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Post by bambooflute on May 27, 2014 13:52:10 GMT
Cool! I've always heard good things about him! -David
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Post by bambooflute on May 27, 2014 13:50:19 GMT
Fantastic! I love Renaissance!
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Post by bambooflute on May 21, 2014 16:28:00 GMT
Now I'm yearning for a whole series of Tull confectionery featuring images from the albums! -David
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Post by bambooflute on May 20, 2014 19:53:53 GMT
Well here's something you don't see everyday, and probably no where else I'd be willing to wager. Custom made for TJTG! Darin C. Cody CUPCAKES of WONDER! -David
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Post by bambooflute on May 20, 2014 19:41:17 GMT
Have you ever wondered how IA and Tull will be judged by future generations? Will this music be remembered at all? Will Tull be represented only by "Aqualung" and "Locomotive Breath?" (boo!) Will some of the REALLY great IA songs have a chance of surviving into the future? Will IA and the band be viewed with respect or derision? Or will it all be forgotten?
Not a fair question, since none of us will around to see if we're right or wrong, but your opinions are welcome, nevertheless!
-David
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Post by bambooflute on May 20, 2014 15:57:45 GMT
Thanks for sharing this! It is always interesting to see what other musicians and singers think of ol' IA...
David
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Post by bambooflute on May 19, 2014 23:36:58 GMT
When I first saw this question posted I balked at answering. As it seems a little presumptive. I've read so many opinions from a lot of people on the internet, including people that declared this a master work of literary genius before it was even released! I have resisted temptation of listening to the pre released samples and wanted to make up my own mind on the Erracticusus. I think though one of the big differences and probably big problems people seem to be having with the album is that it "doesn't sound like Tull" "It's too derivative of earlier Ian works" "Not enough musicality, no solos or the solos sound dullish". Well it is an Ian Solo recording. Using the band he uses for just that. I know this has been fought over back and forth in the past but I believe it to be true…and that is: Since the beginning of John Evans involvement with Jethro Tull, Ian has written the songs on his guitar with lyrics (which gives him the writers credit) and presented them to John, Martin and Barrie who then along with Ian actually make, or ARRANGE, the song into the music that we hear complete with time changes, solos and little things we've always loved yet all revolving around Ian being the centerpiece of the band, the front man, singer, acoustic guitarist extrodinaire, flute player and entertaining master of ceremonies not to mention the man that conceived the song concept in the first place. They (the band, Jethro Tull) were willing and needed participants. This is not taking ANYTHING away from Ian. Its just something some people need to accept before then moving on to listen to what Ian is doing nowadays with his solo band which is a wholly different situation. One of his first solo releases relied heavily on Peter Vitesse (Walk Into Light) the next relied very heavily on Andy Giddings (Divinities) both schooled musicians, for arrangement (Thats no small thing, it may include one of the favorite parts of a certain song you've heard) So in trying to form an opinion on the newest record (same with TAAB2) Im realizing that Ian isn't presenting this to the band with the expectation that they are going to take his guitar roughs and arrange all this into a piece of music that has their input stamped on it. He's laying it out for them and assigning parts to an already "arranged" song. No solos evolve naturally and no, or its less likely that "improv" is going to happen. I think the band has tightened considerably as a unit though from constantly playing together and thats great. SO In answer to the question (after all this rumination) is that if "I" were Ian…..I would sit down with and bounce things off of O'hara and Florian and Hammond and let them run with some things, and maybe the other heads would give Ian a second or third opinion about things as they develop and a little different creative slant might be put on some of the things we may like less then others. Thats no slam on whats been done or the abilities or perceived lack there of the guys in the current band. They've been hired to add instrumentation to Ians finished songs. And BTW I really like Ians concept of this record. He continues to be one of the bigger thinkers in the world of "rock?" music and I am still entertained by that aspect of the Ian of today. (More on that later) Now….I could be completely wrong about all this crap and you may think Im full of that crap. If so tell me why…..Id like to know. Darin C Cody Very interesting post, Darin. Thought-provoking, which I what I like! You raise some good points about the input from others in the band down through the years. While I am a bit disappointed in H.E., I'm not sure it isdue to lack of involvement from the other guys in the arrangements, etc. I LOVE TAAB2, and apparently IA is responsible for presenting it to the guys as a complete package, as well. He may have wrung himself dry after TAAB2, however, and needed some input from the band for this release. Hmmmm.... Both approaches to writing/recording an album are valid (says I, a non-musician). However, I think it's cool that IA does contribute every note and arrangement on certain albums. As a visual artist, I can appreciate one mind on a project: a singular vision that creates a piece of work. There are times when "art by committee" can be a bad thing. Conversely, there are also times when a collaborative album really works ("Divinities" is one prime example you mentioned). It's fun and stimulating to ponder these things. -David
