Is "A Passion Play" as bad as everyone says?
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Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Recommendations/Featured albums
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Topic: Is "A Passion Play" as bad as everyone says?
Posted By: WatcherOfTheSkies88
Subject: Is "A Passion Play" as bad as everyone says?
Date Posted: January 24 2011 at 17:56
| Seems like Jethro Tull's "A Passion Play" gets a lot of grief, especially compared to the brilliant "Thick as a Brick". Anyway, do you guys think it's as bad as people say? What about it is so bad? I haven't listened to it yet. Is it worth it? |
Replies:
Posted By: Epignosis
Date Posted: January 24 2011 at 17:58
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A Passion Play is probably the greatest thing Jethro Tull ever did. For me, it sits alongside another poo-pooed album, Minstrel in the Gallery. I've begun to think I "overrated" Thick as a Brick. It does very little for me in comparison to these two albums. ------------- https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays" rel="nofollow - https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays |
Posted By: A Person
Date Posted: January 24 2011 at 18:02
| I like APP just as much as TAAB, as a whole I think it might be better. |
Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: January 24 2011 at 18:08
| For me personally it is their darkest effort. It's the definite bizzare side to Jethro Tull. The remaster includes the video made for "The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles". It's dark theatre and "A Passion Play" itself is a real treat if you are in the mood. I quite enjoy the original sessions included on "Nightcap". There were a bunch of songs written during this time period that turned up on "Warchild". This entire period of Jethro Tull drives me crazy and I go on the outs to collect every recording that either could have been possibly written during the sessions for A Passion Play or shortly after. I often play everything loosely connected to the time period and it takes about 3 hours. It's a strange period for Jethro Tull and that's why I find it to be so unique. |
Posted By: Tapfret
Date Posted: January 24 2011 at 18:16
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"Everyone"? It has a 4 star rating. That would mean most who review it like it. Its my favorite JT for sure. ------------- https://www.last.fm/user/Tapfret" rel="nofollow">  https://bandcamp.com/tapfret" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp |
Posted By: MFP
Date Posted: January 24 2011 at 18:22
| My favorite JT album. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: January 24 2011 at 18:24
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No it isn't. An acquired taste well worth acquiring.
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: January 24 2011 at 18:25
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a great, great record |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: January 24 2011 at 20:32
Thank you Ep ...
I second that and then some.
It's a very tough album for most rock fans because it is not clear what all this is about and the cover doesn't make it any easier, and Ian is not gonna tell!
All in all, it is fabulous, and extremely enjoyable, and probably the one work of Jethro Tull that deserves the description of "progressive" because there is not much that could be considered progressive about "Thick as a Brick", even as a composition on its own. yes, I know this is not an opinion that many share here.
In the end, consider this the Grimm Tales ... of rock music at the time, and kinda shows you that by that time even Genesis was being looked at as kinda funny and weird, and though it became everyone's darling, in the end, the story and music ... did not hold up a whole lot until they gave up the fairy tale idea and made their own fairy tale (The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway).
I still think, in a sort of literary like discussion of the continuity of the works that JT did at the time, that this is more than anything else a really good comment about "concepts" and of course ... "classical music", which to Ian and I, not you maybe, is important. And the main reason why I say that a lot of this work is what I call the "classical music of today" done by folks out own age? ... take a look at that cover ... classics are dead! The ballerina is dead!
It's a new time and place and music ... and we have to face it. I really think that after Ian saw Yes, ELP, get hammered in the press for long cuts, specially Tales from Topographic Oceans, that he probably felt that he could not do anything he wanted ... and I think that he did his last "concept" anything right then and there and deliberatly made it weird and strange ... to get us all confused.
There is also the story, that we would not know anything about it, because Roger Waters has tried to hide it for 35 years ... and it is that the cover was also a comment about the Pink Floyd concerts with Twyla Tharp and her group and their lullaby version of Atom Heart Mother, which got senselessly trashed everywhere ... and is one of the things that Roger and PF tried to live down and ignore and make sure it dies kind of thing ... but sadly, it shows one thing that is even more symbolic and important ... and Jethro Tull captured it in the cover. The mix of old and new was not working and it was killing the old stuff ... the ballerina is dead ... and the palce is empty!
I always saw that in music ... it was so obvious. The long cuts died in the English market over night and the experimental stuff was over for many of these bands, including Pink Floyd ... and it was the media that killed it, not the creativity!
