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Post by JTull 007 on Aug 22, 2013 18:10:58 GMT
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Post by maddogfagin on Aug 23, 2013 8:39:43 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2013 20:08:00 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2013 21:17:03 GMT
September 12, 2013 at 6:58am Volcano Music: Ian Anderson, Richard Album, OOPS!, Northern, Babysitter and more ... www.northwestmilitary.com/music-and-culture/walkie-talkie-blog/2013/09/Volcano-Music-Ian-Anderson-Richard-Album-OOPS-Northern-Babysitter-and/When Ian Anderson, the flute-playing frontman of Jethro Tull, is not on tour, he wakes to his farm in southwest England. He usually rises around 6 a.m. for a rotation of breakfasts: crispy bread, oily fish, and poached eggs from his wife's chickens, accompanied with half a glass of orange juice and strong black Italian coffee.Sunday, Oct. 27, Tacoma's Broadway Center welcomes Ian Anderson to its Pantages Theater stage. He and his mates will perform Thick as a Brick in its entirety for the first time since 1972, then follows up with Thick as a Brick 2. This will be Anderson's only West Coast stop this tour. ... — Nikki McCoy Talking breakfast, dragonflies and "Thick as a Brick" with Ian Anderson Jethro Tull to perform entire album at Pantages Theater in Tacoma By Nikki McCoy on September 9, 2013 www.northwestmilitary.com/music-and-culture/features-and-columns/2013/09/jethro-tull-ian-anderson-performs-entire-thick-as-a-brick-album-in-tacoma/When Ian Anderson, the flute-playing frontman of Jethro Tull, is not on tour, he wakes to his farm in southwest England. He usually rises around 6 a.m. for a rotation of breakfasts: crispy bread, oily fish, and poached eggs from his wife's chickens, accompanied with half a glass of orange juice and strong black Italian coffee. "I try and meet the dawn," says Anderson in a phone interview. "There's nothing quite like the morning. It feeds you the promise of a new day." After two or so hours doing office work and catching up with emails that span several time zones, the rest of Anderson's days are spent walking the gardens with his cats and dogs, and most recently, contemplating the dragonflies zipping over his pond. "They are looking for really active sex before the summer is over and then they die," observes Anderson. Anderson, who helped Jethro Tull release 30 studio and live albums, selling more than 60 million copies over the span of 45 years, also practices flute, guitar and vocals as part of his daily ritual. "Keeping your fingers nimble and your mind nimble is important," says Anderson. Currently, Anderson is not at home; he is on a world tour, resurrecting the hit album Thick as a Brick (TAAB) and promoting Thick as a Brick 2 - Whatever Happened to Gerald Bostock?, a continuation of the fictitious boy who wrote the lyrics to TAAB. "For about 40 years, I've been the recipient of people's goodwill and thoughts about doing a sequel to TAAB ...," says Anderson, "but it came about after 39 years - a penny dropped and a simple, clear idea came to mind - whatever happened to Gerald Bostock?." "I wrote about a number of possible scenarios and then decided to write about all of them," explains Anderson. "... As a sequel set in the context of today's world, not some piece of vintage musical history. But I did try to keep some elements of continuity of the sound of the album - the sound palette is that of the '70s. ..." Recently crowned Prog God 2013 by Prog Rock Magazine, Anderson is not slowing down; a 2014 UK tour is already set, highlighting material from his forthcoming 2014 album. According to jethrotull.com, the new concept album is folk-prog-metal, and will feature "heavier, less acoustic guitar sounds and more of Anderson's trademark flute." Sunday, Oct. 27, Tacoma's Broadway Center welcomes Ian Anderson to its Pantages Theater stage. He and his mates will perform TAAB in its entirety for the first time since 1972, then follows up with TAAB 2. This will be Anderson's only West Coast stop this tour. Tickets can be found here. JETHRO TULL'S IAN ANDERSON, THICK AS A BRICK 1 & 2, 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Oct 27, Pantages Theater, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, $59-$99, 253.591.5894
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2013 11:49:59 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2013 11:53:09 GMT
Feature: New Music for Old People New Music for Old People: Ry Cooder, Mark Knopfler, James Hunter, Blodwyn Pig and More September 20, 2013 By Al Kooper, Columnist www.themortonreport.com/entertainment/music/new-music-for-old-people-ry-cooder-mark-knopfler-james-hunter-blodwyn-pig-and-more/1. "See My Way" — Blodwyn Pig (3:50) Mick Abrahams, original Jethro Tull guitarist, could only tolerate Ian Anderson for their debut album and went right out and started this band with Andy Pyle (bass), Jack Lancaster (sax and flute), and Ron Berg (drums). This track from their first album, Ahead Rings Out, survives for me almost purely on attitude and dynamics. It sure conjures up everything musically about 1969 when it was first released. Alas, there was only one more expedition with this lineup, Getting to This, in 1970. But I do have a good memory for certain music. If you missed this originally, it still sounds as good today as it did in the drug-addled '60s.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2013 20:48:32 GMT
Unplugged: the stars' favourite acoustic albums Guitarists choose their favourite acoustic moments Acoustic Expo 2013September 19, 2013, 15:59 GMT www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/unplugged-the-stars-favourite-acoustic-albums-583207/15/11/15 Martin Barre (Jethro Tull) on Martin Simpson's Vagrant Stanzas "I have only recently been introduced to Martin Simpson through Chris Leslie, a fabulous musician himself with Fairport Convention. Vagrant Stanzas has a freshness and clarity to it which makes it a delight to listen to. To have a combination of great lyrics and a very strong voice, complemented by extraordinarily fine guitar playing, is fantastic. "The guitar playing has a fluidity and clarity to it that understates the lovely technique of both hands. The interest is held by turning to slide and banjo. It really takes two or three passes of the whole album to focus on the voice, the instruments and the songs themselves. A truly great UK artist."
