JETHRO TULL

Given the initial idea that the "A" project would be his first solo work, Ian Anderson summoned musicians different from those of Jethro Tull, with the intention of generating a more accessible and 'modernised' proposal, in keeping with the synthesised and industrial atmospheres that were emerging in the early 80's, and which the Scottish musician thought was more appropriate to express as a personal initiative. But somewhere along the way, the ship "A" (1980) changed course, and ended up landing in the Jethro Tull universe, to become the band's thirteenth album, something which, by the way, generated the resentment of the stable members and Anderson's subsequent personal clarifications.

Taking a step away from the rural landscapes and medieval settings so characteristic of the band, in exchange for futuristic preoccupations with far-reaching issues such as the nuclear threat that seemed inevitably looming over the earth, "A" seems to fall somewhere musically between one thing and the other.

Passages that hark back to the more recognisable Jethro Tull, as with the opening acoustic chords of "Working John, Working Joe", or the synchronised agility and interesting choruses of "Fylingdale Flyer", or with the intricate instrumental development crowned by the stupendous guitar solo of Martin Barre (the only stable member who finally participated in the work) sharing the limelight with the keyboards of guest Eddie Jobson in the excellent "Black Sunday", or also with the instrumental display of Celtic airs in the anxious instrumental "The Pine Marten's Jig", end up configuring the highlights of 'A'.

On the other hand, neither the sharp electric violins of Jobson (very active as in the whole album) in "Uniform", nor the bluesy half-time of the repetitive "4. (Low Ratio)" rescue their pieces, and even less the surprising and exaggeratedly synth pop of "Batteries Not Included" (very far from the band's expected sonorities) contributes significantly to a work that the apocalyptic and reflective "And Further On" concludes, with an elegant guitar solo in between by Barre.

"A" is certainly not a bad album, but in light of the final result, it probably would have been a better fit as Anderson's first solo effort.

3 stars

I'll say I am at level 3 on this. I know it fairly well, but not quite an expert. I would say going in that this is probably my favorite Tull album, but let's see if that holds true. As I suspect most of you know, Ian Anderson decided to make "The Mother of All Concept Albums," after becoming frustrated with rock journalists referring to Aqualung (see my earlier review) as a concept album. Anderson said that while there were some themes running through Aqualung, he did not consider it to be a concept album; thus, his decision to make one.

Without further ado, let's get into it.

Track 1 - Thick as a Brick, Part 1

The whole album is actually considered to be one song, however, time limitations of vinyl LPs necessitated that the song be divided into two sections, one for each side of the record. So, we shall listen to it as such. But of course, "I really don't mind, if you sit this one out?" ;) Those lyrics begin our musical journey, along with Anderson's fine acoustic guitar playing. His flute fills in the spaces between vocal phrases with a delightful melody. After the second phrase, the rest of the band briefly joins in, but then stay out until one minute in when piano, bass & light ride cymbals replace the flute. By 1:40, everyone is in. Nice Glockenspiel at around 2 minutes. A personal note, for a long time, I was only familiar with the radio edit of approximately the first 3 minutes of the song, and didn't realize until much later, just how expansive of a song it was. After 3 minutes, the groove changes and the band stays in more steadily.

Nice organ work from John Evan at around 4 minutes, then Martin Barre takes a lead guitar break, before the acoustic guitar takes back over, briefly. I like the staccato rhythm pattern at around 4:45. At around 5:15, a slower smoother groove takes over. The next vocal melody takes over at approximately 6 minutes in. Barre takes another guitar solo at around 7:30. Jeffery Hammond and Barrimore Barlow lay down a nice rhythm section groove while there are two overlapping lead guitar parts. Another melody takes over at around 9:15, with some drum fills from Barlow. I love the instrumental arrangement on this album. Another new melody takes over at around 11:30, with an organ feature following. John Evan may be the breakout "star" of this album, as Anderson and Barre usually received the lion's share of attention on previous albums. The 6-8 organ melody that begins around 12:30 always gets stuck in my head. A new vocal melody joins in with this groove. Anderson takes a flute solo at around 14:15. At around 16:25, the acoustic part from the start of the song returns. I like the way Ian sings the melody in unison with Glockenspiel and bass. At around 17:30 the transition into a new part of the song. Cool bass lines from Hammond at around 19:30. Evan's high-pitched piano lines add a nice touch to the arrangement. Flute lines weave in and out across the stereo image, beautiful. Then at 21:10 the band hits very sharp accents. Evan takes a distorted organ solo a la Jon Lord of Deep Purple. A delay effect is manipulated as we close-out side 1 and get ready to flip the album over.

