JETHRO TULL

i know 3 star are few... Thick as Brick is almost 4 star album for me...I like it really a lot but i want to highlight it's not on the same level than A Passion Play and Aqualung. This huge suite defferently than A Passion Play have too many weak moments and it's a little bit repetetive the melody is almost all the same all over the album. I am sure with the same ideas it would be better to make a suite of 20 minutes and it would be a masterpiece with no doubts, Jethro Tull pretended too much, this is the reason i gave 3 stars

Oh my dear goddess, this is way too underrated (and I even do know why). Yes, having good cover is nice, but I love this (as I am fond of comic a little bit). I even like the title, which brings up the question of mortality (favourite line of my father). And story ? Not so worse than in case of "Thick as a Brick", right ?

Perfect example of prog folk, mature, very playful and offering far more than you can get on first listen. Maybe someone can be awed by presence of so much of symphonic (literally, there's an orchestra). And if you are amongst these who managed to see Too Old To R'n'R, Too Young To Die as musical video, count yourself lucky. It's a very good one, presenting whole record. Musically, this one is one of the best singles from JT I've witnessed. Uncompromisingly truthful, so sad and emotional, still concluding in man's victory over mortality.

As somebody pointed out on forum, this is not like old JT work. It's different, but this doesn't necessarily means bad. This is opposite of bad (actually, opposite of worst), because maybe it's not best at all (I like Aqualung more), but can be rated next to these, really.

5(-) of course, Ian's voice (which I admire a lot) helps this lot, but this can apply to their every record. This is underdog, hated, or at least overlooked by most, but for few of us there, it is masterpiece. It should be.

How Tull are You?

Well, who does not know Jethro Tull the Scottish band? If you declare yourself as a progrock fan you must have known the band long time ago. The were established end of the 60s and I find it still enjoyable listening to their very old album like "Benefits" or "This Was". In 1971, they released Aqualung, which most people (music critics) say it's a sardonic rant on organized religion or something like that. There was tremendous change in their musical style but their roots were still there in Aqualung. But we recognize the music of Tull referring to Aqualung because it has become the signature sound for the band until now. Tull vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ian Anderson, original guitarist Martin Barre, and new additions Doane Perry, Andrew Giddings and Jonathan Noyce accepted an invitation from XM satellite radio to record a live performance of the album for a small group of invited fans. Fuel Records has released this concert on CD. Anderson and the band are donating the royalties to charities serving the homeless.

For those of you who are familiar with the signature sound of Tull in Aqualung would find this CD is an excellent addition to any Tull fan's collection. Actually most of the performances are straight version of the original, but there are some new arrangements that are obvious especially to respect new musicians like Giddings' accordion part of "Mother Goose". The classics "Aqualung", "Locomotive Breath" and "Cross-eyed Mary" (my favourite) were performed really well with some improvisations from original version, especially on guitar part.

I would recommend this to those of you who have been the band's fan for a long time and wanting to hear how they perform recently. Keep on proggin'...!!!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Aqualung Live is a live album by UK progressive rock act Jethro Tull released in 2005. It´s recorded for a radio broadcast show in front of a select crowd of about 40 fans who had won the tickets for the show on Jethro Tull´s homepage. As the name says it is a live recording of the full Aqualung (1971). Generally considered a classic in the band´s discography ( and probably in rock music in general). When I purchased the album I was hoping it was a forgotten live recording from 1971, but that is certainly not the case. As bandleader Ian Anderson says in the booklet, most of the 2005 band were in their infancy or not even born yet when Aqualung was released.

While I consider the original album one of the greatest Jethro Tull albums, this live version doesn´t do that much for me. It´s well played, pretty well produced and well performed. The problem is probably that it doesn´t add much to the original and I suspect that live shows from back in the day were better and more energetic. This is not a bad album by any means it just doesn´t impress me as much as I had hoped it would. A 2.5 - 3 star rating is deserved.

JETHRO TULL IS ENGLISH ROCK!!!

Naah, boys and girls... JT was English Rock in the World. Or better, one of the best English Rock bands in the World. And for a great celebration of their 20 years of career JT are in store also with this CD with 21 songs (but I've also 2LP version with 27 songs). That is a great JT album.

JT start as Blues band, then was Folk Heavy Prog band, then Heavy Folk Prog band, then... Simply a Prog Rock band. And this release is a condensation of these phases with rare studio and live tracks.

Ian anderson is sure a poetry of Rock but also the musical part is a pure poem. The sound is always powerful and dinamic and I think that Tull present also some aspects of RPI, specially on sound and musical structure.

So, my conclusion is this: If you have money... '20 Years Of JT' is another great collectable album for your collection of gems.

I've always got something of an undecided opinion about Jethro Tull's second progressive rock masterwork. While it has certainly grown on me and appeals a lot to me on a rational level, I never played it nearly as much as its obvious touchstone for comparisons: Thick As A Brick.

It sure is quite astonishing Jethro Tull managed to create a second 45 minute opus in 2 consecutive years. The inspiration must have run very high to say the least. Especially since this isn't just a TaaB rehash. No, I'd rather say it is adds a lot of stylistic differences. Especially the addition of saxophone and the more humorous and playful attitude give it a kind of circus music feel. It's less folksy and more cabaret like. Well as the album title indicates, this is a theatrical adventure and it works quite well as such.

