Now I have a bunch of Tull songs running through my head.
Thanks, guys.
What’s really cool is that he’s self taught. I heard an interview with Anderson many, many years ago. It seems his young (at the time) daughter’s music teacher didn’t want him to play the flute around her anymore, because his fingering was completely wrong.
To go a bit more modern, just about everything on Roots to Branches is good. Dangerous Veils rocks like crazy. Another Harry’s Bar is great too.
J-Tull Dot Com is hit and miss, but a few songs are among my favorites. El Nino is probably the best track. Spiral is, in some ways, wholly unremarkable, but is such a template for all that is Tull it is worth checking out. From the fist note there is no doubt about what band it is.
Yep, I read that interview in Rolling Stone. It was not easy to tell from context, but he might have been kidding.
I always wondered about that, too. Ian Anderson seems to be a fairly self-deprecating guy. I met him years ago and he was quite pleasant, and kind to my then 3 year old son.
Fave albums are Stand Up (still have the original pop-up vinyl album), Benefit and Aqualung in that order.
A Tull thread!
First things first: http://www.jethrotull.com
What Tull songs? Depends on your taste, but they have a HUGE repetoire of material, and appeal (or not, depending) to almost everybody.
I just mentioned in another thread that they have a few dvds out, which (if you’ve got the budget) I can recommend:
A New Day Yesterday: The 25th Anniversary Collection: Good retrospective collection of their work from beginning to 1993.
Living with the Past: Pretty close to what you would see now, if you went to a show (although they are going to start touring with this person, which I would like to see/hear). They are also planning to release a LIVE version of the “Aqualung” album in the coming months.
Nothing is Easy: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970. I don’t have this one yet, but it’s on order.
Some of my personal favorite albums:
Benefit
Aqualung
Minstrel in the Gallery
Songs from the Wood
Heavy Horses
Stormwatch
Broadsword and the Beast
Crest of a Knave
Rock Island
Catfish Rising
Christmas Album
Songs: you’re on your own, here. That’s too subjective, I’m thinking. I could give you a list as long as my arm, but they would be songs that I like.
Explore. Youl won’t regret it.
IIRC, the MU Jethro Tull album had a remixed version of Locomotive Breath which I preferred over the original from Aqualung.
"He hears a silent howling
catches angels as they fall
and the all-time winner
has got him by the balls" – Locomotive Breath
I’ve loved Tull since I first saw them in 1975. One of my favorites is To Cry You a Song., which includes the classic line: Thought I saw angels, but I could’ve been wrong.
I also vouch for the entire albums- Heavy Horses, Songs from the Wood, and Broadsword and the Beast. For some reason, I haven’t cared for anything I’ve heard from JT since B&TB.
On the superb Benefit album, Michael Collins, Jeffrey, and Me is a stand out.
As an aside, one of the best concerts I ever went to was during Tull’s Thick as a Brick tour. A highlight of my youth.
All great ones listed here, folks. Some other favorites of mine-
Broadford Bazzar
Orion
Lick Your Fingers Clean (early, nastier version of “Two Fingers” from Warchild)
Look Into the Sun
Broadsword
Paradise Steakhouse
Cold Wind to Valhalla
And The Cappucino Song from Anderson’s most recent album is startlingly good!
He might have been kidding, but probably not. Anderson’s technique is all wrong, from a standard flute teacher’s point of view. Sure, it sounds great to me, but one of the things flute teachers usually drill into students’ heads is “Don’t use your tongue!!!” Ian Anderson was almost completely self-taught, and his primary influence on flute was Rahsaan Roland Kirke, who used his tongue constantly.
So, while many kids have probably taken up the flute over the years due to Jethro Tull’s influence, flute teachers are forever telling them, “STOP DOING IT LIKE TULL!”
I don’t remember the Rolling Stones interview. I was remembering a radio interview with Steve Reynolds and Kevin Silva on WRDU back in 1986. He didn’t sound like he was kidding, but he was certainly laughing about it.
He was also dismayed by the fact is daughter liked Madonna better than Jethro Tull.
I’ll second that. It’s from when Ian Anderson had a fine voice. Lyrics refer to the astronaut that waited in the space vehicle that orbited the moon while the other two walked on the moon.
Someone asked about Anderson’s technically faulty flute playing. To his credit, he decided to take formal flute lessons a few years ago, and now plays better than ever (though not so edgy).
He was only dismayed? If I had a daughter who preferred Madonna to Tull, I’d probably put her up for adoption. 
Oooh! I loves me some Tull! I’ve always liked the album A Little Light Music, which has more melodic versions of lots of classic songs, including Locomotive Breath, performed live. It also has the best versions (IMO) of Christmas Song and Bouree.
The real question is “What Tull songs shouldn’t I listen to?” and the answer is none, they’re all worth a listen.
If you’re interested, a picture of my most prized posession.
Love the Tull - some of my favourites are the pseudo-luddite and medievaloid ones : Heavy Horses, Farm on the Freeway, Living in the Past, Songs from the Woods, Witch’s Promise, Minstrel, Whistler, Hunting Girl…aah, the list is endless.
Having said that, my absolute favourite two are more lovesongs (with Anderson’s usual cynical wit) “Under Wraps” is just beautiful, and “Moths” makes me tear up it’s so pretty : “Oh the leaded window opened, to move the dancing candle flame…”, all with the great guitar work.
Oh, and I’ve just recently aquired the Ian Anderson solo work “Divinities - twelve dances with God” - man, it’s wonderful. To think I first heard “In maternal grace” on a light-listening compilation along with Enya and Enigma…
I have to chime in with “Beggar’s Farm” off “This Was.”
Slight hijack:
Why does Martin Barre get so little popular acclaim? I trust that musicians have quite a bit of respect for his work.
Amen! Hear, hear! And, yes! Is is possible to play a CD through to the other side? Next to John Rebourn’s sacred “Lady and the Unicorn,” that might be my very favorite all instrumental CD.
