My top 5: 1. Thick as a Brick Such an amazing album, and my 2nd favourite album of all time. Everything flows together so well and it’s just an absolute masterpiece. 2. Songs From The Wood I absolutely love this album, and the genre is something I’ve never seen done anywhere else. This album cemented Jethro Tull as a band that is truly one of a kind. 3. Aqualung An absolute classic. Almost every song in this is a masterpiece and an absolute bop. The guitar work in this is amazing and Jethro Tull dominated the hard rock genre. 4. A Passion Play This felt like a jazzier twist on TAAB, and I absolutely loved it. It’ll obviously never compete with the masterpiece that is Thick as a Brick, but I still love it as both a piece of music, and as a concept. 5. Stand Up Jethro Tull can truly dominate any genre, and they totally dominated the blues genre. So many songs in this albums are absolute classics.
Pretty much agree with your top 5 but I'd put in Stormwatch at #5 and no Songs From The Wood and bump the other albums up a notch with TAAB still at #1.
That's my favorite from them too... heavy, proggy and with all the folky elements, it might be their most balanced album, with some of Martin's best guitar playing... Black Satin Dancer is definitely my favorite Jethro Tull song...
Hi Barry, I just watched your top 10 tull songs followed by Petes worst to best albums. What a great afternoon. "If you wear a warmer sporran, you can keep the foe at bay. You can pop those pills and visit some psychiatrist who'll say There's nothing I can do for you, everywhere's a danger zone. I'd love to help get rid of it, but I've got one of my own. Beastie. Only Ian could write these sublime lyrics". Andy H
That should make it easier, because some albums should hit the spot more than others, if they truly are diverse enough. This is exactly the case. Unless one uses another argument, that of "quality" and/or personality. Then I guess it becomes more even (understandable to a fan, but less relevant to any random listener).
I have not heard all their albums. Aqualung will always be my number one. Every song is great. Too old to rock and roll is the worst I've heard so far. Ian Anderson's lyrics were great, as most of his lyrics usually were, but the execution in this album was bad.
Great that Pete explains the Superbowl to those of us who are not American and wouldn't necessarily know what the hell it exactly is. Great channel Pete and peace from Glasgow 🏴 Scotland.
True, I hate when people call Songs From The Wood a "folk" album, yeah the folk element is definitely there but you wouldn't hear songs like Velvet Green, Pibroch (Cap In Hand), Hunting Girl, The Whistler, or the title track on a true folk album. Only the two shortest tracks are purely folk, Jack-In-The-Green and Fire At Midnight. To me the album is progressive rock but with a heavy folk flavor to it (same thing for Heavy Horses).
@@Nemesis7475 good list. I think Heavy Horses is very underrated. Would be surprised if any Tull fan never had Songs From The Woods at least in the top five. I like the first half of Thick As A Brick much more than the second half. Minstrel In The Gallery and Benefit are also good. Tull never made many mediocre albums, not up to Stormwatch anyway. A was a bit so so as was Too Old To Rock N Roll.
So many styles explored by Ian and the boys over time. 1. Passion Play 2. Stand Up 3. Benefit 4. Songs From the Wood 5. Minstrel in the Gallery 6. Heavy Horses 7. Thick as a Brick 8. Aqualung 9. Living in the Past 10. Crest of a Knave
Hard to rank these records, but I agree when it comes to "Benefit". Great album with no weak spots in my opinion. My own top 5 would probably look like this : 1. Benefit 2. Aqualung 3. Thick as a brick 4. Minstrel 5. Stand up Well, at least these are the albums i keep going back to when i get an urge for Tull :)
You nailed it today!!! Benefit is one of the great albums of all time. That was the best cup of coffee I have ever had. The wonderful Martin Barre. Great job.
I put TAAB first but I find myself going back to listen to Benefit more often than any other Tull album. Right up there with Disraeli Gears and LZ 4 for greatest hard rock lp of all time
check out tull miming to 'the mouse police never sleeps' and a great live version of 'minstrel in the gallery'. Love their 'rural rock' songs from the wood / horses / stormwatch period the most.
Saw this video when you released it a few years ago and I come back to it from time to time. I love Tull and I really appreciate this list. Actually fun to agree and disagree with the rankings to make me think where I might rank them and also it gets me to go "Hey, I missed that deep cut (Occasional Demons)" or "I forgot all about that song, I have to go back to it (Dark Ages)". Thanks man!
Growing up the the late 70s, I never really "got" Tull. It wasn't until I hit 50 years old that it dawned on me. Incredible music and they have at least 7 albums that are fantastic. Everything they produced from '69 to '79 in particular. Hard to pick a favorite.
I learned to really appreciate B&B by just cranking it up in the car. Plus hearing all the outtakes and realizing all the work and writing that goes into making these albums. Broadsword turned into one of my faves.
Some great songs. Pussy Willow is very catchy and Beastie is good played loud. Always a favourite of mine. Maybe because it was the Broadsword tour when I first saw them.
@@mrgrey361 or for that matter, anything they did after A Passion Play for me. I saw them in 1970, 1972, 1973, and 1976. The first two were by far the best followed by 1976 and that horrid PP tour in 1973. The '76 show was better than '73. They actually played a lot of their older stuff cause Ian figured out that the audience didn't want to hear APP anymore. Good call Ian
Songs From The Wood has been my absolute favorite album of all time, since I first heard it in '77. Phenomenal songwriting, instrumentation, and some wicked vocal harmony. I'm norrnally a minor key guy, but this album stays in the major key from start to finish, and does it masterfully. I listen to this on special occasions only.
I was slightly disappointed with it when it was released because I thought it didn't have enough hard rock on it, Hunting Girl being the exception. Since then, I have changed my opinion about it. It is a great album with great songs and much underrated.
Tull is easily one of the best bands of all time, and Anderson is something of a genius, musically. He taught himself to play the flute and just one year later Tull release their first album! His guitar work isn't too shabby also, and plays some fairly complex acoustic work whilst singing. I've been playing the superb live album 'Bursting Out' a great deal of late - what a band and John Glascock's bass playing is top-notch! My favourite studio album is 'Songs From The Wood,' but there are so many great ones to choose from. I agree with Pete on 'Under Wraps, it's an execrable album! It's a shame Ian had such voice problems, he really struggles with the singing these days. It always amazes me how many superb bands have come out of such a small country like the UK; of course America has produced some equally stunning bands etc, but there's just something a bit special with Britain: Tull, Purple, Sabbath, Zeppelin, The Who, Uriah Heep, Lizzy, Queen, Floyd, The Stones, The Beatles, Maiden, Priest, Fleetwood Mac, Genesis, Cream, Rainbow, Bad Company, T.Rex, Whitesnake, UFO, Blind Faith, Mott The Hoople, ELP, Yes, Ten Years After, Small Faces, Quo, Wishbone Ash, and loads I've probably left off, incredible!
Yes , like it is The Wellspring , the very Fountainhead of the Mystic Vapors of the Creativity Muses and Gods of Rock , and flows outwards from there , diluting as it covers the earth . So there is some everywhere , but right there , in that beautiful land , must be it's purest , undistilled source ! Or something else . Yeah , PROBABLY something else that doesn't sound near as cool as this explanation .
I bet most of us came to know and love Tull just as the 70s started. We gave them our hearts as young people so the albums from those early years are what helped shape our musical appreciation. Thank goodness for Ian and all the JT members over 55 years.
As someone else mentioned, Tull had quite a few different line-ups but they were all great, with superb musicianship and top-notch players. The last "Tull" album, if you will, that I bought, was Ian's TAAB 2 album and while Martin Barre was disappointingly absent, it's a solid album overall and Ian's bandmembers delivered, even the guitarist's tone and playing were kinda in the Barre vein. Quite Tull-like album, as expected but perhaps a bit more "modern-sounding" imo. Underrated but surprisingly good
It has a special place in mine too. Great to see a lot of love for this record in the comments as it largely seems quite ignored in their catalog. It's such a transitional work coming off of Stand Up. IIRC Ian said something to the effect that because of some of the experimental sounds on the record, people thought of it as a "drug" record. And while he didn't do drugs, he did concede that Benefit could be considered a Lowenbrau record.
Songs from the Wood is a masterpiece! It’s such an uplifting album and Barriemore Barlow kills it on this Tull classic. Aqualung and Minstrel in the Gallery are a close second favorite for me. Again the drumming is incredible! Clive and Barriemore are legends!!
Have loved Tull for years. My top cd for many of those was Broadsword & The Beast ... mainly because that was the one that introduced me to the band. That said, my top 10 now are: 1. Songs From The Wood 2. Broadsword 3. Stormwatch 4. Heavy Horses 5. Passion Play 6. Thick As A Brick 7. Catfish Rising 8. Under Wraps 9. Benefit 10. Walk Into Light ... I know, it's an Ian solo record but I really love it.
