Post by Mark Lavallee on Sept 1, 2012 22:25:04 GMT -5
Now we have come upon 1976's much maligned Too Old To Rock And Roll, Too Young To Die. In my view, this is Tull's weakest album of the '70s. Like War Child before it this album was the result of a failed, more ambitious project. Where War Child was the result of a film that failed to materialize, Too Old was the result of a stage musical that failed to materialize - a rock opera of the sort Ray Davies was putting out with The Kinks. So, there were some grand ambitions here but...
Released April 23rd in the UK where is peaked at a lowly #25, and on May 1st in the states where it peaked at #14, their lowest placing since 1969. Ouch.
The album marks the debut of bassist extraordinaire John Glascock (or, "Brittle Dick," as Anderson would refer to him on stage, LOL). Glascock met Anderson when his band Carmen (a rock/flamenco band, no less) opened for Tull on the War Child tour. He was the first harmony vocalist to join the band.
The story told on the album? Well here's the Wikipedia entry:
The cyclical nature of fashion. Don't change your style or the way you dress because eventually you'll be in vogue again!
The original idea for the stage play involved different characters from different walks of life, the aging rock star, a housewife, an artist, etc. When the play was abandoned Anderson took the easiest character and made an album out of it. Tull were still a huge band in the states and continental Europe, but album sales weren't what they had been and Anderson was smart enough to see the writing on the wall. The album would be released just before punk attempted to destroy all the, "Dinosaur," bands (those who had been around for a mind-bending 6-8 years, LOL). The fact these tunes were written for a stage musical would limit them both musically (or stylistically) and lyrically, so could this collection of songs still work as a, "Jethro Tull album?"
Side A opens with the track, "Quizz Kid." A very nice orchestral tease of the title track opens the song before it quickly is
overtaken by a mid-paced rocker. One of the better tunes on the album shows off every member of the band and advances the
storyline. Next up is, "Crazed Institution," lyrically, it is one of the most biting songs on the album. This one is about fame and the dire situation of someone past their prime desperately trying to live off an old hit single, and how hard it is for someone to have lightning strike twice. The humor in the song is quite Pythonesque, comparing writer's block to constipation, LOL. Another short, sweet rocker. Nothing labyrinthine for the hardcore prog fans to over analyze but a good short simple tune to relish.
Next up is the short and sweet acoustic number, "Salamander," one of my favorite tunes on the album. A nice song about a quick love affair. Then comes, "Taxi Grab," a nice bluesy rocker which is Martin Barre's moment to shine on the album. It was rare after the 60s for the band to show off their blues origins and this one is a nice treat in that regard.
The side ends with, "From A Dead Beat To An Old Greaser," my pick for best song on the album. It's imagery of the Beatnik era is quite beautiful and musically it's just a wonderful piece with a great sax solo in there. The violin is very nice and it has a great sad vibe.
Side B opens with the very brief bluesy acoustic number, "Bad-Eyed And Loveless," which features the great play on words "I'm self raising and I flower in her company." This is a nice quiet blues bit and I like it a lot. Up next is, "Big Dipper," with it's imagery of Pleasure Beach in Anderson's hometown of Blackpool. Big Dipper is the name of the rollercoaster there. Nice imagery and a nod to the football (soccer to Americans) hooligans who would vandalize the area, LOL. While I love the lyrics I wish I could say the same for the song musically, but to me this is just mid-tempo filler.
Up next is the title track which I've never been a huge fan of - it has always felt overlong to me (5:44 being overlong, LOL) It should however be familiar to classic rock radio fans, it's not as overplayed as tunes from Aqualung, "Teacher," or, "Bungle In The Jungle," but I've heard it quite a bit. It does have a very strange video.
Next up is, "Pied Piper," an acoustic based rocker with a good chorus, I quite like it. And then the album concludes with the
orchestral, "Chequered Flag (Dead or Alive)," one of the msot beautiful songs in the entire Tull catalog. The more mature songs on the album (Flag, Greaser, etc.) really shine here. Not the best Tull album, but still an essential part of the discography.
The remaster comes with two bonus tracks. "A Small Cigar", a fun, silly song and, "Strip Cartoon," which is similar to Pied Piper, really. It was a B-Side in 1977.
Final thoughts:
The sore thumb of Tull's mid-70s peak. Stick with it and it is a grower though admittedly it is the weakest album of the decade for the band. Some real peaks, most notably the two absolutely beautiful album-side enders, though there is some material that, dare I say it, could be considered to be filler.
Final rating - 3.75 out of 5 stars
Released April 23rd in the UK where is peaked at a lowly #25, and on May 1st in the states where it peaked at #14, their lowest placing since 1969. Ouch.
