aa595@cleveland.freenet.edu
Wherever possible, I've included direct quotations from the band members to answer questions. Sources for the quotations are listed at the end of this document. The number in brackets after a quotation is the number of the source in the reference list.
The members of the band have changed over the years; for full details, see the history of the band stored at the Tull FTP site (see question 4 below).
02. How did the band get its name?
Ian explains: "I was not the author of the Jethro Tull
name. The original Jethro Tull was an 18th century
agriculturalist... he was also something of an inventor. He
invented the seed drill. He built his first prototype seed
drill from the foot pedals of his local church organ... when
it was suggested as one of our weekly names for our band in
its early days by our agent we said 'ok, we'll be Jethro Tull
this week.' The reason for all that was that we were not a
terribly good group when we first started, and the only way
we could get re-booked into the clubs we played at was to
pretend to be somebody different every week... often we
didn't know who we were-- the agent forgot to tell us-- so we
would arrive at some club, and we'd look down the list of
bands playing... whichever one we'd never heard of before, we
knew that must be us. The time we got asked back to the
Marquee club we had to stick with the name we had that week,
which happened to be Jethro Tull. It's not a name I feel
particularly wonderful about. I feel faintly embarrassed
about it because it's not an original name. It's somebody
else's name." [2]
03. Does the band still exist?
Yes. Jethro Tull has existed since 1968, and the band
still records new albums and tours fairly frequently.
04. What are good sources of info about the band?
a) On the InterNet, you can receive a digest called The
St. Cleve Chronicle thru e-mail. The Cleve is a forum
for you and other Tull fans to discuss news,
opinions, and anything at all having to do with Tull.
To subscribe, send e-mail to:
JTull-request@jtull.rutgers.edu
An InterNet FTP site exists with back issues of the Cleve, lyrics to Tull albums, reviews of some bootlegs, GIFS, and other goodies. It can be reached via anonymous FTP on jtull.rutgers.edu (128.6.13.3) in the subdir JethroTull.
If you don't have FTP access, the files can be sent to you thru e-mail. For instructions, send e-mail to:
JTull-archive@jtull.rutgers.edu
...and include the word HELP in the body of your letter.
b) An excellent source of current Tull information is "A New Day" magazine, published by a fan named David Rees. David is frequently in direct contact with the band, so the magazine often contains interviews and news about upcoming tours, albums, and other projects. It also contains exclusive color photos & news about related bands such as Blodwyn Pig and Fairport Convention (see questions #05 and 06 below).
To subscribe, write to:
David Rees - A.N.D.
75 Wren Way
Farnborough, Hants
GU14 8TA
England
Subscription rates as of December 1993 are:
In the UK: £7.50 for 5 issues, payable to "A New Day"
In Europe: £10 for 6 issues, payable to "A New Day" UNLESS drawn on a Eurocheck or postal order, in which case make it payable to D. Rees.
Elsewhere: £10 for 5 issues, payable to "A New Day" UNLESS drawn on a postal order, in which case make it payable to D. Rees. Readers in the U.S.A. may, if preferred, send $20 cash for 5 issues: registered post is advised.
Cheques must be in £ Sterling and drawable on a UK bank. No U.S. checks are acceptable.
c) Another Tull magazine called "Living in the Past" is available, though I can't give many details 'cause I haven't subscribed yet. Write to either of these addresses for info:
Laura Grisi - Acres Wild Lee Berard 11 Blackpark Broadford P.O. Box 1268 Isle of Skye Newport, RI 02840 IV49 9AE U.S.A. Scotland
Many thanks to the gentleman who sent me subscription info via e-mail when version 1.0 of the FAQ came out in 1993. Naturally, I managed to lose your name, e-mail address, and the info in one fell swoop.
d) A Tull bootlegs newsletter is published by Bert Maessen. For details, send an International Reply Coupon (available at the post office) to Bert at:
Rijksweg Noord 270
Sittard 6136AG
Netherlands
05. What IS Fairport Convention?
Fairport Convention is a british folk-rock band founded
in 1967. It's gone thru numerous changes in members over the
years, and even broke up for awhile, but the current line-up
has been together since 1985.
The members of Tull and Fairport overlap: Dave Pegg plays in both bands, and former Tull keyboardist Martin Allcock is also a core Fairport member. Fairport's longtime drummer Dave Mattacks played with Tull for the 1992 live gigs, and he appears on the live Tull album A Little Light Music. Fairport's violinist Ric Sanders guested on 2 tracks on Tull's Crest of a Knave. At most 1987 Tull gigs, all the members of Fairport came onstage to play "Skating Away" with Tull. Fairport was also Tull's opening act for parts of the 1987 and 1988 tours.
06. What is Blodwyn Pig?
Blodwyn Pig is a band founded by Mick Abrahams, who
played guitar with Tull for almost a year (until just before
Martin Barre joined). Mick co-founded Tull with Ian, and he
appears on Tull's first album (This Was).
