JETHRO TULL

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could i hear any of your stuff

THIS WAS (1968)

(Philip Maddox's review)

Everybody either knows Jethro Tull as hard rockers (from the "Aqualung" riff) or as big, pretentious prog rockers (though I could argue that they seemed pretty down to earth compared to some of the other big prog bands out at the time). Almost nobody thinks of them as a blues band. Yet, that's exactly what Tull was when they got started. The reason is, of course, guitarist Mick Abrahams. Mick contributed just about as much as Ian was, and he wanted to push the group in a bluesy, jazzy, Cream-like direction. This is never more obvious than on tunes like "My Sunday Feeling", "Move On Alone", "It's Breaking Me Up", and the traditional instrumental "Cat's Squirrel". Even though Ian wrote some of these tunes, you can tell that he was heavily influenced at this point, both by the blues scene of which he had been playing a major part and by Mick himself.

And, while this isn't exactly the most original music Tull put out (and if you didn't tell me, I'd hardly be able to identify it as Tull), it is quite entertaining. Ian, Mick and the boys pull off the blues quite convincingly here. "A Song For Jeffrey", the most popular tune here, is absolutely stellar in particular. Man, have you heard that one? With the weird, breathy flute intro, distorted harmonica and guitar, and extremely distorted, bluesy vocals? It's fantastic! Exciting, fun, and catchy. I also really dig the much maligned "Cat's Squirrel" cover - it's just an excuse for Mick to jam, but Mick could really JAM. For what essentially adds up to a 6 minute guitar solo, he keeps it surprisingly interesting. My only complaint is the weak mix, which separates Mick from the band. On headphones, it's a problem, but on a big ol' speaker system, it sounds fine.

Ian's jazz influences do show up in a few places, though. The cover of Roland Kirk's "Serenade To A Cuckoo", my favorite tune here, is pure jazz. Jazz noodlings from Abrahams, jazz flute from Anderson, jazz everything from everybody. It never gets boring for its 6 minute entirety (in fact, I wish it were longer!). "Dharma For One" is another jazzy instrumental. It turns into a drum solo eventually, but the rest of the tune is quite fine. It's about the only place you'll ever hear pure jazz on a Tull record, so if you want to hear it, this is the place. Of course, this album isn't perfect. There's lots of REALLY generic music on here ("It's Breaking Me Up" and "Some Day The Sun Won't Shine For You" is basic, cliched 12-bar blues). Plus, a couple of the more adventurous tunes, while not bad, aren't as good as the ones that Tull would be coming out with as little as one year later. This is still quite a fine little debut, and if you can't get enough of late 60s jazz and blues, this is as good a place to get it as any.

OVERALL RATING: 7

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Beggar's Farm, A Song For Jeffrey, Serenade To A Cuckoo.  LOW POINTS: Cat's Squirrel, Dharma For One.

Yet another example of how an occasionally extremely artsy band debuts with a decidedly unambitious record.  Yep, in large part, Tull's debut can be called a hardcore blues album.  Not that Ian Anderson had particular roots in the blues, though, as you might think while listening to it.  Nope, that influence has to do primarily with Mick Abrahams, as his guitar work here is heavily in favor of that direction.  And unfortunately, he doesn't exactly add a unique approach to this often cliched style either, as many of his riffs and solos are often quite standard blues.  Add on to that his tendency to engage in rather long stretches of jamming, and you have a potential bore on your hands.  But luckily, Mr. Anderson really shines here on his instrument of choice, the flute, and that happens to add quite an interesting dimension to many of these songs that would otherwise be kinda generic.  Oh, and he could also write his share of catchy melodies, too.

Probably the best examples of what Ian brings to the table are in the highlights of the whole record, especially "Beggar's Farm".  The guitar riff here is ominous and well-written enough, bringing kind of an edge to the mood, but really, it's the crazy flute playing in the middle that puts it over the top, showing that he was already a virtuoso even this early on.  The best known tune here, "A Song For Jeffrey", is almost as good, mainly because it's extremely catchy in an odd kind of way - the combination of those distorted vocals, the slide guitar and the harmonica playing work perfectly with a truly infectious pop melody and groove.  He's also responsible for the first (and pretty much the only interesting) jam on the album in the cover of Roland Kirk's "Serenade To A Cuckoo".  While not quite as captivating as "Bouree" later on, it's definitely a great warmup for it in terms of both flow and mesmerizing power.

Quite a bit of of the remaining songs here, though, are a little more on the conventional side, though there's still some other good stuff throughout.  "My Sunday Feeling" is a good opener, where Abrahams and Anderson gel together quite well to breathe a bit more life into an average blues number, and "Someday The Sun Won't Shine For You", while undeniably one of the most generic songs on here, is still saved by some fine slide guitar work (Abrahams was definitely a talented player, no question about that) and some biting lyrics in there.  Speaking of Abrahams, his contribution to the record, "Move On Alone", is a nice horn-filled number not unlike what Chicago or Blood, Sweat And Tears were doing around the same time.  None of these songs are anything that special, but they're still perfectly enjoyable.

Unfortunately, other than the truly excellent "Song For Jeffrey" (placed second to last on the album - whoever put it there is responsible for one of the worst sequencing jobs ever), the second half here kinda sucks.  The two main culprits are "Dharma For One" and the lengthy cover "Cat's Squirrel" (also done by Cream) - the riffs to both of them aren't bad at all, but both eventually turn into really boring solo wankfests, drums and guitar respectively, with the latter in particular seemingly dragging on forever with its' constant start-stop structure and repetitive, indulgent playing.  Plus, the generic blues "It's Breaking Me Up", while somewhat memorable, isn't very exciting or substantial, and the 50 second "Round" that closes the album just has to be the very definition of pointless filler.  But with all these flaws around here, I can still give this album close to a 7, since it does hint at Ian Anderson's serious potential as a songwriter and player during in its' better moments.  Maybe it was obvious Tull couldn't get very far playing this sort of stuff, but thankfully, they probably realized this and went for a change....

OVERALL RATING: 6.5

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STAND UP (1969)

(Philip Maddox's review)

The first time I reviewed this album, I ended up giving it a 9, but time has proven me wrong. It is, in fact, even better. I can give it a 10 with absolutely no hesitation now, and it has even grown on me to the point of placing it in my top 5 albums of all time (see the list I made elsewhere for the other 4). So what makes this album so good? Read on, my friends! First of all, Mick Abrahams was gone, leaving Ian to find a replacement. After several auditions and gigs, he finally settled on unknown guitarist Martin Barre to fill his shoes. Barre wasn't as good a technical player as Abrahams, but he was way more diverse (or was he merely more diverse because Ian made him? I'm not really sure).

Secondly, and most importantly, with Abrahams gone, Ian was finally in total control of the group, writing all of the songs (except for a rearranged Bach tune), arranging everything, and writing tunes in only the styles that he wanted. The result of this is that only one of these tunes is even close to a blues tune, the opening "A New Day Yesterday". You won't hear me complain about that tune, though - it has grown to be my favorite blues tune, period. Ian's vocals and flute work perfectly, and Martin's blazing guitar riff simply tears the house down. Great tune. After that, though, the record gets more diverse. Surprisingly, though, Anderson finally showed himself to be a great, highly original songwriter, leaving behind his generic blues band roots in a hurry. The riff rockers here ("Nothing Is Easy", "Back To The Family", "For A Thousand Mothers") are top of the line.

I have to give special kudos to "Mothers", which features one of my all time favorite guitar riffs, great, biting lyrics, and a fantatsic jam at the end. The ballads here ("Look Into The Sun" and "Reasons For Waiting") are the best the group ever did, featuring very pretty, delicate vocals, breathtaking flute, and astoundingly hauting melodies (I'm referring to the flute line from "Reasons" in particular here). "Bouree", the aforementioned Bach tune, has become a Tull classic, and deservingly so. Ian and the boys give it a delightful, jazzy arrangement, showing off everyone's talents extremely well. Even the more novelty-ish tunes here, like "Fat Man", are incredibly catchy, funny, and groovy. You'll like 'em, trust me. A breathtaking album, all in all. Pick it up. Now. Don't listen to the All Music Guide and their pathetic 2-and-a-half star rating for this album. It's a rock classic, and one that's usually unjustly forgotten. Don't make the same mistake.

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Nothing Is Easy, A New Day Yesterday, Bouree, Reasons For Waiting, Back To The Family.  LOW POINTS: None.

A crucial change in the sound came here with Tull's sophomore effort, as this one marked the departure of Mick Abrahams for guitarist Martin Barre.  As a result, this record is closer in the style of the increasingly distinct Tull sound, largely because Ian Anderson was now free to completely take over the songwriting.  Not in a prog rock way (which wouldn't really start until a couple years later), but in a positively convincing heavy blues/hard rock one like Led Zeppelin or Cream, only with the added folky tones and 'medieval' atmosphere of the music - plus the unmistakable presence of Ian Anderson's vocals and flute, which surely separates it from the pack around that time.  And as far as the critical standing of this album goes, this is one unjustly forgotten effort. Sure, the 'artsy' Tull style may not have been developed yet, but the songwriting, melody, energy and overall uniqueness is at a tremendously high combination.  And really, there's not a single weak song on here that I can think of.

The opening cut, "A New Day Yesterday", may sound a little bit out of place on the rest of the album (especially since Anderson's vocal tone certainly sounds different from the other tracks here), but believe me, that's not in a bad way.  It's an absolute classic of a hard blues number, with one intense riff that hits precisely and ferociously.  The tune overall is right up there with anything off of Led Zeppelin's debut from the same year in power.  But don't think the rest of the album has that same overall sound straight through, however - "Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square" has the typical folky Tull vibe going for it, with the flute and medieval feeling, and while it's a bit insubstantial in the course of the album, it provides a short, mildly entertaining and melodic breather.  Good groove, too.

But of course, that interlude, nice as it may be, is nothing compared to one of the major highlights here - a classical interpretation filtered through the mind of Ian Anderson in the form of a Bach tune, "Bouree", which is just incredibly awesome in its' engaging shuffle.  The flute takes the main melody of it quite well, with Anderson's constant puffing on the instrument towards the middle providing a hilarious twist, the acoustic provides subtle but great rhythmic tone, and in places, it even rocks out a bit.  Extremely effective classical and rock fusion here, and the next tune, "Back To The Family" follows it up well.  This is probably the only song here that slightly predicts progressive Tull in its' tempo changing, stop-start structure, but at its' heart it's an exceptional rocker, with slight reflective tones.  The vocal melody, though, is probably the best feature of the song, as it's extremely catchy.

The first side ends with the first foray into ballad territory in the form of "Look Into The Sun", and it's an effectively stripped down song, with the sincerity of the vocals and lyrics bursting through, and it has a fine bluesy overtone within its' acoustic mood.  The second side opener, "Nothing Is Easy", though, is a simply mind-blowing tune that's probably my favorite here - it has a perfect guitar and flute oriented groove going, a powerfully memorable melody that can easily hold its' own against anything this band ever wrote, and a simply awesome ending that just explodes with energy.  And it's all the more awesome that they follow it up in contrast with "Fat Man", a very interesting showcase of Ian Anderson's sense of humor - it's pretty novelty-ish, sure, but it captures the medieval charm extremely well in the backing music, and the 'oohs' at the end of each verse and the lyrics dealing with the problem of being fat work well with the mood.

"We Used To Know", while probably being a bit too similar and not as great as the ballads it's stuck in between, does capture the essence of Anderson's then fresh melodc skills, though while certainly good, it really can't hold a candle to its' followup "Reasons For Waiting".  It's a great acoustic tune that's simple, yet effective in its' haunting melody, but what really makes it work is the astoundingly perfect use of orchestration towards the middle of it that gives the song a true majesty that pushes the emotional resonance of the song forward, and remarkably enough, this never makes it sound dated at all. Then finally, to close the album, we have more driving rock in "For A Thousand Mothers", which used to disappoint me in comparison to the other tracks.

But even though I wouldn't say its' a highlight, it has a lot going for it - the ominous, hard-hitting fast riff, equally impressive vocal melody, and excellent false ending after which the band comes back for a few seconds to cap it all off with a pretty finale. While not as well known as certain other albums in the Tull canon (like Aqualung, of course), this is certainly among the absolute greatest works in their catalog, with a strong diversity ranging from conviction-filled hard rock, entertaining grooves, beautiful softer songs, and of course the unmistakable flute tones.  It's not quite as classic as Thick As A Brick, simply because parts of it sound a little similar to each other (the first two ballads) and it doesn't have its' epic scope, but hey what does?  This is awesome work, and it should definitely be a part of your collection.

OVERALL RATING: 9.5

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BENEFIT (1970)

(Philip Maddox's review)

After Tull finally found their own style on Stand Up, they got more ambitious in the studio. As such, the group decided to move in a more progressive direction, while still keeping the basic style of the last album. Now, the last album wasn't prog at all, so the results of trying to do both are a bit unpredictable - there are some absolutely fantastic songs here, but a couple just don't work. The most glaring examples are the phony psychedelic "Play In Time" and the just plain unmemorable "A Time For Everything", neither of which do anything notable. Sometimes the method just takes a decent melodic idea and runs it for too long of a time, such as on the decent but endless "Nothing To Say", which would be great if it wasn't so LOOOOOONG.

The rest of the material, while still not up to the insanely high standards set by Stand Up, are great. You've heard the single here, "Teacher", and you know what a great tune that is - biting lyrics, a fantastic riff, and a great instrumental middle section, showcasing how fantastic Ian already was with the flute. The opening "With You There To Help Me" is great, too, featuring a very gentle, uplifting melody. I especially love the two most maligned songs here - "Sossity You're A Woman" and "For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me". They're both very quiet and pretty, featuring some gorgeous guitar and great, fitting, snarling vocals. The latter has a spectacularly uplifting chorus as well, so you can't really go wrong. After Stand Up, this couldn't help but sound inferior. Still, despite some dumb moments, this is a good album, albeit a very transitional one. The prog/hard rock formula would be perfected on their next release, Aqualung.

OVERALL RATING: 7

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Teacher, To Cry You A Song.  LOW POINTS: Son, A Time For Everything?

