Customer Reviews

J-Tull Dot Com

5 star:		(86)
4 star:		(60)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

While "Dot Com" may not reach the exalted heights of such masterpieces as "Songs From the Wood" and "Stormwatch," it is an extremely creative and challenging effort from Tull. Since their Grammy-winning "Crest of a Knave" in 1987, Tull's studio output has been inconsistent: "Rock Island" was OK, "Catfish Rising" was weak, and "Roots to Branches" was real good. The new one, "J-Tull dot com," is impressive both musically and lyrically (although I'm never quite sure what Ian is singing about most of the time).

The album is full of wonderful, magical moments: Ian's growling "Cross-Eyed Mary"-type flute flutter that starts the album, Martin's searing guitar work on "El Nino," the beautiful melody of "Bends Like A Willow," the fierce jam in the middle of "AWOL," the sad piano/flute unison line in "Wicked Windows," and so on. Of course, the musicianship is top-notch. I'm convinced there are no better musicians in all of rock. Besides Ian and Martin, drummer Doane Perry, bassist Jonathan Noyce and keyboardist Andrew Giddings make superb, creative contributions that bring Ian's songs to life.

Ian's voice has lost its gruff edge and now sounds a little mellower. He's not pushing his range here, but sounds confortable, relaxed, and confident. His flute playing has never been better.

Curiously, the best songs on the album are the last two: "The Dog-Ear Years" and "A Gift of Roses." These songs sound like Tull circa "Songs from the Wood" and are my favorites. The former is a whimsical, self-effacing look at Ian's life, a gracious acceptance of the aging process and a declaration of contentment and happiness. The latter is a lilting love poem to a woman (Ian's wife?) It is just marvelous.

Tull gives real music fans a treat with "dot com." They are a shining beacon on a dark, stormy sea of musical mediocrity. I love what they've done here and hope they never stop.

The new Dot Com CD by Jethro Tull contains some of the finest Tull music ever made! For me, this is their most inspirational album ever, because it shows that old fogies can come back with a vengeance. (If Ian can, so can I! :)

Track by track impressions, and 1-10 ratings...

Spiral - Somewhat pleasant rocker with a simple basic riff. Not very inspired singing from Ian. A rather forgettable track, compared to the sparklers that follow. *6*

Dot Com - Haunting flute work and background sighing make this a fine moody piece. *8*

Awol - This one doesn't appeal all that much. The leading flute riff is slightly annoying. Something about the singing seems unfocused. Very nice bridge piece in the middle, I usually fast-forward to there. *5*

Nothing @ all - Pleasant piano piece, serving as good lead-in for Wicked Windows. *7*

Wicked Windows - Ian's singing and lyrics really pick up in this one. Some of the bridge reminds of Minstrel. Only real flaw is the overly simple guitar riff. *7*

Hunt by Numbers - YES! I like everything about this song. Guitar riff is the perfect basis for delicious organ and flute, which take turns overlaying. Ian thinks his kitty cats are ferocious beasts! Just when you think the song is near the end, the finest flute section kicks in. One of the best Tull songs ever! *10*

Hot Mango Flush - A different direction for Tull, with music written by Barre. It's catchy and works well, but think it would drive me nuts if I listened too often. Best in small doses. *8*

El Nino - A mellow build-up leads repeatedly to the El Nino storm riff, which grabs my guts like the wind! *9*

Black Mamba - While good, this piece strikes me as... workman-like. Maybe because it reminds me of the older Tull sound. The basic riff is too repetitious. *6*

Mango Surprise - A fine reprise to Hot Mango Flush in a percussive style, just the perfect length. *8*

Bends Like a Willow - A fine ballad with sweet lyrics. I find the lead-in riff somewhat annoying, but the bridge is really great. *7*

Far Alaska - This piece works, but doesn't excite me too much. The main riff is smooth, but comes back once too often for me... and has one flute note that goes off the page slightly. *6*