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Post by bambooflute on May 15, 2014 22:30:30 GMT
With the new Godzilla movie about the invade cinemas, I imagined and drew Ian Anderson (circa 1969) towering over a skycraper, but not spewing radioactive breath. Instead, of course, he's playing flute on one leg! -David
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Post by bambooflute on May 12, 2014 15:48:57 GMT
I wouldn't omit anything, just more SOLOS! More flute, guitar, Hammond, heck even DRUM solos!! Even a few instrumental workouts wouldn't hurt; it would elevate the music to soaring heights and improve the album immensely. More solos would have been welcome, yes! - David
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Post by bambooflute on May 12, 2014 15:00:30 GMT
You are in charge of everything about Homo Erraticus. What would you do? Possibly a different running order of the tracks. Or even eliminating some of the tracks. Have some totally new tracks in place of some of the exiting tracks. Change the mix of the album to bring the instruments out more in the front of the mix. Add instrumentation in or in certain parts of a song. Eliminate vocals or a lyrical line or change a chorus. What are the strong points and the weak points to the release. It is your cup of tea to tweak, to alter or even add or subract. Or would just leave alone as it is. Whoa! Great thread... If I was producing "Homo Erraticus?" Well, now that you asked... In my opinion, there are definite things that could be done to enhance the strengths of the album. The weakest tracks are "Enter the Uninvited" and "Puer Ferox Adventus," and, being the the third and fourth songs, they really harm the flow for me. So, I would remove them altogether. This leaves us with an album of around 40 minutes in length, comparable to some of the 1970s releases, but we could beef it up a bit. Two great, recent, and unreleased songs that IA played in concert were "Hare in the Wine Cup" and "Tea with the Princess." I think that "Hare" could be included with only a slight tweaking of the lyrics to make it fit with the concept (IA could tie in the the baby hare's "migration" to the garden with the concept of humanity's migration in "Doggerland."). "Tea..." was performed san lyrics in the UK in 2010, and could appear in that form here. That way the album could boast two fine instrumentals instead of just one. Another thing, I would end the album with "The Browning of the Green." It features a musical reprise of the tune from "Doggerland," which would bring the album full circle, in much the same way as the original "Thick as a Brick" reprised its opening tune at the end. I look forward to other people's ideas! - David
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Post by bambooflute on May 10, 2014 19:39:15 GMT
A 'Downton Abbey' With Added Spice The Jethro Tull founder and flutist enjoys pastoral privacy in his manor on 400 acres in the English countryside; tending to red-hot chilies. Ian Anderson's chores are to make music, grow chilies and carry eggs. Dylan Thomas for The Wall Street Journal Singer-songwriter Ian Anderson, 66, is best known as Jethro Tull's founder, lead vocalist, flutist and acoustic guitarist. His new solo album is "Homo Erraticus" (Kscope). He spoke with reporter Marc Myers. For years, my wife, Shona, and I lived in a 16th-century house west of London in Buckinghamshire, but we always felt a little imposed upon. Stalkers managed to find their way to us, and strangers would wander our property. So in 1994, we moved to the county of Wiltshire a couple of hours away. Stonehenge is in Wiltshire, so the region has its share of crop circles and mysterious wild beasts roaming the countryside. If you go for a walk, you have to be ready for anything. Our home was built in 1753—which ranks as a new house here—and it's remarkably free of weird stuff. It's a friendly house and much too big for the two of us. There are 11 bedrooms and 15 bathrooms between the main house and adjoining stables and offices. It's a 400-acre property that is technically a farm, but we've planted 30,000 oak and ash trees over the past five years to renovate the ancient woodlands that were cleared over the centuries for building and firewood. What's nice about our place is the atmosphere. The area isn't particularly remote but it's in the countryside and it's convenient. When we originally went looking for a home, we drew an hour-and-a-half travel-time circle around Heathrow Airport to ensure that my trips back and forth weren't too long when heading out on tours or returning home. As you pull up to our house, your first impression might be "Downton Abbey," but it's really a fraction of the size. The three-story manor house has 18th-century pretensions. As for a style, it's not really anything. It goes back to the post-Elizabethan period for sure, but