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

Too Old to Rock and Roll, too Young to Die gets it's share of abuse from just about everybody, and I can see why. It doesn't have any epic, particularly proggy moments, and the concept seems a bit thrown together. But I have trouble not smiling while giving it a listen. It is much more light-hearted than most of Jethro Tull's catalogue and perhaps that has a bit to do with the storyline, which follows the often-ridiculous exploits of the "last of the Old Rockers," Ray Lomas. Without going into much detail, I'll just say that the concept is enjoyable, if not quite up to par as Thick as a Brick. Too Old to Rock and Roll is not dragged down by a heavy concept, and I feel this allows the band to have little fun, though this doesn't necessarily guarantee good songs.

Most of the music on Too Old to Rock and Roll is pretty straight-forward rock with a few orchestral and acoustical folk elements mixed in. I'll admit that little of it really holds its own when set against masterpieces such as Aqualung or Thick as a Brick, but some of the tracks show genuinely sparkling moments, even if these are few and far between. Most of the album neither makes me cry out in disgust nor make me want to repeat them for hours on end.

But there a few tracks that I find little fault in at all. "Salamander" recalls "A Cold Wind to Valhalla" perhaps a little too much, but it is nevertheless a quality track. The title track jumps at times from epic, to deeply emotional with a strong backing orchestra and chorus. The same can be said for "Chequered Flag (Dead or Alive)" which has one of the greatest choruses in Tull's entire repertoire.

Not much of Too Old to Rock and Roll is absolutely appalling, but "Taxi Grab" in particular, is an exception. A terrible blues song with a dirty guitar sound and a truly vile use of the harmonica, it definitely makes me cringe. Luckily, no more of Too Old to Rock and Roll deserves the skip button to the extent of that nasty song.

One should keep it mind when looking into buying Too Old to Rock and Roll that it is certainly not the shining moment in Jethro Tull's history. But it also not quite worthy of the harsh words many critics have to give it.

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