The New Jethro Tull Appreciation Thread
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Forum Name: Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
Forum Description: Discuss specific prog bands and their members or a specific sub-genre
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Topic: The New Jethro Tull Appreciation Thread
Posted By: HemispheresOfXanadu
Subject: The New Jethro Tull Appreciation Thread
Date Posted: March 11 2014 at 23:40
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This is a thread where you get to talk about everything Tull--Barre's best tones, Ian's best live flute solos or Barlow vs. Bunker etc. Have at it! Reason for reviving this thread: I hadn't listened to Songs From the Wood for probably two months. Forgot how good it was until I started listening to it again tonight. And now I have to get up in five hours.
 ------------- https://twitter.com/ProgFollower" rel="nofollow - @ProgFollower on Twitter. Tweet me muzak. |
Replies:
Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: March 12 2014 at 09:22
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In 1976 I purchased a Christmas EP by Jethro Tull. I often wish for Ian Anderson to compile both EP's and any existing Christmas pieces to release as a official cd. Instead they turned up as bonus tracks on the remastered versions of the mid 70's releases. Was the show from Madison Square Garden ever released in it's entirety? The bonus track on T.A.A.B. is taken from that show. Sorry...I'm lazy and haven't researched it. I wasn't fond of Isle of Wight...but loved Carnegie Hall which was released in recent years on the new edition of Stand Up. I love Minstrel In the Gallery and A Passion Play. I often play War Child, Nightcap, and A Passion Play ...observing most or all of the music from various recording sessions prior to or during the Passion Play sessions. I often hope that everything from that specific period will be released in a box set one fine day...or simply as a 3 cd set. That period of Tull is fascinating. I loved Barlow's drumming more than Bunker's because I was disappointed to often hear Clive Bunker accidentally hitting the rims of the drums during his very fast "roundhouse" rolls. Although that may be a minor detail...the overall affect Barlow had on me was more seasoned and dynamic. I was very disappointed when Ian Anderson slowly began to lose his voice. I collected everything up to that point in time. He apparently decided to hire a new vocalist which was a smart move to continue the legacy of the band. I didn't care for Heavy Horses..which to me..was a poor man's Songs From the Wood. I would appreciate if Ian Anderson would release Living In The Past including the hard back cover with booklet and all tracks included...unlike that cheesy disapponting U.K. import version. The hard back cover version was available as a Japanese import for a short period and I just hope that Ian Anderson will offically re-release that soon. .
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Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: March 12 2014 at 13:13
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Been a Tull fan from This Was ('68) when my friend who's a blues rock fan turned me onto it in early '69 and then Stand Up later that year. For me Stormwatch was the last LP I really liked though I have almost all of them (never cared for Rock Island , Catfish Rising, or Under Wraps....) and there are good tracks here and there on all the albums. I also have the first 20 year box set, Living In The Past, Best of Acoustic, Nightcap, etc. Only saw them once in 1974 at college......never been in the right place over the years to see them again but then I'm lazy about driving any distance to see a band. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: dr prog
Date Posted: March 12 2014 at 13:39
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Love these releases: Thick as a brick Heavy horses remaster Stormwatch remaster Warchild remaster Benefit remaster Bursting out Aqualung box set Stand up deluxe set Living in the past is a fave but it's all covered on the above anyway. Stunning bonus tracks and quads really make aqualung, stand up, benefit, stormwatch and warchild much better purchases. They really should be treated as part of those album sessions to show all tulls quality and styles each year. ------------- All I like is prog related bands beginning late 60's/early 70's. Their music from 1968 - 83 has the composition and sound which will never be beaten. Perfect blend of jazz, classical, folk and rock. |
Posted By: HemispheresOfXanadu
Date Posted: March 12 2014 at 13:46
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Jethro Tull would be the second major prog band I got into after Rush. I ordered a couple of their CDs (Thick as a Brick and a compilation album--20 Years of Jethro Tull (the single disk version)) after we moved because Tull was highly regarded in the PA archives. The CDs arrived pretty late and I didn't like them all that much the first time I heard them. Much preferred Rush's A Farewell to Kings which I had ordered at the same time, along with Dream Theater's A Change of Seasons. After reading a few reviews and interviews about Thick as a Brick and how it was a comedic take on progressive rock, I really got into them. (I had been taking it too seriously) Without a doubt, Tull has more plays on my iPod than any other artist and I own more Tull albums than anyone else too. A measly 6, but that ain't bad. Also, as many here probably know--moving is stressful! My mom had me put on 20 Years a few times because she found it relaxing. (It has a lot of acoustic or simpler, rougher songs on it). My bass teacher even got a hold of TaaB's bassline for me which I'll ask him to teach me part of next lesson.  May as well list the ones I have, too. TaaB, 20 Years..., Songs From the Wood, Stormwatch, Aqualung and Minstrel in the Gallery.
