Jethro Tull Appreciation Thread

Samples of the St. Brides show are here:

http://www.emimusic.ch/shop/5099960610225#shop

The track list is a little deceiving since some of the songs are choir only and other tracks are just readings.

 

Thanks ZappaSG.
As I have the Christmas album I wish it was a single CD release of Christmas At St Bride's.

Of note: All artist and composer royalties received from the sale of "Jethro Tull Live - Christmas At St Bride's" will go to London Charities For The Homeless.

 

Songfacts interview:

http://www.songfacts.com/int/2009/09/ian-anderson-jethro-tull.html

 

News and Features
Ian on Flutes, Microphones (audio)
WBFF interview with Ian (video)
Dave Pegg on 40 years with Fairport
John O'Hara arranges "Quadrophenia"
Interview with Florian Ophale
http://www.j-tull.com/

 

I just picked up Aqualung on the 45 rpm x 4 200g Classic Records box set for my Dad's xmas present. Hope it's good.

 

I hate to tell you this, but i have zero interest in this. The JT Christmass album contained one of two tracks i liked but rest of were total crap IMO. The re-recording is a dubious practise at best and Tull isn't very good at it. Many songs were played with so low-energy that they come across like bad muzak.

 

I understand, my interest is low.

 

Gotta interject to this reply to my original post that Ian Anderson solo this month was FANTASTIC. But then, I didn't expect high energy and actually thought he was solo acoustic (turns out he had quite a band, and not entirely acoustic).

 

Thick as a Brick newspaper pages...
http://www.orthogonal.com.au/music/taab/index.htm

 

Traveling Music Reviews: Ian Anderson, Portland
http://www.oregontraveldaily.com/news/review112109_436.php

 

When this thread turned to the Christmas Album, and since I have always highly enjoyed most of their Xmas-oriented songs, I forced myself to listen again, for the second time, to each one of the Amazon.com samples... It still didn't click for me, and I basically got the same impressions than you.

IMO, Jethro Tull's thing, to this day, works best when any spiritual inclination is delicately balanced with the pagan, seedier side of Ian Anderson's persona or character. ...Sort of like Aqualung so to speak!!

 

Funny how tastes go. My wife and I LOVE the Tull Christmas album. Great song selection with some fantastic new numbers thrown in for good measure. What makes the album for us, besides the great music, is the lyrics. "I am the shadow in your smile" is all I have to say. You just don't hear lyrics like that in a Christmas album. We loved it so much we bought copies for our parents, our sisters, our friends, anyone that is tired of the same old Christmas stuff.

Of course, I can see how someone wouldn't like it. But for anyone out there that was on the fence about this, I can completely recommend it. That being said, I am a bit dismayed to see that the Live St. Brides disc only comes with the Christmas album we all already have. Perhaps a single disc will come our way shortly.

 

I'll start playing my JT Christmas Album after Thanksgiving. I love it. Which surprised me as I don't really care for Ian's work post '90.

 

The Christmas Album is classic Tull. If you don't like this, then you probably don't like the classic Minstrel in the Gallery album either.

 

Agreed, that show renewed my faith in Ian as a showman, the best I'd seen him in 20 years. That was stunningly good times...



cheerio...

 

The Christmas Spirit is not what... is on The Christmas Album...

I respectfully disagree.

The Solstice Bells Ep from 1976 is classic Tull.

The Christmas Album is Ian cashing in, with a few tracks of worth and note, and some real filler. It is OK, but far from an essential Christmas album, a great Tull album, and mos def NOT CLASSIC Tull.

And I love the vast majority of Minstrel--the title track just being a bit too bombastic for me as ice sage, the rest, very sublime...

 

I just went over to Tull's web cite, and unfortunately, Mick Abrahams has sufferred a massive heart attack and stroke. I wish him a speedy recovery, but it doesn't sound too promising for his guitar playing future.

 

Well, Minstrel in the Gallery is in my TOP-5 Tull albums.

Don't get me wrong - i really tried to like Christmass album but i coudn't.

 

Yes!

 

Tull Original Guitarist Mick Abrahams cancels gig due to heart attack
http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=199225&highlight=




The Christmas album sticker says: If you liked Thick As A Brick & Songs From the Wood this album is for you.
http://s1015.photobucket.com/albums/af278/tootull/?action=view&current=ChristmasAlbumsticker.jpg

 

Oh. I guess Gerald Bostock has started drinking again.

 

I have loved Jethro Tull since 1973. Have seen them many times but missed the acoustic/unplugged shows, darn it. I'm not crazy about some of their releases though. A Passion Play, I just can't enjoy (even tho no way would I ever sell my MFSL cd pressing), and Too old... I am lukewarm about. I love Roots to Branches, Aqualung, Heavy Horses, Stormwatch, and almost all the others too. The Christmas Album is very good, to me.

Dave

 

Last night I heard a classical piece from Yo Yo Ma called "Chi Passa Per' Sta Strada" that sounded an awful lot like Velvet Green. Do these two pieces have any connection or is it just a coincidence?

 

I couldn't find the Yo Yo Ma, but found this version instead:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca_9...065C35CD3&index=4&playnext=2&playnext_from=PL

While the rhythms and lute accompaniment sure are from the same stylistic ilk than the main theme of VG, I don't hear much similarity in the melody and chord changes. Maybe I didn't get the right piece, or I should tune my ear better on a specific part of VG...

 

Completely different piece. Nice though!

This is the piece. Although the Yo Yo Ma version sounded even more like Velvet Green, you can hear some strains of it in this solo version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACsd_9dXnfM&feature=related