A Passion Play Vs. Minstrel in the Gallery
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Recommendations/Featured albums
Forum Description: Make or seek recommendations and discuss specific prog albums
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=83500
Printed Date: April 24 2024 at 17:03
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Topic: A Passion Play Vs. Minstrel in the Gallery
Posted By: Glimmung
Subject: A Passion Play Vs. Minstrel in the Gallery
Date Posted: December 15 2011 at 17:12
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As much as I love Minstrel it doesnt do for me what A Passion Play does. I would really like to see where people stand on this. For me it took many more listens to get into Minstrel in the Gallery. On the surface it seemed like too much classic rock and not enough of the Tull that I love it wasnt untill many spins later that I found that Tull. There was something intriguing about A Passion Play I looked forward to putting in the work to love that album, there is an air of excitement around it. |
Replies:
Posted By: The Miracle
Date Posted: December 15 2011 at 17:24
It took me it took longer than any other Tull album to get into Minstrel as well. Now it's one of my all time favorites .But I really dislike APP. It's where everything that made TAAB great was pushed too far and fell flat on its face. Also it has Hare, one of the greatest embarrassments to grace a classic prog album. But that's just the final nail in the coffin. The whole thing is a mess imho. It's my least favorite pre-A album. Oh and you forgot to make a poll.  ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/ocellatedgod" rel="nofollow - last.fm |
Posted By: Epignosis
Date Posted: December 15 2011 at 17:49
My two favorite Jethro Tull albums. I don't think I could choose.
Newbs can't make polls. ------------- https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays" rel="nofollow - https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays |
The Miracle wrote:Posted By: PabstRibbon
Date Posted: December 15 2011 at 17:49
| PAssion Play is Tull greatest achievement |
Posted By: Glimmung
Date Posted: December 15 2011 at 17:53
Sorry about the no poll next time ill pay more attention  |
Posted By: The Miracle
Date Posted: December 15 2011 at 17:58
It's ok, never mind. My mistake.
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/ocellatedgod" rel="nofollow - last.fm |
Posted By: Wanorak
Date Posted: December 15 2011 at 19:24
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Minstrel in the Gallery for me by far. I don't fing APP as good as TAAB. MInstrel is my favourite Tull album and seems to encapsulate all of Tull's different sounds on one album; folk to hard rock to symphonic. ------------- A GREAT YEAR FOR PROG!!! |
Posted By: Mellotron Storm
Date Posted: December 15 2011 at 19:34
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Minstrel in The Gallery by far.I was listening to it last Sunday and i forgot how heavy that opening track got. ------------- "The wind is slowly tearing her apart" "Sad Rain" ANEKDOTEN |
Posted By: Heathcliffe
Date Posted: December 15 2011 at 20:16
| Minstrel for me. Passion Play is still a great album though. |
Posted By: Progosopher
Date Posted: December 15 2011 at 20:28
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A Passion Play is probably Tull's most complex album and definitely a masterpiece. At the same time it is self-conscious about its unique qualities, which are quite strange. Minstrel in the Gallery is a bit more organic and authentic to me, and the one I generally prefer. ------------- The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty" |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: December 15 2011 at 21:07
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I don't know why but The Menstrual In The Gallery always pops into my head for some reason. I do like the different character of the two albums. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: Morningrise
Date Posted: December 15 2011 at 21:15
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A Passion Play has never really clicked on me. On the other hand, Minstrel In The Gallery...
 Their best offering next to Thick As A Brick if you ask me.
