martin barre or mick abrahams? - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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alchemist

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Topic: martin barre or mick abrahams?
Posted: March 31 2005 at 12:04

I think the influence of blues and folk that abrahams introduced in the band makes him special, although barre does a great job...

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tuxon

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Posted: March 31 2005 at 12:44

I love all Jethro Tull albums featuring Mick Abrahams, whereas I only like aprox. 20 % of the albums featuring Martin Barre, so that's an easy choise.

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Dick Heath View Drop Down

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Posted: March 31 2005 at 15:19

But aren't we talking two different Jethro Tulls: This was period being late British blues boom, and subsequently the folk prog? The UK blues specialist label INDIGO (not to be confused with other labels of the same name), have issued 3 Mick Abraham's albums, a couple recorded in the 90's and the third, a live Blodwyn Pig of the ealry 70's. Abrahams will inevitably be compared with other British blues guitarists but will have trouble making it into most folks' top 5.

kingofbizzare View Drop Down

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Posted: April 01 2005 at 00:18

tuxon wrote:

I love all Jethro Tull albums featuring Mick Abrahams, whereas I only like aprox. 20 % of the albums featuring Martin Barre, so that's an easy choise.

That's not hard, seeing as 'This Was' is the only Tull album with Mick Abrahams. He left the band because Ian Anderson wanted to expand beyond blues and into more of a rock (and eventually folk) sound.

valravennz View Drop Down

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Posted: April 01 2005 at 00:35

kingofbizzare wrote:

tuxon wrote:

I love all Jethro Tull albums featuring Mick Abrahams, whereas I only like aprox. 20 % of the albums featuring Martin Barre, so that's an easy choise.

Have literally just finished listening to "This Was". Not JT's best but Mick Abrahams does shine out particularly on "Cat Squirrel". The Jethro Tull that we all know has always had Martin Barre as the lead guitarist. It is hard to compare him to Mick as they both have different styles. The Jethro Tull sound is equated with Ian Anderson, Martin Barre and whatever line-up over the years. Mick Abrahams was a small part of the line-up saga of Jethro Tull, be it a distinguished part

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lunaticviolist View Drop Down

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Posted: April 01 2005 at 01:27

Martin Barre is better, without a doubt. I'm not much of a fan of This Was, but Abrahams' guitar is the highlight of the album. Barre was a little rusty on Stand Up, but he really sounds great on every album after that.

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Hiwatter

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Posted: April 04 2005 at 08:58

Barre without doubt, hes very underrated guitarist. I dont like his current sound but especially in years 1970-1975 he was great.

Edited by Hiwatter

Miaugion

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Posted: April 04 2005 at 10:25

Hiwatter wrote:

Barre without doubt, hes very underrated guitarist.

Exactly. His guitar parts on "Rock Island" (especially the title track) are amazing. Often he plays only short dynamic fragments instead of coherent sequences which makes him one of the most original and progressive players in my book.

Possessed

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Posted: April 04 2005 at 15:54

Barre

Andrea Cortese View Drop Down

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Posted: November 03 2005 at 17:48

MARTIN BARRE!!!

P.S. Strangely he's not on PA with his great solo albums! Confused

The Miracle View Drop Down

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Posted: November 03 2005 at 18:26

I like Barre albums the most

He's been with he band linger and the best albums are with him... Although they're all awesome

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NotAProghead View Drop Down

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Posted: November 03 2005 at 18:51

No doubts, Martin Barre. I remember one of Ian Anderson interviews, in which he said, that Jethro Tull can't exist without Martin - his guitar is a necessary part of band's sound.

Gianthogweed View Drop Down

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Posted: November 04 2005 at 00:41

I don't like the style Martin Barre developed in the eighties. He got to scale happy and sounded too much like your average 80's technical guitarist. He had a more interesting style in the seventies I think. But I can't really compare him to Mick Abrahams because all I have to judge him by is This Was.

Raff

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Posted: November 04 2005 at 02:25

Barre's one of my favourite guitarists, so there's really no contest here. Abrahams, BTW, was with the band for too short a time to judge whether his style would have developed or not.

yesman72

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Posted: November 04 2005 at 02:46

Martin Barre definitely. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to pull out their copy of Aqualung and listen to his solos on My God. Brilliant. Mick Abrahams is awesome too but Barre is where its at.

M. B. Zapelini View Drop Down

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Posted: November 04 2005 at 05:32

Dick Heath wrote:

But aren't we talking two different Jethro Tulls: This was period being late British blues boom, and subsequently the folk prog? The UK blues specialist label INDIGO (not to be confused with other labels of the same name), have issued 3 Mick Abraham's albums, a couple recorded in the 90's and the third, a live Blodwyn Pig of the ealry 70's. Abrahams will inevitably be compared with other British blues guitarists but will have trouble making it into most folks' top 5.

Mr. Heath pointed right: Mick Abrahams should be compared to other British blues guitarists, not to Martin Barre. The only connection between Abrahams and Barre is their "member card" at the Jethro Tull club. I'd like to listen to a live Jethro Tull album featuring Abrahams, to compare hi performance with Barre's at early Tull songs like "A Song for Jeffrey", but this maybe will never happen.

As a British blues guitarist, Abrahams is as good as Clem Clempson, Mick Taylor, Stan Webb, Jeremy Spencer and Martin Pugh, but is far below to Eric Clapton, Paul Kossoff, Peter Green or T. S. McPhee.

"He's a man of the past and one of the present"
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Bob Greece View Drop Down

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Posted: November 04 2005 at 06:31

Martin Barre no question about it. Abrahams is a simple blues guitarist. Barre is a versatile rock guitarist. Check out his latest album Exit Stage Left - brilliant. A lot better than Ian Anderson's solo album IMO!

Like Andrea Cortese said, Martin Barre should be included in the archives. I've been thinking about trying to do it myself but haven't got round to working out the process yet.

By the way, Abrahams latest band is called Bloodwyn Pig if you want to check out how he played after leaving Tull.

I've heard Ian Anderson say that if Martin Barre left the band, it wouldn't be Tull any more.

Edited by Bob Greece