Jethro Tull: Classic or Dud?

Buggered that a bit but you know the part if you've heard it.

Yes! I really enjoy Passion Play too, what a great run they had.

I'm stuck on Benefit right now which I think has become my go-to, having really enjoyed the excellent re-release of Songs From The Wood, I imagine Heavy Horses must be coming up pretty soon.

I like the concept of A Passion Play, but find the album a bit of a slog... I really wish I enjoyed it as much I do Thick as a Brick or Aqualung

I was initially very disappointed but I'm loving Passion Play right now.

I learned last week that I have underestimated Stormwatch

I don't think they made a bad record until 'A' really.

'Teacher' is still a fucking tune ...

one of the all-time hooks

It's as much of a classic for me as 'Living in the Past' or 'Aqualung' is... just a perfect single. Should have been a huge hit.

Teacher was always played on the classic rock radio quite a bit. I seem to recall that it was in some 80s teen movie in the soundtrack as that is where I seem to got to know the tune. Haven't googled it yet...was there a movie with Nick Nolte as a burnt out high school teacher and Ralph Macchio as a student? Maybe I'm just mixing up 48 Hours and Karate Kid in my head. Anyway that's the movie I either invented or remembered having Teacher in the sound track.

Yes but pretty sure that was the 38 Special song...

http://thequietus.com/articles/23198-tom-g-warrior-of-celtic-frost-s-baker-s-dozen?page=4
Guess I'll be getting Heavy Horses next.

Keep thinking about the guy in the Vinyl tv series smashing a Tull album, I so wanted to throw him out the window and take the show in a different direction.

Aww

Feeling a lot of love for tom g warrior right now

What he says about HH is p much me with SftW

I don't say this lightly but I think Passion Play is better than Thick As A Brick. Had a fantastic time with it and I'll be surprised if another Tull album tops it. I always liked Tull but now they're in my upper circle of favorite prog bands.
Going to listen to the Chateau bonus album soon.

Having read some of the booklet, the new Wilson mix deletes two saxophone parts and adds a few song verses that were originally deleted for some unknown reason and puts the voice closer up front. It might be quite a different experience but I haven't heard the original.

The band has very mixed feelings about the album, some of them love it and some think it's one of their weaker albums. Ian Anderson is very proud of his vocal performance (rightly so!) but feels the album could have been so much more and might consider doing a new version of it. He thinks the album's biggest fans are nuts.

I'd been reluctant before but some of the book/box versions have quite a lot of extras. I just ordered Too Old (has a ton of extras) and Minstrel. Aqualung has an EP and more. Songs From The Woods deluxe has become scarce quite quickly but it didn't have as interesting extras as most of the others.
Heavy Horses deluxe book/box is coming in March.

oh no SFTW deluxe is getting expensive? goddamn it

adds a few song verses that were originally deleted for some unknown reason

― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, February 9, 2018 9:41 PM (one hour ago)

Maybe I should have said it restores deleted verses, it isn't new music, it's from the original recording but had never actually been used.

Listened to the new HH box a few days ago, enjoying the SW mix and it feels a little less knotted with a new shine on it.

It is still pretty chewy in places however, I had forgotten this, SftW seems much more upbeat and light by comparison.

Then there's just Stormwatch to go then we're out of the imperial phase, I'm looking forward to hearing that with a better mix, especially Orion, the Stormwatch tour was pretty strong too and a proper live recording would be ace.

A and Under Wraps are gonna be a tough sell.

Don't know how far they'll take this box/book series, I'm surprised how far it's already went. How many bands ever got this kind of treatment for so many albums? I think it's a bit much, a lot of this stuff probably should have been in compilations but I have to admit the booklets are good enough you almost could have sold them by themselves.

I can ask, my wife used to work on them and I know who does now, I imagine they'll go all the way, some of those later records could do with being mixed in a more sympathetic way, taking out the brash 80s/90s reverbs and production tricks.

I actually suggested they make a nice coffee table book of all the liner notes when they're done. :)

But they didn't give This Was a book edition, only a cd shaped double disc edition. Not sure about Benefit.

