Baker Street Muse.....(Tull's finest moment)

Man....

I'm just speechless.

Last night I was driving home and I had the Minstrel album cranked. Baker Street Muse came on and I almost drove off the road. Same thing everytime I hear it. Its a perfect song. Just beautiful. It has all the reasons I love Tull so much! The lyrics, the music, Ian's acoustic strumming, his flute, Martin Barres great, mean, completely nasty licks, Barrie's insane drumming. WOW!

I just....I cant even explain why its so amazing. Its just so "Tull" to me. Those lyrics are so visual. Everytime I hear the Crash Barrier Waltzer section I get COVERED in goosebumps....sometimes I even tear up a bit. Something about the way hes singing, and knowing that its all, in some way, autobiographical.

I....I.....

I find my listening usually goes something like this:

 

I love this whole album. I just wish Steve would have had a go at it, especially after hearing Minstrel in the Gallery on Original Masters.

 

Yeah, Minstrel is one of my fav Tulls now.....in my top 3 definately! The title track is a MONSTER and just pushes Martin Barre further up into my list of fav guitar players.....right now I beleive hes #4 although my list changes daily with the exception the FZ will always hold spot #1!

 

Well it's rare to see people who highlight Baker St Muse as a top Tull choice, but I few it that way, too. Yes, even more than Aqualung or Brick or Stand Up. IMO, the absolute peak of Anderson/Tull and nothing that came after would ever be as good.

The emotional climax is at the end of the the acoustic chunk in the middle, "There was a little boy sat on a burning log." Just perfect.

Another great thing about the piece is its relation to the album. It takes themes of the title track and the emotional weight of One White Duck and O Requiem and just pushed it to that extra level (not mention the lyric that mentions Minstrel). The cherry-on-top quality of Grace afterwards is just perfect.

 

An incredible LP. I still listen to it a lot. It's burned into my brain.

The Mrs & I took a London vacation a few years ago & every time I saw a place name from Side Two of Minstrel, my brain would immediately start playback at that point. Marylebone Road? IN-to the Marylebone Road, da dadadadadaDA, dadadadahhhh, etc etc.

Be seeing you
Doug Piero Carey

 

I agree with you on "Baker St. Muse." To me it's proof that Anderson had more to say in the form of the extended suite. It's a shame that the negative critical attention he got for "A Passion Play" (undeserved, in my opinion) discouraged him from doing even more with the form. BSM is one of his greatest achievements!

L.

 

The emotional climax is at the end of the the acoustic chunk in the middle, "There was a little boy sat on a burning log." Just perfect.


YOU ARE SO RIGHT MAN! wow that whole section....

"sang with glee--EEEE"

the drums during that are amazing! "One day Ill be a minstrel in the gallery....."

W O W!!!!!!

 

A great album, I love the lyrics to "The Pig-me and the Whore" . Anderson is a genius at satire

 

If you haven't done so yet, check out this page that annotates the lyrics.

 

Their last truly great LP!

 

So I just put this song on, as i havent heard it in years....boy does my cd sound lame lame lame. I'm sure its been retread 100 times here on the forum, but which version is the best sounding cd to grab on this one? I need an upgrade from my original Chrysalis release, blah.

 

The new remaster is very good, definitely better than the old standard one. In fact, all of Tull remasters are very acceptable, except "Aqualung", which is a total abomination.

 

Count me in too! Baker St. Muse is my favorite of all Tull music, with the exception of A Passion Play Side 2 (not including the second half of Story of Hare though).

 

The liner notes for the remaster provided this new fact for me:

Ian used to sneak away from the band to a little loft "gallery" in the studio where they were recording to practice, and hence the album name...

 

I don't know much Jethro Tull, but I had that album and always loved Baker Street Muse. I often quote it. Conan Doyle meets James Joyce.

 

I wish the Mother England Reverie section(there was a little boy stand on a burning log...) went on a lot longer.....man, that is a great great melody!!

 

What about Songs From The Wood and Heavy Horses?

 

I agree with you on Baker Street Muse - a perfect song on a perfect album. Minstrel has always been one of my very favorite Tull albums.

 

Agreed, these are great albums as well.

 

speaking of Songs from the Wood and Heavy Horses, which one is better? I know Songs is supposedly their greatest work, albeit a little soft. I love acoustic Tull but I also cream when they rock....theyre so damn heavy! Thats why I like Minstrel so much, perfect blend of acoustic and rock. So how do Songs and Horses hold up?

 

Excellent LPs, but a step below Minstrel. I also think that Songs is much better than Heavy Horses.

 

Well...I love both. I go back and forth on which I like better. Heavy Horses has a couple of rockers on it, though none as heavy as Minstrel.

 

Man Minstrel is indescribably heavy! Those tones that Martin Barre is getting....just unreal! I also think that Bursting Out is one mother of a live disc! I cant believe how incredibly tight they were. IT must have been insane to see them live around tht time. I had always loved early Tull (69-72) and considered them my favorite. The Isle of Wight cd that came out only confirmed this BUT....

.....then my wife bought me Bursting Out and Minstel. Now im thinking I like this incredibly tight Tull even more! I even like the extra prog leanings.

Stand Up will always be #1 with me thouhg...

 

Songs and Horses used to be my favorite and I still love them. They didn't decrease in value to me, it's just that Minstrel has steadily climbed up and up.

Songs is the closest thing Tull did to making a Fairport Convention Brit-folk album. Songs about Beltain and May Day and pagan fertility rituals with lots of acoustic stuff, some corny, some clever. The "heaviest" moments are the beginning and end of Pibroch with a pretty sweet layered guitar riff. The masterpiece track, IMO, is Velvet Green.

Horses tones down the Celt a bit and is more "rock" so acts a kind of summation of all of Tull's direction up to that point.

 

methinks Horses might be the way to go....or maybe I should just get both!