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Post by Quizz Kid on Apr 14, 2014 21:09:06 GMT
Well, I think I will add a short review to get it moving along. To be honest I haven't given it enough of a hearing to probably do it justice so I reserve the right to come back and review my review. In fact it would be unfair to class this as a review, it's just immediate thoughts based on a couple of interrupted listenings.
I have for sometime now not been desperate to get my grubby little hands on the latest release copy to listen to it on day 1. I passed that stage sometime ago and prefer to find the right time to try to lsiten to it and enjoy it. I don't know why that change occured exactly, but I do know when. It was the release of Rupi's Dance, which I found to be a wholy disappointing album, but I blame this on the fact that I rushed my listening pleasure to write a review of it. Since then I've been loathe to jump to conclusions as rushing to listen to that album and write that review tarnished that album for me for a long, long time.
I also think it's a phase I have grown out of, it doesn't make me any less a Tull fan, but it does mean I don't soil my pants when the postman walks up the garden path.
Anyway, a couple of days ago the postman dumped, quite unceremoniously, a couple of parcels from Burning Shed in my porch. two large ones and a small one, despite getting past the stage of wetting my drawers over such deliveries, the only reaction I had on opening them was quelling the disappointment for the completist in me that the super duper, deluxe, all singing, all dancing 4 CD/DVD set hadn't arrived. Even more disappointing to discover later that the postie had decided to leave that one for collection at a local post office. Still that's a job for later.
Anyway, it would be unfair to call this a review as I haven't had an opportunity to give it the complete attention that it probably deserves and to be fair, I think any Ian Anderson or Tull piece of work really needs more than one listen to fully appreciate it. You can pick out the stand out tracks immediately, but to fully appreciate it all takes time and a little effort.
However, my very quick and sketchy opinion so far is that in places this is like listening to elements of past work, picking up musical phrases and intonation in singing styles I have heard elsewhere in the IA and Tull catlogues. But at the same time I feel there are some radical departures from what you might expect, some good, some not so good on first litening, but intersting enough nevertheless. It pains me to say it but this possibly isn't a flawless album, there are some 'odd' tracks here and there, but there are moments of sheer listening pleasure, the latter on a couple of interrupted listens, definetely outweigh the former. Some of the instrumental elements are real stand out pieces.
An album that for me will take a few more listens to form a proper opinion on, and I intend to immerse myself in it, in all it's forms, over the Easter week-end and hopefully add a more robust and focussed review after that.
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Post by lucas on Apr 14, 2014 22:22:50 GMT
I feel the exact same thing Pat. Can't yet post my final analysis of the album. Couple of listen is not nearly enough. My experience with TaaB 2 thought me that. I was fairly dissapointed at first, but a few weeks on I was singing along all tracks. Even so, I can say thus record seems even better tha the one before. I find myself quite enjoying The Engineer, a track that did not call my atention at first. The same goes for Pax Britannica. I have my reservations about the spoken words, but it's just a little bit, and it's interesting. I like Florian's guitar work, even the fast parts that did not seem to fit at first are growing on me. Scott Hammond also sounds good in this one. Well, more to follow soon!
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Post by Quizz Kid on Apr 14, 2014 22:46:51 GMT
Hi Lucas
I found the section running on from The Engineer through to New Blood to be the most coherent on first listen, I heard Doggerland a while back and enjoy that along with Heavy Metals although there are glimpses of songs past that echo in there and I find that distracting as it's almost like playing a game of 'guess that tune'. Although it was similar I didn't object to that on TaaB 2 as I expected that TaaB 2 would reference older works.
In some respects I expected that from this mainly from the Prog/Folk/Metal tag Ian has ascribed to it earlier, but it isn;t any of those in my book, but the musical references back to older songs me have no direct lineage in terms of extending the themes of previous songs. There are other outtsanding pieces of music here which on first listening entice me to go back and keep on giving it a go, which I'm happy to do, it's worth the effort I think.
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Post by lucas on Apr 14, 2014 23:00:29 GMT
One thing that bothers me a little bit is the inserction of the main Homo Theme heard in Doggerland in other songs like Browning of the Green. That's a song that caught my attention, but the Homo bit doesn't feel like a natural progression of the song, but something put there just to keep the main theme flowing. That point still needs to pass the trial of repetitive listening.
