Jethro Tull is a band, damn it!<\/p>\n
Sorry, I had to say that, as I once again recently had a
\nwell-meaning fan say “Oh yeah, Jethro Tull, he’s cool!” He probably
\nthinks Pink Floyd is a cool guy too. It’s nice that you’re a fan,
\nbut get it straight. The guy with the flute is
\nmulti-instrumentalist extraordinaire and gentlemen farmer Ian
\nAnderson; Jethro Tull is the name of the band.<\/p>\n
Jethro Tull emerged in the late sixties as a hard-edged blues
\nband, who could have easily gone the stylistic route of Cream, John
\nMayall or the early Fleetwood Mac. Their debut
\nThis Was<\/i> is a textbook of British electric blues. As the
\nSummer Of Love was fading into our collective memories, these
\nbluesmen made a significant turn that probably helped make them the
\nworld-renowned icon they are today. One reason for this turn was
\nthe departure of original guitarist Mick Abrahams, whose hard-core
\nblues stylings help to form the sound that was the impetus for
\nTull’s initial success. Replacing him was the amazingly talented
\nMartin Barre, who is still with Tull 35 years later. Barre’s
\ninclusion on
\nStand Up<\/i> would herald the seed that would make them known as
\nprogressive rock’s folksy standard-bearer. Tull would make better
\nuse of acoustic stringed instruments and woodwinds than just about
\nany other their peers during the 70s.<\/p>\n
Along with Anderson and Barre, Glen Cornick (bass) and Clive
\nBunker (percussion) made up Jethro Tull when
\nStand Up<\/i> was released in 1969. Barre is nowadays, legendary
\namong classic rock guitarists. Cornick and Bunker, are to this
\nreviewer, among the unsung heroes of rhythm in my book. During
\ntheir short stint together (Cornick would leave Tull 2 years later,
\nBunker the year after that), they would lay down some of the most
\nsolid rhythm you’ll ever hear. Note for note, I’d put these two up
\nagainst any rhythm section you want to throw down.<\/p>\n
Along with the inclusion of Barre, Tull began a turn away from
\nthe blues, towards a more folk-influenced sound. Also, they made
\ntheir first steps toward the influences of jazz and classical
\nmusic, most notably the spectacular “Bouree,” an improvisation
\nbased on a Bach composition for lutes. Not that they abandoned
\ntheir roots altogether. “Nothing is Easy” retains more than a
\nnuance of the blues. The opening track “New Day Yesterday” is a
\nsoulful blast of throaty blues delivered with power and gutty
\nintensity. “New Day Yesterday” is a classic, and one of the few
\nfrom this era, along with “Bouree,” that is still part of their
\nlive show.<\/p>\n
Their new musical direction is heard quite clearly on “Jeffrey
\nGoes To Leicester Square,” and also on “Fat Man,” which features
\nAnderson wailing away on a balalaika. The wistful “Reasons For
\nWaiting” is another standout track that showcase their turn towards
\nEnglish folk stylings.<\/p>\n
My favorite track from this disc is one you will never hear
\nalongside the Tull classics. “Back to the Family” features the
\nnow-familiar juxtaposition of folksy acoustic ballad and
\nhard-driving rock that would become Tull’s trademark. With
\nsuggestions of things to come, “Back To The Family” is reminiscent
\nof many of the best-known cuts that Tull would later create, most
\nnotably “Thick As A Brick” and “Aqualung.”<\/p>\n
All said, this is a great album, from a band that made A LOT of
\ngreat albums. Heralding a time of change and transformation, from
\nblues to quasi-folk-progressive rock. For a taste of things to
\ncome, and close look at the music that would help transform an
\nobscure blues combo into one of classic rocks most recognizable
\nbands,
\nStand Up<\/i> is a treat for all Tull fans, from diehards to
\nneophytes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":25047,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[5643],"rating":[5646],"class_list":["post-38010","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-jethro-tull","rating-rating-a"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/38010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38010"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/38010\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=38010"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=38010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}