Benefit, for me, is a very curious entry into the Tull catalog.  Following the positively convincing and melodically solid near-classic Stand Up, it almost seems like the great melodies, energy, diversity and overall charm have completely disappeared from the sound.  Don't get me wrong - its' overall uniqueness (the flute playing and medieval elements, for one) are still largely intact for the most part, but the riffs are more power-chord driven instead of bluesy and the arrangements seem to veer into artsier territory.  The initial listen to this album, for the most part, though, can be an incredibly dull one - almost everything here might completely pass by the listener at first, mostly because the emphasis seems to be on the arrangements and lyrics without much in the way interesting melodies to back them up.  There are a couple of immediately striking moments here, however, and other songs slowly reveal their strengths after sinking in a bit.

Plus, thankfully, the best song here is an absolute classic - admittedly, it's really a single that originally wasn't even on the album until it became a hit, but "Teacher" really has a main riff to kill for, plus the arrangement, instrumental break (with totally fantastic flute work), and melody is by far the most spectacular on here.  "To Cry You A Song" has a somewhat catchy refrain and powerful riff, too, with the jam section being somewhat nice and not overdone, plus the lyrics and vocals are provocative enough to grab my attention.  Two other minor highlights, though, take a little while to sink in - "For Michael Collins, Jeffrey And Me" and "Sossity, You're A Woman" are decently pretty acoustic songs that close each side, and while they can't really compare to "Reasons For Waiting" or anything, there's still noticeable emotion flowing through them, even if the lyrics to both are a little dumb.

The remainder of the songs aren't really any better than just average, though.  "With You There To Help Me" is a mildly moving anthem as the opening track here, even though the song as a whole is overlong and its' vocal melody is just decent, so it never really gets going.  It's still probably the best of this remaining chunk of songs, though I must admit, the much maligned sound effects portion of "Play In Time" is really the only aspect of the song I can actually remember, and for me it makes it a little more interesting.  Certainly more than the completely unmemorable songs "Son" and "A Time For Everything?", both of which are highly disposable filler tracks, and "Nothing To Say" does have a pretty nice lumbering riff, but it just goes on way too long and doesn't even do anything much interesting with it.  Basically, the material on Benefit isn't bad - it just mostly lacks inspiration, point, and melody, and sounds very weak in between two incredible pieces of work.

OVERALL RATING: 6

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AQUALUNG (1971)

(Philip Maddox's review)

If you've ever even heard of Jethro Tull, you've heard of Aqualung. Ian Anderson wrote up a concept album of sorts (Ian denies that this is a concept album, of course - he wrote Thick As A Brick to show what a REAL concept album is) about religion and bums (seems awkward, doesn't it?). Any slight problems with the "concept" are blown away, though, by the fact that these are among the absolute best tunes ever written by anybody. Ian and the boys combined the folk and hard rock elements of old and slammed them together in a totally new, completely interesting way. The opening title track is perhaps the best way to see this - it opens with a monster 6-note riff, which trails into some snarling lyrics from Anderson, before it quickly falls into gentle folk music. It quickly speeds back up into a fantastic, fast rocker with a fantastic guitar solo, then works back through the folk and into a reprise of the opening bit, ending with a soulful "Ohh-oh-oh-oh-ohhhhhhhhh... A-qua-luuuuuung!". It's the groups most famous song, of course, and it fully embodies all that makes the group unique.

Most of the other tracks don't try to be so all-entailing, but most work just as well. The blistering "Cross Eyed Mary" boasts an awesome bassline (thank you very much Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond!) and more great flute work, making the tune an utter winner. "Mother Goose" is simple acoustic folk, yet with a totally unique charm and a great melody (not to mention those lyrics - "As I did walk by Hampstead Fair/I came upon Mother Goose/So I turned her loose/She was screaming"). "Locomotive Breath" is another really famous tune, with its famous train-imitating chugging rhythm section, flute solo, and snarling vocals ("Oh Charle stole the handle/And the train that won't stop rolling/No way to slow down"). "My God" is Ian's attempt at a towering epic, and it works spectacularly. From the gentle, but foreboding acoustic beginning that grows to an electric roar with an EXTREMELY vicious sounding Anderson shouting the most venomous lyrics of his career ("And the graven image you-know-who/with his plastic crucifix/he's got him fixed"). When it breaks into the flute solo in the middle, your jaw WILL hit the floor, and it's combined with the surrounding sections impeccably well. It's easily one of the best tunes in the Tull catalogue.

If I were to have any complaints here at all, it would be that the 3 short little tracks that serve as links don't hit as hard as the surrounding material, but hey, they're just short acoustic links, and they're all quite pretty. "Wond'ring Aloud" is especially nice (a longer full version showed up on Living In The Past, where it more than lived up to its potential). This is a classic, and one you should add to your collection. Be careful when buying this, though - some early cd copies chopped off the intro to "Aqualung" and the entire last verse of "Wind Up", and most early cd copies had horrendous sound. The current remastered edition has better sound, but it still isn't great (the album's recording process is to blame). Plus, you get 6 bonus tracks (4 of which are slammed off the 20 Years Of Tull boxed set, one of which is a "quadraphonic" version of "Wind Up" that doesn't sound notably different, and a long interview with Ian that's occasionally enlightening, but not something you ever really need to hear. A nice inclusion would have been the single version of the title track, which had a different vocal track). There's also a gold disc that's supposed to sound very good, but it costs. The current edition is fine. Try to get that one.

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Aqualung, Locomotive Breath, My God, Wind Up, Cross-Eyed Mary.  LOW POINTS: None.

A loose concept album about Ian Anderson's disgust with organized religion, this is the album almost everyone associates with Jethro Tull first.  It's very hard to blame the mass audience for that, of course, as the melodies and overall sound are very accessible compared to most of their catalog, and it also doesn't hurt that Aqualung features the group's two biggest hits (which I'll certainly get to later).  Together with Thick As A Brick, this certainly represents a peak of Anderson as a songwriter (and an absolute master of the flute), but besides the intelligently written lyrics, what really impresses me most about this album is the seamless interplay between the instruments, which is a consistent standout feature of the sound - the riffs on here are mostly incredible, and the way they interact with the flute, acoustic guitar and bass produce a spectacular effect that, more often than not, bring the songs to a whole new level, and this at least somewhat makes up for subpar production.

The title track starts the whole 'concept' off, and it certainly earns its' respectable place as a huge radio standard.  With a fabulously menacing main riff and disturbing lyrics about a pedophile ('sitting on a park bench, eyeing little girls with bad intent...'), it sets a dark tone for the album, and the vocal melody simply can't be beaten.  The arrangement of the whole song is brilliant, too, effortlessly moving from this portion of the song to gentler folk and fast-paced breakaway middle section to a great guitar solo and then back to where it began.  Together with that opener, "Cross-Eyed Mary" helps form a masterful 1-2 punch to start the album off with, as this song also boasts a great main riff and more biting lyrics, but the atmosphere it creates in the intro, with the flute wrapping around the guitar and mellotron, is totally awesome, and it sets the pace for what follows very well.

At this point, though, the album almost seems to veer away from the concept, which almost seems to show itself mostly within the harder-edged songs here.  These next few songs are anything but, though, as "Cheap Day Return" is a somewhat pretty acoustic interlude that doesn't really do much by itself, but as a transition point, does a great job of moving the album from hard to soft.  And in the softer vein comes the gorgeous "Mother Goose", a folky number that doesn't really have much to do with the child-like vibe its' title might suggest, but the flute melody and overall vibe of the song is extremely pretty, and it's a very welcome change of pace from the mood of earlier, and it moves from there to another similar short bit "Wond'ring Aloud", driven again by the acoustic.  Then, "Up To Me" is a wonderfully reflective way to close out the side, with subtle electric guitar building up the song in the background, with a main melody that surely isn't anything to ignore.  Enjoy the peacefulness, because it's the last of its' kind you're going to be hearing for awhile.

That's when the concept seems to start back up again, beginning with the second side opener "My God".  It's obvious that Ian really sounds fed up again within the lyrics and vocals, but that's not the only great aspect of the song - like the title track, it has a really powerful, though not entirely perfect (since it's just a little overlong), arrangement.  The acoustic intro and another ominous riff set the stage for Ian on the lyrical podium, but more importantly, check out that flute solo that he plays over chanting.  Absolutely astonishing in its' power, and though it could easily seem disjointed in the context of the song, it really doesn't.  "Hymn 43" is also searing and passionate, and the sound is as powerful as ever, accentuated by a great piano melody, Ian's lyrics and conviction-filled vocal yells.  Though not quite as powerful as what follows after the third and final short acoustic 'link' of the album, "Slipstream" (which does almost have that 'stream' mood going for it).

This, of course, is the other Tull standard "Locomotive Breath", whose intro built on guitar and piano interplay is brilliantly constructed, but more importantly, that great riff of the song emulates the progress of a moving train just perfectly.  The verse melody, biting vocals, and refrain ('no it couldn't slow down...') definitely does it justice, too.  An extremely worthy, classic entry into the Tull catalog, and to close the album, there's another excellent piece of work in "Wind Up", which would be the only softer track on here where the concept of the album is most apparent, as it's a powerful reflection of Ian's childhood days of hypocrisy, were it not for the fact that this soft ballad switches to a powerful fast rocker with excellent guitar work in the middle. It's a fine example of the top-notch arrangement of Aqualung, which, like Stand Up, doesn't contain any weak material (though the three acoustic links are a bit insubstantial) - just consistently excellent prog-influenced hard rock that serves as a great prelude to the true Tull masterpiece.... 

OVERALL RATING: 9

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THICK AS A BRICK (1972)

(Philip Maddox's review)

Thinking that Aqualung wasn't a concept album, as many critics and fans thought, Ian Anderson decided to REALLY give 'em a concept album of all time, figuring that it wouldn't sell anyway. The result is completely unique, utterly beautiful, and completely fantastic. I'd almost go as far as to say it's my favorite album of all time (though the distinctions near the top are a little fuzzy). This album consists of one song. ONE. I guess it's more of a "suite" than a "song", but the fact remains that there is only one track on this album (well, there are actually 2, but they both are simply called "Thick As A Brick" and only exist because of a break in the vinyl). Musical themes drift in and out of each other, repeating themselves when appropriate, varying the accentuations to fit the various moods intended by Ian, and coming together in all the right ways to create a highly cathartic effect. This album hits me in all of the right ways at all of the right times, like no other album can quite accomplish.

The opening bit is the most famous part of the suite, a simple acoustic and flute melody with some gorgeous singing from Ian and some wonderful playing, accentuating some of the lines with various effects (I love the part when Ian sings "My words but a whisper, your deafness a shout...", followed by the loud BOOM organ effect - this album is LOADED with cool moments like those). A harder bit follows it, with a highly memorable guitar/organ/vocal interplay, with some particularly rough vocals. The next part sends the album straight into the stratosphere - the "poet and the painter" part, featuring one of the most melancholy, haunting melodies of all time, complete with some of the best lyrics ever written (my favorite is "And the poet lifts his pen/while the soldier sheathes his sword/and the youngest of the family/is moving with authority/building castles by the sea/he dares the tardy tide/to wash them all aside")

The next bit is almost like a war march, with a steady, pounding rhythm and loads of flute and organ interplay. The lyrics remain great, of course ("So come all you criminals/I've got to set you straight/Just like I did with my old man/15 years too late"). After a quiet part that reprises the acoustic opening with a thoroughly beautiful vocal melody, you get to perhaps the most spectacularly perfect part of the album - the "I see you shuffle in the courtroom" part, which opens with a spectacularly beautiful xylophone and flute bit over a gentle acoustic guitar that builds and builds with a PERFECT melody, and the lyrics and vocals building and building right along with the music (and it's hard to beat lyrics like "So come on ye childhood heroes/Won't you rise up from the pages/Of your comic books, your super crooks/To show us all the way/We'll make your will and testament/Won't you join your local government/We'll have Superman for president/Let Robin save the day"). The side finally crashes and fades out as perfectly as it began.

Side 2 is hardly any worse. It starts with what is arguably the worst part of the album (it briefly reprises the second bit before going into a brief drum solo/voice collage), but it still rules and hardly detracts from the rest of the album. After that, it gets right back on track, reprising the opening acoustic guitar with yet another cool, new melody. The next part is the longest bit on the album, and also one of the best - the loooooong, slooooooow medieval ballad bit that I call "Do you believe in the day?", and it's stunning. Its slow buildup, great lyrics, great vocals, and terrifying atmosphere is superb. It build into another marchlike piece, with more great organ and flute work (if you like the sound of a Hammond organ, this is the album for you), which then reprises the "Shuffle" bit to great effect, adds some more old bits, adds some orchestra, and ends with the chorus from the opening. Fantastic.

Basically, I'd have no problem recommending this to anyone. Everything works. Pretty much perfect from beginning to end. And it isn't even all that overblown - sure, it's prog, and it IS all one long track, but it never sounds pompous or overbearing - Ian wrote it from day to day of recording, so he didn't really have a big, grandiose project in mind. It sure worked out for the best, though. Plus, you get a great booklet - it's an entire newspaper that Anderson and Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond wrote (depending on what edition of the CD you get, it's either a booklet or a full size reprint, like I have) that actually took longer to make than the album itself. It also provided a great myth - that the lyrics were written by a 8-year-old child prodigy named Gerald Bostock (they weren't, of course - they're pure Anderson). Plus, you get a "review" of the album, which generally praises it, but also complains of "ugly time signature changes" (sure). This is a complete package, through and through. The next time you see it in a store, BUY IT!

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: the opening and closing few minutes and the 'I've come down from the upper 0class...' bits of side one, the 'Do You Believe In The Day?' portion of side two.  LOW POINTS: None.

If the previous Aqualung album was seen as a conceptual one (though in reality it's only so in places), Thick As A Brick takes the 'concept album' idea to the extreme - not only incorporating the 'side long' track idea that celebrated prog bands were doing at the time ("Tarkus", "Close To The Edge", "Supper's Ready"), but presenting one entire piece over two sides of an album, naturally 'the' title track of course in all its' 43 minute glory.  It's not exactly something for everyone, of course, and the overall pretentiousness of it all is magnified by its' packaging as a fake newspaper, plus the idea that the lyrics to it were actually an epic poem written for a contest by 8-year old Gerald Bostock and he was subsequently disqualified the grand prize after protests.  The actual lyrics aren't exactly the most accessible either - as they seem to have quite a metaphorical, but not too nonsensical and usually extremely interesting, vibe to them.