And I think this album is important in that respect and is the real meaning of the hare's story ... and important punch line ... "it was his own affair!" Boom ... done! ... but we and the media refused to accept that! And still don't! ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Epignosis wrote:Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: January 24 2011 at 20:35
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I like it. And even though I've heard people dispute how great some think it is I haven't really heard many say it's bad... ------------- Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: January 24 2011 at 22:13
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Best to not listen to it and make up your own mind without having done so.
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: dr prog
Date Posted: January 24 2011 at 23:29
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Pretty good album, although i rate these better:
TAAB
LITP
HEAVY HORSES
WARCHILD REMASTER
BURSTING OUT
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Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: January 25 2011 at 02:09
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Its like good and such. Really good. ------------- 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: iluvmarillion
Date Posted: January 25 2011 at 04:14
Next best album after TAAB (IMHO)
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Posted By: daslaf
Date Posted: January 25 2011 at 06:14
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It's a worth listen, wether you like it or not, it is something you have to listen and you'll probably enjoy it ------------- But now my branches suffer And my leaves don't bear the glow They did so long ago |
Posted By: yanch
Date Posted: January 25 2011 at 06:16
| APP is one of the best Tull albums, as good as, or better than TAAB. It has some of Tull's most interesting musical moments. It may be darker lyrically, but musically it's a masterpiece. |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: January 25 2011 at 06:19
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Excellent album. probabvly their bvest. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 25 2011 at 06:35
I've had the same impression as you a few years back, but in the last two years the discourse has changed drastically, a lot of people like it a lot now (as shown by the replies in this thread). The way I see it now it's that I don't like it nowhere near as much as it is liked now. The same thing happened wih Yes' TFTO, the majority is now quite positive about it. |
Posted By: hobocamp
Date Posted: January 25 2011 at 08:19
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Topic: Is "A Passion Play" as bad as everyone says? Yes, yes it is. Why, it's the baddest m*********ing album Tull ever recorded.
 Admin note: please don't try to circumvent the "bad word" filter. User note: corrected
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Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: January 25 2011 at 08:38
I see that "what-you-don't-see-is-what-you-don't-get" apple is working good for you Tony  ------------- What? |
Posted By: NinaHoo
Date Posted: January 25 2011 at 08:53
it´s not bad at all! It might just need more times to listen out than other JT albums. You need to sit down and listen, read lyrics and try to uderstand
 and you´ll see.... masterpiece it is! |
Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: January 25 2011 at 08:57
| If you´re into fables and mammals wearing glasses, plus the fact that Ian Anderson blows in a saxophone instead of a flute through most of the album, you should probably dive into APP. It´s my favorite JT album alongside Stand Up, which is rather weird seeing that their is absolutely no way of comparing these albums. |
Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: January 25 2011 at 09:16
You are throwing me into a time tunnel here. Would you care to comment further with a description of what you personally think "Thick as a Brick" would be musically? I'm not out-right saying that you are wrong. I would tend to think that the musical characteristics of the "Thick as a Brick" compositions are progressive in nature. Not so much the melody and chord progression at the intro of the thing as much as the later time signatures throughout the piece. Am I thinking like everyone else? Did I miss something? So what is it specifically that you are making observation of? Please explain.
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Posted By: Negoba
Date Posted: January 25 2011 at 09:37
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The first half of Passion Play is the proggiest Tull I know of, and my favorite. The second half is....not my favorite. ------------- You are quite a fine person, and I am very fond of you. But you are only quite a little fellow, in a wide world, after all. |
Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: January 25 2011 at 11:41
No is the straight answer to the question. It's a great album, and I'm not altogether sure "everyone" says it's bad
------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: ThinLizzy
Date Posted: January 25 2011 at 12:48
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My favourite Jethro Tull album and an essential for every prog fan. It seems to be underrated in this forum.
------------- And then one day you find Ten years have got behind you No one told you when to run You missed the starting gun |
Posted By: topographicbroadways
Date Posted: January 25 2011 at 13:18
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its my favourite tull album. its the same as tales from topographic oceans following close to the edge, much harder to digest but much more fulfilling to hear -------------  
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Posted By: Lizzy
Date Posted: January 25 2011 at 15:56
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Now where's Ronnie Pligrim Tom to wrap this in a nice package and sell it even if you don't want to? :P But seriously, as people have previously stated, it's an acquired taste. It's one of those occasions when musical masochism usually pays off. ------------- Property of Queen Productions... 
