How did you wind up here?

[Deleted]

Okay so heres a question: What caused you to become the rabid Tull fan that you are?

Was it an Album?, a Concert?, Seeing the Group on TV? Your Parents?

[Quizz Kid]

For me it was a dual route, the older sister of a girlfriend was getting rid of some of her singles and gave me a stack of them, amongst them was A Christmas Song (with the misprinted label), and Living in the Past, a little later after my Tull fan-boy habit kicked in she also gave me Sweet Dream and Witches Promise, and a lot more.

Around the same time a school-mate had borrowed some 'Progressive and Underground Rock' albums from our local record lending library, one was Stand Up, which I in turn borrowed from him. That was the start of it for me, I was well and truly hooked. When Benefit came out I borrowed that from the record library and transferred it to cassette. My first Tull LP purchase with my own money was Aqualung (£1.40), and later my parents bought me TaaB as part of my birthday present, from that point on Tull were firmly fixed in my life.

My first Tull gig was TaaB at the RAH, that set the benchmark by which I have judged every show I have since seen.

[Tulltapes]

Well as some of you know my parents were the biggest Tull fans and I was born right at the height of the craziness. I never had a chance to discover Tull on my own. I literally had no choice. Born in May 1972 The first words I managed to say as a little baby "thick as a brick"..At the youngest age I was staring at the covers of TAAB, Passion Play, Warchild etc.. until being taken at five to Maple Leaf Gardens for the "Songs From The Wood" concert where it all clicked. Most every adult figure I knew growing up was a tullhead. I could probably write a book on the entire subject

My folks at the "heavy horses" show

[bambooflute]

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

[Tulltapes]

Apr 22, 2014 19:48:48 GMT bambooflute said:

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.

[Deleted]

I was in Jr High (yes that's what they called in the "old days") I was 14 when, at a school "dance", a friend that had a very hep older brother with a lot of the newest albums, brought a stack of them for our entertainment. We just stood around looking as cool as we could, boys on one side and girls on the other. No one danced. The only place they co mingled was at the stack of albums, so I hung out there with Kenny the guy that brought them and he could speak with authority about most of them. I remember the powers that be would not allow the Hendrix albums to be played, too much sex.

I did hear Whiteroom and Chicago and Mountain for the first time and was really turned on to them. But when I saw the weird wood cut of Stand up I thought that was pretty trippy, and when I opened it up HA! They stood up! cool pun, plus the woodcut image conveyed a bit of an earthy feel to the band. Kenny put on A New Day Yesterday and the album only got to Back to the Family before it was time to go. But the very heavy first track "A New Day..." coupled with the kind of funny quirky "Jeffery Goes to Liecester Square" followed then by the very cool Bouree was really intriguing, just not your straight ahead rock record. There was a cleverness and a sense of humor about it. I liked that. It took a few weeks but I eventually picked it up. 

I already had friends that were in a band and had heard a song they were learning, "Dharma for One" so I was aware of the band but overall it was a couple of years before I witnessed Tull and had my mind twisted in a way that would lead me to this curious place (with so many of you afflicted souls) but I'll go deeper into that later.
Darin Cody

[skytzo]

Tulltapes and I must be brothers from different mothers, except my mom hated Tull.  My father is a huge Tull freak...after his older sister played him the Aqualung album when it first came out, he was immediately hooked, even more so when he saw them live later that year. Inexplicably, he somehow missed both the TAAB and APP tours, although my being born in August '73 might have been a distraction. So, I've been indoctrinated in Tull since birth, saw my first show in the fall of '77 at age 4, and the rest is history.

[Tulltapes]

Apr 23, 2014 10:32:13 GMT skytzo said:

Tulltapes and I must be brothers from different mothers, except my mom hated Tull.  My father is a huge Tull freak...after his older sister played him the Aqualung album when it first came out, he was immediately hooked, even more so when he saw them live later that year. Inexplicably, he somehow missed both the TAAB and APP tours, although my being born in August '73 might have been a distraction. So, I've been indoctrinated in Tull since birth, saw my first show in the fall of '77 at age 4, and the rest is history.

Yes Jeff, you have the most similar Tull background to myself that I 've known so far. Ever wonder if we would have discovered Tull on are own if not for our parents. My musical life could be totally different.

[skytzo]

Apr 23, 2014 18:37:50 GMT Tulltapes said:

Yes Jeff, you have the most similar Tull background to myself that I 've known so far. Ever wonder if we would have discovered Tull on are own if not for our parents. My musical life could be totally different.

I'm just glad my dad was around to be my earliest musical influence....my mom liked disco in the '70s, then top 40 crap like Cyndi Lauper and Huey Lewis in the 80's, and now she's into (ugh) country. I branched out on my own into metal in high school, but I never forgot my roots of prog & classic rock ingrained in me by my dad constantly playing records and taking me with him to concerts.

Some more son of a Tull guy factoids - I was named after the one and only striped bassist, and my dad lobbied hard with my mom to name my younger sister Ian if she was going to be a boy. Her name is Erin coincidentally.

[Tulltapes]

Apr 23, 2014 22:33:04 GMT skytzo said:

Apr 23, 2014 18:37:50 GMT Tulltapes said:

Yes Jeff, you have the most similar Tull background to myself that I 've known so far. Ever wonder if we would have discovered Tull on are own if not for our parents. My musical life could be totally different.

I'm just glad my dad was around to be my earliest musical influence....my mom liked disco in the '70s, then top 40 crap like Cyndi Lauper and Huey Lewis in the 80's, and now she's into (ugh) country. I branched out on my own into metal in high school, but I never forgot my roots of prog & classic rock ingrained in me by my dad constantly playing records and taking me with him to concerts.

Some more son of a Tull guy factoids - I was named after the one and only striped bassist, and my dad lobbied hard with my mom to name my younger sister Ian if she was going to be a boy. Her name is Erin coincidentally.

And my brothers name is "Ian". haha.

[skytzo]

Awesome.

[Duncman78]

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. 

[bambooflute]

Apr 23, 2014 7:03:03 GMT Tulltapes said:

Apr 22, 2014 19:48:48 GMT bambooflute said:

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

[progrockdeepcuts]

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."

[bambooflute]

Apr 26, 2014 11:04:08 GMT Duncman78 said:

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

[Gerrald Bostock]

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 as well 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 I 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 "The Garden" 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, Ian or any member past and present I an have thousands of albums, CD's,tape, DVDs,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.

[bambooflute]

Apr 26, 2014 14:00:04 GMT Gerrald Bostock said:

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

[Gerrald Bostock]

Thanks David, I am glad that you did "finally" get to see it

[bambooflute]

Apr 26, 2014 13:07:45 GMT progrockdeepcuts said:

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

[progrockdeepcuts]

Thanks, David!