My only issue with the album is that is sounds less vigorous then TaaB. That album just flashed with energy; here I sometimes miss that intensity and creative spark. It has moments where it sounds studied and slightly overworked when compared to the spontaneity of most of their earlier work. Not a love or hate album as far as I'm concerned. Just very good but not exceptional.

The second Jethro Tull album is slightly more folky than the bluesy debut album. The music is still very much blues. The bluesy harmonica, guitars, bass and drums is very much here. But again; the flute is dragging the music headlong into folk music territory. But not long enough, in my view.

All the well known Jethro Tull ingredients, instrument wise, is here and the shape of things to come is starting to become clearer. The vocals are here too. There is even some symphonic prog elements here on the top of the blues/folk stuff. The second track Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square brings news about things to come from Jethro Tull. It is short, but it is still great. Bourée is also another break with the blues stuff from the debut album. Hard rock also comes into fore on this album. There is a lot of nice stuff on this album.

I see this album as a more or less transitional album and a snap shot of a band developing into a prog rock powerhouse. It is a good album.

3 stars

With you there to help me it probably will.

Jethro Tull is a band that has really grown into me these recent days, and Benefit has been a big contributor in the procedure. This album is like Genesis Nursery Cryme, or Yes Fragile. You really can't decide is it a total masterpiece or just under the bar. For me a total masterpiece consists only of tracks i want to listen to all the time. This is so far the only reason i can come up with to not give Benefit 5 stars.

The album offers very very much. There is the opening track, which for me ranks amongst the Jethro Tull greatest. Then there's fantastic tracks like "Inside", "Son" and "Teacher". I also like "For Michael" and "To Cry You A Song". This album just lacks the consistency that would show on the next album, and this for me is the main reason to give it "only" 4 stars.

On Benefit, Tull had taken the highroad, and the 70s would now be taken by storm and flute. A great album and a great introduction into 70s Jethro Tull. 4 Stars.

According to Forrest Gump, his momma repeatedly told him that life was akin to a box of chocolates. She also might've been describing the sundry albums of Jethro Tull. In the last few years I've been giving this respected grand champion steer of the progressive folk movement another hard look (after being estranged from them for decades) and in so doing I don't think I've ever found a band to be more confounding and inconsistent. On every trip to the local used LP vendor I've endeavored to pick up one of their records to hear what I missed and I can inform you that, indeed, I never know what I'm gonna get. It's a crap shoot. In the case of "Songs from the Wood" I hoped for a bulging pouch of toasty nuts like those I found within the vinyl grooves of "Heavy Horses." Alas, I came away scratching my noggin in befuddlement. What I've come to realize is that when it comes to this eclectic bunch one man's scoop of poodle poop is another man's treasure and, more often than not, I end up savoring most sometimes what others don't care much for at all. To quote the king of Siam, "'Tis a puzzlement."

The album's rustic cover painting doesn't mislead, though. This was obviously a wholehearted attempt on their part to get back to the existential fundamentals upon which the group was erected and the opener, "Songs from the Wood," starts things trotting off gallantly in that direction. The song's intricate a capella harmony vocal arrangement is entertaining and leads you to believe that Ian Anderson and his merry men are about to "bring you love from the field/poppies red and roses filled with summer rain/to heal the wound and still the pain/that threatens again and again/as you drag down every lover's lane." The group dutifully jumps in after a bit and tightly performs the tune's colorful, complex patterns with nary a snag and the wide variety of instrumentation used in the production allows for fascinating listening. All in all, this polished gem contains all the ingredients that make Jethro Tull so unique and worthwhile. Too bad they can't keep it up.

The all-Ian-all-the-time "Jack-in-the-Green" is next and if nothing else this one-man tour de force shows beyond any reasonable doubt that Anderson was, is and always will be the guts and bolts of this band. He plays and sings everything on this cut and that's all well and good but, unfortunately, it's a rather unmemorable ditty. Maybe he was trying to tell us that the Cub Scout troop leader role isn't all it's hyped up to be when he intones the line "It's no fun being Jack-in-the-Green/no place to dance, no time for song." (Ugh.) "Cup of Wonder" follows and it's prototype 70s folk rock that's only missing the pizzazz. The song's riff-verse-chorus formula is repeated before they toss in the obligatory instrumental bridge and then they predictably close out with another repeat of the beginning sequence. Yada, yada, yada. I'd rather they be bold and risk ramming the rocks than to bore me into a stupor. I can usually find something in Ian's lyrics when his music fails me but not this time. It's as if between takes he grabbed a rhyming dictionary off the shelf and jotted down some random sentences. (Mmmph.)

