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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
It could be worse, May 2, 2002
This review is from: Jethro Tull: A History of the Band, 1968-2001 (Paperback)
I suppose if one knows nothing about Tull, this comprehensive overview could be very useful. If, however, you're a fan and already know the basic history, there is much less here than one might want. First, much is recycled from other sources. Second, the desciptions of the albums are far too subjective. Descriptive analysis of the music would have been worthwhile, but Nollen's opinions (and even worse, recycled reviews from Rolling Stone and the like) are unnecessary. Does anyone really care whether or not Nollen likes a particular album? A true history of the band, something that would detail the creation of the various songs, their instrumentation and studio techniques, how they relate to Ian Anderson's life, the details of their tours with descriptions of the staging, etc., i.e., something that does for Tull what "The Last Gang In Town" did for The Clash has, sadly, yet to be written.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not a biography at all, January 15, 2006
This review is from: Jethro Tull: A History of the Band, 1968-2001 (Paperback)
If you don't know a thing about Tull, you'll be lost in the first few pages. If you know a little, you'll still be lost in the first few pages. Even if you know a bunch about Tull, this thing becomes a tedious, plodding through the mind of an avid fan, all too eager to wave his back-stage pass in your face. I do hope one day someone will write a real biography on Tull; indeed, one of the great rock bands to emerge from the 60's. Perhaps Mr Anderson could get someone like Peter Guralnick or David Ritz to do a real biography. Until then, don't waste your money on this. You'll get much the same information by investing in one of the box sets (plus, you'll get something to listen to).
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Reference Guide to a Great Band, May 22, 2003
This review is from: Jethro Tull: A History of the Band, 1968-2001 (Paperback)
This book is the first I've read on Jethro Tull. I found it to be very interesting. It is more of a reference guide than the "good curl-up" Ian Anderson describes it as in his forward. The chapters are divided by album and subsequent tour, including Anderson's solo projects. I was drawn into the book by Nollen's preface and his brilliant short essay on the overall music of Tull. Nollen was an ordinary Tull fan from Iowa who was elevated to the privileged class of fans who have met and befriended the band members, particularly Dave Pegg. He received the cooperation of Pegg, Glenn Cornick, Doane Perry and the one-legged flautist himself to write this book which really adds to its credibility. It is very scholarly and well-organized. The footnotes reveal that much of this information was garnered from old reviews, the Tull fanzine A New Day, etc., which may result in less new information for the long-time Tull fanatic. I agree with another reviewer who stated that this book reads like a college Masters thesis. What I enjoyed the most from this book are the analyses of some of the lyrics to Tull's songs. I have a greater appreciation for "Aqualung" after reading this book. I also finally understand what is meant by "One white duck on your wall." I wish there was more of these lyric explanations as the descriptions of the sound of the songs (and I know, from writing reviews for Amazon how difficult it is to describe music in words) become rather tedious. I often skimmed over some of these descriptions, particularly concerning some of the later albums I have not heard as such words cannot bring music to life. For the most part, this is a very glowing, often sycophantic account. I love Jethro Tull, they are one of my all-time favorite bands, but some of Nollen's praise is a little much: "the band rollicked into one of the most incredible performances ever heard by a rock audience" (151), "Barrie Barlow...executes some of the most astounding snare drum rolls in the history of rock" (147). What is frustrating is Nollen's tendency to start an interesting story and then cut it off abruptly with an unrelated quotation. Glenn Cornick's statements about being fired are cut off by an Anderson quote about breaking even financially on an American tour (62). A story about Martin Barre and Dave Pegg having a knife pulled on them when they were trying to retrieve a stolen jacket ends abruptly with a Pegg quote on Barre's passion for leather (217). The many long quotations, especially towards the end of the book, make for very tedious reading at times. Still, this book is very impressive work and very valuable to the Tull fan.
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