Bonus points for the great mention of Dark Ages. One of my favourite Tull tracks from a personal favourite record. A criminally overlooked song. Nice video, enjoyed your views on this
I agree re: Dark Ages being a great song. The problem with some Tull albums is". The Mix. They could never decide whether to be heavier (and they SHOULD have)
My top Tull list changes with my mood but Benefit, Aqualung, Thick, Stand Up, and Minstrel always are in the mix along with War Child and Living. What I always found interesting, and probably why I like them so much, are the sometimes weird and unusual time signatures Anderson uses. That and the fact that through all the line-up changes the musicianship has been incredible. My favorite Anderson story is that when his daughter took up the flute he realized he's been playing it 'wrong' all those years. He relearned how to play it 'properly'.
Recently listened to the entirety of Thick As A Birck. Absolutely amazing album and it was a blast from start to finish. As for my favourite Jethro Tull album, mine is probably Songs From The Woods purely because it's a very nostalgic album for me as, it was not only the first Jethro Tull album I listened to, but it was my introduction to the progressive rock genre, so for that it has a very special place in my heart.
BRAVO, sir! What a marvelous dissertation on the music of Jethro Tull. Whether you and I agree on our rankings is irrelevant; it is obvious you have great respect, admiration, passion, and love for the music. And - for me - you have put into words the emotions I have carried through my life for this music. For that alone I am deeply grateful.
Fall of 73 I was a sophomore, and in our school library/media center were private rooms with glass doors, the rooms used for listening to record albums with library provided record players and albums. One day I walked past a room with two guys in my class I didn't really know, listening to a Mozart classical album propped up against the wall. For whatever reason I stopped and took in the scene, thinking one day I would do what they were doing. Surprisingly, they smiled and waved me inside. "Hey, you like classical music, right?" one of them asked. "Yeah, it's fine, I suppose, depending on what it is," I probably said. The truth is that at that point in my life, classical would have been the LAST music I wanted to hear. The great sounds of all that incredible 60's and early 70's classic rock was my passion. It was everywhere, on radio, TV, juke boxes, car 8-track players. FM rock out of Cleveland was especially dynamic, and with me still a few months away from buying my first decent turntable and the beginnings of my record collecting, radio was all I listened to. My favorite bands at the time were Deep Purple and Grand Funk. "You gotta hear this incredible Mozart composition," one of them said. They handed me the headphones plugged into the record player, and dropped the tonearm at the start of the album. Instead of Mozart, I heard the opening riff to Aqualung! I hadn't heard it before, and my eyes went wide. They laughed, then opened up the Mozart album sleeve to reveal the Tull album hidden inside. They obviously planned that ruse, signing out a record player and an "approved" album as a cover to listen to their rock and prog albums. The three of us became fast friends from that day forward, our friendship based around music.
Only ever heard Living in the Past Pete, but never listened to anything else. Now I've seen this I will have to check them out. Most definitely thanks Pete for the heads up much appreciated. Great Show, Great Channel 🎶🎶🎶👍👍👍🍻🍻🍻.
Doing this list before watching the video. 1) Benefit. My first Tull Album. Not a single weak moment on this album. 2) Broadsword and the Beast. I'm a Scot and this is a Scottish album. Broadsword, The Clasp and Beastie. Watching you, Watching me is so much fun. I saw them in Montpellier, France when they toured this. 3) Every other album they ever made. Ian Anderson is from the same town as me as are Nazareth (I lived opposite Pete Agnew) and the Skids/Big Country. Proud to be Scottish and proud to be european!
That's pretty awesome. Nazareth was another favorite band of mine during the 70's, from Razamanaz and onwards, killer albums. My Tull adventure began with Stand Up, they sounded like no one else. Brilliant album, i became a instant fan
Great Taste in Music Pete. I admire and respect you. Jethro Tull is in My Top 10 Favorite Rock Acts of All Time !! ( nnio ) : - Jethro Tull - KISS - The Rolling Stones - RUSH - ZZ Top - Van Hagaroth - Lynryd Skynyrd - Billy Joel - JC Mellencamp - The Beatles
"My God" is a electrified, progged up version of "God Bless The Child" By Blood Sweat & Tears (originally by Billie Holliday). Listen and you'll hear the clear connection
YES!!! Was waiting in suspense by #5 to see if Benefit was going to be your #1 pic.. Benefit I absolutely love it always been my #1 favorite Tull album What a massive discography this band has
For me, I might sound weird with this ranking, and it's really hard for me to choose between Tull's albums between 1968 and 1977, but for now it's: 20- Under Wraps 19- Rock Island 18- Jethro-Tull Dot Com 17- A 16- Catfish Rising 15- Stormwatch 14- The Broadsword And the Beast 13- Roots To Branches 12- Crest Of Knave 11- Too Old To Rock N' Roll; Too Young To Die 10- A Passion Play 09- This Was 08- Heavy Horses 07- Stand Up 06- Benefit 05- Minstrel In the Gallery 04- War Child 03- Aqualung 02- Songs From the Wood 01- This As A Brick
The first 7 LPs are the cream of the crop for me.. but I’m old and started listening to Tull on this was!! It should be in the top five!! Great job Pete
My top three: "Songs from the wood", "Heavy horses" and "Stormwatch" from their 77-79 period. Love these trilogy , also the band lineup. There are so many great Tull albums, no "mistake" is possible. ☺
Benefit is my favorite as well. Nothing To Say is Tull at their most psychedelic. Passion Play is definitely close to the top for me. The last 10 minutes is incredibly powerful and has brought me to tears.
I unapologetically agree!! It is a complete work of genius. I was disappointed to hear Ian Anderson himself discounts his own work in this case. He seems to think he "took it too far", but as far as I am concerned there is not one wasted note on it. I enjoy Mr. Pardo's description of it here!
Benefit was the first album that my sister bought. She was 5 years older than me, but didn't mind that I played it as well. It was on an old stereogram. It really shaped what I thought about music. Martins guitar on 'Teacher' was so dynamic, and the band was as one unit. Thanks Gina!
I've seen Tull live about 15 times so I tend to rank their albums based on that connection. So my rankings would be: 1. Thick as a Brick 2. A Passion Play 3. Aqualung 4. Stand Up 5. Songs from the Wood 6. Minstrel in the Gallery 7. Benefit 8. Stormwatch 9. Warchild 10. Crest of a Knave Personal anecdotes: Honorable mention to Living in the Past for including " By Kind Permission Of...." "e was dropped on his his head when he was very young. We occasionally cut his fingernails off and smoke them." Great John Evan piano and Ian's flute interplay. So a live concert which combined songs from Benefit and Stand Up at Cornell University. During the time that people were getting seated the members of the band circulated amongst the fans wearing trench coats and hats. When the lights went off and a spotlight showing the center aisle the band came together and walked to the stage. They hung up their coats and hats on an onstage coatrack and then performed. While we waited for the Passion Play to begin in Buffalo one year the loudspeakers in the auditorium began to play a heartbeat, indiscernible at the first over the buzz of the audience. It got louder and louder until it became deafening. At which point the lights went out and a movie was projected on a screen behind the stage. At first it was hard to tell what the initial image was but it turned out that it was the ballerina pictured on the album cover. The dance stood up and danced briefly. She then then stopped as she noticed a passage way behind her. She ran to the passageway which contained a long hallway of doors one of which was lit from the inside. She ran to it and entered the room. The only thing in the room was a full length mirror. She began dancing and then suddenly rushed toward and through it and shattered the mirror--the sound of the shattering echoed throughout the auditorium. The stage light came up and Tull began playing the album. One tends to forget what great musicians the band were and how entertaining the live shows were.
Top 10: 1. Thick as a brick 2. Minstrel in the gallery 3. A passion play 4. Stormwatch 5. Songs from the wood 6. Warchild 7. Aqualung 8. Heavy horses 9. Stand up 10. The broadsword and the beast
Pete you are amazing. Thanks for taking the time to dedicate an episode to one of the world's best and most under appreciated bands. They are unique in sound, look and stage performance (totally outrageous). Great job ranking the music. Thanks again.
My first Rock-Concert in my life was during the "Heavy Horses-Tour". I love this album and until this very day I am very, very impressed of Barrymore Barlows Drum Solo! Regard "Bursting out - J.T. live" - "Conundrum"! Milestone!
My rank: 1 Aqualung 2 Songs From the Wood 3 Thick as a Brick 4 Stand Up 5 Benefit 6 Heavy Horses 7 Minstrel in the Gallery 8 Stormwatch 9 A Passion Play 10 Roots to Branches 11 This Was 12 Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die! 13 The Zealot Gene 14 War Child 15 Crest of the Knave 16 The Broadsword and the Beast 17 RökFlöte 18 Rock Island 19 TAAB 2: Thick as a Brick 2 20 Catfish Rising 21 J-Tull Dot Com 22 A 23 Under Wraps
Just a couple of friendly corrections: It was "A", not Under Wraps which was originally to be an Anderson solo album. TAAB2 is very definitely Anderson solo. Ian ended Tull in 2011 and performed under his own name until very recently. He now appears to be using the Tull name again.
That's right.. I wasn't watching this, only listening and I was assuming he was talking about "A" until he mentioned Under Wraps. I did hear the the "A" stood for Anderson as it was going to be a solo effort. As an aside; Crossfire from the A album was about the SAS storming the Iranian Embassy in London in 1980. Under Wraps isn't a bad album. I do like lots of the tracks on there, although performing it live did a lot of damage to Ian's voice at the time.
