MINSTREL IN THE GALLERY

The absolute greatest Jethro Tull album, a graceful and mellow little album.

No one track is greater than the other. I listen to this as if it is a concept album, has to be from start to finish (Well, I do that with pretty much all albums but this one just plain HAS to be listened to like that).

The title track is one of the greatest songs Tull has ever released, it starts off as an easy going folk song but the mood quickly switches to hard rock and the guitar playing by Barre is amazing during the shift. Anderson's singing is at it's most emotional and I suppose that's because he just suffered a breakup.

Cold Wind To Valhalla is a nice track that really grows on you after awhile. It is in the same vein as the opener and yet it's something completely different, just great stuff.

Black Satin Dancer is a very emotional love song that the band pulls off with perfection. Everything is done perfectly whether it's the guitar, flute or voice. Just perfect.

Requiem is a soft folk song who's purpose is to sort of even out the material. It's a great track and really feels good to the ears.

One White Duck/010=Nothing At All is another purely folk song that is a great anticipation builder for the upcoming epic. It is much in the same vein as Requiem and the lyrics on this are just fantastic.

Baker St. Muse, the epic. A great track too, one of the best Tull has ever pulled off. It's not too drawn out like their album long pieces and keeps the listener's attention whether it be through the lyrics or the instrumentation, it's all great. The many shifts from hard rock to folk really make this song (and album) great.

Grace is one of my favorite album closers ever. It does it's job perfectly, ends the album with a sort of tired feeling that somehow sums up the album even though it's only like 50 seconds long. Great closer.

It's the best Jethro Tull in my opinion, I'm not sure why people have such a hard time with it. Just take one good listen so you can really hear the music, I gurantee if you don't like it, it's better than you think.

"May I buy you again... tomorrow?"