------------- https://twitter.com/ProgFollower" rel="nofollow - @ProgFollower on Twitter. Tweet me muzak. |
Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: March 12 2014 at 14:05
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Loved them when young but later became quite bored with it, especially Aqualung and TAAB. Recently I've come to appreciate them again, especially Benefit....an amazing album. I also enjoy their much hated "Under Wraps" album. ------------- |
Posted By: dr prog
Date Posted: March 12 2014 at 14:41
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One thing I wished is that aqualung and warchild were double albums ------------- All I like is prog related bands beginning late 60's/early 70's. Their music from 1968 - 83 has the composition and sound which will never be beaten. Perfect blend of jazz, classical, folk and rock. |
Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: March 12 2014 at 19:59
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I heard the song Aqualung when it was first released. Being 11 years old at the time, I immediately became enamored of Tull. I mean, what little kid wouldn't love the line "snot is running down his nose"? At age 13, of course, I became much more sophisticated. I was even more appreciative of Tull because of the line "And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision". Naturally, listening to "Hunting Girl" at age 16 bordered on the pornographic. So, yeah. I sort of became demented growing up with Tull. ------------- ...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: Dellinger
Date Posted: March 12 2014 at 23:21
| Actually, many of the songs I enjoy most are from the live versions on the 90's, 00's, they sound very powerful, Barre's guitars are heavier, and the drums rock harder. And Ian's voice doesn't really bother me much. I actually only noticed it was suposed to be so poor until I read so much about it on this forum (though actually I heard those recordings before I heard his albums from the 70's, so perhaps I got used to that voice and thus it doesn't bother me so much). I also love "Live, Bursing Out", and that version of Thick as a Brick is really brilliant, I like it better than the complete version on the original album. |
Posted By: Crumple
Date Posted: March 14 2014 at 11:59
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I always liked Tull. Mostly the more mainstream stuff/famous albums. Ian is touring the US in the fall playing all Tull and coming to my hometown to play a 800 seat venue. Should be a real treat. |
Posted By: The Bearded Bard
Date Posted: March 14 2014 at 12:20
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Discovering them a few years ago, and then deciding to check out other prog bands, is the reason I'm here on PA. So, thanks, Tull! Don't listen to them as much nowadays as I did a few years ago, but I still revisit them from time to time, and still consider them my favourite band. And I'm of the persuasion that A Passion Play's the best two pieces of music ever made!  -------------  
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Posted By: Kobaek
Date Posted: March 14 2014 at 12:35
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Tull, more specifically Songs from the Wood, was the first prog I encountered and remains a favourite. To pose a discussion point, am I the only one who finds that Broadsword, side 1 in particular, is grossly underrated? In my ears, songs like Clasp and Fallen on Hard Times hit a great spot between traditional rock instruments and the folkish Tull elements, and the timing and use of different background sounds is excellent as well.
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Posted By: Toaster Mantis
Date Posted: March 15 2014 at 03:17
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Broadsword's the last of their really good albums for me until Roots to Branches came out which was quite a pleasant surprise. For some reason their attempt at updating to a 1980s production sound worked much better on BATB than on most of the other albums they put out that decade. ------------- "The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: March 15 2014 at 03:30
You're not the only one by a longshot but I must admit it is not a favorite of mine, it was Tull at their most Dungeons&Dragons Jr. High School. Not their worst to be sure but I don't know how well it ages. I actually think 'Watching Me Watching You' is the best thing on it, and hardly representative of the record. |
Kobaek wrote:Posted By: HemispheresOfXanadu
Date Posted: March 25 2014 at 11:51
Part of it was my dad saying it in a really deep voice as dramatically as possible.
That's not a bad thought. One of the reasons I'm not a big fan of the studio version is the production just sounds off to me, though the compositions are still very good. Warchild is produced better, but most of the songs are leftovers from TaaB and APP or rearrangements of Aqualung tunes rather than completely new compositions I believe?
