Jethro Tull Golden Period

This Was
Stand Up
Benefit
Aqualung...mine

 

Aqualung is the JT pinnacle. Once we've agreed on that, it's just a matter of what came before and what came after.

That's how come they thought they could charge 100 somethin for the remastered box set with the 5.1 mix. But, I waited five years and called their bluff.

Well, I did buy the CD the first time.

 

My estimation of JT's golden period matches the original post. Of course the first two albums are excellent but IMO there's some magic missing. And I'm fond of Songs From The Wood and Heavy Horses but I find the magic on the wane.

Thick As A Brick is the pinnacle for me. I wouldn't call it my favourite album by any artist, but I can't think of another album that has rewarded frequent listening more. I've just never tired of it.

 

This Was through War Child. Minstrel was mostly good, but not as good as the previous LPs. Then came Too Old...

 

I must have horribly poor taste as I like it all equally from This Was through the Christmas Album. I listen to all eras fairly evenly, including Under Wraps, which was the first album I bought new as a teen and the first tour I attended (Portland, OR Nov '84.)

I do like some albums a bit more than others but not in any specific era and it's always changing. Every time I pick up the current 'runt of the litter' I end up enjoying it more than I remembered.. music is strange that way.. At any rate I'd place Roots to Branches up with the best work from the seventies. Secret Language of Birds too if we're counting solo material. My wife only really likes them from 1980's "A" through the newer material, with Crest being her absolute favorite.

Some of Ian's later songs could also easily be interpreted as being somewhat self-referencial, regarding his own status and reputation as he ages, wandering down through the ever changing rock 'n roll landscape. Too Old to Rock 'N Roll wasn't about him, but this bit from Catfish might be -

Well, I've been second to none:
This horse was ready to run
Now I'm has-been and used:
Disarmed and de-fused
But I'm turning again
And I'm turning again
Yes, 'n' I'm turning again
I'm turning again
Wearing gold-tipped boots, black jacket and tie

 

There are a number of post This Was Tull records that are first rate: Stand Up, Benefit, Aqualung, Thick As A Brick... However their first 2 are stylistic standouts for me...

...This Was followed by *Ahead Rings Out. This Was was the record that set me on the path to the British Blues which led me to back-track to Mississippi Delta Country Blues; the roots, then forward from there. The Blues in all it's guises and sub genres became and remain to this day a particular passion. From This Was to This Day. From the first time I saw Tull at the Fillmore East just after the release of This Was I was hooked.

*I know; I'm making a point.

 

I actually started growing wearing of them when Too Old came out. Particularly the title track was a bit annoying; Anderson's vocal style began to grate on me. Horrible cover art work too, though that's a minor point. So that's why the cut-off there for me.

 

That's mine as well.

 

This Was ('68) to Minstrel In The Gallery ('75).

 

I saw them at Shea Stadium when "Too Old...." had just come out. Something seemed to be happening to all the major 70's bands at that point in time and their power and presence-both musically and in terms of overall significance-seemed to be taking a downward turn. It felt like the peak had by this point in time, come and gone. i can make a list of bands this applied to well as solo artists...Tull, Zeppelin, Bowie, Elton John, Yes, ELP, the CSNY "family".... The strength-or lack of-of the songs on TOTRAR definitely reflected this. When Songs from The Wood came out, it initially didn't feel like "Jethro Tull" to me. While the core albums you listed prior to it all had stylistic changes and arrangements going on, it still felt like a progression of "them". SFTW could have been a whole other band (with, for that matter, a lead vocalist who kind of sounded like Ian Anderson but not quite).

 

all gold! Indeed...

 

Stand Up to Passion Play.

 

Stand Up - Thick As A Brick, then they more or less lost me.
But, I apparently went to see them in 1993 at Star Lake in Pgh, PA.
If anyone collects Tull stuff.. I have nice clean VG++ ticket.
I'll be happy to send it to someone ?
I just found it while looking for something else..

 

1969-1979

 

First 3 albums. Great run of singles the first few years.

 

I would add TAAB.

 

1999 - 2003

(The Secret Language of Birds - J-Tull Dot Com - Rupi's Dance - [the new songs on] The Jethro Tull Christmas Album)

 

"Aqualung"? "The pinnacle"??
Good luck finding partners in crime round here!

"Something"? It starts with "P". Like... Punkrock!



I know that these Wilson remixes change the way we - or at least I - are perceiving these albums. But... hey... art is always up for debate and/ or reevaluation. I fully remember how irrelevant and almost boring "Too Old To Rock N Roll" sounded to me in the 80's. But now after I've heard the remixed re-recording, it's one of my favourite Tull albums ever. Been listening to a lot of JT over the past view months, been mixing originals with remixes and have to say there isn't a single album I didn't like. They're certainly not all top notch but even a comparatively weaker record like "Warchild" is really good. And some of the stuff is surprisingly amazing: "Songs From The Wood", "Heavy Horses".

Now I only need "Stormwatch", "A", "Underwrapps" and "Rock Island" and I'm complete up to 1989. Probably going to get missing originals and remixes too because I like Jethro Tull enough to have their catalogue up to "Broadsword" twice!

 

This Was through Storm Watch

The recent Steven Wilson re-do of This Was is revelatory. if you’re unsure, just buy it. Fantastic, and the book makes for an interesting read that will take you several end-to-end listen-throughs to read completely.

As has been the case for the rest of the SWs. Aqualung, Songs From The Wood and Heavy Horses in particular. Anxiously awaiting SW’s Storm Watch

The one exception to this day is Too Old to Rock and Roll. Part of me says why bother, but then it might be another revelation. I have no familiarity and therefore no attachment to it. Should I? Was always turned off by the title song

 

I would say from "This Was" to "Thick as a Brick". There are later albums which I consider great such as "Heavy Horses" or "Songs from the Wood" but "Passion Play" tanked their golden period. If "Thick as a Brick" a terrific conceptual album full of melodies and ideas, "Passion Play" is just a boring self-indulgent mess. Sorry.

UPDATE: speaking more generous their golden period can be extended from the debut to "Stormwatch". Afterwards they just became another band, became a heavy metal Grammy winners and I lost my interest in them whatsoever.

 

For me, This Was to Thick as a Brick.

 

Everything up to and including Under Wraps. After that tour Ian's voice was never the same.

 

Exactly. As much as I like much of the post Thick as a Brick stuff, it’s not as instantly great as this golden period. I remember when I first got into them I had to purposely listen to A Passion Play once a day for a week (at a friend’s urging) until I started to like it.
I just picked up 50 at 50 so I’ve had JT on the brain the past few days.

 

Yes he can!

I agree to stretch the golden Tull period up to "Heavy Horses" (mostly for the splendid songwriting) but not to start it before "Benefit". I've immersed myself in "Stand Up" for the last couple of days, with the DE version and realized I haven't changed my mind a bit about it: a good transitional album with about four tracks I enjoy very much and which never make me cringe.

Comes "Benefit" and we're really getting there.

 

Stand Up to Aqualung.