Recent Ian Anderson interview, in depth about Minstrel In The Gallery (among others)

[Progatron]

https://www.loudersound.com/features...in-the-gallery

This is a good read. Just a bit too long to copy and paste here though.

[SunshipVoyager1976]

https://www.loudersound.com/features...in-the-gallery

This is a good read. Just a bit too long to copy and paste here though.

He should definitely have called Frank...

[Progatron]

He should definitely have called Frank...

Yes, I find it quite interesting that Frank wanted him to.

[Crawford Glissadevil]

My second favorite Tull album. Did they ever play "Baker Street Muse" live? I don't think so. I've always wondered why.

[Mister Triscuits]

My second favorite Tull album. Did they ever play "Baker Street Muse" live? I don't think so. I've always wondered why.

No, it was never played live. Tull didn't feature the album at all, apart from the title track, in their live set at the time. There never was a real Minstrel in the Gallery tour. After making the album, they just went back on the road with a modified version of the same WarChild set they had been doing before. "Requiem" was played live in early 1976, but quickly dropped from the set, and for a while they were doing the instrumental break from "Black Satin Dancer" (without the actual song part) as a stand-alone piece to feature Martin Barre. I think the album material was mostly just too quiet and introspective to work well as part of Tull's zany and high-energy live set at the time. It has always felt to me like an Ian Anderson acoustic solo album with a few band sections here and there.

[saucyjackstl]

In my top 3 or 4 for sure. It still gets play after all these years.

[Miciah]

The comment about Black Satin Dancer is just strange. That song bears no resemblance to Led Zeppelin.

[Mister Triscuits]

The comment about Black Satin Dancer is just strange. That song bears no resemblance to Led Zeppelin at all.

Yeah, I can't hear that either. There is that heavy bit that comes after the instrumental break, but even that I would struggle to compare to Zep.

[TheH]

A Top 5 JT Album at least, it's a pitty that they didn't do the most stuff live.

It doesn't sound like a solo album at all, where was Martin allowed to cut loose like in the title track?

[Buddhabreath]

Interesting interview, thanks for posting. High standards indeed if Mr. Anderson only considers Minstrel "good". I wonder does he consider Passion Play not good? Personally, I rank that as one of Tull's best, brimming with musical ideas and clever arrangements.

On another note, that autobiography looks like something I might have to pull the trigger on.

On yet another note, an interesting article from earlier this year on Martin Barre and life after Jethro Tull in case you didn't see it.

[Sputnik]

The comment about Black Satin Dancer is just strange. That song bears no resemblance to Led Zeppelin.

Yeah, I can't hear that either. There is that heavy bit that comes after the instrumental break, but even that I would struggle to compare to Zep.

Agree, that also struck me as odd. But in retrospect, Anderson wasn't particularly proud of having said that. Who knows what was in his mind at the time?

Otherwise interesting article. Like others here, I rate Minstrel pretty highly in Tull's catalog. I'm not surprised Anderson doesn't rate it in the top tier, though he clearly doesn't hate it. I think Tull's run from Stand Up through A is pretty damned solid. There are some I like more than others, but really only one (Too Old to R&R) that I personally find sub-par. But then as the article says, that will surely be someone's favorite!

Bill

[Progatron]

High standards indeed if Mr. Anderson only considers Minstrel "good". I wonder does he consider Passion Play not good?

Well, at least he puts in near the top of the second tier. As for A Passion Play, he has long said that it is among his least favourites, and he's even said he wishes he could wipe it from existence (to be fair, he was asked the question "If you could remove one album from your catalogue, what would it be?") He seems to have softened his position on it in his old age though, adding a segment of it to recent set lists, and even reciting The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles on stage some years ago(!) However, he did suggest to Steven Wilson that they skip it in the ongoing 40th anniversary remix series - which thankfully Wilson talked him out of. I don't think IA fully grasps just how many fans love it (myself included, in fact it's my favourite). He occasionally mentions fans of that album as though they are just a tiny number of die-hards, which I don't think is the case.

[Mister Triscuits]

I don't think IA fully grasps just how many fans love it (myself included, in fact it's my favourite).