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Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: January 25 2011 at 17:20
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Its a weird album...but weird is good in my world. Part 1 is absolute brilliance...some of the best work I think Tull ever did.
I don't recall seeing on the PA where it gets trashed.....It certainly does on other hard rock sites. Correct me if I am wrong but it charted very high on US Billboard back in the day right? -------------   
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Posted By: Ronnie Pilgrim
Date Posted: January 25 2011 at 18:22
Gosh, thanks for noticing when I'm not around.  I've come to realize this work is probably only for the enlightened few.
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Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: January 25 2011 at 19:07
Scary thought though ... now we're going to be thought of as "elitists".     ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: daslaf
Date Posted: January 25 2011 at 19:23
I have to agree, some musical ideas in the second half, especially in the transitions from one musical idea to the other, are not that brilliant as in the first half... and the last 4-5 minutes are just there cause I think Ian had to end the story, nevertheless it's still a brilliant album. ------------- But now my branches suffer And my leaves don't bear the glow They did so long ago |
Posted By: mrgd
Date Posted: January 27 2011 at 22:25
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I would like to say that it's esoteric but that sounds a bit elitist. Fact is, it has polarised peoples views for so long , you'll just have to listen and make your own mind up . Many love it and a lot are very lukewarm about it, to be polite . But like a lot of less accessible prog, you must give it a fair go . It's taken some people years to appreciate it's challenges and I am one who does .
Badness just doesn't come into the equation in my view and , for what it's worth, it happens to be up there on a par with my other favourite TULL albums . One of it's best qualities as a piece of music is how it endures - you never get bored with it , at least I don't. ------------- Looking still the same after all these years... mrgd |
Posted By: rod65
Date Posted: January 27 2011 at 22:56
| It's an excellent album. I find that it did not grab me with an initial rush of excitement the way that TAAB did, and that it demands a lot of attention to really enjoy, but that is true of much of the music that gets discussed here. |
Posted By: The_Jester
Date Posted: January 28 2011 at 06:46
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It's the very best prog album. Incredible. ------------- La victoire est éphémère mais la gloire est éternelle! - Napoléon Bonaparte |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: January 28 2011 at 06:58
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It's the Rodney Dangerfield of Tull's albums. I like the whole damn thing including the crazy middle part. The album really has some great lines: "All along the icy wastes there are faces smiling in the gloom." "Tell me: how the baby's graded, how the lady's faded, why the old dogs howl with madness." "(The examining body examined her body.)" "I'd give up my halo for a horn and the horn for the hat I once had." ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: hobocamp
Date Posted: January 28 2011 at 08:05
| Slarty's right. It don't get no respect. |
Posted By: AtomicCrimsonRush
Date Posted: January 28 2011 at 08:14
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Ian Anderson is quoted as saying - If you have this album you are a real Tull fan.... He goes on to say that the album was really a product of its time and doesnt stand the test of time. The story on section 2 will not appeal tpo all - my kids like it as its like a childrens fable and they get it "you kan guru kan guru etc..."
I prefer TAAB, Benefit, Aqualung, dot com, Stand Up, Heavy Horses and Broadsword - but Passion Play is a curio and well worth a listen. Many proggers state it as a masterpeice, though I am no one of those. It is definitely one of the top ten Tull albums though. ------------- 
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Posted By: trackstoni
Date Posted: January 28 2011 at 11:08
 i feel the same about it , but cannot be a start to discover the wide world of JT , too complicated to say why in this post !------------- Tracking Tracks of Rock |
Posted By: Formentera Lady
Date Posted: January 28 2011 at 11:10
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Actually this is the only Jethro Tull album I really like (...running away.)
