderson said the references were maybe too obscure (what kind of reasoning is that? Especially for this sort of music?) and he was a bit embarrassed by the accent he put on (sounds much the way he does on most of Heavy Horses to me) and that it's a bit too "let's get in touch with our pagan roots", I see where he's coming from but I find it quite evocative nonetheless.

"There's a snap in the grass behind your feet
and a tap upon your shoulder.
And the thin wind crawls along your neck ---
it's just the old gods getting older"

― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 4 May 2018 20:08 (five months ago) Permalink

I don’t see how that’s any less atavistic than jack-in-the-green.

Maybe he thought both those on one album would be too much

― when worlds collide I'll see you again (Jon not Jon), Friday, 4 May 2018 22:48 (five months ago) Permalink

Sorry any MORE atavistic

― when worlds collide I'll see you again (Jon not Jon), Friday, 4 May 2018 22:48 (five months ago) Permalink

It's a Heavy Horses reject though. I guess it ended up as a bonus on some versions of Songs From The Woods because it fit more thematically.

― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 4 May 2018 23:27 (five months ago) Permalink

"No Lullaby" lyrics he wrote for his children when they were small but they didn't hear until decades later.

"So come out fighting with your rattle in hand, thrust and parry. Light
A match to catch the devil's eye, bring a cross of fire to the fight.
And let no sleep bring false relief from the tension of the fray.
Come wake the dead with the scream of life, do battle with ghosts at play.
And gather your toys at the call-to-arms and swing your big bear down
Upon our necks when we come to set you sleeping safe and sound.
It's as well we tell no lie to chase the face that cries.
And little birds can't fly so keep an open eye.
It's as well we tell no lie, so I'll sing you no lullaby."

― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 12 May 2018 03:47 (five months ago) Permalink

Any of you got a good feel for Tull's whole lifetime? Their ups and downs, solo albums etc?

― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 12 May 2018 13:46 (five months ago) Permalink

Kinda do. Couple of years ago I dug in and listened to everything I hadn’t ever heard. I’d have to look over the discography to refresh my memory now. It didn’t change my top tier favorites but I discovered some really nice 2nd tier stuff (Broadsword, Crest, one of the recent growly ones but I can’t remember which). Tried hard for the umpteenth time with War Child, incl the Wilson edition and the outtakes/alternates, bc skating away is possibly my favorite song he ever wrote, but it’s overall a dud.

― cheese is the teacher, ham is the preacher (Jon not Jon), Wednesday, 16 May 2018 01:43 (five months ago) Permalink

For me, it's hard to push past 'A', I like Broadsword well enough but apart from the odd track everything after that has felt like a bit of a snooze, if somebody was to compile a later period album list of worthwhile tunes I'd be interested though.

But the run from the beginning up to Stormwatch is fabulous, agree with Jon about most of War Child and I'm not as fussed about To Old... but hell, that leaves a pretty big chunk of greatness.

― MaresNest, Wednesday, 16 May 2018 10:07 (five months ago) Permalink

Thanks.

I'm kind of worried that the backlash against A Passion Play distorted their opinions of the material. It's now one of my favorite albums by any band and I've been daydreaming about wishing I was an expert dancer so I could invent dances to go with the album. It's just so much fun.

Heavy Horses is pretty good, the bonus tracks I could have mostly lived without but there's maybe three really good ones (("Jack A Lynn" (early version), "Quatrain" (studio version) and "Beltane"))

― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 18 May 2018 18:08 (five months ago) Permalink

title track of HH just made me cry (i'm having a bad week)

― cheese is the teacher, ham is the preacher (Jon not Jon), Thursday, 31 May 2018 17:34 (four months ago) Permalink

It's a good one. Anderson says it's a favorite to perform.

― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 1 June 2018 19:06 (four months ago) Permalink

two months pass...

https://www.last.fm/music/Jethro+Tull/+images/6e079bed45eb40fdc0d9c733acece474

There's a great Minstrel In The Gallery era photo of them that's completely in the "photos of people who've figured out to live" vein.

― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 11 August 2018 15:29 (two months ago) Permalink

http://www.tullpress.com/images/tull803.jpg

― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Saturday, 11 August 2018 16:46 (two months ago) Permalink

"And then I turned around, exited Vault 82, and decided to try my luck alone in the post-apocalyptic wasteland"

― com rad erry red flag (f. hazel), Saturday, 11 August 2018 17:03 (two months ago) Permalink

Always good to be reminded that the "long hair with receding hairline" look used to be a thing.

― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Saturday, 11 August 2018 17:06 (two months ago) Permalink

"They were the best NASCAR pit crew I ever had, and that's why I took them to Mars with me, to win the Red Planet 350"

― com rad erry red flag (f. hazel), Saturday, 11 August 2018 17:12 (two months ago) Permalink

Hahaha!

― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Saturday, 11 August 2018 17:14 (two months ago) Permalink

"It took all year for us find one another, so there was only one glorious weekend, before they busted up the union and we went our separate ways, that we were the Brotherhood of Lunar Miners Local 580 Zero-G Perpendicular-Track Roller Derby Team"

― com rad erry red flag (f. hazel), Saturday, 11 August 2018 17:30 (two months ago) Permalink

I've got mixed feelings about Minstrel In The Gallery, but it's mostly good.

The title track is mostly great but I'm not so fond of the rockier second half. Aside from a few moments "Cold Wind to Valhalla" and "Black Satin Dancer" don't really do much for me sadly.

But "Requiem" and "Baker St. Muse" are wonderful ("I can't get out!" is one of my favorite bits of non-musical jokery in an album). The rest is good.

Bonus highlights: the early version of "Requiem" is well worth hearing and the BBC version of "Minstrel in the Gallery" has a great vocal echo effect at the start and the BBC "Aqualung" really thrilled me with the opening and closing sections.

― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 24 August 2018 17:06 (one month ago) Permalink

Until the Stormwatch deluxe comes out I think I'll start in chronological order from the first album.

― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 24 August 2018 17:09 (one month ago) Permalink

those three BBC versions at the end totally slay, i actually only have those on my player currently in lieu of the actual album.

― cheese is the teacher, ham is the preacher (Jon not Jon), Friday, 24 August 2018 17:12 (one month ago) Permalink

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