OK Boys and Girls, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I was drawn into Tull as I had a brother who is about 57 and I am 54, those were the days of all kinds of Great Music Coming from across the Pond, no kids not the Anaheim Pond but the Atlantic Pond where one runs into a group of Islands known as the U.K the land of Kings and Queens and the commoners which would include the Hot Musicians like Jethro Tull with its Iconic Lyrical Giant known as the phallic playing Ian Anderson, I can say that because that's what he told me.............And you must agree it brought something to Rock n Roll it never had and to this day is a rarety.
To say it never got the credit due is an understatement but if I and the musicians listened to that shat they'd give up. This album is incredible especially if you were seeing these guys about every 6 months in stadium venues here in lovely San Diego County in Southern Cali. You heard the transitions of a group as the aged and I am sure were dealing with Ah Hmm where to we go from here? Seems every hot group we grew up with is losing members to over indulgences. I see it as the beginning of a back off from some of the harder Tull into this period which found Ian on stage with an Acoustic Guitar as other albums such as Songs from the Wood were being explored by the band. To Old to Rock and Roll to Young to Die sounds about how I feel at 54, just can't shut off that heavy metal no matter how much less hair I might have or how grey it might be. But it kicks and if you listen to it again and again if its your first time there is Martins incredible weaving through the songs on his Gibson just as in the previous years. And Ian's ability at song writing is pure genious and remains so to this day. "It seems like everybody is on the stage and I am the only one sitting in the Audience." Different album but you say Tull and my mind goes to the Lyric or when I saw War Child indoors at the San Diego Sports Arena. Anyone downloading this it was redone in 2007 but comes from the pure days of "Sex Drugs and Rock n Roll." This is one album as many others in their line up that is a 5+ stars piece of work. Saw "Ian Anderson does Jethro Tull Orchestral" about 6 years ago and was transformed back to a much better time and place for an hour or so. Isn't MUSIC great? And all of the people coming out today just towing the same line Ian and the crew started all those years ago? Thanks B to Amazon who have made it possible to grab just about anything anytime and download it and be listening to it instantly. Yea I hate progress to a point and am feeling quite older these days but I can still close my eye's and see Jimmy Page and the Boys jammin at the S.D. Sports Arena my junior year of High School to this day the loudest Concert I have ever been to, my ears rang for a week.............Miss those guys terribly. Good to see Jason Bonham Jamming with Joe Bonamassa , Rock on!!!! What a Guitar Player did his mother ever imagine that is what she was to unleash on the world??
Back to the album, CD, MP3 its getting hard to keep up with Jethro Tull will always be Giants and there collection of work timepieces of history we all owe a great debt of gratitude too. Peace Boys and Rock till you cannot walk.