British art band rolls along at 40 Jethro Tull’s new concert DVD?shows their versatility DOUG GALLANT
The Guardian
Eccentric. Progressive. Arty. Quirky.
At one point or another, all of those adjectives have been applied to Jethro Tull.
Another adjective often used to describe this veteran British band is enduring.
It’s most appropriate.
Flautist/bandleader Ian Anderson, guitarist Martin Barre and their various partners — a roster that has included a pre-Black Sabbath Tony Iommi, Blodwyn Pig guitarist Mick Abrahams, keyboard player/violinist Eddie Jobson and drummer Dave Mattacks among others — have kept Jethro Tull on the rails now for 40 years and still pack concert venues around the world.
To mark the band’s 40th anniversary this year the vaults have opened up to reveal a number of treasures for longtime fans, most notably a collector’s edition of the record that really started it all, This Was.
But the release that captured my attention is Jack In The Green, a concert DVD featuring highlights from five shows staged in Germany between 1970 and 1993.
This set features exceptional live versions of Tull gems like Thick As A Brick, Aqualung, Locomotive Breath, Nothing Is Easy and Pussy Willow. There are 18 tracks in all here, fully half of which were recorded in 1982 for the popular German television show Rockpop In Concert when the band was touring in support of its Broadsword And The Beast album.
The footage here captures the band at the peak of its popularity and goes a long way to explaining how they have managed to hang on to a significant chunk of their fan base from their very first days as Jethro Tull, a name given to the band by a member of the staff of their then booking agency with an interest in history. The real Jethro Tull, for those who might be curious, was an 18th-century British agriculturist.
As this DVD clearly attests, Tull live is an impressive beast.
Anderson, dressed in all manner of period fashion, prowls the stage on these sessions like a wolf on the hunt, his flute never far from his lips, although he also plays mandolin and a number of other instruments almost as well as he plays his trademark flute.
Barre, a brilliant guitarist, routinely delivers performances that place him in the ranks of elite players.
The remaining band members are consistently strong because Anderson has always drawn from the A pool.
You needed to play at that level in order to keep up with him and the kind of music he’s made a career out of serving up, an eclectic mix of blues, jazz, classical music, folk and progressive rock.
Tull fans will find much on this DVD to get enthused about.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
U.S. pop singer shows
real chops on debut disc
Powered by the mega single I Kissed A Girl and the equally cheeky Ur So Gay, Katy Perry’s debut album One of The Boys has become one very hot property and catapulted the Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter into the big leagues.
But there’s a lot more to Perry than catchy little radio singles.
The former gospel singer — she recorded an album of gospel music under her real name Katy Hudson — has a very good head on her shoulders and a knack for penning good, straightforward pop songs with interesting lyrics that show her to be a keen observer of the people and the world around her.
Perry has a biting wit which she exercises often, but is also capable of penning emotionally charged ballads about relationships gone south, people gone wrong and dealing with loss.
She penned three of the album’s 12 songs alone and co-wrote the remaining nine, working with A-list songwriters like Cathy Dennis, Desmond Child, Dave Katz and the Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart.
Perry, one of the big draws on this summer’s Vans Warped Tour, injects a lot of passion and raw emotion into her music, much like the two artists who serve as her greatest inspiration, Alanis Morissette and the late great Freddie Mercury.
Fortunately, she has a voice that allows her to do that.
For One of the Boys she also had the benefit of working with some good producers who knew when to let her loose on a song and when to rein her in, a team that included the aforementioned Dave Stewart, Avril Lavigne’s producer, Dr. Luke, and Butch Walker, who’s also worked with Pink and The Donnas.
Keep your eyes on Perry.
Choice cuts on this EMI release include Waking Up In Vegas, Thinking of You, I’m Still Breathing, Fingerprints and If You Can Afford Me.
Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 5
Doug Gallant, a Guardian reporter, writes his music review column for The Guardian every week. He welcomes comments at dgallant@theguardian.pe.ca.
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