So many quality blues influenced songs in the early Tull library. Best song on this lp is "We Used to Know," with a scathing wa-wa guitar solo by Martin Barre on it. Some say the Eagles plagiarized We Used to Know's main harmonies for Hotel California, as they were the opening act for one of Tull's tours, several years before.
Britain was in a huge blues boom when this was released. Jeff Beck Group, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Cream & others were leading the pack. The refusal to play blues based music lead to the prog rock movement, as prog used other non-blues structures & influence their music. And while I love blues done right (particularly Chicago blues, Alligator Records, Chess stuff), I feel it is too limiting a format. New Day Yesterday is blues done right. Great review, Justin !!
The good thing about taking a couple steps back to Stand Up is that you get enough of their blues influence to see where they came from and enough folk to see where they wound up going. The first album is pure British blues ala early Fleetwood Mac and is not much more than interesting IMO, but when they replaced guitarist and blues purist Mick Abrahams with Martin Barre, Ian was able to shift the band more in a folk, English influenced direction ie form Jethro Tull's musical identity. The follow-up to this, Benefit, will have some longer songs with multiple parts being tried out to some degree of success, but later mastered on Aqualung. Stand Up primarily focuses on blending British folk and heavy rock together, but not so much within individual tracks, so half the tracks are heavy and a little bluesy and the other half are more folky. Also, keep an eye out on the singles they released around '69-'71; they were one of the last British bands that issued singles-only tracks and left them off their albums for marketing reasons. That was just the way British record companies marketed their products in the '60s
@@michaelbochnia5686 Agreed: I almost wish Tull had stayed stuck in a "Stand-Up" & "Benefit" rut for a couple more albums, before veering hard left into the whole Prog vein.
I salute you JP for diving into early Jethro Tull. This song rocks and the album one of their best. The album has so many songs of different musical styles. IMHO the most musically diverse rock group of all time. Maybe a second to the Beatles.
"Musically diverse": Wickedly-conceived phrase. Mentioning the Beatles, you're likely to get people going, "Hey, wait a minute!" But, "musically diverse" would garner several hours of fascinating discussion at a party or a segment on satellite radio's Volume channel!! Nicely done! Genesis would be a good band to toss into that hat, as well.
This was still in the Blues period of Tull. The next album "Benefit" is when Tull really became the band we know now and my favourite Tull album of all time. I would suggest you listen to "Bourée", which is a classic Tull track (written by J S Bach no less), and "We Used to Know", with a great flute solo, as these are the highlights of the album.
Benefit is one of my earliest Prog heartwarming favorites . It's pure and sweet which takes me back like a dream to my teens. Saw them in 71 Live with YES by chance! Life changing moment!
@@wendellwiggins3776 I knew Tull because of their early singles. My dad was working near London and had friends who were into the "Underground". He gave me "Benefit" and it blew me away. Such a solid album with no weaknesses. It really is a masterpiece.
Tull is an example of what made the music of the 60’s so great. The palette was endless. Whether they were planning blues, prog, hard rock, it was all wonderful.
The Moody Blues was the first band to popularize the flute in rock music and it had a huge impact on bands like Jethro Tull, Focus and Genesis. Jethro Tull started as more of a blues band, especially on their first album. It was on this album where they started to expand into other genres, but the blues influence was still prominent. The flute was rarely used as a blues instrument prior to Tull, and it really became their signature sound.
Great song and album. The first LP I ever bought as young lad. The original gatefold sleeve was a work of art. Woodblock illustrations and inside, cutout figures of the band 'standing up' as you open the gatefold. Just like a fun greeting card. One of my favourite songs is We Used To Know.
For Tull's second album, to have such an elaborate jacket must have been a tough sell to Warner Bros. Records. I'm guessing the label's head art director, Ed Thrasher, was behind it! He moved from Columbia Records to Warners in '64, and with an impressive track record, if that was his idea, it's not hard to imagine the label quickly getting their Mo (Ostin, president) Joe (Smith, VP) workin'! Imagine Ed bringing the newspaper idea for "Thick as a Brick" 3 years later! FYI: By that time, Tull was signed to Chrysalis under the Reprise banner, but still distributed by the label of the Bunny!
Was really in the mood for a 'lost' Cream song that also incorporated a flute in to the mix . This served that desire very well . Loved the heavy blues during this time .
Jethro Tull, perhaps somewhat more than Queen, who made a conscious effort to be hip to the groove, is an object lesson in musical evolution Starting out as a blues band, with the bass riff on this song being archetypical of the late '60s clubland blues sound, they evolved through folk influences and out into more modern takes which might appeal to the same demographic's changing population. Although they say they are uncommercial, nevertheless they never lose that appeal. Contrast with the Beatles, who start off sort of innocent and then, in later years, become more adult oriented through the personal growth of each band member, and the influence of the Maharishi.
JP. I guess it makes sense to do Stand Up before doing Benefit. Might as well go in a chronological order to monitor Tull's progression from a Blues based band to a rock band. You'll like Stand Up. It just has some great song writing. It doesn't have Ian's anger and sarcasm, but I has his creative genius.
@@justaguy2365 ... True. But that's straight blues. It's not rock. Ian even said it wasn't the music in his heart. He felt it wasn't his. That's why he called it THIS WAS. By the time it was released, he had already moved on.
"Ian didn't sound as sarcastic", but if you check out the 1970 live version of this song on youtube (for his performance, not the sound quality) you will get an entirely different perspective. Stand Up & Benefit were Blues rock with folk, jazz and classical influences. After Aqualung they were more (British) Folk with rock, blues, classical and jazz influences. If you are doingthe album, can't wait to see you're reaction to "Fat Man". lol.
I managed to find a good used copy of this album - the standing figures in the gate fold tend to get torn. Amazing album - it starts out heavy and dense, but lightens up has more open spaces in the later songs.
Great Album. I was a big fan of Mick Abrahams and disappointed when he left to form Blodwyn Pig (Ahead Rings Out, also a fab album, btw), but needn’t have worried. We ended up with two excellent bands for the price of one.
