TOO OLD TO ROCK 'N' ROLL: TOO YOUNG TO DIE!

This album, while flawed, is not as bad as some would have you believe! There are some moments of inspiration that make you remember that this is the band that recorded Thick as a brick and Passion play, but these are quite few. I do like the title track, but it does tend to feel a bit to long and the same is true for a lot of the other songs which start out alright but get very repetitive. Crazed institution is one of these and so is Taxi Grab. Salamander is probably the best tune here.

The story that runs through the album is quite interesting and it's done with a bit of humour as it's supposed to be autobiographical. Some of their critics thought they had reached their peak and were now 'Too old to rock an roll'. And looking back on it, I guess they already had reached their peak because after this their album would never again be quite as good as the ones that had gone before. So maybe they weren't to too old in a physical sense (Ian was still only 28 when this was recorded) but just in a metaphorical one if that makes sense?

I'd just like to point out that the band were still to reach their peak in a live context and the following years were some of their best touring days (as can be seen on the live DVD of the Madison Square Garden gig in 1978).

You shouldn't get this until you've got at least all the albums that came before it because it might put you off buying more JT albums which wouldn't be good at all.