Minstrel in the Gallery (Jethro Tull) | Extended Play Lounge Ep. 36
Added 2023-01-18 16:33:51 +0000 UTCAfter a hard-fought win in the latest poll, I am pleased to present my reaction to Minstrel in the Gallery by Jethro Tull. I was quite taken with this album. On the surface, it's a lovely collection of songs and sounds. But, underneath the surface, we see a songwriter who is really questioning his past and his future amid the dissolution of his marriage. The lyrics are obtuse but personal. And, the album provided a wide-ranging emotional listen. I hope you enjoy!
Comments
Minstrel might be my favorite Tull album. I hope you get to Too Old to Rock 'n'n Roll... It was the next album released the same year.
Potted Rodent
2024-02-17 23:16:59 +0000 UTCWould love for you to eventually get to their early albums (especially "Stand Up" and "Benefit"). They are more bluesy (and less thematically linked---song to song---) but are interesting nevertheless. . .
Allen
2023-12-02 01:29:33 +0000 UTCHow the hell is this man, Ian Anderson, and this band not in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame… but I don’t think he really cares…
Steve Hartke
2023-09-22 07:06:07 +0000 UTCProbably my favorite Tull album apart from TAAB and APP. Ian totally bares his soul on this & you can really feel it. I love all the changes & disjointed-ness of the album - at least for me, it keeps both my mind & heart involved. Thanks so much for the review!
Ford H. Cotton III
2023-09-07 21:21:10 +0000 UTCHello Doug. Thanks again for another fine review. Jethro Tull has always been one of my favorite bands. I consider Ian Anderson to be the most underrated songwriter in popular music. This album, however, is not one of my favorites from Tull, although the title track is an epic rocker form the band. May I humbly recommend other Tull albums llke "Songs from the Wood" or "Heavy Horses" where Ian successfully incorporates more traditional English folk music into his own unique take on prog rock music. Also, I find "Benefit" to be an interesting pre- Aqualung album that combines jazz, rock, and blues in again, a unique way. Cheers!
Gerard Dion
2023-06-18 01:23:59 +0000 UTCHas Doug done Songs From the Wood?
Jeffrey CASSIDY
2023-01-24 02:44:33 +0000 UTCFYI: Ian's second wife, Shona, was a ballet dancer. Tull toured with a string quartet.
David Granger
2023-01-23 23:45:03 +0000 UTCI'd describe Ian's lyrics here as abstruse not obtuse.
David Granger
2023-01-23 23:42:52 +0000 UTCI have never heard this album, I only knew the first and the last song. I loved the whole journey with you Doug, I'm glad you tell us things along the way and don't pause the music . Thanks for the effort, Sir.
Jan Michael
2023-01-21 23:18:35 +0000 UTCWell said, Gary! "Baker Street Muse" is perhaps one of the best suites of JT's music in their whole career. Observant, cynical, naughty, visual, and everything else which most JT fans (like me!) love about the group. And as a guitarist, I can honestly confess that learning to play most of this was far more challenging than any of their previous albums.
Rick Morse
2023-01-20 22:27:22 +0000 UTCThese sorts of EPLs are why I’m a patreon member! Excellent discussion!
Gary Thobaben
2023-01-20 21:25:56 +0000 UTCSame!
bobj
2023-01-20 03:04:42 +0000 UTCThank you for your comment. These are the kind of things you never find out if you don't get those hints. I can remember that my friend from England explained the term "a salty dog" to me, decades after I started to listen to that famous Procol Harum album...
Bernie
2023-01-19 18:08:33 +0000 UTCThanks Brian!
R. Douglas Helvering
2023-01-19 17:28:04 +0000 UTCThanks a lot to Doug, and also the other commenters here. The album has long been one of my favorites. However, I mostly enjoy the sound of it, and the variety of acoustic and electric, short songs and long songs, spare and complex, soft and loud. I rarely spend as much time as I should analyzing song lyrics to understand their meaning. Doug helps me think about music I am familiar with through a fresh set of ears. I appreciate it.