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Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: December 15 2011 at 21:17
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Even though I quite like (nearly love) MITG, APP is too magical not to "vote" for. ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: dr prog
Date Posted: December 15 2011 at 22:29
| 1975 is tulls weakest year of the 70s |
Posted By: Midnight Lightning
Date Posted: December 16 2011 at 01:20
Or at least on par with Thick as a Brick, despite the two being so different. |
Posted By: akaBona
Date Posted: December 16 2011 at 01:56
jep
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Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: December 16 2011 at 03:07
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Minstrel in the Gallery is one of the best Tull albums. A Passion Play has a few fine moments, but the story of the Hare who lost his spectacles make me think he'd better lose his earphones as well. ------------- 
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Posted By: BarryGlibb
Date Posted: December 16 2011 at 04:47
Sorry but1976 takes the cake as being the worst year for Tull in the 70s; 1976's "Too Old To RocknRoll Too Young to Die" was their worst output in the 70's by a country mile. "Minstrel in The Gallery" is a 4-5 star album while "Too Old To RocknRoll Too Young to Die" is 21/2 stars at best ....... IMHO. Oh and A Pasion Play is a masterpiece. Minstrel in very good but let's itself down in some parts such as "Black Satin Dancer" and the overated "Baker St Muse". But everything else is superb especially the title track....the instrumental middle bit is so far ahead of it time it's not funny. It's not funny; it's unbelievable. Still A Passion Play is a much much better prog album than Minstrel. |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: December 16 2011 at 04:54
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A passion ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: laplace
Date Posted: December 16 2011 at 05:02
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i absolutely love the Hare part, it's just so charming. and kind of feels more audacious consider how musically conservative the prog audience is turning out to be... how DARE they add something to their album which invokes my more precious feelings? plus the incidental music behind that little fable is incredibly well-done. i can't remember any of the songs that are on Minstrel anyway, lol ------------- FREEDOM OF SPEECH GO TO HELL |
Posted By: Hercules
Date Posted: December 16 2011 at 05:38
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Minstrel just scrapes 4*. A Passion Play is just 2*. I really don't like it. ------------- A TVR is not a car. It's a way of life. |
Posted By: yanch
Date Posted: December 16 2011 at 05:41
| A Passion Play is one of my favorite Tull albums. Minstrel is good, I particularly like Baker Street Muse, but overall, even with the silly "Hare" Passion Play is a much better album. |
Posted By: b_olariu
Date Posted: December 16 2011 at 06:17
| I'm a big JT fan, hard to chose these two are among the best they got, at least for me Passion play is a real winner. Like aswell Minstrel a lot. |
Posted By: digdug
Date Posted: December 16 2011 at 06:57
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both are pretty awesome good thing I don't have to choose! ------------- Prog On! |
Posted By: Manuel
Date Posted: December 16 2011 at 10:00
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For me this is a hard choice. I love both albums, quite different from each other, but have the Tull signature of excellence all over them. I can't choose, really, since both evoque different emotions on me, and create a different mood when I listen to them. Both are quite enjoyable and meaningful.
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Posted By: refugee
Date Posted: December 16 2011 at 10:22
Maybe because of these lines: He pacified the nappy-suffering, infant-bleatingWhile I do like both the albums, Minstrel is the better one in my ears, only beaten by TAAB and Songs from the Wood in JT’s discography. ------------- He say nothing is quite what it seems; I say nothing is nothing (Peter Hammill) |
Posted By: Bj-1
Date Posted: December 16 2011 at 11:41
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Passion Play is my favorite Tull album. Minstrel is definitely in my Tull top 5 though. Amazing albums! ------------- RIO/AVANT/ZEUHL - The best thing you can get with yer pants on! http://www.last.fm/music/Exerior" rel="nofollow - EXERIOR Experimental tech/death/progmetal from Norway! |
Posted By: tamijo
Date Posted: December 16 2011 at 11:51
 , just that i think TAAB is as good, but as you say, more varriation on MITG------------- Prog is whatevey you want it to be. So dont diss other peoples prog, and they wont diss yours |
Posted By: dr prog
Date Posted: December 16 2011 at 17:21
Don't agree about 1976 being worse. While Too old to RnR was a bit daggy, it was meant to be a soundtrack so it wasn't tulls natural style of music. That's probably why Strip cartoon is my fave song on the remaster because it's a real tull song not made for a soundtrack. Same with Warchild, another soundtrack where the bonus tracks are the best tunes. But I do really enjoy Pied piper, Chequered flag and Salamander on the actual album, so there's half a pretty cool album worth of songs on the remaster plus 3 or 4 other decent tunes. I think Minstrel is no better. My fave track is Summderday sands, yet another bonus track. The Minstrel title track is good, but it's just a straight forward glamourish rock song really with helium vocals. Valhalla is good too but it's like a broken record especially Barries drumming. One white duck is real nice for the first half but I don't care much for the second half. The long tunes have their moments too. But overall the acoustics were a bit too strummed, missing Ians great finger work and melody. The heavy songs also lacked the melody Ian was capable of. 1975 and 76 are tulls low point for me. All the other remasters are great though, the bonus tracks really complete them and fill any holes I found in the original albums. Anyone who hasn't updated their tull albums to remasters is missing out on many of tulls best tracks
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Posted By: dr prog
Date Posted: December 16 2011 at 17:54
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Here's my rankings of the remasters between 1969 and 1979:
Above 4 star releases
Thick as a brick-a masterpiece remastered or not
Aqualung 2 cd(40 years)-1st cd is cool for first half. My god and Wind up are a bit boring. 2nd cd is great though
Heavy horses-best prog folk around
Warchild-get the remaster, almost a double album. 1st half is soundtrack, 2nd half is the real tull and the best tracks
Benefit-a good solid album with 3 classic bonus tracks, making it a very good cd
Stormwatch-the bonus tracks really fill some voids for me
Songs from the wood-another strong folk release
Stand up 2 cd(deluxe)-Similar to Benefit, good solid album with some classic bonus tracks but to a lesser extent. The live Carnegie material makes this a very good addition to your collection
4 star releases
A passion play-the sister album to Thick as a brick
3.5 star releases
Too old to RnR
Minstrel
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Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: December 16 2011 at 17:57
 ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Fox On The Rocks
Date Posted: December 16 2011 at 21:32
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Passion is my second favourite Tull album behind Brick. Minstrel is farther down the list but not far.
