|
Post by steelmonkey on Apr 20, 2012 18:34:35 GMT
Life shows non merci
|
|
|
Post by nobodyspecial on Apr 20, 2012 19:00:31 GMT
tootull; "Let me say, Florian Opahle deserves respect. I believe him to be a great replacement for Martin Barre. The sum total, the guitars on all Tull albums after This Was begin to sound orchestrated by Ian Anderson after understanding where Ian Anderson is coming from in his Roger Water's moments. Florian Opahle's playing is the key to my enjoyment of TAAB2." I think you are correct. I don't consider him a replacement for MB. They ARE different guitar players after all. Frankly the jury is still out on his future - that's not a knock either - it's the truth. He is, for the moment at least, IA's SOLO band guitar player. Actually, I liked IA's first solo tour guitar player a bit more, he had a different style as well. Read more: www.jethrotull.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1835&page=27#ixzz1sbfmOk2W
|
|
|
Post by nonrabbit on Apr 20, 2012 20:08:43 GMT
Indeed that's true - however - it's also true that for some, endless repetition (scales, etc.) helps them with technique... and others just crazy. Coming from a family of both professional and a little less than professional musicians - one brother is an absolutelty excellent guitar player/musician, he can play nearly anything he chooses but tends to lack some warmth or originality that I think he's capable of. He also taught. Then another brother plays 'Boogie-Woogie-Stride' piano, and had an excellent teacher; when he went!! His technique is awful - it's all over the place - it is!! But he can absolutely get a place just rockin'-out!!! Go figure. I took my daughter for an audition to RADA . She is a natural, gifted pianist and composer and although she reached her grades her background is mainly self taught. She didn't pass the audition and in retrospect it was the right decision. However as I waited for her in the corridor, I walked down past the little ante rooms where other children were practising prior to the audition ( we just went straight in !) and I was struck by the few who had parents standing over them repeating instructions to play scales etc. Unfortunately it looked like we had made a mistake in being there in the first place. I'm not being negative about formal music education and I have no practical musical talent whatsoever but there was just something a bit soul destroying about it.
|
|
|
Post by steelmonkey on Apr 20, 2012 21:14:50 GMT
I went to a music college...Oberlin...worse than a music college...a music college widely considered second best in the country after Julliard so i can tell you a lot about twisted kids and twisted parents and practice practice practice lives of the rich and some famous some not
|
|
|
Post by snaffler on Apr 21, 2012 0:04:29 GMT
I went to a music college...Oberlin...worse than a music college...a music college widely considered second best in the country after Julliard so i can tell you a lot about twisted kids and twisted parents and practice practice practice lives of the rich and some famous some not the thing about it all is not about if you can play it, its about if you wrote it or composed it. just seen a great thin lizzy tribute band, tight music but not theirs.
|
|
|
Post by snaffler on Apr 21, 2012 0:08:36 GMT
Indeed that's true - however - it's also true that for some, endless repetition (scales, etc.) helps them with technique... and others just crazy. Coming from a family of both professional and a little less than professional musicians - one brother is an absolutelty excellent guitar player/musician, he can play nearly anything he chooses but tends to lack some warmth or originality that I think he's capable of. He also taught. Then another brother plays 'Boogie-Woogie-Stride' piano, and had an excellent teacher; when he went!! His technique is awful - it's all over the place - it is!! But he can absolutely get a place just rockin'-out!!! Go figure. I took my daughter for an audition to RADA . She is a natural, gifted pianist and composer and although she reached her grades her background is mainly self taught. She didn't pass the audition and in retrospect it was the right decision. However as I waited for her in the corridor, I walked down past the little ante rooms where other children were practising prior to the audition ( we just went straight in !) and I was struck by the few who had parents standing over them repeating instructions to play scales etc. Unfortunately it looked like we had made a mistake in being there in the first place. I'm not being negative about formal music education and I have no practical musical talent whatsoever but there was just something a bit soul destroying about it. i agree, practice makes perfect but perfect leaves no room for improvisation.