subsequent generations of bits and bobs have changed it. It's not a mishmash—it's just not highly original. The facade was added in the 1800s and then extensions were built in a couple of places in the 1920s. Over the years, a succession of owners elaborated upon the house. For instance, the owners in the 1980s built an extension with an indoor swimming pool, whirlpool, sauna, solarium and gym. I don't swim there, but it's one of the most used areas of the house. The temperature is even throughout the year, and I like to go in to practice the flute and write music because it's warm, relatively humid and kind of big and echoey. The three-story manor has a facade from the 1800s and extensions from the 1920s. Dylan Thomas for The Wall Street Journal We also have four cottages on the property and another block of buildings for stables, offices and greenhouses. My days in the home office that I share with my wife are blissful. If you have to go to work and do clerical things, this is a nice place to be doing them. I'm only a short stroll to the kitchen and the espresso machine, and a slightly longer stroll to my recording studio and warehouse where my musical instruments are stored. I have staff that comes in and looks after the accounting and those sorts of things. My wife looks out for the personal side of our lives, from banking to accounting with tour promoters. There are a couple of ladies who come in each day to clean, a few gardeners and a couple of other staffers that do other things. I pretend to be hands-on and interested in gardening, but my role is basically to grow chilies and carry chicken eggs. We have a generous 12 acres of managed gardens before you go into the open fields and woodlands, and my wife works in the vegetable gardens and directs the gardeners with precision and a good amount of knowledge. One of two areas of the house that's special to me is our bedroom. It has a reasonable degree of coziness, but it's a big room with an adjoining bathroom with a vast amount of Italian marble installed before we moved in, so it's a bit "Dynasty" and over the top. From the bed, our view looks east, giving us the sunrise and a nice vista. You wake up in the morning and look out over England's green and pleasant land. You don't see anything other than trees and fields and the morning sun. The other room where I feel most comfortable is the kitchen. The first thing we did when we moved in was to gut that end of the house and put in modern equipment. We turned a mess into a large family kitchen and dining area. It still retains all of its leaded windows and stone mullions outside, but inside it's up-to-date and practical—at least it was 20 years ago when we moved in. The kitchen has a cast-iron stove and range that stays on 24 hours a day with a trickle of fuel. Because the stove is huge, the room is always warm. Our dogs and cats come to lie in the kitchen, and the chickens and sheep would be in there like a shot if you left the door open. The kitchen is the hearth of the house and we use it not only to sit and talk, but also to eat most of our meals—despite having a wood-paneled dining room. I use the warm solarium to germinate my exotic habanero, naga and bhut jolokia chili seedlings, but I grow the plants in the Victorian greenhouses. When I roast the chilies in the kitchen to prepare them for grinding and storage as dried powder, the space becomes uninhabitable. I try to remember to put on rubber gloves when handling them. Ever since I was young, I've had a taste for very hot, spicy food, and I use the powder to flavor soups and stews to give them a semblance of taste. I think part of my chili fetish is the challenge of growing hard-to-germinate varieties. I used to grow a couple of hundred plants but I've since cut down to about 50. Now I give away a few young plants to friends and members of the band. Another reason I practice the flute in the pool house is to keep the peace. If I play in the kitchen or living rooms, my wife and our dogs will tend to leave as soon as possible. The cats, however, are unfazed and will open an eye and go back to sleep, so I've convinced myself they rather like it. I also fancy that my chili seedlings respond positively to the seductive sound. Primitive flutes were on the rise in South America right around the time chilies were first planted for human consumption, so I play to them. online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303678404579536163969392246Hey, that looks just like where I live! Ha ha ha...yeah, I wish... Thank you for taking the time to post this, Charlie! -David
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Post by bambooflute on May 8, 2014 23:19:17 GMT
Great review, Preston! A well-written review is always a joy.
My own final thoughts on HE (stop yawning guys, ha ha ha! ): I still only like about half of it; I REALLY enjoy half of it, and wish Ryan O'Donnell had been given a greater share of the vocals. Ian Anderson's flute is spectacular all the way through...but, anyway, I'm repeating myself.
What I'd like to say is: a few years ago, it seemed unlikely that IA would record a new album ever again, be it under the Tull banner or his own name. (I still wonder what caused that great hiatus, where he toured non-stop but released no new works) Anyway, I greeted the arrival of "TAAB2" with great enthusiasm (and great expectations), and found that I LOVED it, and I still love it two years on... And now we have HE, which is a disappointment (to me).
