Not Exactly a Guilty Pleasure

I wouldn't say Jethro Tull is my favorite band, but you wouldn't know it by looking at my CD collection. I'd bet I have more JT than any other band, and it's not embarrassing exactly, but Tull really has no street cred. Most women don't care for them, and of course, they were a joke when punk came along --- and let's not even talk about the whole Metallica thing. I watch their videos and cringe. I remember seeing Ian Anderson interviewed on (I think) David Letterman, and Ian was in his country squire mode, so affected and uncomfortable I thought he'd bite his pipe stem in two.

All that being said, I still enjoy the music, and at the end of the day, that's what really matters. I remember (iffy at best!) that I first saw Jethro Tull on some TV special hosted by Leonard Bernstein. The point of the special was to show adults that the "kids" were listening to classical music and they didn't even know it! The Nice (with pre-ELP Keith Emerson) played "Country Pie" with all sorts of classical riffs thrown in, and Jethro Tull did "Bouree", based on a Bach piece. Ian looked a sight -- wore a long ratty greatcoat, played the flute (!), and he had that (now) iconic one-legged stork pose. How could I resist? Bought "Stand Up", their second album, and loved it. (This was the LP version, with the gatefold sleeve and the little pop-up of the band inside that really did stand up.) Still one of my favorites today.

Went back to their first LP "This Was", which even upon release was a transitional album, as they replaced guitarist Mick Abrahams with their permanent guitarist Martin Barre and left their more blues-based material behind. "This Was" is notable for the inclusion of a Rahsaan Roland Kirk song "Serenade To a Cuckoo", a brilliant move by Ian to not only show the main influence on his flute playing (Rahsaan did that whole huffing-and-puffing-and-singing-through-the-flute thing) but to acknowledge it up front so he couldn't be accused of stealng the style. The LP is spotty (uh oh, drum solo anyone?) but still a favorite. Somebody at the record store accidently spilled patchouli oil on my copy -- bonus!





I saw Tull live in Seattle a couple of times, even caught the '71 tour where they previewed a bunch of the "Aqualung" songs. Bought the "Benefit" LP and played it to death (not so much these days) and of course, their most famous, the "Aqualung" album. As much as I give lip service to the idea that albums are meant to be a full artistic statement, I find that I really do use the old 'skip' button on the CD player. The former Side Two of "Aqualung" I pick and choose the best tracks, but I can still listen to the former "Side One" uninterrupted.

And some time this fall, there's supposed to be a 40th Anniversary remixed version of "Aqualung" coming out. Was it really that long ago...

Next time: Living in the Past!

Back when I was able to get music at cost, I splurged on a few box sets (Miles Davis) -- and these great collections. They're both filled with both classic and obscure soul music, but the kicker is the great packaging. Somebody at Rhino had fun with these! "Beg, Scream & Shout; The Big Ol' Box of 60s Soul" has the CDs housed in a replica of the kind of box you'd use to transport your best 45s to a party. Even the inner sleeves are reproductions of original 45 jackets.

And "Can You Dig It? The '70s Soul Experience" comes with fake 8-track tapes! Genius, and a fitting package for a dynamite collection.

Holy Modal Rounders: Punk, Old-Time Style??

As I've mentioned earlier, the Holy Modal Rounders gave the finger to the folk music Olde Guard. Lyrics weren't sacrosanct, melodies could be appropriated, and enthusiasm was paramount. The HMR said "We ARE the folk, and this is how we do it!" Not really, I'm guessing, with the various drugs involved -- they seem like a band who fell into their approach to the folk tradition.

And to some, their "approach" was more like an attack: reckless abandon lyrically (if they didn't know the words, they'd substitute sometimes random, sometimes bawdy variations -- "Black Eyed Susie" anyone ?!?)

Lots of 'trad. arr.' on their first 2 LPs, or as the liner notes list it, "trad err": ("The Holy Modal Rounders" and...wait for it... "The Holy Modal Rounders 2"). Love "Flop Eared Mule" from HMR2 -- they get the lyrics wrong at one point, but soldier on. Brilliant!