|
|
|
Post by nonrabbit on Apr 21, 2012 7:45:22 GMT
I took my daughter for an audition to RADA . She is a natural, gifted pianist and composer and although she reached her grades her background is mainly self taught. She didn't pass the audition and in retrospect it was the right decision. However as I waited for her in the corridor, I walked down past the little ante rooms where other children were practising prior to the audition ( we just went straight in !) and I was struck by the few who had parents standing over them repeating instructions to play scales etc. Unfortunately it looked like we had made a mistake in being there in the first place. I'm not being negative about formal music education and I have no practical musical talent whatsoever but there was just something a bit soul destroying about it. i agree, practice makes perfect but perfect leaves no room for improvisation. I just realised in my attempt to get my story out I called it RADA that should read RSAMD - The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama - to give it it'e eh? credit ;D
|
|
|
Post by nonrabbit on Apr 21, 2012 14:21:21 GMT
Apologies if this review has been posted before. Interesting point raised about the similarity between past songs and TAAB2. Wootton to Broadsword for eg blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-ian-anderson-thick-as/page-2/"...One of these, "Old School Song," uses the most familiar of the melodic themes drawn from the original album. Likewise, "Wootton Bassett Town" may remind listeners of Tull’s 1982 “Broadsword” with lines about needing a place to “sheath our swords....” They share a similar intro briefly.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2012 12:07:36 GMT
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2012 16:11:26 GMT
Ian Anderson Launches Brick Widget Peter Hodgson 04.23.2012Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson has made available a special web widget containing musical selections from his new Thick as a Brick 2 album, as well as interview footage. The widget is available now courtesy of EMI Records and North American syndicated rock radio show In The Studio: The Stories Behind History’s Greatest Rock Bands. The widget is available to preview and embed here. www.inthestudio.net/widget/jethro-tull/preview.htmlwww2.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/News/en-us/ian-anderson-launches-brick-widget-0423-2012.aspxAnderson and host Redbeard discussed the 40-year gap between the two bodies of work, including how the themes of the new record were taken from today’s headlines, such as bullying, gay marriage and religious and cultural intolerance, as well as personal discoveries Anderson has made about his own life in revisiting his past artistic work. “We snack on music these days,” Anderson says. “We don’t sit down to a banquet and take two hours of it, we tend to snack and so I think it’s a change in culture that I have to recognize. It’s gonna have about a 50 percent chance of getting approval, and that, in this day and age, is just fine by me. If I can please half of the people, all of the time, I’d be a happy man.”
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2012 18:19:12 GMT
Another short Canadian review IAN ANDERSON: TAAB2 (EMI) April 23, 2012. 9:23 am blogs.theprovince.com/2012/04/23/ian-anderson-taab2-emi/Anderson is the leader of whatever constitutes Jethro Tull, which, 40 years ago, recorded the progressive-rock concept album, Thick As A Brick. This is the belated (and, according to Anderson, reluctantly made) sequel. There are a few strains of the original on TAAB2 to provide a link, but not many. Anderson uses the opportunity to reflect on the growth into adulthood of his central character, Gerald Bostock, but it is as much a taking stock of how Anderson sits now as well as the many changes in Jethro Tull that have left him the sole founding member. TAAB2 has provided more focus and purpose than Tull albums have had in the past few years (or decades) as it is story-driven and effectively recaptures a sound. C plus.
|
|
|
Post by steelmonkey on Apr 23, 2012 18:35:48 GMT
C plus? WTF ?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2012 18:44:53 GMT
In Canada it means pleasantly refreshing.
|
|
|
Post by snaffler on Apr 23, 2012 18:52:17 GMT
In Canada it means pleasantly refreshing. indeed steel!!!! in the uk if you get a c+ in any of our posh upper class schools you'd get a damn good thwacking from mr jennings!!! TAAB is def an A-.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2012 19:10:53 GMT
In Canada it means pleasantly refreshing. indeed steel!!!! in the uk if you get a c+ in any of our posh upper class schools you'd get a damn good thwacking from mr jennings!!! TAAB is def an A-. B+ B is for Brick and + is for two. (Oh God!) Tull students, this year's letter is the letter “B” “Backfire” starts with the letter “B,” as do the words “blunder,” “boondoggle,” “boneheaded,” “bankruptcy,” “bus,” “boomerang,” “billions,” “batty,” “bundler,” “blame-game,” and of course, “Brick.” Stole a joke, switched it around.
|
|
|
Post by steelmonkey on Apr 23, 2012 19:35:20 GMT
How does it feel to B the play ?
|
|
hipflaskandy
Journeyman
OK - this was a while back!