Thank goodness for being able to borrow a vinyl of this in 72’. It must have tweeked my life in some ways. Did you know the album cover did literally STAND UP - when you opened it a trippy image of the band rose up, like those children’s pop up books. Who else is that cool!
At last we get to early Tull! Makes me happy. I knew you would be diggin’ this stuff. I remember my friend who was a really good drummer was reallly into Tull and a few of us friends would go over to his (parents) house to his room in the loft where his turntable and record collection were. He was so excited to put this on to impress us with and with a little sweet leaf burning, we were duly impressed and pleased! Not sure if you are planning on doing track by track but I just love Nothing Is Easy, We Used to Know, and Reasons for Waiting. And hey, Look Into The Sun too. It’s just a great album. Enjoy!
By 1969, flutes were occasionally heard in folk-rock and some of the bands that were reviving British minstrel-y music but Tull were the first to incorporate it into serious rock and roll. Chicago and later Heart would use it on rare occasions - Chicago's sax player Walt Parazaider is an excellent flutist and Ann Wilson plays flute in addition to being such an amazing vocalist. There are several unexpected instruments that have shown up in rock and roll over the years like bagpipes emerging in Celtic rock with bands like Wolfstone and Enter the Haggis.
None of those acts (using a pleasant, mostly classical-style pure sound), though, brutalized a flute in the way Ian brought the instrument into the rock firmament, pulling a Rahsaan Roland Kirk & jazz style attack with him. Completely and utterly ground-breaking.
I love this Tull song-not every song from the early albums get me dancing but there are some of my favorites there--I do hope you sample some more of them!
Luv Jethro Tull saw them in Leeds circa 69/70 Ian Anderson made the whole band turn round for the second half because it was a circular stage...still luv him so cool his one legged stance and that flute ace 👍🏻🤗💙
Hey Justin My Man!! This is so much fun to watch you have fun!! Theres nothing in the whole world that is so universal and beloved than MUSIC!!! RIGHT? This song was alot of fun!! I don't even think I owned AQUALUNG but am really enjoying hearing Tull again!! Spot On Again!! I also felt that the riff was: Too Relyed On!! Loved the drum work too!! Met another AZ YES FAN on this channel the other day when you did: PERPETUAL CHANGE!!! SO COOL RIGHT JP? You are so appreciated for the work you put in everyday to make your videos informative, articulate,diverse, and just straight up fun!!! It's so much fun to see you smile and have fun too!!! I love your SINCERITY!! It's such a great quality in people!!! Okay kiddo! I'm out today!! I will be having a very special request for you coming tomorrow!! My birthday is this Saturday!!! 62! I was born the exact same day as MICHAEL JACKSON!!! Have a great night! Your #1AZ FAN MICHAEL🙀😽😊😊
Thank you for doing these reactions! I enjoy your analysis on so many varieties of music, and probing beneath the surface, peeling back the layers. I already liked a lot of the artists that you gravitate to, as well.
I love songs that sound like a jam, just comes across as a natural feel and playing with each other. Raw and powerful comes to mind after listening to the song. Good choice and enjoyed the reaction.
I think Tull was rapidly getting away from the Brit blues-rock explosion with this one. Anderson has said in interviews that when they recorded This Was (1968), he didn't feel like his situation in the band was guaranteed - it was as much Mick Abraham's (original guitarist) band, and he was still learning how to play his instruments. The first schism happened, and Barre replacing Abrahams led to Anderson writing all the material. Blues is still in the mix, but other than Bourée and Nothing is easy (the real great blues tune on this one for me), the rest can be called many things but not quite the blues. For great pastoral britfolk, one can't do much better than Look Into The Sun or Reasons for Waiting, or folk with an Indian sounding riff (Fat Man), folk-rock (We Used To Know - with a surprising Hotel California resemblance! - the Eagles opened for Tull early in their career so it's the other way round for sure), and flat-out rock (Back To The Family). By Benefit, there is only one really bluesy piece (Inside), and it would resurface briefly on later classic albums. I agree that this one's a bit repetitive, i'd sample a few more to get a feel for the already varied styles that would later be explored on Benefit, Aqualung (yes, the "angry" album ;o) TaaB etc...
If you decide to listen to the whole album, you may want to include the song "Living in the Past" as a bonus track. It was recorded around the time they did "Stand Up", but released as a stand-alone single. One of Jethro Tull's biggest hits, and a great track!
That riff is actually the song's structure so I think to feel it's "relied on too much" is pulling down the beams. Rather than use a strummed rhythmic structure as in more traditional blues formats they use a constant bridge statement, which for me is kind of the heart of the song in blues form about a guy stuck between then and now. It has to be a fierce running line rather than a chord strum and as per a lot of blues he never gets out of it. Maybe I'm overanalyzing it, but it just has always felt that way to me.
I'm pretty sure you know how happy it makes me to find this in my notifications this morning! What a BEAUTY of an album! I just love it so much! This first song is "just a taste" of what's to come on the rest of the album! I know I probably told you in another post, but Ian said that he considered this his favorite Tull album! Can't wait to see you go through the rest of it! It just gets better and better!
Looking back, I can only think of the Moody Blues who used the flute as much in their music. I'm sure there were a few others that I can't remember right now.
As I mentioned in a reply to someone above, it's all about (IMO) HOW the flute is used. Many artists may have used a flute late '60s/early '70s, but it took Ian to take the instrument from a pretty, generally classical style to rough'n'raspy jazz style ala Rahsaan Roland Kirk! Better? Not necessarily. Influential and unique? Definitely.
@@bradsmack1 Ian Anderson's "dirty" flute sound, as a lead or solo instrument in a rock setting, was the ground-breaking part. Almost a gimmick, but he studied his Roland Kirk well and made it happen.
Great choice of album for some more Tull, Justin. Their best album, in my humble opinion. Thanks for yet another incisive reaction. I don't personally feel that the main riff is overly relied upon. I think that it is the power behind the driving force of the rhythm that propels the song forward - the 'groove', I suppose. It was what we were headbanging to - or dancing. And you'll find that this trope is used commonly in the sub-genre. I don't know if you'll be working through the album, but other great tracks on this album are: Driving Song, Sweet Dream, and Living in the Past (which is not on the original release but was included on the 2001 remix release). Some good hard-driving early British blues rock.