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Posted By: potemkin
Date Posted: January 28 2011 at 11:59
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I'm not sure its the easiest listen for a Tull album I ever heard but it is worth the effort. |
Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: January 28 2011 at 12:29
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Great album, my favorite Tull, and among my favorite prog albums period. I'm glad to see so many here give it high praise. Not so in the classic-rock-fan world, where I do some moonlighting. ------------- 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 |
Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: January 28 2011 at 22:19
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I stand by my review of it. It is so bad that, as mentioned in the review, I didn't buy another Tull album for 30 years. (I know, I know, my loss.) ------------- Can you tell me where we're headin'? Lincoln County Road or Armageddon. |
Posted By: Alberto Muñoz
Date Posted: January 29 2011 at 00:02
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Great album, specially live
-------------  |
Posted By: rogerthat
Date Posted: January 29 2011 at 02:58
| Starts out brilliantly and then loses initiative in the middle. Similar story in the second half. I think TAAB sort of has the same problem but is much tighter and imo better at its best moments than those of APP. |
Posted By: silcir
Date Posted: January 29 2011 at 03:26
| i find APP awesome. Always liked it. Though TAAB is my favourite prog album. |
Posted By: Angelo
Date Posted: January 29 2011 at 04:01
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Passion Play is a great album. Everybody should learn to enjoy the story of the hair loss on my testicles, someone once said..
------------- http://www.iskcrocks.com" rel="nofollow - ISKC Rock Radio I stopped blogging and reviewing - so won't be handling requests. Promo's for ariplay can be sent to [email protected] |
Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: February 01 2011 at 18:31
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The wonderful thing about A Passion Play? Pompous NY critics and alleged "deans of rock" like Robert Christgau savaged the album, and guess what? It went to #1 in the U.S. without the aid of a single, significant airplay, or critical acclaim. The APP album is a bit of audacity from a band that always thumbed their noses at critics -- and bless them for it! Currently, in these days of musical sterility and commercial trash (when an album like APP would not even be released by a major label) there should be far more thumbing-of-noses. ------------- ...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: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: February 01 2011 at 19:11
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It's terrible terrible terribly good.
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: Lozlan
Date Posted: February 02 2011 at 09:59
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I've had a very complicated, drawn-out relationship with APP. It was the first Tull record I heard (courtesy of an uncle of mine who actually took me to my first Tull concert), and I really don't think it was the most amazing place to start. I was young and stupid and very easily intimidated; as a result I didn't formally get into Tull until several years later. And even after all this time, APP has remained one of those albums that I very rarely, if ever, listen to. This is set to change, however. I picked up a vinyl copy about a month ago, tossed in on the turntable, and had a go. It's an incredible album, albeit one whose pace I occasionally find frustrating (inserting cutesy animal fables is perhaps not as advisable as Ian Anderson seems to believe). However, I do feel that it's burdened beneath a patina of self-consciousness. Whereas TaaB was a send-up of a then-popular genre, APP takes itself deadly seriously in places, which can seem insufferable (to me, anyway). I will say that I'm a complete addict of the Nightcap recordings (multitudinous references to urination and defecation aside), and that I listen to these with far more regularity. But APP is like nothing else. Ambiguous praise, perhaps, but it definitely deserves a 4+ rating on ye olde archives. ------------- Certified Obscure Prog Fart. http://scottjcouturier.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow - The Loose Palace of Exile - My first novel, The Mask of Tamrel, now available on Amazon and Kindle |
Posted By: Ronnie Pilgrim
Date Posted: May 14 2011 at 14:37
These are both very good points, and I can agree (except "The Foot of Our Stairs" part of the second half seems as good to me as any part of the first half); but I can also forgive these shortcomings in light of some of the still-brilliant lyrics, an extremely short rewriting and recording window, and at least an effort to wrap up the theme without using a http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/deus-ex-machina.html" rel="nofollow - deus ex machina . My two favorite albums from http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=1828" rel="nofollow - Yes and http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=1511" rel="nofollow - Genesis , which these bands took months to write/produce, don't manage to accomplish this in over eighty minutes. This is still my favorite progressive rock album, or concept album in general, for music, lyrics, and successfully navigating a theme.
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Posted By: clarke2001
Date Posted: May 14 2011 at 20:10
| If there's a place APP should get some love, it's here on a prog we site. It's not as popular as TAAB, and it doesn't flow nicely as many other Tull's albums do. However some musical moments are absolutely stunning, incredibly complex, there are carefully crafted recurring themes, saxophone mayhems, calculated cacophony, time measures that are next-to-impossible to count, bizarre synth sounds. I like it a lot. |
Posted By: Slaughternalia
Date Posted: May 14 2011 at 20:16
| A Passion Play is one of those albums that is finally getting the respect it deserves, thanks to the internet |
Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: May 14 2011 at 20:33
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After all, what other album could contain the delightful lyric...
"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 (the examing body examined her body!)."