It's also very easy to point out that "Thick As A Brick" isn't technically one song (there are several sections here that could have easily been reworked to stand on their own), but this piece sure 'feeeeeeels' like one in its' overall flow, as the short bits of soloing connect the other various parts together in a perfect fashion as if no pauses existed between them, with the various key melodies reprised in a quite effortless fashion. Plus every idea that follows the opening acoustic/flute bit, which is the distinctively central focus of the song and also the most notorious portion of it (deservedly so, as the distinctiveness and amazing transitions in the instrumental parts and melody simply cannot be denied), seems like a natural extension for a shatteringly incredible epic buildup.  The clearly skilled musicians add exciting and often virtuosic performances also (particularly bass-wise) that are always precise and never boring.  'Ugly time signature changes'... yeah right.  Clearly the focus was on the piece's expert arrangement and not on just noodling aimlessly, and it shows.

Besides the opening three minute mostly acoustic bit, there seems to be an amazing amount of gripping moments in the whole thing.  The fast-moving barrage of guitar, organ and bass in the 'see there! a son is born, and we pronounce him fit to fight' section, for instance, is a positively convincing portion of progressive ideas, and it's followed by a slow and reflective piano/flute section with ballad-like qualities ('the poet and the painter...'), which is a real moment of captivating beauty.  Then after a bit more jamming to build the piece up (which features more lightning-fast bass work and powerful guitar bits), it begins to break into this incredible groove where an absolutely distinctive fast flute melody follows a powerful opening organ bit, and the bassline in the background is simply incredible. It's all done over a convincing vocal performance as powerful as anything from Aqualung ('I've come down from the upper class to mend your rotten ways...'). It's easily my favorite portion of the album.

Then it goes from rocking to moody in the ethereal xylophone bit with another awesome, unforgettable fast melody ('you curl your toes for fun as you smile at everyone...').  What an incredible atmosphere on this part, and it leads perfectly in the extremely catchy 'I see you shuffle in the courtroom' section, whose melody is probably the most frequently appearing one on the whole album, with silly lyrics like 'where the hell was Biggles, when you needed him last Saturday?', and on that note, the first half of the piece fades out on riff pounding and wind noises, where unfortunately, the flow is sort of broken off slightly (though mostly due to the limitation of the record having to stop at the end of the side in the vinyl days), especially when the second half has a short drum solo that seems unrelated to the rest of the album, but the still fascinating start/stop structure and spoken voices in the beginning, gets the piece back on the right track.

It continues at around the three or four minute mark by reprising the same opening acoustic bit with different lyrics and a slightly modified vocal melody, but the real gem of side two is the ballad-like moment here that could easily hold its' own as a hit single - with its' fast acoustic playing, along with the conveying of desperately beautiful and tense emotion, 'Do You Believe In The Day?', as it could conceivably be called, is a true masterpiece here.  Then in a fast and extremely engaging manner, the listener is treated to more fabulous soloing, particularly as far as the flute is concerned, but the harpsichord/organ interplay is breathtaking as the piece moves towards its' end with its' fantastic melodical breakaway (this one's the 'hellish chorus' section) and of course, another reprise of the 'Biggles' melody.

Afterwards, the whole opus ends on the very same acoustic bit the whole entire journey began on, and what a truly fulfilling journey it is.  For the most part, Thick As A Brick is not only a culmination of Ian Anderson's considerable (though often inconsistent) songwriting talents, but as a whole in all of progressive rock, it exemplifies that genre's notable excesses and breathtaking highpoints, with an immaculate flow between all of its' war marches, powerful hard rock, ballads, and top of the line musicianship.  It's not overambitious, and all the jamming and melodic ideas are taken in just the right amounts to be breathtaking.  It can easily be seen as one of prog rock's essential classics, and should be a staple for such a collection.  As a bonus track, there's even a great live version consisting of its' first 12 minutes, with even more ripping guitar work than before.  Heavily recommended.

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

(John Sieber's review)

ONE SONG. Do you have ANY IDEA what that means? Thick As A Brick is ONE SONG!!! Well, sorta. More like a well-written superfluous musical suite that the band could, and did, perform in it's entirety throughout the 70's (I've heard of 70+ minute versions of this one!) It can be overwhelming at first, but when you realize where the new musical ideas begin, you can appreciate the tunes so much better (i.e. section markings on Tarkus, 2112, and Close To The Edge). Soooooooooo what I'm going to do to help you decide if this purchase is worth your greenage, is separate this mammoth into its main little thingys, the times telling you where they start. OK!!

1) Thick as a Brick (Track 1, 0:00)

Very pretty acoustic melody, and this album's only reason to exist (?). No, really, it's a great little pop song that was released as a single, even! The chorus is probably the catchiest part of the whole album. Very nice!

2) A Son is Born (3:05)

A rocker. It's built around a tricky time signature and a blues-based melody, with horn breaks and a great Hammond solo. And the bass line is amazing! You'll hear a bit of the acoustic intro reprised at the end, as an outro segue. Good idea.

3) The Poet and the Painter (5:06)

Preceded by a long intro, this one is a passionate ballad with interesting twists in the chorus. Kinda reminds me of the middle section of "Aqualung", actually (definite compliment). Long, but good. Heh.

4) What Do You Do (10:59)

Short. Almost like a segue part, it's so short. Good melody (as usual) but not really exceptional. Not bad, though.

5) Rotten Ways (12:21)

Neat war march-y thing! The instrumental part is superbly written but the vocal melody kinda sucks. Still very catchy, and it segues back into the Thick as a Brick strumming for the next part.

6) You're Unaware (16:23)

Genius! The acoustic strumming that made the Thick... section comes back, with a new melody! Awesome melody too, by the way. Good move by Ian Anderson here.

7) So! (17:30)

Well-sung by Ian, the melody is rather good, and the arrangement matches his voice, very haughty and pretentious. Sweet. Funny lyrics that mention Superman and Robin saving the day. The bridge section, however, features vicious political lyrics by Ian. Then the opening part comes back, in true form. This part dissolves into the "break" between Side A and B, or Track 1 and 2, here, with a meshing of little parts from the whole track.

8) A Son Is Born (Reprise) (Track 2, 0:00)

The "break" is faded back into the second half of the album with insect noises and little musical cliipings here and there, and then BAM! We're right back into it! The Son is Born section is back, this time in 6/4 instead of 5/4.

9) Upgrade? (1:32)

A drum solo overlayed by musical snippings of themes past and odd vocal overdubs. Often called the weakest point of the album; I disagree. I kinda like the Zappa-esque quality of this section, and hey, if you're going to do something like this, best at the beginning of the track, before the listener's concentration is too focused to enjoy this part.

10) Lord of the Hills (4:05)

The all-too-familiar strumming comes back with a few alterations and ANOTHER brand-new melody! Not too much else to say about it. Too bad.

11) Do You Believe (5:53)

A Moody Blues-esque ballad to begin. At around 6:30, it turns to a medieval folk tune. The "Do you believe in the day" part is goddamned beautiful, thank you very much. The vocals are sparse in this section, but they're still nice as hell.

12) Let Me Tell You (12:49)

After a loooooong instrumental break, we get to Let Me Tell You, which, like The Poet and the Painter, has plenty of twists in the melody and never bores. For example, the melody in the bridge section just keeps going and going up and really serves as a contrast to the first part.

13) So! (Reprise) (18:06)

Yep, it's back. Superman and Robin save the day again, and the rest is in tow. Lyrically, a complete re-tread. But the arrangement has gotten an overhaul, with bits of A Son is Born being alternated with orchestral swells. And then!!!! The Son is Born bit, played with all kinds of ferver (and instruments), goes higher and higher until BAM BAM BAAAM!!!! The emotional climax is brought to a head as the F, C and B flat chords are played, loud and unadulterated. Then...

14) Thick as a Brick (conclusion) (20:36)

Slow, methodical, just Ian and his guitar. The acoustic strumming and Ian's dripping voice are brought to perfection with the chanting of the first chorus again... "So you ride yourselves over the fields and/you make all your animal deals and/your wise men don't know how it feels to be thick as a brick."

Aaaaaah.

So what do we have here? A pretentious epic unable to be penetrated? Quite the opposite. Ten PERFECT short folk tracks arranged and sung perfectly, with virtuosic performances by all involved and insanely clever lyrics attached to all.

So there's a remastered version of this here thingy! Yeah, it's got a short version of "Thick as a Brick" with at least parts of sections 1, 2, 3, 5, 13 and 14. Neat! Oh and there's an interview on the making of the tune with the band. In short: BUY THIS ALBUM!!!!! Hey, you cannot pass this up, especially if you paid for it what I paid. I bought this thing at a used CD store in near-perfect condition for..... $1.99. 100% fucking serious. I love life.

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

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LIVING IN THE PAST (1972)

(Philip Maddox's review)

This isn't really the follow up to Thick As A Brick - this is a compilation of songs previously released only as singles. These tracks span between This Was and the recording sessions for Aqualung. There are three repeats from earlier albums, but on a twenty track CD, who cares? This stuff is all pretty good. "Witch's Promise" is a cool, waltzy song with a great flute line (Anderson sure could play!). There are some ok bluesy numbers, too, like "Love Story" and "Driving Song". These are all good, but nothing to write home about. The singles from the Stand Up and Benefit eras are top notch. "Singing All Day" kinda drags, though. Repetitive and dull.

The end of the album contains the Aqualung singles, which are great, especially "Life's a Long Song" and "Wond'ring Again", which is the full version of the short patch on Aqualung. The song is so many betters this way that it makes my head spin. Then, of course, are the Carnegie Hall tracks. For some reason, Ian decided to slap two ten minute mostly solo jams on this record. The rearranged "Dharma For One" (from This Was) starts off really good, but becomes a drum solo. Why oh why did bands in the sixties and seventies feel the need for drum solos? They're entertaining for 30 seconds, not 5 minutes. The other one is "By Kind Permission Of", which is pieced together from a couple of parts of the actual show (especially their live take on "With You There To Help Me", from Benefit). It's not bad, but 10 minutes is too long. Anyway, this is two records on one CD, so this is a bargain. The CD omits "Bouree" and "Teacher", but they were already on Stand Up and Benefit, so again, who cares?

OVERALL RATING: 8

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Witches Promise, Sweet Dream, Living In The Past, Inside, Life's A Long Song, Driving Song.  LOW POINTS: By Kind Permission Of, Dharma For One.

All I've got to say is that not too many art rock bands in the 60's and 70's could come up with a compilation like this one.  This is basically a collection of mostly non-album singles and B-sides that span 1968-1971, and there is quite a lot of prime material within the running time of this thing that shows Jethro Tull was almost as fantastic a singles band as an album one.  Of course, with few exceptions, there's isn't all that much on here that relates to the band's progressive, artsier side, as these numbers are mostly short, pop-oriented tunes with exceptional melodies, arrangements, and stellar flute and guitar work.  But that's just fine by me, since a lot of this band's best moments weren't in that type of vein.  Also included here are a few tracks that already appeared on albums (plus a couple outtakes from the recording sessions of Aqualung), and a couple misguided live performances to fill out space since they didn't have enough for a double album, but the bulk of this listening experience lies in the other stuff.

The title track is the most notorious of these tunes, and rightly so, as it might be the single catchiest song in the entire Tull catalog.  The melody is so insanely memorable that I wonder how the heck the guy could be so inconsistent with his abilities in that vein later on.  Plus the guitar/flute hook it's based on is just about as addictive, with equally entertaining and well-written lyrics to match it.  And there are just all kinds of hooks like that within several of these songs - "Love Story" might sound like the intro to Stand Up's "Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square", but then it distinguishes itself by exploding into a powerful blues rocker with an outstanding hook ('going back to the morning time to see if my love has changed her mind, yeah...'), and in a similar bluesier vein, "Driving Song" has an awesome energetic power riff, another great melody, and highly effective musical shifts throughout.  "Singing All Day" is also just like what one would expect the song to be, an infectious 'singalong' pop tune with a great bassline and flute playing.

"Sweet Dream", however, is a downright menacing tune, as one of the best apocalyptic riffs out there pounds on a convincingly sung vocal melody, notably energetic band playing and horn arrangements that actually add to the power of it.  It somehow doesn't sound out of place with the lighter tracks like "Christmas Song", a cheerful little acoustic holiday tune with excellently arranged orchestration, a mildly dramatic feeling to it, and an amusing spoken ending ('hey Santa.. pass us that bottle, will ya?') or the absolutely gorgeous "Witches Promise", an extremely beautiful and mysterious piano and string laden tune, with an extraordinarily moving arrangement where the music slowly builds up to a fabulous bridge (the 'keep looking, keep looking...' portion) and more hooks galore (particularly the opening lines - 'lend me your ear while I call you a fooooooooo-ooooo-l').  The two shorter tracks "Alive And Well And Living In" and "Just Trying To Be" are pretty nice short tunes, too, with the former having a good traditional Tull pop/rock song arrangement and the latter a beautiful acoustic/xylophone piece.

The rest of the studio tracks (besides the weird but excellent blues "Song For Jeffrey" from This Was and the fantastically memorable flute-dominated pop song "Inside" from some versions of Benefit) come from the Aqualung period, and while they're not as good as what came earlier, they're still thoroughly listenable, with the best being the near-classic nostalgic ballad "Life's A Long Song", which is another outstanding mix of Ian Anderson's acoustic work and reflective lyrics and sweeping orchestration.  There's also a neat extended version of "Wond'ring Aloud" and a reappearance of "Hymn 43" from that album, and the other four tracks are good enough - "Up The 'Pool" is another quite fun (even if not substantial) singalong, "Dr. Bogenbroom" is a slightly generic, though still quite catchy, rocking track, the instrumental "For Later" displays some tight and exciting playing in its' short running time, and "Nursie" is an intimate minute and a half ballad that provides a sweet close to the whole album.

Unfortunately, however, I haven't even mentioned a significantly big nearly 20 minute portion of the album, and it's why I had to downgrade the rating somewhat from a solid 9 or 9.5.  These two tracks come in the form of a couple wankfests recorded live at Carnegie Hall, and there's simply no reason for them to be there.  As good a player as he is, I really don't wanna hear like 9 minutes of John Evan piano soloing on "By Kind Permission Of" (only Ian's occasional flute playing and stage banter in the beginning, plus an energetic ending makes it worth listening to at all) or with lyrics, really dumb harmonies/backing vocals, and a long drum solo added to an otherwise pretty decent song ("Dharma For One", originally from This Was).  Snore.  Otherwise, though, a stellar collection.  Go buy it and pretend like those two entries don't even exist - just concentrate on the wonderful stuff here, and there's quite a lot of it.

