From: steiner@bakerst.rutgers.edu (Dave Steiner)
Newsgroups: alt.rock-n-roll.classic
Subject: Re: JTull one more time !
Keywords: Jtull is Great !
Date: 8 Jan 93 06:34:21 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
To: merila@cc.lut.fi
Cc: steiner

In article <C0FKCL.H8C@lut.fi> merila@cc.lut.fi (Sami Meril{) writes:

> Does anyone know are they going to have a concert tour in Europe
> soon ? If so, in which places will they have a concert ?

Well, they just finished up a large tour and Ian is working on the 5CD
25 Years boxed set (mostly live stuff I believe) so it might be a
while before they tour again.

>   My christmas presents included a record of Jethro Tull called
> Heavy Horses.  [...]
> Now I'm really gonna collect all the JTull albums...
> My only problem is which ones to get first...
> These are the ones I'm currently missing :
> * Benefit
> * Passion Play
> * Warchild
> * Too old to Rock'n'Roll...
> * A
> * Minstrel in the Gallery
> * Underwraps 
> * Rock Island
> * Catfish Rising
> (and maybe someother that I'm currently forgetting)
> And of course that 'older' live called something like Bursting out !

Below is a message I've built up from answering the question "What
should I get next".  It's hard since there are different styles of
albums.  If you want a quick answer I would get either the live
_Bursting Out!_ or _Minstrel_ (I assume you already have _Songs from
the Wood_ since it's not listed above).

Here's more info about the albums:

There are many "sides" to Tull:

Earlier Bluesy works: This Was, Stand Up, Benefit
	(they get less bluesy; Benefit and Aqualung are pretty much just
	 "good Rock and Roll")
Next faze: Aqualung, Thick As A Brick, A Passion Play
	(they get more complex and the last two are probably closest
	 to Progressive)
[Living In the Past (a mix of singles, b-sides, and live stuff) goes
  after Aqualung but doesn't quite fit the "complex stage"; good album though]
War Child (intermeditate and probably was a change from the 1 song per
	 album style of the previous albums)
"Folky": Minstrel In The Gallery, (Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll), Songs
	 From the Wood, Heavy Horses (Too Old is not really folky).
Live --- Bursting Out (great live album which may be a good first
		choice; US CD is missing a few songs)
Stormwatch (sort of back to Folky; esp. if you ignore the first song.
	Not a bad song at all but I think it sets the wrong tone for
	the album)
more electronic: A, Broadsword and the Beast, Walk Into Light (solo),
		Under Wraps
latest "back to the basics" period: Crest of the Knave, Rock Island,
		Catfish Rising (this one is bluesy like the first period)
		A Little Light Music (a live album that is more bluesy, has
		     a lot of gems that haven't been heard live in a while)

Also, there was a boxed set (20 years of Jethro Tull) in 1988 which is
excellent and a good sampling of Tull.  There's also a single CD
version which is good but unfortunatly doesn't have great stuff like
"The Chateau D'Isaster Tapes" which is a must of you like the style of
_TaaB_ and _APP_.  I would try the live album to see what songs you like.

There are three "Best Of"s that may give a good sampling but you miss
a lot of great songs that way.  They are M.U., Repeat, and Original
Masters.  All have their problems but might be good for those not
willing to get heavily into Tull.

Great albums (IMHO) are: Benefit, Aqualung (esp. for the less popular
songs), Living In The Past, Thick As A Brick, Songs from the Wood,
Heavy Horses, Live --- Bursting Out, Broadsword and the Beast, the
Boxed Set, Catfish Rising, and A Little Light Music.  Note that I like
all the albums and listen to them all (I like to go back to things
that I haven't heard in a while). 

I think it's been mentioned before but there is a Jethro Tull Digest
called "The St. Cleve Chronicle".  It's not available at your
newsstand but you can subscribe to it by sending your name and email
address to jtull-request@remus.rutgers.edu.  Yours truly is the
moderator.

ds
-- 

Dave Steiner
arpa: Steiner@BakerSt.Rutgers.Edu or Steiner@Rutgers.Edu
uucp: ...{backbone site}!rutgers!bakerst.rutgers.edu!steiner
Newsgroups: alt.rock-n-roll.classic