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Jethro Tull


JethroTull

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By request, I've started a Jethro Tull discussion. I heard the Aqualung LP during the summer of 1971 and that was it, I was hooked.

No shrieking "I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, oooh baby, oooh baby" during a Tull song, it was much more verbal. Sometimes too verbal. Oh and Rolling Stone magazine also hated Tull.

Ian wrote this song at the Preston train station in London whilst waiting to visit his dad in the hospital.

Cheap Day Return

On Preston platform

do your soft shoe shuffle dance.

Brush away the cigarette ash that's

falling down your pants.

And you sadly wonder

does the nurse treat your old man

the way she should.

She made you tea,

asked for your autograph

what a laugh

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I liked them. They had their own sound, and were a great live act back in the day. I know a number of people on this forum like to trash them but I'm not one of them. Tull had a huge following in this part of the world. They were one of the bands that pushed my musical tastes in other directions.

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I know a number of people on this forum like to trash them

I wonder what they'll think of this?:

:D

I think JT are an excellent band. I've bought 10 CD's and not a single one has disappointed me so far.

I think Thick As A Brick is my favourite, so many twists and turns.

Edited by Ady
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I wonder what they'll think of this?:
:D

I think JT are an excellent band. I've bought 10 CD's and not a single one has disappointed me so far.

I think Thick As A Brick is my favourite, so many twists and turns.

TAAB is great. I'm partial to Benefit

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Yeah, me too! I love the guitar sound on that album. Stand Up is another favourite of mine.

They were still a blues band in those day's. Aqualung pushed them on to a different platform and into big arena's. As I say they were just different to what had been going on and bands like Yes and ELP would follow their lead, in North America

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Cant think of anyone else that implemented the flute the way he did into rock n roll. Of course the sound has been imitated through keyboard on songs, but he really kicked ass on it. I saw them back in their prime and they were great. Aqualung is one of the all time classics. I have no Tull albums now. Had their vinyl-need to get some burned on disc. I think I had a greatest hits album way back. Had songs like Skating Away and Bungle in the Jumgle as well as the classic Aqualung. They made their impact in Rock n Roll thats for sure.

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I think the revolving door of band members ultimately hurt the band. It was more apparent as ever in 1980 that Ian Anderson WAS the band. Just some of the notables who passed through, bassist Dave Pegg and other members of Fairport Convention, Eddie Jobson from Roxy Music/Zappa, Mark Craney (R.I.P.) on drums, Gerry Conway(Cat Stevens) on drums, Mick Abrahams (Blodwyn Pig) was the original guitarist. After the initial break through in 1968, Ian eventually brought all his childhood friends/band mates into the group, Barrie Barlow, John Evan and Jeffrey Hammond. Jeffrey had three songs named after him before joining the band, "A Song for Jeffrey", "Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square" and "For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me". The last song was about the astronaut Michael Collins. While he orbited the Moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin performed the first manned landing on the lunar surface. The song compares the feelings of misfitting from vocalist Ian Anderson (and friend Jeffrey Hammond) with the astronaut's own, as he is left behind by the ones who had the privilege to walk on the surface of the moon.

Some interesting web-sites......

The website of Glen Cornick the original bass player who went on to play in Wild Turkey and Paris. You will spend days looking at the great photos....Tull and Non-Tull......

http://www.cornick.org/

Unfornutately the band has been on a 15 year greatest hits tour. You can view the entire

40 years of touring at ......

http://www.ministry-of-information.co.uk/

For lyrics and song analysis.....

http://www.cupofwonder.com/index2.html

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I think the revolving door of band members ultimately hurt the band. It was more apparent as ever in 1980 that Ian Anderson WAS the band. Just some of the notables who passed through, bassist Dave Pegg and other members of Fairport Convention, Eddie Jobson from Roxy Music/Zappa, Mark Craney (R.I.P.) on drums, Gerry Conway(Cat Stevens) on drums, Mick Abrahams (Blodwyn Pig) was the original guitarist. After the initial break through in 1968, Ian eventually brought all his childhood friends/band mates into the group, Barrie Barlow, John Evan and Jeffrey Hammond. Jeffrey had three songs named after him before joining the band, "A Song for Jeffrey", "Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square" and "For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me". The last song was about the astronaut Michael Collins. While he orbited the Moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin performed the first manned landing on the lunar surface. The song compares the feelings of misfitting from vocalist Ian Anderson (and friend Jeffrey Hammond) with the astronaut's own, as he is left behind by the ones who had the privilege to walk on the surface of the moon.

Some interesting web-sites......

The website of Glen Cornick the original bass player who went on to play in Wild Turkey and Paris. You will spend days looking at the great photos....Tull and Non-Tull......

http://www.cornick.org/

Unfornutately the band has been on a 15 year greatest hits tour. You can view the entire

40 years of touring at ......

http://www.ministry-of-information.co.uk/

For lyrics and song analysis.....

http://www.cupofwonder.com/index2.html

I first saw Tull on the Thick as a Brick tour in 72, one of the best shows I have seen. met theband after the show and they were so generous and funny.

