Talk:Jethro Tull (band)

Influence on Iommi?

This recent addition - "Iommi, for his part, was apparently so impressed with Tull's rehearsal discipline that he resolved to be just as firm with his bands. His success may be partly attributed to his time with Tull" appears to be speculation. If the source material cited just previously makes this claim, then the citation should follow the entire paragraph. Brendano Every time I edit the passage, adding that Martin Barre was a member of Fat Matress with Noel Redding, someone erases it, why?

The information can be found on Iommi's wikipage. Here, I'll paste a quote from the page Tony Iommi:

"Tony Iommi says about his working-relation with Ian Anderson, which maybe contributed to the success of Black Sabbath:

I learned quite a lot from him, I must say. I learned that you have got to work at it. You have to rehearse. When I came back and I got the band (Black Sabbath) back together, I made sure that everybody was up early in the morning and rehearsing. I used to go and pick them up. I was the only one at the time that could drive. I used to have to drive the bloody van and get them up at quarter of nine every morning; which was, believe me, early for us then. I said to them, "This is how we have got to do it because this is how Jethro Tull did it." They had a schedule and they knew that they were going to work from this time till that time. I tried that with our band and we got into doing it. It worked. Instead of just strolling in at any hour, it made it more like we were saying, "Let’s do it!"

Clearly, it is not speculation if this came from Iommi. -Chewbacca 06:45, 1 February 2006 (UTC)

Tull is Progressive?

Deliberate provocation, hoping for a better article, from a decidedly unimpressed listener.

Here is most of the text from this article, keywords in bold: "Jethro Tull is a progressive rock band that was formed in 1968. They play very advanced rock music with influences from a lot of musical genres."

Annotation:

1. progressive is a marketing category and JT certainly belongs in it along with Yes, King Crimson, whoever.
2. very advanced is a musical judgement that seems to me to require some support from an article author. To me JT is idiosyncratic and fashioned to fit the odd musical talents of the leader, but it neither comes from any musical tradition nor contributes to any, a hermetically sealed experience. If you like JT, you like 'em, but if you don't like 'em, you can ignore 'em. The same doesn't go, say, for Yes, which has been a true avatar progressive rock, or King Crimson, which has influenced not only rock, but jazz and modern music in general.
3. influences should be identified.

Please note, progressive rock does nothing for me, but I do think it's an important part of musical history and should be documented seriously and carefully, hence this note. James Moody is my idea of a rocking flautist. Ortolan88

Keith Emerson plays some pretty kickin' keyboards on Thick as a Brick. If Keith Emerson isn't Prog, who is? That said, I would amend "very advanced" to be something more specific like "classically influenced" (i.e. verses blues-influenced)

---

"Music of this music"?

"...perhaps the first time many Tull fans had the opportunity to hear music of this music..." - huh? I could correct this, if I had the slightest idea what the writer meant to say ;) Tualha 06:44, 28 Jan 2004 (UTC)

I edited it for readability. Ended up just re-writing that whole paragraph, since it predates my original overhaul of the article. -mhr 07:14, 28 Jan 2004 (UTC)

---

Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll vs. A Passion Play

An addition to the article states:

1976's Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die! was another concept album, this time about the life of an aging rocker. Anderson, stung by critical reviews (particularly of A Passion Play), responded by recycling many of the tunes from that work, reorchestrating them and providing new, sharply-barbed lyrics. The press seemed oblivious to the ploy, and instead asked if the title track was autobiographical—a charge Anderson hotly denied.

This is the first I've ever heard of this. Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll has never sounded anything like Passion Play to me. The melodies and arrangements are completely different. What's the source for this? -mhr 18:49, 24 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Just listen to it. It stands out like dog's balls. Tannin 18:55, 24 Feb 2004 (UTC) The arrangements are indeed completely different. But many of the melodies are a straight lift. One assumes that Anderson had a good chuckle out of it. Tannin

Um, I've been listening to Tull for half my life. I've never seen any similarity between the two albums. I see little similarity between "Crazed Institution" or "Quizz Kid" or the title track and Passion Play. (Besides, since when does Passion Play have melodies? :-) In any event, unless there's objective evidence that Anderson really did "recycle" the melodies (by which I mean, Anderson came out and said so at some point), I think the most that should be said in the 'pedia is that the two sound similar to some fans (well, to one fan, anyway). -mhr 21:49, 24 Feb 2004 (UTC)

A recycled melody is objective, Michael, in and of itself. A recorded sequence of notes is an objective fact. The fact that you haven't noticed it yet is neither here nor there.

My copy of Too Old has disappeared somewhere, but when I locate it (or, more likely, buy another copy - I bet you I lent it to someone), I'll walk you through it track by track. There are three or four major melodies that are straight lifts from A Passion Play. We should certainly not say that the two albums "sound similar", as they do not. The oprcestration is entirely different, as are the lyrics. Tannin

I don't really get how the albums can share melodies and yet "sound different". If they truly share melodies, there ought to be some significant similarity.

Are you sure you're not mixing up A Passion Play with the "Chateau D'Isaster Tapes" (from 20 Years and Nightcap)? Those two sets definitely share melodies and sound very much the same, because they were recorded within a year of each other after the latter was abandoned (though somehow the band managed to throw out most of the interesting stuff from the Chateau tapes). For that matter, I think War Child recycled a little unreleased material from the 1971-73 period (most famously, "Lick Your Fingers Clean" became "Two Fingers" - very different orchestration, but clearly similar songs).

