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JETHRO TULL

Prog Folk • United Kingdom


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Jethro Tull biography
Founded in Blackpool, UK in 1967 - Hiatus from 2012-2016


"I didn`t have to play it all the time, I just had to wave it around and look good" - Ian Anderson 2003.

Eccentric on stage yet rather thoughtful, reserved and even sombre at times when not in the limelight, the Jethro Tull image was the brainchild of flute wielding frontman Ian ANDERSON. Clad in scruffy vagabond apparel, and looking more like an anachronism out of a Charles Dickens tale, Anderson conveyed an old English aura during the band`s formative years in the late 60`s and early 70`s which would persist throughout the band's 40 year career both visually and musically.

Born on August 10, 1947 in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, Anderson was augmented by a revolving door of colourful musicians over the years which added to the flamboyance of the Jethro Tull phenomenon. Conceived as a psychedelic blues band in late 1967 the music of Jethro Tull has always been dauntingly intricate embracing many styles including blues, jazz, folk, medieval, classical, hard rock along with forays into electronic music, sometimes referred to as "space age prog". The lyrics were equally as sophisticated and sometimes reached new heights of grandiloquence commenting on depressing world events such as drug abuse, the oil crisis, modernisation, third world troubles and a deteriorating economy.. Other topics included fads, spy novels, environmental and social issues as well as metaphysical musings. With lyrics and music which ran deep Jethro Tull have often been over-analysed by both fans and critics alike and many of their albums have been erroneously interpreted as autobiographical due to the fact that many of their record covers featured artwork which seemed to depict Ian Anderson's likeness, something which he has vehemently denied in numerous interviews.

Jethro Tull can trace their origins back to 1963 when as a young art student in Blackpool, England Anderson formed a band called THE BLADES (after a club in a James Bond novel). By 1965 as a 7-piece they had changed their name to THE JOHN EVAN BAND and subsequently to THE JOHN EVAN SMASH (his mother supplied their tour van) Evan, whose real name was Evans, would eventually become the band's keyboard player for most of the seventies. The band relocated to London in`67, the centre of the British blues movement of the sixties in search of more lucrative gigs. However the band was gradually d...
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JETHRO TULL discography


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JETHRO TULL top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.30 | 971 ratings
This Was
1968
4.05 | 1453 ratings
Stand Up
1969
3.92 | 1219 ratings
Benefit
1970
4.37 | 2938 ratings
Aqualung
1971
4.64 | 3716 ratings
Thick as a Brick
1972
4.05 | 1667 ratings
A Passion Play
1973
3.34 | 961 ratings
War Child
1974
4.05 | 1416 ratings
Minstrel in the Gallery
1975
3.12 | 895 ratings
Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young To Die!
1976
4.22 | 1639 ratings
Songs from the Wood
1977
4.04 | 1355 ratings
Heavy Horses
1978
3.49 | 886 ratings
Stormwatch
1979
3.24 | 740 ratings
A
1980
3.29 | 754 ratings
The Broadsword And The Beast
1982
2.24 | 602 ratings
Under Wraps
1984
3.01 | 185 ratings
A Classic Case
1985
3.23 | 678 ratings
Crest of a Knave
1987
2.70 | 534 ratings
Rock Island
1989
2.64 | 502 ratings
Catfish Rising
1991
3.60 | 599 ratings
Roots To Branches
1995
3.01 | 497 ratings
J-Tull Dot Com
1999
3.48 | 467 ratings
The Jethro Tull Christmas Album
2003
3.33 | 203 ratings
The Zealot Gene
2022
3.19 | 118 ratings
RökFlöte
2023

JETHRO TULL Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.20 | 470 ratings
Live - Bursting Out
1978
2.93 | 58 ratings
Live At Hammersmith '84
1990
3.65 | 195 ratings
A Little Light Music
1992
3.08 | 53 ratings
In Concert
1995
3.68 | 137 ratings
Living With The Past
2002
4.23 | 180 ratings
Nothing Is Easy: Live At The Isle Of Wight 1970
2004
3.47 | 105 ratings
Aqualung Live
2005
3.50 | 95 ratings
Live At Montreux 2003
2007
4.25 | 24 ratings
Live at Madison Square Garden 1978
2009
4.24 | 36 ratings
Live At Carnegie Hall 1970
2015