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Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: December 16 2011 at 21:38
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Minstrel in the Gallery is my preference, and I rate it higher musically and compositionally-speaking, but you can't go wrong with either album. ------------- ...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology... |
Posted By: Nightfly
Date Posted: December 18 2011 at 08:30
| Minstrel In The Gallery is one of my favourite Tull albums. A Passion Play's a strange one - sometimes when I'm in the right frame of mind for it I put it on and think it's brilliant - other times less so. |
Posted By: Eric Mallory
Date Posted: August 03 2012 at 17:09
| Impossible to choose. Awesome stuff. |
Posted By: BlackenedGass
Date Posted: August 04 2012 at 02:57
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Minstrel In The Gallery is my favorite album after Thick as A Brick, with the title track being one of my all time favorite Jethro Tull songs. A Passion Play is great, but I prefer Minstrel. |
Posted By: prog4evr
Date Posted: August 04 2012 at 17:25
One of the BEST JT has ever put out - IMHO! There's some quality "heavy" stuff on 'Songs from the Wood' too...
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Posted By: The Bearded Bard
Date Posted: August 04 2012 at 17:39
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I love Minstrel, but A Passion Play is the ultimate prog album IMO. -------------  
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Posted By: prog4evr
Date Posted: August 05 2012 at 21:27
A great statement on the debate at hand - I agree totally...
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Posted By: Eria Tarka
Date Posted: August 05 2012 at 23:20
| I like A Passion Play better, I hardly am able to make it through Minstrel and usually only stay for the first couple tracks. Whereas APP is very captivating and it keeps my interest the full way through. |
Posted By: omphaloskepsis
Date Posted: August 08 2012 at 11:52
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OMG! I love both albums. APP and Minstrel are very dear to moi. On days where I feel exuberant, enough to dance and prance, and I feel like wearing a codpiece and a peascod, I play Minstrel in the Gallery, and on days when I want to be amazed and dazed I play "A Passion Play". |
Posted By: Phideaux
Date Posted: August 08 2012 at 12:04
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Passion Play was the first Tull album I can remember being released. It was "MY" Tull album. By the time Minstrel came out I was a bit jaded. I thought some of Minstrel was quite good, but some of it was weak on the shorter songed side. Now, I can appreciate songs like Cold Wind To Valhalla, but at the time it didn't click for me. I find that music to be akin to Heavy Horses - hard to penetrate, not a lot of sonic variety and somewhat dark/muddy. Passion Play is light, lively, always changing it's sonic palette. It's so inventive, mostly through composed and rarely stays in one place long enough to get comfortable. It's difficult for your average listener, but I love it. Add to that the additional lost recordings that link Thick As A Brick and A Passion Play (as found on Chateau D'Isaster portion of Nightcap) and one has the most intriguing JT years for this listener. Minstrel, when it came out, beguiled me with side two. I loved the rock intro to side one and all of side two, but felt side one to be plodding and somewhat pedestrian. Nowadays I can listen to the album and it's almost new because I gave so little time to it then. It's a great and mysterious album, but does it rank with Passion Play for me? No, not a bit. I even find Songs From The Wood to do better what Minstrel strove for. I believe Minstrel is a transitional piece, albeit an incredible one. Ahhh, Jethro Tull. Those were the days! |
Posted By: Ronnie Pilgrim
Date Posted: August 09 2012 at 07:44
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It's been a while, and I'm pleased to see many new members with appreciation of a true prog classic. A Passion Play wins. And since so many have breached the subject, the four some odd minutes of "The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles" has a point, at least; whereas the two some odd minutes of noise I like to call "Overwhelming Responsibility" on Thick as a Brick is just bothersome.
