THE JETHRO TULL CHRISTMAS ALBUM

In 2003, the band released The Jethro Tull Christmas Album. Christmas music was nothing new to this band, having released three Christmas songs in their career (1968's "A Christmas Song", 1977's "Ring Out, Solstice Bells", and 1989's "Another Christmas Song"). Generally speaking however, rock acts do not have a great track record with Christmas music. Two-thirds of Tull's holiday output to date was very good, but I'd rather tear my ears off than be subjected to any of Paul McCartney's or Twisted Sister's Christmas material. (Though honestly, I'd rather tear my ears off than listen to most Christmas music.)

I'll save my general-anti-Christmas-music screed for another essay.

If any rock band could pull off a good Christmas album, it would be these guys, particularly if they leaned into their folk side. And that's exactly what they did. Stylistically, this album is akin to Songs from the Wood or Heavy Horses. Jethro Tull played up their folk past, and it sounds like they had fun recording this music.

The Jethro Tull Christmas Album is a weird release, not solely due to its subject material, but also because of its specific contents. Seven of the 16 songs are rerecordings of  previously-released Tull material. And four of those aren't even Christmas-themed. Three are sorta-winter-themed, which is close enough, I guess. But then "Bourée" is tacked on here for some reason. "Bourée" is also the only rerecording with any significant differences from the original. It retains its jazzy character, but Anderson's flutework is more refined, and the accordion adds a unique twist. (The original is still superior, though.)

Of the other nine songs on the album, only four are entirely new compositions. The opening "Birthday Card at Christmas" is one of those new compositions. Written for one of Ian Anderson's daughters, who has a birthday near Christmas, it's a refreshing return to form for Jethro Tull. It's a well-written, high-energy piece of folk rock which would have fit in on any of Tull's late '70s releases. "Last Man at the Party" is lightweight folk-rock that's carried by accordion and mandolin. It's another sign that Ian Anderson had gotten his compositional mojo back (mostly). "First snow on Brooklyn" is a saccharine folk ballad I'm not fond of, but "A Winter Snowscape" is a lovely instrumental written by guitarist Martin Barre. It's a great way to close out the album.

The other five songs here are instrumental arrangements of other pieces of Christmas(-ish) music. "Holly Herald" is a jovial medley of assorted yuletide pieces. The flute, accordion, and acoustic guitar have great interplay, while the rhythm section keeps it bouncing along. "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" gets the "Bourée" treatment, in that it's been given a very jazzy interpretation. It's so jazzy, in fact, that when anything other than Ian Anderson's flute gets the lead, it borders on elevator music. It's a bit more dynamic and interesting than that, but the sound palette is awfully close.

"Pavane" is a take on a piece of music by French composer Gabriel Fauré. Some moments in here remind me a lot of Tull's glory years in the early '70s in how the flute and organ play off one another. "Greensleeved" (Anderson's arrangement of "Greensleeves") once more veers into jazz territory. "We Five Kings" (guess which Christmas hymn this is a rearrangement of) is probably the least-adventurous of these five songs, staying firmly in the album's folk-jazz lane, but it's still nice.

The Jethro Tull Christmas Album would wind up being Jethro Tull's last studio album. While I'm a bit disappointed they stopped recording, I am glad they were able to go out on a pretty strong note.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2019/07/25/deep-dive-jethro-tull/