One of their most propulsive songs. Guitarist Joe Bonamassa used to cover this one. I always thought of the lyrics referring not really to a person, but more to a state of mind reached once (the "new day"), but not easy to maintain as your habitual state of consciousness (the "old day") reasserts itself. Very similar to the Beatles song "Got To Get You Into My Life", which could be about a girl until it says "Another road where maybe I could see another kind of mind there. Then suddenly I see you." Anyway, how much blues was in rock ? Tons. You've played some Cream, but not their blues covers. (Ian Anderson was a budding guitarist until Clapton came along.) Many of these British bands in the late 60's were inspired by black American blues players, and combined that with the new more powerful guitar tones available due to amplifier advances and distortion boxes. In order to learn the blues on guitar, you didn't have to learn music theory, but just the patterns of the blues scale on the fretboard. So you had a current of blues running through the music of the Yardbirds, Stones, Cream, Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin, etc. The Beatles were more into Chuck Berry and Little Richard, but it's the same patterns on the guitar.
As most Tull fans know they began as a blues band, but by this time they were moving away from that sound. It was "A New Day Yesterday, but it's an old day now."
You made the right choice imho with the JT discography. Aqualung and Stand Up are good album to start with and have a first idea of the band. I'm happy because now that you have done Aqualung there will be no more Aqualung songs requests and there's only deep material to discover.
This is the first song on Stand Up i believe. It's a great transition from the first, a more blues album to Stand Up which is Anderson flexing his songwriting muscle, and takes from many influences which becomes one of Tull's trademarks.
You did it, thanks for reacting to one of my picks 👍🏼 (If) as you go further back with them you will hear more bluesy influence. This song funnily always makes me think it's a direct influence on the White Stripes musical sound (minus vocals) i.e. as you say Sheer Power with (almost) over reliance on a single riff.
Groove is phenomenal! Glad you enjoyed it 😆! Great you are doing Stand Up, its so underrated. Thinking this is only their second album, its amazing. If I would be forced to choose one album from JT, it would be this.
To me, this is Tull at their best. The riff is a monster, as you point out, and the band plays beautifully together. The vocal performance is also excellent.
Agree completely! This album really showcased their versatility! "We Used to Know" is beautiful, as is "Look Into the Sun", but IMO, every song on the album is stunning, each in it's own way! And Ian really showed us what an amazing lyricist he was, and would become.
Among the late 60's blue craze were Cream, Fleetwood Mac, and Jethro Tull sounding somewhat similar. It's striking how much the latter two diverged from that sound after their founding guitarists left. Ian Anderson explicitly disavowed basing Tull's music on American forms, preferring British folk instead, though they did revisit blues-ish music at least a couple times times in later years.
I think Ian Anderson had heard Fairport Convention by '68 or '69, and got excited about maybe a new direction. He said as much about Yes & King Crimson in an interview.
Tull fans get divided cause they have so much material to choose from. All i ask is that eventually you get to some that are more rare or newer. Almost no one reviews thier 1995 album roots to branches but im telling you its got alot of solid stuff as well
JP... You'll love the live video of Tull doing this song (New Day Yesterday) back in 1970. Ian goes wild on stage... the mad piper. Just search: New Day Yesterday Tull Fillmore East 1970
This is the first track on the first LP after Mick Abrahams' departure, recorded before the rest of the LP was. Tony Iommi auditioned to be Mick's replacement, and it's possible that this was a song they rehearsed in one of those sessions. There's some pretty heavy gtr here and I can't help but wonder if something Iommi recorded with Tull is part of this song. Perhaps Anderson lifted Iommi's gtr part from a rehearsal tape and used it here. If not Iommi's playing, it could be that Anderson directed newbie Martin Barre to play what Ian heard when rehearsing the song with Iommi. Ultimately, Barre was a great fit for Tull as Iommi was for Black Sabbath. It's a great song and grabs your attention right at the start of a great album .
I was in high school when this came out and my bf and I used to argue over who was the better band: Tull (my choice) or Creedence (his). Thanks for the review. Will be watching your dive into this rabbit hole. 🤣
Here's a couple, Justin, from out of the blue(s): Captain Beyond, with "Dancing Madly Backwards (On a Sea of Air)" from their 1972 debut album. The band consisted of former members of Iron Butterfly, Johnny Winter, Deep Purple, and Rick Derringer. Then, there's White Witch, from Tampa, whose debut album was also released in '72, and oddly, on the very same label as Captain Beyond (Capricorn Records, distributed by Warner Bros.). The first two songs on that album would be a good place to start: "Parabrahm Greeting/Dwellers of the Threshold," which acts as a generally short instrumental intro to "Help Me Lord."
The first couple of Tull albums were very bluesy. That entire album and the "benefit" album are two of my all time favs. by the way when you get around to doing tails you got to let me know bro send up some smoke signals or something love you
AND YOU KNOW WHAT JUSTIN, STAND UP'S A GR88888 PLACE TO START MAN, CAN'T GO WRONG FOR SURE! :) THEY PUT OUT A LIVE 78 ALBUM CALLED ( BURSTING OUT ) LOL IT'S SO DAMNNNNN GOOD TOO, JUST SOUNDS TO ME THAT YOU ENJOY TULL AND THAT'S AWESOME! :) BE WELL
Great song, I've always found his voice different on this one in particular. Other good albums; Songs From the Wood, Passion Play, Stormwatch, Heavy Horses, War Child (even though it's not everyone's cup of tea)... actually they are all quite good. There are a few that are weaker though.
I like Driving Song better.... Stand Up , Benefit , Living in the Past, Aqualung , Thick as .... et... can't wrong. I wonder what you're going to think of Fatman.... just remember Stand Up is 1969..... the production was not as good as today.... Clive Bunker is an absolute superb drummer and Cornick is a monster on bass.Very happy you're digging Tull JP...