Mine too; my top three Tulls have always been Passion Play, Thick as a Brick, and Minstrel, in that order.

[Progatron]

Mine too; my top three Tulls have always been Passion Play, Thick as a Brick, and Minstrel, in that order.

Wow, exact same here! Good taste!

[PROGMONSTER]

Tulls weakest session from 69-84 imo. Some good moments but not much melody really. Still worth having the remix though

[pb2015]

One time I read someone saying he had talked with Martin and Jeffrey during the 1975 tour asking if the band would play "Baker Street Muse," and they said the band had never learned to play it live all the way through.

[pb2015]

No, it was never played live. Tull didn't feature the album at all, apart from the title track, in their live set at the time. There never was a real Minstrel in the Gallery tour. After making the album, they just went back on the road with a modified version of the same WarChild set they had been doing before. "Requiem" was played live in early 1976, but quickly dropped from the set, and for a while they were doing the instrumental break from "Black Satin Dancer" (without the actual song part) as a stand-alone piece to feature Martin Barre. I think the album material was mostly just too quiet and introspective to work well as part of Tull's zany and high-energy live set at the time. It has always felt to me like an Ian Anderson acoustic solo album with a few band sections here and there.

They also played Barre's instrumental part from the title track sometimes, I think mainly in 1975 before the album was released, and some bits played by Barre in earlier tours.

[Mister Triscuits]

They also played Barre's instrumental part from the title track sometimes, I think mainly in 1975 before the album was released

Yes, that guitar solo was their set opener on the '75 tour (segueing into "Wind Up") until they introduced the song itself.

[pb2015]

Yes, that guitar solo was their set opener on the '75 tour (segueing into "Wind Up") until they introduced the song itself.

I listened to one of those early '75 shows recently and there is both the set opener guitar solo and a (slightly ragged, in the show I heard) band version of the "Minstrel" instrumental during the encore.

[saucyjackstl]

Mine too; my top three Tulls have always been Passion Play, Thick as a Brick, and Minstrel, in that order.

Interesting. It always seemed to me that two camps formed around Passion Play or Minstrel. Personally, for me it is Minstrel, Stand Up, Aqualung, Thick, Heavy Horses, and Songs From the Woods before PP. But everyone has a different list.

[ThomasKDye]

I think the album material was mostly just too quiet and introspective to work well as part of Tull's zany and high-energy live set at the time.

I agree; the only other song that I think would have been killer live is "Cold Wind to Valhalla." I could imagine that ending as quite a rave-up. The part at 2:44 where the band stops and it's just Martin on the riff, as it is, gets my adrenaline pumped up.

[TheH]

I agree; the only other song that I think would have been killer live is "Cold Wind to Valhalla." I could imagine that ending as quite a rave-up. The part at 2:44 where the band stops and it's just Martin on the riff, as it is, gets my adrenaline pumped up.

Might have sounded like this one

[Sputnik]

Might have sounded like this one

Holy $***, that is awesome! This has always been one of my favorite songs from Minstrel, so cool to hear it played live!

Bill

[Progatron]

That BBC session (Minstrel, Cold Wind and Aqualung) was released on the Minstrel 40th box/book set (and a killer live show from '75 as well!)

I agree, it sounded great! Should have kept it in the set for at least a couple of tours IMO. But come the following tour for Too Old To RNR, it was basically only the title track from Minstrel that got played, and Requiem at a handful of shows. Oddly enough, they played One White Duck at my first ever Tull show, on the A Little Light Music tour in '92. That was a great show, with the Fairport rhythm section!

[TheH]

That BBC session (Minstrel, Cold Wind and Aqualung) was released on the Minstrel 40th box/book set (and a killer live show from '75 as well!)

I agree, it sounded great! Should have kept it in the set for at least a couple of tours IMO. But come the following tour for Too Old To RNR, it was basically only the title track from Minstrel that got played, and Requiem at a handful of shows. Oddly enough, they played One White Duck at my first ever Tull show, on the A Little Light Music tour in '92. That was a great show, with the Fairport rhythm section!

True but it was missing this one!