Jethro Tull: hopeless devotion or hatred

I'm a big fan of Jethro Tull but I'm not really a fanboy... I find their post-Songs from the Wood career extremely spotty, and recently I've started to think that some of their really long numbers go on a bit too long though with Thick as a Brick that's probably part of the joke. Speaking of Thick as a Brick, to be honest I wouldn't have figured out it was a parody if Ian hadn't said so because all of Jethro Tull's albums have a lot of humorous lyrics. Maybe this is more evidence that a good parody also works as an example of what it's making fun of?

As for Ian's disillusionment with the progressive rock scene? Well, in my experience really influential musicians usually dislike most of their imitators so that's just par for the course and Ian's nowhere as bad about it as other carriers of what I call "Robert Fripp syndrome". 

I'd actually be more bothered by this if it was from a much newer band because those give off a much bigger "too cool for class" feeling if they try criticizing the scene, but artists that have been pioneers of a genre have earned every right to comment critically on it. They know what it's supposed to be all about, so they can distance it from the "scene" without being condescending or hypocritical.

So, while Mr. Anderson might be a bit too cynical for his own good it doesn't make me dislike him that much because I don't find it that anomalous coming from him.


Edited by Toaster Mantis - May 21 2009 at 05:15

Vibrationbaby wrote: How can you "hate" someone if you`ve never met them? Duhhh.

I dunno, I hate everyone I've never met.


Edited by Slartibartfast - May 22 2009 at 13:53

Well, I haven't met any of them yet, but If I hate everyone I've ever met then, oh what the hell, I'd probably like them.

Edited by Slartibartfast - May 22 2009 at 14:14

After a point, what's the point?

I love their seventies discography. 'A' is good also.

They do have a high amount of very good-to-great albums.  I just listened to Stand Up at work today.  Just thinking, following Lucas' post, I get a picture pretty well unmatched by any other band in the genre. 

If I count what I consider to be the "very good-to-great" albums I get a solid 14 years, 1969-1982.  Within that period, excepting the two year wait before Broadsword, an album was released every year!  (I leave out This Was because it's not really yet the Tull sound, and the all-important Barre isn't there; and for me the machine comes to a stop with Broadsword, though there are of course some things of merit after that.)  Throw in the stupendous Life Is A Long Song E.P. of 1971 (thank you progmonster2008) and you have 14 studio releases and very little to complain about.  You have to admit, that beez impressive.  More than most bands can say.  I love King Crimson just as much as Tull, but their prolific output does admittedly travel through quite different line ups, with of course some big gaps in there for other projects and whatever.


Edit:  Shouldn't forget the songs Sweet Dream and Witche's Promise, released 1969.  Amazing and immediate Grand sound from a band that just started!

Edited by American Khatru - May 22 2009 at 18:05

American Khatru wrote: They do have a high amount of very good-to-great albums.  I just listened to Stand Up at work today.  Just thinking, following Lucas' post, I get a picture pretty well unmatched by any other band in the genre.  If I count what I consider to be the "very good-to-great" albums I get a solid 14 years, 1969-1982.  Within that period, excepting the two year wait before Broadsword, an album was released every year!  (I leave out This Was because it's not really yet the Tull sound, and the all-important Barre isn't there; and for me the machine comes to a stop with Broadsword, though there are of course some things of merit after that.)  Throw in the stupendous Life Is A Long Song E.P. of 1971 (thank you progmonster2008) and you have 14 studio releases and very little to complain about.  You have to admit, that beez impressive.  More than most bands can say.  I love King Crimson just as much as Tull, but their prolific output does admittedly travel through quite different line ups, with of course some big gaps in there for other projects and whatever. Edit:  Shouldn't forget the songs Sweet Dream and Witche's Promise, released 1969.  Amazing and immediate Grand sound from a band that just started!

Edited by PROGMONSTER2008 - May 22 2009 at 18:56

micky wrote: Jethro Tull?  neither devotion or hatred... not good enough to be devoted to... not bad enough to hate them haha.. just think large portions of their discography are completely average at best..... but what I love... I truly love.. mainly those first 4 albums.

Edited by PROGMONSTER2008 - May 22 2009 at 19:20

micky wrote: ^ more power to you brother   They sure as hell wouldn't have had the career they did if everyone felt as I do hahahha.

Edited by PROGMONSTER2008 - May 22 2009 at 19:29

micky wrote: Raff is the Tull fan of the two of us...  she has all the remasters...  I've heard all the albums of course.. but probably not many of the later bonus tracks... if they were like the bonus tracks on the early ones I'd be a happy man.. which I'd bet my paycheck they aren't I'm a firm believer in the notion of 'finite creativity'...  Anderson was and IS a great showman.. and could and DID write some great songs... but his songwriting talent was overwhelmed by the shear volume of their output IMO.  Oh well... I will take a listen to those later albums and their bonus tracks this weekend.