Customer Reviews

Minstrel in the Gallery

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I said in my 7 January review (below) that I planned to buy the remastered version of this release even though I already had the older CD version. Well, I bought it, and I'm just submitting this follow-up review to say that I'm very, very glad I did.

It's not just for the extra tracks, although those are nice. The two live tracks are no big deal; they're just the introductory acoustic portions of the two songs. Of the three studio tracks, two have been previously released and are of course good to have; "Pan Dance," previously unreleased [or is it? see comments], is an instrumental featuring Ian Anderson's flute and a fine orchestral arrangement by David Palmer. All well worth having, at any rate.

But the album itself is so good that it's worth having the remastered version just for the improved sound quality. I thought it was fine before, but compared to this one, the old one sounds like it was recorded through a bucket of mud. The remastering is so crisp, clean, and clear that you can hear every single sonic detail, from Anderson's acoustic guitar to Barrie Barlow's subtle percussion. And Martin Barre's electric guitar, which was penetrating enough on the older release, is now so sharp it's like an ice pick in your mind.

There's also (as in all these recent remasterings) a short set of liner notes by Ian Anderson himself. The lyrics are included twice -- once in a copy of the old album insert, and once in a set of new pages. (It's good that they're both included, as the new pages inadvertently omit a verse here and there.)

If you're a Tull fan, it's well worth picking up even if you already have the old one. Just thought you'd like to know.

Minstrel In The Gallery is a great hard rocking slice of progressive music. Back in 1979, when I was first exposed to this release, I wasn't too keen on it. But past experience with all things Tull had taught me that my patience and persistence would be rewarded. And so they were--more than with any other Tull recording.

For the progressive ROCK connosieur, Minstrel In The Gallery has everything. Great vocals with witty over-the-top lyrics, stinging guitars, inventive drumwork, solid bass playing, and some of the best string arrangements ever to grace a rock 'n' roll recording. Yep, Minstrel is my favorite from Tull. I'd take it over Thick As A Brick or Aqualung anyday.

As for the sound of this remaster, it is wonderful. Both of the previous versions (one on vinyl and one on CD) of Minstrel I've owned were lacking in some way. My old vinyl was almost completely devoid of treble frequencies, and the bass was rather flat. My old import CD version I purchased back in 1987 was way too bright with the same flat bass as the vinyl. The new remaster addresses all of these problems and more. I almost feel like I'm hearing Minstrel In The Gallery for the first time. Also, in direct contrast to recent general mastering practice, very little--if any--compression was applied to the music. The full scope of the dynamics are there to behold--not squashed for the sake of a louder CD. You just need to turn it up folks. What rock 'n' roller has a problem with that?

1st of all I must warn anyone looking to buy this that the 'live' bonus tracks are studio snippets from a radio program already released on the 20th Ann. Box Set. So forget about them, they fade out after a min. or so....however, this to me is one of Jethro Tull's most amazing lps. the inclusion of Summerday Sands and Pan Dance only enhance it's beauty!! Absolutely recommended!!

After "Aqualung" and "War Child" were such huge successes, I was worried that Jethro Tull had, as Frank Zappa phrased it, gone commercial. "Minstrel in the Gallery" corrected that notion. "Minstrel in the Gallery" returns Tull to their original self-defined genre.

I always get a kick out of people trying to fit Jethro Tull into any particular type of music, because they are just plain not anything. While they have elements of hard rock/metal, elements of pop, elements of progressive, elements of folk, elements of renaissance, and even a bit of classical here and there, they are all of the above and none of the above. They just are.

The opening track, "Minstrel in the Gallery", begins with hammering and noises that make it sound as though the group is on a stage that is being prepared for a play. The song then transitions into a bard-like minstrel song, and then takes off into a hard rock song. An excellent opening song that sets you up for the things to come.

"Cold Wind to Valhalla" won't fool you. There are some violins and flavor of folk/renaissance, but at around 1 minute and 45 seconds into the song it switches into overdrive and you realize you are listening to a solidly rock song. Excellent use of violins in this song to help the orchestration. Hard to believe that violins can be a hard-rock instrument.