Hi Justin, In reality I suppose I’m a fairly new subscriber to your channel which I enjoy immensely most nights, especially tonight as JT have always been another of my all time favourites. Our Stand Up album is a little worse for wear now so I guess it also goes on the new album list. You play so many songs/albums that I guess many of us loved and grew up with and I just love how a piece of music can throw you back through the decades. What I’m curious about though is if the channel is purely prog and earlier works by various artists only eg SD etc or do you also react to later works from the 80’s, 90’s through to this present day? That being said though so far your picks and your interpretation of them have been intelligently canny reactions (I’m guessing you’re presently or have been a musician) and adding to that your such a ‘Happy Chappy’ which Lord only knows we all need at present! So a huge thank you for all the time, effort and energy you’ve devoted to this channel . You’ve made a lot of people extremely happy. Stay well, safe and mask up. Cheers.
One day (preferably as part of a double-album listen), try the version selected for Bursting Out (Live). The mix is more separated and balanced (my guess - I actually know zip about production/ mixing). It has more flute in it, so that makes it different enough to be worth listening.
Much to the disbelief and probable outrage of several, while this album is a considerable source of pleasure to me, it's where my interest in Jethro Tull begins and ends. I suspect I bought it when it was first released in order to own and play with pop-up-book inner sleeve. Fortunately for me there was in fact some decent music held in the vinyl grooves, and so I came to hold it in considerable affection - enough to have bought its celebratory repackaging in Steven Wilson remastered CD form: The Elevated Edition. I have time for every song on this album, a rich variety within its genre, but after that the only listenable JT I have time for is 'Living In The Past'. If that irks you, fellow listener, I'm sorry, but if it cheers you up, Elvis P has managed to get only one of his songs into my collection, the less than original, somewhat obscure 'Little Sister'. So when a man like JP turns up, willing to take a listen to most anything, I'm there too - not just to have my likes confirmed, but to follow him as he meanders through our various suggestions and assorted classic recordings, hoping that I'll find some way into music that has previously failed to excite me.
a 3/4 blues, a valse macabre -- love rock bands playing with time signatures -- Tull's Living in the Past is 5/4 time. I don't remember any band with flutes before Tull. Try something off the Benefit album, their sheen really comes together
"Stand Up" is the first Jethro Tull album I heard, and it's still my favorite (tied with "Thick"). Hope you enjoy. How much flute was being used in rock before? Not Much! Keep going on this album. Looking forward to your take on "Bouree" (track 3). By the way, you've already listened to one song from this album, "Reasons for Waiting", one of their most beautiful songs.
The flute was used more often than you think. The Moody Blues, King Crimson, Focus, Caravan and Canned Heat all released albums during the late 60s that featured the instrument. Also worth checking out is the Keef Hartley Band's excellent 1969 offering 'The Battle Of North West Six'.
Interesting time signature for the riff. Alternating 5/8 and 7/8 which equals 12 beats total in a genre that typically uses a 12-bar form (4 beats per bar). I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I was thinking Jimi Hendrix at first.
I just got to see your Channel a little bit more in depth, and I'm not going to hold you Hostage to a subscription from my request. When I saw you do Jethro Tull a new day yesterday I was hooked. I would still like U2 look at Aphrodite's Child, but I'm subscribed keep doing what you're doing. There is no way that Aphrodite's Child will get 10,000 thumbs up or requests. Please take a leap of faith
![Yeat & Summrs - GO2WORK [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/NEFEwfPcXRA/mqdefault.jpg)
Best song on this album. Soooo Good!
Stand Up is probably their most "fun" album.
You get a touch of Ian’s harmonica playing here, an often overlooked aspect of his musical arsenal. He’s a great blues harp player!
So many quality blues influenced songs in the early Tull library. Best song on this lp is "We Used to Know," with a scathing wa-wa guitar solo by Martin Barre on it. Some say the Eagles plagiarized We Used to Know's main harmonies for Hotel California, as they were the opening act for one of Tull's tours, several years before.
Great pick. Great, sadly overlooked album. Still my favorite Tull. Drumming is sublime.
Britain was in a huge blues boom when this was released. Jeff Beck Group, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Cream & others were leading the pack. The refusal to play blues based music lead to the prog rock movement, as prog used other non-blues structures & influence their music. And while I love blues done right (particularly Chicago blues, Alligator Records, Chess stuff), I feel it is too limiting a format. New Day Yesterday is blues done right. Great review, Justin !!
That blues boom lasted for several years. It's one reason Steve Howe was such a breath of fresh air when he appeared with Yes in 1970.
@@yes_head There were lots of better guitar players available to listen to in 1970
The good thing about taking a couple steps back to Stand Up is that you get enough of their blues influence to see where they came from and enough folk to see where they wound up going. The first album is pure British blues ala early Fleetwood Mac and is not much more than interesting IMO, but when they replaced guitarist and blues purist Mick Abrahams with Martin Barre, Ian was able to shift the band more in a folk, English influenced direction ie form Jethro Tull's musical identity. The follow-up to this, Benefit, will have some longer songs with multiple parts being tried out to some degree of success, but later mastered on Aqualung. Stand Up primarily focuses on blending British folk and heavy rock together, but not so much within individual tracks, so half the tracks are heavy and a little bluesy and the other half are more folky. Also, keep an eye out on the singles they released around '69-'71; they were one of the last British bands that issued singles-only tracks and left them off their albums for marketing reasons. That was just the way British record companies marketed their products in the '60s
Yes, very good songs: Sweet Dreams, Witch's Promises... most are included in the Wilson remixes releases, in chronological order.
Most of those singles are collected on the “Living In The Past” album.
My go to albums are "Songs from the Wood" and "Heavy Horses", but there is so much worth listening to in their catalog. Always loved this one!
Immediately reminded what a unique drumming force Clive Bunker was in these early years. Great choice!
He and Glenn Cornick made up one hell of a rhythm section. Under rated but actually one of my favorite duo's.
@@michaelbochnia5686 totally agree!
Best rhythm section Tull ever had IMHO.
@@michaelbochnia5686 Agreed: I almost wish Tull had stayed stuck in a "Stand-Up" & "Benefit" rut for a couple more albums, before veering hard left into the whole Prog vein.
Stand Up and Benefit. Will not disappoint.
This album Stand up has a lot of their Hard Rock, bluesy guitar licks and this is amazing. I love this song and Bouree
This album and Benefit are overlooked too often. Thanks for getting to one, hope you get to Benefit.