@Martin Hayward Ian is Jethro Tull just like fogery is CCR and mark Knopfler is dire straits and ELO is jeff lynne. Anyone who they hire makes up the rest of the band but without those guys you don't have those bands
My top 🔝 5 now with 46 years olds , has change a little bit : 1. A Passion Play 2. Aqualang 3. Stand Up 4. Minstrel Gallery 5. Storm watch 😊 very close Heavy Horses could be neither both 😅
Been a Tull fan pretty much since the go. Watched several of these ratings of their albums and this is the one I most agree with. I think Benefit is their most genuine, heartfelt, powerful album. Give me Clive Bunker's jazz-blues drumming over Barriemore Barlow's classical style, even though I know Barlow perfectly fit where Anderson took the band.
Tull has a fantastic discography, never gave up on his virtuosity and unlimited creativity, never surrendered to temporary influences and survived the unstable changes in the world of music triumphantly.
Funny how everyone develops special bonds with different albums. I got Under Wraps in early 1986 and it was the “current” Jethro Tull album at the time. I felt really proud of its modern sound and listened to it constantly! Still one of my favorites.
1. A 2. Thick As a Brick 3. Songs from the Wood 4. Under Wraps 5. Heavy Horses 6. War Child 7. Stand Up 8. A Passion Play 9. Benefit 10. Aqualung 11. Stormwatch 12. Broadsword and the Beast No particular order after that.
Under Wraps is not crap...when you ever saw Tull LIVE is when you jumped in and followed that album. Uneducated trolls criticize the albums and wish that Catfish Rising was their favorite album. Why is 'A' your favorite???? [I love 'A' but it's not my fav]
First album that got my interest was Bursting Out. Seeing them live in '78 made me a fan ! It was the second concert I ever went to, & still remains in my top 10 shows I've ever been to. Just got introduced to this channel. Very good !!!
Yep, that's the fun with Jethro Tull. So many albums to suit so many moods. But the two that I return to most often are Aqualung and Too Old To Rock n' Roll: Too Young to Die. The latter has wonderful arrangements and lyrics: nostalgic and rather moving. 'From A Dead Beat To An Old Greaser' and 'The Chequered Flag (Dead Or Alive)' always bring a lump to my throat.
Actually "A" is supposed to be a solo Anderson album and A stands for Anderson, but Chrysalis forced him to release it as a JT album My top 5 1. APP 2. TAAB 3. SFTW 4. Heavy Horses 5. Minstrel in the Gallery
Hi Pete, One of my all time faves and am enjoying their reissues immensely. Great list. My list: 19 - This Was.. good.... never get to it but has some fine moments. 18 - A Passion Play.... really hard time grasping it.... 17 - Catfish Rising... good... not much play 16 - Rock Island... same as above. 15 - A.... Love it when I listen to it. 14- Broadsword and the Beast.. .enjoy this 13- Crest of a Knave... good album deserved an award... not metal though 12 - Roots to Branches... great.. 11- Too Old to Rock n Roll too young to die.. Like it. 10 - Stand Up 9 - Christmas Album 8 - Benefit 7 - Stormwatch 6 - Warchild 5- Thick as a Brick 4- Songs from the Wood 3 - Heavy Horses 2 - Minstrel in the Gallery 1- Aqualung Great video... great band and exquisite discography. God bless Tino
It’s super hard for me to rank the Tull discography, they made like 10 albums that all could shuffle around in my top ten on any given day. My top 5 in order as of right now would be 1. Songs from the Wood, 2. Thick as a Brick, 3. Aqualung, 4. Broadsword and then maybe a tie between Heavy Horses and Stormwatch. I do agree that Benefit is a great one, super underrated and still in my top ten. I also have a huge soft spot for Under Wraps.
1. Minstrel In The Gallery 2. Heavy Horses 3. Aqualung 4. Thick As A Brick 5. Passion Play 6. Stormwatch 7. Songs From The Wood 8. War Child 9. Broadsword and The Beast 10.A
@@joebloggs4754 For non-European countries that was all new fresh stuff though at the time, and the original packaging was so damn good, Ian put some effort into that one
I completely agree. NOT a compilation - mostly new material, with a handful of old songs. Remember, it was a double album, so there was enough new material for 1 full-length album, plus 2 long live numbers.
@@joethomas1146 yeah, that stuff had been released in the UK as singles but the audience in America had no idea because the singles weren't included on the albums, so it was a collection of their UK singles plus an album track per side/time period and the live side. :)
There is no such thing as a bad Jethro Tull album (there . . . . . . I said it!), which makes them extremely difficult to rank. Half are excellent to some degree, and the other half are very good to some degree. Unlike many folks, I love Under Wraps . . . . . . but it would go in that second half rather than the first. To me it's just a measure of how great Tull is.
I am a Jethro Tull fan. In 1988 they were given an Grammy for Best Heavy Metal Performance. My favorite is Aqualung but I feel Thick As A Brick is great too. Then Benefit is next. Nightcap was great. If you ever notice, Ian Anderson writes alot about London. I feel this should be listed. Songs like To Cry You A song, Cross Eyed Mary, Passion Play and Taxi Grab...etc....
Extraordinaria lista de mi banda favorita desde 1968 “this was”, se poco del idioma inglés pero de lo poco que entiendo, considero que este güey no se midió, si supo hacer la lista FELICIDADES!!
I'm a huge Jethro Tull fan! I have three favourite albums: 1. 'Thick As A Brick' (1972) [This is my n. 1 all time favourite Tull album EVER!]; 2. 'Benefit' (1970) [my second favourite Tull album]; 3. 'The Broadsword And The Beast' (1982) [My third favourite Tull album [or joint second favourite Tull album]. But there are a couple of albums that I like an awful lot: 1. 'Songs From The Wood' (1977); 2. 'Heavy Horses' (1978) [I have the vinyl of this album as well!); 3. 'Too Old To Rock'n'Roll: Too Young To Die!' (1976) [I agree with you. The standard edition of this album never clicked with me as well. But I happen to have the 2015 deluxe reissue {'The TV Special Edition'} and.... yeah, I really love this version. In fact, I think that this album is criminally underrated. Oh my God, such a classic album!)
Love your comments Pete on my favourite band. My Top 10 are: 1. A Passion Play 2. Stand Up 3. Minstrel in the Gallery 4. Benefit 5. Thick as a Brick 6. Songs From The Wood 7. Stormwatch 8. Aqualung 10. Heavy Horses
Great segment! I was looking forward to seeing this! My top 5: 1- Songs From The Wood 2- Warchild 3- Aqualung 4- Heavy Horses 5- Minstrel in the Gallery Hemmed and hawed over top 5: Storm Watch Benefit Passion Play
Great review and ranking! I would have changed up the top five a bit. My ranking is as follows: #1 - Thick. I have it on vinyl and just love the heavy John Evan Hammond Oregon and keyboards played through much of the album. There are very few "lite" tracks as the intensity is cranked up on this album. Martin Barre's guitar licks are fantastic on this track. The story goes that this record was in response to a critique that the previous album, Aqualung, was a concept album. No mistake, TAAB IS a concept album and a damn good one too. #2 - Aqualung. You can't deny the killer tracks on this record. The title track, "Cross-Eyed Mary","Hymn 43", and "Locomotive Breath" are classic rock staples. Killer guitar licks and classic licks especially the title track. Outstanding piano intro on Locomotive thanks to Mr. Evan along with Mr. Barre's reverbing guitar. As Pete mentions, the track "My God" starts out very acoustic I believe Ian Anderson is playing guitar and Evan playing piano then all hell breaks loose when Mr. Barre hits the strings on the electric guitar. Just a freaking awesome track that very rarely gets any airplay. A phenomenal song on a fantastic record. #3 - Benefit. "Teacher" was the big hit off this record. Another solid guitar riff courtesy of Mr. Barre. A great song and excellent flute work by Mr. Anderson. "To Cry You A Song" has another wonderful guitar riff thanks to Mr. Barre's very fine fretwork. It's got a killer bluesy riff with solid bass and drums provided by Glenn McCormick and Clive Bunker who would eventually depart from the band with Jeffrey Hammond coming on as the bassist on the next record and Barriemore Barlow taking over the drum kit on the Thick album. #4 Songs From The Wood. This album begins to sound called the folk era of Tull with the trifecta of this record, Heavy Horses and Stormwatch. SFTW is the most "English Folklore" record in the vein of medieval England. The title starts out uptempo and acoustic but quickly jumps into a rocker. John Evan's keyboards are the star here with a lot of synth and piano. As the track gets heavier, Ian's flute starts to take over. Really a great song. "Jack In The Green" captures the English Folk sound quite well. with the flute and acoustic guitar lute and mandolin. Out of the three "folk period" records, this one is the best. #5 - Stand Up. This record sums up the end of the Tull's blues period and is easily better than their first release. "A New Day Yesterday" is a killer blues track. It's a heavy blues track. Martin Barre joined the band on this record and definitely made his mark on New Day. That blues riff gets in your head and hangs out there for a while. "Bouree" is easily the Tull's best-known instrumental with Ian Anderson showing off his skills as a flutist. His command of the flute is truly inspiring! As you listen to inflections as he plays with his almost skat-like injections as he plays the flute is really fantastic. If I added a # 6 it would be the live album "Busting Out". This album was released in 1978 as a double record/CD. At this time, the classic lineup of the band was primarily intact with the addition of John Glascock on bass and the addition of Dee Palmer on keyboards along with John Evan on keyboards, Martine Barre on guitar, Ian on vocals, flute, acoustic guitar, and Barriemore Barlow on drums. The tracks were taken from various shows between May and June of 1978. There are TH-cam videos of songs from the tour. The song, "Skating Away" John Evan actually leaves the Hammond Orgon and plays drums while Barriemore Barlow plays glockenspiel. On "Songs From The Woods" Ian Anderson jokes that the blokes in the band get to sing in unison which they do fantastically. Again, this is a live recording and the fellas pull off the almost acapella part really well. A good portion of the hits are on this record and the live recording is exquisite.
