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Post by maddogfagin on Jun 26, 2011 16:51:51 GMT
From www.seaoftranquility.orgJethro Tull: Minstrel in the Gallery (Remaster)
Jethro Tull’s entire back catalog is getting the remaster treatment and it’s about time! Minstrel in the Gallery is one of Tull’s many crowning achievements of the 1970’s. The lyrics are nothing short of poetic and the music is awe-inspiring. Minstrel in the Gallery shows the band’s more reflective side and Ian Anderson’s acoustic guitar is as integral to the album as is Martin Barre’s electric riffs and John Evan’s piano playing.
The title track opens the CD in grand style and sees Anderson singing over his acoustic guitar before Barre rips into one of his classic electric solos. "Cold Wind to Valhalla" has an overtly medieval sound that is more fully developed on Tull’s next classic album Songs From the Wood. "Black Satin Dancer" slithers mysteriously along while "Requiem" and "One White Duck" show Ian Anderson at his most confessional and somber. "Requiem" in particular comments on Anderson’s failed marriage and is one of the tracks that Anderson himself has criticized as being too introspective. It’s a beautiful song that is a rare glimpse into the man’s soul. But the highlight for many is the 16 minute "Baker St. Muse". Broken into four sections, this is full flight Jethro Tull. Musically complex and full of Anderson’s typically dark humored take on British society, it would be wonderful to see this track played on Tull’s next tour!
The CD is rounded out with 5 bonus tracks and "Summerday Sands" is my favorite. Unlike most bonus tracks, this one fits nicely into the emotion and spirit of the original CD. The remastering job is perfectly acceptable, but it’s not a stellar improvement over the original CD as Thick as a Brick was. Though the acoustic guitars sound brighter and the bass is a bit tighter, there’s still a muddiness in the mix that probably couldn’t be improved on. But the packaging is splendid and much better than that of the first batch of Tull remasters. Thankfully, the tacky white borders surrounding the CD booklets of the earliest remasters are gone and full lyrics are included as well as an essay by Ian Anderson. Most appreciated is the reproduction of the original artwork. If you don’t have this CD, you are missing out on one of the cornerstones of progressive rock!
Added: November 17th 2002 Reviewer: Steve PettengillFrom www.rollingstone.comBy Jean-Charles Costa November 6, 1975
Chances are, most of you have long since forgotten the notion of Elizabethan boogie as an art form. Well, it's revived here on Minstrel in the Gallery, Jethro Tull's latest concept-as-after-thought entry in the fall record sweepstakes. The fact that Ian Anderson and the lads have once again plundered the British secular music tradition signifies little and delivers less.
Anderson, still holding to a self-consciously bizarre musical stance, has difficulty maintaining the center of attention with his mannered vocals, irrepressible flute and acoustic guitar. And although, accompanied only by his guitar, he introduces each hauntingly familiar refrain as a ballad — aided by intimate spoken intros and incidental studio background noises — the tunes are soon deluged by a wash of lugubrious string passages and the anachronisms of Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond's mechanical bass lines and Martin Barre's hysterical electric guitar montages. In addition, contrary to the LP's basic concept, the lyrics are instantly forgettable.
In keeping with the times, Tull does get points for technical competence. Still, despite the diligence with which these gents execute the often clichéd arrangements, the most soulful moment on the album is a line from "Baker St. Muse," sung in passing by Anderson as he leaves the studio. Finding the door locked, he screams: "I can't get out!" That's roughly the same feeling that this listener got about midway through side one.From www.vintageprog.comJethro Tull - "Minstrel in the Gallery" (Chrysalis 1975)
Yes! Tull was finally back on tracks again with the superb "Minstrel in the Gallery". The album went back to the classic Tull-style that we all know and love: powerful, heavy and complex progressive rock mixed with beautiful, acoustic folk-melodies. The sound had also become richer and more symphonic as the band on a permanent basis now had David Palmer to add tasty string-arrangements to the songs. The title-track opens with an acoustic, minstrel-like medieval part before it explodes into the heaviest and most hard-hitting instrumental-passage Tull ever recorded. The main part of the song is a catchy, flute-driven rocker that would become a favourite on stage for years to come. "Cold Wind to Valhalla" starts also as a soft, acoustic tune, but becomes more aggressive when the whole band kicks in and plays the excellent melody of the track. "Black Satin Dancer" is maybe Tull's most overlooked classic ever. The main melody is one of the most beautiful Anderson ever wrote, and the string-arrangement makes it even more majestic. The sinister and heavy instrumental part is a prime example of progressive rock at its absolutely best and most dynamic. "Requiem" is a very nice and cosy acoustic ballad. The melody is maybe not the strongest or best, but what a great atmosphere and feeling. The second side opens with more acoustic beauty in the form of "One White Duck/Nothing at All" before you're in for the ambitious, 17-minute "Baker Street Muse". This would be Tull's last really lengthy epic, but it's still a very good one, although not so good as "Thick as a Brick" but still light-years better than anything on "A Passion Play". Overall, one of Tull's best albums.
