Jethro Tull's album A- should it be reconsidered?

[pb2015]

Actually Barlow had already left the band and formed his own band Tandoori Cassette (who just released a 7''). Evan didn't want to tour anymore as he was tired from that.
Pegg was already chosen as the official replacement for Glascock as it was clear that he wont be able to tour anymore.

So only Palmer was really axed, but I think she had a lot of other plans already also at this time.

Palmer also said that he (using his gender at the time) had problems in the band and nearly couldn't bring himself to leave home to get on a flight to start one of their tours, before his wife talked him into it.

[dropforge]

Actually Barlow had already left the band and formed his own band Tandoori Cassette (who just released a 7''). Evan didn't want to tour anymore as he was tired from that.

Barlow left in '80. Tandoori Cassette's 7" of "Angel Talk" didn't happen till '82.

[pb2015]

If I recall right, Barlow was rehearsing in 1980 with a band including David Allen from Carmen, but Barlow said Allen took their demos and tried to get his own deal. So that band split and Barlow formed Tandoori Cassette after that.

[IMWeasel]

So I'm not really a huge Tull fan but after all of these years, decided to take a closer look at their stuff and got this album along with 4 others - I have to say I enjoy it! I imagine though this album rubbed a lot of prog fans the wrong way though, lol.

[Geoff O'Donoghue]

There's quite a bit of information about the band members' movements and intentions prior to "A" that is new to me. It would seem that the reconfiguration was not what it appeared at the time with BB already moving on, JE wanting out of the tour grind and DP somewhat uncommitted. That perhaps might explain why IA was amenable to the repurposing of his solo album as Tull: if he already had MB and Peggy on board for the solo project and knew that Tull would require future replacements for drummer and keyboard player (also - some of the "A" material had been previously rehearsed by Tull [although that may have happened after "A" became a JT thing]) then switching it over to a band project (albeit at the prompting of the record company) seems like a reasonable path to take.
There still remains the manner in which John Glascock ended his tenure. I understand that BB's opinion is that JG was not looked after properly considering the challenges that he, JG, was facing - medical and personal. From memory, in the book of the "A" reissue, IA expresses some regret about how it was handled but BB's point of view suggests that there is more to the story.
I also wonder why Mark Craney was not retained as Tull's drummer - anyone know more about what occurred there?

[pb2015]

I also wonder why Mark Craney was not retained as Tull's drummer - anyone know more about what occurred there?

In one interview Craney said that he used his "A" earnings to buy a house in his hometown in the U.S. (Sioux Falls, SD? somewhere like that) and then got a letter from Ian saying he had decided Tull needed to have all band members living in England. (Of course, Ian didn't have the same policy when Doane Perry joined a few years later.)

I also read that Gerry Conway visited with Ian when the "A" tour played London and maybe somehow Ian got the idea that Conway was more what he wanted than Craney.

[Mister Triscuits]

Dave Pegg recounts that Ian told him on the way home from the last gig of the A tour that Tull was not going to continue with that lineup, and asked if he wanted to stay knowing that.

[pb2015]

Dave Pegg recounts that Ian told him on the way home from the last gig of the A tour that Tull was not going to continue with that lineup, and asked if he wanted to stay knowing that.

From what I know of Jobson I think he wanted to be a solo artist and wasn't interested in a long term position in Tull, but I don't know of an obvious reason why Craney couldn't have stayed.

[Garyhead]

Craney was a Type 1 diabetic. It was difficult to manage it on the road.

[Mister Triscuits]

Craney was a Type 1 diabetic. It was difficult to manage it on the road.

Yes, he just should never have been a touring musician. I saw him in the audience at a Tull show in L.A. in 1987. He was in a wheelchair, being assisted by Doane Perry.

[pb2015]

Craney did have health troubles, although before Tull he had toured with Jean Luc Ponty and Gino Vannelli. I read that he was also one of the drummers who auditioned to replace Vinnie Colaiuta on Frank Zappa's 1980 tour.

[The Czar]

Should have always been considered, it's damn good

[IMWeasel]

Have had this for over a month now and "crossfire" has grown on me a lot

[Vic2012]

I have the 25th Anni remaster with the Slipstream DVD.

[kilianltia]

I know I'm almost certainly in the minority but I think Tull peaked with this line-up hands down. Then again I love anything that Eddie Jobson has been involved in so I would say that.

[Progatron]

Check this out. Martin enjoying himself here:

[pb2015]

Check this out. Martin enjoying himself here:

Good piece, reminds me of Rush. Martin's musical style could be more up to date for the era than Ian's.

[Crawford Glissadevil]

I revisited "A" this year. I was pleasantly surprised. This time, I listened to"A" without measuring it against Tull's 70s classics.

[Bytor]

A is awesome. How I wish that band would've recorded at least Broadsword and one more. The A tour was brilliant too.

[Mister Triscuits]

The A tour was brilliant too.

Well, apart from the stage costumes.

[moecurlythanu]

^ I didn't mind 'em.

[JKL2000]

^ I didn't mind 'em.

You might not have read Ian's reminiscences of them in one of the early boxed sets - just about Martin looking a bit roly-poly in one. He might have said Martin wasn't crazy about it, but I can't remember for sure. But, I don't mind them either!

[PROGMONSTER]

http://https://www.google.com/aclk?s...AAAAABAD&nis=8

[Vic2012]

4 Wheel Drive.......

........Low Ratio.....

Probably the one track I can barely listen to. Over all I really dig A.

[pb2015]

You might not have read Ian's reminiscences of them in one of the early boxed sets - just about Martin looking a bit roly-poly in one. He might have said Martin wasn't crazy about it, but I can't remember for sure. But, I don't mind them either!

I remember the David Rees book opined that Martin looked out of place and that it may have led to his taking up long distance running to lose weight later in the 80's.