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The Hemulen 
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: July 31 2004
Location: UK
Status: Offline
Points: 5964
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 Topic: Minstrel in the Gallery
Posted: July 10 2005 at 15:36 |
 moonlapse wrote:
Salmacis72 wrote:
WHO thinks its garbage? It is an excellent Tull album, I love the whole thing. |
Just bought Minstrel today, think it's great. Have to follow up with TAAB.
Well, if you wonder who thinks it garbage, check out some of the
amazon.com reviews. Here's an <interesting> quote from a
2-star review:
["Requiem"'s first phrase ("Well, I
saw a bird today/Flying from a bush/Then the wind blew it away") is in
the key of Bb, starting on the subdominant (Eb major) and ending on the
dominant (F major). Its second phrase ("And the black-eyed mother sun/
Scorched the butterfly at play/Velvet-veined, I saw it burn") repeats
precisely the same music a major second higher. Strictly speaking, the
movement from the prominent Eb's in the first phrase (the C minor and
Eb major triads and the Eb's in the vocal line, on "wind", for example)
to the E-natural in the vocal line on "eyed" is not a false relation
because the F major triad intervenes. It nevertheless has the effect of
one. This harsh and superfluous key change (notice I don't call it a
modulation) is nevertheless cacophonous and unmusical. I don't expect
its author to have analyzed why (necessarily), but I do expect to him
to LISTEN to the effect, recognize that it's there, and do something
about it. Clearly, he was not listening, and this failure to listen
pervades the entire album.]
Ah, so that's why Minstrel is garbage!
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Christ. Now, I'm not a violent man, but the author of that review
deserves to have his life terminated in an excruciating fashion over a
period of several hours. That "review" is despicable!!
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moonlapse
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 15 2005
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 464
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Posted: July 09 2005 at 23:43 |
Salmacis72 wrote:
WHO thinks its garbage? It is an excellent Tull album, I love the whole thing. |
Just bought Minstrel today, think it's great. Have to follow up with TAAB.
Well, if you wonder who thinks it garbage, check out some of the
amazon.com reviews. Here's an <interesting> quote from a
2-star review:
["Requiem"'s first phrase ("Well, I
saw a bird today/Flying from a bush/Then the wind blew it away") is in
the key of Bb, starting on the subdominant (Eb major) and ending on the
dominant (F major). Its second phrase ("And the black-eyed mother sun/
Scorched the butterfly at play/Velvet-veined, I saw it burn") repeats
precisely the same music a major second higher. Strictly speaking, the
movement from the prominent Eb's in the first phrase (the C minor and
Eb major triads and the Eb's in the vocal line, on "wind", for example)
to the E-natural in the vocal line on "eyed" is not a false relation
because the F major triad intervenes. It nevertheless has the effect of
one. This harsh and superfluous key change (notice I don't call it a
modulation) is nevertheless cacophonous and unmusical. I don't expect
its author to have analyzed why (necessarily), but I do expect to him
to LISTEN to the effect, recognize that it's there, and do something
about it. Clearly, he was not listening, and this failure to listen
pervades the entire album.]
Ah, so that's why Minstrel is garbage!
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Guests
Forum Guest Group
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Posted: July 07 2005 at 23:21 |
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not tull best but a good album for the tull collection!!!! better than 80's and 90's tull albums which i find them extremely boring i stop listening to tull scene their 80's stuff and move to bands like ozric tentacles, porcupine, thaeter,tool,cairo,flower king, but i nver stop listening to king crimson,rush,pink floyd.
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Trotsky
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: October 25 2004
Location: Malaysia
Status: Offline
Points: 2771
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Posted: July 06 2005 at 02:41 |
I like it, and think the title track's awesome, but actually prefer the first six JT albums!
Also, am I the only one who was disappointed by what Cold Wind To Valhalla became after that amazing first minute or so with just acoustic guitar and vocals?
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"Death to Utopia! Death to faith! Death to love! Death to hope?" thunders the 20th century. "Surrender, you pathetic dreamer.”
"No" replies the unhumbled optimist "You are only the present."
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kingofbizzare
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 09 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 520
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Posted: July 06 2005 at 00:09 |
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I love it, but I really don't listen to it too much. I actually find it too boring to listen to it all the way through very often. Usually I just listen to the title track, Cold Wind to Valhalla, and Baker Street Muse. I think the acoustic stuff is great, but it just makes me want to fall asleep when I listen to all of it at once.
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Meng
Forum Newbie
Joined: June 29 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 14
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Posted: July 05 2005 at 14:01 |
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I'm in the "love it" group.
The title track is probably my favourite Tull song.
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Eetu Pellonpaa
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: June 17 2005
Location: Finland
Status: Offline
Points: 4828
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Posted: July 05 2005 at 09:00 |
I have heard this few years ago, and I remember it was OK. Didn't it have somewhere flute played in a way, which resembled the mystic flutesequence in Rufus Zuphall's "Weiss der Teufel"? 
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DolphinFan
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 05 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 143
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Posted: July 02 2005 at 10:26 |
nousommedusolei wrote:
The Minstrel in the Gallery looked down upon the smiling (and disgusted, pissed off) faces. Most people I know either love this album or think it's garbage.
I enjoy it. What do you think?
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Where's the hate? Even members at this site can't find too much to criticize. Hard to pick on a great album.