I salute you JP for diving into early Jethro Tull. This song rocks and the album one of their best. The album has so many songs of different musical styles. IMHO the most musically diverse rock group of all time. Maybe a second to the Beatles.
"Musically diverse": Wickedly-conceived phrase. Mentioning the Beatles, you're likely to get people going, "Hey, wait a minute!" But, "musically diverse" would garner several hours of fascinating discussion at a party or a segment on satellite radio's Volume channel!! Nicely done! Genesis would be a good band to toss into that hat, as well.
Thanks Mike! I'm having a great time with them
This was still in the Blues period of Tull. The next album "Benefit" is when Tull really became the band we know now and my favourite Tull album of all time. I would suggest you listen to "Bourée", which is a classic Tull track (written by J S Bach no less), and "We Used to Know", with a great flute solo, as these are the highlights of the album.
Benefit is one of my earliest Prog heartwarming favorites . It's pure and sweet which takes me back like a dream to my teens. Saw them in 71 Live with YES by chance! Life changing moment!
@@wendellwiggins3776 I knew Tull because of their early singles. My dad was working near London and had friends who were into the "Underground". He gave me "Benefit" and it blew me away. Such a solid album with no weaknesses. It really is a masterpiece.
(written by J S Bach no less), When did he join the band ;)
@@wendellwiggins3776 I saw the same tour, Wendell! Yes opening for Tull has always been a story few can believe. I saw 'em in Houston.
To Cry You a Song is my all time favorite Tull song. Even lucky enough to hear it played in concert.
Tull is an example of what made the music of the 60’s so great. The palette was endless. Whether they were planning blues, prog, hard rock, it was all wonderful.
I think this is their best album.
The Moody Blues was the first band to popularize the flute in rock music and it had a huge impact on bands like Jethro Tull, Focus and Genesis. Jethro Tull started as more of a blues band, especially on their first album. It was on this album where they started to expand into other genres, but the blues influence was still prominent. The flute was rarely used as a blues instrument prior to Tull, and it really became their signature sound.
Great song and album. The first LP I ever bought as young lad. The original gatefold sleeve was a work of art. Woodblock illustrations and inside, cutout figures of the band 'standing up' as you open the gatefold. Just like a fun greeting card. One of my favourite songs is We Used To Know.
Yes! On We Used To Know.
For Tull's second album, to have such an elaborate jacket must have been a tough sell to Warner Bros. Records. I'm guessing the label's head art director, Ed Thrasher, was behind it! He moved from Columbia Records to Warners in '64, and with an impressive track record, if that was his idea, it's not hard to imagine the label quickly getting their Mo (Ostin, president) Joe (Smith, VP) workin'!
Imagine Ed bringing the newspaper idea for "Thick as a Brick" 3 years later! FYI: By that time, Tull was signed to Chrysalis under the Reprise banner, but still distributed by the label of the Bunny!
Ah thats pretty cool actually!
Was really in the mood for a 'lost' Cream song that also incorporated a flute in to the mix . This served that desire very well .
Loved the heavy blues during this time .
One of their besties and my faves !
Jethro Tull, perhaps somewhat more than Queen, who made a conscious effort to be hip to the groove, is an object lesson in musical evolution Starting out as a blues band, with the bass riff on this song being archetypical of the late '60s clubland blues sound, they evolved through folk influences and out into more modern takes which might appeal to the same demographic's changing population. Although they say they are uncommercial, nevertheless they never lose that appeal. Contrast with the Beatles, who start off sort of innocent and then, in later years, become more adult oriented through the personal growth of each band member, and the influence of the Maharishi.
Def a Hendrix vibe!!
Clive Bunker's jazz rock drumming is amazing
JP. I guess it makes sense to do Stand Up before doing Benefit. Might as well go in a chronological order to monitor Tull's progression from a Blues based band to a rock band. You'll like Stand Up. It just has some great song writing. It doesn't have Ian's anger and sarcasm, but I has his creative genius.
Ty Paul!
But there's also their first album This Was
@@justaguy2365 ... True. But that's straight blues. It's not rock. Ian even said it wasn't the music in his heart. He felt it wasn't his. That's why he called it THIS WAS. By the time it was released, he had already moved on.
"Ian didn't sound as sarcastic", but if you check out the 1970 live version of this song on youtube (for his performance, not the sound quality) you will get an entirely different perspective.
Stand Up & Benefit were Blues rock with folk, jazz and classical influences. After Aqualung they were more (British) Folk with rock, blues, classical and jazz influences.
If you are doingthe album, can't wait to see you're reaction to "Fat Man". lol.
I managed to find a good used copy of this album - the standing figures in the gate fold tend to get torn.
Amazing album - it starts out heavy and dense, but lightens up has more open spaces in the later songs.
That drumming, though....Bass, too. Gut-punching!
Great Album.
I was a big fan of Mick Abrahams and disappointed when he left to form Blodwyn Pig (Ahead Rings Out, also a fab album, btw), but needn’t have worried. We ended up with two excellent bands for the price of one.
"Dear Jill" from Blodwyn Pig is the absolute stoner's song. It sounds just like firing one up!
Clive Bunker's a great name for a drummer isn't it? Jethro Tull always welcome, nice.
Martin Barre is not a bad name either :)
Haha it really is
Let's not forget Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond
@@nealeger8154 Nice one.
@@nealeger8154 One organ wasn't enough
Thank goodness for being able to borrow a vinyl of this in 72’. It must have tweeked my life in some ways. Did you know the album cover did literally STAND UP - when you opened it a trippy image of the band rose up, like those children’s pop up books. Who else is that cool!
I've still a copy of the stand-up Standup.
@@robertjewell9727 Me too! I've gone through 3 copies of "Stand Up" on LP, including the original one with the "stand up" gatefold cover!
Great guitar-driven prog heavy blues. One of the best of this kind.
