Warchild in the Gallery, Too Young to Die

MMMhhh!!!...

We recently reassessed Tull's later 70's (and beyond) on another prog site...

TBH, After TAAB, there is nothing I'd classify above three stars (yup, even SFTW and Heavy Whores Says .

Since this reassessment, personally, I tend to view APP better than before, despite that awful Hare interlude. But this album seems to function on two speeds: the acoustic (piano or guitar) stuff that repeats itself and the electric group participations (which are dynamic enough), but the sheer repetition of theses stages is tiresome. Unlike TAAB (which is THE awesomest album), I still don't understand its concept, and TBH, I won't try anymore. Difficult to cut a track/movement from the rest of the suite and put it down on a CD-r compilation, thpough.

War Child's concept is just as blurry and there was little that was worthy enough tracks on the original albums. Some sduggest that the bonus tracks bettered the album, but TBH, I just see more of the same. From this album, I'll single out Back Door Angel (the only really good track) , the t/t and Bungle. From the bonus tracks, I could add Steakhouse and Glory Row (despite that stupid Hare-like interlude), but it's not like it's mandatory stuff.

Minstrel in the Gallery is the only not-conceptual album in that era, but it is also rather over-rated, though it's understandable when you compare it to the albums surrounding it. It's also marred by the over-presence of the string arrangements (but that's valid for allTull albums from APP all the way to Storn Watch)  and I don't find this album all that "folky" (acoustic yes, but folky, not that much)
Outside the great Baker St Muse, I'll retain for my CD-r compilation Black Satin Dancer and Nothing At All, but that's about it. From the bonus tracks, the great Pan Dance is definitely an immediate inclusion as well, and and if I got space enough I could add Summerday Sands and Mad Scientist.

TOTRnR's concept seems easier to grasp, but haven't got the patience for the music, soooooo I haven't had the courage (yet) to reassess it yet. Apparently there are clips accompanying the album on YT, but haven't been able to locate them. if anyone knows.

Songs From the Wood: I find ut over-rated as well, but here is one of those albums that is seen as the typical blueprint prog folk example. The A-side is relatively poor (IMHO), with only Hunting Girl finding grace tfor my compilation... However the flipside is much better, with Velvet Green, Whistler and Pibroch. Maybe I will have space for Beltane as a wild card. 

Heavy Horses is also slitghly over-rated, but has a number of good tracks, like Mouse Police, Acres Wild, No Lullaby and The Rover. Broadford Bazaar is my joker, if I still had space.

StormWatch is not over-rated and it's easy to understand why: the group is tired and it is producing l'album de trop, for whatever well-known reasons, but the band tries to mask that by some of the worse abuse of string arragements ever. North Sea Oil, Old Ghosts and Flying Dutchman are my picks. No wild card picks, though.

There's a list of Tull albums between TAAB and Songs from the Wood which each contain a few great tracks, but which on the whole leave me completely cold.

So my friend and I set about to create the ultimate Jethro Tull fantasy album, by carefully selecting our favourite moments from this range of albums, sequencing them carefully (and occasionally editing them together continuously) and pressing the results onto two sides of imaginary wax.

The product is here. (My friend deserves all of the credit for working the actual audio editing software.) We're pretty damn proud of the result. 


Edited by hegelec - August 16 2017 at 11:16