You hear classic Jethro Tull in the beginning of "Black Satin Dancer", then some hard rock riffs, and you suspect what will come next in this song. And you would be right and wrong. This song is a sensual song with allusions of sexual foreplay and intense longing, perhaps even lust. Sometimes I felt some occasional elements of King Crimson, and then not. The hard rock elements intertwine with classic Tull and some occasional progressive flashes. A most excellent song.

Then you are lulled by the melancholy strains of "Requiem", as Ian Anderson and company sound more like Kansas or Simon and Garfunkel, and yet, the sound is still Tull. This song is meant to be listened to for the feel, and not for the words.

Then, as you move into "One White Duck/0^10 = Nothing at All" you realize that "Requiem" was a perfect transition between "Black Satin Dancer" and this song. I love this song, because it seems to have meaning, and seems to have no meaning, and you hover on the edge of understanding without understanding, though you think you should, and could, if you could listen a little longer and read the lyrics just one more time. But this song is, of course, classic Tull, and the lyrics do mean something, but they are art, and art is for the interpretation of the listener. Don't make too much of this song, and don't make too little. Just listen and love it.

Then, off to signature Tull, the extended, intertwined story-song, "Baker St. Muse". Here you have an intro about a muse, a very down-to-earth fellow crying out that Jethro Tull wasn't the commercial group that "War Child" seemed to make them out to be. We are in the gutter like we always were, singing about the things that haven't changed, and so on to the next part of our story...

The other songs are stories of the street, likely stories of the Baker St. Muse (aka Jethro Tull). These songs are very sexual. Today they might even get a warning label, even though there is no use of the crude words which seem so popular. There is no need; the point is well made without resorting to a limited, non-descriptive vocabulary. This group of songs finishes with "Mother England Reverie", which is a protestation that the singer is just a street player, a muse, and he'll never be anything but.

The CD finishes with a wrap-up song, "Grace", which is a marvelous little epilogue that not only finishes the CD, but also asks a simple, but layered question, "Hello breakfast. May I buy you again tomorrow?" In the context of the CD the question more likely means, can we be here tomorrow, can we still do what we are doing? And perhaps, in consideration of the other songs, will anyone care.

Sometimes I think of the songs, coming after the nearly-pop success of "Warchild", as being an apology for straying from the principles of Jethro Tull's music and style. Perhaps I'm wrong. Perhaps not. Regardless, listening to the seven albums before Warchild, and then "Warchild", and then "Minstrel in the Gallery", you realize that "Warchild" was not Tull's usual music, and "Minstrel in the Gallery" put them squarely back where they once were.

Jethro Tull has never been everyman's group. Never will. They occupy a unique place in modern music that will likely never be defined. This CD is solidly at the heart of the kind of music Jethro Tull is known for making. It is among the best of Jethro Tull.

This remastered version adds five additional songs of varying value, "Summerdays Sands," "March the Mad Scientist," "Pan Dance," a live version of "Minstrel in the Gallery," and a live version of "Cold Wind to Valhalla." This CD is worth having in your collection if you have yet to buy it. If you have it already and have a great stereo the remaster is also worth having. If you have it and you have a cheap stereo (like me), the remaster is probably not necessary unless you have to have the extra songs.

I haven't yet bought the newly remastered CD with all the extra tracks, so this review will comment only on the content from the older CD and the original LP.

This is one of my favorite Tull albums. I personally think that this is where they were really hitting their stride as a _great_ band.

The personnel at this point: Jeffrey Hammond is doing his last turn on the bass, Barrie Barlow is on drums and percussion, and John Evan is handling the keyboards. (David Palmer is here, as always, doing orchestral arrangements, but he's not yet a full member of the band.)

The content: searing electric rock and acoustic balladry, in a seamless mix that blends the influences of British folk music and modern rock into an organic whole. Turn it up and stand back.

The major highlight here is, of course, "Baker Street Muse," one of Ian Anderson's most autobiographical pieces (and the title of which makes a punning reference to the Baker Street mews in which he lived at the time). By turns bawdy seamy, earnest, cynical, and self-parodying, this sprawling, multifaceted opus continues Anderson's deeply ambiguous exploration of the harsh realities of poverty, homelessness, and such, with no easy resolution anywhere in sight.

