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39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
3 Stars For "A" Album, But 4 Stars For CD/DVD Package , August 13, 2004
1980's "A" is a very controversial Jethro Tull album. It started out as a solo album for Tull leader Ian Anderson, who brought in ace keyboardist/violinist Eddie Jobson, drummer Mark Craney and bassist Dave Pegg to help him record it. But Anderson *also* brought in Tull guitarist Martin Barre to play on the album, which was to have a major impact on what would happen next. With his solo album finished, Anderson delivered it to the record company execs at Chrysalis Records. Upon hearing it, the Chrysalis bigwigs *strongly* advised Anderson to release the album under the Jethro Tull name. Before Anderson could make a proper decision about it, Chrysalis went ahead and announced to the press that "A" was the new Jethro Tull album, featuring a new lineup. Thus, Tull veterans Barriemore Barlow, John Evan, and David Palmer were no longer in the band. As Anderson says in the new liner notes, the trio were "understandably and rightfully p----d off."But what of the "A" album itself? Well, to be perfectly honest, "A" (for Anderson, in case you're curious) is my least favorite Jethro Tull album, but it certainly isn't bad. Half of the songs are quite strong: "Crossfire," "Flyingdale Flyer," "Black Sunday," "4.W.D. (Low Ratio)" and the brilliant "Working John Working Joe" (by far the album's best song) are all excellent Tull rockers. The rest of the songs on "A" are decent and listenable, but...well...they just lack something. They don't grab me. In other words, they kinda go in one ear and out the other. Still, at the end of the day, 5 great songs out of 10 ain't bad, and the band's performances are consistently good. "A" isn't a Tull masterpiece, but it's good enough. So, my rating for Jethro Tull's "A" album alone: 3 stars. However....this new re-issue of "A" comes with a very special bonus treat: a DVD of Tull's 1980 concert & music video feature, "Slipstream"! Half of the DVD is Tull captured live in concert on their 1980 tour for "A," with Anderson & the gang in excellent form on such Tull favorites as "Songs From The Wood," "Heavy Horses," "Aqualung" and "Locomotive Breath," as well as songs from "A" like "Black Sunday." The other half contains some of Jethro Tull's very few forays into music video, including the hilarious clip for "Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll, Too Young To Die," "Sweet Dream" (featuring Anderson as a vampire!), and the simple-but-effective clip for "Dun Ringill." If you're a Tull fan, the "Slipstream" DVD is an absolute must-have. So, 3 stars for the "A" album, and a perfect 5 stars for the "Slipstream" DVD, giving the "A" CD/DVD deluxe package a final rating from yours truly of 4 stars. Granted, the "A" re-issue costs a little more thanks to the inclusion of the DVD, but it's definitely worth getting.
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29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Four Stars, Really?!?, October 14, 2004
At first blush, you may think that I've sacrificed any credibility I've ever had by giving "A" four stars. This album, by most people's account, is the smelly cheese in the pantry of the entire Tull discography; but please hear me out.
I will admit that this album is not perfect. After all, this was a band in transition. Meant to be a solo Anderson project, the old band mates that had pumped out one amazing album after another for most of a decade had disbanded, leaving only Ian and Martin Barre to carry on the name. Dave Craney had the unenviable task of replacing Barrie(more) Barlow, the most energetic and dexterous of all the JT percussionists. Eddie Jobson was doing the work of both John Evans and David (now Dee) Palmer. The bright spot in the new lineup was the inclusion of our old friend, David Pegg; certainly the most entertaining and personable of all the Tull Bassists, who remained with the band for another 10 or 12 years.
As for the music; there are a few memorable tunes here. Widely acknowledged as the best song on the album, BLACK SUNDAY is a ripping good tune that, if nothing else, demonstrates Ian's ability to string together a whole mess of words without taking a breath (try singing along and you'll see). THE PINE MARTIN'S JIG has long been one of my favorite instrumental pieces. Wickedly complex in it's ever changing time signatures, this had to be a bear to play live. While not much of a song lyrically, I have to admit that PROTECT AND SURVIVE has one of the most infectious flute licks Ian has ever written. I find myself humming or whistling the intro to that song frequently.
