Jethro Tull didn't quite translate through the generations

And one more while we're on the topic. This isn't very mainstream but this type of thing is permeating to a lot of "indie" music:

 

Tull was about as far away from a singles band as you can find. They had Bungle in the Jungle, that reached #12, but their success had nothing to do with singles. And they were, for a time, a BIG name rock band.

 

Tull wasn't "folk rock" in '78, though. They were more pastoral at that point. Kind of a amalgamation of progressive influences and pastoral leanings. That's definitely what Heavy Horses and Songs from the Wood are anyway.

 

Singles, perhaps not, and, perhaps, I misstated in terms of what I was trying to convey. While they had no "singles" on the radio, outside of "Bungle", they did have a lot of tunes getting airplay ("Living in the Past", stuff from Aqualung, "Teacher", etc. etc.). Nothing from HH or SftW got any significant airplay. That was my point.

 

They had a couple of weaker albums in the middle ['Too Old...' and maybe 'A Passion Play' and I guess 'War Child'] but IMO, they were strong up through 'Heavy Horses'. After that I think the quality started going downhill.

 

Ok, I agree with that. I bought Bursting Out, which included some songs from those albums...and, while I no longer have it, still recall it as being one powerful live album. After that I simply stopped listening to them for literally decades, but it wasn't because I was disappointed with an album id heard of theirs. Just too much new stuff to listen to. Based on what I've since read, it appears a lot of others felt the same way. So I think I managed to catch them during their great run of close to a decade. Not bad!

 

Sure they were, some real heavy tracks on those albums: Hunting Girl, No Lullaby, Dark Ages (from Stormwatch, about as close to heavy metal as they ever got). Plus the title tracks Songs From The Wood and Heavy Horses both had heavy rock sections.

 

The way I see it is there a two main reasons a 17 year old is familiar with classic rock bands, first is exposure through TV commercials, or the band had an iconic figure, ie Hendrix or Morrison. Jethro Tull was one of those bands where we sat around and listened to the album...repeatedly. It takes repeated listens to get a band such as JT.

My grandson has way too many other distractions in his busy life. Yeah, I'm old.

 

Hmmmm Never had a problem with Buddy Holly, Sun Elvis, Chuck, Fats, Bo, Wolf, Muddy, B.B.
It was the Teen Idols of the early 60's like Avalon, Rydell, Fabian, Vinton as well as the College Vocals of Four Freshmen, Lettermen etc that were dead to me with the advent of The Beatles.
As for the 30's and 40's Big Band being non relatable, it was the vast difference in instruments and production. Today there are plenty of young musicians still using the Guitar Bass Keys Drum set up that took off in the 50's. Still an identifier. But then that isn't EDM or Dance Pop either
Tull is an anomaly like so many from that era. It amazes to think that something as complex and poetic as Thick as a Brick was party music for teens!
I had that thought listening to Low Spark of High Heeled Boys a few years back. What an incredible track to find girls and hang out to......

Maybe it was the doses

 

I don't think either of us are on the same page in terms of what we're discussing. You're referencing heavy tunes yet you called them "folk rock". I called them "pastoral prog". Which is closer to the period we're discussing? Perhaps neither identifies their sound ?

 

Thing is though, that stuff really was old in the late '60s and '70s. Whereas a lot of music from 40-45 years ago doesn't sound nearly as dated because the styles haven't really gone away and still have resonance for people. Like, it's not hard to find contemporary bands who can be connected back to Floyd or Sabbath.

Rock and Roll represented a break from earlier pop music, and the British Invasion/Motown represented a break from the earlier rock that had been overrun by the Frankiebobby era.

 

I thought it sounded like it was just going to be a backing track most of the way through, until the vocalist finally cut in. Reminds me a bit of Orchestral Manouvers in the Dark, especially near the end of the song, but more monotonous in character, and with uninteresting repetitive lyrics.

 

Hah, but all we remember are a dozen classic rock bands!

Shows the reality of what was popular with people.

 

Songs From The Wood, Heavy Horses and Stormwatch are primarily acoustic albums with loads of folk influence. A lot of that music is pastoral. However, each of those albums still have heavy rockers mixed in. Thus why I describe them as "folk rock".

 

I second that. You are indeed lucky to be able to do that.

 

"The Whistler" was in heavy rotation where I lived

 

I guess we might be about the same age because when I was in my teens, Aqualung and MU were just about mandatory albums/ 8Tracks. Tull was on that rung of the rock ladder right below Zep, The Who etc. They seem to be a niche band today. It's a shame.

 

Could it be that it sounded really old and dated because you were a teen or twentysomething? Like Tull many classic rock bands sound really old to teens or twentysomethings today?

 

Good point.

 

I think Tull is one of the most underrated of all the 60s-70s bands....great music

 

From 1968- 79 which of there albums is ' pastoral ' I would not use that term from 1968- 79?

 

People always seem to forget that the Grammy was for best hard rock/heavy metal album. Though Tull never did metal they definitely did dip into the hard rock bag from time to time--particularly with Crest Of A Gnave. It was their hardest rocking album since Minstrel In The Gallery.

 

Couldn't even stand them in the 70s. Dreadful band.

 

Sure, but my point is that some of those bands - not Tull, certainly, but some - won't sound quite so old and dated to contemporary audiences because they pioneered styles that are still being mined today. Whereas I suspect Little Richard sounded more dated in 1972 than 1972-era Pink Floyd sounds today.

 

I am not surprised that the OP's grandson was not taken with JT on first impression. In a lot of cases, Tull were a bit of an acquired taste, and not one of those bands that grabbed you out of the gate. Even when they were fresh and new, they sounded a bit out of the norm, with the flute and medieval feel that they convey in much of their music. Personally, I love them and have most of their albums on vinyl, although I need to listen to them when the mood strikes, and not usually on a whim. I've seen them twice in concert and they were great, although, Ian was a bit of a d**k when I met him. Tull does not strike me the type of retro band that most kids would catch on to today, unlike Zeppelin or Purple, for example.