Well done sir! Just found your channel and enjoyed this a lot. Been rediscovering Tull ever since TAAB2, as I had become disenchanted with them (and busy with life) after Walk Into Light and Under Wraps (excepting, of course, their return to “commercial greatness” with Crest of a Knave). Saw TAAB 1 & 2, two nights apart (Vienna, VA, then Philly) and have ever since and again been proud of my love of Anderson/Tull music and admiration for Ian himself. What a great musical journey we’ve been taken on, courtesy of IA.
This is the best video you have ever done Pete. I love videos dedicated to the best band of all time, Jethro tull. Well done. I am here to give you my ranking. It will probably be controversial, but we all have our own choices. Just remember everybody is entitled to their own opinion, commenters of SOT. Here it is: 1. Benefit (This was a toss up between Benefit and aqualung for #1, but I chose benefit because I think there is not a bad song on it) My favorite songs are nothing to say, son, to cry you a song, a time for everything, Inside, and play in time. 2. Aqualung (This might be #1 on other people’s lists, but I find benefit slightly better, this was a hard choice) My favorite songs are the title track. Cross eyed mary, Hymn 43, Up to me, My god, and Locomotive breath. 3. Stand up (Great album, there is a good mix of rock, blues, and folk on here) My favorite songs are A new day yesterday, Back to the family, Nothing is easy, Fat man, We used to know, and for a thousand mothers. 4. Stormwatch (Very underrated album, people need to listen to this if they haven't) My favorite songs are North sea oil, Dark ages, Somethings on the move, old ghosts, and flying dutchman. 5. Crest of a Knave (This album deserved the grammy over metallica, don't @ me) My favorite songs are Steel monkey, Farm on the freeway, Jump start, and Raising steam. 6. Rock island (I think this is a very underrated album, rockin' album) My favorite songs are Ears of tin, the title track, Heavy water, Whalers dues, and Big riff and mando. 7. J tull dot com (Pete ranked this low, but I love this album it's underrated) My favorite songs are Spiral, AWOL, Wicked windows, Hunt by numbers, Black Mamba, and El Nino. 8. Songs from the wood (Great medieval folk rock album) My favorite songs are the title track, Cup of wonder, Hunting girl, and Velvet green. 9. A ( This is an underrated album, very good tunes on here) My favorite songs are Crossfire, Fylingdale flyer, Black Sunday, Working john working joe, and 4.W.D. 10. Minstrel in the Gallery (The title track alone makes it a top ten album) My favorite songs are the title track, Cold wind to valhalla, Black satin dancer, and Baker st muse. 11. Heavy Horses ( At first I didn't really like it, but have grown to like it) My favorite songs are And the mouse police never sleeps, No lullaby, Rover, and the title track. 12. Thick as a brick (I prefer separate songs rather than 1 long song, but I like this album) 13. Broadsword and the beast (Like this album, interesting electronic style on it) My favorite songs are Beastie, Fallen on hard times, Pussy willow, and Seal driver. 14. Warchild (Fun album, I like it) My Favorite songs are the title track, Bungle in the jungle, and Skating away. 15. Too old to rock n roll too young to die (Mostly folky and acoustic stuff, not a big of it, but it has some good rock tunes on it) My favorite songs are Quizz kid, Taxi Grab, Big dipper, and the title track. 16. Under wraps (Some people would have this being the worst, but I don't think it's that bad) My favorite songs are Lap of Luxury, European Legacy, Saboteur, Heat, and Under wraps #1. 17. Catfish Rising (Still bluesy but I find it more catchier than the blues on This was) My favorite songs are this is not love, doctor to my disease, and still loving you tonight. 18. This Was (not a big blues fan, also the production isn't very good) My favorite songs are My sunday feeling and a song for jeffrey. 19. Christmas Album (Good for christmas time, don’t really listen to it any other time accept for christmas) My favorite songs on it are Greensleeves and A christmas song. 20. Roots to Branches (Never really liked the indian flavor on that album) The only song I like on it is the title track. 21. Passion Play (I know this is a well loved tull album but i'm sorry it's too eccentric for me. I have tried to get into it, I just can't)
Passion Play gets my vote for #1. That's the one I can listen to forever and never get tired of it.
My top 5:
1. Thick as a Brick
Such an amazing album, and my 2nd favourite album of all time. Everything flows together so well and it’s just an absolute masterpiece.
2. Songs From The Wood
I absolutely love this album, and the genre is something I’ve never seen done anywhere else. This album cemented Jethro Tull as a band that is truly one of a kind.
3. Aqualung
An absolute classic. Almost every song in this is a masterpiece and an absolute bop. The guitar work in this is amazing and Jethro Tull dominated the hard rock genre.
4. A Passion Play
This felt like a jazzier twist on TAAB, and I absolutely loved it. It’ll obviously never compete with the masterpiece that is Thick as a Brick, but I still love it as both a piece of music, and as a concept.
5. Stand Up
Jethro Tull can truly dominate any genre, and they totally dominated the blues genre. So many songs in this albums are absolute classics.
Pretty much agree with your top 5 but I'd put in Stormwatch at #5 and no Songs From The Wood and bump the other albums up a notch with TAAB still at #1.
Couldn't agree more. 🎯
Call me crazy but " Minstrel In The Gallery " is my favorite Jethro Tull album. Very prog heavy and dark.Cheers!
you're not crazy,Minstrel is a masterpiece and one of my top five JT albums.
That's my favorite from them too... heavy, proggy and with all the folky elements, it might be their most balanced album, with some of Martin's best guitar playing... Black Satin Dancer is definitely my favorite Jethro Tull song...
Baker St Muse is probably my favorite Tull song. Minstrel is my second favorite behind Passion Play
Not crazy, but it’s not my favorite.
Absolutely agreed!
I agree...Stormwatch is a great album that doesnt get the appreciation it deserves. I play it for people and they love it. Should be known more.
Tull are such a diverse band it is tricky trying to rank the albums
Hi Barry,
I just watched your top 10 tull songs followed by Petes worst to best albums. What a great afternoon.
"If you wear a warmer sporran, you can keep the foe at bay.
You can pop those pills and visit some psychiatrist who'll say
There's nothing I can do for you, everywhere's a danger zone.
I'd love to help get rid of it, but I've got one of my own. Beastie. Only Ian could write these sublime lyrics".
Andy H
That should make it easier, because some albums should hit the spot more than others, if they truly are diverse enough. This is exactly the case. Unless one uses another argument, that of "quality" and/or personality. Then I guess it becomes more even (understandable to a fan, but less relevant to any random listener).
I have not heard all their albums. Aqualung will always be my number one. Every song is great. Too old to rock and roll is the worst I've heard so far. Ian Anderson's lyrics were great, as most of his lyrics usually were, but the execution in this album was bad.
Great that Pete explains the Superbowl to those of us who are not American and wouldn't necessarily know what the hell it exactly is. Great channel Pete and peace from Glasgow 🏴 Scotland.
‘Songs From The Wood’, tops my list. Very prog and melodic.
True, I hate when people call Songs From The Wood a "folk" album, yeah the folk element is definitely there but you wouldn't hear songs like Velvet Green, Pibroch (Cap In Hand), Hunting Girl, The Whistler, or the title track on a true folk album. Only the two shortest tracks are purely folk, Jack-In-The-Green and Fire At Midnight. To me the album is progressive rock but with a heavy folk flavor to it (same thing for Heavy Horses).
My favorite description of SFTW came from the original Rolling Stone Record Guide, where the reviewer called it "pure unadulterated Elizabeth boogie"
It is my clear favourite too
I’d say these are my Top 5.
5. Songs From The Wood
4. Aqualung
3. Stormwatch
2. Heavy Horses
1. Thick as a Brick
@@Nemesis7475 good list. I think Heavy Horses is very underrated. Would be surprised if any Tull fan never had Songs From The Woods at least in the top five. I like the first half of Thick As A Brick much more than the second half. Minstrel In The Gallery and Benefit are also good. Tull never made many mediocre albums, not up to Stormwatch anyway. A was a bit so so as was Too Old To Rock N Roll.
So many styles explored by Ian and the boys over time.
1. Passion Play
2. Stand Up
3. Benefit
4. Songs From the Wood
5. Minstrel in the Gallery
6. Heavy Horses
7. Thick as a Brick
8. Aqualung
9. Living in the Past
10. Crest of a Knave
1 - Stand Up 2- Thick As a Brick 3- Aqualung 4 - Minstrel In The Gallery
Good order
Yes!! I'd put Benefit and songs from the wood next on my list.