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Apr 15, 2014 0:01:59 GMT
Well here is my take for right now..... I do not have one yet as I am still awaiting my copy hot of the mail truck to my door. Right now I have a bet with myself what I will get first the deluxe box from Burning Shed, my deluxe box from Amazon, or my single cd from Amazon. The vinyl and double CD are being shipped in an entirely different order. I am betting the single CD from Amazon. Then I will be able to sit back and listen to the entire CD a few times and let my opinion out there.
I must say that I have heard "Entered The Univited" which really did nothing for me after multiple listens, but that said I have not heard the track in the flow of the disks, so it might increase the possibility of me liking it. So that is my review so far.......
No claims to be the absolute greatest piece of music that Ian has ever write, but I say to myself it is Ian so no matter what I will like more than I don't like.
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Post by Quizz Kid on Apr 15, 2014 12:59:40 GMT
A quick trip down to the local Post Office to pick up my super, deluxe, set of HE. Luckily we have a week-end sandwiched bewteen two public holidays here in the UK this week. so a bit of time to give this a more considered listen.
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Apr 15, 2014 13:42:59 GMT
A quick trip to my email and a note from AMAZON, that I could download and play my version:
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Post by lucas on Apr 15, 2014 15:31:41 GMT
You got the signed postcard Pat! Very nice! I didn't order in time for that.
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Post by Quizz Kid on Apr 15, 2014 17:16:29 GMT
You got the signed postcard Pat! Very nice! I didn't order in time for that. I was surprised, I seem to think people were informed by email that they had been successful, I never got that email, so was pleasently surprised
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Apr 15, 2014 18:47:49 GMT
Lets see if I get my disk today as well..
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Post by lucas on Apr 15, 2014 18:51:33 GMT
Mine is already in Brazil, on it's way through the local post service. Should take a few days to arrive. Probably only by the middle of next week.
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Apr 15, 2014 19:05:33 GMT
Well this will tye me over until I get the box sets, this is from Amazon USA, it is the single disk it was 10 bucks if you preorder it which is nice, because then you automatically had mp3 of all the songs.
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Post by lucas on Apr 15, 2014 22:15:59 GMT
Ok, I have my favorite song already. Listening again to the album, The Engineer began and my leg started jumping along with the rythm in it's on. That says it all.
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Post by Tulltapes on Apr 15, 2014 22:26:14 GMT
Nice one lucas! For me the track that glaringly stands out and is my favorite is Tripudium Ad Bellum which flows nicely into After These Wars.
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Post by lucas on Apr 15, 2014 22:30:10 GMT
It's a very good stream of songs from The Engineer onwards. This record is beggining to grow on me pretty quickly, as much as my conrades from Brazil seemed to disregard the samples and whole songs I passed on to them a few days ago as the lowest point of Ian's carrer. I still think they will change their minds.
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Post by bambooflute on Apr 16, 2014 16:04:39 GMT
After several listens I like the following songs: "Meliora Sequamur," "The Turnpike Inn," "After These Wars," and "Tripudium Ad Bellum." The flute is great throughout (but would we expect any less?), but Ryan was totally underused; if he sang most of the vocals it would have strengthened the album. "Enter the Uninvited" and "Puer Ferox Adventus" really damage the flow for me.
The biggest liability,ironically, is the concept. I listened to TAAB2 again the other day and that holds together from start to finish. In this instance it might have been better if IA had recorded "a bunch of songs" without trying to tie them all together, because it falls down as a cohesive whole. I just went back to the handful of tracks I like, and they are great. So, I'm glad to have them, but it's an album with a lot of filler.
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blackvolga
Cub Scout
In some Kensington Hotel
Posts: 3
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Post by blackvolga on Apr 17, 2014 14:24:11 GMT
This album is certainly drawing some moxed reviews from critics and fans.
I've read pretty glowing reports in some parts of the press, and on some other fan sites, some are a little too glowing for me. I can't see how someone can offer a glowing review after just one hearing. This is Ian Anderson, not some bubble gum band. Can Ian really do no wrong at all?
I like what I have read above, as on my first hearing of the album I really couldn't take to it. It sounded to me as if Ian has spent too many Sundays in church, listened to Plan B a little to much on Enter the Uninvited and subconciously absorbed pieces of the old back catalogue while overseeing Steve Wilson twiddle the knobs.
But, a few more plays and I find certain tracks growing on me and I'm finding I like a few of them a lot. I can't say at this time as whether I will ever be taken by them enough to listen to the whole album from start to finish [unless they do an edition without Enter the Uninvited - It's little wonder it was offered as a freebie downlaod] - But there's enough here for me to try and get into.