But I have to remind myself: to have an album and a half that I love (after such a long drought of new material) still puts me ahead of the game. I am not a sycophantic fan, but I'm glad IA made these albums. Particularly when the alternative was nothing at all.
- David
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Post by bambooflute on May 8, 2014 23:00:59 GMT
Concert-goer to the rescue as fan collapses at Ian Anderson gig at Colston Hall By The Bristol Post By Katie Pavid A CONCERT-goer collapsed after a suspected heart attack in the middle of a gig at Colston Hall – and another member of the audience stepped in to help save his life. As a show featuring Jethro Tull lead singer Ian Anderson was in full swing on Tuesday night, a 45-year-old fan collapsed in the audience and stopped breathing, ten minutes in to the performance. A nearby member of the audience came to the rescue, performing emergency CPR for 20 minutes until paramedics arrived to help. Unaware of the emergency, the band kept playing on stage, until they were told someone had been taken seriously ill. Julie Hendry, who was at the concert, said: "We arrived slightly late so the lights were already up when we got there. The band hadn't been playing for very long at all. We could see CPR going on up on the balcony from an audience member. The person stepped in to help, and I think Colston Hall staff helped him too. "They were working on him for 20 minutes. The paramedics turned up and took him to hospital. "The band played on unaware while lights went up and CPR went on in the balcony. They didn't know what was happening until someone told them. After one number the music was stopped and the audience was asked to clear the auditorium. "Then, after he was taken to hospital the concert resumed – the break was for about half an hour. The singer made an announcement when they started again and said a man had been taken seriously ill. "He was very lucky there was someone nearby who knew how to do CPR. I think a lot of people are hoping he is OK in hospital – it is quite shocking to hear about because obviously you don't expect it. "He was young to have something like this happen, so everybody is concerned about him." A spokesman for South Western Ambulance Service said: "On Tuesday evening we received a call at 7.36pm. A 45-year-old male collapsed and was not breathing, after suffering a possible cardiac arrest. "CPR was performed at the scene, and he was taken to the Bristol Royal Infirmary. We have no update on his condition at the moment." A Colston Hall spokesman said staff members trained in first aid also pitched in to help, and was hoping to contact the members of the public involved. He said: "Patrons and first aid trained staff members assisted with the resuscitation of the patient until paramedics arrived and took over. The house manager was in continuous contact with the ambulance service until they reached the scene. "We are satisfied that Colston Hall's procedures to deal with medical emergencies such as these were followed properly. "We have made contact with the hospital to check on the patient's condition, but understandably we have not been provided with any information due to patient confidentiality. We wish the patient a full and speedy recovery. "Bristol Music Trust is very grateful to everyone who assisted last night and we will be attempting to contact them individually." Band member Ryan O'Donnell tweeted yesterday: "We don't know if the poor chap is OK or not. He was breathing unaided when he left the building. Hope he's OK ". Ian Anderson – who got an MBE in 2008 for services to music – is best known as lead vocalist and flautist of British rock band Jethro Tull. Read more: www.bristolpost.co.uk/Concert-goer-rescue-fan-collapses-gig/story-21071788-detail/story.html#ixzz318kbA15rRead more at www.bristolpost.co.uk/Concert-goer-rescue-fan-collapses-gig/story-21071788-detail/story.html#L5P0H2ZGVc78U4PQ.99Holy... Younger than I thought he would be. I hope the man recovers.