OVERALL RATING: 8.5

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A PASSION PLAY (1973)

(Philip Maddox's review)

No Tull record splits fans like this one. Many people loved it due to its ultra complex nature and oddball lyrics ("The ice cream lady wet her drawers to see you in the Passion Play" - what is that, Ian?). Some people, however, though it was just pretentious and boring. Most critics agreed with the latter. I don't mind pretentiousness at all (it often has stunning results), but I do mind boringness. And some of this is certainly boring. Most of side 1, in fact. It all just kind of sits still, except for the opening theme (which I really like) and the "Critic of the black and white" bit. In between the sides is a story called "The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles", which is cute. It's simply an A.A. Milne type story read by John Evan (the keyboardist) over a piano. It has nothing to do with the album, but I still like it.

Side 2 is much better - I love side 2. All the bits are really unique, well played, and interesting, especially that "Well meaning fool/ Pick up thy bed and rise" part, which is one of the all time best Tull songs (yeah, I know this album is all one long song, but the bits don't flow at all - I still call 'em songs on this one, but not Brick). Anyway, the lyrics on this one are all over the place - no topical metaphors like on Brick, but what seems to be random words. They're supposed to tell the story of a man who dies, views his life on video with angels, then decides he'd rather live then be in heaven or hell, and that's where I kinda lose it. There are all kind of Biblical allusions and stuff, but I really don't get most of it and end up scratching my head and going "Huh?". It doesn't matter, though, when the melodies are good. And over half of these are good. Questions?

OVERALL RATING: 7

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: 'The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles' portion.  LOW POINTS: impossible to determine, but it does drag in a few spots.

Fittingly enough, Ian Anderson and his professional backing band followed their successful 'one song' venture of Thick As A Brick with an album that takes that continuous track premise way over the top.  As ambitious as the last one was, A Passion Play probably has it beat in that respect, with more diverse instrumentation (in addition to the usual flute, there's also horns and synthesizers), more impenetrable lyrics and confusing overall story line.  Unfortunately, as was usual with established prog acts earlier, it's an album that puts ambition a little too far over the actual quality of the music.  Another weakness here is, while the passion play is generally enjoyable and engaging when it's on, the melodies aren't as memorable as they were on the last few albums, and as a result a number of them slip from my consciousness after the whole thing ends (particularly from the first half), only reveal themselves after repeated plays.

On the subject of lyrics, this is where Anderson really goes off the deep end, apparently attempting to outdo his fellow Anderson peer from Yes, Jon, in the random nonsense department - what the heck do lines like 'and your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulder of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision' and 'the ice cream lady wet her drawers to see you in the passion play' have to do with anything?  The music seems to be as disorganized as the concept as well, as the sections lack the flow or expert build that made the last one song suite so great.  The only melody that ever gets repeated is the 'there was a rush along the Fulham road...' intro, but other than that, the others seem to have little connection to each other.

Luckily, though, despite the poor pacing of the song (which makes it drag somewhat), the performance is mostly enjoyable and even great.  The opening instrumental theme is a great introduction to things (with a cool piano part at the end of each 'passion play' line), and a couple other parts on the first side are cool too, most notably the neat 'all of your best friend's telephones...' part where it almost sounds like Ian's making some sort of important announcement in a press box or something like that.  The 'critic of the black and white' melody also has a good groove to it.  Overall, though, a good amount of side one feels a little unsatisfying and overambitious, but the 'intermission' of sorts that divides the two sides, a reading by bassist John Evan of a story entitled 'The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles' is probably the highlight of the album, as spoken in an exaggerated accent over extremely playful backing music - it's an absolute scream, even though it doesn't fit in at all.

That much-needed dose of humor seems to be momentum enough to get the piece back on track for side two, which builds to the end in a similar fashion as Thick As A Brick did, with what I think is interesting synthesizer use (contrary to what other reviews of the album have said) that seems to lead it into a really cool fast groove following nice ballad territory ('we pray for souls in Kentish town').  Plus, near the end of the album marks the appearance of the band 'rocking out' to a really awesome Zeppelinish riff with a great bassline ('hail! son of kings') before the whole piece ends on the same introduction line which it began.  It's hardly the best side of Tull ever as some suggest, but it absolutely saves the album from collapsing under all its' bombastic weight.  I'd give this an 8, but other factors (numerous melodies that are forgettable afterwards, seemingly meaningless lyrics and questionable concept, poor pace and flow, and unsatisfying ending) force me to take a point off.  Quite an interesting listen though.

OVERALL RATING: 7

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WARCHILD (1974)

(Philip Maddox's review)

After the critics hated Passion Play, Ian decided to go back to normal song lengths. He must have wanted to do another concept album, though, as parts of this just seem like outtakes from a larger piece. "Skating Away (On the Thin Ice of the New Day)" was an outtake from Passion Play, for instance. I don't know why - It's better than 85% of the stuff on that. Anyway, half of this stuff is good ("Skating Away", "Only Solitaire" (which is another Passion Play outtake), "Two Fingers" (a remake of "Lick Your Fingers Clean", the B-side of "Aqualung"), "The Third Hoorah", "Bungle in the Jungle" (despite stupid lyrics), the pretty "Ladies", "Sealion"), but some of it just drags.

The title track tries to be majestic, but there's just something missing. "Queen and Country" really doesn't go anywhere, nor is it all that pretty to compensate. Most fans like "Back Door Angels", but I think it's too long. This album starts the tradition of Tull's albums to sound slightly medieval (though the next one does a much better job). This was the last Tull album to sell huge quantities, which is a shame, since the stuff after this is better. Most Tull fans just see this one as mediocre, and I agree. The good stuff is still enough to make this worth buying.

OVERALL RATING: 6

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Bungle In The Jungle, Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of A New Day.  LOW POINTS: Back Door Angels, The Third Hoorah.

And back to normal song lengths we go.  Well, at least in doing so, Ian made it easier for me to review the album as a collection of individual songs instead of just pointing out parts of an entire 40 minute long piece, but unfortunately, the results of Warchild are a bit mixed.  Much of the material seems to be very conceptual in nature, though like the last album (and Benefit) more care seems to be placed in the deep meaning of the lyrics and the complexity of the music and arrangements than the actual vocal melodies at numerous times.  But I do admit that within these pop song lengths there are some interesting ideas throughout, just not ideas that are really executed all that well, so it's a bit of an inconsistent effort.  How inconsistent?  Well, let's put it this way, the two huge highlights on here are among Tull's most well known hit singles, so I could actually suggest skipping this one.

Those two singles, of course, are in the form of "Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of A New Day" and "Bungle In The Jungle" (sound familiar yet?) to start off side two.  The former song is a very effective cross between the last two albums (Brick in the acoustic guitar part and overall vocal melody, and Passion Play in the lyrics and vaguely Eastern-flavored singalong chorus).  And the latter tune, probably Tull's biggest hit ever, might strike the 'intelligent' fan as being way too novelty-ish - it does have dumb lyrics, but the fact remains that both the chorus and verse melodies just might be the single most infectious portion of music in the band's entire career, plus it has a great guitar riff and highly engaging groove.  Sorry if I sound really predictable by calling these two the highlights of the album, but I can't help it if nothing else here even comes close to them.

That's not to say, however, that there's no good songs elsewhere, as the title track's fine singalong chorus and uplifting saxophone playing in the middle is very pleasurable, and "Ladies" might sound sappy and dumb at first, but it has a wonderfully elegant melody and atmosphere, well-done orchestration, engaging handclaps throughout, and a neat jazzy ending, so I like it.  The acoustic link "Only Solitaire", meanwhile, is a nice short interlude in which the lyrics humorously attack Ian's critics who thought Passion Play was crap, and though I can't really remember a good portion of either "Sealion" or the closing "Two Fingers", they both sound okay while they're on, and have nice guitar work here and there.  Plus, the former song's got a jolly and amusing chorus that's one of the most entertaining moments on the album about 'balancing the world on the tip of your nose like a sealion with a ball...'

Unfortunately, the remaining three songs here drag the rating down a point.  "Queen And Country" isn't really bad, but the verses try way too hard to sound pompous and just come off incredibly goofy, while "The Third Hoorah" is an almost completely pointless and silly reprise of the title track that actually drags on longer than the original song itself, thanks to a boring jam. And finally, the absolute nadir comes in "Back Door Angels", undoubtedly the most godawful song Tull would do until umm... the very next album with "Baker St. Muse".  The main bluesy verses are totally forgettable and dull enough, but the jam portions here are what really drive the song into the ground - just awful, awful directionless garbage.  It's a shame, too, because other than those three tracks, I could probably call this the equal of Passion Play, but since there's less than a half hour of decent music on here, that's unfortunately not a possibility.

OVERALL RATING: 6

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MINSTREL IN THE GALLERY (1975)

(Philip Maddox's review)

After the disappointing Warchild album, Ian Anderson decided to combine the shorter songs of Warchild with the complex arrangements of Thick as a Brick. The end result is not as good as Brick, but much better than Warchild. The title track is far and away the best song on here. It starts as a gentle acoustic number, before quickly turning into a hard instrumental jam, before finally becoming a rock version of the opening acoustic bit. It really is a great song. Most of these tunes have a medieval flavor running through them, especially the title track. "Cold Wind to Valhalla" is similar to the title track, and though it isn't as good, it's still very good. The weakest song on here is "Requiem", which drags a bit, despite being pretty. "Baker Street Muse" is a seventeen minute multi-part suite. Some of the parts (the main theme, "Pig - Me and the Whore") are great, while others are only ok. All in all, this is a good record, and I recommend it for anyone with an interest in Tull.

OVERALL RATING: 8

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Minstrel In The Gallery, Cold Wind To Valhalla.  LOW POINTS: Baker St. Muse, Black Satin Dancer.

Maybe Ian Anderson wanted to satisfy that population of his fanbase that thinks "Bungle In The Jungle" 'is worst Tull song ever' and a pure sellout piece of crap, so he attempted to make a sort of return to a more musically complex environment, where hard rock is fused with medieval elements with stellar progressive playing, the lyrics are very introspective in a complex sort of way, and the melodies are near non-existent.  Uh oh - it's that last part that baffles me (and apparently a few others, like John McFerrin) as to exactly why this cult favorite is often ranked as one of the band's best albums when the next one is ranked as one of the worst.  Seriously, those first two elements I mentioned are at a really fine level throughout this album, but when there's hardly anything memorable to grab on to and the arrangements just ramble on with little point, then those things tend to cancel themselves out.

Fortunately, I can sympathize with those who love the album on a couple of tracks.  The opening title song in particular is a truly excellent 8 minute epic number in which the Elizabethan and hard rocking elements of Tull are combined best, with a very interesting stop-start vocal melody in the first part of the song and a really neat atmosphere that makes the listener feel like they're in a Renaissance-era castle or something.  The way Martin Barre's electric parts get merged with the main body of the song (with excellent soloing in there) also brings a certain level of hard rocking excitement and diversity, and the remainder of it moves along well.  And while the vocal melody to "Cold Wind To Valhalla" might not be all that good, the other aspects of this song certainly are - the haunting main acoustic guitar part, the hard-hitting guitar breaks and the refrain ('cold wind to valhall-aaaaaaaaaaa') just rule enough to make me seriously enjoy it.

However, things get a lot more shaky after that.  "Black Satin Dancer" is a fairly boring and routine generic Tull style ballad that begins to reveal the somewhat melodyless tendencies of the album, and it's made even worse by the extremely plodding slow rhythm of the instrumental breaks with dull flute puffing.  "Requiem" is actually really nice while it's on, with a very sparse acoustic and bass atmosphere in which it's augmented by string arrangements, but the melody is like, the most unmemorable thing ever.  I dare you to even attempt to sing along to it after 30 listens.  The next acoustic number "One White Duck/0(10) = Nothing At All" (whose proper song title is impossible to reproduce here) is a little bit better, mostly because of its' nice lyrical depth and that it has at least a little bit of memorability.  Not really boring while it's on, either.

These songs taken together, while not great, would at least guarantee the album a fairly decent rating, but unfortunately, the biggest offender has to come in the form of a 16:40 epic "Baker St. Muse".  Sure, the lyrical imagery in this song is really interesting, but in terms of actual musical and melodical quality, it's one of the most horrendously arranged extended pieces I've ever heard - there's no hint of actual build from one portion of the song to the next and it just rambles on and on without any sense of structure or, yes, vocal melody (apart from possibly the opening portion and the part that starts out as 'I have no use for Time Magazine, or Rolling Stone...' [cause they probably agreed that several of your songs have no melodies, Ian!]).  The 37 second closer "Grace" might as well have switched its' running time with that 'classic', since it has a really nice romantic melody.  Ugh.  I hate to drop this album below 6, especially since the first two tracks are excellent and a lot of it is rather nice while it's on, but that huge waste of space pretty much forces me to.  Sorry hardcore Tull fans, I'm not joining your club.

OVERALL RATING: 5.5

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TOO OLD TO ROCK 'N' ROLL: TOO YOUNG TO DIE! (1976)

(Philip Maddox's review)

The All-Music Guide gave this one star, and I couldn't disagree more. This is a fine album. It's not very meaningful - it's about an old rocker named Ray Lomas who falls out of fashion. Then one days he wins a quiz show and meets a girl named Salamander and... well... it goes on until Ray crashes his motorcycle and spends time in the hospital. When he gets out, a retro band has made his style fashionable again and all's well that end's well. It was supposed to be a musical, I think, but the idea fell through, so they just released the songs. The lyrics really don't tell the story well - you need to follow the comic strip included in the booklet. The songs themselves are fun, though. This doesn't really sound like Tull - simple melodies with no medieval influences or abstract lyrics. The title track, however, is really great. I didn't really like it at first, but it grew on me. It very pretty - much prettier than most of the fluff on Warchild, and is sung very well.

"Quizz Kid" and "Crazed Institution" are both good rock songs, "Salamander" is good (despite the fact that it's a bit of a rip off of the previous album's "Cold Wind to Valhalla"), and "Taxi Grab" is the first bluesy song since Stand Up (I'm discounting Living In The Past). "From a Dead Beat to an Old Greaser" is very slow and draggy, but it actually helps the mood of the song. "Bad Eyed 'n' Loveless", however, sucks. It's the first song Tull ever wrote that I will openly say sucks. I skip it almost every time. Slow and acoustic like "Dead Beat", but with terribly bad lyrics and no discernible melody. At least it's short. The rest of the album is pretty good too. This whole album is never great (except the title track), yet never bad (expect "Bad Eyed"). Not a classic by any means, but a nice record.