The biggest downsides for me are in the mixing; Why, if Ian declares that he has such a great band behind him now are they so far back in the mix at times. The Insturmental sections are fantastic and I can only echo what some have said before me here, more of these please!
Fianlly the hoary old chestnut - Martin and the name Tull. I'm glad that Ian has resisted the desire to call this Tull particulalry without Martin's involvement, whether that lasts, and whether his comments about the end of Tull are set in concrete time will tell. But for the sake of enlightenment can someone explain why some continually argue that this is Tull? Surely if they think Ian, and Ian alone, is Tull, then it's surely it's just been the Ian Anderson Band since Mick Abrahams was ditched.
And, if the name is so distasteful now, why does it still adorn the gig posters, as Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson. If it's no longer required, then let's lose it completely.
Thankfully, it's this pretense that the current band is Tull that made me look to find somewhere a bit more, accomodating, I'd had enough of the whatever you say it's Tull attitude in some other quarters.
That's my opening post, I hope I don't get maligned for saying what I feel.
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Apr 17, 2014 16:12:18 GMT
The biggest downsides for me are in the mixing; Why, if Ian declares that he has such a great band behind him now are they so far back in the mix at times. The Insturmental sections are fantastic and I can only echo what some have said before me here, more of these please! Fianlly the hoary old chestnut - Martin and the name Tull. I'm glad that Ian has resisted the desire to call this Tull particulalry without Martin's involvement, whether that lasts, and whether his comments about the end of Tull are set in concrete time will tell. But for the sake of enlightenment can someone explain why some continually argue that this is Tull? Surely if they think Ian, and Ian alone, is Tull, then it's surely it's just been the Ian Anderson Band since Mick Abrahams was ditched. And, if the name is so distasteful now, why does it still adorn the gig posters, as Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson. If it's no longer required, then let's lose it completely. Hi Black Volga welcome aboard I see you wasted no time on your first post. It is nice to see your participation. I really liked and agree with you on the mixing of this disk, to my ears it sounds like all the instruments are so far in the back of the mix it loses too much. It sounded that way in some of the TAAB2 shows as well, where Florian and David were so far in the back of the mix it just thinned out the sound. I am not sure if this was done on purpose, but IMO it did not work, as a matter of fact I think it worked against the sound. On HE the sound is even muddier as the drums get lost in the mix as well, so to my ears it sounds that the keyboards, that damn squeezy thing, the flute and the vocals are way out in front of everything. I have listened to the disk 4 times, it has some really nice instrumental pieces, but it is hard to really hear them as it so far back in the mix and is all too short. There are so many different pieces of music that we have heard before whether they are from Tull songs from the past or IA tracks in the no so distant past, there is certainly a fair amount borrowed from these pieces of music. A lot of the times I would get distracted by the hearing an old riff or section from older material, I could not focus on the "new" piece that was being played. I also got the feel that I was in church on more than one track. Like any and all Ian's material you have to actually listen to it a few times before you can make an informed decision on its merits. Usually I would have to listen to a release at least 5 times before I had an opinion, with this, sad to say after each listen I enjoyed it less and less. However that is my opinion, they are my ears and my taste and this one I will have to revisit another time. Hopefuly by then it will have grown on me. There are moments a shear delight like the last few seconds of Cold Dead Reckoning, brilliant instrument. The song Heavy Metal, is a strong song but runs out before it can develop. In For A Pound another good strong piece, but ends way (37 seconds) before it starts. After These Wars is probably the track is one that I liked the best. The flow of the disc is thrown off course by the placing of weaker and less apealing tracks, in certain places. The first is right after Heavy Metals, it lead into the Enter The Univited, which is another rappish kind of track, and leads to the longest track Puer Ferox Adventus, I felt like I was in church and this just dragged on to me. I just felt that after that it the songs had old themes running through them. It does not pick up until Tripudium Ad Belium and that was saved by the "flute which has the same fell to some other Anderson pieces." this song would be suberb except there is some annoying keyboard parts.It leads into After These Wars and then you get New Blood Old Veins which is just does not do anything for me. I liked the first 19 seconds of The Browning of The Green but after that it does absolutely nothing, a chorus that is absolutely annoying and it and it makes it hard to listen to. The narrative piece Per Errationes Ad Astra sounds like a church reading and it just is out of place. For me this like a book I will put up on the book shelve, and might pull it off the shelf every now and then and read a few chapters and put it back up. I would give 2.0 stars. I was hoping for something more and lets hope Ian's next project does that for me.I hope everyone gives this a listen and make up their own minds. Also I am happy for everybody who loves it, because everyone likes different things in life as in music. And finally can we just do away with this argument about what is Tull or what is Ian, it is the Ian nderson Band, Jethro Tull stopped being Jethro Tull a long time ago But I still will go and I am excited to see Ian genius on stage in the coming months.