The album marks the debut of bassist extraordinaire John Glascock (or, "Brittle Dick," as Anderson would refer to him on stage, LOL). Glascock met Anderson when his band Carmen (a rock/flamenco band, no less) opened for Tull on the War Child tour. He was the first harmony vocalist to join the band.
The story told on the album? Well here's the Wikipedia entry:
It would follow an aging and retired rock star named Ray Lomas as he wins money on a decadent quiz show, but finds that society has changed so much that, with no one left like him any more, he has no way of enjoying his money the way he did in the 1950s. He then decides to commit suicide via motorcycle crash but fails and lands himself in a hospital in a coma for an undetermined amount of time.
When he awakes he discovers society has changed again, and his style of dress and music are now popular again. In addition, the advanced medicine he is treated with after disfiguring his face and damaging his body in the crash makes him twenty years younger.
He has become an overnight sensation with the young kids who now try to dress and act like him.
When he awakes he discovers society has changed again, and his style of dress and music are now popular again. In addition, the advanced medicine he is treated with after disfiguring his face and damaging his body in the crash makes him twenty years younger.
He has become an overnight sensation with the young kids who now try to dress and act like him.
The cyclical nature of fashion. Don't change your style or the way you dress because eventually you'll be in vogue again!
The original idea for the stage play involved different characters from different walks of life, the aging rock star, a housewife, an artist, etc. When the play was abandoned Anderson took the easiest character and made an album out of it. Tull were still a huge band in the states and continental Europe, but album sales weren't what they had been and Anderson was smart enough to see the writing on the wall. The album would be released just before punk attempted to destroy all the, "Dinosaur," bands (those who had been around for a mind-bending 6-8 years, LOL). The fact these tunes were written for a stage musical would limit them both musically (or stylistically) and lyrically, so could this collection of songs still work as a, "Jethro Tull album?"
Side A opens with the track, "Quizz Kid." A very nice orchestral tease of the title track opens the song before it quickly is
overtaken by a mid-paced rocker. One of the better tunes on the album shows off every member of the band and advances the
storyline. Next up is, "Crazed Institution," lyrically, it is one of the most biting songs on the album. This one is about fame and the dire situation of someone past their prime desperately trying to live off an old hit single, and how hard it is for someone to have lightning strike twice. The humor in the song is quite Pythonesque, comparing writer's block to constipation, LOL. Another short, sweet rocker. Nothing labyrinthine for the hardcore prog fans to over analyze but a good short simple tune to relish.
Next up is the short and sweet acoustic number, "Salamander," one of my favorite tunes on the album. A nice song about a quick love affair. Then comes, "Taxi Grab," a nice bluesy rocker which is Martin Barre's moment to shine on the album. It was rare after the 60s for the band to show off their blues origins and this one is a nice treat in that regard.
The side ends with, "From A Dead Beat To An Old Greaser," my pick for best song on the album. It's imagery of the Beatnik era is quite beautiful and musically it's just a wonderful piece with a great sax solo in there. The violin is very nice and it has a great sad vibe.
Side B opens with the very brief bluesy acoustic number, "Bad-Eyed And Loveless," which features the great play on words "I'm self raising and I flower in her company." This is a nice quiet blues bit and I like it a lot. Up next is, "Big Dipper," with it's imagery of Pleasure Beach in Anderson's hometown of Blackpool. Big Dipper is the name of the rollercoaster there. Nice imagery and a nod to the football (soccer to Americans) hooligans who would vandalize the area, LOL. While I love the lyrics I wish I could say the same for the song musically, but to me this is just mid-tempo filler.
Up next is the title track which I've never been a huge fan of - it has always felt overlong to me (5:44 being overlong, LOL) It should however be familiar to classic rock radio fans, it's not as overplayed as tunes from Aqualung, "Teacher," or, "Bungle In The Jungle," but I've heard it quite a bit. It does have a very strange video.
Next up is, "Pied Piper," an acoustic based rocker with a good chorus, I quite like it. And then the album concludes with the
orchestral, "Chequered Flag (Dead or Alive)," one of the msot beautiful songs in the entire Tull catalog. The more mature songs on the album (Flag, Greaser, etc.) really shine here. Not the best Tull album, but still an essential part of the discography.
The remaster comes with two bonus tracks. "A Small Cigar", a fun, silly song and, "Strip Cartoon," which is similar to Pied Piper, really. It was a B-Side in 1977.
Final thoughts:
The sore thumb of Tull's mid-70s peak. Stick with it and it is a grower though admittedly it is the weakest album of the decade for the band. Some real peaks, most notably the two absolutely beautiful album-side enders, though there is some material that, dare I say it, could be considered to be filler.
Final rating - 3.75 out of 5 stars