I’m returning home today after spending 10 days in Budapest getting my teef fixed.
Coincidence upon coincidence Jethro Tull happened to be playing close to where I was staying and I managed to get a ticket for my last night. I’ve seen them a few times before but not for some time.
Of course to me, Ian and the band are legends but you have to ask, what do old rockers do when they’re in their twilight years, Too Old to Rock and Roll but Too Young to Die?
Ians voice has sadly gone, it did improve after the interval, when presumably he had a stint on the ventilator in his dressing room.
I was surprised when he did, “With You There To Help Me” one of my favourites off the Benefit album, I’d been listening to a lot recently.
Sadly, it was perhaps summed up when he fell over while prancing around the stage doing an encore of Locomotive Breath, not a nice end to a glittering career!
But he and the band will always have a special place in my musical education and I’m grateful for that.
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Aqualung, possibly my favourite.
Once when they introduced Thick as a Brick at the Albert Hall, and a few years later at the Rainbow Finsbury Park, the later show was introduced by Stirling Moss and started with Pans People dancing to Witch’s Promise.
In his pomp Ian Anderson could command a stage like no other. Good musician, and his best tunes stand up very well, especially as he didn’t emerge from the Blues diaspora prevalent at the time, the very good Living in the Past was in a brave (for the period) 5/4 time signature.
He’s still a great flutist and probably the only reason I’m able to listen to that instrument is through his playing, think James Galway, urgh🙀 and other saccharine sound players.
Apparently they have a new album coming out in the next couple of weeks.
Luckily I got to see Jethro Tull, I assume Jethro Till are a tribute band;)? Or maybe their accountant.
It must be difficult to stop doing what is, most peoples fantasy life/job combo. I must say, I will have no problem giving up teaching, but then it does not perhaps have the same draw as internationally recognised music performer and multi-millionaire.
There is something intrinically sad about such events, purely because it shines a stark light on all our diminishing powers and eventual demise.
Well, Happy Easter all, love a bit of flute n all!
It wasn't the one born in Basildon in 1741 that helped form the basis of modern agriculture that I was after.
Estimated worth 100 million dollars.
Owns a beautiful house in Wiltshire and another in Switzerland.
Only took up the flute after ditching the electric guitar. He knew he'd never be as good as Clapton, but found he played flute well after a couple of months.
Was once a salmon farmer.
Estimated earnings last year 485.000 dollars.
Awarded an MBE in 2008 for services to music
Has an Ivor Novello award (2006) for international achievement + an honorary doctorate of literature (in the same year).
His latest album 'The Zealot Gene' was released last year and on my first - albeit skimmed through listen - is pretty bloody good and well worth a bit of time spent on it. If nothing else Charlton fans can identify with the track, 'Where did Saturday go?'
Lost in a whirlwind, heady passion
Long faces hang so low
High-flying dreams to Earth fell crashing
Deeply regrettable
Somewhat predictable
Faintly implausible
Quite unmissable
But where did Saturday go?
He did talk about not being good enough to play the guitar like Clapton but maybe he thought he could emulate his band, Cream, instead?
Anderson had to win that battle and bin Abrahams to allow his own ideas to dominate.
Abrahams was the blues man