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Posted By: TheH
Date Posted: March 25 2014 at 13:47
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Warchild was indeed intended to be a double Album with even more to it. There was the idea of either a movie or a ballet to go alongside it. The weak economy Situation the time sadly killed all ambitions. Some of the song material is from the Chateau D'ysaster sessions (which would have been the original APP) or inspired from those. At least "Skating away" is a direct leftover from those sessions. |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: March 25 2014 at 14:20
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Songs From The Wood, Heavy Horses and Stormwatch comprise a sort of trilogy to me, and they're also my favorite tull albums. Broadsword and the Beast is perceived as cheesy by a lot of fans, but I like it. Same for Crest of a Knave. ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: smartpatrol
Date Posted: March 25 2014 at 17:18
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I listened to Thick as a Brick finally. It was very good
------------- http://bit.ly/1kqTR8y" rel="nofollow">  The greatest record label of all time! |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: March 25 2014 at 22:06
The last remaster of Aqualung includes a second album with bonus tracks and so on, so if you were to get that it might be almost as good as a double album. Though it does might repeat one or two songs, and some other songs be already available on other albums, such as "Living in the Past". |
Posted By: Ronnie Pilgrim
Date Posted: April 12 2014 at 16:18
| The first concert I ever attended was Tull on the 1973 tour. The 45 minute set they opened with had not yet been released, and seemed bizarre and unlike anything they had ever recorded. Nevertheless, I absorbed it like a sponge. Monty Python was big at the time, so "The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles" with the accompanying film was humorous and enjoyable. It was the last tour wherein Ian donned the "mad dog Fagin" attire, and Jeffrey was wearing the white suit and Panama hat (which I liked better than the zebra suit with matching bass-he bounds around the stage way too much to call even more attention to himself). But the real joy was to see Martin jumping around the stage while playing. I mean, he really dug the music! Not on any tour I've seen since, nor any clip from before or after, has he been so animated. I think he likes that album the best. http://www.upthedownstair.net/2008/07/show-167-passionate-playing-jethro-tull.html" rel="nofollow - Here's a link to a bootleg of that show, along with a very insightful article. Best concert I've ever seen. Enjoy! |
Posted By: GKR
Date Posted: May 27 2015 at 19:15
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In the "A Passion Play - an extended performance" box of 2013 we can see in great perspective the recording and memoiries of every band member talking about the album and the days, not to be missed! Interesting you say that Martin jump that way, enjoying himself - Today he said that playing the entire APP in tour was a mistake. Strange this things, uh? APP is a masterpiece that is only surpassed by the discussions around it! ------------- - From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. |
Posted By: justin4950834-2
Date Posted: May 27 2015 at 20:14
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I totally agree, A Passion Ply is an underated prog masterpiece. |
Posted By: GKR
Date Posted: May 27 2015 at 20:56
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And seriously, for all of those who agree with us (or disagree!), buy the box "An Extended Performance". It is a document of the music. As I like to put it: "A Passion Play" is a puzzle that we go on and work every now and then. The box add not just more pieces, it extend the picture itself. ------------- - From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. |
Posted By: hellogoodbye
Date Posted: May 27 2015 at 21:06
| I like the composer and singer more than the band itself. Outside TAAB, I like songs here and there, but no entire album. |
Posted By: the lighthouse keepe
Date Posted: May 28 2015 at 04:34
| Can't believe there hasn't been any chat on here concerning the Deluxe version of Minstrel in the Gallery.Truly awesome! Once again Steven Wilson has remixed the album and made another good job.It especially stands out on the acoustic parts.Three BBC versions are good,with Aqualung sounding really sharp.The main reason to listen to this though is the Live recording from 1975.Some wonderful renditions of classic Tull,Minstrel in the Gallery being particularly strong!Anybody else heard this yet? |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 28 2015 at 04:51
