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Review Summary: It’s a curious and interesting tribute to one of the best prog bands ever. Still, it remains a nice album but not as good as it should be. I bought this CD for a couple of years. I picked it up, mainly because of three reasons. First, due of the names of some of the artists involved. Second, because this is a tribute to one of the best and most important progressive rock bands that emerged in the 70’s. Third, because they’re also one of my favourite progressive rock groups ever.
The album was released in 1996 by Magna Carta and has fourteen tracks. “A Tull Tale” is an instrumental track written specifically for this tribute by Magellan, featuring Stan Johnson, Trent Gardner and Roger Patterson. “Aqualung” is the title track of “Aqualung” and is also performed by Magellan, featuring Trent Gardner, Wayne Gardner and Roger Patterson. “Up The ‘Pool” is from “Living In The Past” and features Roy Harper and Colm O’Sullivan. “Nothing Is Easy” belongs to “Stand Up” and features John Wetton, Mick Abrahams, Clive Bunker, Glenn Cornick, Ian McDonald, Phil Manzanera and Robert Berry. “Mother Goose” is also from “Aqualung” and features Lief Sorbye, Mike Varney and Robert Berry. “Minstrel In The Gallery” is the title track of “Minstrel In The Gallery” and features Robert Berry and Lief Sorbye. “One Brown Mouse” is a track from “Heavy Horses” and is performed by Echolyn featuring Brett Kull, Ray Weston and Paul Ramsey. “Cat’s Squirrel” was released on “This Was” and features Charlie Musselwhite, Derek Trucks, Mick Abrahams, Clive Bunker, Mike Summerland and Robert Berry. “To Cry You A Song” belongs to “Benefit” and features Glen Hughes, Mick Abrahams, Clive Bunker, Glenn Cornick, Derek Sherinian and Robert Berry. “A New Day Yesterday” is also from “Stand Up” and features Robby Steinhardt, Ian McDonald, Mick Abrahams, Phil Manzanera, Robert Berry, Clive Bunker, Glenn Cornick and Mike Vible. “Teacher” is also from “Benefit” and is performed by Wolfstone, featuring Ivan Drever, Stuart Eaglesham, Duncan Chisholm, Derek Sherinian, Mike Abrahams, Clive Bunker and Glenn Cornick. “Living In The Past” is the title track of “Living In The Past” and features Keith Emerson, Mick Abrahams, Clive Bunker and Glenn Cornick. “Locomotive Breath” is also from “Aqualung” and is performed by Tempest, featuring Robert Berry, Lief Sorbye, Rob Wullenjohn, Adolfo Lazo, Jay Nania and Michael Mullen. “Life Is A Long Song” is also from “Living In The Past” and features Matt Pegg, Dave Pegg, Tom Mates and Rob Armstrong.
“To Cry You A Song” is a nice album and very pleasant to listen to. It has a very interesting set of songs from Jethro Tull, despite it comprises almost only tracks from their first albums. In fact, except for “Minstrel In The Gallery” and “One Brown Mouse”, everything is from “This Was”, “Stand Up”, “Benefit”, “Aqualung” and “Living In The Past”. A minor complaint is that most of the songs stay too close to the originals. But as this is a tribute album, not a reimagining of the songs, I can accept that. Anyway, all the versions are in general good. However, the album has four tracks of with superior quality in relation to the others. I mean, “A Tull Tale”, “Aqualung”, “Minstrel In The Gallery” and “One Brown Mouse”. About the remaining tracks, some are more interesting than others, with the exception of “Cat’s Squirrel”, which is for me, a track which passed by me without great interest, in relation to the other remaining tracks.
About the four my favorite tracks, “A Tull Tale” is a new track with a great performance of Magellan that fits perfectly well into the music of Jethro Tull and represents a great tribute to them. The version of “Aqualung”, made by Magellan is, for me, a perfect choice by this great band, not only because it’s one of the best songs of Jethro Tull, but also because it fits perfectly well in Magellan’s music. I’ve listened to this version many times, and honestly, I don’t consider this version inferior to the original. “Minstrel In The Gallery” is also, in my opinion, one of the best tracks of Jethro Tull and represents also a great version of the original composition. “One Brown Mouse” is one of the simplest and most beautiful songs of Jethro Tull, and for my taste, this startling version of Echolyn is simply brilliant and amazing. This is probably my favorite track on the album. It only can make shine the name of this great American progressive rock band.