Posts: 223
|
Post by hipflaskandy on Apr 24, 2012 10:31:32 GMT
Have played the album a fair bit now. Have warmed to it overall a fair bit - tho' still jury's still out on some sections. Made deliberate edits on transfer to my ipod for 'walking and car journies' so I can really get stuck in... basically I must confess I have removed all sections where Ian 'narrates'. I just find any such interuption to music (however 'arty', 'poetic' or 'conceptual') is an irritation to me. Am finding my 'just-the-music' edit far more listenable as a result. Sorry - that'll just be 'me', I suppose.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2012 11:55:49 GMT
JT Forum exclusive. French Canadian review. Let's have fun as Google translates French. ;D Suites: we follow them or not? blogues.cyberpresse.ca/houle/2012/04/10/les-suites-on-les-suit-ou-pas/Ian Anderson, leader of Jethro Tull decided to write a sequel to the legendary Thick As A Brick (1972), arguably one of the best album that the English team has ever signed. I fully rotates the original at one time, so I greeted the news with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. Now that my curiosity is satisfied, skepticism, it remains ... Make no mistake about it: Anderson is an artist rigorous, which has always done its homework. So it is written, performed, engineered and recorded accurately, with musical nods to the original, with narrative elements of the first version, like the character of Gerald Bostock and, of course, with technical spins . There are even references to A Passion Play. I'm sure fans will be interested, but it's been a lease to my ears, Anderson repeats itself - perhaps because he insists on writing all alone ... And then, as he decided that now, he worked solo and surrounded himself with musicians involved, a portion of the signature sound and music of Jethro Tull has been evacuated. I could also return to the visual dimension of the project, which was something revolutionary in the 70s, with his newspaper that folded and which this time is anything but attractive, with its sad replica of a website that not only does not seem great, but provides little interaction and real content ... Where I really wanted to get at is the very principle to sign the follow-albums that have worked. The phenomenon is the same as movies or books: it creates expectations and, too often, the fan left unsatisfied. This is certainly a good way to attract attention and to capitalize on something that worked. Proof: Anderson received his first interview in ages with Rolling Stone. The problem is that these sequences are too often below the original projects, the surprise arrival in less than the warmed over. And then, if the project is so strong, so why place it in the shadow of another? These are not examples abound. Meat Loaf has managed to return to the surface with Bat Out Of Hell II but has truly buried with the III. Timbaland, who had already lost ground with his Shock Value II simmers in a third. Lil Wayne, himself, did not hesitate to sign a Tha Carter IV to make sure to stay in the spotlight and is rather well - we must exceptions! Wyclef Jean has been there for two Carnival, Snoop Dogg has resisted using Doggystyle 2, although with Doggumentary had almost succumbed, while at the end of the year, Mary J. Blige has decided to go for My Life II ... Even in the Christmas albums we are treated to suites, courtesy, among others, Mariah Carey ... And you, the suites, you will succumb? You manage to avoid the traps or find your account?
|
|
|
Post by nonrabbit on Apr 24, 2012 14:24:55 GMT
JT Forum exclusive. French Canadian review. Let's have fun as Google translates French. ;D Suites: we follow them or not? blogues.cyberpresse.ca/houle/2012/04/10/les-suites-on-les-suit-ou-pas/Ian Anderson, leader of Jethro Tull decided to write a sequel to the legendary Thick As A Brick (1972), arguably one of the best album that the English team has ever signed. I fully rotates the original at one time, so I greeted the news with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. Now that my curiosity is satisfied, skepticism, it remains ... Make no mistake about it: Anderson is an artist rigorous, which has always done its homework. So it is written, performed, engineered and recorded accurately, with musical nods to the original, with narrative elements of the first version, like the character of Gerald Bostock and, of course, with technical spins . There are even references to A Passion Play. I'm sure fans will be interested, but it's been a lease to my ears, Anderson repeats itself - perhaps because he insists on writing all alone ... And then, as he decided that now, he worked solo and surrounded himself with musicians involved, a portion of the signature sound and music of Jethro Tull has been evacuated. I could also return to the visual dimension of the project, which was something revolutionary in the 70s, with his newspaper that folded and which this time is anything but attractive, with its sad replica of a website that not only does not seem great, but provides little interaction and real content ... Where I really wanted to get at is the very principle to sign the follow-albums that have worked. The phenomenon is the same as movies or books: it creates expectations and, too often, the fan left unsatisfied. This is certainly