JETHRO TULL Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

3.86 | 58 ratings
Slipstream (DVD)
1981
3.82 | 46 ratings
20 Years of Jethro Tull (VHS)
1988
3.48 | 91 ratings
Living With the Past
2002
3.04 | 56 ratings
A New Day Yesterday - The 25th Anniversary Collection
2003
3.87 | 100 ratings
Nothing Is Easy: Live At The Isle Of Wight 1970
2005
2.99 | 72 ratings
Live At Montreux 2003
2007
4.04 | 24 ratings
Slipstream (9 song version)
2007
4.32 | 28 ratings
Classic Artists Series: Jethro Tull
2008
3.37 | 35 ratings
Jack In The Green - Live In Germany
2008
3.63 | 24 ratings
Songs From Bethlehem
2008
4.38 | 108 ratings
Live At Madison Square Garden 1978 (DVD + CD)
2009
3.78 | 36 ratings
Live at AVO Session Basel 2008
2009
4.58 | 40 ratings
Around the World Live (4DVD)
2013

JETHRO TULL Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.09 | 3 ratings
Jethro Tull
1970
3.09 | 3 ratings
Sunday Best
1971
4.12 | 357 ratings
Living In The Past
1972
3.04 | 89 ratings
M.U. - The Best of Jethro Tull
1976
2.98 | 59 ratings
Repeat - The Best Of Jethro Tull - Vol. II
1977
2.00 | 4 ratings
The Best Of Jethro Tull Vol. III
1981
3.18 | 87 ratings
Original Masters
1985
2.05 | 2 ratings
Masters of Rock
1986
3.65 | 90 ratings
20 Years Of Jethro Tull Box
1988
4.46 | 92 ratings
20 Years Of Jethro Tull (The Definitive Collection)
1988
3.77 | 60 ratings
20 Years Of Jethro Tull (USA release)
1989
3.67 | 177 ratings
Nightcap
1993
3.81 | 57 ratings
The Best Of Jethro Tull: The Anniversary Collection
1993
4.41 | 83 ratings
25th Anniversary Box Set
1993
2.58 | 27 ratings
A Jethro Tull Collection
1997
1.55 | 33 ratings
Through The Years
1997
3.00 | 79 ratings
The Very Best Of Jethro Tull
2001
2.26 | 16 ratings
Essential Jethro Tull
2007
3.46 | 55 ratings
The Best Of Acoustic Jethro Tull
2007
3.82 | 52 ratings
The Jethro Tull Christmas Album / Live - Christmas At St Bride's 2008
2009
4.67 | 57 ratings
Aqualung - 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition
2011
2.09 | 3 ratings
Essential
2011
4.87 | 99 ratings
Thick as a Brick - 40th Anniversary Special Edition
2012
4.87 | 86 ratings
A Passion Play: An Extended Perfomance
2014
4.69 | 58 ratings
War Child - The 40th Anniversary Theatre Edition
2014
4.64 | 67 ratings
Minstrel In The Gallery - 40th Anniversary: La Grande Edition
2015
4.63 | 40 ratings
Too Old To Rock'n'Roll: Too Young To Die - The TV Special Edition
2015
4.81 | 32 ratings
Stand Up - The Elevated Edition
2016
4.87 | 30 ratings
Aqualung - 40th Anniversary Adapted Edition
2016
2.00 | 3 ratings
An Introduction to Jethro Tull
2017
4.88 | 53 ratings
Songs From The Wood - 40th Anniversary Edition - The Country Set
2017
4.57 | 42 ratings
Heavy Horses (New Shoes Edition)
2018
4.48 | 29 ratings
This Was (50 Anniversary Edition)
2018
3.04 | 8 ratings
50 for 50
2018
2.00 | 5 ratings
50th Anniversary Collection
2018
4.52 | 39 ratings
Stormwatch (The 40th Anniversary Force 10 Edition)
2019
4.36 | 40 ratings
A (La Mode) - The 40th Anniversary Edition
2021
4.46 | 31 ratings
Benefit - 50th Anniversary Enhanced Edition
2021
4.36 | 16 ratings
The Broadsword And The Beast (The 40th Anniversary Monster Edition)
2023
4.33 | 3 ratings
Warchild II
2023
4.50 | 8 ratings
The Chateau D'Herouville Sessions 1972
2024