That, and it's an album based on medieval morality plays, except the afterlife in this case is run by cynical bureacrats. ------------- ...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: Guests
Date Posted: May 15 2011 at 16:39
| I thought it was decent. Not as bad as some people say, but not anything that I would listen to regularly. Similar to TAAB, except more dark and macabre. |
Posted By: TheLionOfPrague
Date Posted: May 15 2011 at 19:57
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I like "Thick As A Brick" much more, but "APP" is a great album too. ------------- I shook my head and smiled a whisper knowing all about the place |
Posted By: giselle
Date Posted: May 16 2011 at 18:11
| Anything Ian Anderson does is bound to be interesting at least. But of course, some experiments don't work as they should. And one of the troubles of Ian running a tight ship is that there's no one else to tell the Emperor when he has no clothes. |
Posted By: jean-marie
Date Posted: May 18 2011 at 17:27
| I love this album though not easy listening at first spins only the ones who don't realy know JT think it's bad and i guess most of them didn't even listen to it from start to finish |
Posted By: Garden of Dreams
Date Posted: May 18 2011 at 21:44
| The only thing that threw me off when I first heard it was the story in the middle. It just odd. Not say that it is bad, just odd, and where would progressive rock be if it wasn't odd? |
Posted By: The_Jester
Date Posted: May 23 2011 at 17:31
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It's just the best prog album ever. ------------- La victoire est éphémère mais la gloire est éternelle! - Napoléon Bonaparte |
Posted By: freyacat
Date Posted: May 26 2011 at 10:31
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"A Passion Play" actually taught me to listen to progressive rock. I listened to this LP over and over, trying to comprehend what I was hearing.
It is composed along the lines of a 4-act play, with an intermission.
It deals with concepts of death, human bondage, God and the devil, and enlightenment, with a rich mix of irony and sincerity.
Musically it is unlike any other Jethro Tull album, making greater use of saxophone and synthesizer. It incorporates medieval and jazz styles in a very unique and compelling blend.
The intermission's theme of blindness, expressed in a ridiculous parody of childrens' literature, is actually a commentary on the rest of the album, and on the difficulty of the spiritual striving described therein.
Ian Anderson cleverly disavows this album for some reason these days, but when you listen to it, you can tell he meant it at the time. And it is so much better than the "Chateau D'saster" sessions which were an initial dead-end attempt at the same thing. ------------- sad creature nailed upon the coloured door of time |
Posted By: Hober Mallow
Date Posted: August 25 2011 at 12:36
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Honestly I don't understand why it gets a bad wrap, equally as good as TAAB. ------------- “When Fortuna spins you downward, go out to a movie and get more out of life.” John Kennedy Toole |
Posted By: frippism
Date Posted: August 25 2011 at 13:58
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To this day it's my favorite JT album ------------- There be dragons |
Posted By: yanch
Date Posted: August 25 2011 at 14:01
| Was just listening to it again yesterday and it is just tremendous. Even The Hare..is not so bad, actually rather funny. Easily as good, and maybe even better than TAAB in some ways. Definitely my favorite Tull album. |
Posted By: thellama73
Date Posted: August 25 2011 at 14:42
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It is definitely my favorite JT album as well, with Minstrel in the Gallery second. I agree with othersthat Thick as a Brick just doesn't hold up the way it used to, but these albums are still great.
