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Post by samatcn on Mar 6, 2023 16:56:01 GMT
I agree. Perfect acoustic songs like Cheap Day Return, Dun Ringhil and Salamander seem to have tapered off since 'Secret Language' ( Set Aside) although Homo E. had a couple. Sort of odd that this conversation is taking place in this thread, given the 5 Tull worthy acoustic numbers on TZG. Agreed! Personally, I remain committed to my pet theory/hope that IA gets his Rök out with the Flöte, and will feel the itch to do an acoustic-ish album in 2024.
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Post by itullian on Sept 19, 2023 8:58:41 GMT
Revisited this album today and loved it. This is a great album. Heavy in places and beautiful in others. Ian is still the man.
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Post by murphybridget on Apr 19, 2024 5:47:48 GMT
JETHRO TULL ENDS LONGING BEFORE ARRIVING IN ISTANBUL: “THE ZEALOT GENE” Erkin Can Seyhan Post published: January 30, 2022 LINK The decrease in concerts during the pandemic process will have benefited some of our distinguished groups, as Jethro Tull, a well-established group, came up with a new album after 23 years, not counting the work called "The Jethro Tull Christmas Album" in 2003. As a citizen of Istanbul who wrote this article, I awaited the album with special excitement because it's a shame to say, I will be at the Jethro Tull concert on June 17th, if nothing goes wrong. So, even though it's hardly possible to get tired of cult songs, I'm delighted to be able to get into the mood with brand new Jethro Tull songs over the next few months. Now let's talk about the album.
It's good to be clear about something. Evaluating a field that requires productivity and energy such as music is like evaluating a historical event. It is not healthy to criticize in isolation from the current conditions and factors. Therefore, when I heard that Jethro Tull would come with a new album, I started to get used to the fact that since we are now in 2022, there will not be an album like the legendary albums of the 1970s. So, The Zealot Gene; would never be a Thick as a Brick or Aqualung. In such cases, our expectations and value judgments determine all our reactions. That's why we get excited and emotional when a band that once fascinated the whole world comes with a new album years later, but disappointment is also a possibility. Therefore, I will try to evaluate this album in today's mood without comparing it with the old ones. Because the band hasn't released an album for a very long time, and the spirit of the current time and the years when they were in mass production are different. Most importantly, I wrote every word I wrote until this sentence before I started listening to the album, so that I could honestly explain what expectations I would listen to, without being affected by the reactions I would give to the album.
Before the album was released, three tracks in total were released as singles. These; They were tracks from Sad City Sisters, Shoshana Sleeping, and The Zealot Gene, and I hadn't listened to any of the other songs except the only recently released The Zealot Gene. That's why I was deceived by The Zealot Gene's relatively monotonous and standard style and adjusted my expectations for the album accordingly. The most characteristic detail that emerges when it comes to Jehtro Tull, according to many of us, is the richness that Ian Anderson's flute adds to the songs. In this song, too, there was only this, albeit to a limited extent. The Zealot Gene was a song that I thought I liked when I first heard it, but started to find it monotonous as time went on. This situation, frankly, may have caused me to make my assessment of the album biased, regardless of comparing it with the past. However,
As soon as I listened to the album, I felt the regret of not listening to the other two songs that were released as singles before. Because both Shoshana Sleeping and Sad City Sisters are fun and sweet pieces with different details. Shoshana Sleeping is one of the "sweet" songs of the album, so to speak, with its vocals as well as fun flute and keyboard motifs, being a song closer to the classic rock style. Brothers Ian Anderson and John O'Hara share the leading roles for me in this song. It is one of the most colorful tracks of the album, with Sad City Sisters being a song with more naive tones. It certainly evokes multiple cultures, but the powerful accordion melodies in the song evoke traditional Irish tunes. So John O'Hara's at it again.
When we examine the tagline of the album, the size of John O'Hara and Ian Anderson's share is very clear. I don't know how positive it is to bring individual names to the fore in a music group, but Ian Anderson, in particular, is the only person who has always existed in Jethro Tull's history, despite being the person who plays many instruments, and has turned into a figure that is identified with the name of the group alone. All these details are not surprising.
It is useful to mention the praiseworthy songs in the album in a separate paragraph. First, the intro song of the album, Mrs Tibbets' solo, which actually feels like it has very standard traffic like The Zealot Gene, but things change very badly where the solo comes in. I really enjoyed the seconds when the flute burst into flames and gave the most chick place of the solo to the guitar. In short, the detail that greatly enriches the song is its solo. Another song that stands out for me with its solo on the album is the song "Barren Beth, Wild Desert John". The song has a short but striking solo. Of course, since we are not very familiar with an instrument such as the flute in classical rock music, except for Jethro Tull albums, we naturally like the flute and electric guitar playing in solos.
Without further ado, let's talk about the details of the album, which I think will not be just my personal opinion. There's a song in The Zealot Gene that's really amazing. A complete work of art. "Mine Is the Mountain" is like a time warp, which makes you feel like a musical with every detail from the beginning to the end. Mine Is the Mountain, which is by far the most beautiful song of the album for me with its details reminiscent of both classical music and opera, will take its place among my favorite songs in my future life. I'm not a big fan of Jethro Tull's albums, but this song will probably be one of my favorite Jethro Tull songs. Folk rock, art rock, progressive… No matter how much I praise, it will not be enough; so I end here.
As a result, it is very valuable that Jethro Tull continues to produce in the 2020s and offers us a standard quality, although not as much as the "prime" period, as I wrote for Deep Purple last week. Let me go back to the first paragraph here, as in jazz songs with a clear beginning and enriched with improvisations in the middle. As I was completing the article,
I remembered that I had a ticket to the concert on June 17th, and I was happy again. I don't know what kind of setlist they will come up with, but if the songs Mine Is the Mountain and Shoshana Sleeping are played from the new album, this concert will be more meaningful to me. When we calculate how shaken the world has been even with this pandemic, it is very valuable that we can still interact with a legend that has been over 55 years old. At least that's what I believe. World, a great place for us to connect with all the legendary musicians; life is too short, even at its longest, for us to keep up with them. That's why, on days like these, my sense of worth can reach very high points. And since we can't keep up with everything, I find solace in remembering that our choices make us unique people. Hoping to meet people with whom we can enjoy the same music in this whole cycle, on the axis of beautiful albums and concerts, regards... OUR SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH IAN ANDERSON, THE GREAT MASTER OF ROCK MUSIC, IS IN DELIKASAP ISSUE 1: It's always interesting to discover the layers and nuances within each song, especially when they offer different styles and tones. "Shoshana Sleeping" seems like a delightful piece, blending sweet vocals with playful flute and keyboard motifs, reminiscent of classic rock.
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