a good way to attract attention and to capitalize on something that worked. Proof: Anderson received his first interview in ages with Rolling Stone. The problem is that these sequences are too often below the original projects, the surprise arrival in less than the warmed over. And then, if the project is so strong, so why place it in the shadow of another? These are not examples abound. Meat Loaf has managed to return to the surface with Bat Out Of Hell II but has truly buried with the III. Timbaland, who had already lost ground with his Shock Value II simmers in a third. Lil Wayne, himself, did not hesitate to sign a Tha Carter IV to make sure to stay in the spotlight and is rather well - we must exceptions! Wyclef Jean has been there for two Carnival, Snoop Dogg has resisted using Doggystyle 2, although with Doggumentary had almost succumbed, while at the end of the year, Mary J. Blige has decided to go for My Life II ... Even in the Christmas albums we are treated to suites, courtesy, among others, Mariah Carey ... And you, the suites, you will succumb? You manage to avoid the traps or find your account? ;D ;D ;D Lost In Translation 1. He's Scottish .........grrrrr 2. "I fully rotate the original" - I played TAAB1. 3. "Artist rigourous" - Is that his latin name? ie My name is Flutus Rigoros, Commander of the Ian Anderson Band, General ... I'm thoroughly lost with the rest of that paragraph but I don't think he/she likes it The mulitiple meanings of the word suites? " And you, the suites, you will succumb? You manage to avoid the traps or find your account? Answer Yes, yes I do
|
|
tullist
Master Craftsman
Posts: 478
|
Post by tullist on Apr 24, 2012 14:34:19 GMT
8-)Love it P!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2012 15:55:29 GMT
Lost In Translation Lost in translation, welcome to my trip around the web.
|
|
|
Post by maddogfagin on Apr 24, 2012 17:27:15 GMT
JT Forum exclusive. French Canadian review. Let's have fun as Google translates French. ;D Suites: we follow them or not? blogues.cyberpresse.ca/houle/2012/04/10/les-suites-on-les-suit-ou-pas/Ian Anderson, leader of Jethro Tull decided to write a sequel to the legendary Thick As A Brick (1972), arguably one of the best album that the English team has ever signed. I fully rotates the original at one time, so I greeted the news with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. Now that my curiosity is satisfied, skepticism, it remains ... Make no mistake about it: Anderson is an artist rigorous, which has always done its homework. So it is written, performed, engineered and recorded accurately, with musical nods to the original, with narrative elements of the first version, like the character of Gerald Bostock and, of course, with technical spins . There are even references to A Passion Play. I'm sure fans will be interested, but it's been a lease to my ears, Anderson repeats itself - perhaps because he insists on writing all alone ... And then, as he decided that now, he worked solo and surrounded himself with musicians involved, a portion of the signature sound and music of Jethro Tull has been evacuated. I could also return to the visual dimension of the project, which was something revolutionary in the 70s, with his newspaper that folded and which this time is anything but attractive, with its sad replica of a website that not only does not seem great, but provides little interaction and real content ... Where I really wanted to get at is the very principle to sign the follow-albums that have worked. The phenomenon is the same as movies or books: it creates expectations and, too often, the fan left unsatisfied. This is certainly a good way to attract attention and to capitalize on something that worked. Proof: Anderson received his first interview in ages with Rolling Stone. The problem is that these sequences are too often below the original projects, the surprise arrival in less than the warmed over. And then, if the project is so strong, so why place it in the shadow of another? These are not examples abound. Meat Loaf has managed to return to the surface with Bat Out Of Hell II but has truly buried with the III. Timbaland, who had already lost ground with his Shock Value II simmers in a third. Lil Wayne, himself, did not hesitate to sign a Tha Carter IV to make sure to stay in the spotlight and is rather well - we must exceptions! Wyclef Jean has been there for two Carnival, Snoop Dogg has resisted using Doggystyle 2, although with Doggumentary had almost succumbed, while at the end of the year, Mary J. Blige has decided to go for My Life II ... Even in the Christmas albums we are treated to suites, courtesy, among others, Mariah Carey ... And you, the suites, you will succumb? You manage to avoid the traps or find your account? My hovercraft is full of eels
|
|
|
Post by maddogfagin on Apr 24, 2012 17:36:40 GMT
Lost In Translation Lost in translation, welcome to my trip around the web. Look forward to your "trips" TT. More please ;D
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2012 19:23:00 GMT