JETHRO TULL Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

3.85 | 20 ratings
Love Story
1968
4.00 | 26 ratings
A Song For Jeffrey
1968
2.72 | 22 ratings
Sunshine Day
1968
4.05 | 33 ratings
Sweet Dream / 17
1969
4.00 | 24 ratings
The Witch's Promise
1969
4.50 | 34 ratings
Living In The Past
1969
3.85 | 20 ratings
Inside
1970
4.38 | 44 ratings
Life Is a Long Song
1971
4.14 | 22 ratings
Hymn 43
1971
4.42 | 33 ratings
Aqualung
1971
4.11 | 9 ratings
Locomotive Breath
1971
4.12 | 33 ratings
Living In The Past
1972
3.48 | 27 ratings
Bungle In The Jungle
1974
4.38 | 8 ratings
Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day
1974
4.00 | 7 ratings
Minstrel in the Gallery / Summerday Sands
1975
3.25 | 33 ratings
Ring Out, Solstice Bells
1976
3.10 | 10 ratings
Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll; Too Young To Die
1976
3.66 | 31 ratings
The Whistler
1977
3.73 | 11 ratings
A Stitch In Time
1978
4.04 | 29 ratings
Moths
1978
3.90 | 11 ratings
Warm Sporran
1979
2.86 | 23 ratings
North Sea Oil
1979
4.35 | 23 ratings
Home E.P.
1979
3.20 | 25 ratings
Working John, Working Joe
1980
3.31 | 26 ratings
Fallen On Hard Times
1982
3.44 | 27 ratings
Broadsword
1982
2.92 | 24 ratings
Lap Of Luxury
1984
3.29 | 7 ratings
Bourrée
1985
3.94 | 18 ratings
Coronach
1986
3.63 | 16 ratings
Said She Was A Dancer 12''
1987
3.67 | 21 ratings
Steel Monkey 12''
1987
4.00 | 8 ratings
Part Of The Machine
1988
3.71 | 22 ratings
Another Christmas Song
1989
3.48 | 20 ratings
This Is Not Love
1991
3.79 | 19 ratings
Rocks On The Road
1991
2.96 | 15 ratings
Living in the (Slightly More Recent) Past / Living in the Past
1993
2.84 | 22 ratings
Rare And Precious Chain
1995
3.35 | 20 ratings
Bends Like A Willow
1999
3.15 | 13 ratings
The Christmas EP
2004
3.40 | 5 ratings
Living in the Past
2013
3.67 | 6 ratings
The Navigators
2023

JETHRO TULL Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young To Die! by JETHRO TULL album cover Studio Album, 1976
3.12 | 895 ratings

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Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young To Die!
Jethro Tull Prog Folk

Review by Antonio Giacomin

4 stars It was good to identify here on this website a recent and positive review of this álbum. He has always been one of my favorites, also because he was one of the first ones I came to know in a distant time when access to a vast discography of our favorite bands was scarce, and it always seemed to me that he deserves a better evaluation than what is established by so many reviews. Let's understand the reasons for this:

"Too Old To Rock'n'Roll, Too Young To Die" is an album, let's say, more "simple" than the dense "Minstrel In The Gallery," which is a monster of an album, but I confess that this density makes it somewhat difficult to listen to. This means that it is necessary to stop everything to listen to it, to give it full attention in these moments. This is very positive from the perspective of a progressive rock fan, but I confess that TOTRRTYTD brings a desirable relaxation after the marathon that is appreciating MITG. Interestingly, the same reasoning applies to the intense A Passion Play, which was succeeded by the simpler Warchild. But I never managed to appreciate Warchild to the point I love TOTRRTYTD...