Track 2 - Thick as a Brick, Part 2.

The song fades back in with almost middle eastern melodies overlapping. But at 49 seconds in, the band begin a quick-tempo riff with Andersons' vocals holding long sustained notes. The staccato rhythm returns from earlier, but much faster. Nice drum solo from Barlow at around while hints of a new melody are interjected.1:30. At just before 3 minutes in, Evan plays some blistering runs on the organ. There are some spoken bits in the mix of this rather chaotic portion of the song. The initial guitar theme returns at around 4:00 in. I like the way Anderson's vocals are harmonized on certain phrases. At around 6 minutes in, a more somber melody begins. At around the 8- minute mark, the rhythm section returns. As we proceed through the next few minutes, the music begins to build dynamically and in intensity. Things set quiet again at around 11 minutes, but quickly begin to build up again. I love the inter-twining musical lines from the different instruments at around 12 minutes. There is a cool proggy section that begins at around 14:10. I love the instrumental accents that frame the vocals starting around 16:10. Next they do the same for the flute. Nice Tympani around 17:10. The music transitions again around 18:05, as a marching beat takes over. Mad time signature changes around 18:50. Excellent orchestration from D. Palmer at around 20:00., then at 20:35 the original melody and guitar parts take over to conclude this mega-epic.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

I do believe that this is indeed Tull's masterpiece. Anderson & company really outdid themselves. That said, there are some moments in part 2, especially that don't always hold my attention. So, while great, it's a not quite perfect album for me. I'll give it a 4.75 out of 5. I can see why so many people really hold this album in high esteem.

Clicking 5, but really a 4.75. 4 is too low.

I will rank myself at around a 3 on this one. I wouldn't call myself a complete expert, but I know it pretty well coming in. What I didn't know until just before writing this is that the title track, Cross-Eyed Mary and others, are based on pictures of homeless people by the banks of the River Thames in London taken by Jennie Anderson (now Franks), who also co-write the lyrics. I've always enjoyed the album, but let's take a deep dive.

(Side One on the original LP was titled Aqualung and contained tracks 1-6)

Track 1 - Aqualung

Certainly, the best-known Tull song. It describes a fictional characterization of a homeless man whom Jennie Anderson spoke with and took pictures of, with his consent. We all know the 6-note riff! I like the way that each time the riff repeats, more instrumentation is added. Then there is the acoustic-folky verse, with an effect on Anderson's voice. Then the tempo picks up with a steady rhythm section. Following that we have Martin Barre's famous guitar solo. We come back to the acoustic progression following the solo. Then the opening riff returns. The last few repeats of the riff have nice drum fills from Clive Bunker. Then we have the big finish as the song comes to a close.

Track 2 - Cross-Eyed Mary

Another fictionalized character based on the aforementioned photos. Cross-Eyed Mary portrays a teen prostitute. This one features Anderson's signature flute sound with the band providing a mysterious backdrop for it. As the verse begins Barre's crunchy guitar sound plays a riff to accompany Anderson's vocals. The rhythm changes for the choruses. We have a flute solo in the middle followed by a guitar solo. This song has a more traditional Verse- Chorus type format than the title track. It has a similar big finish however, just with added flute trills.

Track 3 - Cheap Day Return

This brief acoustic track is about a visit that Anderson had with his critically ill father in the hospital. At only 1:21, there is some wonderful acoustic playing.

Track 4 - Mother Goose

In a recorded interview found on the 25th Anniversary edition of the album, Anderson describes that he had the idea to use some "Cheap Yamaha plastic recorders" to play the parts that we hear on the finished product. This track is almost fully acoustic, as well. This delightful, folky tune has a bit of a renaissance era feel to it. I like the 2- part harmonies that happen around 1:50. Some electric guitar power chords join in at around 2:30 and return frequently during the final minute of the track. There is more wonderful acoustic playing here.

Track 5 - Wond'ring Aloud.

This is another brief acoustic piece, with some signature Anderson idiosyncratic singing. Also there are some lovely piano parts played by John Evan, as well as a string arrangement done by the then David Palmer (now Dee Palmer after gender reassignment surgery).

Track 6 - Up to Me

We begin with an odd-sounding laugh, followed by a super-catchy acoustic riff, doubled by flute. Vocals and electric guitar fills join on the second time around. The verse has a flurry of lyrics. The theme seems to be one of taking responsibility for your choices rather than blaming God for them. In other words, what I do is "up to me".