Stylistically, this album resembles Ian's eventual and actual first solo album, INTO THE LIGHT. Lyrically, there's not a whole lot that's going to make you sit down and go "hmmm, why didn't I think of that?" Some of the lyrics are just laughable: "Self appointed guardians of the race, with egg upon their face.." or "I'm equal to the best of you, and I'm better than the rest of you." A far cry from the thought provoking THICK AS A BRICK, MY GOD, BAKER STREET MUSE, or A PASSION PLAY, these lyrics are pretty much just filler for the music.
The sound quality on this remaster is really much better than the original CD release, though the limitations of the analog recording equipment do still tell in places.
As for the DVD re-release of Slipstream, the first Tull video. A treasure, an absolute hoot to watch. It's good that Ian and the boys took up music, cause acting just isn't in the cards for them. Ian wins the award for overdone facial expressions and corny gestures, but it's all fun to watch. You'll see scarey alien balloons, more aliens with eyeballs painted on their eyelids, and yet another alien dominatrix whose clever makeup job consists of a black stocking pulled over her head (oooooohhhh).
Probably just for the real fans, but taken in the right spirit, this release is a pleasure none the less
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Four stars....Really?!?, April 29, 2004
At first blush, you may think that I've sacrificed any credibility I've ever had by giving "A" four stars. This album, by most people's account, is the smelly cheese in the pantry of the entire Tull discography; but please hear me out. I will admit that this album is not perfect. After all, this was a band in transisition. Meant to be a solo Anderson project, the old band mates that had pumped out one amazing album after another for most of a decade had disbanded, leaving only Ian and Martin Barre to carry on the name. Dave Craney had the unenviable task of replacing Barrie(more) Barlow, the most energetic and dexterous of all the JT percussionists. Eddie Jobson was doing the work of both John Evans and David (now Dee) Palmer. The bright spot in the new lineup was the inclusion of our old friend, David Pegg; certainly the most entertaining and personable of all the Tull Bassists, who remained with the band for another 10 or 12 years. As for the music; there are a few memorable tunes here. Widely acknowledged as the best song on the album, BLACK SUNDAY is a ripping good tune that, if nothing else, demonstrates Ian's ability to string together a whole mess of words without taking a breath (try singing along and you'll see). THE PINE MARTIN'S JIG has long been one of my favorite instrumental pieces. Wickedly complex in it's ever changing time signatures, this had to be a bear to play live. While not much of a song lyrically, I have to admit that PROTECT AND SURVIVE has one of the most infectious flute licks Ian has ever written. I find myself humming or whistling the intro to that song frequently. Stylistically, this album resembles Ian's eventual and actual first solo album, INTO THE LIGHT. Lyrically, there's not a whole lot that's going to make you sit down and go "hmmm, why didn't I think of that?" Some of the lyrics are just laughable: "Self appointed guardians of the race, with egg upon their face.." or "I'm equal to the best of you, and I'm better than the rest of you." A far cry from the thought provoking THICK AS A BRICK, MY GOD, BAKER STREET MUSE, or WE USED TO KNOW, these lyrics are pretty much just filler for the music. The sound quality on this remaster is really much better than the original CD release, though the limitations of the analog recording equipment do still tell in places. As for the DVD re-release of Slipstream, the first Tull video. A treasure, an absolute hoot to watch. It's good that Ian and the boys took up music, cause acting just isn't in the cards for them. Ian wins the award for overdone facial expressions and corny gestures, but it's all fun to watch. You'll see scarey alien balloons, more aliens with eyeballs painted on their eyelids, and yet another alien dominatrix whose clever makeup job consists of a black stocking pulled over her head (oooooohhhh). Probably just for the real fans, but taken in the right spirit, this release is a pleasure none the less.
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Ian Anderson shares his favorite music, books, and movies with Amazon customers. See all artists' picks on our Music You Should Hear page.
See all 11 tracks on this disc
by Jethro Tull 