Too Old To Rock'n'Roll, Too Young To Die has in its content what I consider to be one of the best tracks recorded by the band, which is the title track. It enchanted me to the point that listening to the rest of the album becomes a fundamental complement to the listening experience. Without a doubt, it is necessary to listen to TOTRRTYTD in its entirety, as the conceptual album that it is. And in its concept, once again, Ian Anderson demonstrates his genius, ironically portraying his own condition as a rocker who sees youth beginning to fade just at the moment when societal behavioral changes make the loss of this tender youth undesirable.

I definitely go against the grain of so many negative reviews. There is a properly controlled weight in Martin Barre's guitars, which prevents the album from veering too close to hard rock, and the delicate moments of the orchestrations accompany the more intimate reflections of its lyrics. Final evaluation here is 0.12 points above three stars, and in my opinion, these 0.12 points would justify how far below four stars your evaluation is.

Four solid stars!

PS - First time using AI to correct my average knowledge of english grammar!

 Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young To Die! by JETHRO TULL album cover Studio Album, 1976
3.12 | 895 ratings

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Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young To Die!
Jethro Tull Prog Folk

Review by zampino

5 stars Since so few will, I'll "stand up" for this album as a personal favorite. And that's given that I absolutely hate the cover art... however, after the somewhat overly complex approaches on Minstrel or War Child, which made some great songs alongside some proggy work that I could take or leave, this album returns to the song concept of earlier album.

Loosely conceptual, I find this to be a great set of songs, some rockers balanced with some orchestral additions. It's Anderson's last album with his original vocal quality, and he's in fine form--one can hear the range of stylistic approaches he'd used over the years, and his flute playing is on point. Martin Barre turns in some excellent guitar work, and I find the often stripped-down approach to the arrangements more embraceable. The irony in the title is that this is a chapter end for the band, taking a new direction and new vocal style with "Songs from the Wood".

It's a pity that this album didn't have any hits, and the critics beat up the band so badly that change was inevitable. But I won't stop listening to this one, and I've found it rewarding over the almost 50 years I've enjoyed it.

 Aqualung by JETHRO TULL album cover Studio Album, 1971
4.37 | 2938 ratings

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Aqualung
Jethro Tull Prog Folk

Review by siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

5 stars One of the best known and top selling classic rock albums of all time, JETHRO TULL's fourth album AQUALUNG has also served as the perfect gateway drug to the world of progressive rock for several generations. Familiar to anybody even remotely interested in rock music, the opening title track's instantly recognizable guitar riff and matching opening lyrics "Sitting on the park bench, Eyeing little girls with bad intent. Snot is running down his nose, Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes" has left an indelible mark on classic rock lovers' psyche for the rest of their lives. The album was a huge transition between the band's folk rock origins and the full blown progressive rock albums that followed but most of all, AQUALUNG is JETHRO TULL's most popular release and best seller easily outselling any other release in their lengthy canon to the very modern day.

And what's not to love about AQUALUNG? It really is the perfect rock album to grace the early 1970s. After building a steady and incrementally improving momentum since the rather disorganized debut album "This Was," JETHRO TULL evolved leaps and bounds with AQUALUNG providing one of the greatest advances forward propelling the band to a mere opening act to one of the world's most popular arena rock headliners. The album saw quite a few changes but none more impactful than the addition of keyboardist John Evan to the band which added an entirely missing dimension to an already rich and developed band style. Likewise the album also welcomed Jeffrey Hammond as the new bassist replacing Glenn Connick who served the band well for three excellent albums. AQUALUNG also marked the time when the acoustic guitar was used exclusively in both segments of the songs themselves as well as serving as the sole instrument for the shorter bridge songs that were preludes to the ones that followed.

Thematically AQUALUNG was basically the thinking man's rock album and has been considered a concept album by many with an extreme emphasis on the fallibilities of religious thinking and how it leads to distortions in society and humanity in general. Sure such themes in rock dated back to The Electric Prunes "Mass In D Minor" but all in all a pretty impressive feat for such a massively popular album that has been heard by so many millions. Band leader Ian Anderson's disdain towards organized religion permeates the majority of the album's subject matter and delivered in some of the most clever roundabout poetic ways that kept it a few steps away from any sort of direct accusations or uncontrolled rage. The album was thematically divided into two themes with the original vinyl A-side thematically called AQUALUNG, centered around the character AQUALUNG and his infatuation "Cross-Eyed Mary" with other tracks referring to various other misfits in society. "Mother Goose" for example highlights how the non-conformists in society often get cast into the role of circus freak show status. The second half utilized the them "My God."

