IAN ANDERSON

"The theme of this anniversary "part two" album is to examine the possible different paths that the precocious young schoolboy, Gerald Bostock, might have taken later in life and to create alter-ego characters whose song-section identities illustrate the hugely varied potential twists and turns of fate and opportunity. Not just for Gerald but to echo how our own lives develop, change direction and ultimately conclude through chance encounters and interventions, however tiny and insignificant they might seem at the time" - quoted from Mr Anderson himself.

"It was a little daunting to consider the impact ? or perhaps lack of ? which this release might have on old and new fans alike but I eventually decided that I would embark on this for my own benefit and enjoyment rather than trying to please anyone else at all. To find the balance of interesting musicality and more accessible content too was not the main issue. The conceptual and heavily lyrical nature of the beast, however, might be out of place in the attention span-deficit world which we seem to occupy these days. But, having toured in 2010 and 2011 in Italy, Latin America, Australia and other countries where passions run high, I decided that maybe the world ? or our little corners of it ? was, in fact, ready for a bit of more substantial and weightier fare". - also quoted from Mr. Anderson.

Immediately, in the album's opening tracks I hear strains of what Jethro Tull was in its peak progressive period and to my ears it's a joy. The sound is very good however and that is to be expected in an album produced by Steven Wilson. The musicians here were not present for the original (except for Anderson himself) "Thick as a Brick" recording however these guys are no slouches and they do get the sound right. To attempt to remain faithful to the original "Thick as a Brick" album Anderson and Co here use the same brand instruments as were used on the original album.

So - to my feeling about this album. It isn't as sublime as the original album but then I doubt that much could be. Those who love older Tull through to the "Heavy Horses" album should adore this as that's what the sound is all about. The music is very well composed and structured in its attempt to be part 2 of the classic album. Lyrically and musically it is not a giant work as the original was however it is very very good at what it attempts to achieve. To rate this properly I have to take the original work out of the equasion and look at this as a recording on its own while remembering the older work. If I do that then I cannot but give this a full 5 star rating. Compared to the original this is not 5 stars as it isn't the equal of the original however it is a very very good album in its own right. It is essential for Tull fans and it is essential in its own right - had this been released by someone else without comparrison to TAAB it would have been recieved as a 5 star release by many. So - the full 5 stars.

"I was trying to explain this piece to a journalist as being a pun on the study of the urinary tract and its diseases when he asked me if it was difficult to play. "No, it's a piece of piss, actually", I offered" Quoted from Mr. Anderson relating to the track "Eurology".

Whereas I really liked "The Secret Language of Birds" album I absolutely adore this album. I have no hesitation whatsoever in awarding this album 4 stars. Nothing on it is throwaway or padding.

This is not an album that I will ever listen to again as there is very little on it that holds my interest apart from the two openers and the last track. I'm not a fan of electronic percussion and the album is very pop music flavored in style and result. There is nothing that causes my ears to orgasm here. It isn't a 1 star album in that it is a pleasant fluffy listen but I can't award this more than 2 stars.

Thick As a Brick 2 is strangely not a Jethro Tull album in name, but it is in sound. It obviously shares plenty of stylistic similarities with the original Thick As a Brick (some musical and lyrical themes are even repeated on this album), although I would argue that this bears just as much resemblance to 1973's A Passion Play - the whimsical spoken word sections especially remind me of this rather controversial concept album. Thick As a Brick 2 nicely summarizes the most productive portion of Jethro Tull's career, though; you might not hear very much from their early days as a blues rock act here, but the quirky, folk-infused progressive rock that Tull is best known for is faithfully represented on Thick As a Brick 2. Excellent flute solos, energetic riffs, and quirky arrangements are abundant, with fairly heavy use of the accordion adding a new dimension to Ian Anderson's style.

Most of the tracks on Thick As a Brick 2 are rather short, but all of them segue together to form one long composition. Anderson clearly had a surge of inspiration for the songwriting of this observation - tracks like "Banker Bets, Banker Wins", "Adrift and Dumbfounded", "A Change of Horses", and "What Ifs, Maybes, and Might Have Beens" stand as some of the man's finest compositions since the seventies'. All of Thick As a Brick 2 should be right up the alley of any classic Jethro Tull fan, and while it's clear that Anderson has aged in terms of his vocal ability and musical adventurousness, this is an immensely satisfying listen.

One could certainly criticize Thick As a Brick 2 for lacking the "bite" that classic Tull records have, but the album has enough high points to look past this shortcoming. This is a well-composed observation with an interesting concept performed by professional musicians and delivered in an expertly produced package (the album was mixed by no less than Steven Wilson). All in all, I've had a great time experiencing the sequel to one of my favorite albums, and I'd imagine that other Jethro Tull fans will find plenty to enjoy here too. Highly recommended.

