Tull Binge

[ThomasKDye]

Whats your Tull top ten albums by order

In order of their listenability:

1) Thick as a Brick
2) War Child
3) The Broadsword and the Beast
4) A
5) Stormwatch
6) Songs from the Wood
7) A Passion Play
8) Aqualung
9) Minstrel in the Gallery
10) Stand Up

[Jerjo]

Top Ten?

Today it would be

Heavy Horses
Songs from the Wood
Thick as a Brick
Aqualung
Minstrel in the Gallery
Stormwatch
Benefit
Stormwatch
A Passion Play
Christmas Album

This will be subject to change tomorrow

[Progatron]

Top 10 is hard as I honestly love almost all of them to one degree or another.

A Passion Play
Thick As A Brick
Minstrel In The Gallery
Chateau D'Isaster Tapes (pick your version)
Songs From The Wood
A
Aqualung
Stand Up
Heavy Horses
War Child

... I don't like leaving out Stormwatch, Benefit, Too Old, etc. but such are these tough decisions.

[Buddhabreath]

What the heck I'll chime in since JT were my faves in high school (until I saw Gentle Giant open up for them):

1) Thick as a Brick
2) Aqualung
3) A Passion Play
4) Minstrel in the Gallery
5) Benefit
6) Living in the Past
7) Stand Up
8) Songs from the Wood
9) War Child (Demoted from #7 due to the near-intolerable "Bungle in the Jungle")
10) Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die!

caveat - I kinda stopped listening after Songs from the Wood...

[thedunno]

My Top 10 today (tomorrow can be different)

1 Songs from the Wood
2 Thick as a brick
3 Minstrel in the Gallery
4 Aqualung
5 Living in the past
6 Stand up
7 Heavy Horses
8 a passion play
9 Benefit
10 Stormwatch

[kid_runningfox]

My top 10 of Tull albums has remained pretty consistent over the years (I'm referring here strictly to original studio albums, not compilations, retrospectives, etc.). It's

1. Heavy Horses
2. Broadsword and the Beast
3. Songs From the Wood
4. Thick as a Brick
5. Minstrel in the Gallery
6. Benefit
7. Stormwatch
8. A
9. Stand Up
10. Under Wraps

It's such an amazing run of albums they had from 69-84. Really almost anything from that period could have made this list, but the ones above are the albums I go back to most of all.

[Scrotum Scissor]

One of the first progressive artists I sought out, after having listened to 70s hard rock and 60s psych for a few years in my early teens. I believe I was 16 on buying Stand Up, A Passion Play and Minstrel in a single binge. I listened to them day and night; had a speaker placed underneath my big bed and another one in the opposite corner of the room, meaning that I could hear every emanating sound even at pretty low volume when lying down. Together with Songs From the Wood and Heavy Horses these first three buys are still my faves, and with a special penchant for Stand Up. There are other excellent ones too, of course - and I have to say that I still keep listening to them with much of the same fondness as on discovering the band. From the "big" names in 70s UK progressive rock, Tull and Krims are the ones who have endured more or less untainted, although I might stress other strengths about them now than I did before.

The reason for the latter (Stand Up as fave), I think, is that I was in my formative stage as adolescent amateur musician myself back then, and the tunes here had relatively easy patterns to pick up on acoustic guitar. A very close friend and I used to bring our wooden axes into the forest nearby his house and sit atop a ledge with this fantastic view towards Nordåsvannet (in Fana outside of Bergen), and we'd fart out these rather lousy renditions of "Look Into the Sun" and "Reasons for Waiting" - one playing the chords, the other attemptively colouring harmonies by trying to emulate the flute parts or whatever. I particularly remember this from spring and late summer 1989, before we embarked on our final year at senoir high. Fab memories galores.

My buddy and I formed a couple of mediocre bands following this (Tull being only one cource; Love, Krimson and Airplane others), but he eventually got too deep into dope, crime and then insanity, bringing an untimely end to our brotherhood ultimo 1992/93. He came out many years later on the opposite side of the tunnel, now a new soul and working for the Salvation Army. When I visited Bergen a month ago for the first time in several years, I had a whole Sunday of time to kill prior to jumping the night train back to Oslo. So I caught the glossy new tram and traveled all the way to my old neighbourhood an hour-or-so outside of town, hoping to relive impressions by seeking out the ledge of my youth and perhaps hum a little "Look Into the Sun". Of course, all the folks and families I grew up with have since abandoned the place, mass housing and general gentrification seeing to ruin what was once a completely idyllic quarter aof delinquent upbringing - hell, we used to wander nocturnally through woodland paths and undress on our way to the pond for a swim during summer. There are now office buildings and contaminated waters there, so surf's up.

Still, I was NOT prepared for the sight which met me on encountering my old and long-lost buddy's home and heading for the forest ledge. On cornering the house (where we also used to have a rehearsal space) and expecting to greet the jungle bush, I was instead exposed to this:

IMG_7052.jpg and IMG_5793.jpg

On emerging from the non-existing forest afterwards I stumbled upon a passing youngster and promptly barked at him "-They've ruined it, all of it! The boy who grew up in that house over there, he and I used to sit in these woods and sing songs by Jethro Tull! And now the contractors have ripped the fucking forest to pieces, so NO MORE TULL!"

He looked at me rather laconically and uttered a tiny "-Ok!" before walking on. And I decided on never returning there.

True tale.

YOU BASTARD!

