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frippism 
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 Topic: What did we think of Thick As A Brick 2?
Posted: March 26 2012 at 12:21 |
Not sure if in the right thread section thingy. Oh well.
Whaddaya think?
Me?
Honestly.
Crap.
Some OK moments but all hampered by cheesy lyrics, HORRIBLE, just horrible, mixing. The drums sound godawful, the guitars usually are pretty bad. Ian's vocals aren't as bad as I imagined though.
With that, some good songwriting moments, but some really bad as well.
I honestly expected more from Wilson, as the mixing is just plain bad, particularly on the drums.
I hope you found more enjoyment than I did on this.
P.S., for those who didn't know, for today only, the album can be streamed here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jethro-Tull/155624494454309?sk=app_399220396756996
"A Change Of Horses" was decent, though.
Edited by frippism - March 26 2012 at 12:25
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lazland
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Posted: March 26 2012 at 12:24 |
 frippism wrote:
Not sure if in the right thread section thingy. Oh well.
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It'll be moved 
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Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org
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frippism
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Posted: March 26 2012 at 12:28 |
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^ damn it one day I'll get it right :).
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HolyMoly
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Posted: March 26 2012 at 13:50 |
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Not too bad. I set my expectations pretty low, admittedly - I stopped buying Tull albums long ago. I can't really get a good feel for the mixing job on my teeny computer speakers, but at least from where I'm sitting, it sounds okay.
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My other avatar is a Porsche
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased.
-Kehlog Albran
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Failcore
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Posted: March 26 2012 at 14:01 |
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It's a good Tull album. It's a bad TAAB sequel.
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Zombywoof
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Posted: March 26 2012 at 14:02 |
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I like it a lot, actually. Its coherent, solid all the way through.
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Continue the prog discussion here: http://zombyprog.proboards.com/index.cgi ...
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Textbook
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Posted: March 26 2012 at 14:22 |
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As a raging Tull fan I will buy before I hear but my expectations are very low. I will be happy if it's just decent. I am not even faintly expecting something that justifies the title TAAB2.
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VanVanVan
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Posted: March 26 2012 at 14:43 |
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I didn't think it was terrible, but of course it's a let-down compared to the original Thick as a Brick. Music sounded generally quality, if occasionally a bit forced, and Ian's vocals weren't bad, but it definitely seemed like he was singing with less power than he used to be able to.
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"The meaning of life is to give life meaning."-Arjen Lucassen
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The Bearded Bard
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Posted: March 26 2012 at 14:48 |
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As I said, in the other thread, I didn't find it all that bad. Some interesting parts, and some not so interesting. It could've been worse, but it should've been better. It didn't live up to it's name IMO, at least not after just a few listens. Will buy it though, eventually. Highlights IMO: 'Banker Bets, Banker Wins', 'Adrift And Dumbfounded', 'Old School Song' and 'A Change Of Horses'.
Edited by The Bearded Bard - March 26 2012 at 15:52
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DisgruntledPorcupine
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Posted: March 26 2012 at 15:39 |
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Like I said in the other thread, NEVER judge the mixing until the release of the CD.
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DisgruntledPorcupine
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Posted: March 26 2012 at 15:41 |
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That being said, I think I love the drum sound more than anything.
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Cesar Inca
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Posted: March 26 2012 at 17:08 |
Textbook wrote:
As a raging Tull fan I will buy before I hear but my expectations are very low. I will be happy if it's just decent. I am not even faintly expecting something that justifies the title TAAB2. |
Same here. The torch of prog royalty has long been passsed to the bands from the 90s onwards (or at least, some of them). All we can reasonably expect from to the older generations of prog bands (except for notable exceptions such as UZ, VdGG, Le Orme and a few more) is good albums with some particular gems in them. It looks like TAAB2 won't be an irregular effort such as Yes' "Fly From Here" or a mini-reprise of old days gone such as Locanda Delle Fate's comeback EP, so it might be OK. I'll buy it but I can't promise it will be in my Top 10: bands like Kotebel, Thinking Plague, Cartel Carnage and Forgas Bandf Phenomena are more likely to fit in, IMHO.
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Textbook
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Posted: March 26 2012 at 17:14 |
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I'm worried to hear about crappy lyrics though- Anderson's other talents may have deserted him with age but still having good lyrics is the one thing I would've counted on.
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DisgruntledPorcupine
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Posted: March 26 2012 at 22:12 |
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My verdict: great album. Exceeded my expectations by a lot. Obviously didn't compare to the 1st, but complaining about that is just plain silly.
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Textbook
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Posted: March 26 2012 at 22:29 |
An eight out of ten quails review. Best rating system ever btw
Edited by Textbook - March 26 2012 at 22:29
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Barbu
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Posted: March 26 2012 at 22:33 |
DisgruntledPorcupine wrote:
My verdict: great album. Exceeded my expectations by a lot. Obviously didn't compare to the 1st, but complaining about that is just plain silly. |
Good news. 
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Ludjak
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Posted: March 27 2012 at 04:39 |
For me, the album really works, musically consistent and lyrically fitting. Sure, the drumming sounds stiff in places, but so does all contemporary rock drumming, imho 
I was quite sceptical when I heard that it was coming out, but having heard it in its entirety, I must say that Ian Anderson has shut me up. Hats off to him for pulling off such an ambitious project with such confidence. I'm now seriously considering going to Austria or Italy to catch the tour.
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frippism
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Posted: March 27 2012 at 06:38 |
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^ dear god what drumming were you listening too? There's so much fluid, insane drummers today. I'm sure Ian could've found someone better for this.
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Slartibartfast
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Posted: March 27 2012 at 06:52 |
I think I haven't listened to it yet in fact I am quite sure of it. OK OK my ear is thirsty. Got through the first couple of tracks and it sounds decent.  You can't top a prog classic.
Edited by Slartibartfast - March 27 2012 at 07:07
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Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Ludjak
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Posted: March 27 2012 at 09:09 |
frippism wrote:
^ dear god what drumming were you listening too? There's so much fluid, insane drummers today. I'm sure Ian could've found someone better for this. |
I certainly agree with the latter (he could have used Doane Perry for a start ), but there is something about rock drumming today that just leaves me with an impression that it's all played against a metronome track (not that I like sloppy drumming, but, in my opinion, perfect punctuality in tempo changes or speeding up and slowing down always in the same fashion isn't something a drummer should be aiming for), and also produced very badly, like all drums are recorded in a barrel and then heavily compressed, making the drummer sound as if he has no sense of dynamics and is just thrashing away in the background. Rarely do I listen to a contemporary rock album and think "Hey, this drummer is really clever", getting the feeling that the drummer is there just to either keep time or show off without real artistic value (not to use the vulgar term  ). I find this relatively (but not completely) absent in modern jazz (or jazz-influenced) drumming, so I do appreciate jazz-influenced rock drummers (although, to my knowledge at least, their number has decreased significantly since the 60s and 70s). I'm probably (as I've said before in another thread) just being snobbish and picky, though (I'm one of those people who complain about rock concerts being "too loud" ). ^^
But I digress. Probably the main reason why the drums sound like they do on this record is because Ian Anderson himself wanted them to sound like that, and we've seen how that turned out on Under Wraps.
I will refrain from making other production-related verdicts until I get my vinyl copy (which will hopefully be released by September/October). As far as music is concerned, I really like this one.
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What did we think of Thick As A Brick 2?