JT Forum exclusive. French Canadian review. Let's have fun as Google translates French. ;D Suites: we follow them or not? blogues.cyberpresse.ca/houle/2012/04/10/les-suites-on-les-suit-ou-pas/Ian Anderson, leader of Jethro Tull decided to write a sequel to the legendary Thick As A Brick (1972), arguably one of the best album that the English team has ever signed. I fully rotates the original at one time, so I greeted the news with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. Now that my curiosity is satisfied, skepticism, it remains ... Make no mistake about it: Anderson is an artist rigorous, which has always done its homework. So it is written, performed, engineered and recorded accurately, with musical nods to the original, with narrative elements of the first version, like the character of Gerald Bostock and, of course, with technical spins . There are even references to A Passion Play. I'm sure fans will be interested, but it's been a lease to my ears, Anderson repeats itself - perhaps because he insists on writing all alone ... And then, as he decided that now, he worked solo and surrounded himself with musicians involved, a portion of the signature sound and music of Jethro Tull has been evacuated. I could also return to the visual dimension of the project, which was something revolutionary in the 70s, with his newspaper that folded and which this time is anything but attractive, with its sad replica of a website that not only does not seem great, but provides little interaction and real content ... Where I really wanted to get at is the very principle to sign the follow-albums that have worked. The phenomenon is the same as movies or books: it creates expectations and, too often, the fan left unsatisfied. This is certainly a good way to attract attention and to capitalize on something that worked. Proof: Anderson received his first interview in ages with Rolling Stone. The problem is that these sequences are too often below the original projects, the surprise arrival in less than the warmed over. And then, if the project is so strong, so why place it in the shadow of another? These are not examples abound. Meat Loaf has managed to return to the surface with Bat Out Of Hell II but has truly buried with the III. Timbaland, who had already lost ground with his Shock Value II simmers in a third. Lil Wayne, himself, did not hesitate to sign a Tha Carter IV to make sure to stay in the spotlight and is rather well - we must exceptions! Wyclef Jean has been there for two Carnival, Snoop Dogg has resisted using Doggystyle 2, although with Doggumentary had almost succumbed, while at the end of the year, Mary J. Blige has decided to go for My Life II ... Even in the Christmas albums we are treated to suites, courtesy, among others, Mariah Carey ... And you, the suites, you will succumb? You manage to avoid the traps or find your account? My hovercraft is full of eels Apt
|
|
|
Post by maddogfagin on Apr 25, 2012 7:52:00 GMT
Have played the album a fair bit now. Have warmed to it overall a fair bit - tho' still jury's still out on some sections. Made deliberate edits on transfer to my ipod for 'walking and car journies' so I can really get stuck in... basically I must confess I have removed all sections where Ian 'narrates'. I just find any such interuption to music (however 'arty', 'poetic' or 'conceptual') is an irritation to me. Am finding my 'just-the-music' edit far more listenable as a result. Sorry - that'll just be 'me', I suppose. I know two or three folks have done an edit like yours but IMO it spoils the continuity of TAAB2. Back in the days when APP was released, the "hare . . . " monologue was edited out on by some people who couldn't fathom it out but my view was, at the time amd even now, it was all part of the somewhat quirky nature of its inclusion. Rest assured no one else releasing albums at that time would have even considered such a piece in the middle of an album.
|
|
|
Post by nonrabbit on Apr 25, 2012 12:36:11 GMT
I listen to it all the way through however today I can't get enough of A Change of Horses - BEAUTY
|
|
tullist
Master Craftsman
Posts: 478
|
Post by tullist on Apr 25, 2012 14:30:21 GMT
Have played the album a fair bit now. Have warmed to it overall a fair bit - tho' still jury's still out on some sections. Made deliberate edits on transfer to my ipod for 'walking and car journies' so I can really get stuck in... basically I must confess I have removed all sections where Ian 'narrates'. I just find any such interuption to music (however 'arty', 'poetic' or 'conceptual') is an irritation to me. Am finding my 'just-the-music' edit far more listenable as a result. Sorry - that'll just be 'me', I suppose. I know two or three folks have done an edit like yours but IMO it spoils the continuity of TAAB2. Back in the days when APP was released, the "hare . . . " monologue was edited out on by some people who couldn't fathom it out but my view was, at the time amd even now, it was all part of the somewhat quirky nature of its inclusion. Rest assured no one else releasing albums at that time would have even considered such a piece in the middle of an album. One thing I did not know until 5 or 10 years ago was that Medieval Passion Plays, truly "back in the day" would have, if not something quite like the Hare, something of frivolity within the painful story. Sort of like Tull's Passion Play! Love the intro to the record, the incidental music leading into and out of the Hare, indeed his voice never sounded better, other parts are unreliable in the clutch, but will occasionally deliver in spades, pour out all the golden yummies.