OVERALL RATING: 7

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll: Too Young To Die, From A Dead Beat To An Old Greaser, The Chequered Flag (Dead Or Alive).  LOW POINTS: Bad Eyed 'N' Loveless.

Though lately this album has been getting the respect that it deserves in the web reviewing community, this particular Tull effort has generally been consistently bashed by critics and ranked by fans as one of the band's lowest points. In the latter case, it's easy to see why the album has gotten this treatment - in between two of their most complex and musically (but not always melodically!) involving albums (Minstrel In The Gallery and Songs From The Wood) comes a much less ambitious effort with a simple, but interesting concept running through it that's detailed in the 'comic book' contained within the liner notes dealing with a former rock star that becomes 'unhip' with the crowd and his subsequent acceptance when his style becomes 'cool' again at the end of the album. The music here is generally driven by simple hard rock, with touches of orchestration, piano and horns in a few songs as well as more of an emphasis on memorable, catchy tunes.

This album also has an impressive consistency going for it - there may only be a few genuinely great songs here (which I'll get too later), but there's actually not a single weak or overly boring number amongst this material. The chorus of "Pied Piper" may be a bit obvious, but it's acoustic verses work fine, and even the simplistic "Bad Eyed 'N' Loveless" has a decent bluesy feel, works well as a transition point in the album, and doesn't last long enough to offend anyway. There are also a few fun rockers with engaging riffs and melodies in the infectious, harmonica-driven "Taxi Grab", which is quite an entertaining little piece. The opening "Quizz Kid" contains an excerpt from the title track to come, but as an individual song, it certainly holds its' own, because of its' rocking riff power and catchy chorus, as well as its' effectively setting up the album's concept very very well.

Elsewhere, "Big Dipper" musically strikes me as a simplified, poppy answer to the title track from Minstrel, and that's certainly a good thing, as it's a fun pop rocker rather than a bombastic epic (the former of which Tull was actually consistently better at in many ways.  The short, but very very pretty acoustic tune "Salamander" has a really great flowing buildup and seems somewhat more full than the acoustic links on Aqualung (as beautiful as those were). The very good 'folk turned hard rock' of "Crazed Institution" has very nice acoustic verses and it turns itself into a catchy anthem effectively. The obvious candidate for best song here, though,  is the classic title track, which stands out just fine on its' own, but works especially well in the context of the album as the climax to the concept. An outstanding anthem driven by horns and orchestration with an autobiographical Ian Anderson lyrical spin, the message of this song quite conveys Tull's commercial situation at the time, with a well-crafted melody, powerful chorus and a perfectly-placed uptempo ending.

The gorgeous ballads "From A Dead Beat To An Old Greaser" and the closing "The Chequered Flag (Dead Or Alive)" aren't too far off, though. The former contains a very breathtaking slow melody that plays throughout the whole song, and it can boasts really well-written lyrics that help the concept flow efficently. The latter is even more gorgeous, as it has a simply majestic orchestral sweep that hits particularly hard on its' credit rolling chorus, and melodically, the rest of the tune is certainly no slouch either. It's a song that definitely brings a thoroughly excellent ending to this very overlooked mid-70's gem.  This is a really low 8, and it might not be as musically accomplished as other Tull efforts, but everything here is catchy enough and enjoyable to listen to while on, with a few outright classics to make this a strong purchase.

OVERALL RATING: 8

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SONGS FROM THE WOOD (1977)

(Philip Maddox's review)

I hate to give one band more than one ten, but this record is just too good to get anything else. This is when Tull medieval style (started on Warchild) really comes into full bloom. Everything here is gorgeous - From the opening harmonies of the title track to the ending harmonies and guitar of "Fire At Midnight". This is the prettiest record Tull ever did (even prettier than Brick, though Brick is a weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee little bit better). The title track is complete with multi-part harmonies, beautiful flute work, and lots of energy. The epic "Pibroch (Cap in Hand)" is tied with "My God" in terms of excellence - there's this cool flute jig in the middle, with clapping, then an organ comes in - that sends shivers down my spine! "Hunting Girl" is quite kinky (well, not NEARLY as explicit as the stuff Zappa was putting out, but then again, what was?). "Cup of Wonder" has a very jovial atmosphere - I get the feeling of sitting at the round table in some old castle. That's the best thing about this record. It takes you to a completely different place. "Velvet Green" has some of the greatest instrumental interplay ever. I just can't say enough good about this record. I don't just go throwing 10s around - this record really deserves it. Take a chance on it and buy it. I think it's out of print, so waste no opportunity!

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Songs From The Wood, The Whistler, Ring Out Solstice Bells, Pibroch (Cap In Hand).  LOW POINTS: Velvet Green.

This is probably one of Tull's most controversial fan favorite albums, marking the point where Ian Anderson and company went for an interesting merge of folk and progressive rock elements. Opinions are fairly divided here - it seems to be considered either a collection of uninteresting ideas with rambling instrumental jams or an absolutely beautiful, unique masterpiece in the band's catalog. Personally (as is usual with my tastes) I fall somewhere in the middle, digging this record a lot - in my view there aren't really any shattering classics throughout these tracks (though a couple of them don't fall too short of the standard), but there also doesn't seem to be a real weak song here either. Sort of a consistent batch of 'really really solid' folk-prog tunes with pretty melodies, well-done arrangements and immaculate playing, plus a warm and inviting atmosphere that brings the listener into the forest pictured on the album cover.

The title track opens things up with a great acapella beginning (really neat fast melody and backing vocals), with a good dose of the atmosphere and prettiness I mentioned (with very cool medieval lyrics).  The jam in the middle is quite a well structured one, with rich-sounding instrumentation, good flow, and it helps bring the song to a satisfying closure. It's probably the closest thing to a bonafide classic on the album, but the rest of the first half is also rather solid. "Jack-In-The-Green" features all the instruments played by Anderson, and as a shorter acoustic tune, it's really made by a conviction-filled vocal tone and melody. "Cup Of Wonder" is another really fine poppier tune - its' flute part is extremely memorable, and along with the vocals and overall atmosphere of the tune, that gives the song the momentum it needs to be a solid number - the cool 'wonder-er-er-er' thing at the end of each chorus is very amusing as well.

"Hunting Girl" is another very interesting number, with rather nasty sexual lyrics, but the fabulous guitar riff that surfaces after its' fine musical buildup really makes the song.  The melody is entertaining, the playing very solid, and the rest of the song is paced well enough to never get boring.  The single "Ring Out, Solstice Bells", meanwhile, is probably the closest thing to accessible pop as you're going to find here, and while it's not immediately memorable on first listen, the melody reveals itself to be incredibly catchy and upbeat, with a fast 'clap along' verse that works perfectly in contrast with its' softer chorus.

The second half starts off with another fan favorite in the form of "Velvet Green", and it certainly has its' excellent moments - mainly, the beautiful harpsichord beginning and main acoustic part, but more than any other song here, it's a bit too structureless and rambling, going from section to section with very little flow.  With a better arrangement, it might have been solid (that neat middle section is certainly cool), but while still decent, it's probably the weakest track on the album.  No matter, though, as the most folk-based song here, "The Whistler", is nearly tied with the title track as the best song here.  It starts off as a haunting synth and bell driven ballad with an equally captivating melody, and then it transforms itself into a simple awesome upbeat campfire tune!

The next track here is in the form of the much maligned 8 minute epic "Pibroch (Cap In Hand)", and this is one tune that I'm gonna have to stand up for.  The arrangement is certainly on the overblown side, and it drags just slightly, but the awesome bursts of electric guitar merging with Anderson's flute in the transition to the slower bluesy verses are simply awesome, and the jam section is rather good, especially the always entertaining, obligatory flute solo.  Then, the most understated beauty of "Fire At Midnight" serves as a quiet, introspective ballad that contains a really cool guitar break and brings a solid closure to the whole album.  Simply put, this is a solid, consistent batch of well put together songs that you should give a try even if you're not sure about this era of Tull, especially since you can probably find it very cheap (as I did for $5).

OVERALL RATING: 8.5

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HEAVY HORSES (1978)

(Philip Maddox's review)

This one's pretty much in the same vein as the last one, but not quite as good. This one has a couple of less than spectacular songs on it - "Journeyman" is ok, but not great - "Weathercock" is completely overshadowed by the song before it - but all in all, this one's great. "...And the Mouse Police Never Sleeps" is pretty funny - it's all about cats chasing mice. It's not exactly brilliant, but I still like it a lot. "No Lullaby" is superb - the guitar intro is similar to "Pibroch", but the song has a dark feel, unlike Pibroch's light feel. "Moths" is a beautiful song - the lyrics are about death, but are dealt with in a light way - an excellent juxtaposition of moods.

Side 2, however, is perhaps the best album side Tull ever did. "Rover" is a song about travel ("The long road is a rainbow/ and the pot of gold lies there/ so slip the chain and I'm off again/ You'll find me everywhere 'cuz I'm the Ro-o-o-o-ver"). "One Brown Mouse" is all about the things we focus on and how unimportant it is in the long run. We're all slaves to routing - who sleeps in a cage? The brown mouse or us? The melody is beautiful, too. I think the words are based on a Robert Frost poem I haven't read.

Then comes the title track - THE Jethro Tull song. It's got so many different parts and instruments, so many melodies, so many ideas, so much EVERYTHING!!! It's all about the destruction of Shire work horses in favor of cold steel machines. Ian hopes to one day see the horses be appreciated once again. The lyrics fit the song perfectly. And it lasts ten minutes, and I still wish it would never end! Great, great song. It's followed by "Weathercock", but I don't even notice it because I'm still being blown away by the previous track. They should have switched the order of the two. Anyway, that one is almost impossible to find, so buy it if you see it. You haven't lived until you've heard the title track.

OVERALL RATING: 9

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Heavy Horses, Moths, Rover.  LOW POINTS: Journey Man.

At the most basic level, this album can be looked at as pretty much a sequel to Songs From The Wood in overall sound, but there are a couple of differences that distinguish this one from the last quite excellent effort.  The instrumentation, for one thing, seems to be focused a little more on the acoustic folksy side, which gives the record more of a warm feeling.  This apparent warmth in tone also fits the lyrical concept Ian has going here quite well - six of the songs here are either about animals or use them to symbolize some aspect of society.  What's also neat about this album is that, throughout virtually its' entire running time, Ian pretty much sings everything in his "Jack-In-The-Green" intonation, which is just fine with me, as I love that particular vocal tone.  Especially since it gives a lot of the material a great conviction it might not have had otherwise.

On the down side, while the songs are still excellent at their best, I don't believe this effort to be quite as consistent as Songs, since a few songs are a little flawed in presentation and melody.  The most obvious one would be "Journey Man", a song that might be listenable while it's on, but it reminds me a bit too much of a weak rendition of "Big Dipper" written by Ian's melodyless evil twin brother (What - you don't think he has one?  Well, how else do you explain the drastic change in quality between these albums?).  And "No Lullaby" should have been quite a captivating song, as its' hypnotizing slow blues framework, with awesome guitar breaks and lyrics here and there, could have made for something special, but I really don't get why he had to repeat pretty much the entire structure of it over again to extend it to almost 8 minutes.

Thankfully, the other numbers on the album are all pretty much nice in their own way.  Well, the closing "Weathercock" probably sounds somewhat insubstantial in the face of 'the' epic that I'll get too later, but even that one's a nice softer number.  I can even get a kick out of one of the most consistently bashed songs here ("Acres Wild") - it's quite an addictive flute/acoustic guitar led groove that may not have much of a point, but I have a blast while it's on.  The fast-paced "And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps" is also a fun, snappy way to open the album on as another catchy folk tune with a really interesting double-tracked vocal ending.  The other 'mouse' song, "One Brown Mouse", is where Ian's vocal tone gives a great charm to the lovely melody and deceptively pretty, but quite provocative, lyrics.  Good stuff.

But as fine as those songs are, I have to say Heavy Horses is pretty much made by three big highlights. The first of them, "Moths", is a gorgeous ballad with flute and symphonic embellishments that contains one of the most beautiful and memorable vocal melodies in the entire Tull catalog, with equally nice instrumentation.  And in an interesting twist, this is set to quite depressing lyrics (moths' fascination with lights which lead to their death).  Musically, "Rover" is also in the typical folk-prog style of this one and Songs, with another great acoustic guitar part interplaying with rich instrumentation, plus the solo section here really does justice to that type of style - but it's made even more outstanding by that vocal tone, awesome, showstopping melody and entertaining chorus ('cause I'm a... roooooooouver...').

And of course, there's the epic here in the form of the title track, which is truly made into one of the crowning achievements in the Tull catalog, courtesy of one of the most gripping structures they ever came up with.  Everything here is just top-notch, from the opening guitar part to the extremely pretty verse melody and those beautifully well-written, poetic lyrics (unquestionably some of Ian's best ever) that tell such a tragic tale of work horses being forgotten in favor of machines.  The chorus is also just about unforgettable, and song gets even more thrilling when the pace gets faster in its' midsection before returning to the main verse and chorus to end things as it fades out, by which time the listener's breath has been taken away.  This, people, is one of those songs that automatically makes an album worth buying, regardless of the overall song quality.  But fortunately, the quality of the material here is still very good otherwise, enough to make it a worthy addition to a Tull collection.

OVERALL RATING: 8

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LIVE - BURSTING OUT (1978)

(reviewed by Philip Maddox)

A nice concert document. These songs don't sound too different from the studio versions with a few exceptions. "Thick As A Brick" is shortened to highlights from side 1, which is understandable, as playing the whole thing might lose the patience of the audience (not mine, though!). "Songs From The Wood" is mercilessly shortened - the first set of verses are sung and then the song ends. Where's the cool middle stuff? They also chopped the middles out of "Too Old..." and "Minstrel", which annoys me. The live "One Brown Mouse" still sounds as good as it did in the studio. "A New Day Yesterday" abruptly turns into a long flute jam incorporating "My God", "Bouree", "Quatrain" (which was previously unreleased at the time, but you can now get on Nightcap), and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". Impressive stuff. Ian was the flute master. Sure, Ray Thomas was good, but he can't compare to Ian.

