I also think A Passion Play is one of the finest albums ever. Your review is rich in the discussion of Ian's brilliant lyrics as epic poetry. I would emphasize just how brilliantly played the music composition is as well reflecting the words as it does with a PLAYful sense of descension and ascension and return. Cheers and thanks!
Glad to hear you agree with me about the merits of APP - not many people seem to. Thoughtful records like this will aways get short shrift from the critics and I think the reception APP got from the Chris Welches of this world permanently damaged Ian Anderson's confidence. Certainly, Tull music was never as ambitious as this again and though I enjoy everything that followed up to and including Broadsword, I get wistful thinking about what might have been. Your analysis is compelling. Thank you for this video.
Thank you for the excellent and well thought-out review! APP is my favorite of Tull's albums, and indeed one of my very favorite albums of all time. A couple of minor points: I always did understand "memory bank" to be something to do with computers, even in 1973 (probably mentioned in science fiction), so I think that by issuing a directive to "invest" in such a bank, Ian was making a pun. As for "The Hare," there was an tradition in the actual medieval Passion Plays of adding comic interludes to the story. From Wikipedia: "The Passion Plays of the 15th century, with their peculiar blending of religious, artistic, and increasingly secular elements, gave a true picture of German city life of those times. Serious thought and lively humour were highly developed in these plays. When, however, the patricians, in the sixteenth century, withdrew more and more from the plays, the plays, left to the lower classes, began to lose their serious and (in spite of the comic traits) dignified character. The influence of the Carnival plays (Fastnachtspiele) was felt more and more. Master Grobianus with his coarse and obscene jests was even introduced into some of the Passion Plays. In time the ecclesiastical authorities forbade the production of these "secularized" [citation needed] plays. Thus, the Bishop of Havelberg commanded his clergy, in 1471, to suppress the Passion Plays and legend plays in their parish districts because of the disgraceful and irrelevant farces interspersed through the productions." I've always thought the moral of "Hare" was a bit more to do with the themes of Aqualung ("My God" and "Wind-Up") than APP: Don't look to leaders or gurus for enlightenment (spiritual vision, or spectacles). Rather, look within yourself, because you carry your vision with you all along, like a spare pair.
Interesting observation. The Hare could be see as a simple metaphor for something that people mostly never do - Mind your own business!:) The Hare, did not care:)
Standing ovation follows your deep, thoughtful analysis of this magnificent opus. Definitively the Tull record I have invested huge amounts of time in trying to understand. And by this I mean, the beauty of Songs From The Woods comes more straightforward and palatable. Bot with A Passion Play you really need to dig into it to get the golden nugget. I like the way Jan Voorbij analyzed the record, and gathers that some of the final lines contain the juice: "I'd give up my halo for a horn and the horn for the hat I once had" which I freely translate "I'd rather be in hell than in heaven, but would even prefer being alive again". The whole record deals with human duality, we are never completely good or thoroughly bad but a mixture of decisions. Keep up the excellent job!
Thumbs UP! This is a very good review and synopsis of APP, one of Tull's most underrated works. Incredible lyrics, incredible arrangements, amazing musicianship!
Thank you very much for this very informative review for one of the best albums ever made in the history of rock music. Then again, Tull has quite a lot of them.
Late to this party, but what the hell: I appreciate this elucidation of the story, which i never really understood. Would have liked some time devoted to the music itself...several brilliant passages deserve attention, and Ian's expansion of the Tull sound beyond flute to other woodwinds is notable. As usual your florid commentary is brimming with its own brand of passion!
Beyond the obvious plot and great lines, I haven't thought about the story in such detail. If there was ever a great line, it's, "The last hymn is sung and the Devil cries, More!" One of many. However, the music is what's great. Moments in there like the jam in 11/4 have never been heard before or since.
I bought it when it came out, green cassette!, and thought it was great.. Then the reviews came out... Realized then that critics had a bone to pick with Tull
I loved PP. I was surprised at how far the critics got under Anderson's skin, and he in turn seemed to bow to them when he delivered up War Child, a step backward to some of us. The Hare/Spectacles bit was a very bold risk, and it became a ready target for those looking for something to pounce on.
I always look forward to your reviews.I enjoy the way you actually analyse the lyrics which in the case of Anderson is always interesting.So many reviews only consist of the reviewer saying they like this bit but not that bit so it is good to hear someone approaching albums and songs in a deeper way.I regard A.P.P. as a really interesting album which reveals more with each listen.Cheers.
As I get older, this album means more and more to me. The concepts of life and death, of good and evil, is treated with a depth of understanding that is sadly absent from most music. Despite the fact that a lot of folks probably don't appreciate this album, you gave it a very respectful review, and for that I thank you deeply!
One of my favorite albums, and I really enjoyed your deep-dive into the lyrics. A favorite line for me is one you missed, where God declares "mine is the right to be wrong", which I take as a sly dig at the notion of an all-knowing loving deity. As for the interlude of "The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles", I took it, aside from just being a bit of fun, to be partly a goof on the then current obsession with depending on gurus to help one through life's difficulties, with the Kangaroo/"you can guru" play on words. Anyway, a truly brilliant piece of work from Anderson and Co. that to me stands the test of mine better than a lot of the tripe the critics back then were praising.
