Ian Anderson as a bass player

[PrinceByTor]

After the first album only Mick Abrahams got the boot, they replaced him with Tony Iommi for a short period before Martin Barre joined. That lineup stayed for Stand Up and Beneft when John Evans joined on keyboards. At this point Glenn Cornick was fired and replaced with Jeffrey Hammond. After Aqualung drummer Clive Bunker actually quit because in his own words he was getting married and the touring lifestyle would no longer work for him. Barrymore Barlow took over on drums and the lineup stayed the same through Thick as a Brick, A Passion Play, and Minstrel in the Gallery when Jeffrey Hammond quit to go back into art.This is when they recruited John Glascock for the Too Old to Rock and Roll … Too Young to Die album. They then made David (Dee) Palmer a full-time member on synthesizer and pipe organ, which stayed that way through Song From the Wood, Heavy Horses, and Stormwatch. After John Glascock’s passing he was replaced by David Pegg, but Barrymore Barlow, John Evans, and Palmer were let go. I believe that Barrymore Barlow actually was quitting anyway at this point. That’s more or less the group through the late ‘60s to the big breakup in 1980.

 

[Johnny Fingers]

Like the music, always great live from day one. Remember especially the Marshall Bass Wall with the 1/18” at ear level.

 

[IMMusicRulz]

My older sister went to art school in New York in the late 60s. On break she came home and gave me a copy of Stand Up. Her graphics teacher had done the cover art for the band, including the famous 'pop up' cut outs that were inside the album fold. Big Tull fan since then. When are they going to get into the RRHOF?

As soon as the voting committee fools at the RRHOF feel like inducting Tull

 

[IMMusicRulz]

Ian Anderson also played a Martin acoustic bass guitar

 

[40Hz]

Ian tells about his bass of choice (see attachement). As much as I love his work I don't really dig his bass playing or sound. Don't blame the bass Ian, there's lots of classic examples of great T-Bird neck pickup sounds. The excessive use of flanger on "Stormwatch" didn't help much either.

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Basically he’s saying: (a) he prefers the sound of single coils over the thicker sound of a sidewinder humbucker; and (b) he doesn’t have a clue about playing a Gibson bass since he seems to be saying he’s trying to play it like a Fender and really digging in, which is a guaranteed way to get a harsh sound out of a sidewinder pickup.

As far as Stormwatch goes, IMO it’s right up there with Broadsword (or Tull does Genesis ) - which is to say Tull album it would have been better never to have released without some serious rewriting and rethinking. My two least favorite Tull albums. I only listen to them once in a great while. And only to remind myself just how awful they are.

Stormwatch was also the album where Anderson fired John Glasscock over his ongoing health issues with: “John, I really don't think you can carry on working on this album, you've really got to go and get straightened out... I don't want you to come in tomorrow, go away and get yourself well.” for a send off. Which was pretty cold. And a story Anderson revised from time to time to put himself in a better light after Glasscock’s death several months after his dismissal.

 

[PhR75]

Basically he’s saying: (a) he prefers the sound of single coils over the thicker sound of a sidewinder humbucker; and (b) he doesn’t have a clue about playing a Gibson bass since he seems to be saying he’s trying to play it like a Fender and really digging in, which is a guaranteed way to get a harsh sound out of a sidewinder pickup.

Actually the only time Thunderbird had a sidewinder pickup was in the '76 -'79 period and since Ian's T-bird had one pickup only it was a 60's T-Bird.

I like both "Stormwatch" and "Broadsword" especially. I would think "A" or "Underwraps" would be more hard to take for some, but I like those too, especially "A".

 

[40Hz]

Actually the only time Thunderbird had a sidewinder pickup was in the '76 -'79 period and since Ian's T-bird had one pickup only it was a 60's T-Bird.

Thx! I stand corrected.

Build year makes a difference with TBirds since Gibson changed their pickups several times. The early TBirds (TTBOMK) used a pup based on the Firebird pickup which would indicate it’s a mini humbucker and not a sidewinder design.

——

Underwraps isn’t a big fav of mine either.

 

[jsbarber]

I saw Tull twice when I was in high school - Thick As A Brick & Passion Play tours. Great concerts. My first concert was middle school - ELP Pictures at an Exhibition. Also saw Edgar Winter & White Trash twice and Return To Forever, just after Bill Connors left the band, unfortunately. Also saw Weather Report Heavy Weather tour and several early Pat Metheny Group concerts, pre-1980. Some great performances.

 

[PhR75]

The early TBirds (TTBOMK) used a pup based on the Firebird pickup which would indicate it’s a mini humbucker and not a sidewinder design.

It's not a mini-humbucker either, just a humbucker. IIRC it was based on a lapsteel guitar pickup.

 

[40Hz]

It's not a mini-humbucker either, just a humbucker. IIRC it was based on a lapsteel guitar pickup.

Interesting. That contradicts my source. Or perhaps goes along with it since I’m clueless about the Firebird guitar. Looking deeper I see Lollar says it was based on a laptop steel pickup. But in a forum post my source referenced Lollar also said it shared a lot in common with the Firebird pickup. So…”based on”…”shares a lot in common”…what is actually being said?

Supposedly Lollar (who sells an allegedly 100% accurate reproduction) declined to share specifics since he views it as company proprietary information. I’d have no way of knowing one way or another if it’s true, but I’m inclined to believe him. He makes some amazingly good pickups. And he’s a straight shooter.

I know nothing about lap steel guitars or their pickups other than many have a P90 type installed.

I do know mini humbuckers have a smaller footprint and employ smaller coils with finer wire and have a lower output and different transfer characteristics compared to an ordinary humbucker. And IIRC, the early Gibson TBird pickup dimensions are very close to a 4 x 1.5 soapbar.

So what is it? Mini humbucker, P90, - or <gasp!> that mysterious pickup from another sphere Eric Zahn had installed on his viol? (Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!)

Only Lollar (who disassembled a real one) knows for sure.

And he ain’t talkin’

So, does anyone else out there know for sure?

 

[PhR75]

Only Lollar (who disassembled a real one) knows for sure.

And he ain’t talkin’

So, does anyone else out there know for sure?

Well, Mike Lull had an original reverse-engineered and Thunderbucker Ranch too. But I ask some people. I might be wrong here.

 

[teleharmonium]

As I understand it (not an expert) the original alnico Thunderbird pickup is like a Firebird pickup; a humbucker the same size as the Mini hum, but different internally than that model, with no adjustable polepieces.

 

[PhR75]

Yes, the coils are around the bar magnets (alnico 5).

 

[bassicmike]

John also played with a flamenco rock band called Carmen prior; I really enjoy their three records as well. Here you can hear him playing bass and performing lead vocals:

Fun Fact: Carmen opened for Tull during the War Child tour.

Which was my first Tull show.

 

[IMMusicRulz]

Regarding John Glascock, he also usually used a pick, and like so many bass players during the seventies, also used Ampeg SVT for his amps.

I’m also thinking that either Ian let John borrow his Thunderbird, or John Glascock owned one himself, but this 1976 performance of Living In The Past shows him playing a Gibson Thunderbird.