The single disc omits a live "Sweet Dream" (from Living In The Past), which is a shame since it's better than the studio version. It also cuts two instrumentals - "Conundrum" is good, but is a tad long - I'd like it better if I'd been there. "Quatrain" is short but pretty - kind of like the Passion Play theme. Well, there you have it. If you like live albums, this one's good. The song selection is good, but I would've loved to see "Pibroch" and "Heavy Horses" on here. If you're a casual fan, the single disc is still good. If you're really dedicated, the double disc is worth tracking down (I did it!).

OVERALL RATING: 9

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STORMWATCH (1979)

(Philip Maddox's review)

Again, this one's kind of like the last one, but not quite as good. There aren't any real stunners like the best songs on Songs or Horses, but the album is quite consistent. The creepy "Dun Ringill" is a cut above the rest, with its spooky arrangement and dark lyrics ("By the wee hours I'll meet you/ Down by Dun Ringill/ We'll watch the Old Gods play/ Down by Dun Ringill"). "Elegy" is also very good. It was written by David Palmer, Tull's then keyboard player. It's a very good instrumental - at least as good as "Bouree". The rest of the stuff is very even - not great, but still quite good, and with some spectacular moments. "North Sea Oil" and "Old Ghosts" are both very good. This is a rather dreary record - it's all about death, storms, Armageddon, and the like. It's the perfect soundtrack for a cold, rainy day when the fog is hanging low in the streets. It also marks the end of an era - Tull was never the same after this one. Occasionally, they would experiment well, but sometimes..........

OVERALL RATING: 8

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Elegy, Dun Ringill, Orion.  LOW POINTS: Flying Dutchman.

The apocalyptic-style Tull album, as Ian Anderson largely moves away from the folk of Songs From The Wood and Heavy Horses and into a somewhat darker time where the world has run out of oil, and the end of the existence is coming or something to that effect.  The only thing that this Stormwatch in particular brings to an end, though, is actually the classic Tull style - Ian would take a completely unexpected left turn into electronics when the 80's hit, and you could never predict that change sitting through this album.  In fact, some portions of this remind me a lot more of the 73-75 period of the band than the last two albums, with a lot of emphasis on the lyrics (which are still the usual quality) and complex jamming (which isn't as good as before, but still professional) and not so much on actual vocal melodies and other key aspects of good songwriting.  The difference?  For the most part, I actually find this venture to be consistently worthwhile - the creepy atmosphere very much helps, and they pulled out a couple really excellent songs here.

In fact, the only thing that prevents this from getting an 8 (or at least an extremely high 7.5) is the fact that Ian goes a little off the edge into pretentious epic territory in two pieces which take up over a third of the album, unfortunately.  Well, the 9 minute "Dark Ages" is at least decent - here, Ian actually takes the prototype for something rambling like "Back Door Angels" and actually makes it memorable and structured!  It's definitely overlong, and doesn't add anything special to his legacy, but at least it never gets that boring, and in places, it rocks as excitingly as the end to "Thick As A Brick", with memorable 'daaaaark aaaages' chants and a fine opening riff in particular.  I wish I could say the same for "Flying Dutchman", though - for the most part, this one is as bad, pointless and unmemorable as the most excessive and melodyless Tull songs, dragging for almost 8 minutes with absolutely nothing to offer.

I like the rest of this stuff, though, as all the other songs are good in some way.  There's some nice uptempo stuff like the opening "North Sea Oil", a quite fun conventional Tull groove with a memorable flute line that lyrically introduces the loose concept of the album, the rocker "Something's On The Move" (which often gets bashed for whatever reason, but even though it's a little generic, it does have an ear-catching riff, and resolves itself at the chorus very well), and the lightweight funky organ instrumental "Warm Sporran" that closes side one.  "Old Ghosts", meanwhile, continues in the more creepy, dreary vein, and although it doesn't have that memorable of a melody, it sounds good while on.  As does "Home", whose orchestrated ballad setup could even fit on Too Old - that pretty orchestration certainly reminds me of similar songs there, with a lovely melody, and great guitar breaks from Martin Barre.  Solid.

None of those songs, however, quite compare to the better stuff here.  The overlooked "Orion" is one of those better tracks, with the bombastic, memorable hard rock refrain effortlessly merging with pretty folk elements in the traditional style.  Then there's "Dun Ringill" and "Elegy", which are often justifiably marked out as highlights - the former one is probably closest to stripped down folk stuff, but it's a creepy variation of it, as the vocal melody and lyrics are among the darkest of the album, and those vocal echoes constantly popping up here and there add such a powerfully foreboding atmosphere.  The latter, meanwhile, is in great competition with "Bouree" as the best Tull instrumental, as it's a gorgeous piece written and arranged by David Palmer, and its' gentle, moving melody certainly makes for a pleasing closer after the nightmare of "Flying Dutchman", and a solid choice for best on the album.  In all, Stormwatch is nothing groundbreaking as a whole (most of this stuff has been done before and better by Tull), but that doesn't mean the songs here aren't good or occasionally great (with one exception, of course).

OVERALL RATING: 7

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A (1980)

(Philip Maddox's review)

What happened here? Ian Anderson was planning on making a solo record with Martin Barre, but the record company decided it would sell better as a Tull record, and Ian's studio musicians became Jethro Tull. Was this the act that caused Tull to change so much? We may never know. All I know is that this record has some serious problems. It's not even the cheesy synth sound I mind - it's the fact that Ian forgot to write good songs to go with 'em. With one huge exception. "Black Sunday" is awesome, to say the least. This would have been a highlight on any other Tull record anyway. On this one, it REALLY stands out. It's got that creepy, dark Stormwatch feel to it, only it feels even more hopeless. I can't even explain how cool that song is. It's not "Heavy Horses", but it's still quite a song.

The rest, however, is hit-or-miss to say the least. "Crossfire" and "Working John - Working Joe" are pretty good synth-driven rock songs. "Fylingdale Flyer" is actually quite good. It's a snappy number with a good melody. That's it for side 1. As for side 2......... well, it's your call. I think "Batteries Not Included" is pretty ugly, but at least rhythmically interesting. "And Further On" is kind of pretty. "4.W.D. (Low Ratio)" is absolutely abysmal, however. Imaging Jethro Tull doing a funky synth groove and bragging about getting a good, cheap car. It's as bad as you think it would be. "Uniform" is worse. It's so out of tune and ugly, and it doesn't even have a good rhythm. It's about as good musically as, say, a chainsaw. "The Pine Martin's Jig" is an ok instrumental, but it ain't exactly "Elegy". There is some good stuff here, but if you want to dig it out..... you're on your own.

OVERALL RATING: 5

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Black Sunday.  LOW POINTS: Batteries Not Included, Uniform, 4.W.D. (Low Ratio), Protect And Survive.

You know, several older and newer bands managed to make it just fine incorporating 80's technology into their sound.  Unfortunately, Jethro Tull was not one of them.  Or at least, Ian Anderson certainly didn't show himself to be one of those songwriters capable of doing so here, See, this wasn't even supposed to be a Tull record at all, merely an Ian solo album.  You might ask, "Well, isn't it stupid for Ian Anderson to put out a solo album when he handles practically everything in the songwriting of the band?"  Well, it would be, except for the fact that he wanted to take a deviate somewhat from the traditional style and put out an album with some electronic experimentation (synths and all that crazy stuff).  But unfortunately, this venture became a Tull album when the record company encouraged Ian to use the name, totally revamped lineup and all (except for Martin Barre).

I guess it doesn't matter anyway, because the album is the first truly bad one they've put out so far (Minstrel only sunk to high level mediocre because of "Baker St. Muse"), with almost no noteworthy positive qualities to redeem it. There's inappropriate synth sounds all over the place on most of the songs, and they're not even the most annoying factor here - the songs really have no melodies either, and I might also add that whatever awful robotic vocal effect Ian is using on his voice is as distracting as anything.  Plus, you know you're in for trouble when the most generic songs here turn out to be among the highlights (the routine flute, violin and guitar jam "The Pine Marten's Jig" and the closing ballad by numbers "And Further On"), and that even the more promising songs are ruined by the arrangements (the simply awful oversynthed and robotic tone of the chorus on the otherwise catchy and lyrically excellent "Working John, Working Joe" and the out-of-place embellishments of "Flyingdale Flyer").

But nothing compares to the four song monstrosity that is the start of side two, the most hideous stretch of Tull music to this point.  I swear, "Batteries Not Included" and "Uniform" are some of the most horrible songs I've ever heard - completely tuneless, structureless, melodyless pieces of utter shit.  I could go on about things like the horrid dissonant arrangement in the former or the out-of-tune instrumentation in the latter, but I won't.  Not when I have the hilariously woeful car song "4.W.D. (Low Ratio)" to make fun of - I cracked up at how cheesy this song was the first time I heard it, with its' laughable vocoder chorus, the hopelessly dumb midtempo groove, and those lyrics.  And to think, the completely forgettable filler of "Protect And Survive" is the best song on this part of the album!

After all that, though, I can still give it a solid 4 - a high rating for an album like this - because none of the other songs beside those four strike me as bad on the whole, though they're usually mediocre at best (epitomized by the dated Casio sound of the pop rocking chorus on the opening "Crossfire").  What really brings the album up at least a point in the rating is (gasp) an absolute classic in the side closing "Black Sunday".  This is seriously a candidate for Tull's greatest songwriting achievement post "Thick As A Brick", and amazingly enough, the production faults don't even apply here.  It's simply a great piece of dramatic prog rock, with a doomy and depressing mood ala Stormwatch, a majestic synth part driving things forward, an incredibly catchy and riveting main melody, well-written lyrics on touring, and the usual fabulous playing.  How a song this brilliant could end up on an otherwise worthless pile of crap is beyond me, but these are the kind of things you deal with in the enigmatic Tull history.

OVERALL RATING: 4

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THE BROADSWORD AND THE BEAST (1982)

(Philip Maddox's review)

Wow! This one's a whole lot better than A. The All Music Guide gave this one star, too. They gave A three stars. Sometimes I wonder if they even listen to the records... Anyway, this doesn't sound like any of their earlier stuff. The keyboard guy from the last album (Eddie Jobson) is gone, and Peter Vetesse takes his plase. The synthesizers sound a little more 80's on here, but the songs are WAY better. "Broadsword" is a great Viking song. It has a really epic feel to it. It's more medieval, unlike the ultra-modern last album's songs. "Pussywillow" is also medieval and is very pretty. It's got one of the best, simple flute melodies Ian ever wrote. "The Clasp" is a strange, atmospheric song. I really love it's sound. It's completely unlike any other song Tull ever did. This is how the last album should have sounded - if you're gonna go 80's production, at least make the songs count! "Fallen on Hard Times" and "Beastie" are great rock songs, too.

My favorite on here is probably "Flying Colours", a fast song about a couple that has fallen out of love. It's really great sounding. It's got a neat, creepy feel to it, like some of Tull's best stuff does. On the other hand, "Watching Me Watching You" is pretty bad. Not as bad as some of the stuff on A, but much worse than the rest of the stuff on here. It's a completely synthesized song with no melody to speak of. When the All Music Guide called this album "tuneless drivel", I assume that this is the song they listened to, because the rest of the album is very tuneful and VERY consistent - song for song, it's better than Stormwatch. This one recently got reissued, so you can get it pretty easily.

OVERALL RATING: 9

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Broadsword, The Clasp.  LOW POINTS: None.

Alright, maybe Ian Anderson actually could use electronic elements well - the improvement of this album over Arrrrghh is so unreal that it's seriously almost like that electronic wasteland never existed (except for the fake "Black Sunday" single that they issued during their imaginary three year hiatus).  And this is all the more remarkable considering the synths and general 80's vibe of the songs are probably even more prominent this time around - the thing is, the band (with new keyboardist Peter Vetesse) figured out how to use them to their advantage and fit the medieval-style mood they were going for.  Much more importantly, though, Broadsword goes to show you that fine melodies can really take an album places, as every song here is memorable hook-wise, and that's saying something, considering there were so many forgettable moments on the last one, heck, even on some of the other 70's Tull works.  Figures that the hardcore fans have to hate this one for some reason.

Okay, maybe the album isn't a fabulous one, as the drastic rise in song quality here over Awful actually makes things seem better than they actually are, and I can only think of a couple songs that really strike me as truly great, even if everything here is good.  But the first two songs alone should be enough to convince skeptics of the album's quality - witness the opening anthemic pounder "Beastie", where Ian's vocal delivery of the lyrics in the verse - like he's telling some epic tale - work effectively with the dumb but strangely appropriate keyboards, with a nicely hard rocking chorus.  "The Clasp", meanwhile, is odd - this is the kind of song that might have sucked in the last album's environment, but here, it's transformed into something moody and convincing. We've got a generic but mysterious synth intro merging nicely into some nifty flute/drum interplay, plus vocal effects that actually work in producing their intended chilling effect as opposed to being annoying and soulless.  It's got some damn energy, too, which was sorely missed before.

Out of the rest, only the second half opener "Broadsword" stands out as a classic, though with its' huge, bombastic production sound (all the instruments, especially the rhythm section and keyboards, sound convincingly emphasized) combining with the epic Viking lyrics and strong melody, does make it the best on the album.  The other songs aren't bad at all - they just tread toward the merely enjoyable side rather than the awesome one, whether it be in the generic, though still exciting synth pop/hard rock song "Flying Colours", the generic, but still beautiful piano ballad "Slow Marching Band", the strangely jovial for its' title "Fallen On Hard Times" (a "Cup Of Wonder"-styled song), or the awkward but still charming blend of medieval flute ballad verse and 80's style chorus (a hook that's probably the most stick-in-my-head moment here) on "Pussy Willow".  All of them the greatest songs ever written compared to "Batteries Not Included", of course.

Unfortunately, the album loses momentum just a little at the end there to keep it away from 8.  The ode to paranoia "Watching Me, Watching You" hits the synth domination and robotic production too hard, and the vocal melody is very clumsy, though still catchy and memorable, and the robotic 'Stares' outbursts are cool.  Then there's "Sealdriver", which is probably the closest thing to the progressive style of Tull here (and maybe the darkest song on the album), with a slow-building bass intro eventually building itself into a good hard-rocking jam segment in the middle, though it's a little too overlong and uneventful at points.  And the minute long closer "Cheerio" serves no purpose other than a celebratory goodbye to the album - the melody and vocal effects are dippy enough that it'd probably suck as a full-length song.  Still, compared to the filler on other Tull efforts (and Abominable), these songs seem more than respectable, and are good on their own.  So is the album, actually.  One of their more overlooked efforts.

