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JETHRO
TULL |
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Before
he strode off into the woods in search of heavy horses, Ian Anderson
turned Jethro Tull into a glam rock band, for a short time,
on the 1976 album release of Too Old To Rock N Roll:
Too Young To Die. Clearly with this album, the early
Tull vision had changed again. With the bands immense sonic
innovations already accepted by the masses, Ian began to write a kind
of tabloid cartoon style rock opera about a rock and roller called
Ray Lomas and his, till that point, unrenowned life. Interestingly,
Lomas looks a lot like Ian Anderson. This 2015 Chrysalis 4 disc box
set of Too Old To Rock N Roll: Too Young To Die
features a completely unique March 1976 re-recording of the original
December 1975 recordings, remixed by Steven Wilson. In hindsight,
Tull's March 1976 recording was quite fortuitous, in light of the
fact that many of the multi-tracks of the original master remain missing.
Also featured on disc 2 is the original album flat transfer
which may or may not be the same as the first and only Too Old
To Rock N Roll: Too Young To Die CD that came out
on Chrysalis, in the late 1980s. What is even more amazing is that
the March 1976 re-recording (newly remixed by Wilson) forms the album
part of the soundtrack for a fascinating, live, filmed performance
of the Too Old To Rock N Roll: Too Young To Die stage
show which featured Ian, Martin Barre, Barrie Barlow,
John Evan and the late John Glascock which is featured
here on DVD 1. The DVD featuring the filmed performance of the live
stage musical is truly eye-opening. Tull was considered among the
most theatrical of all the early pioneering rock bands from England,
and the video of the entire Too Old To Rock N Roll:
Too Young To Die album truly comes to life. Its a pity that
DVD wasnt available in 1975 because theres no doubt the
album would have been better received by the critics if fans could
see and hear Andersons original stage show intention of the
album concept. The
DVD video of the entire Too Old To Rock N Roll: Too
Young To Die album theatrical performance truly proves that, if
Tull were appreciated for being the pioneers of the first rock era,
they were also underrated as stage performers and actors as well.
The whimsical spirit of the era is ironically best encapsulated in
Tulls single, released in the aftermath of the album, Strip
Cartoon. A song not on the original Too Old To Rock N
Roll: Too Young To Die album, Strip Cartoon nonetheless
summons up the cheeky spirit of both Ray Lomas and Ian Anderson. Although
containing sonic art forms that while quite advanced might not yet
be fully adopted by music listeners, the two DVD titles here also
feature a myriad of DVD audio versions including a flat transfer of
the original 1976 quad Lp production master. For CD buffs,
on the two CDs here, theres a number of sundry bonus tracks
that are also remixed by Mr. Wilson, including found masters of the
original December 1975 recording, singles versions, instrumental versions
and a demo of the title track. The book part of the box set is a Tull
aficionados dream come true featuring new liner notes by Ian
Anderson, a myriad of essays, lyrics and track by track dates plus
additional contributions of all the artists and musicians from this
era of Tull. Jethro Tulls first 12 years, 1968 to 1980 forms
the spine of rocks original intention and the Too Old To
Rock N Roll: Too Young To Die four disc box set is
a sonic and video revelation that sets the record straight regarding
one of Jethro Tulls most unique creations. www.JethroTull.com
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