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Post by maddogfagin on Sept 23, 2013 8:50:05 GMT
www.brisbanetimes.com.au/The man behind a folk mythSeptember 23, 2013 John Shand Call it typecasting but one hardly expects to discuss Keats, Kerouac and Elgar when interviewing a folk singer. Woody Guthrie, Mississippi blues shouters or perhaps a Morris dancing troupe in Chipping Camden seem more likely. But then Roy Harper was never your average folk singer. His name was thrust before millions when Led Zeppelin called a song on their third album Hats Off to (Roy) Harper in 1970. ''Roy who?'' cried the rock world, and Harper received a slight blip in interest. Cue another blip when he sang lead vocals on Have A Cigar from Pink Floyd's 1975 album Wish You Were Here. Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson calls Harper his biggest songwriting influence and artists such as the Who's Pete Townshend and Kate Bush have queued up to collaborate.Harper sees this lather of acknowledgment as a double-edged sword: any stray rock fans he attracted were at the cost of being dismissed by suspicious, hard-core folkies. His credibility was never doubted in the 1960s, when he was a mainstay of London's folk scene and a towering influence on the lionised Nick Drake. Harper began recording in 1966 and maintained a stream of albums until the turn of the century, when he turned to curating his past output and writing a book. ''I thought I'd retired to doing these other kind of projects,'' he says. ''But these songs started to appear about 2009, and then I realised the kind of thing that I was writing and carried on.'' The result is Harper's first new studio album for 13 years: Man and Myth. As previously, many of his lyrics are infused with an epic quality, reflecting his love of Romantic poetry. There is a strong sense, if you like, of his protagonists being in a great cosmos rather than the kitchen. ''The only teacher really that I ever appreciated was the woman who taught me English right at the beginning of my formative life,'' Harper says. ''I'd have been nine or 10 and she was a big John Keats fan, and so I became a John Keats fan really early on, and I think that Endymion has got a lot to answer for in terms of Roy Harper.'' Other influences would include the Beat poets, while musically he drew on everything from blues to classical, the latter informing his love of suite-like song forms. ''I think that started in '67 on my second record, Come Out Fighting Ghengis Smith, which was a long, kind of an epic song,'' he says. ''Those epic things are a lot influenced by the movements in classical music: the different tonal textures in all of them and the emotional journey always appealed to me. Tchaikovsky's fourth symphony and Edward Elgar's Nimrod and things like that were very influential for me … You can see that the way that I went was going to influence people like Led Zeppelin and Jethro Tull on the other side of things.'' Perhaps this godfather of English folk actually invented progressive rock … Man and Myth is out now through Mushroom.