I met Glen Cornick that same year when Wild Turkey were supporting Black Sabbath. Met him and the band in a cafe before the show they were having a cup of tea.

Seen Tull a few times since but not for some years now.

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My mom got tickets to bring me and my sister to JT/UH at the arena...we were already familiar with some of their music, my mom had that live Uriah Heap album and a few JT albums...

The night of the show came...we got to our seats. right side of the stage in the raised section, looking a bit forward and to our right. Uriah Heap opened up and from what little i can recollect, they performed an AWESOME show ( 'course, at that time I had absolutely NO measuring stick to compare them to)...

Jethro Tull came on and played...the only recollection was Ian Anderson doing flute solo's, a lot of backround strobes... What a memory, though, the parts I can remember anyway! I'm pretty sure they played "Aqualung", "Skatin' away" and their other big songs of the day....good show over-all...cant really say for sure, 'cause I was blown away! I thought the entire show was great...my first frickin' concert!

edited for spelling and punctuation and tmi - SFL

Edited by stonefreelee
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Like alot of bands I am partial to their 70's albums.So much great music they put out,hard rock,progressive,acoustic.they could also put out some superb instruemental passages alaThick as a Brick.Havent been up on their later material,little I heard sounded alot different than their earlier sound.I guess I never transitioned with them as they changed.

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Ok "JT", i posted a tad of this recollection a few days ago, but I will expand it and make it my official Jethro Tull story and my FIRST official concert!

December of '77 was my official break from childhood...my first partaking of Mother Nature...this opened up EVERYTHING to me...it certainly makes you more accepting of things you wouldn't normally be into...editorializing done. Now to the facts....

Dont remember the exact date, but my first concert attendance was probably early '78 at the St.Louis Arena...Uriah Heap and Jethro Tull. I lived with my divorced mom and my older sister-she was 15 to my 14...My mom had an awesome record collection in the late '70s--although no zep...she had all the soft rock stuff, James Taylor, Carol King, Jesus Christ Superstar...all the 70's biggies (not that that makes them great, just great sellers...I digress.)

My mom got divorced from my dad in oh, 1969, and after getting custody of my sister and I, she began to live for herself becoming a seventies uh, person. She took good care of us in the days when divorce (and single motherhood) was relatively rare...

Hovever, the feelings of "If it feels good do it!" ethos of the seventies had flaws: My mom got tickets to bring me and my sister to JT/UH at the arena...we were already familiar with some of their music, my mom had that live Uriah Heap album and a few JT albums...

The night of the show came...we got to our seats. right side of the stage in the raised section, looking a bit forward and to our right. My mom had gotten a few "party favors" for the show...which was basically just some super-duper smoke (Yes, the seventies were definately a different time!) and she shared these with her teen-aged babies, me and sis...We lit up one of these crazy spliffs and passed it back and forth amongst the three of us...and I got more stoned that night on a couple of (apparently) reved-up jibbs than at almost anytime since...Uriah Heap opened up and from what little i can recollect, they performed an AWESOME show ( 'course, at that time I had absolutely NO measuring stick to compare them to)...

Jethro Tull came on and played and I was sooo stoned by that time...the only recollection was Ian Anderson doing flute solo's, a lot of backround Black Lights, flashing, it made it seem like everyting was going in slow motion...It was a great experiece at the time, kinda scared 'cause I had never been stoned on weed that bad! I was almost relieved when the show ended! What a memory, though, the parts I can remember anyway! I'm pretty sure they played "Aqualung", "Skatin' away" and their other big songs of the day....good show over-all. It was my sister and mom who both said (years later, if not decades later!) that Uriah Heap (hope i'm not spellin' "heap" wrong! Probably am...) blew JT off the stage...cant really say for sure, 'cause I was blown away! I thought the entire show was great...my first frickin' concert!

edited for spelling and punctuation - SFL

Thanks for the great story. I'll give you my take on it. 1977 and 1978 were difficult years for bands like Tull. 1977 would have been The Songs From the Woods tour. A very earthy, acoustic LP and not popular stuff in 1977. The band was in top form during that tour, but I suspect fans were growing impatient with the flutes, acoustics guitars and the general image of the band. Maybe it was a mid-west thing, but the East Coast shows were well received. Uriah Heep was more of a rock and roll outfit and a little more of what people may have wanted to see on stage. I lost a little interest in Tull myself during those years.

Oh, Tull used to set off strobe lights during Cross Eyed Mary. The band would be very animated during this and it gave the impression of slow motion, maybe that's what you saw. Or maybe it was the weed.