(Side 2 on the original LP was titled "My God" and included tracks 7-11)

Track 7 - My God

To me, THIS is the grand epic of the album. We open with more wonderful acoustic playing some ad-lib buts before establishing the descending chord progression. The song is a scathing attack on organized religion (particularly Christianity as practiced by the "Bloody Church of England"). On the second verse Barre joins the riff on heavy, almost Black Sabbath sounding electric guitar. Then a brief but brilliant guitar solo follows, followed in turn by an amazing flute feature. A gothic-sounding choir backs the flute cadenza. The band re-joins with some tight playing. Before the piano brings the chord progression back. Another verse follows and the song closes with a sustained flute note

Track 8 - Hymn 43

We continue the theme of religion here. I believe this one is talking about how Jesus is used to absolve people of the horrible actions they have taken. The chorus of the song pretty-much sums it up:

If Jesus saves, well, he better save himself

From the gory glory seekers who use his name in death, aw!

Oh, Jesus save me

Musically, the song is a fairly short rocker that gets some airplay. It has a descending chord progression in the verses that is not unlike Cream's White Room, with a catchy little riff between verses and a nice guitar solo in the middle.

Track 9 - Slipstream

Another short acoustic song. It seems to be about "seeing the truth" at the moment of dying. It was also inspired by his father's declining health at the time. (I cannot seem to find any more detailed info about his father's death, however.)

Track 10 - Locomotive Breath

Another well-known Tull tune, here, probably second only to the title track in terms of popularity. We begin with a bluesy piano solo intro, joined eventually by some Barre lead licks before the guitar volume swells, and the main riff clicks in. Apparently, the band was having trouble in delivering the rhythmic feel that Anderson envisioned, so Anderson plays the bass drum throughout, while Clive Bunker does the snare and tom-fills. There is a nice flute solo in the middle. The "locomotive" in the song represents out of control population growth and capitalism. The world's population is growing very fast, and lots of money is being made, yet the wealth is not getting to most of the world, and many are starving and/or under-fed.

Track 11 - Wind Up

This one criticizes those who "wind-up" their god on Sundays yet ignore the morality they supposedly get from their church visits during the rest of the week. We begin with quiet instrumentation, and Anderson describes his early childhood religious experiences and the revelations he had of the hypocrisy involved. To Anderson, a deity (possibly multiple ones) is always there, and he's not the kind you have to wind-up on Sundays. Electric guitars and the rhythm section join-in on the second verse. Anderson is unapologetic about how he feels about this as he sings:

Well, you can excommunicate me on my way to Sunday school

Have all the bishops harmonize these lines

The first verse returns at the end in a slower tempo and a more dramatic fashion. He ends by saying:

I don't believe you

You had the whole damn thing all wrong

He's not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

Most prog fans know that Anderson always denied that Aqualung was a concept album but admitted that there were some common threads running through the album. His denial led to him making "Thick as a Brick" next to show what a concept album really was. I believe that side 1 deals with his feelings on social injustice and how it affects the less fortunate. Side 2 clearly expressed Anderson's disenchantment with organized religion in general and the Church of England in particular. The songs are great throughout and it is easy to see why this is their highest selling album and a staple of classic rock radio. However, I'm not sure how truly "prog" it is. There are not a lot of meter changes, etc. Most of the songs are in 4-4 and pretty musically accessible. That is not to say the album isn't great. I think that the best was yet to come for Tull, however. I'll give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

Going in, I think I am actually a "0" on this, surprisingly enough. I am pretty familiar with TAAB , and a bit with some War Child tracks, but have somehow missed hearing this one. Today's the day! I have read that the theme is a man who dies and is neither fit for heaven nor hell.

Track 1 - A Passion Play, Pt. 1

A Heartbeat fades in. Then various sound effects. We eventually start a shuffle beat. The next theme reminds me of some of the 6-8 in TAAB. The band has some nice accents, then we're whistling, before Anderson begins a cappella, joined by acoustic guitar, then piano. We come to an odd-meter instrumental break following the opening verses. I believe these verses describe our protagonist's death & funeral. Next is a renaissance (the era, not the prog band) style acoustic section followed by wonderfully proggy verses. A great instrumental break follows, leading to a fantastic Anderson flute solo. Excellent tempo shift at 13 minutes. So far, the music reminds me of a cross between Aqualung & TAAB, stylistically. The segment around 16 minutes sounds familiar to me. Might have heard a live excerpt. Nice ritardando at around 19 min. Then we pick up again. Then a slow piano and vocal segment as part 1 winds down. The heartbeat theme returns, but with full instrumentation.