------------- 
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Posted By: tamijo
Date Posted: August 25 2011 at 14:45
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hmm, at page 4, i guess you allready know its worth a listen ------------- Prog is whatevey you want it to be. So dont diss other peoples prog, and they wont diss yours |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: August 25 2011 at 15:27
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No
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: Warthur
Date Posted: August 25 2011 at 16:07
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I think the "Chateau D'isaster" tapes (as presented on Nightcap) are actually better, but A Passion Play is still a decent JT album. Certainly if you love Thick as a Brick it's worth giving it a listen. That said, I still don't like the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles. But I worked out a way to skip it whilst listening to the album so that clumsy hare doesn't bother me any more. :)
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Posted By: lucas
Date Posted: August 25 2011 at 16:22
------------- "Magma was the very first gothic rock band" (Didier Lockwood) |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: August 25 2011 at 17:47
Not better, yet I like it, too. It's a really interesting mix of music that made it to other albums and stuff that didn't. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: FunkyM
Date Posted: August 25 2011 at 20:58
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It may well be my favourite album of all time. So, probably not, no.  |
Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: August 25 2011 at 21:59
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I don't believe it is bad at all. It took me awhile to really enjoy it, ya gotta dig deep. I only have it on vinyl and I remember having to force myself to flip to Side B (uuugh). Today I can listen to both sides and like it a lot. The gatefold sleeve, playbill booklet and stuff really helps a lot too. -------------
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Posted By: awaken77
Date Posted: September 02 2011 at 02:36
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I think APP is great, but quite hard to get into it at first attempt. Compare it to Yes "Relayer" If TAAB is a Close To The Edge, so APP is JT's Relayer. First is melodic, and catch your ear immediately. Second is more challenging at first sight, but if you hear it many times, you'll love it |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: September 02 2011 at 08:06
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Many years ago it was harder for me to find a copy to buy than to get into it once I heard it. Note to self, do not ask stonebeard for music recommendations. |
Posted By: stonebeard
Date Posted: September 02 2011 at 08:30
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It's pretty useless. It's sad when the best part is a monologue about a rabbit. ------------- http://soundcloud.com/drewagler" rel="nofollow - My soundcloud. Please give feedback if you want! |
Posted By: A Person
Date Posted: September 02 2011 at 09:19
I like the whole album, but that is really the best part. |
Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: September 02 2011 at 09:22
It´s funny I feel exactly the same as a person. ------------- “The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Douglas Adams |
Posted By: topographicbroadways
Date Posted: September 02 2011 at 09:23
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Yay another necro-posted thread -------------
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Posted By: imaginedmind
Date Posted: September 03 2011 at 02:19
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A Passion Play isn't "bad" by any standards in my opinion. (War Child, on the other hand...maybe that just me.) My friend actually likes it a lot more than Thick as a Brick and it's one of his favorite albums. I think T-a-a-B is a little more well constructed and kept together where as it seems like they ran out of steam towards the end of Passion Play (keep in mind this album was completely rewritten after the infamous Chataeu D'isaster). But the "Forest Dance" 1 and 2 & Overseer Overture are still among my favorites of the band. I'd rate it probably their third best album after T-a-a-B and Minstrel in the Gallery. This is all relative of course. All of Jethro Tull's albums up until 1979 are exceptional (not bad 1979 either). |
Posted By: Kirillov
Date Posted: September 05 2011 at 15:59
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I think it's a fine album, although it does take a few listens to appreciate. I loved TAAB the first time I heard it, but then found that it palled rather quickly. The opposite seemed to be true for A Passion Play.
Call me morbid, but I think that the 'deceased ballerina' makes for a great cover! |
Posted By: Flimbau
Date Posted: September 07 2011 at 13:19
| Im a huge fan of Tull and I really feel its one of their best efforts. Its one of those albums you play at a party for your friends and they all look at you like your daft, but all you can really do is shake your head call em nitwits and wonder how the hell dont they GET IT. Perhaps on the a side towards the conclusion the music can tend to drone on in certain phrases, ideas stretched just a bit further than realistically necessary, but the humor of the whole piece is really striking. Interesting lyrically, conceptually its some of Ian Andersons finest work. And the b side shortly after the line "God of Ages, Lord of Time....etc.etc." and the instrumental section kicks in features some of the damn finest ensemble playing from any group of the era. Anderson soars on saxophone, the rhythmn section is tight as a drum (get it?), Barre scorches on guitar, Hammond is plowing away on bass, Barlowe dazzles on percussion, Evans fingers are ballerinas on the keys...you get the point. I mean goddamn those guys could play!!!!! Still gives me goosebumps every time! |
Posted By: Syzygy
Date Posted: September 07 2011 at 15:28
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QUOTE=Warthur]I think the "Chateau D'isaster" tapes (as presented on Nightcap) are actually better, but A Passion Play is still a decent JT album. Certainly if you love Thick as a Brick it's worth giving it a listen.
That said, I still don't like the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles. But I worked out a way to skip it whilst listening to the album so that clumsy hare doesn't bother me any more. :) [/QUOTE]
I agree that Chateau D'Isaster is well worth a listen, and gives a tantalising glimpse of the album that A Passion Play could have been. Personally I think it's every bit as bad as it's generally said to be. I dig it out and once a year or so and give it another chance, but after all this time it still hasn't grown on me. ------------- 'Like so many of you I've got my doubts about how much to contribute to the already rich among us...' Robert Wyatt, Gloria Gloom |