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Post by bambooflute on Apr 17, 2014 17:35:02 GMT
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Post by Quizz Kid on Apr 17, 2014 19:50:14 GMT
From The Independent The concept album makes surprise top ten return with neolithic opus from Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson
Adam Sherwin
It is a three-act, musical history of Britain featuring songs about a nomadic Neolithic settler, Christian monks and an Iron Age blacksmith - the “concept album” is making a comeback with the surprise chart success of the latest release from Ian Anderson, the frontman of Jethro Tull.
A “prog rock” pioneer, the 66 year-old Anderson is set to enjoy his biggest UK hit for more than 40 years with Homo Erraticus, an unashamed concept album, which examines “key events from throughout British history” and offers “a number of prophecies for the future”.
The album has shot into the top ten at number 6, according to the Official Charts Company midweek update. It is some achievement for a musical suite, divided into three sections, “Chronicles”, “Prophecies” and “Revelations”, which one review called “as close to 1970s progressive rock as is possible in 2014.”
Opening with Doggerland, a tribute to the area of the southern North Sea that used to be dry land connecting the British Isles with the rest of Europe, the meta-fictional narrative of Homo Erraticus revives characters from Thick As A Brick, Tull’s 1972 concept album which topped the US charts.
Anderson, rock’s most famous flautist, said the concept album, out of favour in an era where music fans build digital playlists from context-free single tracks, is on the way back.
“If you want to cram 8,400 years of history into 50 minutes of music only the progressive rock album can do that,” Anderson told The Independent. “No-one had written a song about Dogger. So I fleshed out bullet-points of song scenarios into the archetypal, OTT concept of a prog rock album.”
The record’s success revives memories of an era when students pored over gatefold-sleeved albums housing cod-classical rock marred by Tolkien-light lyrics.
He said: “Concept albums went out of fashion in the mid-70s but progressive music is gathering a lot of strength again. Prog’s bombastic, self-indulgent musical noodlings got a lot of people annoyed. It took punk to wash the system clean and make a fresh start.”
“The concept for this album is migration. All of us are from somewhere else. But it’s not a stern lecture. The music has to work on a foot-tapping level. For people who want to peel back the layers of the onion they can find other elements.”
The Scottish-born musician, who used to own a £10 million fish processing business on his Isle of Skye estate and enjoys an estimated wealth of £35 million, is surprised by his return to the upper echelon of the charts. “If it’s number 6 today, it will be 36 next week, then 1,006. But it’s nice to be recognised in any context.”
However, Anderson, elevated to Prog God Award by Prog Magazine last year, has retired the Jethro Tull name. The 18th-century British agronomist who invented the machine drill for sowing seed for commercial gain deserved better, the musician believes. “We didn’t know our booking agent named us after a dead guy. I didn’t do Jethro Tull in O-level history. We couldn’t change the name after we started having some success.”
He admits: “I’ve always felt a bit of embarrassment about the name and now it’s time to take a step back. When I tour this album I don’t want 20 drunk yobbos jeering because we’re not just doing their 20 favourite Tull songs: ‘Stay at home, watch the baseball game but this time don’t go to the concert.’”
Although the classic spoof movie This Is Spinal Tap mocked the absurdities of the prog rock concept album, Anderson praises the film for “helping keep alive the movement”.
The singer believes that Spinal Tap’s fictional bassist Derek Smalls was inspired by Derek Small, a character who appeared on Tull’s Thick As A Brick. Anderson said: “I once challenged Harry Shearer (who played Smalls) and asked him if he owned a copy of our album. Harry eventually said he did but he never played it. I had him, it was a Bill Clinton ‘I didn’t inhale’ moment.”www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/the-concept-album-makes-surprise-top-ten-return-with-neolithic-opus-from-jethro-tulls-ian-anderson-9268339.htmlPity they got the title to the image wrong......
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Post by bambooflute on Apr 17, 2014 22:47:21 GMT
From The Independent The concept album makes surprise top ten return with neolithic opus from Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson
Adam Sherwin
It is a three-act, musical history of Britain featuring songs about a nomadic Neolithic settler, Christian monks and an Iron Age blacksmith - the “concept album” is making a comeback with the surprise chart success of the latest release from Ian Anderson, the frontman of Jethro Tull.