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BEING
Forum Newbie
Joined: June 17 2005
Location: Finland
Status: Offline
Points: 9
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Posted: July 02 2005 at 08:10 |
FANTASTIC.
Listen to Barriemore Barlow's drumming, Barres guitar riff's and solos and of course Anderson's individual voice!!!!
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Miaugion
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 22 2004
Location: Christmas Island
Status: Offline
Points: 295
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Posted: July 02 2005 at 08:03 |
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You house proud town mouse
ha ha, charade you are
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grandoleopry
Forum Groupie
Joined: June 12 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 85
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Posted: July 02 2005 at 07:11 |
Losendos wrote:
It's fabulou s get a hold ofa copy. One thing I am puzzling about is Jethro Tull were not considered prog in the 70s how did they become prog? By the same token How come ELO are not considered prog |
Good Question. In the 70's music was not compartmentalized like it is now. You could go to a concert and Wilson Picket would be on the same bill as ELP. Tull was just a rock n roll band as were the Stones, Zep, The Who, Neil Young etc. It wasn't until much later that the music industry started segregating genres of rock for social demographics I guess. Now, rock is so dis-asscociated from each other, people who listen to jazz and fusion are more associated with prog fans then those who listen to say, Techno or Hip Hop.
Rock back then and all music had far less social implications than now. Going to a rock n roll concert back then was a far less serious social undertaking because music did not have the heavy social connotations as now. If you liked Diana Ross and Jethro Tull so what? You were not ostricized from the "Tull Clique" for admitting to enjoying Diana Ross.Music was an enjoyment and a gentle hobby not the stern psychological/social statement it is now. Who you enjoyed was not a reflection of who you are as it is Today. After all, it's only rock n roll. As far as ELO, I consider them light prog same as Styx. But most people don't...
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Bj-1
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: June 04 2005
Location: No(r)Way
Status: Offline
Points: 31661
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Posted: June 27 2005 at 10:19 |
Great album!!
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RIO/AVANT/ZEUHL - The best thing you can get with yer pants on!
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Velvetclown
Forum Senior Member
Joined: February 13 2004
Status: Offline
Points: 8548
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Posted: June 27 2005 at 09:30 |
One of their best albums !!!!!!!!!!! 
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Teaflax
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 26 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 1225
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Posted: June 27 2005 at 09:23 |
Sean Trane wrote:
In retrospect, Minstrel is one of their better album but it is clearly a shot below everything done before it
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Clearly? I think that both Stand Up and This Was are far, far worse, partly because they're pretty much just boring white Blues, but also because Anderson sang with a lump in his throat on those early recordings (and why he did that, I will never know).
Come to think of it, I think Minstrel is a cut above both the albums that bookend it, and the begining of a streak of creativity that culminated in the masterful Bursting Out.
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Sean Trane
Special Collaborator
Prog Folk
Joined: April 29 2004
Location: Heart of Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 20512
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Posted: June 27 2005 at 09:09 |
In retrospect, Minstrel is one of their better album but it is clearly a shot below everything done before it , not due to the songwriting but IMHO due to the production. I always thought it sounded cold as hell (no surprise with a track mentionning Valhalla's cold winds).
As opposed to the very lush sound of TAAB or Aqualung or Stand Up, this Minstrel album is a bit more like Benefit or TOTRNRBTYTD.
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let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword
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Jools
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 30 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 159
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Posted: June 27 2005 at 07:49 |
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Love it, Martin Barre was years ahead in his guitar style. The title track has kind of "galloping" to it not unlike the style Iron Maiden made a career out of.
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Ridicule is the burden of genius.
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Intruder
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 13 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 2211
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Posted: June 27 2005 at 04:47 |
All their records until Stormwatch are a must for fans....but I can see where beginners might have a problem with a record like Mistrel. No FM radio regulars outside an edit of the title cut and the second side dominated by the 20 minute Baker St. Muse, which, though excellent, is somewhat of an acquired taste.
Minstrel stradles my Top 5 Tull LP on a good day....Stand Up, This Was, Thick..., Songs from... and......Minstrel? Bursting Out? Passion Play? Aqualung? Heavy Horses? Hell, even War Child is a groovy listen.
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I like to feel the suspense when you're certain you know I am there.....
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Gluonio
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 23 2005
Location: Greece
Status: Offline
Points: 113
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Posted: June 26 2005 at 16:23 |
I won't even read what the other guys said!Minstrell in the gallery is a 100% masterpiece!All the tracks one by one!For me it's Thick as a brick then Aqualang and then Minstrel.But i am a little biased as JT are surely my favorite band!
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...But my dreams are for dreaming and best left that way-and my zero to your power of ten equals nothing at all...
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Man With Hat
Collaborator
Jazz-Rock/Fusion/Canterbury Team
Joined: March 12 2005
Location: Neurotica
Status: Offline
Points: 166183
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Posted: June 26 2005 at 13:49 |
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Dig me...But don't...Bury me
I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive
Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect.
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Lyzarrd
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 18 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 164
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Posted: June 26 2005 at 11:37 |
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Minstrel remains my number one Tull album. The whole album is beyond
great and it all culminates in Baker Street Muse. Mr. Anderson's lyrics
really shine on the entire album as well especially at the bookends.
A masterpiece in the Tull library indeed.
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Can you tell me where my country lies...
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Minstrel in the Gallery