Hard to rank these records, but I agree when it comes to "Benefit". Great album with no weak spots in my opinion. My own top 5 would probably look like this :
1. Benefit
2. Aqualung
3. Thick as a brick
4. Minstrel
5. Stand up
Well, at least these are the albums i keep going back to when i get an urge for Tull :)
I love Benefit. Sossity, To Cry You a Song are treasures.
With You There to Help Me
To Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me was played a lot in my house last summer.
@@jameschristiansson3137 the whole album is. Not a bad song on it.
Red X I have to agree 100%.
You nailed it today!!! Benefit is one of the great albums of all time. That was the best cup of coffee I have ever had. The wonderful Martin Barre. Great job.
I put TAAB first but I find myself going back to listen to Benefit more often than any other Tull album. Right up there with Disraeli Gears and LZ 4 for greatest hard rock lp of all time
Awesome discography and great video thank you.
Jethro Tull is a band I largely ignored during their prime. As I've aged, I've come to really enjoy and appreciate their catalog. Aging isn't all bad.
check out tull miming to 'the mouse police never sleeps' and a great live version of 'minstrel in the gallery'. Love their 'rural rock' songs from the wood / horses / stormwatch period the most.
@@coolrocknroll Thanks! Will do.
How can you say that? Aqualung, A Passion Play, Heavy Horses, Songs from the Wood were massive at my time.
you are nuts,,,,rthey were HUGE!,,since then they perhaps have been but not in 1971 72..
@@joebloggs4754 I was seven. Learn to read and take a chill pill.
Saw this video when you released it a few years ago and I come back to it from time to time. I love Tull and I really appreciate this list. Actually fun to agree and disagree with the rankings to make me think where I might rank them and also it gets me to go "Hey, I missed that deep cut (Occasional Demons)" or "I forgot all about that song, I have to go back to it (Dark Ages)". Thanks man!
Benefit is a hidden gem of Folk Rock and To cry You A Song has one of the catchiest riffs ever.
I torture my family with Jethro Tull Christmas every year lol, love that album!
One of the best bands in the history of the world and so fun to see Tull live. Pure energy!
I can’t believe Ian Anderson is still touring.
Growing up the the late 70s, I never really "got" Tull. It wasn't until I hit 50 years old that it dawned on me. Incredible music and they have at least 7 albums that are fantastic. Everything they produced from '69 to '79 in particular. Hard to pick a favorite.
For me ...grew up in the 80's...and when I hit the 40's I started listening seriously and grow up rapidly.....
Maybe not everyone's favorite, but I loved Broadsword & The Beast. Especially "Flying Colors"
Agree, it has a great 'energy' like
'Minstrel', and in a way, Tull at their best.
I learned to really appreciate B&B by just cranking it up in the car. Plus hearing all the outtakes and realizing all the work and writing that goes into making these albums. Broadsword turned into one of my faves.
Some great songs. Pussy Willow is very catchy and Beastie is good played loud.
Always a favourite of mine. Maybe because it was the Broadsword tour when I first saw them.
@@Shadowking-oz5tb Never warmed to the "80s synth-rock" version of Tull.
@@mrgrey361 or for that matter, anything they did after A Passion Play for me. I saw them in 1970, 1972, 1973, and 1976. The first two were by far the best followed by 1976 and that horrid PP tour in 1973. The '76 show was better than '73. They actually played a lot of their older stuff cause Ian figured out that the audience didn't want to hear APP anymore. Good call Ian
"Thick as a brick" is so powerful, adrenaline-inducing and complex that it makes it one of the best progressive albums.
Love the accolades he gave to Stormwatch. One of my favorites.
Last Jethro Tull LP I ever bought !!
"I have no time for Time Magazine...or Rolling Stone...."
Songs From The Wood has been my absolute favorite album of all time, since I first heard it in '77. Phenomenal songwriting, instrumentation, and some wicked vocal harmony. I'm norrnally a minor key guy, but this album stays in the major key from start to finish, and does it masterfully. I listen to this on special occasions only.
I was slightly disappointed with it when it was released because I thought it didn't have enough hard rock on it, Hunting Girl being the exception. Since then, I have changed my opinion about it. It is a great album with great songs and much underrated.
Tull is easily one of the best bands of all time, and Anderson is something of a genius, musically. He taught himself to play the flute and just one year later Tull release their first album! His guitar work isn't too shabby also, and plays some fairly complex acoustic work whilst singing. I've been playing the superb live album 'Bursting Out' a great deal of late - what a band and John Glascock's bass playing is top-notch! My favourite studio album is 'Songs From The Wood,' but there are so many great ones to choose from. I agree with Pete on 'Under Wraps, it's an execrable album! It's a shame Ian had such voice problems, he really struggles with the singing these days. It always amazes me how many superb bands have come out of such a small country like the UK; of course America has produced some equally stunning bands etc, but there's just something a bit special with Britain: Tull, Purple, Sabbath, Zeppelin, The Who, Uriah Heep, Lizzy, Queen, Floyd, The Stones, The Beatles, Maiden, Priest, Fleetwood Mac, Genesis, Cream, Rainbow, Bad Company, T.Rex, Whitesnake, UFO, Blind Faith, Mott The Hoople, ELP, Yes, Ten Years After, Small Faces, Quo, Wishbone Ash, and loads I've probably left off, incredible!
Yes , like it is The Wellspring , the very Fountainhead of the Mystic Vapors of the Creativity Muses and Gods of Rock , and flows outwards from there , diluting as it covers the earth . So there is some everywhere , but right there , in that beautiful land , must be it's purest , undistilled source !
Or something else .
Yeah , PROBABLY something else that doesn't sound near as cool as this explanation .
The Kinks.
Roxy Music has to be in there--"understandable" omission I suppose but give them a listen...they belong in the top 5 bands of your list!!!
Benefit has always been at the top for me, too.... vastly underrated album.
I bet most of us came to know and love Tull just as the 70s started. We gave them our hearts as young people so the albums from those early years are what helped shape our musical appreciation. Thank goodness for Ian and all the JT members over 55 years.
As someone else mentioned, Tull had quite a few different line-ups but they were all great, with superb musicianship and top-notch players. The last "Tull" album, if you will, that I bought, was Ian's TAAB 2 album and while Martin Barre was disappointingly absent, it's a solid album overall and Ian's bandmembers delivered, even the guitarist's tone and playing were kinda in the Barre vein. Quite Tull-like album, as expected but perhaps a bit more "modern-sounding" imo. Underrated but surprisingly good
Hunting Girl - One of the coolest/tastiest intros to a song... Ever?
Mmm I bet she was tasty, haha
In My TOP 10 Singles...EASY
Sexy as fuck. Same with Velvet Green.
Sexy as fuck. Same with Velvet Green.
Sexy as fuck. Same with Velvet Green.
Tull's "Benefit" album has a special place in my heart.
Great stuff..love cry you a song
It has a special place in mine too. Great to see a lot of love for this record in the comments as it largely seems quite ignored in their catalog. It's such a transitional work coming off of Stand Up. IIRC Ian said something to the effect that because of some of the experimental sounds on the record, people thought of it as a "drug" record. And while he didn't do drugs, he did concede that Benefit could be considered a Lowenbrau record.
There's a beer that was everywhere back in the day but now it's nowhere...
It's #2 on my list. I still listen to it today. Played the crap out of it this last summer starting around mid-July😉
Thats my fav album
"Benefit" people,the best Tull album ever!Period!
Yes! You could play that album 10 times in a row while playing poker.
For me (1) Songs From the Wood, (2) Broadsword and the Beast, (3) Stormwatch and (4) 'A' . These are all great albums IMO
Songs from the Wood is a masterpiece!
It’s such an uplifting album and Barriemore Barlow kills it on this Tull classic. Aqualung and Minstrel in the Gallery are a close second favorite for me. Again the drumming is incredible! Clive and Barriemore are legends!!
Passion play ....masterpiece of all albums
Fact
Don’t have any Tull depth of knowledge outside of the usual players, this is a good jump off point for me to do some exploring
Have loved Tull for years. My top cd for many of those was Broadsword & The Beast ... mainly because that was the one that introduced me to the band. That said, my top 10 now are:
1. Songs From The Wood
2. Broadsword
3. Stormwatch
4. Heavy Horses
5. Passion Play
6. Thick As A Brick
7. Catfish Rising
8. Under Wraps
9. Benefit
10. Walk Into Light ... I know, it's an Ian solo record but I really love it.
I love Tull.
A Passion Play has always been my favorite.
Mine as well. Judt a great band all around.
Indeed. Good album
Long time fan of the band, but Passion Play I just don't get.
Love A Passion Play. Best Tull song is The Hare who lost his spectacles!!!
