Ian Anderson to release sequel to TAAB, April 2012

You can watch the lyrics on your television while listening to the 5:1 mix.

 

There are lyrics in the booklet for the CD/DVD edition and are also on screen when you listen to the 5.1 mix and the DVD has Ian Anderson reading all the lyrics.

 

From the front page of www.jethrotull.com :

http://jethrotull.com/discography/taab2/lyricsenglish.pdf
http://jethrotull.com/discography/taab2/lyricsitalian.pdf
http://jethrotull.com/discography/taab2/lyricsgerman.pdf
http://jethrotull.com/discography/taab2/lyricsspanish.pdf
http://jethrotull.com/discography/taab2/lyricsczech.pdf
http://jethrotull.com/discography/taab2/lyricspolish.pdf
http://jethrotull.com/discography/taab2/lyricsrussian.pdf

 

This review closely mirrors my views after several listenings.

If you can soldier through the recitations (that was my beef with Passion Play), this is an enjoyable album. When Anderson's adds his flute atop a rhythmic figure of bass, drums, guitar and organ, if you forget it's 2012, for a moment you may think you're back in the era of Tull.

 

Recitations on A Passion Play? You mean the 'Hare Who Lost His Spectacles' skit? Beyond that there's only one brief spoken word moment on the album. And both that and Hare are accompanied by music.

 

Saturday, April 14, 2012
Chart Watch America: Richie Takes Top Veteran Spot, Dr. John Scores Best in 39 Years, Ian Anderson in 25
http://www.vintagevinylnews.com/2012/04/chart-watch-america-richie-takes-top.html
Also opening big is Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson whose TAAB2: Thick as a Brick 2 premiers at 55. Neither Tull or Anderson as a solo act has been that high on the album charts in 25 years, since Crest of a Knave hit 32 in 1987.

 

Interview: Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson Discusses Gear and 'Thick As A Brick 2'

http://jethrotull.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=1835&page=26#27212
http://www.guitarworld.com/interview-jethro-tulls-ian-anderson-discusses-gear-and-thick-brick-2

 

Very interesting about the extra half decibel.

I wonder how The Road To Escondido was cut? It's one helluva loud LP.

 

Ipswich Regent-bound Ian Anderson is back in the thick of it
By MARTIN HUTCHINSON Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Read more: http://www.eadt.co.uk/entertainment...anderson_is_back_in_the_thick_of_it_1_1350845
After that, the man who introduced the flute to rock and roll will be undertaking many other projects.

Ian Anderson - “Well, I’ve just done a track with The Darkness - you see, I have friends in low places; then I’m doing a string quartet album of mainstream Jethro Tull tracks which will be perfect for the weddings, christenings and funerals of Tull fans.

“Then I hope to do an album of lots of little songs, just me and an acoustic guitar – real singer-songwriter songs. I sometimes get carried away when recording and keep adding layers, but these will be relatively unadorned.

“It has the advantage of being cheap to make and is a labour of love – in these days of downloading, it costs more to make a record than you’d get back in physical record sales.”



Ian Anderson's Thick as a Brick 2 By Sander Roscoe Wolff | Wednesday, 18 April 2012
http://www.lbpost.com/life/2000000028-ian-anderson-s-thick-as-a-brick-2
Ian Anderson's career spans 5 decades. He's created more than 35 studio albums, penned hundreds of songs, had many hit singles, and made countless world tours. With an immediately identifiable voice, and the distinctive honor of bringing flute into the world of rock music, his band Jethro Tull became an unstoppable juggernaut for all of the 70s, and most of the 80s.

Tull had found success with their first few albums but, with the release of Aqualung in 1971, they struck a chord with audiences that propelled them to the top of the charts. With a unique blend of folk and rock idioms, poetic lyrical mastery, and a penchant for irreverence, the album solidified their place amongst the pantheon of rock greats.

I can only imagine, then, that the pressure and anticipation must have been great when they started working on their next album. Thick As A Brick, as it turned out, was more masterful and ambitious than Aqualung, if not more accessible. Presented as one long song, with sprawling lyrics and extended instrumental passages that, at times, swung between prog rock and classical styles, it exceeded the wildest expectations of fans and critics alike.

