JANUARY 2000 | VOL. 4, NO. 1



CURRENT

FEATURE
Review: Jethro Tull

ALSO THIS MONTH
Last Thoughts On Rick Danko
Mary Lou Lord: Live at the Tune-In

LAST MONTH
- Rage Against the Machine returns amid controversy and great music
- Rock's Girls and Boys Indulge Their "Deepest" Diary Doodlings

ARCHIVES


Sound Bites

UPCOMING RELEASES

January 11

"Hurricane" - Original Soundtrack

Kennedys - "Evolver"

January 18

Enigma - "Behind the Mirror"

Run-D.M.C. - "Crown Royal"

The Pimps - "To a Cool Person, Stay That Way"

January 25

"Scream 3" - Original Soundtrack

Flavor Flav - "It's About Time"

Mickey Hart - "Spirit Into Sound"

Ice Cube - "War & Peace Vol. 2: The Peace Disc"

The Melvins - "The Crybaby"

Jeffrey Osborne - "Kreepin'"

Warren Zevon - "Life'll Kill Ya"

February 1

Barbra Streisand - "Timeless (The Millennium Concert - Live)"

Tina Turner - "Twenty Four-Seven"

- © 2000 ICE Online



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CD-NOW

Jethro Tull: What Once Was Old Is Now New


Jethro Tull - J-Tull Dot Com
JETHRO TULL
J-Tull Dot Com

(Uni/Varese Sarabande/Fuel 2000)
14 Tracks | Running time: 54:20

Rating: A
BUY IT

CRIS COHEN

This is a good album. I mean, this is a genuinely good album. I'm not some fan who has bequeathed his life to Jethro Tull and thinks that they can never do anything wrong, although I'm sure those people exist. I'm just someone who likes a good song and impressive musical skills. And J-Tull Dot Com has all that and more.

Probably the best way to appreciate this album is to pretend that you have never heard of Jethro Tull before. This is not a knock against their past achievements--they have an impressive body of work that has spanned the decades. And this is not to say that you should start disliking their classic tunes, like "Aqualung" and "Thick As A Brick." However, you should put them out of your mind for a bit.

Jethro Tull has moved on from what they once were and it's best if you can listen to their new songs without expecting to hear the same sounds they created so many years ago. If you can maintain an open mind, which I realize can be difficult when you are used to radio stations that play the same twelve songs over and over again, you will find a wonderful work in J-Tull Dot Com.

Dexterity is the word that best describes this album. Whether it is the limber flute work of frontman Ian Anderson or the great percussive elements created by drummer Doane Perry, in each tune you hear fantastic musicianship. There is a high level of skill at work in these songs.

For myself, the best song on the album is one buried deep in the album. It's a tune called "Bends Like A Willow," featuring a great steady groove laid down by Perry and bassist Jonathan Noyce, with wonderful accents, detours, and general flights of musical fancy by guitarist Martin Barre and keyboardist Andrew Giddings. There are effects that peek their heads out here and there, but not so much that they become obtrusive or annoying. They have just enough of a presence to expand the song, but not burst it.

Songs "Far Alaska" and "A Gift of Roses" are also well-crafted pieces of music. However, another sign that this is a band with talent is that they can offer up something quirky and instead of shying away, you become intrigued. I'm referring to the song "Hot Mango Flush," which are probably three words that you never thought you would hear combined. Yet, after one or two listens, you might very well find yourself singing the chorus out loud.

The lyrics to "Hot Mango Flush" seem to have been pulled from a beat poem of the early sixties. Upon first hearing them, they cause you to twist your head in an expression of confusion. But once you're paying closer attention, you take notice again of the great musicianship at play.. This song particularly highlights the work of Barre and confirms why he has been a staple in the band for so many years.

J-Tull Dot Com has a lot to offer the listener and Jethro Tull seems to have a lot of creativity left in them. Sure they've been around a long time, but in many respects they are a new band.

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CRIS COHEN is a staff humor columnist for Renaissance Magazine. His work is also published weekly in three California newspapers and four online humor magazines.

PICTURE copyright © 2000 Jethro Tull.



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