At last we get to early Tull! Makes me happy. I knew you would be diggin’ this stuff. I remember my friend who was a really good drummer was reallly into Tull and a few of us friends would go over to his (parents) house to his room in the loft where his turntable and record collection were. He was so excited to put this on to impress us with and with a little sweet leaf burning, we were duly impressed and pleased! Not sure if you are planning on doing track by track but I just love Nothing Is Easy, We Used to Know, and Reasons for Waiting. And hey, Look Into The Sun too. It’s just a great album. Enjoy!
By 1969, flutes were occasionally heard in folk-rock and some of the bands that were reviving British minstrel-y music but Tull were the first to incorporate it into serious rock and roll. Chicago and later Heart would use it on rare occasions - Chicago's sax player Walt Parazaider is an excellent flutist and Ann Wilson plays flute in addition to being such an amazing vocalist. There are several unexpected instruments that have shown up in rock and roll over the years like bagpipes emerging in Celtic rock with bands like Wolfstone and Enter the Haggis.
None of those acts (using a pleasant, mostly classical-style pure sound), though, brutalized a flute in the way Ian brought the instrument into the rock firmament, pulling a Rahsaan Roland Kirk & jazz style attack with him. Completely and utterly ground-breaking.
For me Stand Up is one of Jethro Tull’s very best albums. That period in the band’s existence was very diverse and experimental musically. Love it.
"Benefit" album is great as well.
I love this Tull song-not every song from the early albums get me dancing but there are some of my favorites there--I do hope you sample some more of them!
It's a good day when Jethro Tull is the video of the day. Thank you for getting to this one, JP
Happy to Kris!
Fantastic blues!!! One of my all time favourite bands! Early Tull is awesome for it's time!!! Great song.
Hands down one of the best bands live. Such showman! You are a good critic and you know a lot about music. Keep it up
Dark Ages please, from their Storm Watch offering.
Luv Jethro Tull saw them in Leeds circa 69/70 Ian Anderson made the whole band turn round for the second half because it was a circular stage...still luv him so cool his one legged stance and that flute ace 👍🏻🤗💙
Hey Justin My Man!! This is so much fun to watch you have fun!! Theres nothing in the whole world that is so universal and beloved than MUSIC!!! RIGHT? This song was alot of fun!! I don't even think I owned AQUALUNG but am really enjoying hearing Tull again!! Spot On Again!! I also felt that the riff was: Too Relyed On!! Loved the drum work too!! Met another AZ YES FAN on this channel the other day when you did: PERPETUAL CHANGE!!! SO COOL RIGHT JP? You are so appreciated for the work you put in everyday to make your videos informative, articulate,diverse, and just straight up fun!!! It's so much fun to see you smile and have fun too!!! I love your SINCERITY!! It's such a great quality in people!!! Okay kiddo! I'm out today!! I will be having a very special request for you coming tomorrow!! My birthday is this Saturday!!! 62! I was born the exact same day as MICHAEL JACKSON!!! Have a great night! Your #1AZ FAN MICHAEL🙀😽😊😊
Thank you for doing these reactions! I enjoy your analysis on so many varieties of music, and probing beneath the surface, peeling back the layers. I already liked a lot of the artists that you gravitate to, as well.
Thanks so much Superman :D
I love songs that sound like a jam, just comes across as a natural feel and playing with each other. Raw and powerful comes to mind after listening to the song. Good choice and enjoyed the reaction.
I think Tull was rapidly getting away from the Brit blues-rock explosion with this one. Anderson has said in interviews that when they recorded This Was (1968), he didn't feel like his situation in the band was guaranteed - it was as much Mick Abraham's (original guitarist) band, and he was still learning how to play his instruments. The first schism happened, and Barre replacing Abrahams led to Anderson writing all the material. Blues is still in the mix, but other than Bourée and Nothing is easy (the real great blues tune on this one for me), the rest can be called many things but not quite the blues. For great pastoral britfolk, one can't do much better than Look Into The Sun or Reasons for Waiting, or folk with an Indian sounding riff (Fat Man), folk-rock (We Used To Know - with a surprising Hotel California resemblance! - the Eagles opened for Tull early in their career so it's the other way round for sure), and flat-out rock (Back To The Family). By Benefit, there is only one really bluesy piece (Inside), and it would resurface briefly on later classic albums. I agree that this one's a bit repetitive, i'd sample a few more to get a feel for the already varied styles that would later be explored on Benefit, Aqualung (yes, the "angry" album ;o) TaaB etc...
this is the best channel about songs reactions, your subscribers are awesome in the recommendations
still waiting for you to react to Alfa Mist - Keep on tho
If you decide to listen to the whole album, you may want to include the song "Living in the Past" as a bonus track. It was recorded around the time they did "Stand Up", but released as a stand-alone single. One of Jethro Tull's biggest hits, and a great track!
That riff is actually the song's structure so I think to feel it's "relied on too much" is pulling down the beams. Rather than use a strummed rhythmic structure as in more traditional blues formats they use a constant bridge statement, which for me is kind of the heart of the song in blues form about a guy stuck between then and now. It has to be a fierce running line rather than a chord strum and as per a lot of blues he never gets out of it. Maybe I'm overanalyzing it, but it just has always felt that way to me.
I love the blues so this was a good listen! 🤗
You might want to go to the 40th anniversary version, and use the Steven Wilson remixes, they are a little brighter.
I'm pretty sure you know how happy it makes me to find this in my notifications this morning! What a BEAUTY of an album! I just love it so much! This first song is "just a taste" of what's to come on the rest of the album!
I know I probably told you in another post, but Ian said that he considered this his favorite Tull album!
Can't wait to see you go through the rest of it! It just gets better and better!
Thanks Miss, I'm looking forward to more!
@@JustJP - Me, too!
I had this on vinyl. I played guitar along with this, was never 100% sure of the beat :-)
Living In The Past by Tull is a phenomenal album, albeit a double album. The title cut is choice with an unusual 5/4 time signature.
Looking back, I can only think of the Moody Blues who used the flute as much in their music. I'm sure there were a few others that I can't remember right now.
As I mentioned in a reply to someone above, it's all about (IMO) HOW the flute is used. Many artists may have used a flute late '60s/early '70s, but it took Ian to take the instrument from a pretty, generally classical style to rough'n'raspy jazz style ala Rahsaan Roland Kirk! Better? Not necessarily. Influential and unique? Definitely.
