I have omitted "Jethro Tull" in the heading, `cause I`d expect everybody would know what I`m talking about. They peaked by this album. They had in fact achieved what Led Zeppelin at this stage was about, with their music of strong contrasts between heavy and acoustic parts. The formula was born. So what were they thinking of? Their next album had nothing of this.

I think you are right, up to and including Aqualung they had a lot of range to their music but afterwards they pretty much concentrated on the "heavy" side of things and the "gentle" aspect fell to the side. I think This Was was the best of their LPs, but I always liked that song about skating away on the thin ice of a new day. Aqualung was definitely a popular album in the day, heard it everywhere for a year or so. I got kinda tired of it quickly but my roommate at the time blasted it incessantly.

jb

Martin Barre, Clive Bunker, and Dee Palmer (all from the Classic 70's lineup) are touring a "50th Anniversary of Aqualung" show worldwide later this year and next year. Lots of online prog fans insist that Barre's band is the one to catch and that the current version of Tull with a vocally compromised Ian Anderson is decidedly sub par.

Highly original and eccentric- I personally never liked Tull all that much but the musicianship was top shelf. Barre in particular is revered by loads of Brit guitar heavyweights (Mark Knopfler in particular, believe it or not). For reasons unknown, theyre playing remote rural Rocky Mount Virginia in Feb 2021 the night before playing The Rams Head in Annapolis MD. 500 seat club, $75 for the enhanced uber-ticket. Given the advanced age of all involved, including me, Im thinking of going...just to fly the early 70's flag with my graying balding rocking peers. I think I can just about handle an evening of Aqualung.

But a Jethro Tull without Ian Anderson is pretty much missing the point. Do they have a vocalist to replace him, to ignore the elephant that would be the flute (not to mention the stork stance)?

Actually, thinking about it, might be an improvement.

Skating away...

jb



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-08-02 03:50 by jbwelda.

Ian Anderson being the mastermind behind the band - singer, songwriter, lyricist, front man, instrumentalist (guitar, flute, etc.), , etc.... hard to imagine anything Tull related without him.
But unfortunately his voice is gone, so I guess the Martin Barre led band would suffice in an oddball sort of way. But who could possibly fill the shoes of Ian Anderson? No one.

Benefit and Aqualung are my favorites, with Stand Up and This Was nearly right next to them.
First concert I ever had front row center seats for was Jethro Tull at the Santa Monica Civic 1979 when I was 16...they were amazing...

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

jb

With the success of Aqualung, Jethro Tull found a formula that worked in making them successful. Why wouldn't they try to continue it, like Zep, the Stones, a number of other bands discovered? Originality, experimentation, unexpected sounds were no longer necessary. Give the public what they want.

well, that concept kind of defines whether one is an artist, or an entertainer. An artist does what they want when they want and how they want; their audience follows them and appreciates that what was yesterday may no longer be that way. An entertainer, on the other hand, "give(s) the public what they want". You can think of numerous examples of course in all genres of the business, but to my mind just two examples include Bob Dylan and Rod Stewart, respectively.

Its not apparent to me which of the two this new Tull group aspires to be but I assume the latter.

jb

That's a bit unfair, I think. Jethro Tull's albums from the 70 onwards are quite varied, e.g. Songs From The Wood and Rock Island are quite different in their sound, style and overall approach. What happened in the course of the first couple of albums is that Anderson developed his style of songwriting, as was the case with countless other artists. Also, Anderson managed to keep rather high standards in his songwriting throughout the life of JT. You may or may not like a particular album or prefer one song to another but you find hardly anything on any Tull album that might qualify as filler.

As for Aqualung, I never really warmed to that one. I always found Thick As A Brick or (strangely?) A Passion play much better. I certainly wouldn't call Aqualung a weak album but somehow it doesn't gel, as far as I'm concerned.

I totally love that title Thick As A Brick.

jb

Being a flute player, I was floored by JT when I first saw them perform, on June 21, 1969 at Newport ‘69. Ian Anderson was manic and talented and convinced me that a flute could indeed be employed in a rock band. But I was also thoroughly impressed with Martin Barre, Clive Bunker, and Glenn Cornick. I saw them again in August of that year in San Bernardino, opening for Led Zeppelin. At that show they sounded at times like Cream, such was the talent of the group. I liked This Was, loved Stand Up and Aqualung.