|
|
|
Post by steelmonkey on Apr 25, 2012 15:51:59 GMT
When in doubt, make it louder.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2012 16:58:31 GMT
When in doubt, make it louder. Watts?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2012 19:12:03 GMT
Jethro Tull gets thicker on "Brick 2" www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/25/us-jethrotull-idUSBRE83O16F20120425By Iain Blair LOS ANGELES | Wed Apr 25, 2012 2:56pm EDT (Reuters) - One thing that never really dies is a truly progressive rock album. A case in point is Jethro Tull's "Thick As A Brick," originally released in 1972, before disco, punk and rap. Back then, "Brick" was significant for its 44-minute song created around the idea it was an epic poem written by a boy. Now, Jethro Tull's singer, flautist and frontman Ian Anderson is commemorating the album's 40th anniversary with a followup to the original, "Thick As a Brick 2," and a tour. As a sign that "Brick" still continues to lure fans, the new record recently entered U.S. charts at No.55, Anderson's highest debut in 25 years. The Jethro Tull frontman, now 64-years-old, recently spoke with Reuters about his new album, tour and the ever-changing music scene. Q: Is it true you were asked many times to do a follow-up to "Thick As A Brick" but always avoided it? A: "Yes, my attitude has always been unwaveringly ‘no,' as I don't want to go back in some nostalgic way to rekindle the music. But last year I started to think about what might have become of the fictitious child poet, Gerald Bostock, who wrote the lyrics for the original album, and what might have happened to the St. Cleve Chronicle, the 16-page newspaper which formed the packaging. And that inspired this whole idea of what might have happened to Gerald 40 years later. So I wrote down a number of possibilities, and saw that instead of just exploring one, it gave me a chance to examine a number of those life-changing moments that happen to us all." Q: How personal are the lyrics? A: "It always contains elements of personal experience and some elements of other people's experiences. So, it's bringing together a number of issues that aren't just about looking back, but are also relevant to younger people who're going to have to start making decisions in their own lives." Q: Musically and stylistically the new album really picks up where "Thick As A Brick" left off. Did you feel any pressure to go for a more contemporary sound? A: "No, in terms of instrumentation I deliberately wanted to stay with the instruments that were then, and are now, the archetypal ones of rock - the Les Paul guitar, which is like a Stradivarius, the Fender Jazz bass, the Hammond organ, the flute. These are the tools of my trade, so I wanted to keep the same sonic palette I had on the original album and stay away from conspicuous synthesizers and digital instruments. And artistically and musically it's fun to make a few references - a nod and a wink - to earlier musical ideas and motifs. Beethoven and Mozart did it for a living, and so do I. It gives context and continuity." Q: How's the new tour going so far? A: "Great. We're doing the UK first, and we're doing 'Brick' 1 and 2 played live, with a 20-minute intermission, for the first time ever." Q: What's been the biggest surprise? A: (Laughs) "That we can all actually remember it. If we were reading it from a score with a conductor to prompt and help you like classical musicians, it'd be far easier. But we have to memorize and play it all and virtually no one has more than a few bars where they're not playing. So it's very intense. But enjoyably intense. It's certainly not Tantric sex. It's full-on and it seems like the show's over in a flash." Q: You've never stopped touring, either with Tull or by yourself. You must love it? A: "I met an American astronaut recently who was about to return to a five-month mission on the International Space Station, and she responded the way I feel about touring - 'I don't want to come back,' she said. "It's the same thing. You've trained all your life to do it, and she knew this was her last mission, and she was filled with a profound sense of sadness and loss. And that's how I feel as I get into my last years of being a touring musician." Q: "The music industry's changed so much since you began in the ‘60s. What's your take on it today?" A: "It's much more competitive and over-subscribed in terms of participants and wannabe-participants. But we also have a lot more choice and it fits the age. We eat fast food and snack, and it's the same with music. I don't think we sit down and listen to music the way we used to. We tend to snack on it while we're multi-tasking and on the move. So we hear more music than ever before. I'm not sure that we actually listen to it. But the access is unparalleled in terms of ease and cheapness." (Reporting by Iain Blair; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte) Music
|
|