A PASSION PLAY

Surpassing the pretentiousness of its amazing predecessor "Thick as a Brick" and somewhat predating the dark mood of "Minstrel in the Gallery", "A Passion Play" is a gem in its own terms in the multicolored musical history of Jethro Tull. By now, the interest of Anderson & co. in exploring the progressive potential of their musical vision had been fully exposed throughout the last two years, and now with this epic satire (funny and bitter at the same time) of the afterworld, the band is ready to push the envelope: neckbreaking complexity of compositions, unabashed sophistication of arrangements, impressive lyrics full of literary references, augmentation of the instrumentation with the addition of saxes and synth as well as a full orchestra for the 'Hare' section (a very Monty-Pythonesque fable that feels perfectly coordinated with the Tullian ideology of music with farce). The storyline to this album finds a man experiencing a parallel to the travels of Christ to the 'other side' after his execution by crucifixion and his resurrection, but now Ian Anderson bears a different muse, a muse of disenchantment and frustration about the idea that the afterworld is as pointless and dull as our earthly realm. The intro theme, punctuated by a synth and bass beating heart, gives way to a joyful yet slightly somber motif that turns out to be quite catchy. The first sung section, a languid piano-based ballad in full chamber fashion, shows Ian at his most vulnerable. The choruses are so effective in their simplistic solemnity: "There was a rush along the Fulham Road / There was a hush in the Passion Play". A nice passage that is soon counterpointed by an amazing 11/8 interlude (similar to the famous "TAAB" interlude, at least, to a certain degree), and that's when the power gets in and remains consistent. The rhythm section bears a very solid feel, especially regarding Barlow's taste and precision in his rolls and other percussive tricks. All the way through, the rockier passages are the ones that take center stage, sometimes going for the hard, sometimes going for a bluesier vibe, always keeping an aura of controlled complexity. Anderson is really enthusiastic with his soprano and sopranino saxes, which assume a more prominent role than his archetypical flute: not that there are not flute extravaganzas (the incendiary solo for the interlude's reprise is awesome, simply awesome), but it is clear that the saxes are there to provide a new texture for Anderson's duels with Barre's guitar leads and Evan's keyboards (organ or synth). The A side ends with an acoustic guitar interlude that introduces the excellent, bizarre farce 'The Hare who Lost His Spectacles'. Ended the fable, the interlude is reprised in order to pave the ground for the mysterious 'Down of Our Stairs' section - one of the most vibrating introspective pieces ever written by Anderson, undoubtedly a hint to things to come in the "Minstrel" album. The lyrics, which portray the hero's disappointment with the boring solemnity of Heaven and seriously considering a visit to that "forsaken Paradise that calls itself hell", are really moving: beyond the poetic tricks, the emotion is clearly palpable. Once again, after this dominantly introspective passage, comes a series of rockier sections in which the main character discovers there are also reasons to be disappointed at Hell and its master chief Lucifer. The final section, in which our hero turns the stone to return to Earth, is one of the most accomplished regarding composition and performance stamina. The climatic ending is adorned with the final chorus and the reemerging heartbeats - an awesome finale for an awesome progressive opus. No matter how much their music challenges the progressive label (as well as many other labels), "A Passion Play" has to be one of the most outstanding prog albums ever, and most certainly JT made a bunch of them in the 70s. A bit less consistent that "TAAB", but masterful all the same.