Track 2. A Passion Play, Pt. 2

We are told that "This is the story of a hare that lost its spectacles!" to kick off part 2. Whimsical music accompanies a narrative in an equally whimsical voice. It sounds like a children's story, a fable more specifically. Love the rolled "r" in "trembling". Not sure what the purpose of this part is, but it's fun. It becomes a children's song, with some accents from the band. This brings us back to the prog. I love the in bit at around 5:30, before Anderson starts singing. The next instrumental bit has a sax solo. After a quick check, I see that Anderson added soprano sax to his arsenal of instruments that he can play at some point before this album. There is a nice acoustic and vocal section at around 10 minutes. Things start to pick up and rock more around 11 minutes in. There is a pause for synth sounds around 14:30. We go back to acoustic at 18 minutes. Classic Tull rockin' flute at about 19 minutes, there is a timing change at around 21 minutes. Piano takes over as we reach the conclusion, sand some closing bits from the band as the song fades out.

OVERALL IMPRESSION:

A fantastic album indeed! Ian and co. put in a great effort here. My only deduction (and I'm sure some of you love it to bits) is the fable/children's song at the beginning of Pt. 2, while wonderfully weird, is just a bit out of place for me (although I'm sure I'm missing the point of it). It'll probably make more sense in future listenings. Great album. 4.5/5 stars.

Clicking 4, but really 4.5.

So, much like the previous album, Supertramp's superb Crime of the Century, I am around a 1.5 on this album, I am familiar with several of the songs to one degree or another, but never listened straight through until now. This is the first appearance of Jethro Tull on the countdown, but it won't be the last.

Track 1 - Songs from the Wood

The title track is the song I am most familiar with from this album. We begin with a wonderful a capella intro. The instruments join mid-way through the second verse. They build further in the 3rd verse leading to a bridge section, first with instruments only, then the vocals join. Next up is an instrumental break that is wonderfully proggy (occasional harmony voices stating the title break up the instrumental section). Then we return to a brief a capella part leading into the next verse. The song closes with a re-statement of the bridge. And, yes, Songs from the wood DO indeed make me feel much better. Thanks for caring, Ian!

Track 2 - Jack in the Green

Moderately familiar with this song. This one has more of a Celtic-Folk groove, singing about Jack-in-the green mythological character, who is akin to Jack Frost, Jack O'Lantern, etc. Acoustic guitar and the flute provide the main basis for the accompaniment here with drum accents and a subtle bass part.

Track 3 - Cup of Wonder

I don't think I am familiar with this one. An acoustic riff joined by electric guitar leads us to the first verse. This one has a more straight rhythm than the previous ones, although it does pause for the choruses. Caught a Green Man reference here. About halfway through, the piano takes over the riff. Loving the twiddly bits in the instrumental break. Another verse & chorus follow, and we fade out with the riff. Nice track.

Track 4 - Hunting Girl

Not too familiar with this one either. This one begins with keyboards, then flute in the lead. Everyone gets a little feature in the intro?nice! Then Martin Barre sets up an electric guitar rhythm for the verse to proceed. Lots of rhythmic and textural changes throughout this one. I like the galloping bass line from the late-great Glascock. There is a short flute solo in the middle, and we end with haunting harmony vocals.

Track 5 - Ring Out, Solstice Bells

Well, we are just about to that time of year, aren't we? Time for a nice pagan-y Yule tune! Ian Anderson's flute sets the tone. Nice tubular bells from Barrimore Barlow. I like the minor modulation for the bridge. Was this a holiday single in the UK? I don't think the US would have been the best market for this tune, but I can see it being successful in the UK.

Track 6 - Velvet Green

A bit of a Baroque feel with harpsichord & strings (and flute, of course). The rhythm becomes steadier and then the first verse begins. There is a bridge where only the vocals and acoustic guitar carries the song. (other than a few electric guitar accents). Organ takes over following that in an odd-metered section. Lots of dynamic changes and different sections with varying levels of instrumentation. I like the marimba part near the close of the song.

Track 7 - The Whistler

I love the 6-8 feel of this one. Lots of energy. The flute and the drums feel like a fife & drum corps.

Track 8 - Pibroch

We get electric guitar swells and delays to start this one. Then the band joins for a big intro. The verse is in a bluesy 6-8. This seems to be the "heaviest" song on the album. Nice drumming from Barlow. I like the classical feel of the instrumental break. Then we get a more Celtic flavored acoustic and flute part that evokes a dancing in a circle feel, before returning to the more classical style. I have seen some reviews that say they don't care much for this track, but I quite like it. It's probably the proggiest song on the album. The guitar from the opening returns for the closing.