Musically AQUALUNG was a powerhouse of musical motifs stitched together in a pastiche that mixed folk, blues, psychedelia, hard rock, progressive rock and even Elizabethan madrigals, the latter of which suited Anderson's quirky acoustic numbers to a T. Ironically the opening title track is one of the very few songs where Anderson plays no flute at all whereas the remainder of the album implements it as a key ingredient which has always been one of JETHRO TULL's signature features that set them apart early on from other progressive artists. The greatest triumph of AQUALUNG is how the band crafted absolutely perfect melodies seemingly beamed down from the heavens above and dressed them up in the perfect mix of changing musical motifs that included varying sections that alternated between electrified rock, unplugged acoustic guitar folk and more progressive moments that allowed unorthodox ideas to shine through without disrupting the classic rock flow of the album's momentum.

In short the album was divinely inspired with every track rising to true classic status and while its true the short acoustic bridge numbers aren't quite up to par with the rest of the album, they weren't designed to be anything more than little intros to the songs that followed. Almost every major song has been a staple on classic rock radio for over half a century now with perhaps the exception of "My God" which is the most progressive track on the album with its 7-minute plus playing time and most overtly critical of religion in general. The track features the perfect acoustic folk intro and followed by hard rock riffing and excellent flute delivery including the best solo on the album which culminates in a phenomenally brilliant flute segment with a religious choir chanting behind it thus establishing Ian Anderson's true musical genius to a much larger audience. I mean, wow! "Aqualung," "Cross-Eyed Mary," "Mother Goose," "Up To Me," "My God," "Hymn 43," "Locomotive Breath" and "Wind-Up" are all musical perfection under one roof! Even the shorter acoustic tracks are excellent and don't detract in any way. What can i say? AQUALUNG truly is one of the greatest rock masterpieces of the entire genre's existence.

 Stand Up by JETHRO TULL album cover Studio Album, 1969
4.05 | 1453 ratings

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Stand Up
Jethro Tull Prog Folk

Review by A Crimson Mellotron
Prog Reviewer

4 stars Jethro Tull came out with their beloved second studio album 'Stand Up' in 1969, following up the bluesy and tight 'This Was' and preceding one of their heavier releases, the excellent 'Benefit', making this album simultaneously transitional yet pretty important for the development of the band's music, as it was the first album on which Ian Anderson was in full control of what was being produced, also resulting in an album full of very eclectic sounds, with the band trying out several different styles, ranging from their blues rock roots to more hard rock territory, also experimenting and introducing finally some folk rock affinities, mixed up with a bit of acoustic rock and even symphonic rock. The album was recorded over the course of one month, and features the drumming of Clive Bunker, Glenn Cornick's bass playing, and guitar player Martin Barre, who debuted right here and went on to become Tull's long-term guitarist.

Surely the period after the release of their debut album must have been rough, with some musical differences coming to the front, leading to the departure of Mick Abrahams, who played guitars in Tull originally and was more interested in developing their bluesy leanings, leading also to the famous trial with Tony Iommi, who felt he doesn't fit very well within the band, leading to the introduction of Barre, a guitarist seemingly much more open to experiment and to explore the possibilities of Tull's new direction. And, of course, 'Stand Up' is an album that spreads out to many different territories, in a way displaying snippets of everything that Tull were excited about musically, making it the very promising second album that does not, however, unfold the full potential of a band searching for its sound. The introduction of the folkier and acoustic songs on here is fantastic, the more hard rock-oriented numbers are also quite memorable, but of course, this is an album packed with classic Tull songs that have transcended the test of time. And while 'Stand Up' might be imperfect in several ways, it is also promising and unleashed, which is precisely what makes it so special, a necessary and crucial step towards the evolution of one of classic rock's most creative bands. Also, this is an album famously revered by many great musicians, including Joe Bonamassa and Joe Satriani, as well as being one of Ian Anderson's personal favorites, too, so it has to be needless to say anything else.

 Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young To Die! by JETHRO TULL album cover Studio Album, 1976
3.12 | 895 ratings

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Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young To Die!
Jethro Tull Prog Folk

Review by Hector Enrique
Prog Reviewer

3 stars Ian Anderson's desire to go beyond music and venture into other artistic territories had already manifested itself when a failed film project resulted in the 1974 album "War Child". Two years later, a new attempt, in this case to create a musical, also failed to flourish. And the end result was the conceptual "Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young To Die", Jethro Tull's ninth album. The central theme of the work refers to the rocker Ray Lomas, a character who refuses to resign himself to the passage of time and by all possible means denies his ageing until his encounter with a contemporary of the beat wave in a bar brings him back to reality. The narrative of the story is supported by short pieces, which without losing the band's natural inclination for acoustic melodies and folk atmospheres, have a more urban connotation.

The beautiful acoustic chords and violins of the prelude to the dynamic "Quizz Kid" kick off the album, which unfolds between lively pieces such as the entertaining "Crazed Institution" where the bass of the recently incorporated John Glascock clearly marks the rhythm as in most of the album, the bluesy and raspy "Taxi Grab" with Anderson's harmonica and Martin Barre's guitar riffs as guides, or the rock 'n' roll "Big Dipper", intertwined with reflective moments such as the emotive and stupendous "From A Dead Beat To An Old Greaser" with David (Dee) Palmer's brief and heartfelt saxophone simulated, or the acoustic nakedness of the aching "Bad-Eyed and Loveless", and which has its definitive point with the orchestrated piece "Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young To Die", whose title has transcended the borders of the album to become a famous phrase of recurrent use. The vindicatory "The Chequered Flag (Dead or Alive)" closes the album with the delicate curtain of John Evans' keyboards, violins and the full band accompanying Anderson's peaceful and conciliatory singing.

"Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young To Die" is an album that, despite having some outstanding moments, did not reach the brilliance that both the album that preceded it (Minstrel in the Gallery) and the one immediately following it (Songs from the Wood) achieved, eclipsing it even more.

3/3.5 stars

 Minstrel in the Gallery by JETHRO TULL album cover Studio Album, 1975
4.05 | 1416 ratings

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Minstrel in the Gallery
Jethro Tull Prog Folk

Review by Hector Enrique
Prog Reviewer

4 stars After the singular experience of "War Child", Jethro Tull returns to their acoustic orientation and adds substantial rock nuances in one of their most outstanding albums, "Minstrel in the Gallery", the eighth of their discography. From the descriptive cover art inspired by a work by the 19th century English painter Joseph Nash, setting the scene in a hall full of characters and animals in a delirious and bizarre image, the album travels through medieval settings of castles and troubadours, combined with Ian Anderson's experiential reflections.

Right from the start, the forceful "Minstrel in the Gallery" marks in Anderson's initial chords the path that the album will follow, confirmed by the beautiful melancholy of "Requiem" and the delicacy of "One White Duck / 0^10 = Nothing at All", both acoustic pieces enriched by the sensitive arrangements of a quartet of violins and cello skilfully conducted by David Palmer. Also on the extensive and heterogeneous suite "Baker St. Muse", the most progressive piece on the album, structuring its sections from Anderson's guitars as on "Pig-Me and the Whore", on the long-suffering "Crash- Barrier Waltzer", and on the complex and acidic "Mother England Reverie", accompanied by his flutes and the keyboards of an assertive John Evan.

But although the album is dominated by the folk contributions of its leader, it also features a more protagonist Martin Barre. Relegated to a secondary role in the predecessors "A Passion Play" and "War Child", Barre assumes a more active role with his riffs and solos in several passages of the work, as in the initially mentioned "Minstrel in the Gallery", whose last two thirds are largely sustained by the guitarist, in the extravagant journey through Norse mythology of "Cold Wind to Valhalla" and fundamentally in the second part of the anxious "Black Satin Dancer", under the solid percussion base of Barriemore Barlow, adding a greater sonic forcefulness to the album.