@@bradsmack1 Ian Anderson's "dirty" flute sound, as a lead or solo instrument in a rock setting, was the ground-breaking part. Almost a gimmick, but he studied his Roland Kirk well and made it happen.
Great choice of album for some more Tull, Justin. Their best album, in my humble opinion. Thanks for yet another incisive reaction. I don't personally feel that the main riff is overly relied upon. I think that it is the power behind the driving force of the rhythm that propels the song forward - the 'groove', I suppose. It was what we were headbanging to - or dancing. And you'll find that this trope is used commonly in the sub-genre. I don't know if you'll be working through the album, but other great tracks on this album are: Driving Song, Sweet Dream, and Living in the Past (which is not on the original release but was included on the 2001 remix release). Some good hard-driving early British blues rock.
One of their most propulsive songs. Guitarist Joe Bonamassa used to cover this one. I always thought of the lyrics referring not really to a person, but more to a state of mind reached once (the "new day"), but not easy to maintain as your habitual state of consciousness (the "old day") reasserts itself. Very similar to the Beatles song "Got To Get You Into My Life", which could be about a girl until it says "Another road where maybe I could see another kind of mind there. Then suddenly I see you." Anyway, how much blues was in rock ? Tons. You've played some Cream, but not their blues covers. (Ian Anderson was a budding guitarist until Clapton came along.) Many of these British bands in the late 60's were inspired by black American blues players, and combined that with the new more powerful guitar tones available due to amplifier advances and distortion boxes. In order to learn the blues on guitar, you didn't have to learn music theory, but just the patterns of the blues scale on the fretboard. So you had a current of blues running through the music of the Yardbirds, Stones, Cream, Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin, etc. The Beatles were more into Chuck Berry and Little Richard, but it's the same patterns on the guitar.
As most Tull fans know they began as a blues band, but by this time they were moving away from that sound. It was "A New Day Yesterday, but it's an old day now."
You made the right choice imho with the JT discography. Aqualung and Stand Up are good album to start with and have a first idea of the band. I'm happy because now that you have done Aqualung there will be no more Aqualung songs requests and there's only deep material to discover.
Right On Justin, rock'n the Tull.
Always!
This is the first song on Stand Up i believe. It's a great transition from the first, a more blues album to Stand Up which is Anderson flexing his songwriting muscle, and takes from many influences which becomes one of Tull's trademarks.
You did it, thanks for reacting to one of my picks 👍🏼 (If) as you go further back with them you will hear more bluesy influence. This song funnily always makes me think it's a direct influence on the White Stripes musical sound (minus vocals) i.e. as you say Sheer Power with (almost) over reliance on a single riff.
Groove is phenomenal! Glad you enjoyed it 😆!
Great you are doing Stand Up, its so underrated. Thinking this is only their second album, its amazing. If I would be forced to choose one album from JT, it would be this.
LOL! That's pretty much exactly what Ian Anderson said about this album!"
Ty Blue!
To me, this is Tull at their best. The riff is a monster, as you point out, and the band plays beautifully together. The vocal performance is also excellent.
Glad to see doing Stand Up. I hope you wind up dong the whole LP. there are some true gems here. Enjoy!
Despite this album being before they found their Prog mojo, this is my favourite Tull album. We Used To Know being the best track IMHO.
Agree completely! This album really showcased their versatility! "We Used to Know" is beautiful, as is "Look Into the Sun", but IMO, every song on the album is stunning, each in it's own way! And Ian really showed us what an amazing lyricist he was, and would become.
Agreed on "We Used To Know," I know the Eagles thought highly of it, because it GREATLY influences Hotel California, lol.
So many great songs on this album..
I'll discover them soon enough :D
Among the late 60's blue craze were Cream, Fleetwood Mac, and Jethro Tull sounding somewhat similar. It's striking how much the latter two diverged from that sound after their founding guitarists left. Ian Anderson explicitly disavowed basing Tull's music on American forms, preferring British folk instead, though they did revisit blues-ish music at least a couple times times in later years.
I think Ian Anderson had heard Fairport Convention by '68 or '69, and got excited about maybe a new direction. He said as much about Yes & King Crimson in an interview.
Tull fans get divided cause they have so much material to choose from. All i ask is that eventually you get to some that are more rare or newer. Almost no one reviews thier 1995 album roots to branches but im telling you its got alot of solid stuff as well
This is where you get the blues! 😊
(Or "THIS WAS"... 😉)
LOL! I see what you did there!
@@MissAstorDancer Ha, ha... I didn't recognise the possibility until first sentence was posted. Had to edit in the parentheses...
JP... You'll love the live video of Tull doing this song (New Day Yesterday) back in 1970. Ian goes wild on stage... the mad piper. Just search: New Day Yesterday Tull Fillmore East 1970
This is the first track on the first LP after Mick Abrahams' departure, recorded before the rest of the LP was. Tony Iommi auditioned to be Mick's replacement, and it's possible that this was a song they rehearsed in one of those sessions. There's some pretty heavy gtr here and I can't help but wonder if something Iommi recorded with Tull is part of this song. Perhaps Anderson lifted Iommi's gtr part from a rehearsal tape and used it here. If not Iommi's playing, it could be that Anderson directed newbie Martin Barre to play what Ian heard when rehearsing the song with Iommi. Ultimately, Barre was a great fit for Tull as Iommi was for Black Sabbath.
It's a great song and grabs your attention right at the start of a great album
.
I'm pretty sure I've read that Martin Barre brought this riff to Tull.
Jethro Tull my fave band of all time .But Benefit has to up there , just amazing.
I was in high school when this came out and my bf and I used to argue over who was the better band: Tull (my choice) or Creedence (his). Thanks for the review. Will be watching your dive into this rabbit hole. 🤣
I'm way way way on your side of the argument!
@@kevinhodgson2990 Me too!
🐇🕳
Apples and Mangos there
Excellent choice. Very strong opening track, as you point out. There's plenty more to like on this album, so i hope you stick with it.