I love "Broadford Bazaar" from the single-disc remaster of Heavy Horses, although I have no idea if it's from the same recording sessions or just tacked on as a good bonus track.

Yeah, I was wondering if they'd go back and rerelease This Was and Benefit in the book format, Benefit has a CD sized, thick fold-y in on itself case.

Stormwatch seems like the logical place to end the deluxe versions, but I'd also like to see a rerelease of that Ian Anderson solo album that had all the computers and stuff on it.

Another favorite Passion Play lyric

"Here's the everlasting rub: neither am I good or bad.
I'd give up my halo for a horn and the horn for the hat I once had."

I'm gonna have to hear the Wilson mix and see if it changes my mind!

Really fallen in love with this band. I liked them a decade ago but now I really love them. Scooped up 4 reissues this week (This Was has the best artwork ever) and listened to the Chateau sessions a lot, a lot of which got reused as Passion Play and War Child, but since I haven't heard War Child, I'm hoping that the best unfamiliar tracks are on it in some form.
The way Anderson just talks about the theatre being bombed then sings out the same sentences afterwards is hilarious.

"Look at the animals in the zoo, how would you like to be one?
[...]
Look at the animals look at you, how would you like to free one?"

Their first album since 2003 is coming out next year!

"thick as a brick" (all 40+ odd minutes) is top shelf symphonic rock and a killer concept besides

Xpost with Martin barre on board?

Cant see anything about Barre but I'm not sure. I know next to nothing about Tull after the 70s (apart from actress Lucia Micarelli being in the band, wow) but there must be a reason this isn't just another solo album.

Barre and Anderson are on pretty bad terms right now it seems, also IA's voice is really quite shot so it'll be interesting to see what comes up with this new record.

That sucks about this voice, he was always one of rock's great enunciators.

On one of those solo albums I thought he made good use of his ravaged voice. Not really trying to sing

I would love for there to be a Steven Wilson remix of "Walk Into Light".

Re: Chateau sessions. I cant believe they never used "Left Right", such an awesome song, I think it did appear on other compilations but I'd urge anyone to grab the Passion Play: Extended Performance before it's gone, because the sessions are remastered too.

it was only $21 on Amazon the other week, so I picked it up. Heavy Horses too!

Cool, I think I'll jump into town to get Heavy Horses this week.

On a Tull kick myself (see other thread).

Also, Ian Anderson's vaguely synth pop / occasionally baeleric album Walk Into Light is...not bad?

I have found my way into some of the early 80s stuff but haven’t tried that one yet

I'm not an expert on his solo career by any means, but this one seems like an anomaly

Title track is my jam right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs6V91LgdKs

Had a look over my Heavy Horses book. Never knew they had so much work with Maddy Prior, she's interviewed.

that walk into light title track deserves resuscitation on some resident advisor mix imo, it's really good

definitely own like 6 or 7 albums by these guys and never quite decided if I am a fan or not

Other favorite Chateau moments

"The editor lies screaming, baking in his waking dream,
QUESTIONING "WHO IS GOD'S FAVOURITE ROCK BAND THIS WEEK?"
And will the front page take him?
The deadline for the headline is the breadline"

"Who the hell can he be when he's never had V.D. and he doesn't even sit on toilet seats?"

I love "Broadford Bazaar" from the single-disc remaster of Heavy Horses, although I have no idea if it's from the same recording sessions or just tacked on as a good bonus track.

Also, “Inside” from Benefit is an absolute jam. Glen Cornick’s bass on this is just incredible.

hmm... the Nightcap liner notes say Broadford Bazaar was "recorded 1978 at Maison Rouge Mobile Studio, Fulham London" so maybe it's from the Stormwatch recording sessions?

the song is like a Heavy Horses sound with a definite Stormwatch vibe

hmm... the Nightcap liner notes say Broadford Bazaar was "recorded 1978 at Maison Rouge Mobile Studio, Fulham London" so maybe it's from the Stormwatch recording sessions?

—>singing