This almost certainly explains everything. It's well documented that Tull's income from touring had been in decline from the final years of the last century: the venues had been getting smaller, and there was little demand for new 'product'. I believe IA was in the habit of reading the riot act to his men about the need to make economies and dispense with 'extra weight'. His principal objection to Martin Barre seemed to be Barre's lack of internet savvy and inability to move with the times, though I personally think that's nonsense. The point is, Tull has been run as a business with an all-powerful CEO since around 1974 and by the terms of Barre's contract, IA had to pay him a high salary, owing to his contribution to Tull and his longevity with the band. It was clearly a case of mission creep to tell Barre and Perry that Tull was going to cease operations, then slowly bring back the name so that IA could continue to tour and record with a group of cheaper musicians with whom he had no 'history'. And IA may feel that his tactics have justified themselves: with The Zealot Gene, Tull scored their first top ten british album since 1972 (though the placing doesn't mean much these days). Tull also seem to be playing somewhat more prestigious venues than they did in the latter Barre days. So, no doubt IA is a very smug bunny at the moment .... I don't feel that Martin is angry, though, just (rightly) pissed off that a 40+ year relationship with a colleague amounted to very little. I believe IA is the godfather to one of Martin's children, too .....
Ian has always been rewriting history. I remember him talking about how he hated nostalgia and then a bunch of box sets came out.
I remember Ian babbling how the nostalgic, old fashioned fans would like to get a Thick as a Brick 2 instead of other new stuff and that such a thing would never happen...
Thick 2 was total fan service. He should’ve made it with Martin and Tull. You don’t break up a band to do a sequel to the band’s (possibly) best album.
If you have an hour of time to kill: I was a guest on the Deep Chats podcast to talk about the Chateau D'Isaster Tapes!
In other news... IMWAN • [2024-06-21] Jethro Tull "Bursting Out (Inflated Edition)" 3CD/3DVD box set incl. Steven Wilson 5.1 remix (Chrysalis)
Did you socialise with Tull offstage? We were two proggy acts, and we were very comfortable with each other. We didn’t force a connection, it just happened. It made it so much easier, it meant we could get on backstage. We were amazed that Ian had his stage outfit in a box about two foot square. When it first appeared in the dressing room, we went, “Wait, you keep your clothes in there?” In those days we carried our own stage clothes around in a suit bag. “We didn’t force a connection, it just happened.” Steve Howe remembers a fledgling Yes supporting Jethro Tull in America in 1971
A jumpy conversation probably due to poor internet conenction, but you covered it all, it was a good listen. Thanx
More than anything else, TAAB2 was the first time I was actively BORED by an IA "product." There are albums I like more or less in his solo and Tull discography, but TAAB2 felt like a genre exercise and not a particularly interesting one at that. Homo Erraticus was slightly better but still felt like "What if I pretended I was writing in 1972" Part 2. At least the last two "Tull" albums have sported some amazing material, even if Ian's voice is pretty dire at this point. Still wouldn't mind more personality from the players, but I suspect that's an IA call more than anything from the players themselves.
Best Reissues Of 2024: 10 Of The Year’s Most Essential Releases - Dig! 6: Jethro Tull: ‘The Chateau D’Hérouville Sessions 1972’ (2LP black vinyl) Having established themselves as one of rock’s premier acts with 1971’s Aqualung and the following year’s US chart-topping Thick As A Brick, Jethro Tull decamped to the Château D’Hérouville studio near Paris, France, with the intention of recording a new double album. After a series of setbacks, including equipment malfunctions and severe cases of food poisoning, they gave up on the sessions and returned to the UK, where they wrote and recorded what would become 1973’s A Passion Play. Nonetheless, as The Chateau D’Herouville Sessions 1972 reveals, Tull did successfully record a mound of highly promising material during their French sojourn. For years known as the band’s “great lost album”, the material was eventually released in 2013, after receiving a Steven Wilson audio makeover as part of the A Passion Play: An Extended Performance collection. It now makes its overdue vinyl debut. Must hear: Sailor
Ha! Isn't this the song that Ian actively hated and kept off archival albums for many years? I agree it's a very good song. (Hey, I like "17" too!)
Martin Barre interview in today's Telegraph - mainly property related, but a good read. Jethro Tull guitarist: ‘We bought a house for £125k, then sold it for £2m’