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Post by oksauce on Jun 26, 2011 22:26:54 GMT
I love minstrel in the gallery. The second tull album I bought, Baker Street Muse is wonderful and it's a shame it's never been played live
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Post by steelmonkey on Jun 26, 2011 22:39:07 GMT
My first year in college, Fall 1975, i went to my room at lunch break and listened to minstrel, loud every day. I should do that again for a few months.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2011 15:27:53 GMT
Good idea. Glad to see a new thread for my favourite album. Probably love it because I played it to death trying to get what I couldn't get at first. Burned a new musical/lyrical pathway in my brain, no doubt I've never been the same since. ;D Friends would complain in the '70's when I played this. Got any Rolling Stones man, was the usual response. Everybody seemed to be Rolling Stones first back then. Oh my God, released in September 1975 when I turned 20 and departed my Tull dazed teenage wasteland. haha too true, still dazzled by the mighty Tull. With my luck over the years, a lot of times when I've tuned into Q107 in Toronto they would be playing the title track. This and Brick seem to follow me around on Q107. I believe Baker Street Muse is one of the best examples of prog rock out there. When prog is short and to the point. I like this review, agree for the most part. www.oldies1150.com/Music/Album.aspx?id=10375Minstrel in the Gallery was Tull's most artistically successful and elaborately produced album since Thick as a Brick and harkened back to that album with the inclusion of a 17-minute extended piece ("Baker Street Muse"). Although English folk elements abound, this is really a hard rock showcase on a par with -- and perhaps even more aggressive than -- anything on Aqualung. The title track is a superb showcase for the group, freely mixing folk melodies, lilting flute passages, and archaic, pre-Elizabethan feel, and the fiercest electric rock in the group's history -- parts of it do recall phrases from A Passion Play, but all of it is more successful than anything on War Child. Martin Barre's attack on the guitar is as ferocious as anything in the band's history, and John Evan's organ matches him amp for amp, while Barriemore Barlow and Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond hold things together in a furious performance. Anderson's flair for drama and melody come to the fore in "Cold Wind to Valhalla," and "Requiem" is the loveliest acoustic number in Tull's repertory, featuring nothing but Anderson's singing and acoustic guitar, Hammond-Hammond's bass, and a small string orchestra backing them. "Nothing at All" isn't far behind for sheer, unabashed beauty, but "Black Satin Dancer" is a little too cacophonous for its own good. "Baker Street Muse" recalls Thick As a Brick and A Passion Play, not only in its structure but a few passages; at slightly under 17 minutes, it's a tad more manageable than either of its conceptual predecessors, and it has all of their virtues, freely overlapping hard rock and folk material, classical arrangements (some of the most tasteful string playing on a Tull recording), surprising tempo shifts, and complex stream-of-consciousness lyrics (some of which clearly veer into self-parody) into a compelling whole. – Bruce Eder, Rovi Minstrel in The Gallery - last really great Jethro Tull album ? www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=190953&page=9albums found that match “Jethro Tullâ€www.oldies1150.com/Music/SearchResults.aspx?str=Jethro+Tull
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Post by onewhiteduck on Jun 27, 2011 18:16:30 GMT
There are certain things in life I really love in no particular order. A Passion Play, My Daughter,Debbie Harry,Pringles,Stella Artois Beer ( Lager ),Thai Food,Leeds United, Welsh Rugby, The Irish female accent ( Eire ) Majorca, Ford Focus RS and Minstrel In The Gallery. The B side is well magnificent - Anderson at his very best IMO. Duck
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Post by nonrabbit on Jun 27, 2011 20:55:49 GMT
There are certain things in life I really love in no particular order. A Passion Play, My Daughter,Debbie Harry,Pringles,Stella Artois Beer ( Lager ),Thai Food,Leeds United, Welsh Rugby, The Irish female accent ( Eire ) Majorca, Ford Focus RS and Minstrel In The Gallery. The B side is well magnificent - Anderson at his very best IMO. Duck Ha could have a field day with that post ;D ah well glad to see alls well in Duck's Tull corner Ps Irish female accent v Scottish female accent ? no contest Talks at .53 - a beautiful gentle Scottish accent
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Post by steelmonkey on Jun 28, 2011 3:00:18 GMT
I agree with an overwhelming majority of O.W.D.'s favorite things in life ( my daughter, not his...trade Patti Smith for Debby Harry and take away the two sports teams and i really 'ditto all that').....except no passion for Ford cars ( or any cars really) When i was a boy we said ford meant fix or repair daily, found on road dead or family owned re-conditioned dodge. My first car was a ford falcon (1964)...convertible, straight 6 170 engine...I did love that car...paid $75 for it on my 16th birthday...a convertible in Colorado...woo hoo...the optimist condoms in the glove compartment probably went with it to the junkyard in 1979 when it died
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Post by maddogfagin on Jun 29, 2011 17:19:44 GMT
One for my Canadian brother Long lost Tull bro. LOL Encore! Some Gallery pics? Not too demanding, eh. Let's ring out every last detail about Minstrel in the Gallery. Thanks, & I'll drink to your health although it will probably kill me. (still LOL) Ok Bro. These from eil.com
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Post by maddogfagin on Jun 27, 2012 7:41:12 GMT
I received the following from a member of the SH Forum concerning Minstrel and it does raise a very interesting question about the UK vinyl pressing of the album.
