All the way into adulthood, I thought Jethro Tull was one of those bands whose name tough guys spray painted on walls. Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Venom ... and Jethro Tull. The name sounds pretty tough, a band you don't want to mess with. Now, this wasn't completely consistent with reality, and I think I actually never read "Jethro Tull" in big, black letters on a brick wall. But there was something in the name that seemed hard, and surely the band members had long hair, and there's certainly an element of hard rock in the music.
I'm no connoisseur of Tull's creations, in my collection you'll find, in addition to today's theme, only the classics Aqualung and Thick as a Brick. Minstrel in the Gallery is at least as good as Thick as a Brick, and a lot better than (the somewhat overrated?) Aqualung. The band offers almost everything you could wish for, hard rock n' roll, mellow tunes a la Cat Stevens, and long instrumental pieces with elements of both British folk music and medieval tunes. And a song over 16 minutes as the icing on the cake. What is it not to like?
I've always liked the flute in contemporary music, be it progressive rock, pop or heavy metal. Wherever you find it, it raises the mood a notch. The singer Ian Anderson also like the flute, and he offers it a lot which is nice. It makes it hard to dislike Jethro Tull.
For a long time I was confused regarding the cover design, as one side is turned up side down. But then I read that this is so you can turn the cover around from top to bottom, vertically, instead of side to side. Of course.
A real good album that can be recommended, it offers a lot. Should I be somewhat critical, I think sometimes Tull's sound is a bit too stripped down and raw. It often sounds quite rough, as if you're in the rehearsal space, which is probably their wish. Not really to my taste, however. Cold Wind To Valhalla a good song, but after having seen Jack Black too many times ecstaticly shout how he's going to ride the snake to Valhalla, I have some difficulties taking the song seriously.
Tracklist
Side A
1. Minstrel In The Gallery 8:09
2. Cold Wind To Valhalla 4:17
3. Black Satin Dancer 6:51
4. Requim 3:41
Side B
1. One White Duck / 0^10 = Nothing At All 4:35
2. Baker St. Muse 16:40
- Pig Me And The Whore
- Nice Little Tune
- Crash-Barrier Waltzer
- Mother England Reverie
3. Grace 12:37