Great review as always)! I must admit that the interlude (The Story of the Hare who lost his Spectacles) did kind put me off the album on my very recent first listen. Now I am ready for another go at it...
Thank you for this detailed appraisal of a Tull album I hadn't warmed to upon release. The "Chateau" cuts do help clarify the story a bit more so it is unfortunate that A PASSION PLAY didn't come out as a double. Your analysis will help me as I journey with Ronnie on future listens.
I am a bit late to your commentary. In 1977 (I think), I saw a Passion Play reprised during the Minstrel in the Gallery tour. Absolutely brilliant performance, which included a string quartet. Unable to find the right recording for an evening's listening on a very fine stereo system, I came across A Passion Play on Amazon Music (and thus being lead to your post on RUclips) and while I have the CD, streamed it . . . remarkable listening experience. I agree with another post, that you ignored the power and resplendent composition of the music itself.
I really enjoyed this review, it popped into my feed and after listening to this review for the first time, I listened to APP several times (I used to have the album, one of a dozen by JT, but apparently sold it in a reduction of my collection with a move). I happened to see JT perform this for the 3rd time live in the US in the summer of 1973. It was the first time I saw JT live. I also dug up the 1973 RS review by Stephen Holden (NY times music critic and still alive, now 80 years old), and it definitely was one of the reviews that really panned this album. My memory of my 19 year old self's understanding of the lyrics and story back then was that I had no clue what this was about and with no Internet (for public use yet) I did not bother to attempt "research" this and had not learned most of the lyrical/religious references you cite. So, again very much appreciate this take. I also happened to find on YT the "movie" of the Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles and think you may be possibly right about this being a Ronnie Pilgrim dream sequence. Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond is the narrator (after John Evan's introduction) and he appears to be Satan. I just shared that video with my 17 year old nephew as part of our video exchanges and he really liked it. They are in the woods and dancing around the maypole and the use of the animals telling this allegorical story about the Hare seems to have been in anticipation of Anderson's use of animals this way eventually resulting in the hit Bungle in the Jungle. I also had forgotten about the music from this album, it is quite good and thanks for the reference to Heitor Villa-Lobos, who I had not heard of, and presumably Martin Barre was playing these guitar parts. In a 2010 interview, I heard Anderson discussing the instruments around his house and how he promised to "never play the saxophone again." I think APP was the only album on which he played it, and I remember him playing it live, it actually appeared to be a clarinet. Thanks again, will have to check out some of your other reviews.
Thanks for your extensive commentary. I'm in the perhaps rare subgroup of those who discovered JT around age 20 and loved their/his music for decades, yet somehow didn't really connect with APP until recently. Definitely for the more literary listener.
I like the analysis. One theory I have liked to consider is this is in fact Judas who is dead as the silver cord lies on the ground (after having hung himself) In some ways Judas is in a unique position to traverse both the heaven and hell realms. Regardless the character is a pilgrim who prefers the human condition rather than a mundane afterlife. One small quibble- it is "the old dog howls with sadness", rather than growls with sadness. Very pleased to see a fellow Tull fan having an appreciation of APP. It is one of my favorites along with Stand Up and Thick As a Brick.
@ScienceFindsGod2 Well, your reference does not entirely fit the context of A Passion Play. Silver has represented the devious actions of Judas and the gleaming armour that’s now rusted. But you have a point, the "silver cord" often refers to the connection between the body and the "soul" and indeed Judas has died and if the theory is correct, the Passion Play is about Judas's journey into Hell. It makes sense when you view the timeline of APP, JC Superstar was first released in about 1970 with a strong theme related to Judas and his conflicts as much as JC's struggles. These themes were in the popular culture at the time of IA's composition of APP.
@ScienceFindsGod2 Sure. I think good artists construct pieces that work on several levels. Like what does I am the walrus by the Beatles "mean" probably as many interpretations as there are Beatle fans 😉
@ScienceFindsGod2 Well the point is the lyrics go on to say "And So I'm dead the young man said" so yes if the silver cord is lying on the ground the person is dead and Silver in the Passion play would be representative of Judas and his probable descent into the hells- could easily be a reference to Dante's Infernal analogously. The Inferno describes Dante's journey through Hell, and ultimately towards god. Which appears to be the progression of the story of the Passion Play. IA has described himself as a Deist, so revelation as a source of religious knowledge is rejected in favor of observations of the natural world. However, seeing much of the New Testament as a metaphor works very nicely indeed.
I always thought this album was where Tull 'jumped the shark' but your praise for it made me listen again ... and again. No joke, it took about 10 dutiful listening in the car until I began to like it but it was well worth it. Some of their best music.