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Post by broadsword on Sept 23, 2013 21:10:31 GMT
Posted elsewhere, but doesn't hurt to repeat it - a very good example of the Harper/Tull link.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2013 13:48:55 GMT
Tom Woods interviews Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull (the Classic Rock Band), Ben Swann & Michael Boldin! Submitted by AnCapMercenary on Thu, 09/26/2013 - 00:38 To those who maybe unfamiliar, Tom Woods recently started his own show, under Peter Schiff's SchiffRadio.com umbrella: Check 'em out! The Tom Woods Show Archives: The Tom Woods Show.E0003.2013-09-25 - Ian Anderson! Today's guest is Ian Anderson, lead singer of the legendary Jethro Tull. His latest album is "Thick as a Brick 2". www.dailypaul.com/300420/tom-woods-interviews-ian-anderson-of-jethro-tull-the-classic-rock-band-ben-swann-michael-boldin
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2013 16:39:12 GMT
Published on Sep 25, 2013 Bestselling author Tom Woods talks to Jethro Tull front man Ian Anderson about Thick as a Brick, its sequel, what he's proudest of, and what his advice would be for budding musicians. Aired September 2013. www.TomWoodsRadio.comwww.JethroTull.com
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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2013 13:38:04 GMT
(Wind it up, wind it up.) Take a tripJETHRO Tull guitarist Martin Barre will be performing tracks from his fourth solo album, Away With Words, when he arrives at The Wharf, Tavistock tomorrow. www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/Sean-Lakeman-Kathryn-Roberts-Barbican-Theatre/story-19853133-detail/story.html#axzz2g6CKPRSLThe record features fresh arrangements of Tull material as well as new Barre compositions. He says: "Rearranging the Tull songs featured on this album became a very pleasant and rewarding task. "These lesser-known songs have always been among my favourite pieces of music and reworking them brought back many good memories." Top 10 perennial flowers for your sunny gardenblog.pennlive.com/life/2013/09/top_10_perennial_flowers_for_y.html6.) Threadleaf coreopsis. This fine-textured 12- to 18-inch native perennial blooms for 6 to 8 weeks in early summer. The flowers are like small buttons that open out into demure petals – most often gold or yellow. 'Zagreb,' 'Golden Gain,' 'Jethro Tull' and 'Full Moon' are four good gold/yellows, while 'Mercury Rising' is a high-performing rosy-red. In 1964, when Beatlemaniacs screamed at the screen - By Tim Grobaty, Long Beach Press Telegram - Posted: 09/26/13, 6:51 PM PDT | www.presstelegram.com/opinion/20130926/in-1964-when-beatlemaniacs-screamed-at-the-screenThe Psychedelic Immersion Principle at work Date September 27, 2013 Michael Dwyer Prog journeyman Steven Wilson knows how to surround an audience. Read more: www.smh.com.au/entertainment/the-psychedelic-immersion-principle-at-work-20130926-2ugco.html#ixzz2g6FCmTuX
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Post by maddogfagin on Oct 4, 2013 10:08:14 GMT
Three things I learned writing Yeah Yeah Yeah, my history of popWhen you set about writing a book covering the whole history of pop music, you're bound to learn something. Here are three things… by Bob Stanley
The charts define pop
Well, not absolutely always, but they certainly count as accurate social documents. They can tell you exactly what people were listening to in 1971 (not Nick Drake), 1981 (not Arthur Russell) or 1991 (quite a lot of KLF). We can look at the 1977 and 1978 charts, or at the BBC4's intact Top of the Pops reruns and learn that commercially the biggest punk acts were Sham 69 and the Stranglers, something you would never guess from the endless punk documentaries made since the late 70s. But don't the charts exclude the avant garde? Hardly. Jethro Tull's Sweet Dream, David Essex's Rock On and Sly & Robbie's Boops were top 10 hits which (at the time, certainly) defied categorisation. Go back to the very first UK chart in 1952 and all forms of music are present (film themes, comedy songs, ballads, teen idol finger-snappers); the charts stayed that way for the best part of 50 years – all tastes catered for, no snob filter.More at www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2013/oct/02/things-learned-about-pop-bob-stanley-yeah-yeah-yeah
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Post by maddogfagin on Oct 5, 2013 12:03:38 GMT
Meet the Flute-Playing Astronaut Who Coached Sandra Bullock for "Gravity"By Asawin Suebsaeng Friday Oct. 4, 2013 www.motherjones.com/mixed-media/2013/10/gravity-catherine-cady-coleman-interview-nasa-astronaut-sandra-bullockOne passion Coleman gets to indulge, whether she's on Earth or hovering far above it, is her love for music. (She's played in a band with Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who is famous for playing David Bowie's "Space Oddity" in space.) When she isn't jamming, she prefers listening to folk music, as well as hits from the '80s and '90s. Coleman is perhaps the only astronaut to play the Jethro Tull frontman's flute in space. "I reached out to Ian Anderson, saying I'd like to bring a flute with me, and he said yes!" Coleman says. And in 2011, during a live NASA broadcast on Saint Patrick's Day, she played a hundred-year-old flute that belonged to Matt Molloy of the Irish band the Chieftains. A recording of this performance is included in "The Chieftains in Orbit" on the 2012 album Voice of Ages. "It was thrilling to see my name on something that was on sale at Starbucks," she says.
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Post by maddogfagin on Oct 12, 2013 8:39:43 GMT
Andrew Lincoln: I'll Play Rick Grimes Until They Bite Me www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/andrew-lincoln-ill-play-rick-grimes-until-they-bite-me-20131010#ixzz2hUl2Ywzl How'd you meet your wife? I was directing two episodes of a TV show called Teachers. She was a P.A. and was supposed to make a cup of tea. That was her job. She didn't make me a f**king cup of tea that whole job. But I just saw her silhouette – she had this crazy mullet with spiky hair – she looked like Sonic the Hedgehog. I saw this crazy looking girl with these beautiful green eyes and I just went, "Who the hell is that?" I was spellbound.
At what point did you realize her father was the lead singer of Jethro Tull? I got told that by two friends of mine. I didn't know who Jethro Tull was. Then one weekend, she said, "Come back to my parents' place." That's when I realized he was a rock star. He's an amazing guy.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2013 14:45:04 GMT
Jethro Tull's Dave Pegg, yeah that's the story.