OVERALL RATING: 7.5

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UNDER WRAPS (1984)

(Philip Maddox's review)

The culmination of Tull's electronic period, and it pretty much sucks. The song material is pretty much well below average throughout, and the arrangements are even worse. No drums. Minimal flutes and guitars. Lots and lots of synthesizers. You see, electronic music can be good in the right hands (KMFDM, anyone?), but Ian Anderson's hands certainly aren't the right ones. He gives this album a big 80s feel that is guaranteed to suck your soul right out of your body. Actually, a few of the songs here are actually pretty good. The title track (in 2 different variations, 1 acoustic and the other, well, like the rest of the album) is actually quite nice. It features some decent flute, great vocals, and an undeniable melody. It isn't perfect, but it is very good. "European Legacy" actually has an acoustic guitar in it, and while it certainly isn't perfect either, it has a great vocal hook in the verses that make up for the lame arrangements. "Nobody's Car" is also quite good - the live version on the 25th Anniversary Box Set is much better, but this one is still pretty quirky and memorable. Also, a few of the songs have a catchy, memorable part in them (though the rest of the song sucks).

The rest of the material is pretty bad, though. Lame electronica numbers like "Paparazzi", "Automotive Engineering", "Later, That Same Evening", "Saboteur", and basically everything else hurt me in ways that you can't really express. Plus, the album drags on for an hour or so, and each moment seems duller than the last. Actually, now that I think about, even the best songs aren't that great. They just seem great because the rest of this album is so bad. Avoid this unless you either like the soulless 80s sound combined with lame melodies or simply must have every note Jethro Tull ever released.

A note as of a couple of months after the first review - I was wrong. It's not all that bad. A bit generic, but not really as nasty as a made it out to be, and at least worth a 5. I don't know, I guess the album just grew on me and I was originally kinda giving in to the anti-hype. I still wouldn't pay a lot for it, but it's worth a couple of bucks at least.

OVERALL RATING: 5

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Lap Of Luxury.  LOW POINTS: Saboteur, Automotive Engineering, Nobody's Car, Heat, Paparazzi.

Ugh... now they're back to crap again - so much for getting the hang of the electronic direction on Broadsword.  But everyone familiar with Tull's history already knows the legend behind the supposed wretchedness of Under Wraps already, as it's considered to be one of the most unlistenable pieces of crap ever released by a major band.  Hmm.  While I will agree that this is definitely a low point for Ian and his backing band, and a weaker 'effort' than anything else they did to this point, I'm not so sure it's quite as horrid as people make it out to be.  I dunno... maybe my expectations were set way too low for this, but believe it or not, this album does have a few things going for it.  The melodies, when they do exist at least, have at least a little bit of entertaining value to them, and there's nothing as painful to listen to as that stretch on the second half of A.  Plus, the conceptual unity is intriguing in places - the lyrics have a somewhat paranoid ranting tone to them that works decently with the cold atmosphere of the music.

Yeah, I know I'm just kinda throwing faint praise around, but considering how badly it's been trashed over the years, I'd almost say Under Wraps is a little underrated.  I mean, dated and generic as they may be, at least synth-pop stuff like the opening "Lap Of Luxury" (which is quite bouncy and enjoyably catchy to my ears, with ear-catching synth and vocal hooks) and the first version of the title track (a fast-paced and wildly entertaining, even if somewhat corny, tune) are perfectly listenable.  I can even say the same for a few other songs that show up later, like the slow-building and even occasionally atmospheric 'rocket launch' ode "Apogee", the pleasant even if severely out of place acoustic version of the title track, and the more uptempo social commentary "Radio Free Moscow".  Sure, absolutely nobody is going to be mistaking these for Tull classics, but I must insist that they are memorable and sometimes engaging.  I also forgot to mention that Ian's out-of-place flute puffing here amongst the electronics is quite amusing, and adds more entertainment value along the way.

Okay, enough of that.  Now come the bad points here, and do we ever have them.  First of all, what the hell is with these synths?  They're always upfront and obnoxiously dated, often boggling the mind with their inappropriateness (the stiff drum machine production and metallized guitar background doesn't help either). They hurt songs like the 'potentially very good if on Broadsword' cheery ballad "European Legacy" and the introspective "Later, That Same Evening" (with plodding robotic effects there), and 'help' stuff like the absolutely horrendous disco-styled "Saboteur" become just about unlistenable.  This song has one of the most annoying synth parts ever conceived, a mind-numbingly awful 'me no, me no, me no saboteur' chant, and a generally bad arrangement.  "Nobody's Car" isn't much better, as it's a lame, melodyless cross between hard rock and electronica that even ends with the same melody as the chorus of "Saboteur"! ARGH!

The attempts at a more dynamic style fall flat, too.  "Heat" kinda attempts to be complex, but it doesn't have much of a melody, so as a result all I can remember are those irritating synths and the awful 'GET OUT of the HEAT' chorus.  "Paparazzi" is also a limp, generic rocker with another stupidly obvious melody, and... hmm.  Oh, it was also a really, really stupid idea to add four 'bonus' tracks to the middle and end of the CD, making the listening experience last over an hour.  They don't affect the rating one way or the other, as they're mostly mediocre tunes that blend in with their surroundings, so they're not really worth mentioning.  Except "Automotive Engineering", just because it's so bad in going out of its' way to annoy you with its' 'experimental' textures and repetitive melody.  You know, I almost did consider giving this album a 3 for awhile, but there isn't too much that outright offends me, and there are a few decent songs that pull up the rating a little, though only very slightly.  It's a fatal misstep in Tull's career any way you look at it, though.

OVERALL RATING: 4

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ORIGINAL MASTERS (1985)

(reviewed by Nick Karn)

HIGH POINTS: all the tracks on here are very good to classic.  LOW POINTS: nothing from Stand Up or post '77 albums.

This is probably the one album most people decided to buy from Jethro Tull because cliche-ridden critics probably told them to only buy one.  It's the most commonly available album in their vast catalog, though, and it's a compilation that apparently covers a few of their most significant hit singles and key album tracks.  I definitely wouldn't suggest this album as the only Tull album to buy, as it could have been a bit more comprehensive. It's certainly a good introduction, but really, how can you really appreciate the greatness of this band with a collection that covers nothing from Stand Up and only the first three minutes of the totally breathtaking song-length Thick As A Brick?  But the material that is actually present here, though, is quite worthy - I just deprived a half-point on the 'compilation scale' for this minor flaw (not to mention there isn't anything post '77 either).

As for the song selection, around half of it is taken up by four of the band's non-album singles collected on the Living In The Past compilation (the catchy as hell pop of "Witches Promise" and "Living In The Past", the majestic hard rocking "Sweet Dream" and the uplifting "Life's A Long Song" all rule) and the two most famous Aqualung cuts (the multi-faceted epic title track and the chugging "Locomotive Breath"). It also includes the title tracks from Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll (which has a great striking chorus), Minstrel In The Gallery (a fine medieval hard rocking epic) and Songs From The Wood (a fabulous condensed complex piece), as well as that aforementioned short extract of "Thick As A Brick" and the two quirky Warchild hits, the really pretty Passion Play sounding "Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of A New Day" and the wonderfully entertaining "Bungle In The Jungle".  This album shouldn't be too hard to find cheap as your first exposure to Tull, but if you like what you hear (and you should), be sure to get more albums from this great band. 

OVERALL RATING: 8.5

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A CLASSIC CASE (1985)

(reviewed by Philip Maddox)

This isn't really a Tull album, but it's close enough to review. This album is the London Symphony Orchestra playing the songs of Jethro Tull. The band plays on most of the tracks, though, and there are lots of flute and guitar solos ala Ian and Martin. It's all instrumental, too. If you really hate Ian's voice, this may be the one to get, because the songs are good at the core. Some of these songs just don't sound right here, though. "Locomotive Breath" is a rocker, not a symphony piece, and it sounds awkward. Same with "Aqualung" (despite a great guitar solo). "Thick as a Brick" is shortened way too much to really be appreciated. "Warchild" wasn't a great song anyway, but it's completely unrecognizable and completely boring. This version really goes nowhere.

The songs that were instrumentals anyway, "Bouree" and "Elegy", are both actually better on this album than on the real ones - these songs were meant to be played by a symphony. "Fly By Night" (from Anderson's solo album Walk Into Light) is also really cool. The medley of hits is pretty good (but why did they play Loco Breath AGAIN? It wasn't great the first time!). Get it if you're really, really into Tull or symphonic music, but this is by no means essential. "Rainbow Blues" is on here in short instrumental form; it was previously released as a bonus track on a hits collection called M.U.. It should've been on a real album - it's great! It's only ok here, though.

OVERALL RATING: 6

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CREST OF A KNAVE (1987)

(reviewed by Nick Karn)

HIGH POINTS: Dogs In The Midwinter.  LOW POINTS: Mountain Men, The Waking Edge, Budapest, Steel Monkey, Raising Steam, Said She Was A Dancer.

You know, I often find the differences between people's musical opinions to be a very interesting thing, especially in the case of a band like Jethro Tull, and nowhere does this situation get more complicated than Crest Of A Knave.  Pretty much everyone agrees in retrospect that Under Wraps sucks (except Ian Anderson, Martin Barre and a few mentally unstable people like Philip Maddox  :)), but yet this is widely praised among fans as a glorious return to form for Tull, with brilliant lyrics, complex arrangements, and great hard rock.  And additionally, there was the controversy of the album winning a friggin' Grammy over such excellent efforts as Nothing's Shocking and ...And Justice For All (though I might understand if it was a replacement for a lifetime achievement award, at least).  Of course, there are a lot of others out there who absolutely despise this album, and I have to unfortunately say that I'm part of that group who considers Crest atrocious crap.

Not only that, but I can't even see how it's such a huge improvement over Under Wraps, or how it's an improvement at all.  Sure, the electronics aren't as prominent as they were before, and there might be a higher percentage of memorable melodies, but there are several other flaws that quickly cancel those out.  First off, the hard rock/metal elements are so incredibly non-descript on here that it's not even funny, not to mention the jam bits (and they take up quite a bit of a couple songs) easily rank among the band's most rambling, boring and unmemorable.  Second, there's the matter of Ian's voice, which, thanks to his throat problems, has gained an annoyingly thin quality to it that, coupled with the lyrical style (and its' importance over all memorable musical elements), constantly feels like an obnoxious Dire Straits ripoff to me... and I haven't even heard much of that band, apart from the hits (which I like just fine, by the way)!

On first couple listens, I thought I would end up giving this a 2 (which would put it in a select, currently rare class of albums I mostly refuse to review now), but there are a few songs that are decent enough to cause me to boost up the rating just a bit.  "Farm On The Freeway" is the one time Ian's storytelling is set to an actual 'dramatic' atmosphere and semi-memorable piano based melody, and the lyrics are quite good, but the jam in the middle effectively kills the potential of that off.  "Jump Start" is also somewhat catchy, if a bit boring and slow with that repetitive acoustic guitar part, and again, the jamming is bland, while "Dogs In The Midwinter" might be the closest thing to a very good song here, but only because it's in the same category of 'dumbass guilty pleasure entertainment' as the best Under Wraps stuff.  Plus, it's got a catchy flute line and halfway infectious chorus, and even the generic Tull flute/guitar/dated synth intro jam is fun, so I like it somewhat.

The rest of the album, though, is shit, and that's being generous.  The bookend tracks "Steel Monkey" and "Raising Steam" are basically dumbass hard rock/electronic tracks that aren't fun, but rather nauseating (that bombastic 'I'm a... STEEL MONKEY!' chorus *insert generic arena rock chords, drum machine pounding and awful dancey synths here* is one of the stupidest goddamn 'hooks' ever).  And we also get the crappy country-ish 'love affair' ballad "Said She Was A Dancer" (with more obnoxious Knopfler-style intonations), the crappy slow and melodyless generic Tull-styled ballad "The Waking Edge" (with some more blah singing), the crappy bland lumbering melodyless ballad to predictably generic fast hard rock of "Mountain Men", and.. uhh...  "Budapest", whatever that's trying to accomplish.

Seriously, the second half of this album is just a wasteland of awful music, and "Budapest" starts it off.  This is the point where Ian's obsession with Dire Straits reaches its' peak in grand, epic storytelling (with such genius prose as 'she wouldn't make love, but she could make good sandwich' in a Mark Knofler's evil twin brother vocal tone!).  I must admit, it's at least partially successful at creating some 'hot night' atmosphere over that acoustic guitar line and vocal delivery, but 10 minutes long?  It just rides on the exact same pattern for the whole time, and unless your lyrics are Final Cut quality, you will not maintain my interest over such a boring arrangement, especially when you join your backing band in another endless jam.  By minute 6, I'm dying for this to end, much like "Baker St. Muse".  Blergh, I should pull out that 2, but those choruses of "Dogs In The Midwinter" and "Jump Start" are about as lodged in my skull right now as the crayon in Homer Simpson's brain, so I just can't do it.  Goddamn you Ian Anderson and your forcing me to give out low 3's and 4's instead of 2's.  You deserve the Grammy for this album about as much as Milli Vanilli.

OVERALL RATING: 3

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ROCK ISLAND (1989)

(reviewed by Philip Maddox)

My original review for this album gave it a 6, which seems much too generous in retrospect. This album actually bores the pants off of me now. There are a few good songs ("Ears Of Tin", "Another Christmas Song", "Heavy Water") that aren't great, but actually do seem developed and catchy, though Ian's new voice hadn't been perfected yet. The rest of this album is pretty boring - immaculately played and performed, of course, but totally lacking in ideas or inspiration. Why bother? I wish I could write a longer review, but there really isn't anything to say - it all floats by nicely, but leaves no noticeable effect on you after it's over. Oh well. Avoid it unless you need some inconspicuous background music or need to round out your Tull collection. Together with Under Wraps, this album marks a low point in Tull history.

