Customer Reviews

Ian Anderson Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First and most important: it is NOT Jethro Tull!
It is a show of Ian Anderson with a group of session musicians and a symphonic orchestra (Frankfurt Philharmonic, to be exact). If you are looking for Jethro Tull live DVD, you've got a wrong disk. This show is as different from traditional rock concert almost as, say, "Aqualung" is different from "Divinities - 12 dances with God". But if you are looking for DVD with good music, then you have found one!

The tracklist includes songs from IA solo albums and JT classics:
01. Eurology
02. Calliandra Shade
03. Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of A New Day
04. Up The Pool
05. We Five Kings
06. Life Is A Long Song
07. In The Grip Of Stronger Stuff
08. Wond'ring Aloud
09. Griminelli's Lament
10. Cheap Day Return
11. Mother Goose
12. Bouree
13. Boris Dancing
14. Living In The Past
15. Pavane
16. Aqualung
17. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
18. My God
19. Budapest
20. Locomotive Breath

You will be amazed by some of the arrangements (Aqualung in particular) and the way Ian Anderson communicates with the audience. BTW, I enjoyed the interview section of this DVD almost as much as the concert itself!
I am sure that if you like different kinds of music, you will love this DVD.

This release showcases the more ecletic side of Ian Anderson. For those who only know Jethro Tull from the four or five "hits" played on Classic Rock radio, this might not be your cup of tea. However, if you want a sampling of the more dynamic, adventuresome, and even poignant side of one of the world's most intriquing musicians, then grab this release immediately!

Ian's flute playing has never been better... His melodic and fluid solos are incredible, not only pleasing to the ear but even more astonishing when you consider that he alternates between the flute and vocals on some songs, which require opposite breathing techniques, and for a man of his age to go onstage and do this for two hours (all right, two one hours sets with an intermission, but still...), that is no small feat.

The orchestra is up to the task of complimenting Ian. One minor gripe I will agree with about this release is that Ian is not using the full Jethro Tull lineup backed by the orchestra. It would be even better to have Martin Barre, Doane Perry, Jonathan Noyce and PARTICULARLY Andrew Giddings along for this tour... But the "rock band" lineup that augments the show is still capable, and even inspired, at times.

One feature of Ian's work that is often overshadowed by his flute playing is his acoustic guitar work. Even if he didn't play the flute, Ian Anderson would still be my favorite musician based on his skills on the six-string instrument. He has a quirky style, a mixture of strumming and individual finger picking which I've never quite seen nor heard before, and the intros to "Life Is A Long Song" and "Cheap Day Return" are simply gorgeous... not to mention "My God..."

Some people comlain that Ian's voice is not what it was...true, but it sounds quite good here, and Ian's insistance on singing in his natural British accent (as opposed to Mick Jagger, or Roger Daltrey's more "mid Atlantic" stylings, which is even a subject of one of the interview segments herein) more than makes up for any loss of range he has experienced over the years. It still lends the music a uniqueness that it is has always had from day One.

One more note about the orchestra: it is nice to see a flutist playing a duet with Ian, as well as some of the other musicians coming to "stage front" to compliment certain tunes. It's more than just a novelty, too.


So, if you're familiar with more acoustic/orchestral side of Jethro Tull, or are interested in checking out a musical act that features a wide variety of influences and yet melds them together seamlessly, this is highly recommended.

In the most recent "A New Day" magazine Ian complains that the video of this concert runs straight through without any breaks for commentary. That is the best aspect of this DVD. I don't know if this is a quirk on my DVD only, but the 47 min. interview with Ian comes at the intermission. That's a bit disconcerting.
The version of Aqualung has to be seen and heard to be believed. Purists will hate it! Those with open minds will love it. The second half of the show is more energetic than the first. That doesn't mean the first half is dull.
The band is exellent although guitarist Florian Opahle, "the toy boy of the band," looks out of place with the others. Performance wise he's no Martin Barre, but he plays Martin's parts very well.
The biggest flaw I found was in the editing of the concert tape. The producers could have used at least one more day in the edit suite, but that's a nitpick on my part. That's the reason for the four rating.