Top acts join folk nightwww.daventryexpress.co.uk/what-s-on/top-acts-join-folk-night-1-5578548Two legendary musicians will be performing as part of a fundraising folk night coming to Eydon Village Hall this month. Dave Pegg, musician from legendary folk act Fairport Convention, will be teaming up with Irish comedian and songsmith, Anthony John Clarke. They will be kicking off a mini-tour when they visit the village on Saturday, October 26. Dave joined Fairport Convention in 1969 and he has also co-organised Fairport’s Cropredy Festival since the early 1980s. From small beginnings, it has grown into a major event that attracts 20,000 fans each August. As well as recording and touring with Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull, Dave is much in demand as a session player and has contributed bass to innumerable recordings. He is also an accomplished mandolin player. Belfast-born Anthony John is recognised as one of the top songwriters on the acoustic/ folk scene, boasting 12 albums and three singles, including the beautiful Seven in Ireland and Irish Eyes. Anthony John enjoys an enormous following in UK, Europe, Australasia and USA. Money raised from the event will go towards the village hall as the two friends draw from a wealth of hits and much loved songs for an evening of music and laughs, Also appearing on the same night will be the Fifteen String Trio to entertain with imaginative and contemporary folk music which is influenced by English, Celtic and Eastern European cultures. Tickets for the night cost £12.50 and people are advised to book them quickly. They can be bought by calling Craig or Alison Cutler on 01327 260015 or, alternatively, email info@eydonlivemusic.co.uk. They can also be bought from the bar at The Royal Oak in the village or by visiting eydonfolk.eventbrite.com. in The Daventry Express has teamed up with the organisers of the event to give away a pair of tickets for the folk night. To enter, send your name, address and contact details to: Folk Night Competition, Daventry Express, 63 High Street, Daventry, NN11 4BQ to arrive by midday on Wednesday.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2013 14:47:42 GMT
portland.thephoenix.com/Events/202401-Ian-Anderson/Oct 13 Ian Anderson State Theatre Get Tickets 609 Congress St, Portland, ME (view map) Filed under: folk, classic rock, progressive rock, flute, rock REMEMBERING LITTLE MILTON | When was the last time you sat alone in a parking lot and listened to the entirety of Jethro Tull’s Thick as a Brick? IAN ANDERSON, the charismatic bandleader who led the group through chapters of English blues, prog rock, folk revivalism, ’80s electronic rock, riff-heavy bar rock, and world music spiritualism, returns to play the album, the band’s masterpiece, in full. Thick as a Brick, of course, consisted of one epic 45-minute track, which the band released in 1972 accompanied by a full newspaper that spoofed the style of small town English press. Equal part goofball and virtuoso for 50 years, Anderson, now 67, has surely retained a large cult following. 7:30 pm at the State Theatre; tickets range from $45-75. 207.956.6000. portland.thephoenix.com/Concerts/Artist/ian-anderson/Progressive rock, Rock Music — October 12, 2013 at 1:34 pm ‘It’s a pretty small field’: Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson on his unique role as a rock flautistsomethingelsereviews.com/2013/10/12/its-a-pretty-small-field-jethro-tulls-ian-anderson-on-his-unique-role-as-a-rock-flautist/
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2013 16:25:21 GMT
FOX & TULL Retirement is for the Young By Steve Tobak Critical Thinking Published October 22, 2013 FOXBusiness www.foxbusiness.com/business-leaders/2013/10/22/retirement-is-for-young/In a recent interview, when asked, “Would you ever give up this gig?” Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson said, “By and large people who do what I do prefer to die with their boots on. We'd rather go to the bitter end and be having some kind of fun doing it than retiring and playing golf and going fishing, which may be seductive to someone who's spent their entire working life sitting in an office, but obviously my job is a little bit more… invigorating, and a bit more romantic in a kind of way." Maybe you don’t rock and roll like Anderson, and I know I’ve spent enough time at 30,000 feet to last a lifetime, but the point is valid, nevertheless. Most of us had romantic notions – things we wanted to do before we got sucked into our careers – that remain unfulfilled, undiscovered, or in my case, submerged in our subconscious.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2013 15:25:18 GMT
Local briefs Oct. 22, 2013 @ 05:29 PM www.heraldsun.com/news/x2082474489/Local-briefsFilmmaker to discuss ‘The Cardboard Bernini’ DURHAM – The Durham County Library will host filmmaker Olympia Stone for a screening of her award-winning film “The Cardboard Bernini” at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Main Library, 300 N. Roxboro St. The film chronicles the life and work of artist James Grashow, sculptor, woodcut and mixed media artist. “The Cardboard Bernini” follows Grashow as he builds a monumental, intricately detailed cardboard version of the baroque Trevi Fountain. His goal was to show the work and then let the elements destroy it, confronting his ambivalence about the making and meaning of art and life. Stone documented the process from the start in 2007 to its end, six weeks after it was installed outdoors in 2012. Grashow, 71, worked as an illustrator for a variety of magazines and newspapers, especially The New York Times, and for Columbia Records. He designed the cover for Jethro Tull’s 1969 album, “Stand Up,” and the 1971 album, “Live Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page.”
