"And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision."
Occasional musical musings on https://darkelffile.blogspot.com/
^ Yes, that and the 1977 Songs/Wood DVD from Maryland are my favs.
Yeah, the Minstrel '75 show for me too, although all of the live shows have been outstanding.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
Stormwatch 40th anniversary boxed set is finished and confirmed for release this summer. Ian talks about it in this interview, beginning at 51:49 (the whole interview is good though) :
https://www.centerstageshow.com/
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
has anyone read the latest Prog Mag, with the Stand Up cover??
Is the feature article any interesting??
my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.
I love this tune....such an underrated Tull tune. Yeah it has the 1989-ness in it, but I really dig the lyrics and a great catchy riff/melody too. The Highland bagpipe reference is nice too. Ian still sounded great back here in 89.
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
For me it is impossible to dislike anything Tull/IA. It all just hits my soft spot. When I am old and frail I am 100% sure I will still be playing my Tull records. Less sure about things like Le Grand Sbam or Simon Steensland which top my 2020 list.
I just like some records more then others.
Rock Island is a fine album to me.
What about their most 'hated' album Under Wraps?
I recently replayed it and quite like it. I do not like the drums and some of the synths but Ian and Martin sound great! The song material is very good too except it is often made to sound ugly by those horrible drums and synths. I read somewhere that this is Martin Barre's favorite Tull album.
Last edited by thedunno; 12-25-2020 at 02:07 AM.
Anyone else thinks Tull is great Christmas music? I know they recorded a lot of Christmas songs but in general their music evokes a nostalgic feel that fits the holiday season perfectly. Like this song:
https://youtu.be/yvHPaRGcv8g
Time for a Tull binge indeed!
Last edited by thedunno; 12-25-2020 at 02:11 AM.
I love all eras of Tull as well. Under Wraps has some great tracks on it. European Legacy is a fantastic track, and overall the songwriting was in top form on that album, it was more the execution of it that brings it down a notch.
Yes! Tull is always a huge part of fall and winter for me, actually, not just Christmas. But yes, there's a lot to love in the Tull catalogue at this time of year. As for Jack-A-Lynn, that's one of my favourite tracks, but not that version. For me, the best version is the 1981 'home demo' version. Ian really nails the mood on that one. Beautiful song.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
Yep. I've always liked Under Wraps--as you say the songs are great. Other than the Cold War allusions I could easily envision these songs re-arranged SFtW style and being just as good. In terms of songs, best of the 80s Tull IMHO.
I think maybe UW gets a bad rap because people perceive it as some kind of a sell-out. I've never thought that. I think Ian was just fascinated by the possibilities of the then-new technology. Most of it sounds pretty good to me, for the time, except the drums. I know Ian has said he would like to re-mix UW with live drums. A new deluxe edition would certainly be a great opportunity to do that.
Speaking of deluxe editions, any recent news of any 80s Tull albums getting that treatment?
Yes, "A" will be out in spring 2021 (as well as a reissued Benefit), and Broadsword is said to follow at some point, although I wonder if that one will end up being 2022.
By the time of a potential Under Wraps deluxe, Ian will be 77, so it's anybody's guess at this point how things will play out.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
Yeah baby - I right with you. If I was a 'tattoo-type-of-guy', I would probably have the Tull/Ian one leg figure on my left ass cheek, Tim's Little House Cardiacs logo on my right ass cheek, and the FZ mustache/goatee tattooed on my face around my mouth. I would also probably have Dave Stewart's hands tattooed on my forehead. I think that about sums it up about how much I love Ian/Tull. Doesn't get any better for me, only on the same level.
I also really really dig UW and yes I do recall Martin Lancelot Barre saying it was his favorite Tull album. It's hard for me to view his work in that context, but I think that is very oddball out-of-leftfield type of answer which is awesome. His playing is really outstanding there and he gets a great tone. The drum machine can drag it down, but you have to sort of try and look "through" the sound if you can. I think Ian embraced the technology of the era and he never ran of ideas, just tried new things and he should to be commended. IMO of course.
But I do dig Broadsword/Beast more than UW if I was comparing.
Last edited by chalkpie; 12-25-2020 at 11:24 AM.
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
Sweet! I Loved watching the UW gig on YouTube....Ian had crazy energy and was sweating like a Fiipino boxspring hog. His voice sounded unbelievable on that tour - his pitch accuracy was really great back then.
"The Whaler's Dues" is a pretty cool tune, Ian can write riffs that just stick with you - this ascending/descending melodic line is hip. Good tune.
Lorne/all - what are your fav tunes on Rock Island?
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
Saw Tull six times (twice in the 70's, the UW tour and the rest post RTB), but TBH (and IMHO) the worst was the UW tour because every wrong on the album (the bass & drums) was present on stage . Even European Legacy (the track that convinced me to buy the album) didn't sound good in Toronto's MLG. I found the set list totally forgetable, so much that I've got hardly a memory of it anymore.
In retrospect, after my UW gig's poor memories, with the following three concerts, indeed, it was rather sad to see Ian forcing his vocal chords so much to try to reach (and fail) the notes, that I was even a tad afraid for him.
As for RI and Catfish, I find them both mostly forgettable (IMHO again), but indeed Whaler's is the only one worth remembering from both together.
my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.
My progressive music site: https://pienemmatpurot.com/ Reviews in English: https://pienemmatpurot.com/in-english/
How did I miss this over the years? Greg had such a one-of-a-kind voice. Florian Opahle is a great player as well.
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
Catfish is probably my least played Tull album but there are still tunes to like on there.
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
Bookmarks