Blodwyn Pig broke up in the early 70's, but reformed recently. Abrahams released a new solo album (called All Said and Done) in 1991. The album features Tull's original drummer Clive Bunker, and one of the tracks is a 12-minute version of the Tull song "Cats Squirrel." The album is on the Elite record label; the CD catalog number is ELITE007CD.
A New Blodwyn Pig album was released late in 1993 through "A New Day" magazine.
07. Who is Jennie Anderson, the person credited on the
Aqualung album as the author of the title track?
Ian Anderson, discussing the song "Aqualung," explains: "It's
credited on the album actually to my first wife, who in fact was
responsible for what became some of the lyrics in the first couple of
verses of it, because she'd been out taking some photographs. She was
studying photography at the time at some college or something, and she
was doing some assignment where she had to go and take photos of
people in London, and she'd come back with a whole series of photos on
this sort of general subject on individuals. I suppose in total
probably about half of the lyrics were words or word associations that
she had come up with." [3] The
photos were of homeless men, and the images inspired the character of
Aqualung.
08. Who is Gerald Bostock, listed as co-author of Thick
As A Brick?
There is no real Gerald Bostock. Ian explains, "there
was this kind of humorous side to [Thick as a Brick] that
made it possible to do this send-up lyric which was
deliberately complex and a bit crazy, and to suggest, however
unlikely it might have been, that the whole thing had been
written by a precocious 11 or 12 year-old or whatever the
Gerald Bostock figure was supposed to have been.... which is,
I suppose, me trying to cop out from being the author of it
myself." [4]
09. What are the titles of all the Tull albums?
For a complete list of all official Tull albums and
singles, including tracklistings, see the discography at the
FTP site (see question 4 above).
10. Is the Live At Hammersmith '84 album a
bootleg?
No. It is an official release. Chrysalis Records gave
permission to Raw Fruit Records to release these live tracks,
which were originally recorded for radio broadcast. It was
only released in the UK, but it can be purchased elsewhere as
an import.
11. Is Tull sheet music available?
Yes, for some songs. Cherry Lane Music currently has
several books of Tull sheet music in print: "Crest of a
Knave," "Rock Island," "Flute Solos Created by Ian Anderson,"
"20 Years of Jethro Tull," "Greatest Hits for Guitar," and
"Best of Jethro Tull." Most music stores can order these
books for you.
Several books are out of print and quite rare, including "Songs from the Wood," "Heavy Horses," "Living in the Past," "Warchild," "Bursting Out," "Minstrel in the Gallery," "Jethro Tull Anthology" (including the first 4 albums, more or less), and a different compilation including Stand Up, Benefit, and Aqualung.
I've searched off and on for three years for these out- of-print books, and I've found only the last one mentioned. I'm either looking in the wrong places, or they're extraordinarily rare. I've actually seen most of them in a friend's collection, though: he stumbled upon someone selling a nearly complete collection.
12. Where can I get info about Tull bootlegs?
You can subscribe to Bert Maessen's newsletter (see
question 4 above). Also, I have compiled two guides to
Tull bootlegs: a quick-reference guide and a detailed
review guide. Both are available at the Internet archives
(see question 4).
13. What Tull videos are available in stores?
There's a video called Slipstream available on
laserdisc and videotape. It includes some concert footage
from the 1980 A tour, and it also includes some studio
videos. Ian Anderson appears throughout the video as
different characters such as Aqualung and Dracula.
New copies are apparently no longer being produced,
so this video may become hard to find.
There's also a video called 20 Years of Jethro Tull. It includes some 1978 concert footage, some studio videos, and short interview clips with Ian, Terry Ellis (former manager), and others. This video is only available on tape, not laserdisc.
A new video collection was compiled for the 25th anniversary of Tull in 1993, and it includes recent interviews with current and ex-band members as well as rehearsal footage, studio videos, and live concert footage. At the time of this writing, a release date still has not been announced, but it is expected to hit the market any month now.
14. What Tull bootleg videos are available?
There's a wealth of footage circulating among fans,
including concert broadcasts from TV in various countries,
old silent home movie footage, and more recent concerts
captured on camcorders by sneaky audience members. Quality
varies greatly, of course.
15. Why can't I find the 20 Years Of Jethro Tull
box set?
This set was temporarily out of print worldwide for
about two years. It's recently been re-issued in the UK, and
hopefully it'll be re-issued elsewhere as well.
The set is in high demand among fans, as most of the 65 tracks are previously unreleased (studio cuts or live recordings). It also includes rare B-sides from early singles.
The Columbia House CD club has some copies in stock as of this writing: the stock number is 371-237. Columbia House may be phoned at 1-800-457-0500.
16. Who is "Jeffrey," mentioned in several Tull song
titles such as "A Song For Jeffrey"?
It may well be Jeffrey Hammond, an old friend of Ian's who played
bass with Tull from 1971-1975. Jeffrey himself is unsure: when asked
how it felt having songs written for him, he replied, "I'm not sure
whether those songs were for me as it were; it was probably just a
name, you know." [6]
17. Isn't his name Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond?
No. Jeffrey says, "my real name is Jeffrey Hammond. When I joined
Jethro Tull, Ian suggested Hammond-Hammond, and I must admit I liked
the idea. It is actually not too much of an affectation because my
mother was called Hammond before she married my father. People had the
habit, especially Americans, of calling me Hammond-Hammond rather than
Jeffrey, which I rather liked. Of course, I gave it up when I left
Tull and reverted to a singular Hammond."