I am a loyal Tull fan, and I also enjoy Ian's solo works. I saw his rubbing elbows tour and was only mildly impressed. The usual problems with his voice, the lackluster band and the lame comedian and local DJs who participated didn't help matters.

The show captured on this DVD is much better. What surprised me the most is how much better Ian is signing. He still gasps for breath a lot, but he sounds stronger than he has in recent years (since his throat surgery about 15 years ago). I wasn't distracted by it any longer, except for his truncated range which practically all rock singers his age suffer from. Basically he sounds close to the later day studio albums, although there's still the gasping.

The other reason for not giving this five stars, is the band. With the occasional exception of the guitarist I found the playing quite rudimentary. These guys lack style. No mistakes were made, but there was no inspired playing either. Ian used to surround himself with incredibly talented and dynamic musicians (Barllow, Evans, Barre, ... ). These guys a warmed over zombies by comparison: Nevertheless, they get the job done.

I recommend this to the curious and the fan. If all your experience with Ian's voice is from the Tull radio classics, then you may still feel his voice is 'shot', but if you have been listening to the last 15 years of his work, you will probably be satisfied with his performance here.

Plain and simple, the video on this DVD looks like it was remastered from a VHS tape. Sound is as expected....good. Video is not.....poor.

Yes,
IAN did his best ! at the end.
Great musician, composer, songwriter ......
IAN ANDERSON and the Orchestra, plays JETHRO TULL classics and Ian Andersons solo classics.
You never heard before, believe me !
Music is beautiful, sound quality is beautiful ( 5.1 )
You never heard before; "Aqualung", "Budapest", "Pavane" like that.... and you never see before IAN like that ! ( his performance is excellent ! )

DVD plays totally 160 min ! ( Only 48 min. Ian talks ! He mentioned everything, old years, TULL music, his secrets ! ..... orgasms ! )

This DVD, more than 5 stars ! , believe me.
You must Buy this DVD friends, MUST BUY !
Thank you very much IAN.
Thanks for your beautiful music.
( I hope, we should meet in Istanbul again 2006 ! )
See you soon.
Cheers.

Bora CETIN
TULLTURK
[...]

As mentioned, the musicianship here is outstanding. Having been a dedicated Tull junkie since seeing the Passion Play live in Boston Garden in 1973, I've watched Ian and his music evolve over the years in cycles. He has always been an absolute perfectionist and expects his fellow musicians to be the same. The orchestra here are, for the most part, spot on with their interpretation of Ian's intricate and sometimes quirky time signatures. ("In the Grip of Stronger Stuff" for example) He talks about some of the less than memorable encounters with other orchestras. This conductor, while very talented, is not Andrew Giddings and plays a less than breathtaking piano intro to Locomotive Breath but then again, he IS a classical trained musician afterall. If you are unfamiliar with Ian's solo work, or Jethro Tull music, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. It's a little bit of everything: folk, jazz, blues, rock, etc. It is very precise, detailed and "tight". And yes, his voice has "aged" over the years, but how can you fault him for giving his fans what they want? Ian plays an average of 100 shows a year all over the world and has been since 1969 or thereabouts. If you're a life long Tull fan, you'll have to have it for your collection. I'm giving it 4 stars also because of the editing. I think they should have put the interview material at the end. All in all, an excellent show. Buy it and discover the genius of Ian Anderson.

So after watching most of these videos on youtube, the next step is the DVD.

What more can be said. This is Ian Anderson and playing the best of Jethro Tull! I loved the orchestra and the whole performance was enough for me to go see him play live during his recent 2009 Acoustic Tour.

This DVD is very entertaining and the lengthy Ian Anderson interview is very interesting. It would only have been better if songs from 1977-1979 had been included: Songs From the Wood, Heavy Horses and Stormwatch. These were three of my favorite albums. Overall, it is well worth the money spent.

Once again Ian Anderson shows his versatility and brillance as a musician playing the diverse range of instruments that have been Ian's trade mark for over 40 years. Great viewing!