A PASSION PLAY

"A Passion Play" is an intriguing concept album and perhaps the most disputed and misunderstood of Jethro Tull's works. The theme concerns the spiritual journey of a man in the afterlife while the music follows the same format as "Thick as a Brick" . It's equally very progressive with many more tempo and rhythm changes. This time though, the music was actually a medley made up of shorter songs rather than one long piece split into two halves.

Ian Anderson added variety using saxophones for the first time on a JT album. His usual flute touches are there too. There are a few acoustic guitar moments as well but the album is mostly driven by some nice piano, organ and synthesizer work throughout.

The lyrics are complex and mostly of wordplay and allegory which can be quite amusing but often confusing too. The odd spoken-word piece "The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles" isn't the best moment but it's a thoroughly enjoyable and artistic record overall. Most Jethro Tull fans would at least regard this as a good album. I personally think so, but it takes a bit of work to get into. Repeated listens are required. 3 stars.