ElectricWiz said:
Soundmaster, being the other big Tull devotee here, I'd be interested in hearing what have become your favorite songs and/or CDs.
Really it's too hard for me to say (in ways), which is what is so great about them of course. I guess in the end it's kind of a holistic thing for me. Still, of obsession of late are:
War Child / Stormwatch - both hidden masterpieces.
Heavy Horses - From this phase of their career I probably like Songs from the Wood a tad better, but this album sneaks up on you and knocks you over.
Thick as A Brick / Minstrel In The Gallery - Of course
And both the boxset and Nightcap are getting a lot of play with me. But really, I like it all and listen to Tull pretty much every day (as I have for some time). I still don't have Passion Play, kinda saving it - next couple of weeks for sure.
Songs are a more difficult choice, and I can't really do a list of favorites for sure, not definatively yet anyway, but a few that make my hair stand up of late are:
Critique Oblique - Nightcap
The Whistler - Songs from the Wood
One White Duck - Minstrel
Broadsword - Broadsword and the Beast
Thick as a Brick part II - specifically at 6:40 into the song
With You There To Help Me - Benefit
Witches Promise
And well, the list goes on and on. Isn't it bizarre how many good songs they have? Each one is different from the next too. Ian Anderson is a genius.
Also, if I may be so bold, let me suggest you revisit Broadsword from time to time. You might get surprised when it really hits you....
Hey Wiz,
I missed this when you posted it (I was on vacation a few weeks back).
Anyway, this is hard being that Tull has so many awesome albums and songs and, from week to week, my favs have changed! As I see it, their output can be placed into different "eras", where one sound/style predominated.
To my ears, those are:
bluesy era (debut, Stand Up, Benefit)
stand alone (Aqualung, as this album was a bridge between the bluesy era and what came next...
prog era (Brick, Passion Play)
underrated era (for lack of a better term, with War, Minstrel & Too Old!)
'heavy wood' era (Songs from the Wood, Horses, Stormwatch)
Then, of course, the 80s and so on.
Of the aforementioned era, it's nearly impossible for me to choose, but I'd probably lean towards the "heavy wood" era! To my ears, those albums are the most representative of Tull, in general.....the great flute, the beautiful acoustic guitar, the progressive epic songs, the wonderful lyrcis which allow for deep introspection and contemplation! Truly an amazing, otherwordly band. And impossible for me to choose a fav track.
One note concerning Passion Play / Chateau d'Isaster Tapes: the majority of the Chateau album ending up being incorporated into Passion Play, so you'll immediately love PP being that you're already familiar with much of it!
As for Broadsword, I love the title track....some of the remainder is good, particularly the 'bonus tracks', but overall, the album isn't up to par with the 70s material. In fact, I think I might enjoy "Crest" a bit more. Much too "80s ish" in sound, but some strong songwriting.
Have you ever heard 1980's "A"? I've not yet heard any of it.
I did recently pick up 1995's "Roots To Branches" and totally love it! It's a throwback to the 'heavy wood' era! And, making it even stronger is the fact that Ian 'relearned' how to play the flute in the 90s, so it sounds much cleaner with less of his "voice" coming through (make sense?). Of course, his vocals have slipped a bit, but it's still an amazing record!
Now I need to venture out into his solo work!