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I'm an 'mid-period-school' Tull fan (well, my first Tull LP's were Aqualung and the 'leatherette' booklet-LP of Living In The Past) way back in 1988. Tried every album and only hung on to 13 of theirs. The ones I find most memorable : This Was Thick As A Brick A Passion Play Songs From The Wood Heavy Horses 'A ' ................and to a lesser extent - Aqualung, Stormwatch and Broadsword. Just amazing mostly, wahtever......... |
Posted By: the lighthouse keepe
Date Posted: May 28 2015 at 05:40
Nice list. Have loved Tull since early eighties.Just a real good band who recorded some gems in their back catalogues. My favourites are: Stand Up. Minstrel in the Gallery. Songs From The Wood. Heavy Horses. Aqualung. But will listen to most except the awful Under Wraps! |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 28 2015 at 05:53
| ^ Oh yeah, I forgot Minstrel.........Barrie is PHENOMENAL............ |
Posted By: the lighthouse keepe
Date Posted: May 28 2015 at 06:01
Along with Clive Bunker,BB is the best! Love his drum solo during Conundrum on Bursting Out! |
Posted By: GKR
Date Posted: May 28 2015 at 07:07
YES! I heard! Its awesome. Minstrel in one of my favorite Tull albums, pure classic. "Baker Street Muse" always help me when I'am a little down... and the live album is amazing! By the way, I know that Geddy Lee and Alex Liefson are fans of Jethro Tull (I saw much of the guitar sound of Martin in Liefson) but does anyone else see the conections between Neil Peart and Barrie Barlow? Its like what Barlow gestate in TAAB and APP he full explores in Minstrel in the Gallery. And he sounds like Neil Peart - or Neil Peart sounds like him, thats the point. Anyone else think about that? ------------- - From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. |
Posted By: the lighthouse keepe
Date Posted: May 28 2015 at 08:00
Absolutely!Around the Moving Pictures-era Rush,you can here the similarities between them both.The track Minstrel in the Gallery,and No Lullaby are my favourite BB tracks featuring him. |
Posted By: GKR
Date Posted: May 28 2015 at 18:50
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Talking about influences... why did few bands list Jethro Tull as influnce? I have read about Iron Maiden, Rush, Joe Bonamassa and Blood Ceremony... With Aqualung, Thick as a Brick and Songs From the Wood (so pioneer and full of stuff to develop in music) I always though that few bands declare Tull as an important group. ------------- - From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: May 28 2015 at 23:32
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My favorite albums: This Was Benefit Aqualung Thick as a Brick Minstrel in the Gallery I used to love listening to them with some good ale late at night with friends in front of a bonfire in the woods. That's the best way to do it. |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: May 28 2015 at 23:38
It's a good question; I imagine partly it's because Tull were so unique that they were hard to emulate and almost impossible to imitate, as opposed to Zeppelin. Also, I often hear a Tull influence in artists who don't seem to want to admit it, such as Yngwie Malmsteen or Randy Rhoads. ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 29 2015 at 00:30
| There's quite a few RPI bands that have strong Tull influences - either that, or any Prog featuring flute prominently is often 'Tull influenced' (whether they're familiar with the band or not....). |
Posted By: GKR
Date Posted: May 29 2015 at 06:18
Its bizarre, right? I always though about that while listening other bands... that are so many things in common and it would be so much nice knowing if the conections are truly there. I still see a lot of Martin Barre in Alex Liefson and he solos. And this days I listen something of Neo-Prog that was really similar to the electric fluteless parts of Thick as a Brick. Ian is the Jimi Hendrix of flute - if you play the flute, you know and probably like Jethro Tull, thats applied even to classical musicians now a days... About the Italians... well, its no surprise that the Tullian connvention happens there... I guess that almost all RPI are influenced by Jethro Tull. PFM and Quella Vechia Locanda being the finest examples. ------------- - From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. |
Posted By: Gully Foyle
Date Posted: May 29 2015 at 08:31
The live disc from the Minstrel reissue is astounding - best live tull available I think. Ian voice is leaps and bounds better than even Bursting out from three years later. I found it relevatory. I secretly hope there is more live material from 72-75 out there, waiting to be brought back to life. Maybe from the PP tour, a show with PP as the concert, and the full TAAB as the encore! That is the holy grail in my book. And, i've never been more enraptured with Barlow's drumming than on this disc - it is extraordinary. Side note - very glad to have a Jeffery live album.
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Posted By: the lighthouse keepe
Date Posted: May 29 2015 at 09:20
Can't believe this recording has been kept from us for so long.Shame on you IA !!!