From john lennonist UK Tull "Minstrel" LP pressings question
'ello Fellow Tull Freaks,
I have long had a UK Tull "Minstrel in the Gallery" LP that I assumed to be the first pressing:
LABEL: GREEN CHRYSALIS
STAMPERS: A: (handwritten) CHR-1082 (machine stamped) A-1U (handwritten) 31922-F B: (handwritten) CHR-1082 (machine stamped) B-1U (handwritten) 31923-F
Frankly, compared to my other UK Tull vinyl, I found it sonically a bit underwhelming.
I've recently found at a local store -- and put on hold -- a different UK pressing:
LABEL: GREEN CHRYSALIS
STAMPERS: A: (handwritten) CHR-1082A2 . 31922-B EG 2 (then a weird squiggle) MN B: (handwritten) I-17 CHR-1082 31923-B EG 2 (then a weird squiggle)
Do you know which was the earlier (first??) pressing?
I'd also love to know your opinions of which probably (if you haven't heard both), or which does (if you have heard both) sounds better.
Thanks -- in Tull we Trust!
Now I have a gut feeling that the first pressing he mentions is the earlier pressing but in all honesty I'm not certain.
Anyone got any ideas ?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2012 14:25:15 GMT
Yeah, see PM.
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Post by maddogfagin on Jun 27, 2012 17:13:35 GMT
LABEL: GREEN CHRYSALIS STAMPERS: A: (handwritten) CHR-1082 (machine stamped) A-1U (handwritten) 31922-F B: (handwritten) CHR-1082 (machine stamped) B-1U (handwritten) 31923-F Frankly, compared to my other UK Tull vinyl, I found it sonically a bit underwhelming. Just checked my copy of the album - it too has the same matrix information as above. Another way of telling an original UK copy, as far as I'm aware, is to look at the inner sleeve with the lyrics and background photos. If it's "trimmed" and has angled corners, made to fit better into the outer sleeve, then it's most probably an early Chrysalis issue. The later issues, including the blue Chrysalis ones, had an inner sleeve that was not cut at the corners and the printing was slightly darker than the early ones.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2012 17:50:52 GMT
This recording has always seemed bright to me. Although the CD remaster is too bright, there's a lot of body/thickness there. When I spoke with john lennonist, he seems to have clued into the CD remaster. Those that like the remaster tend to get kicked around on the SHtv forum. (keep it quiet ) My Canadian LP actually snapped in half
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Post by maddogfagin on May 26, 2013 7:43:16 GMT
Two images of the minstrel's gallery from Haddon Hall which formed part of " Twelfth Night Revels in the Great Hall, Haddon Hall" by Joseph Nash which was used as the basis for the cover of MITG.
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Post by JTull 007 on May 26, 2013 13:36:36 GMT
Great artwork for sure. This has some similarities to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. Lots of antlers and trophy heads too. I was told they must use restoration treatments to keep things from decomposing. Without that process, things won't last forever. How would you like to see Tull in this Gallery?
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Post by Pantagruel on Nov 27, 2013 23:44:49 GMT
I could become quite unpopular for this, but since we're here, I'll say it plainly: "Minstrel in the Gallery" is one of my least favorite albums by Jethro Tull, and certainly my least favorite from the classic era. Why do I say this? Well, first of all, it doesn't seem to me a much inspired album. Some material which could be good would have needed to be have a different arrangment. I also have problems with Ian's voice. Yes, you did read right: Ian's voice. Now, objectively, his voice on this and on "Too Old To Rock'n'Roll; Too Young To Die" sounds different than on "Warchild" and on "Songs from the Wood", and to me, it sounds weak, without power, and this makes parts of the album (middle section of "Black Satin Dancer") difficult for me to listen to. Last but not least at the end of the album I feel exausted and uncomfortable. Have the songs been on different albums with other kind of material I could have stomached them well, but as they are they make the album very difficult to go through. Here, I'll try to explain better with a track by track. 1) Minstrel In The Gallery opens the album on a very high note. The first part is lovely, and the second is a stomping monster. Martin's middle section mixes well with the rest of the song. Indeed, this is classic Tull and it's also the only song in which Ian's voice sounds strong to me. 2) Cold Wind to Valhalla: well... uhm... it's not very Tull-esque, is it? A friend of mine, who likes the album even less than me, and expecially despises this song, told me it sounds a bit "American" to him. Well, maybe. To me it's not particoularely memorable, save for the acoustic intro which is cool. The rock part of it is OK, but not a masterpiece, and Ian for the first time, manages to annoy me vocally ("Valhaaaa-laaa"). However, sometimes I come back to this track because of Barrie's playing. He's excellent all the way-through. 3) Black Satin Dancer: this is a song that, imho, would need a bit of a re-arrangment. Individually, the parts are not bad, even though none of them are among the best stuff on Tull's discography, to me, and Martin's solo is indeed quite moving. However, not everything gels well. For example, I find the transition between the waltz-section and the rock section quite awkward, expecially the waltz tempo speeding up. The rock section also should have been instrumental. As a whole, the song is quite nice, but not one of the biggest successes of the discography. It sounds to me that they wanted to update "Backdoor Angels", but that other one is a much better song, in my opinion. 