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2013 20:25:40 GMT
Business: Making Merch for Rock Royalty October 23, 2013 | Story by: Lindsey Chester Read more: carycitizen.com/2013/10/23/business-making-merch-rock-royalty/Jethro Tull The band Jethro Tull played a concert in Raleigh in the late 90′s. On a whim, Jud designed an engraved glass with silhouette of flutist/ singer Ian Anderson standing playing on one leg as a stick figure along with the dates of the concert. Jud knew the DJ MaryLou MacGregor of WRDU, who was going to do an interview with the singer. He gave MacGregor the glass to pass along. About 3 weeks later Ian Anderson contacted Jud to tell him how much he liked it. Together the designed some merchandise to go along with the tour including a throw based on the groups’ second album which is a wood engraving illustration of the band. From there he met that original artist too.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2013 13:38:51 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2013 16:43:25 GMT
www.nwitimes.com/entertainment/columnists/tom-lounges/local-scene/article_ef1464ae-d1ac-5c10-9c63-46011aeecb1e.html“Try to find your own sound and develop it to its fullest,” advised Jethro Tull founder/frontman Ian Anderson. “Jethro Tull’s sound is hardly typical, yet we’ve been quite comfortable and successful over the years. As a musician or band, if you are unique, you will usually find an audience who will listen. It may not be a huge audience, but you can usually find a niche that will allow you to make a comfortable living with your art or your craft and being able to do that is what I would consider being a success.” www.wetpaint.com/walking-dead/articles/2013-10-30-norman-reedus-vegan-questions-answeredWho Is Andrew Lincoln's Father-In-Law? Andrew Lincoln is married to Gael Anderson, the daughter of Ian Anderson, the most rock 'n' roll flautist pretty much ever. Ian is best-known as the frontman of legendary prog rock band Jethro Tull. The Insider spoke with Ian about his now-famous son-in-law, and apparently the rocker loves the show. When he goes on tour, he has little marathons to come home to! "I will hit the record button before I leave England again and watch it when I come back," he admitted.
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Post by maddogfagin on Nov 1, 2013 16:14:11 GMT
Willie Carson after redemption at Breeders' Cupwww.express.co.uk/sport/horseracing/440397/Willie-Carson-after-redemption-at-Breeders-CupTwelve months ago, Carson joined forces with music mogul Chris Wright to buy a yearling filly for 40,000 guineas at Tattersalls Sales in Newmarket.
It was subsequently called Chriselliam, a combination of their names, along with third partner Emily Asprey.
Wright, who lives just a few miles way from Carson in Gloucestershire, was the man who took British rock to the States in the late Sixties with his bands Tens Years After and Jethro Tull as well as being in the forefront of the New Wave through the likes of his signings Blondie, Ultravox and Spandau Ballet. He also at one time owned QPR and London Wasps.
But, as he revealed in his freshly-minted autobiography, he did turn down David Bowie, Dire Straits and The Spice Girls.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2013 13:59:18 GMT
not so tiny... see videos: www.popmatters.com/column/176304-the-holy-trinity-part-two-jethro-tull/The Amazing Pudding The Holy Trinity: Jethro Tull By Sean Murphy 12 November 2013 I, like too many prog-rock fanatics to count, was delighted when Rush received their overdue induction into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. I still hold out hope that Yes will join them, along with some other eminently worthy compatriots, like King Crimson. One band should have been enshrined years ago, and it is with regret and resignation that I hold no expectation that they will ever have the opportunity. The band: Jethro Tull. The reason: it’s not because they’re not good enough, but because they are too good. (And if you think I’m joking, then I’m just a one-line joker in a public bar.) Indeed, Jethro Tull have always confounded critics, and despite albums sales, hit songs, influence and longevity that make them a virtual no-brainer, it is above all the brain of frontman Ian Anderson that ensures they will remain forever on the outside, looking in. While groups who were wrongly reviled by critics during their heyday (think Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath) have received their sanctified and justified reappraisals, it’s not in the cards for Jethro Tull. Even their ostensible moment of glory, a Grammy Award in 1989 for “Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance” was controversial, since they beat out the heavily favored Metallica for the honor. The fact that Tull was never, at any time, a hard rock or metal band only added to the absurdity. It’s tempting to suggest that, like Yes, Jethro Tull made the mistake of staying alive, if not necessarily relevant, decades after doing their best work. But the fact of the matter is that they never got an especially fair shake, critically, even in their glory years. As everyone knows, progressive rock was maligned in the ‘70s and is often derided and/or dismissed today. Acts like Rush and Genesis, or Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, that now escape the scrutiny or ridicule, have not done so because the so-called mainstream tastemakers have come to their senses. Rather, the sheer weight of their achievements, coupled with accolades from younger bands, made it impossible for the people holding the keys to the kingdom to continue maligning them with any credibility. With bands like Yes, who still have a chance, the “serious” people can wink and nod and point to the excesses of prog-rock as a quaint or cute stylistic quirk; an awkward rite of passage rock music went through