MINSTREL IN THE GALLERY

Easily my favorite Tull album after "Thick as a Brick" and "Aqualung", Minstrel in the Gallery sits nicely between the two in terms of proggish composision and classic rock grooves; the energy, feel, variety, and dynamic amongst the group on this one is outstanding.

The title track opens things up with a acoustic intro, then gives way to seriously rockin' guitar and organ-led jams, with complex playing and great vocals by Anderson. I was exceptionally surprised and pleased when I first heard this track-- it has great rock energy played with the distinctive Tull style.

"Cold Wind to Valhalla" keep the energy going with an upbeat tempo, the inclusion of strings, and ambitious song writing. This one has lots of twists and turns to keep things interesting and heavy-- especially for Tull. I was impressed with the rhythm section on this, who crank out a fast and razor sharp foundation throughout. "Black Satin Dancer" complements "Valhalla" nicely, varying the tempo a bit but keeping up the powerful mood and style-- great guitar solo by Barre; in fact, the guitar playing throughout this album is stellar. The next two tracks are beautiful acoustic pieces with string accompaniment, showing a folksy side to this otherwise rock-oriented album with a nice change to balladry.

The closer is an extended track with lots of variety, again showing off an exceptional level of song writing ambiton-- which the band pulls off wonderfully. This album feels very much like a group effort and less like an Ian Anderson solo album, which is what I find some Tull albums to turn in. Minstrel in the Gallery is the complete Jethro Tull package-- filled with great variety, playing, and unique feel which makes this band one of a kind. If you're new to Tull and enjoyed their other key albums-- this is the next place to go!

Songwriting: 4 Instrumental Performances: 4 Lyrics/Vocals: 4 Style/Emotion/Replay: 4