Conclusion: Can this collection of tracks be considered an excellent tribute to Jethro Tull? I really don’t think so. Why? First, because we can’t consider this album totally representative of the repertoire of the band. Second, and in general, I don’t consider it, an album with great new versions different from the originals. In reality, almost all of its versions are relatively faithful to the originals. Anyway, and in spite of everything I wrote before, we can say that “To Cry You A Song”, consists in the vast majority of the cases, in interesting versions, especially the wonderful versions made by Magellan and Echolyn, of which I’m a big fan. So, in short, if you are a diehard fan of Jethro Tull, this tribute is a compilation that maybe can satisfy you. The production and the sound quality are to notch. But, in what concerns to me, this is a nice album, but not excellent. The four tracks mentioned by me, can’t turning it in a excellent tribute piece.
Music was my first love.
John Miles (Rebel)
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Album Rating: 3.5
And now it's time to publish my last review about unknown prog projects here on Sputnik, for now. In the future I'll bring some more.
This time, it isn't properly a new project because it's only a tribute to one of the best and most important bands, Jethro Tull. The album has a really impressive list of prog artists that collaborated on it, making their versions of some of the most known songs, essencially of the beginning of the carrer of this magnificent band.
I hope you enjoy it, and this time I've the hope of have more comments since this time it isn't about a completellu unknown thing.
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Okay review, e210013. A big chunk of the review is taken up by just the list of song titles and people who perform them on the compilation, so it turns into a somewhat awkward read. But keep up the good work.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
The originals are way better than these versions which often sound artificial. No surprising since Jethro Tull always took the time to refine their songs to the point they are not imitable. The best ''trio'' is ''Mother Goose'' , ''Minstrel in the Gallery'' and ''One Brown Mouse''. The rendition is much identical to the original versions, except for ''Minstrel in the Gallery'' that could have been more punchy. It grooves enough though. Overall it's decent, but there are too much passages that hurt. They sometimes try too hard (and not in appropriate places) to differ from the originals, and the vocals are way too mild in places.
Good review, bro. I agree with Batareziz' comment about that long paragraph that breaks the flow of your review.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
@ Batareziz
Yeah, I can see what you mean. Even I had some doubts about that paragraph. But as this is a very special work with so many artists who chose so many different songs in the repertoire of Tull, I thought that it would be better mention all those things because some people may be interested on it. By the other hand, I think very few have a copy of the CD and thus, don't have access to the album's technical data sheet. It's also interesting to note that all the versions on the album have a detailed explanation made by one of the artists that participated on each song, explaining how they meet Tull and why they chose that track. Maybe my fault was not to put that paragraph in the beginning or in the end of the review. Anyway, the readers can jump over that paragraph, if they whant.
Thanks for your comment and participation, dude.
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@ Jethro
"The originals are way better than these versions which often sound artificial."
I completely agree with you. As I mentioned on my review, with the few exceptions mentioned by me, the tribute could be much better than it was. Initially i've rated it with a 3.0. Still, those exceptions made me rated it with 3.5. But by definition, an original is almost always better than a copy.
"It grooves enough though. Overall it's decent, but there are too much passages that hurt."
Again I agree with you. With the listenings you can enjoy it a bit much, but overall is somehow a deception work. With so great artists involved and with so great tracks they should have done a much better work. But I continue thinking that the version of "One Brown Mouse", and I'm sure you agree with me, is absolutelly astonishing.
By the way. Did you knew this work already? You was so fast with your comment!
About the paragraph, I already explained it in my comment to Batareziz.
Cheers, dude.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
''Did you knew this work already? You was so fast with your comment!''
No, I didn't know the existence of that ''Various Artists'' series, and as soon as I've seen ''To Cry You a Song'' as the title, I listened to it.
About the album, I don't have much pleasure to listen to it, for the same reasons you mentioned in your conclusion. Album versions don't really differ from the originals. They are too much faithful to the originals. Artists don't bring anything new to the table, and the album is not representative of the repertoire of the band. For all these reasons, I think it's an unecessary piece of work. It contains great performances nonetheless, and yes ''One Brown Mouse'' is gorgeous... so I give it a 3 for the good executions.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Agreed.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
It was very hard to me rating this album. As it is a tribute album it is necessary knowing the originals and I was not used to with some. After have listened to them, now it is time to give my opinion of this tribute.