Listening to that album forty years later, it still sounds fresh and vivacious, full of clever lyrical and musical twists and turns. Perhaps, then, it shouldn't be a surprise that Anderson would feel pulled to revisit this material in some fashion.

Unlike the original, Thick As A Brick 2 is divided into 9 distinctive sections, most with two or three songs. On the original album, the artwork appeared to be taken from a newspaper, the St. Cleve Chronicle, with stories about a boy, Gerald Bostock, and the goings on of the small town where he lives. On the new release, the concept has been updated, with the newspaper replaced with excerpts from the town's website.

On the new album, the character of Bostock becomes the focus of a series of 'what if' scenarios where Anderson muses about how the vagaries of life might have sent young Gerald in a variety of different directions, each with significantly different outcomes.

What, Anderson wonders, if Gerald became a banker, a military man, a preacher, a shop keeper, or homeless? This premise produces a series of episodic vignettes, with lyrics that ultimately feel shallow, contrived, and disconnected from the heart and soul of these alternate Geralds. Instead, the words seem strident, and bogged down by their own weight.

In the original, Anderson sings, "I've come down from the upper class to mend your rotten ways. My father was a man-of-power whom everyone obeyed. So come on all you criminals! I've got to put you straight just like I did with my old man -- twenty years too late. Your bread and water's going cold. Your hair is too short and neat. I'll judge you all and make damn sure that no-one judges me."

Forty years on, he sings, "Treat myself to quality time, test a porsche and snort a line, eat Hermione for lunch. Set that glum PA a-jumping, book front row tickets for something after we munch."

I don't mean to sound overly critical, though. For the most part, the music is gorgeous. The rocking bits rock, the more delicate passages are impeccably performed, and Anderson manages to toss in delightful musical nods to past hits along the way. Also, his voice sounds wonderful, and his singing is tuneful and expressive.

For me, one song stood out clearly from the rest: A Change of Horses. I asked Anderson about it.

"Its a piece of music," said Anderson, "which was written in isolation about three years ago as an instrumental piece for an Indian tour we were doing with our guest, Anoushka Shankar. I wrote the piece originally to be played by sitar and Western concert flute. I had it in mind to record it and, when I was writing the TAAB2 album, I thought 'I can shoe-horn this piece of music in there.' I'd already written some lyrics, but changed it a little bit so it would fit into the overall concept of the album.

"I try to make [the album] a continuous flow piece of music," Anderson, explained, "but we live in an age where people snack on bite size portions of music, so I have to give them ID points on the CD. I don't have to. I choose to so people have the choice of listening to the whole thing in one unbroken chunk of music, or they can break it down into convenient little bits that they can navigate through, and to. But, for me, it is a complete piece of music designed to be played live, on stage, as a complete piece."

And this, dear reader, is where things get really exciting. On October 20th, Anderson and a crack team of talented musicians will perform the entirety of Thick as a Brick, and TAAB2, at the Long Beach Terrace Theater. The tour is already under way, and the stop in Long Beach will be just a few dates shy of its completion. This is a rare opportunity to enjoy one of music's great talents in an intimate setting, performing some of his best work. Internet pre-sale tickets will become available on April 20th, and will become more widely available through normal channels the following day.

One last thing: There are two versions of the release. One is a CD, with a lyric booklet. The other includes a DVD with high definition stereo and surround mixes of the album, along with video segments showing the creation of the album, and Anderson reciting the lyrics. If you've got audiophile gear, or you're a die-hard Anderson fan, the Special Edition is just under $20 but, if not, stick to the regular release.







Wrapped in the old school song, we fly our colours high.
Bravo! The old school song! Harsh reality, by and by.

 

I think I prefer the Dolby Digital layer of the TAAB2 DVD over the DTS layer, oddly enough. Much more dynamic to my ears.

 

Yeah, funny thing, I like the DD. Seems to have less bass than the dts, making it seem clearer.