BRIAN MILLER
2023-01-19 16:30:40 +0000 UTCA note about "One White Duck:" at the time in British houses, sometimes a family would put a set of porcelain ducks on the wall as a decoration showing the family. Think of it like family decals on a car here in the US. Now there's only one white duck left, the other one representing Ian is removed. Between that and his "my zero to your power of 10 equals nothing at all" line, he's not only blaming himself for the failure of their marriage, but empathizing with her in the moment. It's a really vulnerable, mature look back at a failed relationship.
Blinky
2023-01-19 03:48:24 +0000 UTCWonderful Doug, really got to the roots of Minstrel.
Jim Reeves
2023-01-19 03:22:34 +0000 UTCAmong my 3 favorite JT albums (Stand Up and Songs from the Wood are the others), but this and the live album feature the absolute best drumming in their catalog. Barrie was such an excellent player. (Hmmm....wonder if I could interest Doug in a listen to the short-lived "Tallis" offshoot of JT, with John Evan, David/Dee Palmer and Barrie.)
Peter Tutak
2023-01-19 02:26:30 +0000 UTCExcellent reaction. Next up from Tull should be Songs from the Wood, an album where they explore English Folk Rock
Dave Cohen
2023-01-19 01:30:15 +0000 UTCYes, there seems to be a kind of herky-jerky approach to the playing on most songs (with the full band); makes for an intriuging listen. I also love this album because of the acoustic brilliance (just like Led Zeppellin III). some of those rhythm patterns on the guitars are not easy. Thanks for the analysis of "Requiem" (definitely adds a layer to the listening experience---especially with the butterfly/sun lament; I can also read it as what Adam experienced after the Fall).
Allen
2023-01-19 01:12:46 +0000 UTCIan Anderson is my favorite acoustic guitar player. This album helps explain exactly why I feel that way.
M. Gideon Hoyle
2023-01-18 22:05:22 +0000 UTCNever thought of it that way, good call!
David Edinborough
2023-01-18 20:59:12 +0000 UTCHaven’t even watched, Doug’s write up here is fantastic. Minstrel was always a special JT album to me, we get an introspective Anderson that we’d rarely see again on record.
David Edinborough
2023-01-18 20:58:07 +0000 UTCI always took the bird referenced the second time in Requiem as a term for a woman, in contrast to an actual bird the first time around. He's saying "I saw a woman today, but I'm not ready for all that comes with a new relationship now given what I've just been through, so I'm just gonna mosey on down the strand and pretend I don't see her".
seth cohen
2023-01-18 18:49:42 +0000 UTCWhen I voted for it, a big solace was that every other selection would also be a great one. I am still delighted this one "won". And I am still struck by this masterpiece.
Bernie
2023-01-18 18:35:13 +0000 UTCThis was in heavy rotation back in the day. Tull had such a signature sound, immediately identifiable, quality stuff.
Christopher Arters (relative timeworx - Mr.A)
2023-01-18 18:20:21 +0000 UTCThank you Doug, this was a first time listen for me. Very moving.
Richard Plante
2023-01-18 17:52:08 +0000 UTCWhoa, very surprised and happy this album won. It's among my very fave Tull releases.
Murdock Moriarty
2023-01-18 17:24:28 +0000 UTCSuch a great album! Hard to go wrong with the mighty Barriemore on drums 😄 Thank you Doug!
Thord Sandström
2023-01-18 17:20:34 +0000 UTCWoohoo! I was hoping this would win. The last of the great Tull albums IMHO, and one that is often overlooked. Back to earthier, organic instrument tones and away from the circusy-ness of the previous album. Thank you!
seth cohen
2023-01-18 17:14:57 +0000 UTCOne of my favorites! A Passion Play is probably the most musically adventurous Tull album, and surpasses Minstrel on that count, but Minstrel is a great collection of songs, each one a gem.
Richard Moore
2023-01-18 16:42:35 +0000 UTC