Here's a couple, Justin, from out of the blue(s): Captain Beyond, with "Dancing Madly Backwards (On a Sea of Air)" from their 1972 debut album. The band consisted of former members of Iron Butterfly, Johnny Winter, Deep Purple, and Rick Derringer. Then, there's White Witch, from Tampa, whose debut album was also released in '72, and oddly, on the very same label as Captain Beyond (Capricorn Records, distributed by Warner Bros.).
The first two songs on that album would be a good place to start: "Parabrahm Greeting/Dwellers of the Threshold," which acts as a generally short instrumental intro to "Help Me Lord."
Yesterday was an old day. Today it was even older. Tomorrow holds promise...but more than likely it will be the oldest.
The first couple of Tull albums were very bluesy. That entire album and the "benefit" album are two of my all time favs. by the way when you get around to doing tails you got to let me know bro send up some smoke signals or something love you
AND YOU KNOW WHAT JUSTIN, STAND UP'S A GR88888 PLACE TO START MAN, CAN'T GO WRONG FOR SURE! :) THEY PUT OUT A LIVE 78 ALBUM CALLED ( BURSTING OUT ) LOL IT'S SO DAMNNNNN GOOD TOO, JUST SOUNDS TO ME THAT YOU ENJOY TULL AND THAT'S AWESOME! :) BE WELL
There's a great live version of this from their Bursting out, live album. Joe Bonnamassa also covers this song.
It's about time, JP. So much good Tull to choose from. So little bad Tull.
Just a down and dirty early tull blues jam man
Great song, I've always found his voice different on this one in particular. Other good albums; Songs From the Wood, Passion Play, Stormwatch, Heavy Horses, War Child (even though it's not everyone's cup of tea)... actually they are all quite good. There are a few that are weaker though.
Could that bass get any harder? What a great song.
I like Driving Song better.... Stand Up , Benefit , Living in the Past, Aqualung , Thick as .... et... can't wrong. I wonder what you're going to think of Fatman.... just remember Stand Up is 1969..... the production was not as good as today.... Clive Bunker is an absolute superb drummer and Cornick is a monster on bass.Very happy you're digging Tull JP...
Hi Justin, In reality I suppose I’m a fairly new subscriber to your channel which I enjoy immensely most nights, especially tonight as JT have always been another of my all time favourites. Our Stand Up album is a little worse for wear now so I guess it also goes on the new album list. You play so many songs/albums that I guess many of us loved and grew up with and I just love how a piece of music can throw you back through the decades. What I’m curious about though is if the channel is purely prog and earlier works by various artists only eg SD etc or do you also react to later works from the 80’s, 90’s through to this present day? That being said though so far your picks and your interpretation of them have been intelligently canny reactions (I’m guessing you’re presently or have been a musician) and adding to that your such a ‘Happy Chappy’ which Lord only knows we all need at present! So a huge thank you for all the time, effort and energy you’ve devoted to this channel . You’ve made a lot of people extremely happy. Stay well, safe and mask up. Cheers.
Thanks so much AJ! I'm definitely primarily in 70's prog, but I explore other genres/decades as well :)
One day (preferably as part of a double-album listen), try the version selected for Bursting Out (Live). The mix is more separated and balanced (my guess - I actually know zip about production/ mixing). It has more flute in it, so that makes it different enough to be worth listening.
Has the vibe of the band Cream that Ian and boys knew well.
Much to the disbelief and probable outrage of several, while this album is a considerable source of pleasure to me, it's where my interest in Jethro Tull begins and ends. I suspect I bought it when it was first released in order to own and play with pop-up-book inner sleeve. Fortunately for me there was in fact some decent music held in the vinyl grooves, and so I came to hold it in considerable affection - enough to have bought its celebratory repackaging in Steven Wilson remastered CD form: The Elevated Edition.
I have time for every song on this album, a rich variety within its genre, but after that the only listenable JT I have time for is 'Living In The Past'. If that irks you, fellow listener, I'm sorry, but if it cheers you up, Elvis P has managed to get only one of his songs into my collection, the less than original, somewhat obscure 'Little Sister'.
So when a man like JP turns up, willing to take a listen to most anything, I'm there too - not just to have my likes confirmed, but to follow him as he meanders through our various suggestions and assorted classic recordings, hoping that I'll find some way into music that has previously failed to excite me.
Good choice. Stand up is super underrated
A couple JT suggestions: "Black Satin Dancer", and "Budapest". For really folky & lyrical: "One White Duck / 0" = Nothing At All".
a 3/4 blues, a valse macabre -- love rock bands playing with time signatures -- Tull's Living in the Past is 5/4 time. I don't remember any band with flutes before Tull. Try something off the Benefit album, their sheen really comes together
Glenn's bass!
"Stand Up" is the first Jethro Tull album I heard, and it's still my favorite (tied with "Thick"). Hope you enjoy. How much flute was being used in rock before? Not Much! Keep going on this album. Looking forward to your take on "Bouree" (track 3). By the way, you've already listened to one song from this album, "Reasons for Waiting", one of their most beautiful songs.
The flute was used more often than you think. The Moody Blues, King Crimson, Focus, Caravan and Canned Heat all released albums during the late 60s that featured the instrument. Also worth checking out is the Keef Hartley Band's excellent 1969 offering 'The Battle Of North West Six'.
The tone on the guitar and bass on this track is so dirty - fantastic. Wish the vocals were a little more forward in the mix, though.
Thick as a brick is their best, Stand up is their second best by far imo.. I looooove these 2
Interesting time signature for the riff. Alternating 5/8 and 7/8 which equals 12 beats total in a genre that typically uses a 12-bar form (4 beats per bar). I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I was thinking Jimi Hendrix at first.
I just got to see your Channel a little bit more in depth, and I'm not going to hold you Hostage to a subscription from my request. When I saw you do Jethro Tull a new day yesterday I was hooked. I would still like U2 look at Aphrodite's Child, but I'm subscribed keep doing what you're doing. There is no way that Aphrodite's Child will get 10,000 thumbs up or requests. Please take a leap of faith
Haha ty!
Bluesy. (Captain Obvious here)
Nice review!
Ty!
I hope you get a lot of subscriptions quickly: Topographic is one of favorite albums of all times and bands… And the 2 others too… :-D
🤞