A “prog rock” pioneer, the 66 year-old Anderson is set to enjoy his biggest UK hit for more than 40 years with Homo Erraticus, an unashamed concept album, which examines “key events from throughout British history” and offers “a number of prophecies for the future”.
The album has shot into the top ten at number 6, according to the Official Charts Company midweek update. It is some achievement for a musical suite, divided into three sections, “Chronicles”, “Prophecies” and “Revelations”, which one review called “as close to 1970s progressive rock as is possible in 2014.”
Opening with Doggerland, a tribute to the area of the southern North Sea that used to be dry land connecting the British Isles with the rest of Europe, the meta-fictional narrative of Homo Erraticus revives characters from Thick As A Brick, Tull’s 1972 concept album which topped the US charts.
Anderson, rock’s most famous flautist, said the concept album, out of favour in an era where music fans build digital playlists from context-free single tracks, is on the way back.
“If you want to cram 8,400 years of history into 50 minutes of music only the progressive rock album can do that,” Anderson told The Independent. “No-one had written a song about Dogger. So I fleshed out bullet-points of song scenarios into the archetypal, OTT concept of a prog rock album.”
The record’s success revives memories of an era when students pored over gatefold-sleeved albums housing cod-classical rock marred by Tolkien-light lyrics.
He said: “Concept albums went out of fashion in the mid-70s but progressive music is gathering a lot of strength again. Prog’s bombastic, self-indulgent musical noodlings got a lot of people annoyed. It took punk to wash the system clean and make a fresh start.”
“The concept for this album is migration. All of us are from somewhere else. But it’s not a stern lecture. The music has to work on a foot-tapping level. For people who want to peel back the layers of the onion they can find other elements.”
The Scottish-born musician, who used to own a £10 million fish processing business on his Isle of Skye estate and enjoys an estimated wealth of £35 million, is surprised by his return to the upper echelon of the charts. “If it’s number 6 today, it will be 36 next week, then 1,006. But it’s nice to be recognised in any context.”
However, Anderson, elevated to Prog God Award by Prog Magazine last year, has retired the Jethro Tull name. The 18th-century British agronomist who invented the machine drill for sowing seed for commercial gain deserved better, the musician believes. “We didn’t know our booking agent named us after a dead guy. I didn’t do Jethro Tull in O-level history. We couldn’t change the name after we started having some success.”
He admits: “I’ve always felt a bit of embarrassment about the name and now it’s time to take a step back. When I tour this album I don’t want 20 drunk yobbos jeering because we’re not just doing their 20 favourite Tull songs: ‘Stay at home, watch the baseball game but this time don’t go to the concert.’”
Although the classic spoof movie This Is Spinal Tap mocked the absurdities of the prog rock concept album, Anderson praises the film for “helping keep alive the movement”.
The singer believes that Spinal Tap’s fictional bassist Derek Smalls was inspired by Derek Small, a character who appeared on Tull’s Thick As A Brick. Anderson said: “I once challenged Harry Shearer (who played Smalls) and asked him if he owned a copy of our album. Harry eventually said he did but he never played it. I had him, it was a Bill Clinton ‘I didn’t inhale’ moment.”www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/the-concept-album-makes-surprise-top-ten-return-with-neolithic-opus-from-jethro-tulls-ian-anderson-9268339.htmlPity they got the title to the image wrong...... That photo caption! What a HUGE gaffe on their part! D'oh!!!
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Post by Tulltapes on Apr 18, 2014 3:00:33 GMT
haha that's great! Martin's now playing bass
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Post by lucas on Apr 18, 2014 11:24:09 GMT
That's dumb even if the guy doesn't know the band.
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Post by bambooflute on Apr 19, 2014 12:53:20 GMT
Well, after several days and multiple plays with which to come to grips with Homo Erraticus...my opinion is really the same as my initial impression. I really like about half of it, while the other half is either mediocre or worse. I have to say that I love "After These Wars." Post WW-II era history has always been an interest of mine, and the words really are Ian Anderson at (or near) his best. I've memorized the lyrics and it is really fun to sing along to (if you can call what I do singing!). Strangely, I feel the order of tracks really harms the album. I re-ordered the tracklisting on my player, and dropped the two weakest tracks, and it actually works better to my ears! But then, IA didn't ask me to co-produce, so what do I know? - David
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Post by Quizz Kid on Apr 23, 2014 11:08:30 GMT
From the outset I have to say I have tried my damndest. I have read some glowing [and some gushing] reviews both on the professional press and from fans, so I stuck with it and I have now had multple listens to the album, trying to give it my best shot at a fair hearing to dispel my original feelings.