before it emerged, leaner and meaner (and much improved) after punk rock set things straight. Bands like Emerson, Lake & Palmer were a tad too indulgent, or took themselves too seriously, and bands like Jethro Tull, who neither courted nor seemed to care about what anyone said, are still ripe targets for facile disdain. So should we shed tears for a group that has moved more than 60 million units, played to packed (if steadily smaller) audiences for almost five decades, still receives substantial radio play and is generally recognized for making at least two seminal albums in rock history? Not necessarily. Let it simply be stated, without equivocation, that Ian Anderson is one of the more intelligent, capable and, for a run as long as any other icon, consistent frontman in music. Like Duke Ellington, or at least David St. Hubbins, Anderson has led a band with an ever-rotating cast of characters (loyal guitarist Martin Barre his Billy Strayhorn), all employed in the service of realizing his singular and disparate musical vision. From 1969 to 1979 Jethro Tull put out at least one album every single year, and none of them are less than very good. A handful of them are great. And three of them, Aqualung, Thick as a Brick, and A Passion Play, alone merit the band’s hall of fame coronation. Interestingly, Jethro Tull’s holy trinity was recorded the same years as Yes’s (and the same years as Genesis’s, of whom we’ll discuss in the next column). This is less a coincidence than a commentary on how fertile the early ‘70s were, particularly amongst the practitioners of prog-rock. Considering the previously discussed Yes (The Holy Trinity: Yes) and King Crimson, ( King Crimson: A Prog-Rock Case Study) along with Jethro Tull (just to pick a few) it’s difficult to find more different sounds and styles, yet such staggering creativity and execution. This, again, is what makes progressive rock at once easy and impossible to describe. We know it when we hear it, and there’s general consensus regarding who did it best, and when. But it’s the variety and all-encompassing aesthetic that defines the genre: great proficiency sprinkled with pomposity and a genuine aspiration to be unique, substantive, and meaningful. None of these albums, by just about any of these bands, sound anything alike, yet they are all instantly recognizable as progressive rock. Two years ago I wrote at length about Aqualung (Jethro Tull: Aqualung: 40th Anniversary Special Edition), wherein I attempted to put it, and Anderson, in perspective: Jethro Tull is in the unfortunate, yet ultimately enviable position of circumventing easy identification. Certainly they are known as a crucial part of the prog-rock movement, as they should be, but their career preceded it and has continued long after its heyday. Aside from their accessibility, relatively speaking of course, Tull also sold enough albums to be considered a significant act in their own regard. Tull, in other words, suffers if compared to the critically reviled acts of this time. In terms of their influence, longevity and versatility, they really are a rare entity in rock music. More than anything else, Ian Anderson’s lyrics are many degrees better than those of his prog brethren. More to the point, his lyrics are many degrees better than rock songwriters in any era. The list of rock musicians whose lyrics can be considered apart from the music and appraised as poetry is small, but Anderson is at the top of the list. In terms of output alone, his work necessarily ranks about Roger Waters and Peter Gabriel, two of rock’s better wordsmiths. The fact that he was only 23 when Aqualung was recorded is remarkable enough; the fact that the themes and words in many ways remain relevant today is sufficient evidence of his genius. Aqualung necessarily takes its place alongside The Dark Side of the Moon and Moving Pictures as career-defining work by a band making albums that sound utterly unique and epitomize the band that made them. What’s fascinating and special about Tull’s tri-fecta is that it came fairly early in the band’s discography. That Anderson masterminded three albums this impressive, and indelible, in his early to-mid-20s is an enduring testament to his precocious talent. One thing that plagues even some of the better progressive rock music is how utterly of its time it can sound. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! Like most of the bands already discussed, few people would have difficulty tying the majority of these albums to their era. Jethro Tull, particularly on Aqualung, nevertheless manages to present a song cycle—meshing Anderson’s acoustic strumming with Barre’s abrasive electric guitar chords—that manages to sound not only fresh, but vital, even today. Understanding that the tunes are essentially asking “What Would Jesus Do?” in the context of a mechanized and materialistic society (circa 1971; circa 2013), Aqualung is prog-rocks J’accuse. Anderson, like Townshend on Quadrophenia, spares no one, least of all himself, and since the primary targets—organized religion and social Darwinism—are so large and worthy of scorn, the barbs still sting, and resonate. If The Dark Side of the Moon is, among other things, a treatise on the issues and concerns that can and do drive people over the edge, Aqualung got there first. Having the ability, not to mention the audacity, to get both priests and politicians in his sights, Anderson makes a case for the better angels of the ‘60s ethos, with nary a flower, freak-out or paean to free love. The ugliness of the way we tend to treat one another is, at times, reflected in the brutality of the music (Barre and drummer Clive Bunker are at their devastating best throughout the proceedings), drives the relentless soundtrack to a state of affairs that arguably worsened as the “Me-Decade” got its malaise on. Anderson is prescient, depicting the contemporary world