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Post by bambooflute on May 8, 2014 22:35:38 GMT
Our Facebook friend Steven Marcus recently saw Ian and Co at High Wycombe. His view was that the show was "Phenomenal". He reports that Ian's voice was great and 'best of' set list was amazing. He added that Florian is a mean guitar player but probably not as heavy as Martin but would like Doane back on drums. He said that the gig was not sold out though. The big question he raised was, Why? I don't think it's an unreasonable question to ask given the quality of music and musicianship on offer. And it's an issue that other people have mentioned, with venues not sold out. So, is it a case of personal economics? Are punters doing fewer gigs these days? Is it too much to lay out to see the band these days, especially for the fan who's laid out a small fortune on all the album variants? A case of Ian overload given the relentless TaaB/TaaB 2 tour of the last few years? Is it issues of the band, the voice or what? I find the partly-filled venues worrying (particularly considering the sizes of some of them). As a resident of the northeastern USA, a Tull/IA tour in my area has always been a pretty much annual event (with few exceptions). I began to worry in 2010 when Ian brought Jethro Tull to Boston, Massachusetts in June and then returned, with a "solo" tour in November, visiting Lowell, Mass (30 miles north of Boston), and Providence, Rhode Island (50 miles south of Boston). Without getting into the hot-button topic over what constitutes an Tull concert and an IA concert, it's pretty much the same fanbase, and the Lowell show (which I enjoyed a great deal), had a noticable amount of empty seats. The people who were there seemed to love the show. I think IA has sometimes oversaturated his markets, but, then, I have always attended every show when it was possible for me to do so. Does that mean I supported the "poor decision" of coming back too often and too soon? Having said that, he skipped this region entirely in 2011. So I don't know what the answer is. Thank you for bringing up an interesting topic! - David
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Post by bambooflute on May 6, 2014 14:24:11 GMT
THAT is amazing; a very unique post! As a kid, I always wanted a record player like the back cover of SFTW. What a find - thank you for sharing!
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Post by bambooflute on May 5, 2014 18:41:03 GMT
Birmingham review. - - - - - - don't know where to start and probably will miss loads of details out, but if I don't do it now after too much sauce I probably won't get chance. Appologies in advance. My 7-year-old and I had a thoroughly enjoyable time last night up in Brum. It was his first live gig from a proper band I've not forced JT on him, it's just something that he's got into and has got me to make a couple of compilation CD's for him. Other favourites of his are The Damned and Iron Maiden. Both of us have really enjoyed HE and I've lost track as to how many times I have listened to the album. I loved Taab 2, and really feel that IA has surpassed himself with this recent album - it's a corker. Top 3 tracks for me at this moment in time:Pax Britannica, Tripudium ad bellam , After these Wars. My son's are: Turnpike Inn, Doggerland, Old Blood New Veins So to the live performance. We had a visual intro to set the scene regarding the background to HE for peeps who were listening to this work for the first time, plus lots of other footage and bobs inbetween, which really worked. Flo, John, Dave, Ryan and (I think - can't remember) Scott, also had a little live narrative each just before a particular song. So much thought had gone into the the first half of the show to help newbies understand the concept as well as enhancing the ride for those of us who had our private journey through our audio equipment. The footage during the songs were very clever and many elements amused my son and I greatly. Regarding the live performance, I think that they pulled it off to a high standard, except for a few on the night errors: IA or Ryan missed a line, IA started flute on a wrong note a couple of times, which didn't really distract from the music, except for Tripudium as it cocked the improve section up a bit. Ryan had only a little bit more singing to do, but IA did a mostly grand job considering the extra syllables and melodic range. The only place he seemed to struggle on last night was Doggerland. The first half was well received and I reckon many CD's were sold in the interval and rightly so. It's bloody marvellous! Best Of. I made every effort to turn a blind eye to the set list so that everything would be a surprise on the night, but alas the program gave everything away. The tracks were listed with notes about the songs from IA . I was unsure about live video footage, when the tour was announced, but it all worked really well, and the subtle and not so subtle changes to some of the arrangements really did help to make everything sound fresh. I have to say that IA vocals were the best i've heard since.....can;t remember! IA's vocals were so much better than I imagined on Teacher and APP - I really thing that he could tour the whole album. Ryan is a great find and can't think of a better voice to complement and enhance IA. There was only 2 places that I thought he was used unnecessarily, but cannot remember at all where. Too Old to RnR was a real highlight for me. I've heard it live on various CD's and DVD's, and whilst I enjoy the original recorded track, the live ones always lacked something (Radio 1's