[chalkpie]

Thanks for sharing man - nice story with a slightly sad ending I guess. This is for you (which is BTW one of my favorite tunes ever by anybody):

[Zappathustra]

YOU BASTARD!

Thanks for sharing this beautiful story...you bastard

[Zappathustra]

The ones I truly like:
1. Thick as a Brick
2. A Passion Play
3. Minstrel in the Gallery
4. Benefit
5. Songs from the Wood
6. Stand Up
7. Aqualung - but if I ever hear again the s/t track on the radio it will vanish from my faves
8. Heavy Horses

[Interstellar]

I've only known Stand Up for a few years, but I have to say Look Into The Sun has instantly become one of my favorite tunes ever.
To me it has a wonderful timeless summery feel (if that makes any sense).

[Mister Triscuits]

I've only known Stand Up for a few years, but I have to say Look Into The Sun has instantly become one of my favorite tunes ever.
To me it has a wonderful timeless summery feel (if that makes any sense).

One of the first Tull songs I ever heard, and I fell in love with it right away. I also associate it with the summertime, specifically the summer of 1970...

[JJ88]

Stand Up was probably their commercial peak in the UK. In fact US fans may be surprised that they never troubled the UK Top 10 at all after 1972.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jethro_Tull_discography

For me Stand Up is one of their best albums.

[Silantyev]

I wonder why nobody mentioned “Roots to branches” among their favourite albums. I think it is a very strong work, for me it’s probably their best album post 70-s.

[Buddhabreath]

... and both TAAB and Passion were #1 in the US. Wow! The commercial "musical intelligence" of the US seems to has fallen precipitously since then. WTF happened?

[JJ88]

By then they were much bigger in the US than their homeland.

[Progatron]

I wonder why nobody mentioned “Roots to branches” among their favourite albums. I think it is a very strong work, for me it’s probably their best album post 70-s.

I agree that it is a very strong work, I like the album a lot. I just happen to like ten other ones even more.

[Mister Triscuits]

I wonder why nobody mentioned “Roots to branches” among their favourite albums. I think it is a very strong work, for me it’s probably their best album post 70-s.

I think the first half of Roots to Branches is brilliant. After that it gets inconsistent, and the last two tracks in particular end the album on a really weak note. Still a mostly great album. I think my favorite post-70s album is Under Wraps, but Roots, Crest, and maybe even Dot Com are right up there.

[Scrotum Scissor]

As concerns their charting achievements in the UK, what was peculiar about Tull was that they continuously kept appeal with that audience of maybe 70-80,000 Brits who obviously loved the band and bought their releases - securing them a place in the Album top-40 all through the 90s. This is quite rare. Most 'had beens' would eventually fade from the charts entirely after a few years, as with Mann's Earth Band or 10CC or Strawbs or Camel, or 'supergroups' like Supertramp and Yes for that matter.

I don't think Tull were held back by "adherence to specific genre"; they were mainly an eclectic rock group and consequently sporting a substantial general impact. Although I certainly remember how they were consistently toted as hopelessly uncool among younger music fans in 'the know' during the 90s.

[chalkpie]

I agree that it is a very strong work, I like the album a lot. I just happen to like ten other ones even more.

What he said.....

[chalkpie]

I think the first half of Roots to Branches is brilliant. After that it gets inconsistent, and the last two tracks in particular end the album on a really weak note. Still a mostly great album. I think my favorite post-70s album is Under Wraps, but Roots, Crest, and maybe even Dot Com are right up there.

Agree with this too, but Broadsword is definitely my fav post-Stormwatch album with Under Wraps a close second. I still need to Take the A Train....not sure why but I just don't feel the need to revisit it very often, although I LOOOVE "The Pine Marten's Jig".

[Progatron]

I love A. Such a fresh and unique album with the inclusion of Jobson as well as quite a few really strong songs: Black Sunday is every bit the classic Tull track as the mid-70s stuff to my ears. Fylingdale Flyer, Batteries Not Included, Working John, Working Joe, Crossfire, Pine Marten's Jig, And Further On... I love all these tracks!

[Zappathustra]

I don't think Tull were held back by "adherence to specific genre"; they were mainly an eclectic rock group and consequently sporting a substantial general impact.

In Greece they are the one single prog band that broke into the rock mainstream (Pink Floyd is not considered prog in this enlightened country). And yes, I did hear today on the radio, while driving, fuckin Aqualung.

[chalkpie]

I love A. Such a fresh and unique album with the inclusion of Jobson as well as quite a few really strong songs: Black Sunday is every bit the classic Tull track as the mid-70s stuff to my ears. Fylingdale Flyer, Batteries Not Included, Working John, Working Joe, Crossfire, Pine Marten's Jig, And Further On... I love all these tracks!

OK - I'll revisit - cheers

[kid_runningfox]

I love A. Such a fresh and unique album with the inclusion of Jobson as well as quite a few really strong songs: Black Sunday is every bit the classic Tull track as the mid-70s stuff to my ears. Fylingdale Flyer, Batteries Not Included, Working John, Working Joe, Crossfire, Pine Marten's Jig, And Further On... I love all these tracks!

Agreed; for all the change in line-up and sound on A, the tunes and their arrangements are absolutely fantastic. Moreover, for me they really couldn't be anybody other than Tull, despite the arrival of very prominent synth work from Eddie Jobson. Also, Martin Barre's guitar tone is just fantastic on both this album and Broadsword - as was evidenced from the live footage that was included as part of the Slipstream video. It's a shame really that they never made another album with Jobson, as he was a surprisingly good fit into the band at the time.