as a train gone off the rails, “no way to slow down” (“Locomotive Breath”); he sounds downright prophetic depicting the “products of wealth” pushing us into the abyss (“Slipstream”), and he sounds like an antidote for any ideology preempting God to justify violence or intolerance: “He’s not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays” (“Wind Up”). Aqualung is correctly heralded as an essential moment in classic rock history, but it’s more than that. It’s a point of departure for a new type of music, both for Jethro Tull and the progressive era. Jethro Tull was on top of the world (and the charts) in 1972 when Thick as a Brick became the first pop album comprised of one continuous song to reach a widespread audience. The concept may have been audacious, but the music is miraculous: this is among the handful of holy grails for prog-rock fanatics, no questions asked. Put as simply as possible, many beautiful babies were thrown out with the bath water by hidebound critics who were content to sniffingly dismiss the more ambitious (pretentious!) works that certain bands were putting out as a matter of course in the early to-mid-‘70s. If Aqualung doubled down on the “concept album” concept, Thick as a Brick functioned as a New Testament of sorts, signifying what was now possible in rock music. Even with the side-long songs that became almost obligatory during this era, nobody else had the wherewithal to dedicate a full 45 minutes to the development and execution of one uninterrupted song (and Tull did it twice). Anderson had already proven he could write a hit and create controversial work that got radio play; now he was putting his flute in the ground and throwing his cod-piece in the ring. Whatever else one may say about it, Thick as a Brick is the Ne Plus Ultra of prog-rock: between the extensive packaging (a faux newspaper that is equal parts Monty Python and The Onion); this was as ambitious as progressive music had been, outdone in terms of scope and ambition only by its follow-up. Inevitably, Jethro Tull lost some of their audience (more than a handful forever) with their follow-up to Thick as a Brick and the more challenging and, upon initial listens, less rewarding, A Passion Play. It was a shame, then, and remains regrettable, now that some folks don’t have the ears or hearts for this material, as it represents much of Anderson’s finest work. His voice would never sound better, and he was possibly at the height of his instrumental prowess: the obligatory flute, the always-impressive acoustic guitar chops and, for this album, the cheeky employment of a soprano saxophone. It’s a gamble (and/or a conceit, depending upon one’s perspective) that pays off in spades: a difficult, occasionally confrontational, utterly fulfilling piece of work. The subject matter, so perplexing at first blush, is a relatively straightforward examination of what happens after death. Literary allusions abound, and one wonders if this project had been described as rock music’s version of Dante’s Inferno it may have fared a bit better. (Probably not.) In any event, there are plenty of musicians, especially in the prog genre, whose lyrical merits can be ceaselessly debated. Ian Anderson is not one of them. If you find his writing oblique or impenetrable, it’s not him, it’s you. The brilliance of his wordplay and the fun he has with the English language is something to savor. Not for nothing is this considered the masterpiece of the Tull oeuvre amongst die-hard fans (an encomium that only adds fuel to the fire for the legion of Tull haters, snot running down their noses). This one tends to draw the most resistance from even prog-rock aficionados: it obliges time and attention to let it work it charms, but the return on investment is worthwhile and ever-lasting. “I have no time for Time magazine, or Rolling Stone”, Anderson sang in 1975. Even then he seemed to understand, and accept, that it simply wasn’t in the cards for him to be taken as seriously as he should have been. That there have been few multi-instrumentalist bandleaders capable of creating such a staggeringly original and eclectic body of work. That no one would ever rate his lyrical chops alongside justly venerated wordsmiths like Lennon, Dylan and Davies, even though on a purely poetic basis his ability arguably surpasses them all. That a world ceaselessly embracing one derivative, evanescent act after another hadn’t enough room for an old rocker who wore his hair too long, his trouser cuffs too tight and pulled one over on all of them, remaining too old to rock ‘n’ roll and too young die. No matter: in the court of public opinion the works persevere and will be alive and well and living in the hearts and minds of sensitive and discerning listeners as long as discs still spin. In the end Tull’s not the kind you have to wind up for award shows.
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Post by maddogfagin on Nov 13, 2013 14:35:46 GMT
not so tiny... see videos: www.popmatters.com/column/176304-the-holy-trinity-part-two-jethro-tull/The Amazing Pudding The Holy Trinity: Jethro Tull By Sean Murphy 12 November 2013 Two years ago I wrote at length about Aqualung (Jethro Tull: Aqualung: 40th Anniversary Special Edition), wherein I attempted to put it, and Anderson, in perspective: Jethro Tull is in the unfortunate, yet ultimately enviable position of circumventing easy identification. Certainly they are known as a crucial part of the prog-rock movement, as they should be, but their career preceded it and has continued long after its heyday. Aside from their accessibility, relatively speaking of course, Tull also sold enough albums to be considered a significant act in their own regard. Tull, in other words, suffers if compared to the critically reviled acts of this time. In terms of their influence, longevity and versatility, they really are a rare entity in rock music.