To a greater degree that has worked, I think the problem of being over influenced by other people's reviews is a trait that befalls me in listening to Ian/Tull albums on first hearing. If they get bad reviews then I become all defensive of the band I love, if they appear all gushy declaring Ian as a genius who cannot falter, then I hope for and try to apply a little realism. It's my realism admittedly, but a level playing field isn't too bad a position to start from I think.
HE has some incredibly wonderful pieces of music contained in it. There are some fantastic lyrics which could only have been penned by Ian, the packaging is superb [despite the contradiction on what would be provided in the sets and what was delivered - and on the subject of delivery, the huge disappointment some fans have had over the late arrival of their sets despite pre-ordering sometime ago] and on listening intently some of the best playing this musically untrained ear has heard in some time.
However, it may just be the timing, it may just be circumstance, I may have been influenced by some of the over zealous fan hype but I still find this album, as a complete piece, to be quite inaccessible. That's not to say that significant chunks of it aren't good to great, but at the moment it's just does not have the feel of an album I am going to play constantly or consistantly from start to finish. The concept and theme, irrespective of the pretend story behind it, makes for a good topic, but I just can't seem to get into it, I hope that changes as I will continue to try and give this album time to grow on me.
It's been picked up elsewhere, and I did mention it in my first impressions above, but there is a hell of a lot of reptition in there for me, both in terms of repeated themes within HE and references to past work, some as recent as TaaB2 which I personally found distracting.
I hope there's enough in here for me to get into over time.
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Post by prestonplatform on Apr 23, 2014 12:04:04 GMT
I agree with much that you have said in your reviews of HE Quizz. I reviewed it as a part of DPRP's team some weeks ago and to be honest I have not played it much since even though I initially liked it. Maybe I just played it too many times in order to review it
www.dprp.net/reviews/201419.php
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Post by Quizz Kid on Apr 23, 2014 16:36:52 GMT
Preston,
Firstly thanks for joining us, nice to speak with you again. Secondly I have to congratulate you on a brilliant review, that is so well written and sums it up better than any type I could put on a page, and thanks also for identifying the 'two short planks' similarity which I have been searching for in the back catalogue I carry in my head.
I am at pains to stress that I do not think this is a bad album, just one that for me is ill-timed I suppose. I've been looking forward to it for a long time and probably expected too much, particularly with the promise of Prog/Folk/Metal rock. Oddly, you touch on a point which made me think, if HE had come before TaaB2 I would have been more accepting of it from the start. I was put off by the close comparision between tracks like Turnpike and Kismet, probabaly because I find Kismet a stronger song, and if the former had follwed the latter I wouldn't have felt deflated by what seemed on first listen to be a less than dynamic song. Still it is an album that musically deserves it's place in the charts and on any Tull fan's record collection.
Still, that was one great review, feel free to share it completely here. I'm sure many would want to read it.
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skytzo
Cub Scout
We will be geared to the average rather than the exceptional
Posts: 31
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Post by skytzo on Apr 24, 2014 10:34:15 GMT
Here's my quickie review after two listens. I fully expect that like TAAB2 this will grow on me more as I listen to it more, but first initial impression is it's not bad. I'm more of a music first over lyrics guy, so I've been focusing mostly on that side of things and Ian's vocal performance itself, so I haven't really grasped the "concept" yet, not that it's as obvious as TAAB2. Musically, there is alot to hold my interest; I'm hearing bits and pieces that are remeniscent of early-mid 70's Tull (which can only be a good thing) but I don't feel like the references are as blatant as in TAAB2. Overall I'm a tad disappointed after Ian made so many mentions of "prog metal"....I wasn't expecting Dream Theater or Opeth here, but was hoping for at least some heavier, riffier guitars. It's far too polite to be considered the tiniest bit metal. Speaking of guitars, Florian (along with the drums) seems to be buried a bit in the mix and his overall guitar tone seems a bit thin sounding to my ears, so the production would probably be my biggest gripe.
I'll give it another listen today at work. So far, I think it's a soild effort, but holding it up to the new benchmark of TAAB2, it falls a bit short.