The frugal "Grace" closes the album delicately, and with it also ends bassist Jeffrey Hammond's time in the band, to devote himself to painting, his true passion.

Without a doubt, "Minstrel in the Gallery" is a great work, and part of Jethro Tull's essential discography.

4/4,5 stars

 War Child by JETHRO TULL album cover Studio Album, 1974
3.34 | 961 ratings

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War Child
Jethro Tull Prog Folk

Review by Hector Enrique
Prog Reviewer

3 stars After the enormous structures that distinguished the developments of "Thick as a Brick" and "A Passion Play", Jethro Tull redirected their efforts towards the creation of a work with the aim of being the musical backdrop for a film devised by the restless Ian Anderson. The project did not come to fruition and was shelved. However, the band had already begun to work on it, generating pieces for that purpose with orchestral elements guided by the solvent David Palmer. The result of that failed cinematic attempt ended up becoming "War Child", the band's seventh album.

And that approach somewhat defines the overall mood of the album. Beyond the interesting subject matter addressed from the opening "War Child" with its painful indifference, the acid criticism of "Queen and Country", the ruthless competitiveness of "Bungle in the Jungle", to the stark "The Third Hoorah" with Celtic reminiscences, the accompanying orchestrated instrumentation mixes keyboards, flutes, saxophones, accordions and diverse percussive elements that generate the sensation of being in front of something that differs from an expected work of the British, and overshadows it a little.

Despite this, the band's inalienable folk vein is present, both in the first vindicatory phrases of the delicate and blushing "Ladies", in Anderson's beautiful acoustic arpeggios in "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day", and in the ephemeral beauty of "Only Solitaire"; and the rock energy, present in dribs and drabs throughout the album, is provided by "Back-Door Angels" with Anderson's flutes, John Evan's keyboards but, above all, Martin Barre's guitar riffs and solos, in the highlight of "War Child".

The excellence of the musicians brought the album forward, but starting from an initially different goal may have compromised the final product, preventing it from reaching the superlative level of its predecessors.

3/3,5 stars

 A Passion Play by JETHRO TULL album cover Studio Album, 1973
4.05 | 1667 ratings

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A Passion Play
Jethro Tull Prog Folk

Review by Hector Enrique
Prog Reviewer

4 stars The road ahead for Jethro Tull, after the consecutive releases of their major works "Aqualung" and, above all, "Thick as a Brick", was more than challenging. In this scenario, the release of "A Passion Play", the band's sixth album, generated controversy due to the theatrical approach of the proposal and the subject matter, dealing with sensitive themes such as life after death, and the eternal dichotomy between good and evil. And the sensation that haunts the album is that it tries to go further in the level of complexity with respect to "Thick as a Brick", resulting in a conceptual work of similar structure, but more intricate and at times of choppy fluidity.

The reflections of the troubled Ronnie Pilgrim, the main character, now out of the animated world and in a flashback of his life confronted with himself and his post-mortem destiny between heaven and hell going through the ordeal of purgatory, serve as an excuse to appreciate how consolidated the band was at that point in their career, separating the story of "A Passion Play" into two parts.

Part 1 describes Pilgrim's funeral and the review of his earthly years, highlighting Anderson's acoustic guitars accompanied by John Evan's classical piano and synthesizers in passages like "The Silver Cord" (including Anderson's sax) or in the brief "Re-Assuring Tune"; and standing out in between the demanding bent flutes of "Memory Bank", the intensity of the changing "Best Friend" and "Critique Oblique", and the closing with the crystalline magic of "Forest Dance #1".

And the amusing fable of the hare who lost his glasses narrated by Jeffrey Hammond's vocals and orchestrated by David Palmer, bridges Part 2 to pick up Pilgrim's story where it left off at the end of Part 1. Tempted into his final judgement by the demon Magus Perdé, Pilgrim begs and is given a new lease of life, with the powerful instrumental backing of the very progressive "The Foot of Our Stairs" featuring Evan in the lead, the melancholic beauty of the brief "10:08 to Paddington" and the distorted guitar riffs of "Magus Perdé", in one of Martin Barre's sporadic appearances on the album, before the work concludes with the circular "Epilogue".