I agree with the other comments. This is a good album that contains great performances, but is too much faithful to the originals don't bringging anything new to the world. Still, it has some great tracks, “A Tull Tale”, “Aqualung”, ''Mother Goose'' , ''Minstrel in the Gallery'' and ''One Brown Mouse'', bringging something great.
So, rating it with 3.5 is the best thing to do.
Nice work, e21. With you prog still burnning on Sput.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
I can see why. But explain me one thing. When you wrote:
"It was very hard to me rating this album. As it is a tribute album it is necessary knowing the originals and I was not used to with some. After have listened to them, now it is time to give my opinion of this tribute."
I presume that you mean their first albums. Is it true? Because, according to your ratings, it lacks to you many of their albums, especially the first ones.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Sorry, but I forget to mention that I'm glad that you have rated it, and that you liked it, too.
And of course, thanks for you contribution on my review, as always is usual.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Yeah, the albums with those tracks. I needed to check them first before listen to this album.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
I thought that, because you have didn't rated those albums before with the exception of "Aqualung". Did you listen to them all, already?
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No. I almost only listened to the songs covered on the tribute album. Why?
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Because, as you mentioned that me and Jethro are responsible for some of your knowledges about prog, here they are some useful informations about Jethro Tull, of my point of view, of course.
Tull have several musical phases, which happened with almost prog bands in the 70's. So, we have a first phase with their three first albums. "Stand Up" is a great album and their best of that phase. Then we have another excellent album "Benefit". Their debut "This Was" is good but is weaker. But all three albums are not properly prog albums. Their most heavy album and the best for some is "Aqualung". It's really a great album which somehow began their prog phase. "Thick As A Brick" and "A Passion Play" are probably the most prog, with the first one as one of te best prog albums ever. "Minstrel In The Gallery" is another exceptional album but different from the other two. "War Child" and "Too Old To Rock'N'Roll: Too Young To Die" are less prog and weakers. Then, to end with the 70's, we have a great trilogy from them, "Songs From The Wood", "Heavy Horses" and "Stormwatch". All three are very good, by this order in terms of quality, with the first one as a masterpiece and one of their best albums. These three albums belong to what is usually called their folk trilogy.
About the albums released after the 70's, I'm not very comfortable to talk about them. I think the best person, here on Sputnik, to talk about them is Jethro. I think he knows some of them. Once, I have read a comment of him, something about one of these albums that I can't remember which was it.
So, Intruder, here they are my impressions about the prog career, in the 70's, of one of the best prof bands ever and one of my favourites, too. I really hope that I hasn't been to much boring with so many details.
Cheers, buddy.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Thanks bro. This is very useful to me. Now I know your point of view about Tull career in the 70's.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
My favorite Tull album post-70 is by far the one that came out in 1995, and it's called Roots to Branches. It has pretty much the same sonority of their heydays. It's folk with a touch of medieval and it rocks as well. Another album that I love is ''A''. It was meant to be a Ian Anderson's solo album but to be more gainful, their record label preferred to release it under the banner Jethro Tull. It's more keyboard laden with a violin added to the mix, and it contains its share of catchy songs. It progs here and there too.
For the 70's, my fave albums are Thick as a Brick, Aqualung, Heavy Horses, Songs from the Wood and Minstrel in the Gallery. A Passion Play is rather quirky, eccentric and a little hard to get into. Stand up and Benefit are more bluesy, but we already see the good things to come into both of them.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Yeah, I remember right now, "Roots To Branches". From what I read it seems clearly their best work since the 70's.
My favourite Jethro Tull albums are, first "Thick As A Brick" and second "Aqualung". In the third place are three albums at the same level, "A Passion Play", "Minstrel In The Gallery" and "Songs From The Wood". Finally "Stand Up", "Benefit" and "Heavy Horses" close my top of preferences.
As you can see, our top is very similar with some small changes. Maybe the biggest difference is with "A Passion Play". I always was a great fan of it. I can understand the reasons and you aren't the only one. Some others called to it, a weaker clone of "Thick As A Brick". Sincerelly I never accepted that. I think its an album with a very own personality. My only complaint about it is the story in the middle of it. But as it's a story narrated in a very humouristic way I can live very comfortable with it.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Thanks guys for your help. Now I know for what I need to looking for in next time.
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