Track 9 - Fire at Midnight

A short closer at under 2 ½ minutes. We get a little fireside song with a proggy instrumental break. A bit of a night- cap to finish things up.

OVERALL IMPRESSION:

A solid Tull album, but not my favorite. I like the folky-feel of most of it, but the songs don't seem to be as consistently strong and memorable as some of the other Tull albums I have heard. I'll give it 4 out of 5 stars.

After many years I wanted to give another chance to this JT epic. How is it possible that I didn't like it while a lot of reviewers here think it's a masterpiece? On the "meh" side I've seen it compared to Tales Of Topographic Oceans, which I really like, instead. So, were I wrong? Is there something that I haven't got at the first listens?

Sadly I have to say that I'm still on the "meh" side. In the first side of the album it seems to me that they were trying to make a Genesis album. As Ian Anderson said, this started as a collection of short songs later tied together into an epic, but while other bands did the same successfully, like Caravan with Nine Feet Underground and even Beatles with Abbey Road, it hasn't been the same with A Passion Play. The various parts are so distant that even the trasitions don't work well.

Surely they show their musical skills, the lyrics are interesting, but it's a patchwork of different things, some of them quite good, others not more than fillers. This is an album that was getting powder in my closet and I'm afraid it will continue doing it.

Why wasting time on A Passion Play when I have Aqualung and TAAB close to it?

Jethro Tull's return to shorter-form songwriting after two releases consisting of album-long suites (and the abortive "Chateau D'Isaster" sessions, some of the products of which got revisited during this era) has always been one of the trickier albums of theirs to appreciate. From this deluxe rerelease, with a bonus disc comprising an entire album's worth of off-cuts, it's evident that the band were workshopping a lot of material at the time - and one could debate for hours which songs truly merited a spot on the album proper and which belonged on the cutting room floor. Still, thanks to this charmingly presented set, you don't need to choose any more! As always, the accompanying booklet is a thick fascinating read in its own right - no shallow, terse essays here, this is a deep dive into Tull's bizarre 1974 that's well worth digesting.

WarChild was Jethro Tull's return to short-form songwriting after two album-length epics in a row, Thick As A Brick and A Passion Play. It wasn't meant to be, mind - before recording A Passion Play the band had spent a bunch of time at the Chateau d'Herouville trying to put together a double album that didn't quite gel. After rattling out A Passion Plan under pressured conditions to get their release schedule back on track, the band would go back to workshopping a large number of shorter compositons for the WarChild album - a clutch of which made it on, and a bunch of which were left on the cutting room floor.

WarChild II is, in essence, a collection of the off-cuts from the sessions - as previously cleaned up by Steven Wilson for the deluxe 40th anniversary rerelease of the album. Beyond a mild tweak to the running order, this is essentially a pressing of those "associated recordings" from the second CD of that set, minus the orchestral takes on WarChild compositions. I actually think the missing material is about as good as the stuff that made it onto the album, so if you're inclined to think WarChild is unfairly underrated this may be worth seeking out - assuming you haven't just obtained the boxed set. If you'd rather just skip straight to Minstrel In the Gallery and regard this period of Tull as fairly weak, it's not going to win you over.

A sumptuous presentation of Steven Wilson's updated mix of one of Jethro Tull's most impenetrable albums, with a second disc offering up the infamous "Chateau D'Isaster" sessions whose abandonment led directly to the creation of A Passion Play under adverse conditions. Wilson's mix tightens up the album itself as much as is viable, and blessedly offers a track listing allowing for more nuanced navigation of the different musical sections (and, for those how can't stand it, the ability to skip The Story Of The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles).

As for the Chateau D'Isaster recording sessions - which yielded about three quarters of a double album before Tull called time on it and fled the Chateau d'Herouville for the sake of their sanity - we've heard much of it before on Nightcap, but it's still nice to get a really forensic job done in picking apart the remains and reconstructing them as favourably as possible.

This is a standalone rerelease of Steven Wilson's salvage job on the infamous sessions - previously known as the "Chateau D'Isaster tapes". An earlier mix of the material saw the light of day as the second disc of the Nightcap collection, and Wilson's own mix was originally the second disc of the deluxe version of the Passion Play "Extended Performance" release. For this special vinyl release, the original tapes take up the first three sides of vinyl, whilst the fourth side showcases how the material got recycled over their next couple of albums here and there. It's not the long-lost double album they were hoping to make, but it's the closest we're ever going to get to it.