85-90% of the old band ... hahaha, try 60-65% ... but the musicianship is good, just the vocals.
Why doesn't Ian own up to caring in the least about his songs saying something. He is always running away from a very loud statement of something with Jethro Tull ... he could at least own up to it. It's him on the cover arts.
Jethro Tull - nice intro of Farm On The Freeway here - from Crest Of A Knave, by the way.
I like parts of Rock Island quite a bit, but overall it is kind of lumbering ... but it is Jethro Tull, so I try to look for the good stuff. I like the end of the Rock Island Song, the guitar fade out is excellent ... they could have made a whole song out of that. Ears Of Tin .... odd song, but interesting.
Funny all these kinds of working class songs .. Ian's not working class.
I used also to consider "Rock Island" a shitty record, but not anymore. No point in comparing it with "Aqualung" or other classics, this is a totally different context. Sometimes a bit of distance in time is necessary to understand things better. To me the only really bad track is "The rattlesnake trail". (If you want a shitty one take ".com")
Rock Island a shitty record? A widely held opinion I admit. But Whalers Dues, Ears of Tin, Another Christmas Song, and the title track are bad songs. I would then wonder if the listeners were Tull fans at all. All those mentioned would rank among the headiest of their output, dare I say as good or better than elements of Aqualung, Passion Play and Rock Island's predecessor, Crest of a Knave. To me more a case of an old band aging gracefully, while surrendering nothing.
85-90% of the old band ... hahaha, try 60-65% ... but the musicianship is good, just the vocals.
Why doesn't Ian own up to caring in the least about his songs saying something. He is always running away from a very loud statement of something with Jethro Tull ... he could at least own up to it. It's him on the cover arts.
themountainviewguy 3 years ago
Jethro Tull - nice intro of Farm On The Freeway here - from Crest Of A Knave, by the way.
I like parts of Rock Island quite a bit, but overall it is kind of lumbering ... but it is Jethro Tull, so I try to look for the good stuff. I like the end of the Rock Island Song, the guitar fade out is excellent ... they could have made a whole song out of that. Ears Of Tin .... odd song, but interesting.
Funny all these kinds of working class songs .. Ian's not working class.
themountainviewguy 3 years ago
I used also to consider "Rock Island" a shitty record, but not anymore. No point in comparing it with "Aqualung" or other classics, this is a totally different context. Sometimes a bit of distance in time is necessary to understand things better. To me the only really bad track is "The rattlesnake trail". (If you want a shitty one take ".com")
Semente200 3 years ago
Its not a shitty record. Its an awesome one.
Aqualung71 3 years ago
Rock Island a shitty record? A widely held opinion I admit. But Whalers Dues, Ears of Tin, Another Christmas Song, and the title track are bad songs. I would then wonder if the listeners were Tull fans at all. All those mentioned would rank among the headiest of their output, dare I say as good or better than elements of Aqualung, Passion Play and Rock Island's predecessor, Crest of a Knave. To me more a case of an old band aging gracefully, while surrendering nothing.
tullist 3 years ago
It's a shame that Rock Island is such a shitty record.
KingHellstrings 3 years ago
Never seen this clip before, thanks!
peacejones 4 years ago 2