More than anything else, Ian Anderson’s lyrics are many degrees better than those of his prog brethren. More to the point, his lyrics are many degrees better than rock songwriters in any era. The list of rock musicians whose lyrics can be considered apart from the music and appraised as poetry is small, but Anderson is at the top of the list. In terms of output alone, his work necessarily ranks about Roger Waters and Peter Gabriel, two of rock’s better wordsmiths. The fact that he was only 23 when Aqualung was recorded is remarkable enough; the fact that the themes and words in many ways remain relevant today is sufficient evidence of his genius.The complete article is a well written and an intelligent piece of journalism imho. The part of it I've quoted perfectly sums up a lot of what Jethro Tull fans admire about the band and Ian Anderson. Nice find Bro - thanks.
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Post by steelmonkey on Nov 13, 2013 18:12:55 GMT
Send that writer a drink on me, please.
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Post by maddogfagin on Nov 14, 2013 18:04:48 GMT
CRAIG BROWN: My, there's a whole lot of baking going on... By CRAIG BROWN PUBLISHED: 23:10, 13 November 2013 www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2506902/CRAIG-BROWN-My-theres-lot-baking-going-.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490For all their high-minded mysticism, even the heavier, more pompous ‘prog-rock’ groups of the Seventies could never resist a song involving cake. ‘I could be on your shelf, could be the risk you take,’ sang the exceptionally progressive Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, ‘I’m a cup of hot coffee, I’m a piece of cake . . . I could be on your shelf, could be the bread you bake. I can fill your larder, I’m a piece of cake.’
And the bake goes on . . .
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2013 20:48:01 GMT
not so tiny... see videos: www.popmatters.com/column/176304-the-holy-trinity-part-two-jethro-tull/The Amazing Pudding The Holy Trinity: Jethro Tull By Sean Murphy 12 November 2013 Two years ago I wrote at length about Aqualung (Jethro Tull: Aqualung: 40th Anniversary Special Edition), wherein I attempted to put it, and Anderson, in perspective: Jethro Tull is in the unfortunate, yet ultimately enviable position of circumventing easy identification. Certainly they are known as a crucial part of the prog-rock movement, as they should be, but their career preceded it and has continued long after its heyday. Aside from their accessibility, relatively speaking of course, Tull also sold enough albums to be considered a significant act in their own regard. Tull, in other words, suffers if compared to the critically reviled acts of this time. In terms of their influence, longevity and versatility, they really are a rare entity in rock music.
More than anything else, Ian Anderson’s lyrics are many degrees better than those of his prog brethren. More to the point, his lyrics are many degrees better than rock songwriters in any era. The list of rock musicians whose lyrics can be considered apart from the music and appraised as poetry is small, but Anderson is at the top of the list. In terms of output alone, his work necessarily ranks about Roger Waters and Peter Gabriel, two of rock’s better wordsmiths. The fact that he was only 23 when Aqualung was recorded is remarkable enough; the fact that the themes and words in many ways remain relevant today is sufficient evidence of his genius.The complete article is a well written and an intelligent piece of journalism imho. The part of it I've quoted perfectly sums up a lot of what Jethro Tull fans admire about the band and Ian Anderson. Nice find Bro - thanks. OK bro. Send that writer a drink on me, please. CHEERS!
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Post by JTull 007 on Nov 15, 2013 3:38:11 GMT
CRAIG BROWN: My, there's a whole lot of baking going on... By CRAIG BROWN PUBLISHED: 23:10, 13 November 2013 www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2506902/CRAIG-BROWN-My-theres-lot-baking-going-.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490For all their high-minded mysticism, even the heavier, more pompous ‘prog-rock’ groups of the Seventies could never resist a song involving cake. ‘I could be on your shelf, could be the risk you take,’ sang the exceptionally progressive Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, ‘I’m a cup of hot coffee, I’m a piece of cake . . . I could be on your shelf, could be the bread you bake. I can fill your larder, I’m a piece of cake.’
And the bake goes on . . .
I'll have some of this too...
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Post by maddogfagin on Nov 15, 2013 9:28:14 GMT
CRAIG BROWN: My, there's a whole lot of baking going on... By CRAIG BROWN PUBLISHED: 23:10, 13 November 2013 www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2506902/CRAIG-BROWN-My-theres-lot-baking-going-.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490For all their high-minded mysticism, even the heavier, more pompous ‘prog-rock’ groups of the Seventies could never resist a song involving cake. ‘I could be on your shelf, could be the risk you take,’ sang the exceptionally progressive Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, ‘I’m a cup of hot coffee, I’m a piece of cake . . . I could be on your shelf, could be the bread you bake. I can fill your larder, I’m a piece of cake.’
And the bake goes on . . .
I'll have some of this too... I worked for 9 years in a bakery making cakes and cold desserts. I still wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat just thinking of it. Rows and rows of custard tarts coming down the conveyor belt.
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