OVERALL RATING: 4

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CATFISH RISING (1991)

(reviewed by Philip Maddox)

Better than Rock Island, but still not that great. This album actually does have some grade A material on it, like the heavy metal rocker "This Is Not Love", the thoughtful travelogue "Rocks On The Road",and the goofy "Thinking Round Courners". There's also some decent material here that isn't great, but is still good. The groovy "Occasional Demons", the "Fat Man"-ish "Like A Tall Thin Girl", and some of the bluesier stuff on the second half are all quite nice. Unfortunately, 3 songs on here really suck - "Doctor To My Disease" is generic heavy metal in a bad way, "White Innocense" sounds like a lame rewrite of a track from Crest Of A Knave called "Budapest" (but with much lesser results), and "Still Loving You Tonight" is a bad attempt at the blues - Weather Channel guitar licks and background flourishes abound. The rest of the material has the same problems as Rock Island - no interesting things happening at all, just well played but totally inconsequential background music. A better buy than Rock Island to be sure, but if you really want to explore late period Tull, start with Dot Com.

OVERALL RATING: 5

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A LITTLE LIGHT MUSIC (1992)

(reviewed by Philip Maddox)

This is another live Tull record, recorded on the Catfish Rising tour. If you're only going to get one live Tull record, get Bursting Out, as it's way better. This certainly isn't bad, though. This is all mostly acoustic renditions of Tull classics. Well, not all of the Tull classics are here (no "Aqualung", etc.), but I think that's the point. This one's more aimed at hardcore fans. The instrumental version of "Pussywillow" is my favorite song on here. It's a really beautiful song - I heard Tull play it live once and it was mind blowing (I mean ACTUALLY live, not on a live album). Most of the cuts are good, although I skip the uncomfortable live version of "Living In The Past" sometimes, as it's not very good played this way - it's played in instrumental arena rock style (Arena rock? On Living In The Past? No!).

The previously unreleased song on here, "John Barleycorn", is pretty good, though not great. "Too Old To Rock and Roll..." is played in a reggae type style (well, as reggae as Tull can get). "Look Into The Sun" is an unrecognizable instrumental - definitely not as good as the original. All in all, though, this is a pleasant listening experience. And it ends with a hard rockin' version of "Locomotive Breath", so it's not all acoustic. "A New Day Yesterday" is electric, too, butt the band kind of messed up the riff. Oh, and Ian's comments between the songs are usually pretty funny.

OVERALL RATING: 7

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25TH ANNIVERSARY - BOXED SET (1993)

(reviewed by Philip Maddox)

This is a 4 CD boxed set containing a lot of previously unreleased live performances and stuff. I got it real cheap, which is fortunate, as I've seen this thing sell for quite a lot on Ebay. It's only for diehards, but it's great for those diehards. I'll tell you about each disc briefly: REMIXED CLASSIC TULL is, surprise, remixed classic Tull songs. Only a couple really sound different ("Life is a Long Song" and "Songs From the Wood"), so it's basically a greatest hits album. It only goes up through Broadsword And The Beast, though. CARNEGIE HALL is a Tull concert at Carnegie Hall from the Benefit tour. They put on a really good show that night. This is the show the lengthy instrumentals on Living In The Past came from (though they don't reappear here). There's also an embryonic "My God" with different lyrics (which had to be changed for the official release on Aqualung). It's better than A Little Light Music.

THE BEACON'S BOTTOM TAPES are re-recordings of classic Tull songs. Most of them sound painfully inferior to the originals, but the new "My God" is still great, and has a great flute solo in it (like always!). I don't listen to it much, though. LIVE ACROSS THE WORLD AND THROUGH THE AGES is a collection of Tull live songs between 1968 and 1993. The old stuff is primo, but I don't need to hear live versions of "Still Loving You Tonight". Most of it's good, though. I'll give it a seven, as most of this stuff (Beacon's Bottom excepted) is good, and since only diehards will buy this, they'll probably like it. I do.

OVERALL RATING: 7

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NIGHTCAP (1993)

(reviewed by Philip Maddox)

This is a double disc: Disc 1 is the rough draft of A Passion Play, and disc 2 is assorted outtakes and B-sides. The first disc is really cool. As legend goes, the group was in tax exile in France while Ian Anderson wrote and recorded some songs for a new album. Things didn't go as planned, though, and Tull returned to England to rework some of the writing and quickly released A Passion Play. I'm a bit surprised, since I like the blueprints found here better. Some of the melodic themes found on Passion Play originated here, usually as length instrumental jams, which don't get boring.

Other material, such as the three part suite of "Scenario / Audition / No Rehearsal", was completely scrapped (though the beginning of the cool "Well meaning fool" bit from the Play take root here). Impressive stuff. I listen to it a lot. It seems to be a concept album about animals, but who knows what the band is thinking most of the time - my favorite lyric is, at the beginning of "Law of the Bungle Part 2", Martin Barre announces, "Welcome to Law of the Bungle Part 2. By the Way, I'm Martin Barre, but sometimes I'm an owl, and my feathers are very smooth, and sometimes when I feel romantic, I dress in men's clothing". It's hard to believe that Tull never did drugs (though they really didn't).

Disc 2 is also great. "Sealion II" has the same music as the Warchild track, but with funny lyrics about sealions ("My friend Cecil is damp and smooth sealion/ Yes, Cecil is a sealion"). "Broadford Bazzar" is an outtake from either Songs or Horses, and it should have been crammed on to one of those two. It's quite a masterpiece. Beautiful song. "Truck Stop Runner" and "Rosa on the Factory Floor" are Catfish Rising outtakes much better than most of the material that actually made the album. A lot of this album has a folkie vibe Tull hasn't had in a long time. I love this album and recommend it just as much as the "proper" Tull records. Most people seem to love or hate disc 1, though, much like the original Passion Play. It's your call.

OVERALL RATING: 9

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ROOTS TO BRANCHES (1995)

(reviewed by Philip Maddox)

This is a big step up from the last few studio albums. This is the first truly creative Tull album in... well, God knows how long. This one has lots of eastern influences and stuff. The tracks are pretty good, too. "Wounded, Old, and Treacherous" is the first jazzy song, well, since Stand Up. It's great, too. The best song on here. It's got awesome flute/guitar interplay over the last part, too. The title track, "Rare and Precious Chain", and a couple of others all have a groovy Indian vibe. "At Last, Forever" is an extremely pretty song, the first one since Broadsword And The Beast came out in '82.

Of course, a couple of songs aren't that great. "Dangerous Veils" and "Out of the Noise" aren't that great. "This Free Will" has one of the best openings Tull ever did, but the actual song is only ok. The last two songs aren't that great, either. A bit too slow and long. Not enough melody. The best songs on here are still extremely good, though. Good like wood! Hee Hee, that rhymes! Try it out. It's usually cheap, since nobody bought it (I don't think it even hit the Top 200).

OVERALL RATING: 7

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IN CONCERT LIVE AT THE BBC (1998)

(reviewed by Philip Maddox)

Not an official release (it was released by the BBC, not Tull's record label), but easily available and definitely Tull, so here it is. This was recorded live on the Catfish Rising tour, like A Little Light Music. However, this one rocks harder. It's not just acoustic renderings of old songs - 4 songs from Catfish Rising are here, and they're all pretty good (except "Still Loving You Tonight" - I own THREE different versions of that song... and all of them are worthless). "Heavy Horses" is here, too! That's a great song! (See the review of it's album for details). It's not as good here, but it's still great. Just hearing Tull play that song is enough for me! "A New Day Yesterday" is much better than on Light Music. It's got the cool riff back! The rest is pretty much like you'd expect - good versions of Tull songs. I like it. Not really essential, though. It's also the most common Tull release where I live. Every time I look at Tull stuff, there's about 15 copies of this.

OVERALL RATING: 7

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J-TULL DOT COM (1999)

(reviewed by Philip Maddox)

Hey Hey Hey! This is the first great record Tull has made since Broadsword. This is everything you'd want from a Tull record. Ian's voice is constantly fitting the music better (just like the old days), and that alone help the record a lot! Plus, only one song on here isn't that good, and that's "Dot Com", which has cheesy, cheesy, cheesy lyrics about cyberdating (c'mon, Ian, you can do better!), though the tune itself is still ok. "Spiral" is a great hard rock song. And I actually heard it on the radio! That's the first Tull song I'd heard in a while on the radio. "Hunt by Numbers" is the HEAVIEST song Tull ever recorded (it almost sounds like a Megadeth riff!), and it kicks! "El Nino" is a threatening, dark sounding tune in the Stormwatch vein. It's hard, too!

But the whole album isn't hard. "The Dog Ear Years" is a folkie song like Songs or Horses, and is as good as the stuff on those records (and that says a lot!). "Awol" has got some great instrumental interplay. "A Gift of Roses" has got an accordion in it (!) and is a great album closer. The CD version also has a hidden track from Ian's upcoming solo record, and it's good, too. This is a very, very good record. I hope that it sells well, as it deserves to. A couple of songs aren't that great, but hey, when the rest is that good... man! This is more like an 8.5 than a 9, but I'm gonna round it. It's good! Buy it!

OVERALL RATING: 9

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SOLO ALBUMS/SIDE PROJECTS

IAN ANDERSON

Walk Into Light	1983
Divinities: Twelve Dances With God	1995
The Secret Language Of Birds	2000

There was never any real doubt that Ian Anderson was 100% in charge of Jethro Tull ever since 1969's classic Stand Up album, so he never had any real reason to release solo albums. Around 1980, however, he planned to break from the Jethro Tull style and release an electronic solo album, that, due to the record company, ended up being released as Jethro Tull's less-than-classic A album. After 3 years, he came out with Walk Into Light, an extremely electronic album that preceded Under Wraps. The album fared poorly, much like Under Wraps did, and Anderson didn't release another solo record for a long time.

In 1995, however, he was commissioned to write and record a classical album, and Divinities: 12 Dances With God was recorded and released. It didn't do too well, but Anderson really liked it and it revived his interest in making intricate music, leading to albums like Roots To Branches, moving away from the bland hard rock of Rock Island and other like albums. In 1998, he recorded The Secret Language Of Birds, a mostly acoustic, pretty album the likes of which hadn't been released by Anderson in quite some time. Problems with his record company, Chrysalis, prevented the release of the album. In the meantime, Anderson recorded the group effort J-Tull Dot Com, the group's most successful record in nearly 2 decades. Anderson's new label, Fuel 2000, released that record first, pushing the release of The Secret Language Of Birds back even farther. Finally, in February 2000, The Secret Language Of Birds was released to little attention or sales, but to the delight of many a Tull fan.

--Philip Maddox

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DIVINITIES: TWELVE DANCES WITH GOD (1995)

released by Ian Anderson

(reviewed by Philip Maddox)

Is it just me, or is that the most pretentious album title ever? Regardless, it does let the listener know what he's in for - 12 instrumental, orchestral compositions focused on the keyboards of Andrew Giddings and the manic flute of Ian Anderson. Actually, his flute is much less manic here that it usually is - he mostly sticks to eastern sounding, melodic flute lines, instead of busting out like he's known to do. The concept of the album is supposed to be a musical tour of the religions of the world (as opposed to the younger, rougher Ian Anderson screaming about "The Bloody Church Of England" and plastic crucifixes, as on the Aqualung album), and he pulls it off for the most part.

The only real problem on this record is that a few of the pieces sound quite similar to each other, but that's easily ignorable - after all, the music is basically one 45 minute suite. As such, none of the tunes stand out, other than the absolutely stunning, gorgeous album opener "In A Stone Circle" and the somewhat Tull-like "In The Grip Of Stronger Stuff". Some of the music even sounds a bit like the instrumentation on a video RPG, albeit of much more beauty and quality (though if you've ever played the game Xenogears, the main music-box theme from that game is pretty beautiful). As such, strict fans of hard rock or people who like Anderson's insanity, wild voice, or harder tunes and never had any use for his quieter stuff should stay away from this record.

If you're willing to take a chance on it, though, I find it to be one of the best pieces Ian Anderson ever wrote, and he wrote quite a few good ones. The gorgeous, uplifting themes and beautiful flute (which further affirms that Ian Anderson is truly a mater of the instrument) should keep most fans of pretty music entertained throughout. Unlike when most rockers go for classical arrangements, this doesn't sound cheesy at all. Pick it up if you see it. It's the best album Ian had put out since 1978's Heavy Horses.

OVERALL RATING: 9

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THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF BIRDS (2000)

released by Ian Anderson

(reviewed by Philip Maddox)

After what seemed like forever, Ian's oft-delayed third solo album was released back in early 2000, and it didn't disappoint. Having recently dabbled in gentler music on Divinities and Roots To Branches, and freed of the somewhat heavy element Martin Barre often brings to his music (though he is present on 2 cuts), Ian decided to get back to the folkier music that he recorded back in the seventies. I'm not talking about his really overblown, "Pibroch" kind of stuff, but the gentler, "One Brown Mouse" kind of stuff, and if you liked that kind of stuff, this album is right down your alley. The title tracks on this album are phenomenal, setting up a pastoral, peaceful atmosphere that permeates the album. They mostly consist of acoustic guitar, with a little bass and an occasional drum.

In fact, most tunes here are like that, except for the 2 tunes that Martin plays on, one of which is a Tull-ish instrumental that is supposed to evoke images of poor Boris Yeltsin trying to appeal to young folks by grooving along in the streets of Russia, to somewhat less than spectacular effect. The tune, as such, is very eastern and changes rhythm and time signature quite a bit. It's great. The other, the Indian-flavored "The Water Carrier", features a great, hummable melody and some unusual rhythms. Pretty much every tune here is great. My favorites are the slow, melancholy "The Little Flower Girl", the peaceful-in-the-face-of-death ode of "Montserrat", the short but oh-so-pretty "Set Aside", and the very, very, very pretty "Sanctuary". The problem with the sound, great as it is, doesn't always work, and a couple of the tunes aren't quite as good. None of them are bad, however, and most fans of the quieter side of Tull should have a field day with this. A very good release, all in all, and a great addendum to your Tull collection.

Oh yeah, there are 3 bonus tracks on this release (following about a minute of silence at the end of the official album closer), one of which is Ian Anderson introducing the first tune, one of which is a decent re-recording of "In The Grip Of Stronger Stuff", and one of which is a new, quieter version of the first 3 minutes of Thick As A Brick. Nice, but not really essential. And a word to people who make CDs - if you put a sticker on the CD advertising hidden tracks, they aren't hidden, now are they? And, like I've said on my review of Reel Big Fish's Why Do They Rock So Hard?, why don't bands just list the songs and put them in their proper place? It's annoying.

OVERALL RATING: 8

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