I saw an interview with Ian Anderson, interviewed by Dan Rather not long ago. Though his health and skills are diminished, he is still an artist, writing and creating new music. He never stood pat with a band lineup for too long.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-08-03 01:18 by DaveG.

Glad you clarified it was about an album by JT, I thought you wanted scuba diving advice.

Battle of the Bands- current Tull lineup vs. Martin Barre Band on Locomotive Breath.

Tull
[www.youtube.com]

Barre
[www.youtube.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-08-02 14:53 by roryfaninva.

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roryfaninva
Battle of the Bands- current Tull lineup vs. Martin Barre Band on Locomotive Breath.

Tull
[www.youtube.com]

Barre
[www.youtube.com]

They both lose.

The current Ian/Tull lineup might have a slight advantage though simply because of the presence of Ian.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

I couldn't change the channel fast enough when they came in the radio.

Then I saw them live opening for ELP. I was dreading having to sit through it.

But then it happened, what an eye opener, they were all so talented, entertaining, and sounded so good, I walked out after it was all over a fan.

Quote
jbwelda
I think you are right, up to and including Aqualung they had a lot of range to their music but afterwards they pretty much concentrated on the "heavy" side of things and the "gentle" aspect fell to the side. I think This Was was the best of their LPs, but I always liked that song about skating away on the thin ice of a new day. Aqualung was definitely a popular album in the day, heard it everywhere for a year or so. I got kinda tired of it quickly but my roommate at the time blasted it incessantly.

jb

That's why they won the very first heavy metal Grammy in 1989.

I remember laughing when they were announced as a candidate and even more when they won. Even they, and everyone else, seemed confused when accepting.

Quote
roryfaninva
Martin Barre, Clive Bunker, and Dee Palmer (all from the Classic 70's lineup) are touring a "50th Anniversary of Aqualung" show worldwide later this year and next year. Lots of online prog fans insist that Barre's band is the one to catch and that the current version of Tull with a vocally compromised Ian Anderson is decidedly sub par.

Seeing Martin Barre and Clive Bunker (and jesus Dee Palmer who's apparently 84, I don't even know how they'd get him on stage for a rock concert) do Aqualung in full without Ian seems like it would be very similar to when I saw Denny Laine do Band On The Run without Paul. Or Joey Molland do Badfinger's Straight Up without Pete Ham. Or seeing Billy Joel's backup band play a tiny theater in NJ while Billy played that exact same night at MSG! Now I'm not criticizing any of those shows, because I went to them and they were actually very enjoyable. A key element was missing, but it wasn't as pathetic as it would seem. In all honesty, its the show I'd rather go see, because I never feel the bands get as much credit as the frontmen and you know its gonna be sparsely attended so I like to support them. Ian has the Jethro Tull name, as he should, so he gets loads of money just from that. I did know he didn't sound great anymore but ugh, I hadn't seen those videos before. Its actually crazy, because his problem seems he just can't keep up. He can't reach some notes, but largely the voice sounds exactly the same! Its just trailing behind the music.

I've always had a love-hate relationship with Jethro Tull. They were a great band, but to me it ends with Thick As A Brick. Couldn't care less about anything after that, but those first 5 albums are very solid. I do think Aqualung very easily stands above the rest. Its the only one they truly got right and fired on all cylinders. Second to me is easily Stand Up which is almost just as good, and in some spots better, but Aqualung to me is just note perfect. Benefit, This Was and Thick As A Brick are all very good as well, but those two are killer, and their live performances up to 72 are fantastic. There was no one like them. I know them FROM the Rock And Roll Circus, for the Stones connection, and for that anyone on that show will have a special place in my heart.

The eternal argument I have with my father is whether they belong in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. He insists they do and I personally do not think they qualify. I always rephrase, for what the Hall has become, I have no problem with them going in. Certainly above another Madonna or Janet Jackson. But if I was truly trying to make a Hall Of Fame amongst the Stones and the Beatles and Zeppelin, they would not qualify for me. I don't think Aqualung makes a Hall Of Fame induction and just because they carried on to me doesn't mean they deserve it. They would be in my Very Good Hall Of Fame but not the best. I always think of them differently than people like the Moody Blues that were ignored for years. The Moody Blues had 7 incredible records, and more importantly hits on all of those albums for a long period of time. If you like later Tull I suppose you'd feel differently than me, but for me 4/5 years and 5 good albums, 2 of which are classics with only one being up there with the greats of all time, does not equal guys like Springsteen and The Who and many others who had several front to back phenomenal albums and careers. Jethro Tull is a great band, but I try not to over inflate them. They are similar to Mott The Hoople to me: a great excellent band when I want them, but a rank below the stone cold classics. And not a knock to them. Thanks for the note about Martin and Clive touring. I might catch that.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-08-02 23:52 by RollingFreak.