Hammersmith live CD comes close as I love Pete V's keyboards)/ However, with Ryan accompanying a little more with John and Dave, it was rounded and complete - and the vid just made it even more special. Just a shame nothing from Broadsword was covered, but the same could be said for tracks post Crest too. Locomotive was bang on! what a great arrangement. We hung a round for a while at the end to try and meet IA to sign Vaughan's deluxe edition, but time and patience were against us - I was knackered and 1.5 drive is not fun when shagged......apologies to folks sat close to me as I was moshing and singing in my seat. Not my fault - IA shouldn't write great tunes Could say more, but useless at this. I'm not the world's greatest talker, but would be better than writing. It was refreshing to see IA ditch the bandanna and to keep specs on. It is always enjoyable to read a well-written review, so thank you very much for taking the time and I'm glad you liked the show! -David
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Post by bambooflute on May 3, 2014 17:10:38 GMT
From my fathers collection inherited by me Wow! Great photo... Very dynamic, from an era I missed through being born too late! - David
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Post by bambooflute on Apr 26, 2014 14:10:57 GMT
Re-posted from my 'introduction' thread: "At the tender age of 3, I begged my folks to take me to see Jethro Tull. We had 9th row or something like that and I've never been the same since! That was the beginning of not only my love for Tull, but for my love of music. As a child, I was exposed to a lot of music, but my favorite albums were A Passion Play and Dark Side of the Moon. Those two records spoke to me, because they were more than music. The artwork, the concept, and the meaningful words (even if I didn't necessarily understand them at the time) seemed to make them *more* than just any other music. I'm 21 now, have been playing flute for 10 years, and am continuing to amass a record collection of over 1,000 CDs and LPs. My favorite artists (other than Tull) are people like Zappa, King Crimson, Van der Graaf Generator, Cardiacs, Richard Thompson, Procol Harum, etc, but I have a general fondness for challenging and experimental music of any era." Age Three! Good work! I was 15 before my parents allow me to go to a show! D'oh! Great work, also, on your wonderful broadcasts! - David
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Post by bambooflute on Apr 26, 2014 14:07:40 GMT
My journey into the "Jethro Tull" world came when I was a youngster of 10. I was lucky enough to have an uncle who had a record store and he would drop off stacks of promo albums to my older sisters. One of those albums was Stand Up, the first song I heard was "Reasons For Waiting" and still to this day my favorite song. I have been hooked ever since. To me it had such a uniqueness to music and to the lyrics. The other thing about having older sisters and availability to many off the wall promo albums is you get a variety of music. I was introduced to no name bands and lots of different styles. So I was lucky never having been subjected to the "top 40" garbage that plagued the youth of my time. So bands like Tull were still very underground and only the cool FM station(s) would play them. I did find myself always listening to "Stand Up", until we got our hot hands on "Benefit". Tull never got bored with, I could play the same song over and over and it always had a freshness to it. With the advent of every new release was always the same process of listening to the album until we wore it out, and had to get a new one. Also it was around this time that my sister was going to some Tull shows, she attended one at the famous Boston Tea Party and there first Boston Garden appearance as well, I remember hounding the hell out of here for every detail, small and large. My fascination with Ian and the boys never waned, I was blown away with TAAB, the funny thing about that was I had the DJ version of it, it had 8 edits. A few years later I found out it was one long song after their were too many plays on that promo LP. My first time I saw Tull live was 1975 it was a March evening. That day in school an acquaintance of mine told me he was going to see Tull that night at "e Gardens" and asked me if I wanted to go. Of course my reply was yes, and knowing full well my parents would say no since it was a school night. I kind of did not tell them and made up some story to out for the night. We got there just as Carmen were finishing up there set and the wait for Tull to come on. The evening had started almost 3 hours earlier for "us", a lot pre concert partying had taken place so much of the concert was a blur and a night that I vowed never again would I party that hard before a Tull show. But I also got caught by my dad sneaking back into the house around mid night or so, and lets just say I got solitary confinement for a week or so but it was so worth itjust to see Tull. Since that time I have only missed 1 tour and that was when my sister got married in Bermuda in 2002. Since my first listen to Stand Up to now Homo Erraticus I have collected anything related to Jethro Tull an have put thousand of albums, cds,tape, live shows and 7' singles to hundreds of newspaper clippings and programs and material I do not remember I have. My hope is that I do get to share it all here, sooner or later. Great story! Your collection is awe-inspiring, to say the least! Thank you for your efforts to share it with us. "Reasons for Waiting" has always been in my personal top ten Tull songs, by the way! -David
