Customer Reviews

Minstrel In The Gallery

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the album that launched a new era for Jethro Tull. After the excesses of Thick As A Brick and A Passion Play, Ian Anderson embraces the softer side of his lyric writing. The title track, a self-effacing and down-to-Earth laugh at the idea of rock stardom, shines better than ever in its crystal-clear remaster, but it is just an opener to a string of beautifully crafted songs. The epic Baker Street Muse has been broken down into its constituent parts and they can all stand alone, as well as together, perfectly well.
Martin Barre gets to rock with his guitar on Black Satin Dancer which twists, fades and climaxes with the triumphant orchestral work of David Palmer.
Summerday Sands - originally the B-side of the Minstrel In The Gallery single, and held by many to be one of Tull's finest, is a rare love song from Anderson with a wry and slightly bitter ending.
Another notable bonus track is Pan Dance, an enchanting flute piece with a background of strings that can carry you away on its melody.
This CD will be on every Jethro Tull fan's shopping list, but it also serves as an introduction to the band in that it encapsulates many of their multi-faceted styles in one collection. Beauty with an edge.

Have to admit, this was never one of my favourite Tull albums, and, never having upgraded to a CD version, this remaster was the first time I'd heard it in its entirety for almost 15 years.

And what a great album it is! Never mind the codpiece, here's the dog's bollocks: the interplay of acoustic guitar, flute and string quartet is delicate and dramatic by turns, melodies twist and turn and return in the most alluring fashion, and Ian Anderson never wrote a better set of love-twisted, postmodern, inventively fractured lyrics. Perhaps only when they 'rock out' do the band sound slightly rigid, with Martin Barre still in his 70s-style guitar mode of triplets-a-go-go topped with a grimacing squeal on the high fret. But when 'Summerday Sands' swings in after the original album's 'end', you know why this was such a unique band, and why, in the spectrum of what passes for 'rock' music, this is an astoundingly brave record for its time. Anderson has said it sounds like 'Roy Harper in love.' What more could you want?!

Grumbles: the two final 'live' tracks are the pointlessly edited versions which appeared on the 20 Years box set, and not the full versions. What a wasted opportunity. And whoever put the lyric booklet together (strangely) never bothered to proof-read the results: they're sourced from a Word document which doesn't recognize the apostrophe! i.e. "the old men[]s cackle" . . .
"there[]s nobody left for tennis" . . . Shoddy work.

Buy it for the sounds.

Recorded in Monte Carlo during 1975, Minstrel is arguably Tull's heaviest album, featuring some of the band's tightest arrangements (check out the instrumental sections of the title track, Black Satin Dancer and many sections of Baker St. Muse). Ironically, this album also featured Ian Anderson's finest collection of acoustic songs. These tracks are lyrically very beautiful, yet avoid the syrupy sentimentality that is prevailent in numerous other songs of this nature. Elsewhere, the lyrics appear very biting, personal and slightly sarcastic, particularly on Baker St. Muse. Is Anderson writing about himself or his experiences? There are references to aspects of his life at the time of Minstrel in Baker St. Muse. 'I have no house in the country, I have no motor car' (Anderson, at the time, was living on Baker St. Mews(get it!)in London and he did not have a car because he has never possessed a driving licence). Martin Barre's electric guitar work is powerful and very much at the forefront of the band's sound and Barrie Barlow's drumming is almost like an intricate arrangement in itself. It was reported that John Evans was playing a lot of Beethoven's piano music during the recording of this album and this finds its way into his playing on the record. There is a very classical, mournful approach to some bits and pieces, notably Black Satin Dancer. More direct and hard hitting than Warchild and more accessible and succinct than A Passion Play, Minstrel is a strangely dark album that showed Tull could rock and blend it successfully with the acoustic elements for which they have become recognised. Some may need time to become comfortable with the intense lyrics, but this remains an essential component of the Jethro Tull back catalogue.

The most energetic and creative Tull album equally balanced between all the creative members of the band with a live tension between the respective personalities and contributors. Ian's controlling ego has not quite overruled the other ingredients and as a result here is the most rewarding and memorable album actually recorded by an authentic band. Or was it simply that I was turning 18?

When I first bought this album some 35 years ago I thought that side 2 was the best side 2 of any album I'd ever heard. Over the years the side 2 of my album had got a bit worn out so I decided to get it on CD. I'm so pleased I did.

This is probably the most acoustic Tull album, but occasionally Martin Barre is given licence to play a bit as well.

Ian Anderson used to say he took up the flute because he felt he would never make it as a guitarist, and it was more portable as well. I would beg to differ (or I've fallen in to a big trap). The acoustic playing is gorgeous: the plectrum slides across the strings and lands perfectly on the individual notes to be picked out, and follows or counterpoints the melody beautifully (think of "Wond'ring Aloud", "Life's a Long Song").

With a capo on the third fret, he can't do anything wrong.

Istmi

Rocking and romantic... "Minstrel in the Gallery" is inspired and inspirational: Acoustic, sad, tender -- sometimes bluesy, other times folkish -- ballads and electric lively rocking pieces -- and a song which is slow and then fast, acoustic and electric, and above all truly passionate, such as Black Satin Dancer -- with a little help from David Palmer's arrangements for strings...
This album reaches the heights of "Aqualung", in my view, without being too similar. There's even a not-too-long suite, somewhat reminiscent of the more "prog" Tull periods, but with more "natural" sounds, perfectly in line with the rest of the album.
Pure Jethro Tull!

This is the first Jethro i 've heard when i was 10 years old in1977. This is now the best version never made and after 27 years this album sound always fresh ' cause the guitar and flute never died (see Roots to Branches of the same vain). It's sometimes quiet or hard and the Ian Anderson voice was at his best like the excellent WarChild album !

One of the (many) excellent, unique, masterful albums from the legendary Jethro Tull.
Their musicianship (even though the line-up changed over the years) is never less than stunning, the songs range from gentle ballads to all out heavy rock, via folk, jazz and classical.
I have been listening to Tull albums over the years (ever since "This Was") and (apart from a couple of synthesier oddities in the '80s) have been delighted, amazed and awe-inspired by them.
I saw Ian Anderson's tour last year (with most of Tull) and they are still wonderful...

good album, to be bought together with Stand Up, Aqualung, A Passion Play and Thick as a Brick
and you may say you have all the Jethro's best

what can I say absolutely brill Tull at his best two ducks on the wall what a track masterful don't make groups like this anymore