JETHRO : NOTHING TO GET PASSIONATE ABOUT
A write-up of Passion Play in "New Musical Express" music paper - July 21st 1973 by Steve Clarke
The general concensus of opinion regarding Jethro Tull is that either "Stand Up"
or "Aqualung" have been the band's best work to date. True,"Thick As A Brick"
outsold all prevous Tull albums, and doubtless "Passion Play" will do the same,
but isn't that on name alone?
Both "Aqualung" and especially "Stand Up" contained some excellent songs. They
were played well and also showed Ian Anderson to be a fine writer.
"Thick As A Brick" followed and the band, other than Anderson, had completely
changed from their original line-up. And so had the concept of their music.
"Brick" however was well recieved. It was one extended piece and when news
arrived that the follow-up was going to be the same I got a bit wary. Could they
pull off the same trick twice?
Those who wrote about "Passion Play"-me included-when Tull performed it at
Wembley several weeks ago put the piece down with a rare unanimity. It's not often
that nearly every rock writer agrees, but with Tull's "Passion Play" it happened.
The record itself does little to alleviate my original opinions about the piece
,and that's after repeated playings. Because believe me, I'd like to come out and
say this is a good album.
Sure, it's not badly played, because this is Jethro Tull-one of the world's
biggest rock bands. But I think I know what the reaction would have been if some
non-descript boozos from nowhere released this. It wouldn't sell.
Fortunately Tull are in the position where whatever they turn out will sell.
Like "Thick As A Brick" before it "Passion Play" is a concept album. Just what
the concept is I'm not quite sure. It's about a play, the theatre, but other than
that I'm left in the dark.
Really the idea is a bit like "Thick As A Brick" revisited, in that with
"Brick" the cover was a satirical look at local newspapers and "Passion Play" does
the same with the theatre.
In a spoof programme included with the album Tull are heavily disguised as five
actors and under each picture is an equally spoof biography. Amusing, but like some
of Tull's stage act, we've seen it done before-granted with a different theme.
The music itself is split into two parts, with an irritating piece-it's not
really a song-"The Story Of The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles" written by Hammond-
Hammond, Evan and Anderson filling the gap.
The music has about as much to do with rock as the title suggests and the story
is narrated by John Evan in an exaggarated Northern accent.
"Passion Play" proper features Anderson playing soprano and sopranino sax as
well as flute and acoustic guitars. His singing is harsher than ever, sometimes
sounding like an old man rather than a youthful rock singer.
The music begins with a heart-beat, with flute in the background, before
bursting into a staccato riff pumped out on organ and flute. This goes on for a
while. Anderson does a little whistle , and he sings the first two lines
unaccompanied before acoustic guitar and piano comes in.
His singing alternates with breaks of some very fast playing by the band. The
music is never really allowed to develop before another theme chews the previous one up.
Sadly Anderson's flute breaks sound like all his others. Martin Barre rarely gets
a look in, only coming to the fore when the piece develops-at last-into a not
especially inventive heavy riff.
The second half is softer and, like the first, dominated by Evan and Anderson's
instumental work.
Lyrically "Passion Play" baffles me. There are a few oblique references to God
and the Devil and every now and then Anderson throws in a cliche like "barking up
the wrong tree" or "hopping mad."
Personally I've considered Jethro Tull to be on the slide since "Stand Up"
right through to "Thick As A Brick", though even then they played good music. If
that was the slide "Passion Play" reprsents the fall. A shame because Ian Anderson
is capable of so much better than this.