There are also some delightfully gentle acoustic tunes alongside the serious rockers. Martin Barre shines, too, taking center stage as needed with his blistering electric-guitar work and also doing some subtle acoustic stuff when nobody is looking.

This album is good enough, in short, that even though I already have it on CD, I plan to buy the remastered one _anyway_. 'Nuff said.

Minstrel In The Gallery was one of the better Tull releases from this time period. With very good sound and content this remaster adds some bonus tracks(assuming from the same time period)but the booklet doesn't give that information unfortunately. The biggest gaffe here is the ridiculously short excuses for bonus live tracks. If you can't give me the entire song, don't bother, hence the 4 star rating. I hope that with future remasters, the booklets will be a tad more detailed about content and the snippet live tracks will be decided against. On the plus side: full lyrics, a forward by I.A., and the original gatefold sleeve from the lp version. Classic Tull indeed.

Behold this Cup of Wonder from possibly the most talented rock band that has ever been assembled. Jethro Tull has provided the listener with a symphony of sound that transcends all that rock music has to offer. Ian Anderson has made this newly mastered CD a signature piece that will stand the test of time, earning its place in history as a popular classic.
The CD's title track, Minstrel in the Gallery, is a mixture of Elizabethan folk that feels like warm water caressing the soul under a beautiful waterfall, then masterfully changes into a tour de force of Heavy Metal. This is only the beginning of Minstrel's Passion Play of Sound. Minstrel in the Gallery combines Rock, Folk, Hard Rock and Classical with such a high degree of mastery and taste achieved by no other before or since.
I dare to defy anyone not to feel the power and stunning emotion that is parlayed into the song Requiem. To my ear anyway, it is one of the most gorgeous melodies ever recorded. The rest of the CD plays with an equal host of excellence. With an added 5 bonus tracks, this CD is bound to enlighten all that come within hearing range.
When I was 14 this record had a profound effect on my personal and artistic growth. Over 25 years later it is still and honored and welcome guest to my stereo system. May it entertain you the way it always has me!!

I give it a 100 star rating!

Thank you Ian,
-Docchalk

I will add to the list of Tull skulls who adore this album! It is a bit quieter than some of my other favorites, but the intricacy and sublime contemplation on this one beguiles my brain. One of the most psychedelic albums of the whole period in my opinion. Maniacal, world weary, cynical, well yes...brilliant, musical, perceptive, well-crafted? Most definitely! Just don't expect radio hit central. Title cut and Valhalla most well-known probably and up there with the great Tull songs (and pretty rockin'), but the rest of the album is stellar as well! Black Satin Dancer, Requiem and One White Duck are very trippy, atmospheric songs and Baker St. Muse is on par with other Tull Rock "operas". Is there a better ending to an album than the appreciative Grace? The remastered version is excellent with some nice additions, especially Summerday Sands, March the Mad Scientist and Pan Dance. No finer way to pass an hour!!

A classic album of great music from one of England's finest bands! This was the final album the band did with Jeffrey Hammond-Hamond on bass, and he went out with a bang! This album was one of their best, giving a great mix of the band's harder rocking stuff with the acoustic folk music influences that sent them apart from most progressive bands. Best songs include One White Duck, Cold Wind To Valhalla, and the title track.
Definitely worth owning! The bonus tracks are great too.

How anyone could ever call this an inferior album is beyond me. This album has always been the pinnacle of the Tull experience for me and I have every album they have ever released. Minstrel is a masterpiece. The music is phenomenol and Ian Anderson soared with the most stunning lyrics of his career. Just reading the lyrics to this album alone is a revelation. Did it need a remastering? That is debatable. This album was great as a record and shines all the more in CD form, remastered or not remastered. The extras are a nice addition, especially March the Mad Scientist, Summerday Sands and Pan Dance (from the 20th anniversary box) but frankly, this album needs nothing to make it one of the greatest albums ever recorded. If someone is looking for a poppy sound, then perhaps this is not the Tull album to start with, but if you are looking for a brilliant creation that never wears out upon repeated listenings then look no further.