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

  1. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by Rael View Post
    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.
    Any prog fan with his salt (it's gonna be 'his', most likely) , could quickly learn to love 'The Pine Marten's Jig', a great Tull + Jobson instrumental on that album.

    I'm also partial to 'Batteries Not Included'.

    The remastered CD made this album sound good for the first time since it was released. A surround remix might make it even better.

  2. #27
    Quote Originally Posted by arturs View Post
    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.
    Absolutely. The stylistic difference from preceding Tull isn't radical.

  3. #28
    Member StevegSr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ssully View Post
    Any prog fan with his salt (it's gonna be 'his', most likely) , could quickly learn to love 'The Pine Marten's Jig', a great Tull + Jobson instrumental on that album.

    I'm also partial to 'Batteries Not Included'.

    The remastered CD made this album sound good for the first time since it was released. A surround remix might make it even better.
    Agree 100% on all counts. "The Pine Martins Jig", aside from being a great instrumental, is the type of folky offering that ties into the previous SFtW and Heavy Horses. And referring to Tull fans as mostly male goes without question.
    To be or not to be? That is the point. - Harry Nilsson.

  4. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by arturs View Post
    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.
    Another strong agreement. Jobson and the late Craney were indeed stellar and A still remaining a "Tull sounding" album is a major selling point for me.
    To be or not to be? That is the point. - Harry Nilsson.

  5. #30
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    I think I only liked a few things like 'Black Sunday' and 'Flyingdale Flyer' on here.

    Quote Originally Posted by Sputnik View Post
    Assuming you believe Anderson that this is really how it went down.

    Bill
    Indeed. I don't think he's any kind of 'villain' but the manner in which members have been relieved of their duties has consistently been controversial with the members concerned, even going back to Glenn Cornick.

  6. #31
    Quote Originally Posted by StevegSr View Post
    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?
    A few good songs, a few terrible songs, a few OK-ish songs. More or less consistent with its reputation.

  7. #32
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    Four WD (Low Ratio) is one of those songs that can get stuck in my head for days, i like it. I thought Black Sunday was pretty kick ass the moment i heard it. I have great memories of the concert with the guys in jumpsuits with Dave Pegg being in "Kawasaki Green" and Eddie Jobson playing the "See Thru Violin". Mark Craney's drumming was a bit of a departure and very excellent. Martin's guitar work on Protect And Survive is some the most memorable of his career.

    On a scale of 1-10 of Tull albums i give it a solid 8.5
    So yeah, i'd reconsider it.
    Last edited by progholio; 10-24-2017 at 12:57 PM.

  8. #33
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    A very good one IMO. I've always heard it as a coda to the folk-prog trilogy and think it works very well in that way.

    I hope Wilson's editions go this far.

    Does it matter that this waste of time is what makes a life for you?

  9. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by Oreb View Post
    A very good one IMO. I've always heard it as a coda to the folk-prog trilogy and think it works very well in that way.

    I hope Wilson's editions go this far.
    I don't see why they shouldn't. It's another opportunity for Ian to make some more coin.
    To be or not to be? That is the point. - Harry Nilsson.

  10. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by ssully View Post
    Any prog fan with his salt (it's gonna be 'his', most likely) , could quickly learn to love 'The Pine Marten's Jig', a great Tull + Jobson instrumental on that album.

    I'm also partial to 'Batteries Not Included'.

    The remastered CD made this album sound good for the first time since it was released. A surround remix might make it even better.
    Well, that's just the problem. I don't define myself as a prog fan worth his salt. I'd rather listen to a collection of ten great pop songs than an album full of mediocre prog epics. I'm not saying that "A" is a bad album, it just isn't a very memorable Tull album, IMO. I'm repeating myself (under stress) but I still think "Black Sunday" is far and away the standout track here. I think "The Pine Marten's Jig" is a decent instrumental, but it sounds like Fairport Convention on speed with a nice Martin Barre rawk solo thrown in. Great playing but not a great tune, IMO. I just find the album in total a very cold album to listen to. I respect the fact that many here seem to love "A" but it's a clear step down from anything Jethro Tull had done up to that point, IMO.

  11. #36
    Member StevegSr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rael View Post
    Well, that's just the problem. I don't define myself as a prog fan worth his salt. I'd rather listen to a collection of ten great pop songs than an album full of mediocre prog epics. I'm not saying that "A" is a bad album, it just isn't a very memorable Tull album, IMO. I'm repeating myself (under stress) but I still think "Black Sunday" is far and away the standout track here. I think "The Pine Marten's Jig" is a decent instrumental, but it sounds like Fairport Convention on speed with a nice Martin Barre rawk solo thrown in. Great playing but not a great tune, IMO. I just find the album in total a very cold album to listen to. I respect the fact that many here seem to love "A" but it's a clear step down from anything Jethro Tull had done up to that point, IMO.
    Tell us what you really think without sugar coating it. Just kidding. An honest opinion backed up some rational reasoning is always appreciated. At least by me.
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  12. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by Facelift View Post
    A few good songs, a few terrible songs, a few UK-ish songs. More or less consistent with its reputation.
    This is how I read this

    For a long time my only JT (although I knew many other), because it was a nice addition in my U.K.-family tree.

  13. #38
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    I've just listened to the Wilson remix a few times. I think it's really improved; the changes are more noticeable and the guitars are more out front. I find it to be one of the more interesting Tull albums in that Eddie Jobson's input is quite apparent in the arrangements, playing, sound and compositions. It's like a whole new band, which it almost is, while still being Tull. I love it!