Edited by JethroTull
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Hey Xmas, must say I love your handle. My favorite holiday! Not kidding-I mean it. I wish it were Xmas all year long-the lights and the good will. We need plenty of it here these days. As for Tull, I saw them way back and loved them. they will never beat Aqualung album in my opinion. Anderson sure did things with the flute that were incredible. He could really put on a show.

Handle comes from my birthday.My favorite holiday too,ya think?I agree Aqualung was their masterpiece.Although they put out quite a number of solid releases.I saw them in '77 although my seats were terrible it was a great show at the old Chicago Stadium.

Edited by xmas
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I last saw them in 2007 - Ian Anderson's not the force he was by any means although still very entertaining. It's a pity the setlist stays pretty much the same; they've got so many gems that could do with an outing now and again.

I'd love to have seen them with Cornick & Bunker - the concert footage from the Isle of Wight DVD is amazing. :)

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I wonder what they'll think of this?:
:D

I think JT are an excellent band. I've bought 10 CD's and not a single one has disappointed me so far.

I think Thick As A Brick is my favourite, so many twists and turns.

Wow~that u tube clip is new 2 me ~rather good~I'd like 2 C AK and LM duel it out~ :rolleyes: on fiddle~ of course ;)

Saw JT live, here in the US, a few months back and they were OUTSTANDING :thumbsup:

Might I suggest if U R into Tull & U have not seen ~Living in the Past /DVD ~U definitely should~ B)

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Thanks for the great story. I'll give you my take on it. 1977 and 1978 were difficult years for bands like Tull. 1977 would have been The Songs From the Woods tour. A very earthy, acoustic LP and not popular stuff in 1977. The band was in top form during that tour, but I suspect fans were growing impatient with the flutes, acoustics guitars and the general image of the band. Maybe it was a mid-west thing, but the East Coast shows were well received. Uriah Heep was more of a rock and roll outfit and a little more of what people may have wanted to see on stage. I lost a little interest in Tull myself during those years.

Oh, Tull used to set off strobe lights during Cross Eyed Mary. The band would be very animated during this and it gave the impression of slow motion, maybe that's what you saw. Or maybe it was the weed.

:D i was just re-reading my post for the first time and I saw i didn't describe some things good enough and others way too much...but i remebered it was strobe lights and thus the slow-mo effect...and a few minutes later i read your reply about the strobes!!! it was a great show for me, I was impressed by Ian Anerson and his abilities...my sister played flute in school and always had their albums, which i didnt recall til just now...she used to attempt to play (and wasnt half bad) at some of the Ian parts and things like Marshall Tucker "Fire on the Mountain" et al.

and i'm sure the weed didn't help...

Edited by stonefreelee
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I last saw them in 2007 - Ian Anderson's not the force he was by any means although still very entertaining. It's a pity the setlist stays pretty much the same; they've got so many gems that could do with an outing now and again.

I've just found out that for this years UK tour (celebrating 40 years) they'll be concentrating on the 'pre-prog' years (1968-1970). Sounds like I'll be seeing them again then! :)

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I last saw them in 2007 - Ian Anderson's not the force he was by any means although still very entertaining. It's a pity the setlist stays pretty much the same; they've got so many gems that could do with an outing now and again.

Ian's voice is shot(I'll probably take some crap for saying that). He sings the older bluesier songs well, but other songs he just has a lot of problems. On the recent tour they converted "Sossiety, Your're a Woman" into an instrumental. His voice changed drastically in 1984 and has been unpredictable and sometimes embarrassing since. Fans still go watch and they have been touring constantly. I have a long list of complaints, but won't get into it here.

I've just found out that for this years UK tour (celebrating 40 years) they'll be concentrating on the 'pre-prog' years (1968-1970). Sounds like I'll be seeing them again then!

I've taken a Tull break the last couple of years, but I might attend the 40th. It would be nice if a couple of former band mates were invited to come along(I doubt it). Even Martin Barre (guitarist since 1969) is sometimes left out of what is called a Jethro Tull show.

Edited by JethroTull
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Ian's voice is shot(I'll probably take some crap for saying that). He sings the older bluesier songs well, but other songs he just has a lot of problems.

I've taken a Tull break the last couple of years, but I might attend the 40th. It would be nice if a couple of former band mates were invited to come along(I doubt it). Even Martin Barre (guitarist since 1969) is sometimes left out of what is called a Jethro Tull show.

No, you're right about his voice, although some nights are better than others. Nearly all their shows these days seem to be acoustic so it'll be interesting to see if they'll plug in for the 40th tour.

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No, you're right about his voice, although some nights are better than others. Nearly all their shows these days seem to be acoustic so it'll be interesting to see if they'll plug in for the 40th tour.

Yeah and the flute is turned up in the mix and you can sometimes barely hear the ELECTRIC guitar.

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