4) Requiem: OK, it's quite painful for me to talk about this song for the simple reason that I keep forgetting its melody, no matter how many times I listen to it. Also, usually I don't get through the whole song, as I find it quite boring. I'd say it's a, uh, pretty atmospheric track, sort of background music, for a lack of better description but I'm not sure they wanted it to be like that. 5) One White Duck / 010 = Nothing at All: I would have no problems with this track in another context. "One White Duck" is lovely, with its nice vocal melody and "010 = Nothing at All" is... yet, another acoustic piece, but a weird one, different than the ones Ian got us used to, so I'd say it's interesting. The fact is I quite like the track if I listen to it outside the album, but if I just let the album go, once it kicks in, I'm still under the comatose influence of the pervious three tracks and it doesn't change my mood. I see it quite 'wasted' here, if you know what I mean. 6) Baker St. Muse: OK, a 16-minute piece, but really, five different pieces of music (well, six, if you count the reprise at the end). Well, the first 8 minutes give me hope: the main theme is very melanchonic and sad, but it doesn't bore me at all. In fact, I find it pretty engaging, with the agressive chorus fitting well with the sad (musically) verse. Then, suddenly, it explodes, everything becomes very rock and Ian and Martin are trading licks on flute and on guitar, and the other guys (John, Jeffrey and Barrie) do a very solid job on keeping a good basic track. After a short vocal by Ian, Martin bursts in with a very agressive and overdubbed guitar solo. I'm very excited. This is the classic Tull I wanted to hear. Then, flawlessly comes "Pig-me and the Whore", another Tull classic. Acoustic guitars fitting well with the rest of the electric instrumentation and... humour! Yes, humour, here's another thing I had been missing since the begging of the album. Very good. Very, very good. And then, once again flawlessly, the "Nice Little Tune". Not that there's anything else I can say that the title doesn't already do. It's a very nice little tune performed by guitars and glockenspiel. But at this point "Crash Barrier Waltzer" kicks in and the suite seems to stop dead. There's virtually nothing I find interesting on this section. Musically of course, the lyrics of the album are great but then, I listen to albums for music. After some strumming which sounds interminable to me, Ian starts singing the immortal lines of "Mother England Reverie" and the music once again becomes very fascinating. Also, more importantly, it builds itself quite well, putting one piece after another. Then suddendly... it ends. And we're back at the begging of the piece. Hey, what? I was totally paying attention the music, in a sort of trance state of mind and you don't even bother to finish the song? Not cool, man! Anyway, we're back at the beginning of the suite but this time it feels weird, sort of... rushed? I can't find another good descrption. Also, I'm a bit annoyed by the double ending. Well, I know, it may seem trivial to you, but endings to me are very important. I'm not talking about the "I can't get out!!!" which I find quite funny, I'm talking about the electric ending followed by the same ending, done with the acoustic guitar. I would have picked only the acoustic one, it fits the song better. So we're at the end of our 16:40" marathone, and how do I feel? Mixed, I guess. The good parts are great, but the not so good parts are... well, I can't call them horrible (for what you care: to me there is only ONE piece by Ian Anderson which I would call horrible and it's called "General Crossing", the rest goes from "truly excellent" to "not good"), but boring. Yes, very boring. In short, is it a masterpiece? Not to me, but as a whole while not completely succesful it's very good, so I like to call it a flawed masterpiece. This and the title-track are the best tracks on the record. 7) Grace: I'm not quite sure about what I should say about this. I don't get it, musically or lyrically. I sometimes wonder how would it have been considered had it been another movement of "Baker Street Muse". I mean, the album musically would have been exactly the way it is, but with "Grace" being the real ending of the suite. I wonder how the lyrics would have been perceived. So here it is. As you can see, I don't consider the album a bad one. No. I would say I generally like it, but there are some serious flaws which I can't overlook. As a whole, again, I find it pretty hard to get through and very melanchonic... too much melanchonic and not ironic for my taste, which is a strange thing to say for me as my two favorite albums are "A Passion Play" and "Benefit", both of which do not sound to me as pessimistic or as hard as this one, though (and, more importantly, they sound more inspired musically, to me ). I'll end my review by saying that, anyway, I don't agree with those who sort of consider this album a sort of Ian's solo album. In fact, I think Martin is very present: other than the middle section of the title track, parts of "Black Satin Dancer" and "Baker Street Muse" wouldn't have been the same without him! Oh, and before I go: the artwork is excellent, but once again, I buy records for the music Ps. As for the non-LP tracks. "Summerday Sands" is quite pretty, and I love the part at the end in which Martin comes with the slide and "March the Mad Scientist" (is this really from the Minstrel sessions? Ian's voice sounds like it could be from "Warchild") doesn't do much for me, but I like it more than "Requiem". Ps2. I bought the remaster of the album, but I only listen to it from a vinyl rip for a simple reason: there is a very high frequence noise which I hear, possibly a fault on the master tape. And no, it's not my copy of the CD: I do have "The best of Acoustic Jethro Tull" as well and I do hear the whistle-like frequence on the tracks taken from this album there as well. It drives me nuts! Anyone else noticed this?