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Posted By: GKR
Date Posted: May 29 2015 at 19:44
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I dont think that will be anothers live records (from 71-74) good enough to official release... :( The next boxes will be referent to "Too old for rock'n roll..." & "Songs From the Wood" - my guesses is that the extras will be the TV special from 1976 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFYWy-Pwymc) and the live presentation in the Hippodrome (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGRcx3PsIlY), one of the best live performances of Tull if you ask me... This boxes are getting one better than the other, I'am really into the next ones. ------------- - From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 29 2015 at 20:04
| Yep - the Golders Green live performance is OUTSTANDING. We even get Velvet Green here, surely one of the top Tull tracks of all time (.......it is for me, anyway......) |
Posted By: dr prog
Date Posted: June 03 2015 at 17:50
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These songs make tull the best band of all. They have so many of them ------------- All I like is prog related bands beginning late 60's/early 70's. Their music from 1968 - 83 has the composition and sound which will never be beaten. Perfect blend of jazz, classical, folk and rock. |
Posted By: GKR
Date Posted: June 03 2015 at 19:25
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Good godmother could be easily in the side A of WarChild, such a great track. ------------- - From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. |
Posted By: progrockdeepcuts
Date Posted: June 04 2015 at 00:20
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Ah WarChild. What an album. The non album cuts are as good as the stuff that actually made the record! ------------- Listen to older shows here: mixcloud.com/progrockdeepcuts/ |
Posted By: the lighthouse keepe
Date Posted: June 04 2015 at 05:04
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Took me a while to fully appreciate Warchild.Very similar to Too Old To Rock N Roll:Too Young To Die! Good albums,but not Tull at their very best! ------------- "Hello sun.Hello bird. Hello my lady. Hello breakfast.May I buy you again tomorrow?" |
Posted By: GKR
Date Posted: June 04 2015 at 07:31
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What annoys me in WarChild is that the b side is almost perfect - song by sogn and their disposition... but the side A... there something strange there... :/ ------------- - From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. |
Posted By: Gully Foyle
Date Posted: June 04 2015 at 08:18
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Warchild is an odd step, but I think a key piece of Tull - it is a strong 2nd tier album (and i'd say only TAAB, Minstrel, Songs, Benefit, Stand Up are 1st tier). Same with Too Old - actually a great album, though the overproduced and bland title track knocks the whole thing down a peg. That said, Salamander is one of the very best songs they did in my book.
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Posted By: GKR
Date Posted: June 04 2015 at 10:01
Aye. ------------- - From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. |
Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: June 05 2015 at 12:05
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I remember when the band changed their approach to composition. It all began with "Thick As A Brick" and then A Passion Play , War Child, and Minstrel In The Gallery. Aqualung was a transition into this new concept of writing, but also carried influences of the earlier albums like Benefit and Stand Up. This particular change in their music , I think to be their dark period. Some of the compositions cross into the complexity of Gentle Giant and Gryphon. The Chateau D'herouville sessions is from another planet and has an avant-garde approach theatrically. Some of the guidelines applied in the structure of the music..are typically experimental methods used when composing a dark theme/mini opera revolving around the subject of Satan. King Crimson utilized and developed the same process between 69' and 71'. When composing a dark theme...personal ideas of your own must be experimented with to transform into odd time signatures. Sometimes the notes arrive first and later it is decided if a quirky time signature can be applied. It's a long process because there are obviously several sections of the music...not yet created...but in the back of your mind and you should record your bits and piece what arrives to you later....with those small signature lines to form the epic or mini opera. This specific period of Jethro Tull was not exactly present on "Too Old To Rock N' Roll" and "Songs From The Wood". I mean....part of it was there and the other half of the end product was somewhere else. Songs From The Wood was very progressive , but the magic of composing something dark wasn't on the agenda like it used to be. "Stormwatch" was a return to a darker subject, but it contained a newer style that was evident on Songs From The Wood. From Thick As A Brick to Minstrel In The Gallery is their darkest period, their darkest work. The seriousness of the music and the sarcastic lyricism is from a dark world. It's just this one period of Jethro Tull's music in a box for people to observe. I've always been overwhelmed by this period of Jethro Tull. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: June 05 2015 at 19:45
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^ I never found Tull to have composed 'dark' material (well, not in doomy sound and tritones etc.). Surely their 'coldest' is Stormwatch, but that has a dismal and very grey concept (and presentation) - and a song called Dark Ages
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Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: June 07 2015 at 08:31
Tritones are on A Passion Play. "Sealion" and "Black Satin Dancer" both contain more dark black dots than anything imaginable on Stormwatch. Passion Play contains sections which are similar to early Gentle Giant...but not doomy K.C. or Univers Zero.
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Posted By: GKR
Date Posted: June 08 2015 at 10:45
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Passion Play is something of a dark comedy, I guess... Humour is always a key factor for Tull - Anderson, Barre, Evans and Jeffrey Hammond stated that in interviews. But I do strongly agree with you about the theatrically of the Chateau D'herouville sessions and A Passion Play itself (although less than the previous sessions). But the subject of APP is not Satan, its life, death and rebirth - Satan is the only character besides Ronnie Pilgrim that "speaks" in the Play, but he is not exactly the main theme. ------------- - From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: June 09 2015 at 06:49
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