Warchild in the Gallery, Too Young to Die

There's a list of Tull albums between TAAB and Songs from the Wood which each contain a few great tracks, but which on the whole leave me completely cold.

So my friend and I set about to create the ultimate Jethro Tull fantasy album, by carefully selecting our favourite moments from this range of albums, sequencing them carefully (and occasionally editing them together continuously) and pressing the results onto two sides of imaginary wax.

The product is here. (My friend deserves all of the credit for working the actual audio editing software.) We're pretty damn proud of the result. 


Edited by hegelec - August 16 2017 at 11:16

MMMhhh!!!...

We recently reassessed Tull's later 70's (and beyond) on another prog site...

TBH, After TAAB, there is nothing I'd classify above three stars (yup, even SFTW and Heavy Whores Says .

Since this reassessment, personally, I tend to view APP better than before, despite that awful Hare interlude. But this album seems to function on two speeds: the acoustic (piano or guitar) stuff that repeats itself and the electric group participations (which are dynamic enough), but the sheer repetition of theses stages is tiresome. Unlike TAAB (which is THE awesomest album), I still don't understand its concept, and TBH, I won't try anymore. Difficult to cut a track/movement from the rest of the suite and put it down on a CD-r compilation, thpough.

War Child's concept is just as blurry and there was little that was worthy enough tracks on the original albums. Some sduggest that the bonus tracks bettered the album, but TBH, I just see more of the same. From this album, I'll single out Back Door Angel (the only really good track) , the t/t and Bungle. From the bonus tracks, I could add Steakhouse and Glory Row (despite that stupid Hare-like interlude), but it's not like it's mandatory stuff.

Minstrel in the Gallery is the only not-conceptual album in that era, but it is also rather over-rated, though it's understandable when you compare it to the albums surrounding it. It's also marred by the over-presence of the string arrangements (but that's valid for allTull albums from APP all the way to Storn Watch)  and I don't find this album all that "folky" (acoustic yes, but folky, not that much)
Outside the great Baker St Muse, I'll retain for my CD-r compilation Black Satin Dancer and Nothing At All, but that's about it. From the bonus tracks, the great Pan Dance is definitely an immediate inclusion as well, and and if I got space enough I could add Summerday Sands and Mad Scientist.

TOTRnR's concept seems easier to grasp, but haven't got the patience for the music, soooooo I haven't had the courage (yet) to reassess it yet. Apparently there are clips accompanying the album on YT, but haven't been able to locate them. if anyone knows.

Songs From the Wood: I find ut over-rated as well, but here is one of those albums that is seen as the typical blueprint prog folk example. The A-side is relatively poor (IMHO), with only Hunting Girl finding grace tfor my compilation... However the flipside is much better, with Velvet Green, Whistler and Pibroch. Maybe I will have space for Beltane as a wild card. 

Heavy Horses is also slitghly over-rated, but has a number of good tracks, like Mouse Police, Acres Wild, No Lullaby and The Rover. Broadford Bazaar is my joker, if I still had space.

StormWatch is not over-rated and it's easy to understand why: the group is tired and it is producing l'album de trop, for whatever well-known reasons, but the band tries to mask that by some of the worse abuse of string arragements ever. North Sea Oil, Old Ghosts and Flying Dutchman are my picks. No wild card picks, though.

hegelec wrote: I can't seem to get a straight hyperlink to work here. But to clarify ... the mixcloud address is at the end of the lead post. Also, we worked hard on nailing all the transitions, but the most satisfying for me is Skating Away into Forest Dance. I now can never unhear it this way.

chopper wrote: hegelec wrote: I can't seem to get a straight hyperlink to work here. But to clarify ... the mixcloud address is at the end of the lead post. Also, we worked hard on nailing all the transitions, but the most satisfying for me is Skating Away into Forest Dance. I now can never unhear it this way.   https://www.mixcloud.com/christianhegele/warchild-in-the-gallery-too-young-to-die-a-passion-play-jethro-tull-fantasy-album/

hegelec wrote: I'm just reviewing your comments in reverse order. Yeah Broadford Bazaar deserved to be on Heavy Horses more than about half the other tracks. It's a travesty it didn't make the cut. But for my money, clearly the highlight from this album is the title track itself. It's as dramatic as the best moments of Thick as a Brick, the concept of Ian Anderson as an old-timey Scots crofter is actually believable and totally works -- and the string arrangements manage to stay just shy of overbearing, possibly because they are also very dynamic, especially in the midsection. The videos that accompanied the tracks from Too Old to Rock and Roll can be found on Slipstream (which is the DVD component of the "A" rerelease). They post-date the album by a number of years. The history here is kind of hilarious, which is that Ian Anderson apparently tried to make a movie like 5 separate times between TAAB and the end of the decade ... finally succeeded with Slipstream -- which, being little more than middling concert footage interspliced with terrible music videos, is hugely disappointing. Minstrel is totally overrated. One big change I make, which is reflected in the mix above, would be to swap Cold Wind with Salamander from Too Old to Rock and Roll... it's basically the same song, without the regrettable hard rock stabs, and with better lyrics. I think you'll like way we put part of Baker Street Muse to work as a continuous segue between Salamander and Overseer Overture in the mix. It turned out shockingly well.

Ok, I can see I definitely had not grasped your original train of thought...

Yup, your montage sounds cool, though it's obvious there are sonic differences due to the different production. Indeed it's probably a better album than those mùid-70's Tull releases.

Thx for Slipstream, I shall check that out, if I have not gotten rid of it (I seem to remember it was terrible) , but it was a stand-alone DVD, not the bonus A DVD disc.