@@ParadoxapocalypSatan Totally agree...so much wasted space...and no great songs
Bonus points for the great mention of Dark Ages. One of my favourite Tull tracks from a personal favourite record. A criminally overlooked song. Nice video, enjoyed your views on this
I agree re: Dark Ages being a great song. The problem with some Tull albums is". The Mix. They could never decide whether to be heavier (and they SHOULD have)
Songs From the Wood is in my all time Top 5
My top Tull list changes with my mood but Benefit, Aqualung, Thick, Stand Up, and Minstrel always are in the mix along with War Child and Living. What I always found interesting, and probably why I like them so much, are the sometimes weird and unusual time signatures Anderson uses. That and the fact that through all the line-up changes the musicianship has been incredible. My favorite Anderson story is that when his daughter took up the flute he realized he's been playing it 'wrong' all those years. He relearned how to play it 'properly'.
Recently listened to the entirety of Thick As A Birck. Absolutely amazing album and it was a blast from start to finish.
As for my favourite Jethro Tull album, mine is probably Songs From The Woods purely because it's a very nostalgic album for me as, it was not only the first Jethro Tull album I listened to, but it was my introduction to the progressive rock genre, so for that it has a very special place in my heart.
BRAVO, sir! What a marvelous dissertation on the music of Jethro Tull. Whether you and I agree on our rankings is irrelevant; it is obvious you have great respect, admiration, passion, and love for the music. And - for me - you have put into words the emotions I have carried through my life for this music. For that alone I am deeply grateful.
Fall of 73 I was a sophomore, and in our school library/media center were private rooms with glass doors, the rooms used for listening to record albums with library provided record players and albums. One day I walked past a room with two guys in my class I didn't really know, listening to a Mozart classical album propped up against the wall. For whatever reason I stopped and took in the scene, thinking one day I would do what they were doing. Surprisingly, they smiled and waved me inside. "Hey, you like classical music, right?" one of them asked. "Yeah, it's fine, I suppose, depending on what it is," I probably said. The truth is that at that point in my life, classical would have been the LAST music I wanted to hear. The great sounds of all that incredible 60's and early 70's classic rock was my passion. It was everywhere, on radio, TV, juke boxes, car 8-track players. FM rock out of Cleveland was especially dynamic, and with me still a few months away from buying my first decent turntable and the beginnings of my record collecting, radio was all I listened to. My favorite bands at the time were Deep Purple and Grand Funk.
"You gotta hear this incredible Mozart composition," one of them said. They handed me the headphones plugged into the record player, and dropped the tonearm at the start of the album. Instead of Mozart, I heard the opening riff to Aqualung! I hadn't heard it before, and my eyes went wide. They laughed, then opened up the Mozart album sleeve to reveal the Tull album hidden inside. They obviously planned that ruse, signing out a record player and an "approved" album as a cover to listen to their rock and prog albums. The three of us became fast friends from that day forward, our friendship based around music.
Only ever heard Living in the Past Pete, but never listened to anything else. Now I've seen this I will have to check them out. Most definitely thanks Pete for the heads up much appreciated. Great Show, Great Channel 🎶🎶🎶👍👍👍🍻🍻🍻.
Doing this list before watching the video.
1) Benefit. My first Tull Album. Not a single weak moment on this album.
2) Broadsword and the Beast. I'm a Scot and this is a Scottish album. Broadsword, The Clasp and Beastie. Watching you, Watching me is so much fun. I saw them in Montpellier, France when they toured this.
3) Every other album they ever made.
Ian Anderson is from the same town as me as are Nazareth (I lived opposite Pete Agnew) and the Skids/Big Country. Proud to be Scottish and proud to be european!
GREAT STORY!!
That's pretty awesome. Nazareth was another favorite band of mine during the 70's, from Razamanaz and onwards, killer albums. My Tull adventure began with Stand Up, they sounded like no one else. Brilliant album, i became a instant fan
Great Taste in Music Pete.
I admire and respect you.
Jethro Tull is in My Top 10 Favorite Rock Acts of All Time !! ( nnio ) :
- Jethro Tull
- KISS
- The Rolling Stones
- RUSH
- ZZ Top
- Van Hagaroth
- Lynryd Skynyrd
- Billy Joel
- JC Mellencamp
- The Beatles
I can tell you my number one album would be"Benefit"and "'My God" will always remain my favorite Tull song off of any album.
Yeah, great album, one of my favs would be "Inside"
Benefit is their best album. Finally. Kindred.
"My God" is a electrified, progged up version of "God Bless The Child" By Blood Sweat & Tears (originally by Billie Holliday). Listen and you'll hear the clear connection
@@nastyhardcore7641 I can hear a bit of that in the riff, yeah. Hadn't made the connection. Both songs are great.
YES!!! Was waiting in suspense by #5 to see if Benefit was going to be your #1 pic.. Benefit I absolutely love it always been my #1 favorite Tull album What a massive discography this band has
For me, I might sound weird with this ranking, and it's really hard for me to choose between Tull's albums between 1968 and 1977, but for now it's:
20- Under Wraps
19- Rock Island
18- Jethro-Tull Dot Com
17- A
16- Catfish Rising
15- Stormwatch
14- The Broadsword And the Beast
13- Roots To Branches
12- Crest Of Knave
11- Too Old To Rock N' Roll; Too Young To Die
10- A Passion Play
09- This Was
08- Heavy Horses
07- Stand Up
06- Benefit
05- Minstrel In the Gallery
04- War Child
03- Aqualung
02- Songs From the Wood
01- This As A Brick
The first 7 LPs are the cream of the crop for me.. but I’m old and started listening to Tull on this was!! It should be in the top five!! Great job Pete
My top three: "Songs from the wood", "Heavy horses" and "Stormwatch" from their 77-79 period. Love these trilogy , also the band lineup. There are so many great Tull albums, no "mistake" is possible. ☺
My favourite too!
Benefit is my favorite as well. Nothing To Say is Tull at their most psychedelic.
Passion Play is definitely close to the top for me. The last 10 minutes is incredibly powerful and has brought me to tears.
I agree. Benefit consistently sifts to the top of my list. Could be persuaded to agree to Thick as a Brick. All others are also-rans.
With no apology, A Passion Play is my fav Tull album. Saw the tour when it rolled through LA; show was so spectacular I went back the next night!
I unapologetically agree!! It is a complete work of genius. I was disappointed to hear Ian Anderson himself discounts his own work in this case. He seems to think he "took it too far", but as far as I am concerned there is not one wasted note on it. I enjoy Mr. Pardo's description of it here!
Benefit was the first album that my sister bought. She was 5 years older than me, but didn't mind that I played it as well. It was on an old stereogram. It really shaped what I thought about music.
Martins guitar on 'Teacher' was so dynamic, and the band was as one unit.
Thanks Gina!
Benefit is my fave too - and I also love Stormwatch which I agree is really underrated
Big up for stormwatch comment.
Amazing dark album.very underrated.
@@peggs1 in my top 5
Best band ever !!
1 Benefit
2 Warchild
3 Too Old To Rock n' Roll: Too Young to Die !
I've seen Tull live about 15 times so I tend to rank their albums based on that connection. So my rankings would be:
1. Thick as a Brick
2. A Passion Play
3. Aqualung
4. Stand Up
5. Songs from the Wood
6. Minstrel in the Gallery
7. Benefit
8. Stormwatch
9. Warchild
10. Crest of a Knave
Personal anecdotes: Honorable mention to Living in the Past for including " By Kind Permission Of...." "e was dropped on his his head when he was very young. We occasionally cut his fingernails off and smoke them." Great John Evan piano and Ian's flute interplay.
So a live concert which combined songs from Benefit and Stand Up at Cornell University. During the time that people were getting seated the members of the band circulated amongst the fans wearing trench coats and hats. When the lights went off and a spotlight showing the center aisle the band came together and walked to the stage. They hung up their coats and hats on an onstage coatrack and then performed.
While we waited for the Passion Play to begin in Buffalo one year the loudspeakers in the auditorium began to play a heartbeat, indiscernible at the first over the buzz of the audience. It got louder and louder until it became deafening. At which point the lights went out and a movie was projected on a screen behind the stage. At first it was hard to tell what the initial image was but it turned out that it was the ballerina pictured on the album cover. The dance stood up and danced briefly. She then then stopped as she noticed a passage way behind her. She ran to the passageway which contained a long hallway of doors one of which was lit from the inside. She ran to it and entered the room. The only thing in the room was a full length mirror. She began dancing and then suddenly rushed toward and through it and shattered the mirror--the sound of the shattering echoed throughout the auditorium. The stage light came up and Tull began playing the album.
One tends to forget what great musicians the band were and how entertaining the live shows were.
Top 10:
1. Thick as a brick
2. Minstrel in the gallery
3. A passion play
4. Stormwatch
5. Songs from the wood
6. Warchild
7. Aqualung
8. Heavy horses
9. Stand up
10. The broadsword and the beast
fantastic ranking - thanks - my top 10: passion play - 9:too old - 8: minstrel - 7: benefit - 6: horses - 5: stand up - 4: songs wood - 3 - broadsword - 2: aqualung - 1: brick
Pete you are amazing. Thanks for taking the time to dedicate an episode to one of the world's best and most under appreciated bands. They are unique in sound, look and stage performance (totally outrageous). Great job ranking the music. Thanks again.
My first Rock-Concert in my life was during the "Heavy Horses-Tour". I love this album and until this very day I am very, very impressed of Barrymore Barlows Drum Solo! Regard "Bursting out - J.T. live" - "Conundrum"! Milestone!
