Jethro Tull album

While the world may not need another live Jethro Tull disc recorded only two years after their last one, this sturdy, nearly two-hour 2003 gig, released simultaneously on DVD and CD (same tunes and order, but Ian Anderson's often clunky introductions are mercifully edited out of the audio-only version), finds the band in fine form. Anderson and guitarist Martin Barre, the two flagship members, effectively juggle the set to include a few new tracks and some rarities with the handful of hits ("Aqualung," "Locomotive Breath," "My God," "Living in the Past") that the fans demand out of every gig. The double disc is broken down by the band's two sets, the first being primarily acoustic-based, or at least softer material, and the second revving up the electricity and intensity. The other three members (bass, drums, and keys) are accomplished musicians who play with precision if maybe a shortage of personality. But it's really Anderson's and to a lesser extent Barre's show, and they jubilantly lead the ensemble through the blues, prog, jazz, and classical influences that have always distinguished Tull from their contemporaries. Highlights include an acoustic "Fat Man" with Barre playing flute along with Anderson, a stunning 11-minute "Budapest" from Crest of a Knave, and the exotic Middle Eastern worldbeat of "Dot Com." The sound is perfectly recorded and Anderson is in good spirits as he dips deep into the Tull catalog to dust off oldies such as "Some Day the Sun Won't Shine for You" (from the group's 1968 debut), Stand Up's "Nothing Is Easy," and Benefit's "With You There to Help Me." The band injects a twist into the hoary "Locomotive Breath" as it veers off into old British folk territory in its final two minutes, and even "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (from The Jethro Tull Christmas Album) gets a new lease on life, albeit in a slightly cheesy jazz-classical arrangement reminiscent of "Bourée." Still, this is an impressive document of a band embracing its past while pushing into fresh territory nearly four decades into its existence. Maintaining the old fan base while doing this is a tricky balancing act, but one that Anderson and Barre perform with grace and class.

Perhaps the most interesting and insightful of the individual films to come out of Murray Lerner's footage shot at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival, Nothing Is Easy is also the most ambitious. Jumping between the 1970 events and a rather droll-humored Ian Anderson recalling the events from 2004, the film gives a lot more than an excellent account of the band's music and stage presentation of that era. We also get a close-up look at the threats of violence and hooliganism that lay beneath the peace-and-love rhetoric of the later-'60s counterculture, as the band finds itself caught in the midst of a confrontation between festival organizers trying to retake control of one sliver of the venue, and attendees -- most of whom crashed the gate -- refusing to cooperate and threatening mayhem. Surprisingly, it all holds together as cinema verite, band retrospective, social commentary, and concert movie, right down to the 15-minute Clive Bunker drum solo. Anderson also gets to explain a few aspects of the band's performing history, such as the mistake printed in a press review that led him to start trying to play the flute standing on one leg. The music holds up well as representative of the band's early sound, and also captures them in transition introducing a new song, "My God," at this performance, which marked their first serious push into progressive rock -- and Anderson's banter in the opening of the song, as he tries to tune up his acoustic guitar, is still very funny, as is his 2004 explanation for the banter. The whole piece is as essential for any Tull fan as any compilation album ever issued, and will prove enlightening to non-fans as well, about more than just the group's history. The full-frame (1.33-to-1) image is in excellent shape, and the sound is good and loud; support materials on the DVD include an array of still photos. [Eagle Rock reissued the DVD in 2005 as a DVD/CD including the previously released CD edition of this concert.]