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Post by futureshock on Nov 28, 2013 1:04:54 GMT
Pantagruel: actually, that's the kind of personalized review that helps discussion and the exploration of things. You've made the effort to describe your reaction to each song. Whether anyone agrees or disagrees with you on any point is further discussion. There's no claim on the record cover saying "This is the only record in the shop that everyone likes!". The kind of review that doesn't help is the preconceived, biased or overly concise positive or negative that explains nothing. Sure, the band will like the positives, even if it's just a "great!", but that doesn't tell them anything of depth. Just as useless is a "that sucks!", because there's not a hint of backup reasoning. When a newspaper record reviewer lines up negatives that aren't justified (like not actually seeing the concert or listening to more than 5 minutes of an album, or being strongly alien to the music niche being reviewed), then that's a bit of a crime, because people are affected by such reviews.
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Post by maddogfagin on Nov 28, 2013 9:25:06 GMT
Pantagruel: actually, that's the kind of personalized review that helps discussion and the exploration of things. You've made the effort to describe your reaction to each song. Whether anyone agrees or disagrees with you on any point is further discussion. There's no claim on the record cover saying "This is the only record in the shop that everyone likes!". Well said - couldn't agree more. I could become quite unpopular for this, but since we're here, I'll say it plainly: "Minstrel in the Gallery" is one of my least favorite albums by Jethro Tull, and certainly my least favorite from the classic era. Why do I say this? Well, first of all, it doesn't seem to me a much inspired album. Some material which could be good would have needed to be have a different arrangment. I also have problems with Ian's voice. Yes, you did read right: Ian's voice. Now, objectively, his voice on this and on "Too Old To Rock'n'Roll; Too Young To Die" sounds different than on "Warchild" and on "Songs from the Wood", and to me, it sounds weak, without power, and this makes parts of the album (middle section of "Black Satin Dancer") difficult for me to listen to. Last but not least at the end of the album I feel exausted and uncomfortable. Have the songs been on different albums with other kind of material I could have stomached them well, but as they are they make the album very difficult to go through. It all make for a very varied life being a Tull fan. We don't tow the party line here so honestly held opinions are just as valid as the next person's. I rate Minstrel very highly but I understand your opinions in the review. It'll make me play it today to follow all the points you've made. What I would comment on is that this album came at a time of heavy touring schedules, long hours in the studio etc., so your comment above about Ian's voice is valid. He and the rest of the band may have been tired, hacked off (call it what you will) and this was just one outward sign of fatigue setting in. If that was the case then that would show that all was not well in the Tull camp in '75 which would also explain the rather lacklustre (in my opinion) TOTRnR a year later.
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Post by acreman on Nov 28, 2013 16:22:12 GMT
That's one of my favorite parts of the record. I found Minstrel to be a pretty challenging album at first, and the hook right there is one of the things that encouraged me to stick with it. It calls to mind Back-Door for me as well. They're both great jam songs in my book. I actually prefer Satin by a bit due to Martin's great guitar tone during his solos and the generally darker feel about it. There's a melody? I just turn it up really loud and enjoy the atmosphere.
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Post by nonrabbit on Nov 28, 2013 16:51:26 GMT
I could become quite unpopular for this, but since we're here, I'll say it plainly: "Minstrel in the Gallery" is one of my least favorite albums by Jethro Tull, and...... Ahh I feel a breath of fresh air and delight in pulling apart, sorry dissecting the nitty bitty bits of why I don't like some Tull and what better place to start than the (first) album that I didn't even finish listening too after the first track. I must admit in not doing so I did miss out on a couple of good tracks however I would like to join in this thread and contribute further. Ps I hated/hate the "Valhaaaala" bit too.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2013 17:02:20 GMT
I could become quite unpopular for this, but since we're here, I'll say it plainly: "Minstrel in the Gallery" is one of my least favorite albums by Jethro Tull, and certainly my least favorite from the classic era. Why do I say this? Well, first of all, it doesn't seem to me a much inspired album. Some material which could be good would have needed to be have a different arrangment. I also have problems with Ian's voice. Yes, you did read right: Ian's voice. Now, objectively, his voice on this and on "Too Old To Rock'n'Roll; Too Young To Die" sounds different than on "Warchild" and on "Songs from the Wood", and to me, it sounds weak, without power, and this makes parts of the album (middle section of "Black Satin Dancer") difficult for me to listen to. Last but not least at the end of the album I feel exausted and uncomfortable. Have the songs been on different albums with other kind of material I could have stomached them well, but as they are they make the album very difficult to go through. Here, I'll try to explain better with a track by track. 1) Minstrel In The Gallery opens the album on a very high note. The first part is lovely, and the second is a stomping monster. Martin's middle section mixes well with the rest of the song. Indeed, this is classic Tull and it's also the only song in which Ian's voice sounds strong to me. 2) Cold Wind to Valhalla: well... uhm... it's not very Tull-esque, is it? A friend of mine, who likes the album even less than me, and expecially despises this song, told me it sounds a bit "American" to him. Well, maybe. To me it's not particoularely memorable, save for the acoustic intro which is cool. The rock part of it is OK, but not a masterpiece, and Ian for the first time, manages to annoy me vocally ("Valhaaaa-laaa"). However, sometimes I come back to this track because of Barrie's playing. He's excellent all the way-through. 