Jethro Tull's album A- should it be reconsidered?

[StevegSr]

Jethro Tull's album "A", to me, has always been treated like some bastard stepchild. I understand that it might have been an excuse for Anderson to breakup the former lineup, and that Eddie Jobson didn't turn the album into some kind of progressive tour de force. However, I've found the album to be a better follow up in both songwriting and performance from the proceeding "Stormwatch" of the so called folk trilogy. (Sorry, but "Stormwatch" is not folky to me.) What's your take on the album "A" by Tull?

[chalkpie]

pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, good.

[Steve983]

It was originally intended to be a solo album but then became a Tull album because of record co pressure I believe. It's a good album, I like it but must admit I haven't played it for quite a while...

[JKL2000]

I like it, but the sound quality always seemed bad to me.

[Sputnik]

I go up and down on A. I didn't like it at first, but then some time in the 90s got a CD copy and was very pleasantly surprised. So I went through a period where I liked it, spun it with some regularity, then put it away again. Some time later, probably inspired by a PE thread, I dug it back out. I expected to like it much more than I did, and spins since then I've always walked away with a somewhat "meh" feeling about it.

I think once you get used to the "new" sound and get over that it isn't Heavy Horses II, you can appreciate some of the songs, which are often good and catchy pop/rock. But for all this "newness," a lot of this music sounds dull and flat to me. I can understand Anderson wanting a different sound, but rather than adding a lot, this album just seems more stripped down. My favorite piece is probably Uniform, which I think really stretches into different territory and makes the best use of Jobson. I suppose Batteries Not Included does too, and also has a great bass part, but the subject matter trivializes it in my mind, so I don't enjoy it as much. Otherwise, it's pretty predictable fare that to me misses the panache of the SftW/HH band to give it life.

Overall this isn't an album I'd part with (something I can't say for the majority of post A material), but it will never be a favorite. Does it need reconsideration? Only if you haven't reconsidered it before, which I've already done. If you don't go in expecting the Tull of the 70s and can enjoy this for what it is, it's not bad. But I don't think it's a great album by any means, and could have made much more of the players involved and been much better.

Probably time for a revisit, who knows, maybe I'll run hot on it again?

Bill

[Progatron]

I've always liked it a lot - I even had Ian sign it for me! Some terrific songwriting on there, particularly Black Sunday and Fylingdale Flyer. It has an overall fresher sound to my ears than Stormwatch (which I agree, is NOT part of any 'folk trilogy', it's nothing like the preceding two albums), which aside from Dark Ages was a bit stale-sounding. I do like it, but I much prefer A. Very underrated and sometimes forgotten album... people tend to remember the silly jumpsuits more than the music, but the music is actually quite good. I mean, let's face it - you've still got Anderson and Barre, and Jobson is no slouch!

People's views on the album are sometimes tainted by the lineup change that had just occurred, but that does not equal a bad album, and it's worth pointing out that the lineup with Palmer, Evans and Barlow could not have continued on the way it was anyway, as they would tell you themselves.

All hail the A album!

[progman1975]

Always will be in my Top 3 Tull. Bought it in the fall of '94. Jobson just slays on the record!!!!

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[Zaragon]

"Reconsidered" as something more than another ruby-packed winner in a long line of similar accomplishments?

You could say that A embodies the best of both worlds, with its marriage of modernist synth/violin-laced sonics and vintage/folksy contrapuntal arrangements. You could also argue that the newfound rhythmic slickness on display — particularly across much of side two — adds more "roll" to the "rock" of an act that had previously been accused of lacking "rebop."

To this set of ears, these qualities make A the most immediately accessible album in the Tull catalog, and my younger self's fortunate introduction to Anderson and Co.'s vast body of work.

[dropforge]

Let's just say: A is not B-list.

[wilcox660]

Daddy, where's my batteries? I love this album!

[mozo-pg]

Yeah. I like A a lot. A different direction but one that I enjoy.

[Rael]

Outside of "Black Sunday", I've never been able to get into A very much. Most of it just sounds kind of bland and forgettable to me. It's one of those albums, like Led Zeppelin's "Presence" where I'll listen to it and after it's over, I can't even remember what I just heard.

[The Dark Elf]

Not a fan of A, but then I'm not a fan of Ian getting rid of Barriemore Barlow, John Evan and Dee Palmer, which was a twat move as far as I'm concerned. The differences and decline in sound quality and musical ability are noticeable from one era to the next.

