Jethro Tull Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll: Too Young To Die CD

Although Jethro Tull was still in its heyday in 1976, Ian Anderson must have sensed that he could not remain a rock star forever. Anderson originally intended the linked songs on TOO OLD TO ROCK 'N' ROLL to form the basis of a musical based on the life of an aging rocker not unlike himself. Anderson's alter ego on the record is Ray Lomax, whose tale is told in cartoon format in the album art. Not coincidentally, Lomax is a cartoon version of Anderson.

The record alternates between folk and rock as it chronicles Lomax's struggles to exist outside a rock framework. He makes a foray into TV game shows ("Quizz Kid"), drinks despairingly with an old codger who dispenses advice on the gentle, introspective "From a Deadbeat to an Old Greaser" and steals a taxi for a romantic rendezvous on the upbeat "Taxi Grab." The title track, a stately epic that builds to a rousing finale, garnered significant airplay on FM radio and is one of the band's last hits from their golden age.

This album was summarily dismissed by reviewers, who universally invoked their handbooks of hackneyed "critic speak." Cop-out terms like "indulgent" and "pretentious" were bandied about, employing the popular critic's method of simply discrediting an album due to its concurrent release with the arrival of punk-rock- - as if that were an intellectually sound critique given the virtually unrelated style of Jethro Tull's music. The main knock on this album is the ill-conceived concept involving an aging rock star. That is a valid observation, but what rock concept albums are deserving of literary accolades? Precious few, if any. Lyrical themes notwithstanding, Too Old to Rock 'N' Roll is a fine collection of independent rock songs that marked a return to the classic Tull style carved out on Aqualung and Benefit. Absent here are the muddled epic-length pieces synonymous with Thick As a Brick and A Passion Play, the pop leanings of War Child, and the complexity of Minstrel in the Gallery. So despite being the target of disparaging reviews, this album achieved modest chart success and boasted several quality rockers like "Quizz Kid," "Taxi Grab," and "Big Dipper." Martin Barre's unheralded lead guitar style remains a force, rescuing a couple of tracks from the doldrums. David Palmer's orchestral arrangements are, at times, a bit overblown but this album is far from the colossal disaster it's been portrayed as. Jethro Tull's third bassist John Glascock made his debut on this record, and Maddy Prior makes a guest appearance on the title track. [In October of 2002, EMI issued a remastered and expanded edition of this album, with killer sound and a pair of pleasantly folky, albeit unambitious bonus tracks from the same sessions, "A Small Cigar" and "Strip Cartoon" -- the latter is especially cheerful and will especially please guitar buffs with its mix of Anderson's glittering acoustic guitar and Martin Barre's crunchy electric lead playing.] ~ Dave Sleger

24-bit digitally remastered reissue of 1976 album with 2 added bonus tracks 'A Small Cigar' & 'Strip Cartoon'. Capitol. 2002.

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

Personnel: Ian Anderson (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, flute, harmonica, percussion); John Glascock, Angela Allen, Maddy Prior (vocals); Martin Barre (electric guitar); David Palmer (saxophone); John Evan (piano); Barriemore Barlow (drums, percussion).

Liner Note Author: Ian Anderson .

Recording information: Brussels, Belgium; Radio Monte Carlo.

Jethro Tull: Ian Anderson (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, flute, harmonica, percussion); John Glascock (vocals, bass); Martin Barre (electric guitar); John Evan (piano); Barriemore Barlow (drums, percussion).

Additional personnel: Maddy Prior, Angela Allen (vocals); David Palmer (saxophone, Vako Orchestron).