Roots to Branches

Jethro Tull | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: CAPITOL RECORDS
• ASIN: B000003JDA
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #296,249 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Remastered edition of this 1995 album. Whereas in the 1980s Jethro Tull had dabbled in heavy metal and modern rock, Roots To Branches hearkens back to the classic Tull sound, with a lot more flute, making it one of the band's more vintage-sounding offerings during their later era. Features ''At Last, Forever'', ''Dangerous Veils'' and more. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honestly, this has to be the finest Tull album in ages, October 13, 2006

By 

BENJAMIN MILER (Veneta, Oregon) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Roots to Branches (Audio CD)

There's always that occasion when a group goes through a periodic dry spell, and then they surprisingly releases one of their finest albums in a long time. Jethro Tull happened to be that one group. They had a comeback in 1987 with Crest of a Knave, mainly because people were happy to see the band return to guitar after spending the early '80s emphasizing too much on modern, synthetic-sounding synthesizers. It earned them a Grammy for Best Metal Performance, beating Metallica, which obviously angered the metalheads and puzzled Tull fans as well. Rock Island pretty much treaded the same ground as Crest of a Knave, while Catfish Rising found them bringing back their folk and blues roots, but the problem was that album could have been a lot better than it actually was (for example, I could live without "Doctor to my Disease" and "Still Loving You Tonight"). Then there was the 1992 live album A Little Light Music, which was more or less the Tull version of Unplugged, released around the same time Eric Clapton released his Unplugged, but of course, the Tull album was not recorded anywhere near MTV or its Unplugged program, so the album couldn't be called Unplugged. The album was largely acoustic (even Dave Pegg used an acoustic bass guitar), half them instrumental versions (demonstrating that Ian Anderson didn't have the voice he used to prior to Crest of a Knave).

But I was really surprised with Roots to Branches, the 1995 studio followup to Catfish Rising, I really think this is their best album since the late '70s! The music really took a giant step over its predecessor, many cuts harkening to their earlier sound, but of course there's still that mellow sound that permeates the more recent Tull. Some Middle Eastern influences are starting to pop up, but it's not in huge amounts, the best example being "Rare and Precious Chain". I never imagining Tull exploring Middle Eastern styles before, but they did it quite well here. I really also enjoy "Valley" and "Beside Myself". Many of the other songs have some rather progressive arrangements, like "At Last, Forever", and "Wounded, Old and Treacherous", meaning the progheads who might have given up on Tull by the 1980s might want to consider Roots to Branches. "Stuck in the August Rain" doesn't sound too far from something off Minstrel in the Gallery. Many of the songs also have orchestrations that sound like something David Palmer would do, unfortunately no mention of who conducted the orchestra, and for all I know, it was simply digital facsimiles from a synthesizer from Andrew Giddings.

I notice Dave Pegg only played on three cuts (I guess he was also busy with Fairport Convention, which, if I'm not mistakened, also had a new CD out around the same time), Steve Bailey handled the rest. Also, Pegg left for good after this album, replaced by Jonathan Noyce (who was born in 1971, which meant he was born the same year as Aqualung, and also meaning the group now had band members that were a generation apart in age difference).

Roots to Branches is certainly a breath of fresh air for me, the drums are real, real instruments, plenty of great flute playing (even more so, when Ian Anderson decided it would be better to emphasize his flute playing after he developed throat problams back in the mid '80s), and synthesizers that don't take over. This is certainly the finest Tull album they done in recent times, I was totally amazed. Tull fans will need this CD, even those who gave up on them long ago.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Album You Never Heard In Your Life, April 8, 2007

By 

Joseph Kimsey "Fareastnibelung" (Pac NW) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Roots to Branches (Audio CD)

Well, I suppose that quite a few hard-core Tull fans may have heard this, but by 1995, they weren't such a huge commercial force to be a reckoned with. Not since 1980's A had Tull released such a uniformly strong album, and one that would have fit in snugly with their 70's masterpieces.

Everything is here: Ian Anderson's lyrics are at their very best, as are his compositional and flute-playing skills. Martin Barre sounds positively rejuvenated, as his playing is even more supple than usual. The rhythm section is good, with Doane Perry's creative and dynamic drumming, and Dave Pegg and Steve Bailey both providing credible bass.

There isn't a weak song here. Roots to Branches is a majestic piece, and one with beautiful lyrics. Rare and Precious Chain, This Free Will and Out Of The Noise are all vintage Tull, with Tull's mixture of progressive rock and world music. A word here about Tull's progressive tendencies. Personally, I think that the reason why Tull has aged so much more gracefully than their 70's progressive-rock cohorts is that Anderson always ensured that there was an organic, folk base to their music. This basis gave Tull's music a timeless quality that eludes most of their contemporaries.

At Last Forever is a gorgeous song that evokes Autumn; a lot of Jethro Tull's music does this for me. Dangerous Veils is one of the all-time great Tull songs, and Valley is a work of genius.