If they are not in the R&R HOF then its kind of a travesty. Plenty of people with plenty less to claim are in there, and in the beginning they were basically a pumped up blues band. To not consider them "rock and roll" would be kind of hard to fathom.

Thats why I like This Was the most of their albums I am familiar with, it had that raw power to it. I thought Stand Up was right up there too, and Aqualung began leaning way more to the heavy, AOR radio sound of the day. Selected tracks on it were amongst their best I have to admit. But I only have heard Thick As A Brick in parts, at least in a long time, so I kind of forgot about that one, what I have heard stuck with me but I think I recall too much filler for my tastes. At that time, "filler" meant quiet playing, something I appreciate much more now than in my early head banging days.

That poster I posted above was my first exposure, about four months after the release of This Was. Saw them a few weeks later too and it cemented my opinion of them, but it all kind of changed for me after Aqualung.

jb

The fact that Jethro Tull isn't in the Hall of Fame is one of the main reasons the HOF is a pile of crap.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Quote
Hairball
The fact that Jethro Tull isn't in the Hall of Fame is one of the main reasons the HOF is a pile of crap.

I totally agree. When Aqualung came out Tull was as big as the Zeppelin and remained a solid draw through Storm Watch. Stand Up, Aqualung, Thick as a Brick and Songs From The Wood should have them in the HOF.

Agree about "This Was" - great progressive blues approach. Mick Abrahams is seriously underrated as a guitarist. The first Blodwyn Pig LP "Ahead Rings Out" is (understandably) in the same vein.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-08-03 18:18 by roryfaninva.

Quote
Woz

Quote
Hairball
The fact that Jethro Tull isn't in the Hall of Fame is one of the main reasons the HOF is a pile of crap.

I totally agree. When Aqualung came out Tull was as big as the Zeppelin and remained a solid draw through Storm Watch. Stand Up, Aqualung, Thick as a Brick and Songs From The Wood should have them in the HOF.

I've said for years that Tull is the Rock Hall's most conspicuous omission, the most deserving act never to have been inducted, or even nominated, as far as I know. In terms of record sales, their popularity actually lagged somewhat behind their creativity. Brick and Passion Play were their two #1 LPs in the U.S. As a concert draw, they played Shea Stadium at a time (1976) when not many other acts could fill a venue of that size. In New York, at least, they continued to be booked at hockey arenas right through to the end of the 1980s. Considering their past popularity, it was strange seeing Martin Barre performing a few years ago in what can only be described as a restaurant. Weird hearing those stadium-sized riffs being played in such an intimate setting. It was great fun, though. Definitely the world's greatest Tull cover band. How could it not be?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2021-08-04 16:56 by tatters.

Jethro Tull was big in the early 1970s. Where I come from in California at least, their Englishness was considered very exotic. All the cool kids had their albums. "Locomotive Breath" is my favorite Jethro Tull song.

With "Bungle in the Jungle" in 1974 (their last hit) their music started to fall off and die a quiet death.

Funny how few people care about them now when you consider how popular they once were. They sold out the L.A. Coliseum in 1976.

Bungle In the Jungle. Had forgotten all about that song. Loved it.

jb

One of those bands that completely went by me. I first heard Locomotive Breath as a cover by Dutch band Claw Boys Claw.

Quote
Koen
One of those bands that completely went by me. I first heard Locomotive Breath as a cover by Dutch band Claw Boys Claw.

Wow that's interesting - Claw Boys Claw went completely by me...

Iron Maiden did a pretty good cover of Cross Eyed Mary. Its not better than the original, but its interesting to hear.

Jethro Tull were big in Europe throughout the 70s. "Locomotive Breath" was a regularly played song not only at freak parties but also in conventional discos.
Saw them first in 1974 (my first rock concert ever) and the last time in (I believe) 1990, when they where touring "Rock Island" and Anderson's voice was already pretty much destroyed.

Not much of a fan, although I would never pass up the chance to hear "Locomotive Breath".

I do 100% agree that Tull should be in a "R&R" Hall of Fame, if such a thing existed.

The Hall of Fame located in Cleveland is a popular music HOF as far as I'm concerned as there is nothing R&R about some of the inductees.