The Dog-Ear Years - This song has a great busy lead-in riff, which comes back for the bridge and the ending. Lyrics are sweet and reassuring to all us geezers. But, parts of the singing in second stanza don't work and drive me nuts. *7*

A Gift of Roses - Sweet acoustic leads into delicate complex riff, followed by Ian in fine voice and singing sweetly. The bridge is perfect, and the complex riff returns for the ending. The 2nd best Tull song of the last 16 years, after Hunt by Numbers. *10*

The Secret Language of Birds (bonus track) - Ian in fine acoustic form, complete with bird talk. Preview of his solo album, which can't wait to get my hands on. *8*

Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull have done it again. For all you Tull fans (and you know who you are), this collection will not disappoint. Ian Anderson continues to compose music and write lyrics in his own style without regard for what is currently the sound or style. This collection contains licks familiar to Tull fans as well as new sounding material. Songs like Spiral, Bends Like a Willow, A Gift of Roses, and Far Alaska will certainly please the Tull officionados. The more you listen, the more you like it. Listen carefully to the mastery of his lyrics and the signature mixing of the music. For four decades Ian Anderson has reined supreme. I can't wait for the next concert!

Once Thick as a Brick was released, we should all have known that there would never be a "typical" Tull album. Each effort showcased the band exploring new areas -- redefining the Tull sound with each album. That's what the hardcore Tull fan has come to expect from the boys and what we admire about their musical philosophy. Dot.com continues in the Tull tradition of experimentation and freshness. Ian's voice is in fine form, the band backs him sympathetically at all times and Martin Barre's rock chops continue to amaze me after 30+ years. His sound is as distinctive as any rock guitar "god" and few players can match his tasteful lines. Only 1 or 2 clinkers in the assortment and several real standouts -- the title track, Bends Like a Willow, Dog-Ear Years, Roses, El Nino rank among Ian's best compositions. The band's age is irrelevant -- patting them on the backs as a bunch of geezers who put out a good album is meaningless. Why should their age have anything to do with the quality of their work? They're musicians and composers, for goodness sake, not decathalon athletes. Few bands have made it this far down the road and it's quite enlightening to be able to look back over Tull's entire journey. I'm as pleased with Dot.com as I was when I first heard Stand-Up. Over time, I'd probably upgrade my thoughts to 5 stars. Enjoy it.

Buy this record!!! If you are a fan of any era of Jethro Tull you have to hear Dot Com! It is amazing what Ian Anderson and crew are still able to come up with after 4 decades of song writing. If you like the harder edge of Tull you can't go wrong with Spiral, and El Nino. If you liked the older Tull, Songs From the Woods era, you will enjoy Gift of Roses, and Black Mamba. If you liked Crest of Knave, you will find Hunt by Numbers and AWOL to you liking. Almost every song features what is best about Jethro Tull. The musicanship is fantastic. Martin Barre really shines here, and Ian Anderson's flute work is great! I really enjoy the quirky song Hot Mango Flesh. It's almost like Jethro Tull featuring lyrics by Captain Beefheart. Also, there is a bonus track hidden on the album. A tune from Ian Anderson's forthcoming solo album that is really good, called the Secret Language of Birds. The is the best Tull disk in years, again.....BUY THIS RECORD!!!!