Barriemore Barlow's energetic, highly detailed drumming distinguishes the intro to "Hunting Girl" and, while it's no thrill ride, it's definitely a welcome step in the right direction at this juncture. Since both John Evans and David Palmer are listed as the keyboard wizards in the credits I'm not sure who did what and when but they brighten the complicated verse structure considerably and the song's instrumental sections sound more like the entire entourage got to contribute and, therefore, were more fun to play. (Belch.) The words describing a seize-the-moment tryst on the heather shared by a commoner and an upper-crust lass are refreshingly clever. "She took this simple man's downfall in hand/I raised the flag that she unfurled," he sings with tongue-firmly-planted-in- cheek. The title of the next track, "Ring Out, Solstice Bells," would, understandably, cause one to brace for a sugary smearing of sticky schmaltz but it rises to the challenge and easily surpasses that low expectation. The perky 7/8 time signature they employ for the verses and the big, full choruses make this song a delight. The piano work is excellent throughout and the Christmassy climax with bells a chimin' is downright heavenly. Every once in a while these boys surprise the hell out of me.

On "Velvet Green" they demonstrate, once again, their proficiency for mixing modern instruments with traditional ones like mandolins and lyres to create the inimitable Jethro Tull sound. Okay, that's no news flash but give me a break. I'm grasping at straws here. At least the tune's unpredictable arrangement keeps things from stagnating completely. The passable lyrics portray the enviable lifestyle of a carefree country Don Juan "who's a young girl's fancy and an old maid's dream" that goes about sowing his "wild oat seed" indiscriminately. (Meh.) "The Whistler" features energetically strummed acoustic guitars that lay a brisk-paced foundation underneath some very lively whistles and synths. I like the way they kept the drums down in the mix, allowing the music to flow atop its natural momentum. Maybe they were trying to divert your attention away from the less-than- pensive words.

Ostracize me if you want but I've never been a fan of guitarist Martin Barre. He's functional and pedestrian, at best, and often he's as annoying as a swarm of vampire gnats as he is on "Pibroch (Cap in Hand)." Here he's fascinated with the neat-o delay/echo effect he over- utilizes on the introduction and at other points. It grows old quickly. The song then drops into being a bluesy dirge of sorts and, in case you missed it the first time, they rerun the Martin Barre Show again. The first instrumental break arrives but it only induces a yawn as you keep waiting for something interesting to burst out of the cage this number is trapped in. Suddenly it happens and you're treated to a sprightly movement involving flutes, whistles, and mandolins followed by madrigal-styled keyboards and it's like sunshine streaming through a break in cloudy skies. (Where were they hiding this and why?) The excitement is short-lived, though, and they lazily return to the original feel and theme. (Fffftttt.) At least they end the album on an upswing with the simpler "Fire at Midnight." Barre's bull-in-a-china-closet guitar almost ruins the mood but he exercises a crumb of restraint and Anderson's unpretentious ode to the joys of home life manages to survive Martin's rude intervention. "Me, I'll sit and write this love song/as I all too seldom do/build a little fire this midnight/it's good to be back home with you," Ian sings contentedly. (Ripppp.)

If you're new to Jethro Tull I must warn you that they're prone to being as hit and miss as a pre-school point guard. Having said that, discovering their masterpieces like "Stand Up" and "Thick as a Brick" as well as their highly satisfactory outings such as "Heavy Horses," "Passion Play" and "Benefit" are well worth the effort. But prepare to be underwhelmed by albums like this one along the way, too. Technical merits notwithstanding, "Songs from the Wood" is sorta like taking in an exhibition of an esteemed painter's canvases but being impressed only with the quality of the frames. The tunes are recorded expertly, there's not a note out of place and there's no denying that they put a great deal of effort into making it something they could be proud of yet it fails to ascend above the rank of mediocre. And, for a prog reviewer such as myself, it was a nightmare to fairly assess. So please excuse the classless incidental fart and burp noises that bullied their way into this essay. I couldn't help it. I was gassy. That stuff happens every time I'm beset by the acute ennui that results from trying to pen a decent review for albums like "Songs from the Wood." There were no lasting moments of ecstasy to shower with glowing adjectives and, conversely, there were no instances of pure inanity to mercilessly assault and poke fun at with semi-literate daggers. Makes for a critique as unremarkable as the album it addresses and, to me, that's a fate worse than garlic breath. 2.5 stars.

Thick as a Brick finds Jethro Tull reborn and reinvigorated after the slightly dreary Aqualung. Seemingly without effort, they pull off one of the most accomplished prog rock albums of all time.

TaaB is quite different from anything they had ever done before. It's not the brooding blues rock of the beginnings, nor the straightforward stadium rock of Aqualung. The closest reference to previous work would be the album Benefit, but with that album's progressive leanings stretched to the maximum and with a unifying vision that is probably unsurpassed in prog history.

There's the continuous interplay between acoustic and amplified sections, between sung parts and instrumental parts, between folk, rock and improvisations, between playful ditties and dramatic hymns. And the most remarkable of all is how all these different pieces seamlessly fit together.

It is the sound of a band that plays with confidence and maturity, giving each member the opportunity to put in their best and shine throughout. They simply dash through the proceedings with an unrelenting energy and passion I have rarely heard from them. In its entire 45 minutes, there is not one weedy moment, not one transition that doesn't work.

It's not easy listening and a big chunk to bite through but ultimately rewarding. It's one of the most fascinating albums of the 70's.