I've been listening to both Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll and Passion Play over the last couple of hours and simply do not see any resemblance. While it's possible there are similar or identical melodies at times, the effect is very subtle (far more subtle than, say, the guitar riff on The Who's "Don't Let Go the Coat" and Indigo Girls' "Tried to be True", which as far as I know are not connected in any purposeful way and yet share guitar melodies).

Again, unless there's documented evidence that Anderson deliberately re-used melodies, I don't think it's worth mentioning. I certainly don't think it should be claimed that Anderson did so deliberately. -mhr 23:23, 24 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Side Bars

Some of the albums seem to have different side bars. They aren't there in all of the albums that currently have track listings, and they vary. Can someone more experienced with wiki fix this at any stage? Something similar to what the guys who are doing the Pink Floyd have got is cool. --huwr 06:06, 3 Oct 2004 (UTC)

New Album?

Who made this note about a new album due out in August and what is the source for this info? DKK

I've checked the official Jethro Tull site a number of times and (sadly) heard nothing to the effect that they had a new album coming out in just a few short (April, for example, has only 30 days) months. Personally I suggest we cut that line off.--Deridolus 07:25, 7 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Tull

How is this band's name pronounced? (Tool, as in bull or Tal as in null)

Thanks! 84.94.134.90 16:52, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)

AFAIK, Tull rhymes with both bull and null. Other words it rhymes with are skull, full and dull. Hope that helps. DaveTheRed 02:24, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)

It probably rhymes differently depending on whether you are English or American. I'm American, so "tool" does not rhyme with "bull" nor does "tal" rhyme with "null". Think of David Bowie at the beginning of the song "Andy Warhol" saying "it's Andy Warhull -- like Hull" -- that's how most people I know say it.

Living in the Past most popular with fans...?

I've never met a Tull fan who thought Living in the Past was the best Tull album. Usually casual listeners prefer AquaLung, and the big fans like Minstrel in the Gallery, Thick as a Brick, or even A Passion Play. What do you base the "Living in the Past" thing on, if I can ask?

Raekuul: I believe that the article said that the song itself, not the album, was a hit in the UK.Raekuul 00:51, 13 January 2006 (UTC)

Recent additions

I've been a big fan of JT since the mid-70's. Just stumbled across the page and added a good deal of stuff, mostly on musical themes and influences, with some details of lyrics. The description of the '89 tour staging might be considered OR, but I was there and I know what I saw. :-) Brendano 21:41, 21 Apr 2005 (UTC)

The "A" Album

---For whatever reason, though, Anderson released his solo album as a Tull album in 1980.---

This was more or less demanded of Ian by the record label, to whom he (or rather, Jethro Tull) was still contracted to release another album with -as Jethro Tull-. So he recruited a lineup, a bit haphazardly even, and put the JT name on it and did the tour with the band's name. Then he later released another solo album.

"Sahi group hai boss."

Looks to be a blend of hindi, arabic, and english. Whatever the hell it means, it's not part of the discography of Jethro Tull, so I took it out.

Someone with some spare time might want to look it over for more vandalism, but I've not got time right now.--Deridolus 21:41, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

And again...

Once more there's a notation- underneath the discography- that Ian's preparing to release a new Tull album. And, once again, I've checked the official Tull website and have been unable to find any such announcement during a cursory search.

Could be I'm missing something, I suppose; if anyone cares to post a link verifying that information, I'd be much obliged. If not, I'm giving the line the axe in a few days.--Deridolus 07:05, 5 December 2005 (UTC)

It's gone. If anyone finds any source that says there'll be a new album, put it back in- and include the source.--Deridolus 10:00, 3 January 2006 (UTC)

The March 2006 issue of Classic Rock magazine has a brief interview with Ian Anderson in which he says he'll begin work on "writing and arranging new material" for a new Tull album after he's finished with his current performing commitments. No definite or even approximate release date is mentioned. --Reinder Dijkhuis 22:39, 20 March 2006 (UTC)

Should we comment on the length of...

raekuul should we comment on the length of the two US chart toppers? Raekuul 00:50, 13 January 2006 (UTC)

Live Aqualung: Only commercial in europe?

I bought the Aqualung Live album recently. Bought. Did not go to any concerts, or go to Europe. It was in the store in Hawaii. Maybe someone can remove the "only commercially released in europe" and make it sound more fluent, I suck at fluency right now. -Chewbacca 06:54, 1 February 2006 (UTC)

It's correct the way it is. Saying it's only commercially released in Europe doesn't mean that you can't buy it in the USA. You can still get it, but it's an import and so it costs more. That's how I got mine, and I live in California. -- ProveIt ^(talk) 08:08, 1 February 2006 (UTC)

The status of the Live Aqualung record has changed a bit. The album now has worldwide commercial release and is supported with a UK tour.--Reinder Dijkhuis 22:34, 20 March 2006 (UTC)

Tony Williams link

Under the band members links at the bottom of the page, the link to Tony Williams goes to the wiki of Tony Williams the American jazz drummer, and not THIS Tony Williams, whose only other credit I can think of offhand was playing bass (or maybe even rhythm guitar) on Stealer's Wheel's "Stuck in the Middle With You." Somebody should fix that, and it's NOT going to be me. Because I'm lazy.

A Jethro Tull forum?

I've got a forum set up for Jethro Tull fans at http://www.elitrix.net/raekuul and I'm not sure if I can add it to the list of sites in the article. Do I have clearance?

Wife of Ian Anderson

Is there any truth to a rumor that I heard that Ian Anderson's wife wrote some or all of JT's lyrics? Does he or did he even have a wife? If this is true at all then it's probably worth mentioning in the article.

Ian Anderson's first wife co-wrote the lyrics for Aqualung [[1]]. His current wife is Shona Anderson, accroding to Tull's website.