To reiterate comments from a previous review, Tull manage in Dot Com to combine elements of past efforts from the 60s through the 90s together with interesting new directions. This is most notable in the song "Hot Mango Flush." A colleague and I were discussing these elements and concurred that, for the most part, Dot Com strikes us as a musical cross among their prior songs titled "Rare and Precious Chain," "European Legacy," "Dark Ages," "Black Satin Dancer," and "Skating Away." An intriguing mix to say the least, yet it works beautifully. Ian's voice is as good on Dot Com as it's been since "Under Wraps." Perhaps most provocative, though, are his lyrics -- poetic and, as such, accessible at many levels and open to considerable interpretation. Anderson's lyrics are an often-overlooked dimension of Tull, which I think makes them fun to follow and study beyond their music. The lyrics on Dot Com extend this tradition, particularly evident on the songs "Wicked Windows," "Black Mamba," and "Bends Like a Willow" (to name a few). Compositionally, Dot Com is rich and complex yet happily accessible. In that regard, Tull push their creative envelope with the songs "Hot Mango Flush," "Far Alaska," "Wicked Windows," "Mango Surprise," and "El Nino," among many others. "Far Alaska," in particular, seems to integrate Jazz, Blues, Celtic, and a dash of East Indian influence. It works beautifully; how Anderson consistently manages to pull this off is beyond me. And finally, the production work on Dot Com is second to none. Anderson is as skillful a producer/engineer as he is musician/lyricist. In fact, it was the sound quality and intricate mixing of Dot Com that initially impressed me most (production quality being immediately evident, whereas with most Tull, the complexity of the songs delays maximum osmosis beyond one or two listens..). Suffice it to say, I strongly concur with the 4.5 of 5 possible stars (average review rating at the time of this posting) and highly recommend Dot Com for your musical collections. Cheers, jvs

A ripper of an album and nothing as great as this has been recorded since maybe 1984 by Rush or King Crimson. It has great tracks like Dotcom, AWOL, Wicked windows, Far Alaska and the dog ear years. There is also a great single from this session called It all trickles down. Other cool songs are Hot mango flush, Spiral and A gift of roses. Hunt by number and Bends like a willow are slighlty commercial sounding, but they are better than most of the crap you hear these days lol

This is (so far) the latest Jethro Tull album and it is one of their greatest. Ian Anderson writes some beautiful music and places in some great flute work in the songs. Many critics consider this album to be a blending of the different sounds of Tull throughout the years, and I have to agree. Amazingly, this combination works extremely well. On one album you have the range of rock, blues, and ethnic sounds. Great tracks to check out are "Spiral," "Dot Com," and "Hunt by Numbers." If you're a fan of Jethro Tull, or are first starting to listen to the group, pick up this album and you won't be disappointed.

„J-Tull Dot Com" continues the series of such great Tull-albums as „Crest of a Knave" and „Catfish Rising". The songs are beautifully written and Ian Anderson's voice sounds strong again. The bonus track „The Secret Language of Birds" makes you really look forward to Ian's forthcoming soloalbum. „J-Tull Dot Com" is one of the best Tull-albums ever!

First of all,I would like to thank IAN ANDERSON & CO for providing excellent, wholesome music for over 30 years.Throughout their career, they have demonstrated a consistency which no other rock band could muster(and that includes other Progressive rock acts like ELP,KING CRIMSON,PINK FLOYD etc).Their music has evolved and Progressed through the years displaying an eclecticism that is unparalleled in Rocks history.This JETHRO TULL CD follows the footsteps of 'ROOTS TO BRANCHES' and most other OLD TULL WORKS without rehashing any of these.IAN ANDERSON has demonstrated his ability on the Bamboo Flute as well.Most of the numbers are so well crafted that it difficult to pin down a particular number and say that it is the best.But,the one's that really stand out are BENDS LIKE A WILLOW,MANGO SURPRISE and ELNINO. MUSICIANSHIP on these three tracks are simply outstanding and unlike anything they have done before.There is an excellent synergy between the flute,guitar and keyboards.HATS OFF to IAN ANDERSON,MARTIN BARRE and ANDREW GIDDINGS.I feel that TULL should go in for more of such experimental numbers.Other brilliant numbers include WICKED WINDOWS,DOG EARED EARS, and GIFT OF ROSES(reminding me of SONGS FROM THE WOOD) which has that distinctive vocals of IAN that is reminescent of 70's TULL.When most of the so called Rock bands rely on unintelligible screaming and shouting at high pitch TULL has always let their MUSIC and LYRICS do the TALKING,Conveying different moods and melodies.To sum it up,this is one of the Top 5 Tull albums and that too it has come in an age when good music is on the verge of Decadence.TULL has now become an Yardstick by which future groups would be compared.Albums such as these,infuses some hope and would help us in overcoming the Musical DARK AGES that we live in.