It's simply a travesty that this came and went commercially in the States. Not only is it one of Jethro Tull's greatest albums, it's one of the greatest albums of the Nineties.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tull for a melancholy mood, February 25, 2000

By 

Bellagio "Bellagio" (Las Vegas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Roots to Branches (Audio CD)

Two aspects of this dark and important Tull album are striking: The palpable eastern influences in rhythm, melody and lyric and the stunning improvement Ian Anderson's flute playing. The flute (particularly the bamboo flute) is more prominent on this album than in perhaps any previous Tull album -- a remarkable statement when you think about it. Mr. Anderson has been, through the years, a capable and even strong flautist -- he has done more than any other musician in the "rock" era to give this instrument a foremost place in his work. However, on this album his flute work is extraordinary, well beyond anything he previously accomplished. From the very introduction of the opening track this is readily apparent.

The eastern influences, from the near east (Arabian), through Indian sub-continent all the way to China in the Far East, are primarily (but not solely) responsible for the somber, fatalistic tenor of this album.

This is an album of melancholy reflection on vexing and persistent life issues. If you are looking for something to liven up a Friday night after a few beers, this is most definitely not what you are looking for. If you want something that "Rocks!" go elsewhere. While there are up-tempo pieces contained here, especially early in the album, none of them can even remotely be considered a "rock song." The risqué, and often even raunchy, Tull humor (as in Catfish Rising) is nowhere evident. To be sure, there is plenty of wit in the lyrics but it tends more toward the cynical or fatalist viewpoint.

Religion, a recurrent theme in Tull music, plays a larger role here than in any album since Aqualung. But in this album the treatment is more thoughtful and far less bombastic. Youthful, intemperate certainty of opinion has yielded to a more cautious and careful examination of the influence and impact of religious thought on human actions. The title track is a dichotomy of gentle praise and equally gentle rebuke: "True disciples carrying that message to color just a little with their personal touch." The eastern influences in the music also provide a useful launching-point to treat us, lyrically, to more familiar, prickly barbs and witticisms about sectarian differences. There are carefully measured criticisms of intolerance and violence in "Dangerous Veils" and "Rare and Precious Chain" as well as a more overt condemnation of the conflict in Palestine/Israel ("Valley"). Overtly eastern-influenced rhythms and melodies dominate two standout up-tempo tracks early in the album, "Rare and Precious Chain" and "This Free Will". The first is the most pronounced example of Arabian influence, while the second is much more difficult to classify precisely -- seemingly touched by both Arabian and Indian influences. "This Free Will", because of its beat and powerful bass-line, is sometimes erroneously referred to as a "rocker". Both tracks are stunning, with barely hinted at religious overtones, demonstrating the incredible versatility of songwriter and band.

"Out of the Noise" is the most unusual offering on the album. It boasts an extremely fast tempo, with the music charging forward to mimic peak-hour traffic in a major Chinese city (Hong Kong?). The song appears to be a combination of jazz and rock, with a story-line revolving around the frantic life of an experienced and apparently successful dog-of-the-streets. For a little added encouragement in his nocturnal races through the streets between cabs and rickshaws our hero-mutt has the rather unsavory Chinese practice of eating anything that moves (or moves too slowly, in this case). This unorthodox song is one that takes some getting used to -- the frantic pace and jazz-like lyrical presentation do not immediately attract the ear. But the patient listener is in for a treat. Once the music is learned and becomes familiar this odd offering may well evolve into a favorite.

While the eastern sound is muted (but by no means gone) in the final four songs on this album, the melancholy tone is, if anything, enhanced. All four are true standout tracks, and together comprise one of the truly great accomplishments in the band's long history. All four are generally down-tempo, although the first, "Wounded, Old and Treacherous", has a brisk ending section that must rank as one of Tull's finest and tightest instrumental passages. "At Last, Forever", a song about dying (I told you this was no Friday night party album), has significant stretches where it ranks with "Requiem" as having the slowest tempo in the entire Tull repertoire. Like that mid-70's work, the sheer beauty of the music is transcendent. But in all honesty, it is difficult to get around the lyrical subject matter. As beautiful as it is, the tempo and lyrics combine to have a depressing effect. It isn't a song that will entice you to regular hearings.

The most positive song in the set, the equally beautiful "Stuck in the August Rain", breaks the mood. Not that the gloomy shades have receded entirely, but they are relegated, lyrically, to the mind of the protagonist in this love song. The happy, liquid dripping of the keyboard, carrying the main melody with that astounding flute, is the perfect counterpoint to the stormy guitars, musically setting the stage for this story of how our depressed Mr. Anderson is gently lifted from his (somewhat irrational) gloom by the perfect woman.

It's still raining in "Another Harry's Bar", a song that appears to be lifted in whole cloth from the jazzy-blues middle bridge of "Rocks on the Road". This time we're treated to the cold, dark English rain (indeed, "the mother of all rains") in this deeply melancholy and almost surreal reflection of life passed-by. There are no hints of the hot, parched eastern melodies, lyrics or rhythms that dominated the early part of this album. Nevertheless, it is perfectly fitting conclusion to this somber yet powerful album. It is an album destined to hold an important place in the Tull canon.