[Sputnik]

So, gave this a fresh spin tonight. It was nice to hear a few of the tracks. Flyingdale Flyer still comes off well, and my favorite, Uniform, still delivers. 4WD was one I'd sort of forgotten, and that was good, as was Working John. The rest was fine, but I've never liked And Further On, and even my wife commented that track seemed pretty mediocre.

In all, I'd say it's an OK album, but not a particularly great Tull album. It just doesn't sound like Tull to me, even after all these years. It should have been an IA solo album, and in that context I think it would be fine. But if you slap "Tull" on the cover, you're going to evoke comparisons with the classic albums, and to me this doesn't compete, except with lowly albums like Stormwatch, TOtR&R, and Warchild. It's in that company, AFAIC.

Again, It's not one I plan to let go. It's OK for what it is. But to me, it lacks the inventiveness and organic feel of the great 70s Tull albums. Reconsider that!

Bill

[Trane]

Reconsidered from bad album to a total turd??

Well... if you wish...

We could rename it as Z ... oh wait, that would be UW... soooo let's call F (for failed)

[miamiscot]

I used to hate it but now I merely avoid it. Not my kind of Tull album but it's better than I thought it was at the time...

[Vic2012]

I bought the remaster that included a DVD of Slipstream concert film. I like A a lot. Haven't played it in years though.

[Progatron]

Ian's writeup in the 2005 remaster, explaining the lineup changes in a little more depth (once again, Terry Ellis rears his head as with the Passion Play/Tull Quits debacle)...

ia.jpg

[Sputnik]

Ian's writeup in the 2005 remaster, explaining the lineup changes in a little more depth (once again, Terry Ellis rears his head as with the Passion Play/Tull Quits debacle)...

Assuming you believe Anderson that this is really how it went down.

Bill

[arturs]

I like A a lot. I think Jobson and Craney were great.

One point I want to make about A is that, to me, A still sounds like Tull. A lot of people portray A as some sort of new wave sell out. Imagine all the A songs with instrumentation similar to SFTW. It would work. A is maybe not quite as strong in the songs department, but it would work. It is still Tull--not a new wave album. Ian was interested in electronics at the time of A. So he used them. That's all.

[gearHed289]

I've always liked A. I was never a huge Tull fan, so I wasn't biased by previous material or lineups. It was the dawn of the 80s, and a lot of artists were trying new things. The songs are good and sometimes quirky, which I like. 4WD is a favorite, and there's some really good playing throughout. I have to revisit this, it's been a long time.

[stickman393]

I love "A" but unfortunately I find it chock full of earworms that can take some time to eliminate. So I don't spin in that often.

Contrary to most Tull fans I suspect, the A - BroadSword - Underwraps - Crest sequence is my favorite Tull epoch.

[UnephenStephen]

Jethro Tull's album "A", to me, has always been treated like some bastard stepchild. I understand that it might have been an excuse for Anderson to breakup the former lineup, and that Eddie Jobson didn't turn the album into some kind of progressive tour de force. However, I've found the album to be a better follow up in both songwriting and performance from the proceeding "Stormwatch" of the so called folk trilogy. (Sorry, but "Stormwatch" is not folky to me.) What's your take on the album "A" by Tull?

always liked it.. and yes better than the entire folk trilogy..

[Mister Triscuits]

Assuming you believe Anderson that this is really how it went down.

One thing Ian doesn't mention in that account is that he did warn the guys that the Melody Maker announcement was coming out, but that didn't cushion the blow very much at all...

John Evan, 1988: At the end of tours we used to go our own ways and people would get in touch with us when something was organized, like the next album or tour. ... Around about July [1980] I got a letter through the post. I opened it and it was a second copy, a carbon copy from a typewriter, and it said something along the lines of...'Dear Barrie, David and John. I'm sorry this is so rushed, but basically Melody Maker is coming out tomorrow and the story in it--which I couldn't prevent, I didn't want it but Terry Ellis put it in without my knowledge--is that the group has split up. Really, I'm going to do something on my own, maybe called Jethro Tull, maybe not. But I am using different people and I thought I ought to let you know.' I can't remember whether Ian signed it, or whether that was a bloody carbon as well.

[Garyhead]

I have a 10-hour playlist of my Fav Tull on my iPod. To me, I feel like the Party ended with Stormwatch. It seemed like the band members each had a distinct personality on all the albums up to that point.....With A and all the albums after that.......the members were kinda interchangeable faceless robots.....and so were the tunes......I was die-hard Tull from 71 to 79......after that.....meh! I enjoyed Broadsword & Crest but little after.....

I Do have an affinity for Stormwatch.....I was beginning my career as a Marine Engineer and I was working the North Sea on tankers delivering crude oil....dealing with the crappy weather and stormy seas so I related to this album.