Customer Reviews

Christmas Album

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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Should you pursue this for the second disc: "Jethro Tull Live/Christmas at St. Bride's 2008"? I must qualify my opinion: I collect both Jethro Tull and select Christmas recordings, so this issue should be a "can't miss" for me--and it is. The St. Bride's disc alternates between gorgeously rendered Tull offerings, tasteful St. Bride's choir pieces (four voices:quaint and charming), and select seasonal readings. Ian reads an excerpt from Walter Scott's "Marmion," and his son-in-law (on the occasion of his wife's birthday) reads a piece called "Christmas." "The Ballad of the Breadman," though, is especially provocative. A surreal moment? How about when Tull plays "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman" for the offertory, and it's interrupted for a blessing?

The set is tastefully packaged. Gone are the lyrics from the original "Christmas Album," but Ian and the reverend of St. Bride's contribute essays dated August 2009. This may be the only time the Tull lineup of Anderson, Barre, O'Hara, Goodier, and Duncan is recorded on a commercially available disc; if so, I would say it carries on a remarkable legacy most suitably. At the time of this posting, English "Marketplace" merchants are offering the collection for under twenty dollars, and mine arrived in seven days. Don't hesitate to buy it.

I have to admit to being a total sucker for Jethro Tull and Christmas music. I've been a huge JT fan since the 1970s and have followed their career through the dark days of A and even J-Tull Dot Com. Highs and lows, highs and lows. But my favorite period has to be the Minstrel in the Gallery / Heavy Horses / Songs From the Wood period. I guess I was an impressionable youth at the time and the music imprinted on my a love for English folk songs and folk traditions that I've extended though further explorations into actual English folk music. But I always come back to JT in the end.

The "Christmas Album" sits squarely in that tradition and, in fact, includes a few tunes from that period. It's a warm hearth on a cold winter night. All the songs here evoke a simpler time, a snow covered field with a thatched house in the distance, windows twinkling with light. Like the Moody Blues Christmas album, December, this is a wonderful collection to add to your holiday mix.

Have all of Tull's records since the first one in '69. Same great music and simply the best way to get into the Christmas mood [with a hot toddy as well]. Bring on next solstice Mr Anderson

Jethro Tull's Christmas Album is something that you don't necessarily need to read any reviews for to know whether or not you will enjoy it, for example if the very notion of a Jethro Tull Christmas album offends you then just let this one slide and wait for their next real studio album, but if you are willing to give it a fair chance this is actually a great album.

I was pretty skeptical myself of how this could be any good, not overly being all that fond of Christmas music myself; but was actually surprised to find that there was indeed a lot of worthwhile and interesting music on here, for example the album opener `Birthday Card At Christmas,' is just a great little up tempo song with no sleigh bells or choirs and a good song besides, it would still be good if it were on either of their previous two albums Roots To Branches or Dot Com.

The music is all fairly pleasant and positive, and there aren't that many heavy and driving rock tracks to be found but even so it still works surprisingly well as a new Jethro Tull record... yes the tracks are united in sound and lyrical themes, but so too were all the tracks on the band's many concept albums so it isn't as unnatural as it first seems.

In addition to the new material there are some reworkings of classic and rare material from different periods in Tull's career, such as the late 60s track `A Christmas Song,' the late 70's tracks `Ring Solstice Bells,' and `Weather Cock,' as well as the early 80s `Jack Frost And The Hooded Crow,' and early 90s track `Another Christmas Song,' all of which are now connected by a shared vocal and production style on these re-recordings.

Overall; forget the whole Christmas thing for a second, if you enjoy Ian's post-70's voice, if you like Tull albums with a lot of flute work and instrumental quality then this is something worth at least a curiosity listen, I put it off for a few years too many and now regret doing so. Of course if you only like the band's 60s and 70s output, maybe give this album a wide berth.

***If you can, try and get the re-released version that features an extra disc with an entire Christmas concert, Christmas At St. Bride's 2008. An enjoyable and new way to hear Jethro Tull which features largely acoustic renditions of Tull music live inside a church (unusually with readings and choirs intact) that nicely pads out the set and adds more value for money.***

This Album is made by A band known for its sort of "Medival" and "Victorian" as Well as "Baroque" influences. That Certianly Shines here With Songs Coming from such time periods as well as today (although the music from today sounds as if it could be from such times). And While there is a version of the album without the live disc I reccomend getting this version simply because the live disc is far to supurb to pass up. Ian's Jolly old English flute plays some unforgettable nots and makes you wish you were'nt living in these hard times!

A rarity in the music industry. Jethro Tull took on a whole new level in creative music. Ian Anderson, dubbed the only "Rock and Roll flutist", tells a heart-warming tale using his music. Timely delivery. Thanks.

This is another rock band who has been able to pull off a Christmas package and retain their classic sound. My favorite is probably the Ian Anderson composition 'Ring Solstice Bells', but the entire disc is a wonderful mix of original and traditional (I can't recall hearing a more sprightly version of 'God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen') with Anderson's Flute leading the way.

Nice collection of X-mas songs and related stuff JT did. This new edition brings a 2nd CD with a JT concert, excellent recording, which was recorded in a church, in X-mas days recently.

It would seem this to be tulls last studio recording together and it would seem they saved the best for last.Tull has always been naturals at a beautiful celtic sound of xmas and this album was just what I hoped they'd do

If you like Jethro Tull you'll love this. I got it as a christmas present for my mother and it was a great success!