------------- "The pointy birds are pointy pointy Anoint my head anointy nointy" Steve Martin The Man With Two Brains |
Posted By: Lizzy
Date Posted: August 09 2012 at 15:17
I concur. Nicely put there. However, I still prefer TAAB out of the two. Minstrel has been growing on me immensely lately. I've overlooked it because of my (still) War Child infatuation, but as far as album craftsmanship is concerned APP wins hands down. ------------- Property of Queen Productions... 
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Posted By: DiamondDog
Date Posted: August 09 2012 at 16:11
| Both are a step too far, proving to me that too much fame and success can negatively affect even such a clever and resourceful person as Ian Anderson. Bring back Benefit. |
Posted By: The Jester
Date Posted: August 14 2012 at 12:30
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Hands down, Minstrel in the Gallery! Imho, A passion play was an effort to make another Thick a a Brick, but it was not so successful. In the other hand, 'Minstrel' has some great songs, and let's not forget 'Baker Street Muse'. One of the greatest compositions of Jethro Tull... (And rather unknown)... Anyway..  ------------- If anybody wants please visit: http://www.gfreedomathina.blogspot.com/ This is my Blog mostly about Rock music, but also a few other things as well. You are most welcome! Thank you. :) |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: August 15 2012 at 20:56
| Minstrel in the Gallery for me, thank you. I love Cold Wind to Valhalla. I'm a Norse mythology buff from way back. Thick as a Brick and even more so Passion Play always seemed weak to me. But I'll give PP another listen. Aqualung Benefit and Minstrel are the high points for me. |
Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: August 17 2012 at 11:08
| A very difficult choice for me personally and that is based on the importance of vocal capabilities. Ian Anderson's vocal work on "Living In The Past", "Aqualung" and "Stand Up" is decent, but with Passion and Minstrel it is clearly a moment in time where he progressed with his vocal abilities in range and dynamics. I never heard him sing quite like that again! Even on "Songs From the Wood" where his voice begins to slightly lack in control. On Minstrel and Passion he is almost untouchable. That is a moment in prog history when he was in fact an impeccable vocalist. The smoothness and control was very powerful. On both of the recordings there is a small dose of reverb where it sounds like he is singing in a huge hall. With his amazing control (during that time period), it comes across a bit Classical. He was very amazing. |
Posted By: Ronnie Pilgrim
Date Posted: August 17 2012 at 20:23
That Warchild reissue is amazing! Thanks for the tip, Lizzy. I hate to brag, but I bought the MFSL version. If you've never heard anything they produce, I daresay they sound better than the vinyls. And I just found the MFSL remix of A Passion Play on eBay for only 60 dollars. Yeah, that's a lot but it's going for around $120 used and over $600 factory sealed. As Toddler states above, that period of Jethro Tull greatly benefited from Ian's amazing vocal ability.
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Posted By: HarbouringTheSoul
Date Posted: August 18 2012 at 05:28
Funny, because I always thought he had a tendency to overdramatize on those albums. Especially on APP he always sounds a bit strained. Anyway, this is a difficult one for me. APP is more consistent, but I rarely feel a need to listen to it because it's all so samey and overly serious. I pretty much enjoy all the individual sections/songs/whatever, but taken as a whole it's just too much. I think it would have helped if they had recorded and indexed all the songs separately. That would have given them more of an opportunity to bring out the essence of each song. As it stands, every minute of the album (except the hare interlude) is recorded in the same style, with the same instrumentation, the same sounds etc. And the material isn't as diverse as TAAB to begin with, so the one-track approach doesn't serve it well. Minstrel I find rather inconsistent. I love three songs: The title track, Cold Wind to Valhalla and One White Duck. The vocal sections of Black Satin Dancer are a bit weak, I think (I have my gripes with how the individual lines are arranged to form a verse, like how the first melody line is repeated six times in a row when it should have some kind of counterpart. In a different order, I probably would enjoy them a lot more), but the middle section is great. Baker St. Muse has its good and its bad moments, although it has no really outstanding moments in either direction. At its best it's mildly engaging, and at its worst it's boring but perfectly listenable. Requiem is boring through and through, with no discernible vocal melody. Grace is too short to make an impression on me either way, obviously. In the end, the good outweighs the bad, so it's a three-star album, as is APP. Minstrel gives me more of an incentive to listen to, but APP is more consistent. I can't decide. |
Posted By: Sympathy Orchestra
Date Posted: August 18 2012 at 10:42
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I like them both, but I prefer A Passion Play.
------------- www.thesympathyorchestra.com |