3) Black Satin Dancer: this is a song that, imho, would need a bit of a re-arrangment. Individually, the parts are not bad, even though none of them are among the best stuff on Tull's discography, to me, and Martin's solo is indeed quite moving. However, not everything gels well. For example, I find the transition between the waltz-section and the rock section quite awkward, expecially the waltz tempo speeding up. The rock section also should have been instrumental. As a whole, the song is quite nice, but not one of the biggest successes of the discography. It sounds to me that they wanted to update "Backdoor Angels", but that other one is a much better song, in my opinion. 4) Requiem: OK, it's quite painful for me to talk about this song for the simple reason that I keep forgetting its melody, no matter how many times I listen to it. Also, usually I don't get through the whole song, as I find it quite boring. I'd say it's a, uh, pretty atmospheric track, sort of background music, for a lack of better description but I'm not sure they wanted it to be like that. 5) One White Duck / 010 = Nothing at All: I would have no problems with this track in another context. "One White Duck" is lovely, with its nice vocal melody and "010 = Nothing at All" is... yet, another acoustic piece, but a weird one, different than the ones Ian got us used to, so I'd say it's interesting. The fact is I quite like the track if I listen to it outside the album, but if I just let the album go, once it kicks in, I'm still under the comatose influence of the pervious three tracks and it doesn't change my mood. I see it quite 'wasted' here, if you know what I mean. 6) Baker St. Muse: OK, a 16-minute piece, but really, five different pieces of music (well, six, if you count the reprise at the end). Well, the first 8 minutes give me hope: the main theme is very melanchonic and sad, but it doesn't bore me at all. In fact, I find it pretty engaging, with the agressive chorus fitting well with the sad (musically) verse. Then, suddenly, it explodes, everything becomes very rock and Ian and Martin are trading licks on flute and on guitar, and the other guys (John, Jeffrey and Barrie) do a very solid job on keeping a good basic track. After a short vocal by Ian, Martin bursts in with a very agressive and overdubbed guitar solo. I'm very excited. This is the classic Tull I wanted to hear. Then, flawlessly comes "Pig-me and the Whore", another Tull classic. Acoustic guitars fitting well with the rest of the electric instrumentation and... humour! Yes, humour, here's another thing I had been missing since the begging of the album. Very good. Very, very good. And then, once again flawlessly, the "Nice Little Tune". Not that there's anything else I can say that the title doesn't already do. It's a very nice little tune performed by guitars and glockenspiel. But at this point "Crash Barrier Waltzer" kicks in and the suite seems to stop dead. There's virtually nothing I find interesting on this section. Musically of course, the lyrics of the album are great but then, I listen to albums for music. After some strumming which sounds interminable to me, Ian starts singing the immortal lines of "Mother England Reverie" and the music once again becomes very fascinating. Also, more importantly, it builds itself quite well, putting one piece after another. Then suddendly... it ends. And we're back at the begging of the piece. Hey, what? I was totally paying attention the music, in a sort of trance state of mind and you don't even bother to finish the song? Not cool, man! Anyway, we're back at the beginning of the suite but this time it feels weird, sort of... rushed? I can't find another good descrption. Also, I'm a bit annoyed by the double ending. Well, I know, it may seem trivial to you, but endings to me are very important. I'm not talking about the "I can't get out!!!" which I find quite funny, I'm talking about the electric ending followed by the same ending, done with the acoustic guitar. I would have picked only the acoustic one, it fits the song better. So we're at the end of our 16:40" marathone, and how do I feel? Mixed, I guess. The good parts are great, but the not so good parts are... well, I can't call them horrible (for what you care: to me there is only ONE piece by Ian Anderson which I would call horrible and it's called "General Crossing", the rest goes from "truly excellent" to "not good"), but boring. Yes, very boring. In short, is it a masterpiece? Not to me, but as a whole while not completely succesful it's very good, so I like to call it a flawed masterpiece. This and the title-track are the best tracks on the record. 7) Grace: I'm not quite sure about what I should say about this. I don't get it, musically or lyrically. I sometimes wonder how would it have been considered had it been another movement of "Baker Street Muse". I mean, the album musically would have been exactly the way it is, but with "Grace" being the real ending of the suite. I wonder how the lyrics would have been perceived. So here it is. As you can see, I don't consider the album a bad one. No. I would say I generally like it, but there are some serious flaws which I can't overlook. As a whole, again, I find it pretty hard to get through and very melanchonic... too much melanchonic and not ironic for my taste, which is a strange thing to say for me as my two favorite albums are "A Passion Play" and "Benefit", both of which do not sound to me as pessimistic or as hard as this one, though (and, more importantly, they sound more inspired musically, to me ). I'll end my review by saying that, anyway, I don't agree with those who sort of consider this album a sort of Ian's solo album. In fact, I think Martin is very present: other than the middle section of the title track, parts of "Black Satin Dancer" and "Baker Street Muse" wouldn't have been the same without him! Oh, and before I go: the artwork is excellent, but once again, I buy records for the music Ps. As for the non-LP tracks. "Summerday Sands" is quite pretty, and I love the part at the end in which Martin comes with the slide and "March the Mad Scientist" (is this really from the Minstrel sessions? Ian's voice sounds like it could be from "Warchild") doesn't do much for me, but I like it more than "Requiem". Ps2. I bought the remaster of the album, but I only listen to it from a vinyl rip for a simple reason: there is a very high frequence noise which I hear, possibly a fault on the master tape. And no, it's not my copy of the CD: I do have "The best of Acoustic Jethro Tull" as well and I do hear the whistle-like frequence on the tracks taken from this album there as well. It drives me nuts! Anyone else noticed this? Beautiful. My favourite Tull - this one & APP tug at my Tull heart the most. Toughest Tull album to get into for me. Play this for me and all else stops.
