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Have we done Jethro Tull’s Passion Play

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I just got the expanded set today but, I think Bargepole will do a better job that Blast can…

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/Sunburst369/JethroTullAPassionPlay_zpsymnasdgz.jpg

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  1. I bought it on release. PP itself sounds fantastic in the remix. The extended “foot of our stairs” section takes some readjusting to, but it’s an excellent reinsertion. The extra disc of unreleased recordings is terrific – the missing link between Passion Play and Warchild. Oh, and the book is a great read too. Informative interviews etc.

  2. The extras disc is a joy, and the overall package is a lesson in how to do reissues (make the ‘new’ version sound better than the original, add in some well-chosen extras that will appeal to more than just obsessive fans, toss in a comprehensive book, charge 20 quid for the lot).

    One question, though: all of the Steve Wilson remixes of Tull have been a revelation, providing beautiful sonic clarity. Why, in comparison, are the originals so muddy? Was it the technology of the time? Ian Anderson’s preference as a producer? Something else?

  3. You flatter Bargepole Mr Blast !!

    It was reviewed when it was released last year but alas that is lost on the old site, and no copy survives in the Bargepole archives.

    How about giving us a Blast review – would be very interested to read your thoughts.

  4. I think it’s a brilliant package. I wrote quite a long piece about it on the AW Facebook page but I’m no longer a member (I departed when this place reopened for business ) so can’t paste it back here – if anyone could oblige it would be nice to see it again.. @kaisfatdad?

    • Was this it?

      ‘I am lost in a maze of Jethro Tull madness stemming from the notorious “A Passion Play” album. For those who don’t know, the band set out to make a follow up to the celebrated “Thick as a brick” and, for tax reasons, decided to record at the famous Chateau d’Herouville, Elton’s honky chateau and birthplace of Pink Floyd’s “Obscured By Clouds”. Sadly things didn’t didn’t go to plan and after technical failure, food poisoning, crap facilities and home sickness the band gave up after about an hour of music had been recorded and retreated back to Blighty where they recorded APP in 9 days in London. It was a hit with fans but the critics hated it, and the band, and after an ill advised “Tull to quit” publicity stunt, retreated into semi retirement until issuing the more concise “Warchild” the following year. Naturally those tapes from the Chateau crept out into the bootleg world, and fans loved them – by any measure this was good stuff, if unfinished. Fast forward to the early 90s. Ian Anderson, ever intrigued by technological possibilities, became interested in box sets and other anthological representations of the band’s work, and a CD set called “Nightcap” was issued comprising two discs of out takes with all proceeds going to charity. And disc one was the famous Chateau tapes, under the name of “Chateau d’Isaster” with some added on newly recorded vocals and flute which hadn’t been recorded back in the 70s. Sadly a load of horrible digital reverb was smeared all over it, but the Chateau tapes were out there; at least, most of them were. Fast forward to last year. Steven Wilson, the thinking man’s modern prog hero, is remixing the Tull catalogue and reaches APP. Rightly calling it a classic and a masterpiece, our hero also decided to do the Chateau tapes properly. He remixed them with real care and no nasty reverb or (after heated debate with IA) added flute or vocals, and included a few other tracks from the Chateau sessions which weren’t on “Nightcap” for whatever reason. The results are staggering – you basically hear a band at the top of their game playing with a virtuosity, humour and brio which makes a joke of the suggestion that the sessions were a failure – it is effectively another brilliant Tull album. You see what a great band is behind IA, a massive personality and performer who can’t help but overshadow the rest of the band. The rhythm section, John Evan on keyboards and Martin Lancelot Barré are absolutely on fire. Spookily, some bits of the Chateau session were spliced into the eventual APP or an idea reused, but this doesn’t detract at all. And here’s the thing. If you have the original APP and “Nightcap”, plus the Wilson APP remix (which includes 60 extra seconds of one song he found spliced onto the end of the multitrack tape after being removed by an engineer for reasons now lost to the mists of time) and the properly mixed Chateau d’Isaster sessions you can play spot the difference and “ahhhh I see where that fits” ad infinitum. Which is where I am. See you in a year.’

  7. I’m not sure how many times I’m going to want to watch the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles video though.

    However, having previously been a bit sceptical of the format, I do think that the 5.1 mix is rather good.

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