Minstrel in the Gallery
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Recommendations/Featured albums
Forum Description: Make or seek recommendations and discuss specific prog albums
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=8017
Printed Date: April 08 2025 at 00:55
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Topic: Minstrel in the Gallery
Posted By: nousommedusolei
Subject: Minstrel in the Gallery
Date Posted: June 26 2005 at 01:13
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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? ------------- I don't believe in demons I don't believe in devils I only believe in you |
Replies:
Posted By: NetsNJFan
Date Posted: June 26 2005 at 01:15
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excellent album. Love Baker Street Muse and Requiem. ------------- 
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Posted By: WillieThePimp
Date Posted: June 26 2005 at 01:18
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Cold Wind to Valhalla. and of course the title track. ------------- You can't possibly hear the last movement of Beethoven's Seventh and go slow. ~Oscar Levant, explaining his way out of a speeding ticket |
Posted By: The Hemulen
Date Posted: June 26 2005 at 06:02
| I LOVE it!! After "A Passion Play" it's their greatest record IMHO. |
Posted By: Losendos
Date Posted: June 26 2005 at 06:22
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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 ------------- How wonderful to be so profound |
Posted By: MorgothSunshine
Date Posted: June 26 2005 at 06:44
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IMO one of the five best Tull albums! ------------- For every truth even the contrary is true... 
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Posted By: The Hemulen
Date Posted: June 26 2005 at 07:22
Most of Tull's peak period (i.e. 70s) albums were quite complex and undoubtedly prog. "Thick as a Brick" is one single song lasting over 40 minutes, and albums such as "A Passion Play", "Songs From The Wood" and "Minstrel in the Gallery" feature a lot of complex arrangements and non-standard instrumentation in the mix. ELO were a pop band with violins. Hope that clears things up. |
Losendos wrote:Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: June 26 2005 at 07:27
Yep thats clear! ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: Salmacis72
Date Posted: June 26 2005 at 09:32
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WHO thinks its garbage? It is an excellent Tull album, I love the whole thing. ------------- 
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Posted By: Litl
Date Posted: June 26 2005 at 10:03
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I know this is off the topic but since nous somme du soliel posted the
thread I'm reminded that I've always wondered what nous somme du soliel
means. Is it 'we are of the sun'? Ritual has been my favorite Yes song for years. |
Posted By: mickstafa
Date Posted: June 26 2005 at 11:03
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Yes it does mean "we are of the sun." And yes, Minstrel is an incredible album. I've never heard of a tull fan that doesn't like it. |
Posted By: AngelRat
Date Posted: June 26 2005 at 11:13
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Definitley one of their best. -------------  |
Posted By: silversaw
Date Posted: June 26 2005 at 11:20
I am sorry to say that I'm just really getting into Tull, but as of right now, "Gallery" is a killer album, but then I also think "Warchild" is excellent and I've been crucified by my friends for that one!?!!?
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Posted By: mickstafa
Date Posted: June 26 2005 at 11:27
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I personally think every album of Tull from the 70s era is a
masterpiece. The two that impress me the least are Aqualung and
Too Old... . They still are masterpieces though. I love every tull album, but of course "love" for albums like Broadsword, Rock Island and Under Wraps comes from unconditional love for anything Tull.  |
Posted By: Lyzarrd
Date 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. ------------- Can you tell me where my country lies... |
Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: June 26 2005 at 13:49
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Deffinatly one of thier best. Wonderful on all accounts. In my opinion, only Thick As A Brick beats it in the Tull catalouge.
------------- 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. |
Posted By: Gluonio
Date Posted: June 26 2005 at 16:23
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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!
------------- ...But my dreams are for dreaming and best left that way-and my zero to your power of ten equals nothing at all... |
Posted By: Intruder
Date Posted: June 27 2005 at 04:47
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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.
------------- I like to feel the suspense when you're certain you know I am there..... |
Posted By: Jools
Date 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. ------------- Ridicule is the burden of genius. |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: June 27 2005 at 09:09
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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. ------------- 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 |
Posted By: Teaflax
Date Posted: June 27 2005 at 09:23
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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Posted By: Velvetclown
Date Posted: June 27 2005 at 09:30
One of their best albums !!!!!!!!!!! 
------------- Billy Connolly Dream Theater Terry Gilliam Hagen Quartet Jethro Tull Mike Keneally |
Posted By: Bj-1
Date Posted: June 27 2005 at 10:19
Great album!! ------------- RIO/AVANT/ZEUHL - The best thing you can get with yer pants on! |
Posted By: grandoleopry
Date Posted: July 02 2005 at 07:11
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... |
Posted By: Miaugion
Date Posted: July 02 2005 at 08:03
Oh, come on. Please give "Rock Island" another chance. It may not be an influential classic because it's not from the 70s but the interaction between Anderson's flute und Barre's extraordinary guitar is excellent. Barre tends to play only fragments instead of cohesive melodies. Dynamic and stunning. Especially "Ears of Tin" and the title track are highly recommended.  ------------- You house proud town mouse ha ha, charade you are |
Posted By: BEING
Date Posted: July 02 2005 at 08:10
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FANTASTIC.
Listen to Barriemore Barlow's drumming, Barres guitar riff's and solos and of course Anderson's individual voice!!!! 
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Posted By: DolphinFan
Date Posted: July 02 2005 at 10:26
Where's the hate? Even members at this site can't find too much to criticize. Hard to pick on a great album. |
Posted By: Eetu Pellonpaa
Date Posted: July 05 2005 at 09:00
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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"? |
Posted By: Meng
Date 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. |
Posted By: kingofbizzare
Date 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. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/kingofbizzare/?chartstyle=asimpleblue5"> 
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Posted By: Trotsky
Date Posted: July 06 2005 at 02:41
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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? ------------- "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." |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: July 07 2005 at 23:21
| 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. |
Posted By: moonlapse
Date Posted: July 09 2005 at 23:43
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! |
Posted By: The Hemulen
Date Posted: July 10 2005 at 15:36
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!! |