BarryGlibb wrote: Sorry but as a Tull freak I cannot even imagine on what you are getting at. Very few tracks IMHO "leave me cold" except for a couple on Too Old. Most of those tracks you list I wouldn't have in my top 250 Tull tracks, let alone top 10. The only one in your list that is a masterpiece in my honest opinion is Minstrel. The albums from TAAB through to the end of the decade are all fine by me; I wouldn't have wanted anything else......except for a lot of ToTRnRtYtD. Only my opinion and am glad you mention Tull but I am scratching my head ...sorry.

I think you're saying it right away... You're a Tull-freak (fanboy) and therefore, you're not a discening person (you like almost everything) when it comes to the band's music.... (I'm not implying anything for discernment outside the Tulldom, btw)

Though I'd say that the APP until SW string of album is anything but perfect, it's sill much superior to what the band has done in the 80's & the rest...

Indeed (and first of all), the early 80's trimogy (A, TB&TB and UW) is definitely not good, and it's difficult to call them "a band" as the line-up kept changing.

Tull is one of those band that tried hardest to adapt to the 80's and certainly the one that failed miserably (and still managed to survive)... But then again, I suspect you'll find redeemling qualitues to those three turds. Let's call this trilogy the "Anything Goes In Order To Survive" trilogy
Later 80's albums (Knave, RI and Catfish - actually in the 90's) see Tull as a somewhat return to form, but let's face it, only a couple of tracks from knave would find space on an, album like Minstrel or SW: Freeway, Jump Start and of course Budapest... A little few over three albums, but still better than the zero tracks from their previous three albums.

The last trilogy (RTB, .com and X-mas) is somewhat a bit better, though let's face it, only RTB is good, even if it runs out of steam midway through, and the eastern flute thing (learned on Ian's solo albums) wears thin fairly quickly.

As you know warchild and too old were poppy soundtracks. A lot of the tracks aren't exactly Tull tracks. It's just Tull trying to make suitable music for a movie and play and also trying to please the critics. Tull are so much better than that though and you can hear it in the songs that were shelved all these years and not included on the albums. Below are the 74 and 76 albums that we probably would have had if the dumb critics didn't get to Ian after the very good A passion play album. The albums now have the proper Tull composition quality, Ian's real voice, martins real guitar, johns real piano and organ. The remixes have plenty of new gems and most of them are the best tracks Tull did those years

Warchild

Warchild
March the mad scientist
Good godmother
Quartet
Queen and country
Skating away
Saturation
Glory row
Paradise steakhouse
Solitaire
Rainbow blues

4.25 stars now, was 3.25 stars

Too old

Strip cartoon
From a deadbeat
Salamanders ragtime
Pied piper
Commercial traveller
Salamander
Big Dipper
Small cigar(orchestral)
Quiz kid
Chequered flag

4 stars now was, 3 stars



Pity the band didn't release 2 albums in each year as planned. We got 1 soundtrack and 1 tull album worth from 74 and 1 soundtrack and half a tull album worth in 76. I would have rather the band had just recorded one proper album both years though rather than wasting time with soundtracks. The band ran out of time to record a few more songs for 76. If they did then I probably would have replaced Quiz kid and Big Dipper. Ian should have known better than to get sucked into dumb critics. We would have had an amazing run of Tull albums in that case.


Edited by dr prog - August 19 2017 at 16:20

BarryGlibb wrote: Sean Trane wrote: BarryGlibb wrote: Sorry but as a Tull freak I cannot even imagine on what you are getting at. Very few tracks IMHO "leave me cold" except for a couple on Too Old. Most of those tracks you list I wouldn't have in my top 250 Tull tracks, let alone top 10. The only one in your list that is a masterpiece in my honest opinion is Minstrel. The albums from TAAB through to the end of the decade are all fine by me; I wouldn't have wanted anything else......except for a lot of ToTRnRtYtD. Only my opinion and am glad you mention Tull but I am scratching my head ...sorry. I think you're saying it right away... You're a Tull-freak (fanboy) and therefore, you're not a discening person (you like almost everything) when it comes to the band's music.... (I'm not implying anything for discernment outside the Tulldom, btw) Though I'd say that the APP until SW string of album is anything but perfect, it's sill much superior to what the band has done in the 80's & the rest... No need for the condescending post. I am extremely discerning when it comes to Tull and have been extremely critical of their music over the years...I dislike many, many tracks and a number of albums.... it's just that I like more than I hate and their 1969-1979 output....well it resonates with me as well as 100's of thousands of others. Having stated that Anderson has been largely embarrassing since 1990 and should have hung up the boots after Roots to Branches. The original post by hegelec is just referring to the 70s albums not anything later...not relevant to what you're banging on about in regard to '80s, 90s or later. I'll try and keep a low profile from now on and your response is why I hardly post anymore. Cheers

Ok, didn't mean to sound condescending, though you did open the door, and it was a bit too tempting, so my bad

I've edited whatever I wrote past StormWatch, because indeed it's out of topic. Please notice that the OP only spoke of WC, MitG and TOtRnR, btw, I'm the one who extended the topic to the end of the decade

verslibre wrote: Sean Trane wrote: Songs From the Wood: I find ut over-rated as well, but here is one of those albums that is seen as the typical blueprint prog folk example. The A-side is relatively poor (IMHO), with only Hunting Girl finding grace tfor my compilation... However the flipside is much better, with Velvet Green, Whistler and Pibroch. Maybe I will have space for Beltane as a wild card.    Sean, you're nuts! SFTW is perfect from the very first note to the very last.

of course I am nuts 

Edited by dr prog - August 19 2017 at 17:21