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Post by Quizz Kid on Apr 24, 2014 16:33:57 GMT
I agree with much that you have said in your reviews of HE Quizz. I reviewed it as a part of DPRP's team some weeks ago and to be honest I have not played it much since even though I initially liked it. Maybe I just played it too many times in order to review it
www.dprp.net/reviews/201419.php Thanks for the link PP, for those that would like to see the review, and very well written it is to, with permission and acknowledgement to Dutch Progressive Rock Page [www.dprp.net]. Here is Preston's full review. "Ian Anderson arranged a blind date with the muse on 1st January 2013. As a result, Homo Erraticus, Anderson's latest musical offspring, was conceived. The results of this initial encounter were apparently healthy and successful. Over the course of the next few months the pas de deux was repeated and a lengthy period of gestation followed. The quickening occurred as both the concept and tunes were honed and refined towards their natural resolution and technical birth. The final result, Homo Erraticus is slated for delivery on the 14th April where it will join a welcoming family of six albums released in some form under the Ian Anderson moniker.
Incidentally, Homo... is a close sibling of Thick As A Brick 2 as it involves the same musicians who in 2011 performed and delivered that album. That release was packaged as "Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson" and was the follow up to 1972's Magnum Opus Thick As A Brick. This latest work is explicitly packaged as an Ian Anderson release however, unsurprisingly, Homo Erraticus is inseparably linked in its overall style to the larger extended family of albums that were begat and conceived by Anderson as part of his relationship with Jethro Tull.
The concept of Homo Erraticus concerns the writings of a fictional character, Ernest T. Parritt (1865-1928), who in an unpublished manuscript examines key and future events of British history. The manuscript, entitled "Homo Erraticus", was apparently discovered by one Gerald Bostock, the renowned lyricist of Thick as a Brick. Gerald was captivated by the documents, testimonies and prophecies, viewing them as metaphor for modern life, and felt compelled to write lyrics to interpret their meaning and reflect upon humanity's propensity for migration. Apparently, Anderson created the music to accompany and embellish this weighty concept. The results of this spoof assignation are now unleashed on an unsuspecting worldwide audience.
The project is divided into three parts; Part 1 deals with the past, Part 2 relates to Paritt's prophecies and the final part, entitled Revelations, offers listeners an insight into the future. The question is - does the final result do justice to the concept, one that is concerned with an extravagant reflection on the migration of the wandering man, Homo Erraticus, through past, present and beyond?
Anderson's flute - spitting, snarling, and trilling - dances upon a rock-based landscape providing structured moments and melodies of delicate beauty. In contrast, unfurled and unfettered the flute exultantly detonates in short inspired bursts. These provide frequent moments of pure excitement and exhilarating flute rock.
For those who appreciate the music of Jethro Tull or Ian Anderson, Homo Erraticus provides much to enjoy. It is dominated by the characteristics associated with Tull releases through the ages, in particular Roots to Branches, J-Tull Dot Com and the more successful aspects of TAAB 2 are brought to mind. Nevertheless, there is enough within Homo... that is fresh and innovative.
An example is the opening track, Doggerland, reminiscent in its chorus of Roots to Branches rather than classic '70s Tull. It is led by a driving flute rock rhythm that is contrasted with attractive melodic vocal and keyboard parts. The highlight though, without doubt, is the instrumental section. This part is archetypal in both its structure and execution, but nonetheless has sufficient originality to satisfy. The passage begins with a repeated flute riff, Florian Opahle is given an opportunity to dispel any doubters as his superbly implemented guitar solo reaches parts only imagined by others. This fretted spell is broken all too soon as John O'Hara's classic Hammond sounds take over. Opahle's playing, often low in the mix, tastefully embellishes the majority of the compositions. For example, he offers a wonderfully constructed and emotive solo in the powerful ballad After These Wars. The music and performance of the ensemble throughout is tightly coiled and arranged and the quality of the playing is impressive. Consequently, I longed for instrumental passages such as this to spring free, develop further and last significantly longer. The tune resumes, and then falls back once again into a chorus and verse structure, before ending with a flute fadeout.
The bright acoustic track Heavy Metals follows. Anderson has always had a penchant for creating short effective interlude tunes and this one does not disappoint. Heavy Metals is firmly embedded in the style and instrumentation of the shorter pieces on TAAB 2 such as Upper Sixth Loan Shark and Give Till It Hurts, but is far more effective. Subtle influences of church music permeate the piece. Backing vocals cleverly produce the rhythm of a forge and create a contemplative effect.