For a band that remained relatively consistent (with a few minor exceptions) in their approach to rock & roll since 1968, Jethro Tull also possessed a sound that was uniquely '70s-oriented during their most successful period between 1971-1978. Avid fans have been yearning for the group's return to the style which made them one of the most successful of the guitar-based, mainstream prog rock outfits -- albums like Broadsword and the Beast and J-Tull Dot Com touched on their former glory, but they didn't fully satisfy. Jethro Tull Christmas Album could be the recording that those fans have been waiting for, and they shouldn't let its title or overt seasonal orientation dissuade them -- with their liberal use of classic British folk music and overall orientation toward England's past (even in their name), Jethro Tull is also the one prog rock/hard rock band of their generation that could issue a Christmas album that folds so easily into the rest of their output; it transcends its purpose and focus, mostly through the quiet boldness of its music and playing, and the surprising excitement that laces most of the 16 songs. With a mixture of re-recorded old songs, Christmas standards, and new originals, songwriter/singer Ian Anderson, in a roundabout manner, captures the tradition, warmth, and bittersweet feelings that are inextricably linked to the holiday season; at the same time, Anderson, longtime collaborator/lead guitarist Martin Barre, and the rest of the group's 2003 lineup recapture the musical intensity of three decades' past, and build on the classic Tull mood of sardonic humor, wry irony, and fierce passions that permeated all of their work from Stand Up to Songs from the Wood. All of this material, in its content and execution, recalls the group's prime early-'70s years and levels of musical complexity not presented so successfully by this band in at least 25 years. With a generous use of unamplified instruments like mandolin, acoustic guitar, flute, and accordion, this album resembles the production found on Songs from the Wood and Heavy Horses. In fact, three tracks from those two albums were reworked for this release; "Fire at Midnight," "Ring Out Solstice Bells," and "Weathercock." Only "Ring Out Solstice Bells" appeared to be the obvious choice for a Christmas album, but given Anderson's offbeat perspective of things, the other two tracks assimilate nicely. In addition, "Jack Frost and the Hooded Crow" sounds like it could have emanated from those 1977 and 1978 recordings, as could "Last Man at the Party" from 1974's War Child sessions. Among the re-recordings, pieces such as "A Christmas Song," that originally had orchestral accompaniment, are redone without it, in new arrangements, while others that were done without orchestra get dressed up with strings. From the traditional side of Christmas, Tull gives "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" a jazzy adaptation reminiscent of "Bouree" from Stand Up (which is also revisited on this recording) and "We Five Kings" sounds rhythmically similar to "Living in the Past," particularly the bass guitar line. In addition to Bach's "Bouree," the majestic Gabriel Fauré piece "Pavane" is included, which features guitarist Martin Barre's exceptional acoustic playing. And Barre himself gets a rare solo composition as the album closer (a Christmas gift from Anderson?), the deeply evocative tone-painting "A Winter Snowscape," which takes some gratifying turns away from the most obvious melodic direction. The album's overall mix of folk, jazz, pop, rock, and classical elements carries it beyond the holiday listening for which it was intended, and is all woven together so skillfully as to make this an essential Tull album, their first in almost three decades and their most musically rewarding. And although this Christmas album doesn't necessarily conjure up images of Santa and the Savior, it does create a mood and feeling reflective of the holiday season. More importantly, it is perhaps the most satisfying Tull releases in 25 years. [Reissued in late 2004 in a limited-edition version with a bonus DVD containing three performance videos of material going back to "That Sunday Feeling"].

Stormwatch, Jethro Tull's 12th studio album, found lead singer/songwriter Ian Anderson (who also played flute as usual, while on most tracks adding bass guitar for the ailing John Glascock) bewailing the greedy, anti-environmental tilt of contemporary governments and corporations, and sternly warning of dire consequences to come. Anderson began with a specific topical concern, the British government's decision to develop the North Sea oil reserves off Scotland, in the opening song, "North Sea Oil." Later songs were more general and poetic, but he carried the theme throughout, celebrating the qualities of nature ("Orion") and home ("Home") before predicting a return to the "Dark Ages." The album's narrator clearly located himself in Scotland, from which he both celebrated ancient traditions and deplored modern trends. These views were set to typical Jethro Tull music, the sort of madrigal folk-rock Anderson and company had been playing for years, and the familiarity of the sound, along with the cranky sentiments, may have contributed to the album's turning out to be a holding action commercially; despite respectable showings in the Top 30, it placed lower in the U.K. and U.S. charts than any of the band's albums in ten years, which is to say that it sold to Jethro Tull's existing fan base and no more. Coming at the end of the 1970s, it also marked the end of a phase in the group's career, with only Anderson and guitarist Martin Barre continuing to later lineups. The 2004 reissue adds four previously released tracks of the period (all drawn from the box set 20 Years of Jethro Tull). The catchy "A Stitch in Time" was a one-off single released the year before Stormwatch appeared, while "Crossword," "Kelpie," and the traditional instrumental "King Henry's Madrigal" are all songs recorded during the Stormwatch sessions but left off the original release, presumably because they don't really contribute to the main part of the album's theme.