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Post by bambooflute on Apr 26, 2014 13:09:05 GMT
My first recollection of Tull was the release of Broadsword - I would have been 4. My dad had bought it and played it quite a bit - I loved Beastie, and used to sing along. He purchased Underwraps which again I enjoyed (and still do) and then one of his first ever CD purchases was Crest. It was around that time that I then started to look through his record collection and noticed a few albums that I had not listened to before. He had Benefit, LITP, APP, Warchild, and HH, plus Minstrel and A on copied cassette. If I was ever off school sick, I would always listen to an album and then make a compilation tape. My mum bought him the 20years video and I watched it constantly to the point where I nearly wore it out. This is where I first heard Aqualung (don't know why he never owned that album), TAAB and The Whistler to name but a few. Nothing happened after that, apart from the creation of a few more compilations tapes. I just listened to other stuff and bought the odd CD with bday and xmas money, but it would be other stuff and not Tull. The thought never entered my head.......until I was 17-years-old. I just decided one day to look in the J section of a record store and noticed Roots, which had just been released. Without listening to it, I picked it up straight away, purchased it and went home. Oh yes! From that moment on I had to get all of their albums, which I ordered (a couple each month) from my local store at the then rrp cd price of £14.99 each!!! Aqualung and Rock Island were the first 2. My dad was gutted that I had Aqualung. The first time I saw them live was on Nov 16th 1996 at Hereford leisure centre. They played a brilliant long set and was, and probably will be, the only time I was able to stand and jig up and down at one of their gigs. I have seen them at least once at every UK tour from that moment on, including the IA shows except one. I've dragged my best mate along, my wife, my step-daughter and now in 7 sleeps time, my 7-year-old will be coming along for Homo. I have a feeling I may have to gate-crash another one a few days later. Great recollection! Be sure to let us know what you think of the gig you'll be seeing soon! -David
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Post by bambooflute on Apr 26, 2014 13:06:38 GMT
Well, Tulltapes, I envy you the fact that almost every adult figure you knew was a fan... my existance as a Tull enthusiast has been a bit lonely! (cue violins for sob story) When I was a kid, I used to play chess and board games with a neighbor's son who was a few years older than me; he had hundreds of records from many different artists. He would play them in the background as we were engaged in chess, Stratego, Risk, etc. Then one day, he put on "Songs from the Wood." My ears immediately pricked up; it was so different to anything I had heard before, and the first record I ever asked him to play again. This was October of 1979 and I was only ten years old. I asked for my own copy of "Songs from the Wood" for Christmas, and then asked for more albums for my birthday, and saved up my pennies...and started to accumulate the entire back catalogue (as it was then). The "A" album came out that autumn, and I wanted more than anything to see Tull live. My parents thought I was too young, so they bought me the album instead of a ticket to keep me quiet. I am sure they felt it was a passing phase... I finally got see the band live in 1984 on the "Under Wraps" tour, and have seen them 27 times, all told. My favorite album is "Roots To Branches," and that's my favorite tour. My least favorite album is "Too Old To Rock'n'Roll, Too Young to Die," which has two good songs on it and is rarely revisited by me. But it's been a marvelous journey and I love most of the music... I even enjoy the squeezy thing (sorry, Gerrald!). The sad part is that I have only met a tiny number of fellow fans, or people who can even stand Ian/Tull. This music, as we all know, is so unique it polarizes people (and not only the pumpkin eaters!). - David Tull were always "the band" when I was growing up but especially in the "heyday" when I was really young. It was kind of just my parents "thing" though. I knew all of the songs by heart etc.. but it wasn't until around my mid-teens (Crest/20th era) when I started really appreciating what was going on musically and kind of discovered/rediscovered them as my own. Then it was like hearing all those albums for the first time. "Roots to Branches" was imo the last really good Tull album. Your opinion on TOTRNR is a common one I think. You either love it or you don't. For me it's definetly closer to the favorites side of my list. David, the bright side is that if you didn't grow up with multitudes of tull fans around at least you now have the internet and chat groups such as ourselves to relate to. I have met more fellow fans here than I could have ever imagined. Thanks, Tulltapes! It's good to know that there are friendly people who share the same interest, and have a variety of opinions about it, too. That helps make it fun and interesting! -David
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Post by bambooflute on Apr 25, 2014 17:42:18 GMT
Here is a drawing I did for Gerrald bostock about a month ago; it features IA as he appeared in the 1970s and as he appears now. I hope you like it! -David
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Post by bambooflute on Apr 25, 2014 17:35:50 GMT
Great photos! Thank you for sharing. Do you have any more "Heavy Horses" era shots?
