TOO OLD TO ROCK 'N' ROLL: TOO YOUNG TO DIE!

Too Old To Rock and Roll, Too Young to Die - 1976 (3.2/5) 10 ? Best Song: Too Old to?etc. Wow, one on side I'll piss off the critics who say Minstrel was a damn flop, and then I'll turn around and piss off the stalwart fans that seem to think Too Old to Rock and Roll is some massive turgid eruption of worthlessness. Are they that bent on disagreeing? Well, both critics and fans alike seem to hold an enmity for Too Old. I can see why. It was originally intended to be some sort of concept album that was shelved in favor of releasing a standard collection of tunes with the toaster leavin's of the concept hanging on as frail remnants. Truth is, though, I quite dig the remnants, sure I do. It's not as consistent or as powerful as Minstrel, but the melody that hides behind 'Quizz Kid' and rules the title track is golden to my ears. This is, however, where the band takes the melodic sense out of the equation, applies baseline jamming into a set of rhythms, then slaps on the melodic sense later on. There's less overt rocking out, too. The guitars thrive on their gothic, medieval flair. I like that Flair, he won the championship belt like 15 times, dude. 'Taxi Grab' has a firm electric hop, but like most of the songs, it rides on the groove, not the front-end melody, and too often do they tend to suck the life out of the record in favor of letting Ian Anderson's singing have the right-of-way. I'm alright with that, I truly am. I just wish more time was spent on refining the hooks ? damn that album a year bullshit.