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Jethro Tull Hymn 43

#61
I'm a long-term Tull fanatic. But I have not even listened to the whole catalog. I just like certain songs/albums so much, I don't really ever need to look elsewhere.
I know we're not talking about the guitars, but as good as the bass players, keys players, drum players were over the years, one of the steady and amazing pieces of the Tull sound has to be Martin Barre.
I can't imagine the same band without him.
 
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#66
Bouree.

This was the first song I ever heard a bass player play chords on the original version from Stand Up. I was inspired.

Just the dynamics of their music, the chord progressions and timings. They explored and examined everything.
 
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#67
Bluebard said:
Heavy Horses is my favorite Tull album - love the medievalesque prog folk thing going on, with such powerful melodies.
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Most Tull albums have that medieval feel in many of the songs, but Heavy Horses really seems to push that style. I always imagine Ian being transported back in time to play some of those tunes, acoustically. I know when I listen to them, I feel like I'm being sent back.
 
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#69
BassFishingInAmerica said:
Most Tull albums have that medieval feel in many of the songs, but Heavy Horses really seems to push that style. I always imagine Ian being transported back in time to play some of those tunes, acoustically. I know when I listen to them, I feel like I'm being sent back.
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Right around the time "Crest Of a Knave" came out, Martin Barre did a clinic at a local music store, and he said he was enjoying making "Crest Of a Knave" and "Under Wraps" better than the previous stuff because Ian was done with all that "Dwarves in the woods" stuff. We all laughed our butts off!
 
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#70
Holdsg said:
I'm a long-term Tull fanatic. But I have not even listened to the whole catalog. I just like certain songs/albums so much, I don't really ever need to look elsewhere.
I know we're not talking about the guitars, but as good as the bass players, keys players, drum players were over the years, one of the steady and amazing pieces of the Tull sound has to be Martin Barre.
I can't imagine the same band without him.
Click to expand...

I haven't bought any of the output from 1990 onwards. I went to see Thick as a Brick 2 on tour but a combination of not being sufficiently impressed by it and feeling unhappy about Martin Barre was treated means I didn't buy it.

TaaB1 was the highlight of TaaB2 for me. The band was great, but felt too much like session musicians, although the bassist was great, as it lacked the passion of performances I'd seen before. At one Tull gig I was at in the 1990s an 18 year old female fan was so happy to get one of Doanne Perry's drumsticks she passed out!
 
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#71
I went to see Jethro Tull play at the Rochester New York War Memorial (Hockey Arena) 7 years in a row.
They would show up every year in November...the first time I saw them play was 1971 (when I was 13) and every fall through 1978 ...they just blew me away every time.
Jethro Tull is the music that plays in my head whenever I think of winter coming, it is the music on the stereo all day on Thanksgiving and Xmas every year since the late 70's and still now.
My kids (31 & 34) have heard it since they were babies, both love Jethro Tull and have them on their Ipods and cell phones.
Glen Cornick is my favorite bassist ever and his contributions to the first three records were fantastic, I thought Jeffrey Hammond also did some really good stuff.
I've been listening to them for 46 years???....holy crow!!
 
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#72
Papalampraina said:
I was going to say "am I the only one who's favourite is Passion Play?"
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I am the blasphemy around here, and rates Passion Play above Aqualung. Funny and hilarious, and much more developed than earlier outings. Here's my ten top ratings, the later albums lumps together in one big "split 10th place".

1. Thick As A Brick
2. Songs From The Wood (almost a tie, with TAAB on first place).
3. Stand Up
4. Passion Play
5. Crest of A Knave
6. Aqualung (now, first on 6th place...! Lo and behold)
7. Minstrel In The Gallery.
8. War Child (actually, yes, it's criminally underrated).
9. Broadsword and the Beast (yes, very good compositions on that one, in spite of schmaltzy production, "The clasp" and "pussy willow" were still concert staples a long time after).
10. A, Heavy Horses, the earliest ones, Under Wraps, Rock Island, Tull.com, and the rest equal tie. Ups and downs. Good songs, mixed with filler material. But last on my list would be "too old" and "A". Contrived and trite.

If Tull hade made one last original album some years ago before calling it quits, it should be called "That was" and they wouldn't have to show up on the cover with aging make up. ;) (now, that was a bit mean, but considering IAs self-deprecating demeanor it's probably within boundaries).
 
#74
While they could - more often than not - show pedestrian filler material on records, when they did the same tunes live, the same "boring" numbers could be saved with enthusiasm, inspiration and passion. I have not witnessed a person with more on stage presence than IA, and no one else who lives and really enjoys his music PLUS being on stage. If he gets a cardiac arrest, just wheel him up on ANY stage, and he'll wake up and be alright. I have never ever seen such a stage persona and charisma like him trying to wow the people and reach the people at the far back of the audience. No matter how routinely and in a rut they ever got. Totally anti-Bill Wyman here.
 
#75
I'd put Benefit high up the list, even though there is a little filler IMHO (swapping a couple of tracks out for Teacher and Witches Promise would have fixed it) as it prompted to learn the flute parts from the album. Later I joined a group playing similar stuff but two others could play flute so my services in this area were not required!
 
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#76
Find it funny that Tulls got the most critisism for being the closest one to Spinal Tap for real. Even stating that they must have been the sole inspiration for the movie. Tull themselves did that already with TAAB, but no one really got that from the start on.
 
#78
What they should be dodging (or their record company) is all greatest hits albums, boxed sets and anniversary. The world doesn't need another Tull box set. Almost turns into a parody itself (yes, hence the spinal tap reference).
 
#79
I was listening to this on my ride in this morning on full blast.


I'll often find myself singing quietly under my breath "don't see s-see where I'm goin, don't see s-see where I'm goin, don't want toooooo" in an early Tull Ian Anderson voice.
 
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