- David
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Post by bambooflute on Apr 22, 2014 19:48:48 GMT
Well, Tulltapes, I envy you the fact that almost every adult figure you knew was a fan... my existance as a Tull enthusiast has been a bit lonely! (cue violins for sob story) When I was a kid, I used to play chess and board games with a neighbor's son who was a few years older than me; he had hundreds of records from many different artists. He would play them in the background as we were engaged in chess, Stratego, Risk, etc. Then one day, he put on "Songs from the Wood." My ears immediately pricked up; it was so different to anything I had heard before, and the first record I ever asked him to play again. This was October of 1979 and I was only ten years old. I asked for my own copy of "Songs from the Wood" for Christmas, and then asked for more albums for my birthday, and saved up my pennies...and started to accumulate the entire back catalogue (as it was then). The "A" album came out that autumn, and I wanted more than anything to see Tull live. My parents thought I was too young, so they bought me the album instead of a ticket to keep me quiet. I am sure they felt it was a passing phase... I finally got see the band live in 1984 on the "Under Wraps" tour, and have seen them 27 times, all told. My favorite album is "Roots To Branches," and that's my favorite tour. My least favorite album is "Too Old To Rock'n'Roll, Too Young to Die," which has two good songs on it and is rarely revisited by me. But it's been a marvelous journey and I love most of the music... I even enjoy the squeezy thing (sorry, Gerrald!). The sad part is that I have only met a tiny number of fellow fans, or people who can even stand Ian/Tull. This music, as we all know, is so unique it polarizes people (and not only the pumpkin eaters!). - David
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Post by bambooflute on Apr 22, 2014 13:35:30 GMT
A friend of mine calls this photo "Tull at their hairiest and scariest!" It's a classic image of our beloved, eccentric band. Thanks for sharing it! And have a good time in November! - David
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Post by bambooflute on Apr 22, 2014 13:12:29 GMT
I drew this portrait of Florian last year at the request of someone I know. I hope you enjoy it! -David
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Post by bambooflute on Apr 22, 2014 13:09:09 GMT
Inspired by a discussion with Quizz Kid about the Hammersmith Odeon (Apollo) in London...
We spend a lot of time analyzing individual concert performances, but I’d like to hear about your favorite (and least favorite) concert venues. Is there any place you have seen Tull that is particularly memorable?
I’ll start. My favorite venues are the Beacon Theatre in New York City; a grand old structure built for movies and vaudeville in 1929, with a capacity of 2700 (I believe); it has great acoustics and a lot of character. I also really enjoyed seeing Ian’s acoustic tour at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester, Massachusetts in 2009. Built in 1904, it was a movie theater and burlesque house, but was renovated in 2008, renamed and is now a lovely modern theatre with a capacity of 2300 (according to my research).
My least favorite (apart from the hockey arenas of the early days – or “echo chambers,” as a friend of mind calls them) is the Bank of America Pavilion (now the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion on the waterfront in Boston, Massachusetts. A slab of concrete partially covered by a tent, it holds 5000 people, with horrible acoustics (the wind off the water can, literally, carry the music away). I do, however, have a fond memory of seeing Tull perform “A Change of Horses” there in 2010, and I turned me head to see the sparkling Boston skyline lit up in the distance. It was very atmospheric and a fondly recalled moment, but overall not a great venue.
The strangest place I ever saw Tull was in Shirley, NY, at the Long Island Hot Air Balloon Festival in August, 2001. Tull played on the Friday night of the festival, held on the ground of Shirley Airport. The hot air balloons were supposed to rise, tethered to the ground, and be illuminated behind the stage during the concert, but it was too windy for this to take place. Ian performed behind a plexiglass shield due to the wind, as it would have interfered with his flute playing. It was an odd night, but a great concert; totally unique!
Those are my best, worst, and weirdest venues! Your turn!
-David
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Post by bambooflute on Apr 22, 2014 13:05:33 GMT
As one of my favourite Tull songs I had a go at this title a time ago, but thought I'd use it to vainly attempt a self portrait, with me being the 'me' in the title. Always been a big fan of the space programme, always fascinated by Michael Collins' role in the Apollo 11 mission and the Tull link with Jeffrey was irresistable. A great idea, Pat, and superbly done! Thank you for sharing! -David
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Post by bambooflute on Apr 19, 2014 18:22:03 GMT
Today's stars would cancel a show over a broken fingernail. Agreed! It took a lot of guts for him to perform like that; I saw them in August of that year, and by that time he was limping ontstage, but he put his all into the performance. It was the best rendition of "My God" I ever saw! - David
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Post by bambooflute on Apr 19, 2014 12:56:56 GMT
Darin, you really captured that bug-eyed stare in your portrait! Nice one! -David
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