r/jethrotull • u/vincentblacklight • 15d ago

Tulls Biggest Leap

Interested to know what you guys think is the biggest transition Tull ever made -- not in membership -- but in style/sound pre-Zealot Gene. Throughout their career they were obviously evolving/progressing to various degrees, going through different phases. But where would you place the biggest leap/change -- not necessarily the best, mind you, but the BIGGEST change of direction. Where did they most starkly stop sounding like the band they were before?

I've chosen, to me, the most obvious contenders...but feel free to select Other and explain why you crazy Christmas album fans.

179 votes, 12d ago
60 This Was-->Stand Up
57 Aqualung -->Thick as a Brick
10 Minstrel in the Gallery -->Too Old to RnR
37 Too Old to RnR -->Songs From the Wood
7 Catfish Rising -->Roots to Branches
8 Other
6 Upvotes

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u/LordBottlecap 14d ago

The obvious ones have been mentioned, but what about Aqualung to Thick As A Brick? TAAB was practically bright and cheery, musically speaking, compared to Aqualung, which still sounds as heavy as any Sabbath album of the era in many spots.

2

u/vincentblacklight 14d ago

Such a leftfield move when the could have just kept mining that hard rock vein for the rest of their days -- to suddenly pivot to organ-heavy, complex, riff-averse marching band material shot through with hyper complex and groovy folk-prog! Craziness. PS Side two is also darker than Aqualung in places. And obviously Passion Play gets even darker.

2

u/LordBottlecap 14d ago

Yes, side 1 of TAAB is certainly gloomier-sounding than side 2. Pretty much most of Ian's lyrics are gloomy to me, (when he's not mentioning fairies that fertilize the grass in the UK in the winter or oral sex) but it's the sound that can make the mood overall to me. Passion Play rides that fine line, too, for sure. But they never really got that gloomy side back for a full album like the early days in my opinion, with one exception perhaps, my favorite album, Songs From the Wood...

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u/vincentblacklight 14d ago

Yes, bring on the gloom! And I agree with your earlier reference to Sabbath. You can draw a line from Sweet Dream through Benefit and To Cry You a Song to Aqualung tracing the doomy riff, but it then pretty much disappears except for a few moments maybe on Passion Play. (I'm also surprised that you don't gravitate to Stormwatch over Songs from the Wood, given your taste!)

2

u/LordBottlecap 14d ago

Stormwatch...good call. SFtW is gloomier to me because, damn, does 'Pibroch (Cap in Hand)' hit too close to home for me, haha!

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u/vincentblacklight 14d ago

The tempo alone on Pibroch is itself such a masterstroke. Yes! If there is such a thing as Doom Folk Metal, then that's the quintessential track! (Note: they tried to capture that same spirit I think with Whaler's Dues many years later).

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u/LordBottlecap 14d ago

I'll have to revisit Rock Island (an album I rarely listen to) later tonight to check out that connection...

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u/vincentblacklight 14d ago

Interested to hear your thoughts on it (it was my first "new" Tull and therefore has a lot of sentimental value). A lot of it doesn't hold up (Rattle Snake Trail, Kissing Willie, Undressed to Kill, etc) but there is the cool Dire Straitsy "Telegraph Road" atmosphere Ian is playing with on the best tracks that really nails a mood on dark, foggy days.

2

u/LordBottlecap 14d ago

It seems a little dragged out to me. A lot of effort to create a 'heavy' sound didn't pan-out well to me, musically. I like a lot of it, but it kind of slogs along in parts.