Although its pieces have hardly been part of the band's live repertoire, "A Passion Play" is an excellent album and a must-have reference in Jethro Tull's discography.

4/4,5 stars

 Benefit by JETHRO TULL album cover Studio Album, 1970
3.92 | 1219 ratings

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Benefit
Jethro Tull Prog Folk

Review by Hector Enrique
Prog Reviewer

4 stars After the original and attractive "Stand Up", Jethro Tull releases "Benefit", their third album. Without leaving aside their successful troubadour vein and medieval reminiscences, the band led by Ian Anderson enriches their musical proposal by incorporating tonalities and structures that turn "Benefit" into one of the most hardened works of their discography.

From the initial and persistent "With You There to Help Me" with an acoustic melody that absorbs the guitar onslaught of the very active Martin Barre, engaged in a duel of sharp counterpoints with Anderson's delay flutes, "Benefit" shows the hardest rock side of the band, endorsed by the dense "To Cry You a Song", where the guitarist creates consistent riffs doubled by Glenn Cornick's bass and accompanied by Anderson's megaphonic vocals, and also by the agility of "Play in Time", where again guitar riffs and flutes play as a team and give space to a very interesting and challenging solo by Barre.

On the other hand, that thickened wall of sound that "Benefit" brought with it, is nuanced by the long-suffering "Nothing to Say" and its excellent chorus and acoustic development, but above all by the new textures that the keyboards of guest and later stable member John Evan bring, as in the reflective "Alive and Well and Living In". And both the recurring reference to the flautist's school friend and future band member Jeffrey Hammond on the descriptive and personal "For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me", and the neat and beautiful "Sossity: You're a Woman" dominated by Anderson's vocals, flutes and arpeggiated acoustic guitars, drawn from the band's purest and most recognisable folk style, complete the album's instrumental mosaic.

"Benefit" got a little caught and partially overshadowed in the middle of the successful "Stand Up" and the transcendental "Aqualung" and "Thick as a Brick" that followed one after the other, taking the shine off it. Over the years, fortunately, the album has gained value in general consideration until it is recognised today as the very good album that it is.

4 stars

 Stand Up by JETHRO TULL album cover Studio Album, 1969
4.05 | 1453 ratings

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Stand Up
Jethro Tull Prog Folk

Review by Hector Enrique
Prog Reviewer

4 stars Following the departure of Mick Abrahams after the release of "This Was", Ian Anderson took over the artistic and musical direction of Jethro Tull on "Stand Up", their second album. The Scotsman's intentions to expand the band's musical horizons, without abandoning their bluesy vein, lead them into folkloric experimentations with medieval reminiscences, which, combined with rock elements underpinned by the recently incorporated guitarist Martin Barre and the unmistakable sonority of Anderson's flute, delineate the beginning of the path that Jethro Tull would follow from then on.

Stand Up" develops with a more tight-knit band, starting with their original bluesy approach on the opening "A New Day Yesterday" and Barre's punchy guitar riff, and on the rhythmic "Nothing is Easy". But unlike "This Was", folk begins to occupy a preponderant place in the British proposal, as in the brief and cheerful "Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square" and Clive Bunker's bongos, or in the beautiful acoustic ballad "Look into the Sun" or in the arpeggiated melancholy of "Reasons for Waiting". There is also room for the energy of the incipient prog rock of "Back to the Family" and the stupendous solo with which Barre adorns the confessional "We Used to Know"; and even for the adaptation of baroque music in the luminous "Bourée", taken from the German classical composer Johann S. Bach's "Suite in E Minor for Lute" with a great bass solo by Glenn Cornick and converted over the years into a fundamental piece of the band's live performances.

The bluesy "For a Thousand Mothers", with Anderson displaying his enormous talent and particular histrionic flute playing, omnipresent as it is throughout the album, marks the closing of "Stand Up" as much as the opening of the band's definitive stage among the greats of the progressive genre.

A couple of details of the defining "Stand Up": it was number one for over a month in the British charts in 1969, and won the award for best cover design of the year, from the renowned New Musical Express (NME).

Very good

4 stars

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