  14. #39
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve983 View Post
    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...
    that's what makes me wonder about the latest Tull album. Ian's face is plastered all over it and yet he called it a Tull album. if there was ever an album he should have called a solo it was this one especially since the band is made up of total newcomers. they could have just been his backing band.

    and btw, i always liked A and i agree on Stormbringer - never liked it that much and not folky to my ears at all.
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  15. #40
    I don't need to reconsider it because I've always liked it. Not nearly as much as the three that came before it but its still a good, solid album.

  16. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by UnephenStephen View Post
    Ian's face is plastered all over it and yet he called it a Tull album.
    You mean like with War Child, Too Old To Rock N Roll, Songs From The Wood, Heavy Horses, Stormwatch, and Broadsword?
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  17. #42
    Quote Originally Posted by Rael View Post
    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.

    Same. I must have heard it a half-dozen times over the years and I still can't recall how any of the tunes go.
    You say Mega Ultra Deluxe Special Limited Edition Extended Autographed 5-LP, 3-CD, 4-DVD, 2-BlueRay, 4-Cassette, five 8-Track, MP4 Download plus Demos, Outtakes, Booklet, T-Shirt and Guitar Pick Gold-Leafed Box Set Version like it's a bad thing...

  18. #43
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    Quote Originally Posted by Garden Dreamer View Post

    Same. I must have heard it a half-dozen times over the years and I still can't recall how any of the tunes go.
    I'm the opposite. I find songs like And Further On, Working John, Working Joe, Fylingdale Flyer, Black Sunday, and Crossfire loaded with memorable melodies. But then, I love the album and have listened to it a lot.
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  19. #44
    A certainly wasn't one of my favorites..although I bought the LP just after it was released in the U.S. and I grew to like certain songs and played them repeatedly.

    At the time I wasn't liking Ian Anderson's songwriting as much...for instance.."Home" from Stormwatch and also "Ghosts" were not appealing to me. I loved "Dark Ages" and a few others.

    With A...I found "Working John? ( I believe? to be a turn off and "Low Ratio" was not a style I appreciated. "Uniform " was outstanding..but the overall feeling the album gave me was empty..unlike A Passion Play, Minstrel In The Gallery, Songs From The Wood..those albums were special.

    "A" carried a bit of a different style that revealed itself earlier on Stormwatch through songs like "North Sea Oil" and "Something On The Move" ..which differed greatly from "Cold Wind To Valhalla " and "Black Satin Dancer" which to me was the greatness of Jethro Tull.

    The band was really changing and I suppose I was disappointed in the end result, but I still bought every album upon the first week of its release and often surfed through those albums to hear the songs I loved.

    Broadsword And The Beast really disappointed me. I liked two songs. "Cold Wind To Valhalla " and "Black Satin Dancer" still contained that certain style of playing existing on Thick As A Brick and A Passion Play...but within shorter songs.

    Although they sound progressive on "A" it projects much differently . It doesn't have the same vibe . It wasn't as haunting and it didn't quite grab the magic that was present when Barrymore Barlow was in the band. Even though the drumming is superb on "Uniform " it doesn't capture the same magic as before. Basically the writing changed and it was never quite the same again. I still appreciated it...I was just up and down with mixed feelings.

  20. #45
    Insect Overlord Progatron's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Enidi View Post
    With A...I found "Working John? ( I believe? to be a turn off
    Working John is a terrific composition IMO, including the clever lyrics. It actually dates back to Songs From The Wood and was rehearsed with Barlow, Evans, et al. but didn't find a home until a few years later with A.
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  21. #46
    Quote Originally Posted by Progatron View Post
    Working John is a terrific composition IMO, including the clever lyrics. It actually dates back to Songs From The Wood and was rehearsed with Barlow, Evans, et al. but didn't find a home until a few years later with A.
    I did not know that! That's interesting.. thanks for sharing that information

  22. #47
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    Hm! I have a good friend whose favorite band is Tull and I got him an A coffee mug from Burning Shed as an ironic present because we both hate it. But -- the praise here makes me wonder if I'm being unfair, and I haven't listened to it in a number of years. Might be due for a reassessment.

  23. #48
    I'm listening to the Steven Wilson remix now and it's not bad. I'm up to Pine Marten's Jig and so far I'm recalling the issue I have with latter-era Tull. The instrumental bits in each song are very good, verses are generally good but the songs often fall apart in the chorus for me, especially when all Ian does is repeat the song title a few times. Like "Working John/Working Joe", as soon as I hear that it's like all the energy is sucked out of the room. Same with "Four Wheel Drive". There are a half dozen Tull albums I absolutely have to have in my collection, would never get rid of them, but this isn't one of them. In reference to my earlier post, I listened to the first 3 songs on the album yesterday, and today I can't recall anything about them other than how I don't like the WJWJ chorus...
    You say Mega Ultra Deluxe Special Limited Edition Extended Autographed 5-LP, 3-CD, 4-DVD, 2-BlueRay, 4-Cassette, five 8-Track, MP4 Download plus Demos, Outtakes, Booklet, T-Shirt and Guitar Pick Gold-Leafed Box Set Version like it's a bad thing...

  24. #49
    Man of repute progmatist's Avatar
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    I recently acquired a VHS tape of Tull on the A Tour. Eddie Jobson "guested" on the tour, just as he "guested" on the album. Very enjoyable.
    "Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama

  25. #50
    Quote Originally Posted by Progatron View Post
    You mean like with War Child, Too Old To Rock N Roll, Songs From The Wood, Heavy Horses, Stormwatch, and Broadsword?
    you're not comprehending.. there was never any debate over whether or not the albums you listed should have been solo albums. why? because with the exception of Broadsword, all of them were recorded in the bands heydey with the classic lineup. not true with the latest. Tull hadn't recorded anything since 2003 so my question was why even bring Tull back at this stage? if Ian was going to do a solo album, now was the perfect time.
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