[7]
18. Did Tony Iommi ever play guitar with Tull?
Sort of. During the brief time in 1968 after Mick
Abrahams left but before Martin Barre joined, Tull appeared
on TV in a film called "The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll
Circus." They performed "A Song for Jeffrey," though only Ian
was actually live; the others mimed to a backing tape. Tony
Iommi was the guitarist seen in this film clip with Tull, and
apparently he nearly joined the band. Mick Abrahams recalls,
"Tony only did the Rock & Roll circus thing. He phoned me up
afterwards and told me he couldn't stand it - he quit
straight after that." [5]
19. Did Phil Collins ever play drums with Tull?
Only at one gig: the Prince's Trust Gala on July 7, 1982
at London's Dominion Theatre. He played drums with Tull for
three songs. Two of them ("Jack in the Green" and "Pussy
Willow") are on an official video release of the Prince's
Trust Gala, though I'm not sure what countries the video was
released in.
20. What's the deal with all the "25th Anniversary" stuff
that was released in 1993?
As Ian stated on April 26th 1993 in a radio broadcast from
New York, "We're not celebrating anything at all....EMI and
Chrysalis records, on the other hand, will celebrate anything
they can sell." And indeed, a large number of "25th Anniversary"
products exist... so many, in fact, that the casual fan might
be confused without a handy guide like this one:
Box Set (the one that looks like a cigar box)
CD 1: re-mixes of classic Tull songsNightcap (2-CDs)
CD 2: live in New York 1970
CD 3: new studio recordings by the current band of old songs
CD 4: live tracks from various years
CD 1: The Chateau D'Isaster Tapes (an unreleased 1972 album that includes a handful of prototypes for bits of A Passion Play)The Best Of Jethro Tull: The Anniversary Collection (2-CD)CD 2: Rare and unreleased tracks
This is a collection of remasters of the original mixes of "classic" Tull songs from thru the years. The sound quality is quite excellent. This is NOT a collection of highlights from the box set as the title might imply.
22. What does "M.U." stand for in the album title
M.U. - The Best Of Jethro Tull?
Musician's Union. (A quotation from Ian to confirm this
will appear in future editions of the FAQ list... I have to
dig out the interview tape I have in which he mentions it.)
23. What is A Classic Case? Is it out on CD?
It's a 1985 album featuring the members of Tull playing
ten Tull songs with the London Symphony Orchestra, as arranged
and conducted by ex-Tull keyboardist David Palmer. It came out
originally on the RCA label (CD catalog number RCD1-7067). For
a long time it was out of print, and the original version is
still very rare, but another company recently bought the rights
to the album and re-issued it. The new title is Classic Jethro
Tull. It may be a UK-only release. The contents is exactly the
same as the original A Classic Case only the title and cover
are different.
24. Does Martin Barre have a solo album? What is
"A Summer Band"?
Martin has recorded a studio solo album, featuring Matt Pegg
on bass and Andy Giddings on keyboards. The album is called A
Trick of Memory. It will be released worldwide in April on ZYX
Records. He also has a contract to record 3 more albums for them.
Much confusion resulted when "A New Day" magazine persuaded Martin to release a limited edition live album, called "A Summer Band." This album was limited to roughly 1000 copies total on CD and tape, and it was sold to "A.N.D." subscribers. The album contains live performances by The Summer Band, a group Martin formed to play charity gigs near his home. This is NOT Martin's solo album; his real studio solo album, when it is released, will be sold thru real record stores, and unlike "A Summer Band," it will contain all original material. Martin even sings on the studio album. (!!)
25. Does Dave Pegg have a solo album?
Yes. It's called The Cocktail Cowboy Goes it Alone, and it was
recorded in 1983. It was issued on Woodworm Records. A CD version
was released around 1991 or 1992, but it may be out of print by now.
26. What do the runes on the cover of the Broadsword
album spell?
They are the opening lyrics to the song "Broadsword". Many thanks
to everyone who e-mailed the details to me... you will be credited in
the next version of the FAQ, as soon as I get organized.
27. Will there be another Tull studio album? How long
will the band exist?
Ian and the band have very tentative plans to record a new album,
but at the time of this writing they're too busy touring to write and
record new material. As for the future of the band, Ian says "2001
might be a good time for Jethro Tull to play its last
concert... You've got every chance of playing until you're as old as
Muddy Waters was. It's just those of us who, perhaps unwisely, chose a
more athletic way of performing music who are really in for a rough
final few years." [8]
28. What's all this talk about salmon?
Don't ask. :)
[2] "Up Close" radio interview, 1989
[3] "In the Studio: Aqualung" radio interview, 1990
[4] "In the Studio: Thick as a Brick" radio interview, 1991
[8] Rolling Stone magazine #668 (October 28, 1993)
Dan Duvall