Homo Erraticus contains two other satisfyingly impressive acoustically based tracks of which the delightful Meliora Sequamur has become a favourite. In this, the influence of church music is even more explicit. Ryan O'Donnell's warm tenor voice in partnership with Anderson is particularly effective. This vocal approach creates an Olde English sound somewhat similar to Amazing Blondel's Spring Season from Evensong. Anderson's total mastery of his craft is apparent in the short but unforgettable In For a Pound. At just 37 seconds long it proudly takes over the mantle from The Minstrel in The Gallery's Grace, as Anderson's shortest but sweetest song.
One of the most intriguing tracks on offer is Enter The Uninvited. Certainly, it is a track which despite repeated plays has yet to fully offer up all of its facets. It has a hauntingly sparse instrumental prelude. This ranks in quality and atmosphere alongside the memorable beginning of Strange Avenues from Rock Island. The dominant recurring instrumental theme of Enter the Uninvited is never less than captivating. In this track Anderson explores some of the vocal spoken phrasings that were used in Hot Mango Flush in Tull's 1999 Dot Com release. For some, Mango... was a low point of Tull's recording career, an approach hopefully never to be repeated. However, within Enter The Uninvited the style works well and contrasts interestingly with the other vocal parts.
In the longest piece, Puer Ferox Adventus, John O'Hara's subtle keyboard work excels. It also contains some of the most evocative and effective lyrics of the album, Anderson clearly enunciating events surrounding the emergence of faith in the British Isles.
Throughout Homo Erraticus, Anderson's vocal performance is more than adequate. Nevertheless, listeners might find that his now limited vocal range ensures that some of the vocal parts sound uncannily similar. It is possible that vocal limitations have hindered and limited the tonal range which Anderson feels that he can use within his compositions. Given this, some may feel, that there is a disproportionate use of vocals. The wordy nature of many of the compositions has the potential to bring about listener fatigue and Homo Erraticus is certainly loquacious and lyrically expansive. Anderson's delivery of the lyrics can appear to be awkward. On occasion the words sung do not seem to match the music. Arguably, this has been a feature of aspects of his songwriting since Rupis Dance.
No such concerns surround Tripudium Ad Bellum. Tightly spun, this is a stunning instrumental piece that shifts, growls and bounces along in an exceptional manner. As such, it is an undeniable highlight.
In the final analysis, it may be that Anderson's blind date with the muse was not such an innovative and creative encounter as one may have wished for. Blind dates can of course be unsuccessful. Chance, unplanned encounters based upon mysterious chemistry might, in the long run, have proved to be more truly inspirational, ground breaking and rewarding for Anderson for although entertaining and compelling, Homo Erraticus is not, it seems, as individually unique as might be imagined or hoped for.
Upon detailed analysis, a number of the tracks contain intentional, or unintentional, references to earlier works. For example, The Pax Brittanica has references to the middle bit of Thick As a Brick. It also appears to contain an amalgam of aspects of Mayhem Maybe from the Broadsword... sessions and Last Man at the Party from the Christmas Album. For me at least , this uneasy alliance between the new and the old just does not work. Despite its attractive hook and David Goodier's fine bass harmonics, it is a piece that I have frequently skipped. In a similar manner, the satisfying rock tune Turnpike Inn bears a passing resemblance to Kismet from TAAB 2. If that was not enough to make one consider the cogency of Anderson's pas de deux with the muse, the thoroughly enjoyable New Blood, Old Veins contains some similarities to Two Short Planks from Rupis Dance.
Notwithstanding this, Homo Erraticus is a more than welcome addition to the canon of Anderson works. It is on occasion a very impressive album and is altogether more satisfying than TAAB 2. Although I thoroughly enjoyed it, Homo Erraticus is in many ways anomalous and idiosyncratic. This is summed up by the beautiful instrumental passage that ends the album which is unconnected by what has preceded it. The passage stands alone, a beacon of creative musical brilliance shining towards the future. If Homo... was judged by its concept alone then this might well be considered a classic progressive rock release. Musically though, more rock than prog, it has an eclectic and endearing quality that straddles it somewhat precariously between the solo works of Ian Anderson and the larger family of Tull. In this context I hope that it does not falter or fall, weighed down by the expectations of past achievements, unnoticed into the pit of indifference. I look forward expectantly to see how Homo Erraticus is transferred to a live setting. It was initially created with live performances in mind. The piece was then organically refined in the studio as an entity to grow and develop further on the stage. Now ready to take on this role, I am confident that it will not disappoint, and, as Bostock might say, 'I really don't think you should sit this one out'."
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Post by Tulltapes on Apr 25, 2014 4:26:36 GMT
Very well written review Preston. Still soaking it all in! ..the album that is.
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