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Post by acreman on Nov 28, 2013 17:17:52 GMT
You guys aren't even doing it right! It's more like, "VALHAALLAAAAAAA-AAAAHHHH." See, when done correctly, it's brilliant.
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Post by nonrabbit on Nov 28, 2013 17:21:11 GMT
You guys aren't even doing it right! It's more like, "VALHAALLAAAAAAA-AAAAHHHH." See, when done correctly, it's brilliant. "QUIEEEEEE-TTTTTTTT"
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2013 17:41:05 GMT
You guys aren't even doing it right! It's more like, "VALHAALLAAAAAAA-AAAAHHHH." See, when done correctly, it's brilliant. You got it. Tough to get it just like the album. Regarding WarChild - the remaster is too loud. It is a high frequency noise - the best place for WarChild on CD is the Mobile Fidelity Gold CD - it's a treasure.
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Post by Pantagruel on Nov 28, 2013 17:46:44 GMT
Regarding WarChild - the remaster is too loud. It is a high frequency noise - the best place for WarChild on CD is the Mobile Fidelity Gold CD - it's a treasure. I'm talking about "Minstrel". The WarChild remaster sounds good to me and I love the bonus tracks. The high pithced noise I hear is on Minstrel and it drives me nuts. It's expecially audible on the quieter bits and there are quite a few!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2013 18:03:29 GMT
Regarding WarChild - the remaster is too loud. It is a high frequency noise - the best place for WarChild on CD is the Mobile Fidelity Gold CD - it's a treasure. I'm talking about "Minstrel". The WarChild remaster sounds good to me and I love the bonus tracks. The high pithced noise I hear is on Minstrel and it drives me nuts. It's expecially audible on the quieter bits and there are quite a few! Minstrel in the Gallery has always been too bright for my taste, vinyl to CD it's a matter of picking your poison. The remaster is certainly the brightest and you are not alone in complaining about this. I can't say I've noticed a high pitch noise on the CD's that you've mentioned. Oops - sorry - Interesting about WarChild - The MFSL CD in direct comparison with the remaster clearly shows where the remaster is pumped up too much, far too loud for this material. Your mileage may vary of course. The remaster is fine on a boombox...(not) just my opinion.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2013 18:15:15 GMT
From everything that I've read about Minstrel in the Gallery, the original UK CD (made in Japan) with the red print on the cover is the best in sound. Some might consider it to be thinner sounding than the remaster. Reasonably good equipment should bring out the goodness here. I listen to this one the most - Still bright though.
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Post by Pantagruel on Nov 28, 2013 18:24:03 GMT
Minstrel in the Gallery has always been too bright for my taste, vinyl to CD it's a matter of picking your poison. The remaster is certainly the brightest and you are not alone in complaining about this. I can't say I've noticed a high pitch noise on the CD's that you've mentioned. Oops - sorry - Interesting about WarChild - The MFSL CD in direct comparison with the remaster clearly shows where the remaster is pumped up too much, far too loud for this material. Your mileage may vary of course. The remaster is fine on a boombox...(not) just my opinion. Thanks for the clarification. To tell the truth, I only ever owned the "Warchild" remaster, never heard a vinyl rip of it or something else. If I ever get one, I'll let you know! To each his own, I guess. I always thought that particoular CD (Warchild remaster) was one of the best in my collection. I thought it had great sound, great songs and great bonus tracks Unfortunately, I can only afford ONE copy per album. So, if I have a version of an album I don't like, I stick with that physical copy and try to get a vinyl rip of it or something else. Unfortunately, that's what I had to do with "Heavy Horses". "Heavy Horses" is one of my favorite Tull albums, one of the first I ever heard. My uncle used to play it a lot when I was little, he has an original pressing (yeah, I'm a young man, I was born a bit before Tull started recording "Catfish Rising"). Anyway, on the remaster (my phisycal copy of the album) the strings on "Rover" are missing. VERY noticeable and very annoying. So back to the vinyl for a rip of it, but not going to buy another copy or swap that one. But here we are going off topic...
