An odd perspective on Jethro Tull

[JKL2000]

Funny, to me, "A Passion Play" was Tull's pinnacle, never matched and never bettered. TaaB comes close. There's no bad Tull record in my collection (I own them all), but there's far more to "Minstrel" than the title track ... in fact, the title track is the weakest track of the album in my opinion!

Yeah, interesting point. For most of us it doesn't that much matter where our favorite of a band's albums falls. We can still enjoy all the surrounding albums that are good. 2112 is probably my favorite Rush album, but there are other faves far removed from it. Some people have little tolerance for material not close enough to their favorite, though most of us, I think, appreciate variety.

[grego]

Yeah, absolutely, that's realist politics. One can consider Under Wraps as band's pinnacle, I really don't give a damn.

[Bungalow Bill]

I think the title track is the best on Minstrel- by a very narrow margin, mainly for the instrumental section. On any given day that's my favorite Tull album, just inching out TaaB an APP.

I'm fond of the more acoustic tracks...but the highlight for me is "Baker St. Muse".

IMO, this is Tull's best-sounding album, in terms of recording. Ian's vocals are near perfect.

[arise_shine]

I only enjoyed the first five blow jobs that guy's mother gave me.

Lol! +1

[A. Scherze]

I happened to see this posted on the Rhino Records website.

Can't say I've ever seen a Tull fan perspective that was downright fanboyish (complete with statements of dubious veracity) about the band through Thick as a Brick but then down on nearly everything that came after:

http://www.rhino.com/article/bob-lef...ro-tull-primer


"Minstrel In The Gallery." A good title track, that's all you need to know.

"Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young To Die." Ditto.

"Songs From The Wood." That's three in a row with a good title track and not much more.

MitG - agree

TOtRNR - agree

SFtW - wrong; great album

"Heavy Horses" is the other with only a good title track and the rest meh.

[Yanks2014]

"Heavy Horses" is the other with only a good title track and the rest meh.

Wow. Love this album, to me the most underrated of the Tull catalog. And the title track is not my favorite on this. That honor goes to "One Brown Mouse". I think this album gets lumped in with Songs From the Wood, since it's stylistically similar, and then gets forgotten a bit.

[Facelift]

Wow. Love this album, to me the most underrated of the Tull catalog. And the title track is not my favorite on this. That honor goes to "One Brown Mouse". I think this album gets lumped in with Songs From the Wood, It's stylistically similar, and then gets forgotten a bit.

I love the album as well. I think it's the band's second or third best. Actually, the title track is the only one I don't like that much.

[zombywoof]

I love the album as well. I think it's the band's second or third best. Actually, the title track is the only one I don't like that much.

I think I'd prefer the title track if they had used the "Slipstream" arrangement instead of a fade out. Fade outs = lame!!

[Facelift]

I think I'd prefer the title track if they had used the "Slipstream" arrangement instead of a fade out. Fade outs = lame!!

Also lame - endlessly repeated clunky choruses.

[Trane]

I've no problem with the man's assertion that Stand Up is Tull's best albumn (since he takes the time to review every track on it)

Doesn't seem to be so much of a fanboy as a small-minded troll. Dismissing that classic SFTW and HH period? That's just sad.

He prefers the early stuff, just like I do... No troll for doing that...

I don't find SFTW or HH really all that essential (as is a "must-own") ... I got both , BTW, but rarely spin them (once every three or four years or so)

Actually, I've found this to be a pretty common prospective of Jethro Tull from fans of straight up rock music. They like the early albums because of the mainly blues/rock/folk elements, but lose interest when the band drifted away from more formulaic rock/blues and became more experimental and progressive.

Indeed

Funny, to me, "A Passion Play" was Tull's pinnacle, never matched and never bettered. TaaB comes close. There's no bad Tull record in my collection (I own them all), but there's far more to "Minstrel" than the title track ... in fact, the title track is the weakest track of the album in my opinion!

I don't care what this guy thinks, but AFAIC there is no such thing as a bad Jethro Tull album.

fanboy alert .... Tull has as many turds as they have masterpieces

[Trane]

I personally agree that a considerable change crept into their work from 'A Passion Play' onwards. What some see as more experimental, sophisticated and complex, others could see as less tuneful and more 'precious', for want of a better word. 'Thick As A Brick' was musically challenging but it was much more musically dynamic, I think. I believe it's a big ask to expect your average rock fan to sit through something like 'The Hare That Lost Its Spectacles' (I know it's only a few minutes)!

Unlike Lefsetz, I do like some of the albums that followed 'A Passion Play', but I still generally believe that 1968-72 period is their best.

That's put in a way that I could've never phrased it in English... In French , I'd have called post post-TAAB albums as "laborieux" (as in "trying to hard") and even "poussif" (arduous)

Yes, early Tull was extremely dynamic and enthusiastic... everything flew out effortlessly... It seemed so natural...

MitG - agree

TOtRNR - agree

SFtW - wrong; great album

"Heavy Horses" is the other with only a good title track and the rest meh.

Essentially that's about it...

But it gets much worse with the A/TB&TB/UW

[trurl]

fanboy alert .... Tull has as many turds as they have masterpieces

Yeah, but to assert that Catfish Rising isn't one of them is madness

[syncopatico]

Wow. Love this album, to me the most underrated of the Tull catalog. And the title track is not my favorite on this. That honor goes to "One Brown Mouse". I think this album gets lumped in with Songs From the Wood, since it's stylistically similar, and then gets forgotten a bit.

"One Brown Mouse" ? That Robert Burns rip-off? That's my LEAST favorite song on Heavy Horses ! (Always wished it wasn't on Bursting Out, taking the space of a *more interesting* musically/lyrically song.) But glad you like it though!! I do agree that HH is (one of) "the most underrated of the Tull catalog": perhaps due to the somewhat murky bass-heavy sound quality, and Ian's more-rough-sounding *rustic* vocal style.)

[bob_32_116]

I haven't followed Jethro Tull closely at all, but I did hear The Broadsword and the Beast several times and thought it was pretty good. "Fallen on Hard Times",the song that got radio airplay, is possibly the most uninteresting song on it.

If nothing else, this thread illustrates how different listeners have different perspectives. Person A says "...a great album except for that track". Person B says "That's the best track on the album!" No accounting for taste.

As for the opinion piece quoted in the OP, it stands to reason that if you were initially drawn to a band because of a certain sound, and they then moved away from that sound, you will like their later music less.

------------------------------------------------

It's hard to believe there was a time when an indisputably progressive rock album could top the sales charts, as Thick As a Brick did. These days, anything genuinely progressive is lucky to break into the top 50. It's also not that often that jockstraps get a mention in a song, certainly not in the progressive genre.

[zombywoof]

fanboy alert .... Tull has as many turds as they have masterpieces

Guilty as charged! (And not ashamed to admit it)