Even though this is officially the sequel to Jethro Tull's brillaint Thick As A Brick album from 1972 and features several direct musical references to that classic Tull album, it actually reminds me much more of 1973's A Passion Play. Especially in light of the spoken word passages and the occasional (and admittedly discrete) presence of brass instruments. There is nothing here as ridiculous and silly as the "The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles" story, but there is indeed a more whimsical nature to this album that is more in line with A Passion Play than with Thick As A Brick. As other reviewers have pointed out, there are also elements of and references to several other Jethro Tull albums from various eras.

While this is without doubt Ian Anderson's best solo album and a pretty good album in its own right, it does not compare all that favourably to the generally very strong Jethro Tull discography. Even if I can certainly think of a few Jethro Tull albums that fall below the present one, there are countless others that are just far better. Very enjoyable though this album is, it is actually only an average album judged by very high standards of Jethro Tull's vast but generally excellent output. I could hardly give this album the same high rating as such excellent classics as Heavy Horses, Minstrel In The Gallery, or Aqualung. But, as I hinted above, it compares rather well with A Passion Play in both style and stature. In my opinion, the two most recent Jethro Tull albums, the underrated Roots To Branches and Dot Com, are better than the present one.

TAAB2 was a very surprising and very welcome release, bound to please hungry Jethro Tull fans like myself. As such, it is certainly a recommended addition to any comprehensive Jethro Tull collection. But it is not quite as good as some starved fans have claimed.

Very good indeed, but not truly essential

I remember looking at the Rupi's Dance CD cover, back in the fall of 2003, when it was first issued. I pondered the picture of an ageing "eccentric one-legged flautist" I had known from before, accompanied by a cute black kitten. I wasn't sure what it meant, but it touched some strings deep inside. I had to have it, there and then.

I clearly remember it was in the Heath Row airport in London, England, in one of those rip-off stores that take advantage of jet-lagged, disoriented transatlantic travelers. The CD was outrageously expensive ... £22.00, I think. I bought it and started listening to it on my laptop, while in a waiting lounge.

I thought Rupi's Dance would (hopefully) take me to the Tull's memory lane, and it did, but more importantly, I found myself making an unexpected excursion into the depth of Europe. Have you ever had this curious "homesick" feeling for places you have never been to? Like, wouldn't you wish you were sitting in this little Italian/Serbian/Portuguese cafe, on a leafy cobbled street named after a guy who had lived and died centuries before Columbus sailed off to "India". Drinking coffee as thick as yellow pea soup, watching in slo-mo the sand of time trickle between your fingers. But, this is a prog forum, so we shan't digress any more.

Back to the Tull experience: having listened to Rupi's Dance a few times, I conceived a disturbing thought: what if there had never been such thing as Jethro Tull band? Only a mighty Nordic deity Ian Anderson, towering over a couple of musicians who played along with him?

Because Rupi's Dance is more Jethro Tull than anything else. Granted, somewhat tamer, smoother and more melancholic than their prominent 1970's efforts, but still the same relentless Jethro Tull we knew - adorned with the appropriate signs of graceful ageing.

The music is really pretty and tasteful. If you like what's now called prog-folk, you'll enjoy the whole 50+ minutes of Rupi's dance. The lyrics is witty. The band is great, and all the sound engineering technicalities are perfect. The flute is still there, and is being put to a good use. Wish this album was available on vinyl, but one can't have everything, can one?

Since Rupi's Dance really isn't opening any new frontiers, I will assign it 4 stars, even though it's probably more like 9/10.

I frankly wasn't expecting something like this: to give a suite to (maybe) the greatest progressive rock album of all time. Some tried to give a second life to a majestic album, and who could blame them for rolling the dice again? We can think of In The Wake of Poseidon by King Crimson (the Good), Ocean II by Eloy (the Bad) or Metallica with their Unforgiven tracks (theUgly).

So, if Thick as Brick didn't exist, would that album be good?

Yes, and how.

Anderson won the incredible bet of giving a brother to his magnum opus; it's good and it's solid. The spectacular team of Steven Wilson and Derek Shulman is giving us impeccable sound, crisp and clear rendition of the 70's. It's not just playing old school with vintage instruments, you have to capture it correctly!

Excellent poems by Anderson. Some are regretting his past vocal chords abilities, I don't. He's still an excellent singer with a warm tone and perfect phrasing. He even winks at times at old classics like Aqualung or a Passion Play. Well done! It was probably not easy to invent a life for our pal Bostock, but by Jove, he did it!

The best thing is to listen to it and judge for yourself. On the other hand, you hardly can't bitch about it because the whole thing has clearly been well-thought and meditated. So if you're a fan of the first, please listen to this one. It could be your newest baby for a while.

What ifs, maybes and migh-have-beens...why-nots, perhaps and wait-and-sees.