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2013 18:31:06 GMT
Minstrel in the Gallery has always been too bright for my taste, vinyl to CD it's a matter of picking your poison. The remaster is certainly the brightest and you are not alone in complaining about this. I can't say I've noticed a high pitch noise on the CD's that you've mentioned. Oops - sorry - Interesting about WarChild - The MFSL CD in direct comparison with the remaster clearly shows where the remaster is pumped up too much, far too loud for this material. Your mileage may vary of course. The remaster is fine on a boombox...(not) just my opinion. Thanks for the clarification. To tell the truth, I only ever owned the "Warchild" remaster, never heard a vinyl rip of it or something else. If I ever get one, I'll let you know! To each his own, I guess. I always thought that particoular CD (Warchild remaster) was one of the best in my collection. I thought it had great sound, great songs and great bonus tracks The beauty of comparing the gold CD with the remaster is it seems clear to me that they came from the same master tapes. The remaster literally sound like the gold Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs (MFSL) CD turned up. Great songs without question-talking about my favourite Tull period here. Cheers!
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Post by steelmonkey on Nov 29, 2013 16:07:16 GMT
Listened to Baker Street Muse on the way to work today and remembered why and how it got me thru first year at college...still a masterpiece and cornerstone of Tullness....Ian at 28, recently divorced, clinically exhausted, world-weary, wise, peak voice, lyrics and complicated musicality...my hand reached for the volume knob at exactly the same places as it did in late 1975....'Pig me and whore, Mother England reverire' both just below 'Overseer, overture' in pure Tull intensity....maybe this is where Tull's trajectory changed...they were just too tired and perhaps still criticism wounded to plan and execute a true 'Minstrel' tour.
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Post by maddogfagin on Dec 27, 2013 17:45:10 GMT
Crank it up for New Year
Windy bus-stop. Click. Shop-window. Heel. Shady gentleman. Fly-button. Feel. In the underpass, the blind man stands. With cold flute hands. Symphony match-seller, breath out of time. You can call me on another line. Indian restaurants that curry my brain. Newspaper warriors changing the names they advertise from the station stand. With cold print hands. Symphony word-player, I'll be your headline. If you catch me another time.
Didn't make her With my Baker Street Ruse. Couldn't shake her With my Baker Street Bruise. Like to take her But I'm just a Baker Street Muse.
Ale-spew, puddle-brew Boys, throw it up clean. Coke and Bacardi colours them green. From the typing pool goes the mini-skirted princess with great finesse. Fertile earth-mother, your burial mound is fifty feet down in the Baker Street underground. (What the hell!) Walking down the gutter thinking, "How the hell am I today?" Well, I didn't really ask you but thanks all the same.
[Pig-Me And The Whore]
"Big bottled Fraulein, put your weight on me," said the pig-me to the whore, Desperate for more in his assault upon the mountain. Little man, his youth a fountain. Overdrafted and still counting. Vernacular, verbose; an attempt at getting close to where he came from. In the doorway of the stars, between Blandford Street and Mars; Proposition, deal. Flying button feel. Testicle testing. Wallet ever-bulging. Dressed to the left, divulging the wrinkles of his years. Wedding-bell induced fears. Shedding bell-end tears in the pocket of her resistance. International assistance flowing generous and full to his never-ready tool. Pulls his eyes over her wool. And he shudders as he comes. And my rudder slowly turns me into the Marylebone Road.
[Crash-Barrier Waltzer]
And here slip I Dragging one foot in the gutter In the midnight echo of the shop that sells cheap radios. And there sits she No bed, no bread, no butter On a double yellow line Where she can park anytime. Old Lady Grey; crash-barrier waltzer Some only son's mother. Baker Street casualty. Oh, Mr. Policeman Blue shirt ballet master. Feet in sticking plaster Move the old lady on. Strange pas-de-deux His Romeo to her Juliet. Her sleeping draught, his poisoned regret. No drunken bums allowed to sleep here in the crowded emptiness. Oh officer, let me send her to a cheap hotel I'll pay the bill and make her well - like hell you bloody will! No do-good over kill. We must teach them to be still more independent.
[Mother England Reverie]
I have no time for Time Magazine or Rolling Stone. I have no wish for wishing wells or wishing bones. I have no house in the country I have no motor car. And if you think I'm joking, then I'm just a one-line joker in a public bar. And it seems there's no-body left for tennis; and I'm a one-band-man. And I want no Top Twenty funeral or a hundred grand. There was a little boy stood on a burning log, Rubbing his hands with glee. He said, "Oh Mother England, Did you light my smile; or did you light this fire under me? One day I'll be a minstrel in the gallery. And paint you a picture of the queen. And if sometimes I sing to a cynical degree It's just the nonsense that it seems."
So I drift down through the Baker Street valley, In my steep-sided un-reality. And when all is said and all is done I couldn't wish for a better one. It's a real-life ripe dead certainty That I'm just a Baker Street Muse.
Talking to the gutter-stinking, winking in the same old way. I tried to catch my eye but I looked the other way.
Indian restaurants that curry my brain Newspaper warriors changing the names they advertise from the station stand. Circumcised with cold print hands.
Windy bus-stop. Click. Shop-window. Heel. Shady gentleman. Fly-button. Feel. In the underpass, the blind man stands. With cold flute hands. Symphony match-seller, breath out of time You can call me on another line.
Didn't make her With my Baker Street Ruse. Couldn't shake her With my Baker Street Bruise. Like to take her But I'm just a Baker Street Muse.
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