 

Video - 'Banker Bets, Banker Wins' Live from Newcastle 17th April 2012.
http://jethrotull.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=tour&thread=1627&page=14#27321
'Thick as a Brick' Finale (Live) @ Newcastle City Hall 17th. April 2012.
http://jethrotull.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=tour&thread=1627&page=14#27326

 

I rather like this album. May have to seek out the 5.1 version.

 

Anyone know if a vinyl release is coming? Sorry if this has been answered already.

 

Calling post #407

Ian Anderson - It’s quite a long album. When I cut it on vinyl a couple of weeks ago at Abbey Road Studios in London, it was one of the longest vinyl albums that had been cut. It was amazingly successful. I was completely surprised by the quality we got. Not just the quality, the level on the disc was pretty good.

We actually will be cutting it on a copper master rather than an acetate master or a lacquer master because we can squeeze an extra half db of level or so onto a copper master. And it will be hopefully as good as I heard it the other day when I compared it to the 24-bit digital audio. It was almost indistinguishable. Which was amazing in terms of today’s technology, to be able to go back and do the old-fashioned vinyl thing and get it to sound so.

When does the vinyl release come out?

In September, TAAB 1 and 2 will be released together as a vinyl package.

 

Published On: Wed, Apr 18th, 2012, Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson. Gig Review. Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. Thick as a brick
L.S Media *****
http://liverpoolstudentmedia.com/20...erson-gig-review-liverpool-philharmonic-hall/

 

Thanks JohnN. September is ways off so I might have to go with the CD/5.1 package for now.

 

In case anyone is curious and it hasn't been mentioned yet, yes, on this tour they are performing TAAB side two complete including the "Do You Believe In The Day" section that was skipped in the 72/73 tour.

 

I finally got a chance to listen to TAAB2 via the the CD/DVD set and was very pleasantly surprised. I haven't heard any Tull post-Broadsword and the Beast and had relatively low expectations. The album exceeded all of my expectations easily. The lyrics resonated with me especially. It would be ridiculous to expect it to be as consistently excellent as TAAB, but it is most certainly far better than almost any other album I can think of made by an artist whose creative peak was 40 years ago.

I'm a pretty tough critic when it comes to things like this, but it seems that Ian really did find his inspiration. I also imagine that Steven Wilson (or somebody) said the right thing to Ian to keep him singing with that silly affect he's been singing with for so long.

Now that Derek Shulman helped push Ian Anderson to make a new album that lives up to the reputation he and his band earned back in the day, I wish Anderson would challenge Derek to do the same with Gentle Giant.

 

I played this 3 times yesterday. I think it's a masterpiece. Dare I say that I enjoy it overall more than the original? Sure, the original has stronger sections, But overall, Part 2 is pretty solid. As for Ian taking the high road in respect to Martin and putting this out as a solo album, I think shows a lot of restraint. He didn't need to. Judging by the performances of all involved, this is a Tull album and no past members' lack of involvement is terrribly missed. Ian is Tull. He knows what his music needs to sound like and who to hire to get it. Easily the best album by anybody this year so far.

 

I'm still listening to this album in the car. Hasn't gotten boring or old yet.

 

Same here - wasn't expecting much but it has become my favorite Tull-related release since Roots to Branches. Like the DVD too.

 

Are you sure about that (part I highlighted in bold)?

25th Anniversary video, the rehearsal session for the '93 tour: the band, with seemingly Doane Perry at the helm, is literally arranging a song under Ian's nose, while he stands there looking on, munching a chewing gum... Like it's none of his business...

I have not heard yet this particular album, but the involvement of some past members has been terribly missing, speaking for myself, for a few decades now...

 

I would say check out this album. I would never have agreed with "Ian as Tull" before hearing it. But it really does sound every bit like a Tull album. Still really miss Martin Barre, but the guitarist does a great job and fits in very well.

I do respect that he (Ian) did not choose to release it as Jethro Tull, which he certainly could have (unless there is a legal reason). Of course, everywhere i have seen it, they file it under "J".

 

Ian's just chewing away his frustration & waiting for his instructions to be carried out, waiting for the drummer to get it right.