Page 46 - Seniorstoday February 2022 Issue

Palmer providing orchestral arrangements. name of Jethro Tull, there were surprised
The band’s sound slowly changed in
the 1980s, incorporating more electronic
influences. With Crest Of A Knave in
1987, they won the Grammy for Best Hard
Rock/ Metal Performance, of all categories,
defeating favourites Metallica, of all
people. Yet, the later albums did lukewarm
business, though the 2003 Christmas
Album sold slowly and steadily, especially
during season time. Anderson started
focusing on solo projects. While most were
toned down alterations of the Tull sound,
the 1995 album Divinities consisted of flute-
based orchestral pieces. “I tried to be the
Bing Crosby of the flute,” he said in reference
to the evergreen American singer.
In 2012, Anderson released the sequel
to Thick As A Brick under his own name.
The album, which imagined what Gerald
Bostock might be doing 40 years later, met
with a good response, but achieved limited
commercial success. Over the past few years,
Anderson’s decision to replace Barre has
come under criticism, even among old-
time Tull fans. Barre started his own tours,
performing old Tull classics, being joined by
former members Palmer and drummer Clive
Bunker. Anderson did his own concerts
with his new line-up, with Florian Opahle
replacing Barre.
A good song to start off the new album
Naturally, when Anderson announced that
the next album would be released under the
46
and mixed reactions. Yet, the fans waited
patiently, as ‘Shoshana Sleeping’, ‘Sad City
Sisters’ and the title track were released in
phases. The initial response, at least on the
different Facebook fan groups, has mostly
been positive, though some have said it pales
in comparison to classic Tull, and that Barre
is sorely missed. On vocals, Anderson has
stuck to a comfortable range, and his flute-
playing remains as classy as ever. What’s the
secret of the mastery over the instrument?
He had told this writer, “Economise on the
huffing and puffing. You have to remember
to breathe. Phrase things and put it together
like a well-written sentence of English
grammar. Pauses, varied tempos and
ways of expressing the nuances. Make it a
journey— not a sprint to the finish.”
For curious listeners, good start-off songs
on the album would be ‘Mrs Tibbets’, ‘Mine
Is The Mountain’ and ‘Sad City Sisters’.
Specific responses have been varied, but
that’s been the case with almost all Tull
albums. Like the earlier releases, The Zealot
Gene takes time to grow too. But as we said,
Tull does everything that a regular rock
band shouldn’t do. They sound like nobody
else, nobody sounds like them. Bouree!
For newcomers, here are 10 Jethro Tull
songs to begin with
1 Aqualung
2 Locomotive Breath
3 Bouree
4 Budapest
5 Broadsword
6 Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of A New
Day
7 One Brown Mouse
8 Too Old To Rock n’ Roll: Too Young To Die
9 Hunting Girl
10 Mrs Tibbets