John Bonham agreed and called BB the best drummer
My rank:
1 Aqualung
2 Songs From the Wood
3 Thick as a Brick
4 Stand Up
5 Benefit
6 Heavy Horses
7 Minstrel in the Gallery
8 Stormwatch
9 A Passion Play
10 Roots to Branches
11 This Was
12 Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die!
13 The Zealot Gene
14 War Child
15 Crest of the Knave
16 The Broadsword and the Beast
17 RökFlöte
18 Rock Island
19 TAAB 2: Thick as a Brick 2
20 Catfish Rising
21 J-Tull Dot Com
22 A
23 Under Wraps
Just a couple of friendly corrections: It was "A", not Under Wraps which was originally to be an Anderson solo album. TAAB2 is very definitely Anderson solo. Ian ended Tull in 2011 and performed under his own name until very recently. He now appears to be using the Tull name again.
qdaveq yes sir correct. I loved Mark Craney
That's right.. I wasn't watching this, only listening and I was assuming he was talking about "A" until he mentioned Under Wraps.
I did hear the the "A" stood for Anderson as it was going to be a solo effort.
As an aside; Crossfire from the A album was about the SAS storming the Iranian Embassy in London in 1980.
Under Wraps isn't a bad album. I do like lots of the tracks on there, although performing it live did a lot of damage to Ian's voice at the time.
I was gonna say the same
More marketable using the Jethro Tull name again, although it is certainly not JT anymore.
@Martin Hayward Ian is Jethro Tull just like fogery is CCR and mark Knopfler is dire straits and ELO is jeff lynne. Anyone who they hire makes up the rest of the band but without those guys you don't have those bands
My top 🔝 5 now with 46 years olds , has change a little bit :
1. A Passion Play
2. Aqualang
3. Stand Up
4. Minstrel Gallery
5. Storm watch 😊 very close Heavy Horses could be neither both 😅
Two albums that I continually come back to are Stand Up and Heavy Horses. Also is there a better album cover than Broadsword and the Beast?
Been a Tull fan pretty much since the go. Watched several of these ratings of their albums and this is the one I most agree with. I think Benefit is their most genuine, heartfelt, powerful album. Give me Clive Bunker's jazz-blues drumming over Barriemore Barlow's classical style, even though I know Barlow perfectly fit where Anderson took the band.
Yeah you really got to give props to Steven Wilson re-mixes. Them things sound great
Tull has a fantastic discography, never gave up on his virtuosity and unlimited creativity, never surrendered to temporary influences and survived the unstable changes in the world of music triumphantly.
Benefit has always been my favorite.
Funny how everyone develops special bonds with different albums. I got Under Wraps in early 1986 and it was the “current” Jethro Tull album at the time. I felt really proud of its modern sound and listened to it constantly! Still one of my favorites.
Stand Up stands alone!
You’re absolutely correct!! Stand up is the most listenable and enjoyable for me.. this was is a great lp
For some reason I always loved Stand Up best also. It's not like anything I usually go for. Maybe it's because it's the first I got..sentimental.
You are brilliant Pete. Love your insights and passion for music
1. A
2. Thick As a Brick
3. Songs from the Wood
4. Under Wraps
5. Heavy Horses
6. War Child
7. Stand Up
8. A Passion Play
9. Benefit
10. Aqualung
11. Stormwatch
12. Broadsword and the Beast
No particular order after that.
A rocks. I think of it as classic Tull with a healthy injection of Ultravox.
@@painevenice5030 That was the album that really got me into them.
Under Wraps is the biggest crap ever , even by 80ties standards.
@@scotchgod8478 Tull's classic style and syntax upgraded for the Fairlight age. It requires a trained set of ears to fully appreciate its complexity.
Under Wraps is not crap...when you ever saw Tull LIVE is when you jumped in and followed that album. Uneducated trolls criticize the albums and wish that Catfish Rising was their favorite album. Why is 'A' your favorite???? [I love 'A' but it's not my fav]
Yess! Thanks for doing my request Pete!! My favourite band ❤️ I've always loved the folk trilogy and War Child the most!
First album that got my interest was Bursting Out. Seeing them live in '78 made me a fan ! It was the second concert I ever went to, & still remains in my top 10 shows I've ever been to. Just got introduced to this channel. Very good !!!
Yep, that's the fun with Jethro Tull. So many albums to suit so many moods. But the two that I return to most often are Aqualung and Too Old To Rock n' Roll: Too Young to Die. The latter has wonderful arrangements and lyrics: nostalgic and rather moving. 'From A Dead Beat To An Old Greaser' and 'The Chequered Flag (Dead Or Alive)' always bring a lump to my throat.
Tull is awesome. That would be a nightmare for me to rank. I always like Rock Island a lot. That would be the sleeper on my list.
Rock Island is my favorite of the post 70's Tull.
I like the first four albums,with Benefit being my number 1.
Actually "A" is supposed to be a solo Anderson album and A stands for Anderson, but Chrysalis forced him to release it as a JT album
My top 5
1. APP
2. TAAB
3. SFTW
4. Heavy Horses
5. Minstrel in the Gallery
GREAT LIST
Worth watching just to hear the awful mispronunciation of Leicester 🤣
Hi Pete,
One of my all time faves and am enjoying their reissues immensely. Great list.
My list:
19 - This Was.. good.... never get to it but has some fine moments.
18 - A Passion Play.... really hard time grasping it....
17 - Catfish Rising... good... not much play
16 - Rock Island... same as above.
15 - A.... Love it when I listen to it.
14- Broadsword and the Beast.. .enjoy this
13- Crest of a Knave... good album deserved an award... not metal though
12 - Roots to Branches... great..
11- Too Old to Rock n Roll too young to die.. Like it.
10 - Stand Up
9 - Christmas Album
8 - Benefit
7 - Stormwatch
6 - Warchild
5- Thick as a Brick
4- Songs from the Wood
3 - Heavy Horses
2 - Minstrel in the Gallery
1- Aqualung
Great video... great band and exquisite discography.
God bless
Tino
EXCELLENT LIST
@@Larimar270 Thank you for your approval. Just adore this band and their exquisite and diverse catalog
It’s super hard for me to rank the Tull discography, they made like 10 albums that all could shuffle around in my top ten on any given day. My top 5 in order as of right now would be 1. Songs from the Wood, 2. Thick as a Brick, 3. Aqualung, 4. Broadsword and then maybe a tie between Heavy Horses and Stormwatch. I do agree that Benefit is a great one, super underrated and still in my top ten. I also have a huge soft spot for Under Wraps.
TAAB is the one, in 50 years I've never gotten tired of it, love it as much as ever. With the bucolic sister albums SFTW and HH being close 2nds.
loved broadsword! this was my first album i ever bought by them, so very nostalgic.
1. Minstrel In The Gallery
2. Heavy Horses
3. Aqualung
4. Thick As A Brick
5. Passion Play
6. Stormwatch
7. Songs From The Wood
8. War Child
9. Broadsword and The Beast
10.A
“Living in the past” .... a súper álbum.
a compilation
@@joebloggs4754 For non-European countries that was all new fresh stuff though at the time, and the original packaging was so damn good, Ian put some effort into that one
I completely agree. NOT a compilation - mostly new material, with a handful of old songs. Remember, it was a double album, so there was enough new material for 1 full-length album, plus 2 long live numbers.
@@joethomas1146 yeah, that stuff had been released in the UK as singles but the audience in America had no idea because the singles weren't included on the albums, so it was a collection of their UK singles plus an album track per side/time period and the live side. :)
@@Youman71463 ahh, singles... I remember buying 45rpm records.
Brilliant stuff, a superb look through the tull catalogue 👍
There is no such thing as a bad Jethro Tull album (there . . . . . . I said it!), which makes them extremely difficult to rank. Half are excellent to some degree, and the other half are very good to some degree. Unlike many folks, I love Under Wraps . . . . . . but it would go in that second half rather than the first. To me it's just a measure of how great Tull is.
I am a Jethro Tull fan. In 1988 they were given an Grammy for Best Heavy Metal Performance. My favorite is Aqualung but I feel Thick As A Brick is great too. Then Benefit is next. Nightcap was great. If you ever notice, Ian Anderson writes alot about London. I feel this should be listed. Songs like To Cry You A song, Cross Eyed Mary, Passion Play and Taxi Grab...etc....
"Roots to Branches" My favourite Tull album and I love most of their work.
Extraordinaria lista de mi banda favorita desde 1968 “this was”, se poco del idioma inglés pero de lo poco que entiendo, considero que este güey no se midió, si supo hacer la lista FELICIDADES!!
3-way tie for first: Aqualung, Minstrel, Thick/Brick.
I'm a huge Jethro Tull fan! I have three favourite albums:
1. 'Thick As A Brick' (1972) [This is my n. 1 all time favourite Tull album EVER!];
2. 'Benefit' (1970) [my second favourite Tull album];
3. 'The Broadsword And The Beast' (1982) [My third favourite Tull album [or joint second favourite Tull album].
But there are a couple of albums that I like an awful lot:
1. 'Songs From The Wood' (1977);
2. 'Heavy Horses' (1978) [I have the vinyl of this album as well!);
3. 'Too Old To Rock'n'Roll: Too Young To Die!' (1976) [I agree with you. The standard edition of this album never clicked with me as well. But I happen to have the 2015 deluxe reissue {'The TV Special Edition'} and.... yeah, I really love this version. In fact, I think that this album is criminally underrated. Oh my God, such a classic album!)
Ah yes... Crest of a Knave. Grammy winner for best "metal" album.
My favorite Tull is A Passion Play. Never tire of it. Enjoyed hearing your ranking!
Teacher is the BEST song and.thick as.a.brick the.best álbum of J T
Love your comments Pete on my favourite band. My Top 10 are:
1. A Passion Play
2. Stand Up
3. Minstrel in the Gallery
4. Benefit
5. Thick as a Brick
6. Songs From The Wood
7. Stormwatch
8. Aqualung
10. Heavy Horses
My top five:
Stand Up
Songs From the Wood
Aqualung
TAAB
Heavy Horses
Best list I've seen here. And I'm a Tull fan since 1969.
I'm right there. Great list!!! But Where is Stormwatch, brewing where the white seas snaps.
I could not agree with you more! This is amazing! Loved your picks! Great job, great band. Really enjoyed this!
Great segment! I was looking forward to seeing this!
My top 5:
1- Songs From The Wood
2- Warchild
3- Aqualung
4- Heavy Horses
5- Minstrel in the Gallery
Hemmed and hawed over top 5:
Storm Watch
Benefit
Passion Play
Great review and ranking! I would have changed up the top five a bit. My ranking is as follows:
#1 - Thick. I have it on vinyl and just love the heavy John Evan Hammond Oregon and keyboards played through much of the album. There are very few "lite" tracks as the intensity is cranked up on this album. Martin Barre's guitar licks are fantastic on this track. The story goes that this record was in response to a critique that the previous album, Aqualung, was a concept album. No mistake, TAAB IS a concept album and a damn good one too.
#2 - Aqualung. You can't deny the killer tracks on this record. The title track, "Cross-Eyed Mary","Hymn 43", and "Locomotive Breath" are classic rock staples. Killer guitar licks and classic licks especially the title track. Outstanding piano intro on Locomotive thanks to Mr. Evan along with Mr. Barre's reverbing guitar. As Pete mentions, the track "My God" starts out very acoustic I believe Ian Anderson is playing guitar and Evan playing piano then all hell breaks loose when Mr. Barre hits the strings on the electric guitar. Just a freaking awesome track that very rarely gets any airplay. A phenomenal song on a fantastic record.
#3 - Benefit. "Teacher" was the big hit off this record. Another solid guitar riff courtesy of Mr. Barre. A great song and excellent flute work by Mr. Anderson. "To Cry You A Song" has another wonderful guitar riff thanks to Mr. Barre's very fine fretwork. It's got a killer bluesy riff with solid bass and drums provided by Glenn McCormick and Clive Bunker who would eventually depart from the band with Jeffrey Hammond coming on as the bassist on the next record and Barriemore Barlow taking over the drum kit on the Thick album.
#4 Songs From The Wood. This album begins to sound called the folk era of Tull with the trifecta of this record, Heavy Horses and Stormwatch. SFTW is the most "English Folklore" record in the vein of medieval England. The title starts out uptempo and acoustic but quickly jumps into a rocker. John Evan's keyboards are the star here with a lot of synth and piano. As the track gets heavier, Ian's flute starts to take over. Really a great song. "Jack In The Green" captures the English Folk sound quite well. with the flute and acoustic guitar lute and mandolin. Out of the three "folk period" records, this one is the best.
#5 - Stand Up. This record sums up the end of the Tull's blues period and is easily better than their first release. "A New Day Yesterday" is a killer blues track. It's a heavy blues track. Martin Barre joined the band on this record and definitely made his mark on New Day. That blues riff gets in your head and hangs out there for a while. "Bouree" is easily the Tull's best-known instrumental with Ian Anderson showing off his skills as a flutist. His command of the flute is truly inspiring! As you listen to inflections as he plays with his almost skat-like injections as he plays the flute is really fantastic.
If I added a # 6 it would be the live album "Busting Out". This album was released in 1978 as a double record/CD. At this time, the classic lineup of the band was primarily intact with the addition of John Glascock on bass and the addition of Dee Palmer on keyboards along with John Evan on keyboards, Martine Barre on guitar, Ian on vocals, flute, acoustic guitar, and Barriemore Barlow on drums. The tracks were taken from various shows between May and June of 1978. There are TH-cam videos of songs from the tour. The song, "Skating Away" John Evan actually leaves the Hammond Orgon and plays drums while Barriemore Barlow plays glockenspiel. On "Songs From The Woods" Ian Anderson jokes that the blokes in the band get to sing in unison which they do fantastically. Again, this is a live recording and the fellas pull off the almost acapella part really well. A good portion of the hits are on this record and the live recording is exquisite.
I have my Dad's original Stand Up LP. its one of the reasons I'm spending way to much money to get a new record player and speaker system.
Well done sir! Just found your channel and enjoyed this a lot.
Been rediscovering Tull ever since TAAB2, as I had become disenchanted with them (and busy with life) after Walk Into Light and Under Wraps (excepting, of course, their return to “commercial greatness” with Crest of a Knave). Saw TAAB 1 & 2, two nights apart (Vienna, VA, then Philly) and have ever since and again been proud of my love of Anderson/Tull music and admiration for Ian himself. What a great musical journey we’ve been taken on, courtesy of IA.
This is the best video you have ever done Pete. I love videos dedicated to the best band of all time, Jethro tull. Well done. I am here to give you my ranking. It will probably be controversial, but we all have our own choices. Just remember everybody is entitled to their own opinion, commenters of SOT. Here it is:
1. Benefit (This was a toss up between Benefit and aqualung for #1, but I chose benefit because I think there is not a bad song on it) My favorite songs are nothing to say, son, to cry you a song, a time for everything, Inside, and play in time.
2. Aqualung (This might be #1 on other people’s lists, but I find benefit slightly better, this was a hard choice) My favorite songs are the title track. Cross eyed mary, Hymn 43, Up to me, My god, and Locomotive breath.
3. Stand up (Great album, there is a good mix of rock, blues, and folk on here) My favorite songs are A new day yesterday, Back to the family, Nothing is easy, Fat man, We used to know, and for a thousand mothers.
4. Stormwatch (Very underrated album, people need to listen to this if they haven't) My favorite songs are North sea oil, Dark ages, Somethings on the move, old ghosts, and flying dutchman.
5. Crest of a Knave (This album deserved the grammy over metallica, don't @ me) My favorite songs are Steel monkey, Farm on the freeway, Jump start, and Raising steam.
6. Rock island (I think this is a very underrated album, rockin' album) My favorite songs are Ears of tin, the title track, Heavy water, Whalers dues, and Big riff and mando.
7. J tull dot com (Pete ranked this low, but I love this album it's underrated) My favorite songs are Spiral, AWOL, Wicked windows, Hunt by numbers, Black Mamba, and El Nino.
8. Songs from the wood (Great medieval folk rock album) My favorite songs are the title track, Cup of wonder, Hunting girl, and Velvet green.
9. A ( This is an underrated album, very good tunes on here) My favorite songs are Crossfire, Fylingdale flyer, Black Sunday, Working john working joe, and 4.W.D.
10. Minstrel in the Gallery (The title track alone makes it a top ten album) My favorite songs are the title track, Cold wind to valhalla, Black satin dancer, and Baker st muse.
11. Heavy Horses ( At first I didn't really like it, but have grown to like it) My favorite songs are And the mouse police never sleeps, No lullaby, Rover, and the title track.
12. Thick as a brick (I prefer separate songs rather than 1 long song, but I like this album)
13. Broadsword and the beast (Like this album, interesting electronic style on it) My favorite songs are Beastie, Fallen on hard times, Pussy willow, and Seal driver.
14. Warchild (Fun album, I like it) My Favorite songs are the title track, Bungle in the jungle, and Skating away.
15. Too old to rock n roll too young to die (Mostly folky and acoustic stuff, not a big of it, but it has some good rock tunes on it) My favorite songs are Quizz kid, Taxi Grab, Big dipper, and the title track.
16. Under wraps (Some people would have this being the worst, but I don't think it's that bad) My favorite songs are Lap of Luxury, European Legacy, Saboteur, Heat, and Under wraps #1.
17. Catfish Rising (Still bluesy but I find it more catchier than the blues on This was) My favorite songs are this is not love, doctor to my disease, and still loving you tonight.
18. This Was (not a big blues fan, also the production isn't very good) My favorite songs are My sunday feeling and a song for jeffrey.
19. Christmas Album (Good for christmas time, don’t really listen to it any other time accept for christmas) My favorite songs on it are Greensleeves and A christmas song.
20. Roots to Branches (Never really liked the indian flavor on that album) The only song I like on it is the title track.
21. Passion Play (I know this is a well loved tull album but i'm sorry it's too eccentric for me. I have tried to get into it, I just can't)
Lisa favors the underdog! An Outstanding ear! I'd be there delivering a slow clap. Praise Rock Island!!!
Can't stop listening to A. It just blows me away. Had to say it.