One of my favourite Tull albums too. Thick As A Brick is my all time favorite with Ministry In The Gallery, Stand Up and the compilation Living In The Past in no particular order would round off my Top 5 fave Tull albums. Got to see them live In Dunedin in 2017.
Hi Barry, A band after my own heart. I do love this album but I must say it is the one I visit least... but when I do I am astounded especially with the Disaster tapes. Love the sound, the production.. the lyrics and the sax as opposed to the flute. Ian Anderson's writing is extremely deep... and sometimes it is hard to grasp because unfortunately as much as I think I am a decent writer not in that league... not in the least. A man I would love meet and discuss about his writings and works. The theme is well done.. combining the after life and a theatrical performance. Your review is wonderful.... you really go deep and investigate all those wonderful moments of Ian's musings and all the vital issues explored in APP.. Thank you for promoting the Tull and all that is wonderful in the world of classic rock, Keep them coming, Sincerely, Tino
You're welcome. Love promoting anyone who helps advance my deepest passion coursing in my veins and giving me sustenance. My passion for classic rock music. It is I that need to thank you. Tino
An excellent review and interpretation. I well remember struggling with the words as a teenager, mainly because I had bought the cassette version and the print of the small booklet was harder to read! I'm assuming the reviewer did not say much about the music because it is just so good. I especially enjoy the saxophone which gives the piece a totally different mood in place of the flute.
Thanks so much. Great job. Very enlightening. This album even though it will sound like a bunch of chaotic gibberish (sp) to most is just loaded with great musical ideas. I'm talking musically, as in the notes. What I always found frustrating was that some of the great musical ideas weren't developed more. Nevertheless, this is a great great album.. I learned a lot watching this video.
I love your breakdown of the story, very impressive. I would have liked to hear you talk about the music too. I've had this album for quite a long time but hadn't listened to it in ages. It is much better than I remembered, Although I still am not a fan of the hare who lost his spectacles.
I've always loves APP and was privileged to see if performed live,back in the day.One gets the feeling that critics and audiences were upset that they found it "Too clever" and impenetrable.It takes repeated listenings and some reflection,that's all.Rock n'Roll purists felt Ian had gone too far.I say....open your mind and ears!Of course,it's a classic album written by a genius now.
I knew of Jethro Tull for few of their songs were being played on progressive/aor radio. But one time I was walking down the hall of my dormitory back at U of Iowa late 73 and I heard some really good bass sounds. So I walked into this room and the guy was playing a reel to real recording of this album that he got in the Navy while overseas. And it freaked me out. So I become a Jethro Tull fan after that and start buying everything. Now I got all if their Steve Wilson produced 5.1 discs!😍 I finally got to see him live when they were doing the "War Childtour and Iowa City back in around late 74 or 75. I've lost track. I know this was the first time that we couldn't smoke pot at the concert so we all ate brownies before we showed up.
Hi Baz... I saw your initial review. I have the reissue and I like it when I put it on....and love the sax... but for some unknown reason to me I have a harder time to fully immerse into this one. I can understand the status. The lyrics are incredible and less evident to grasp for someone with nowhere near the intelligence of Mr. Anderson. Maybe during this quarantine may indulge in it more. Tino
Another great review and analysis of a complex album. I never thought that J. Pilgrim died and was reincarnated..For some reason, I always took the lyrics as meaning he died and was resusitated... The whole journey to the afterlife happening between death and him being "brought back".. I guess if you asked 100 people what the albums in about, you'll likely get 100 different answers.. One of the things that makes it great. Like all the best things in life, you have to learn to love this album..
I've showed my 6 years twin grandaughters "The Hair to who lost his Spectacles". They got a big kick out of that. But they also got a big kick out of me miming Queens' "Bohemian Rhapsody" operetic part.
Update. Thank you for posting your very informative understanding of what A Passion Play is about. I’ve played it through numerous times now, focusing on the ‘music’, another time focusing on the words and then listening with the lyrics and music full on quite a few times. I don’t like the beginning, I don’t like the non lyrical non musical vocal, the lyrics are deliberately vague and I doubt that IA could explain what a lot of it means. The music is just as random and comprised of fun fair and circus sequences of irritating motif’s with changing time signatures, Celtic swings and roundabouts. Yes Walter Pidgeon gets re born but who cares in amongst this noise. My own view is that this is awful, the critics got it right, every time it finishes I thank the Lord for the relief. I recently bought This Was, Stand Up, Benefit, Aqualung, Thick as, Passion Play, songs from the wood, Minstrel, Horses so I’ve still got some catching up to do. I’ve been going through them chronologically and wasn’t hot on Benefit, This Was is a good Album, Stand Up is ok, Aqualung ok, Thick is thick, Hopefully the other albums will be an improvement on A Passion Play.
Good review from an up and down album. A bit long and some lulls at times yet I hear some great music Ethan was used later on some of my favorite albums such as Songs From The Wood And Heavy Horses!
I came to Tull about 2 years ago after many years believing they were some wonky, outdated relic of the past. All that despite my absolute love of Yes, Genesis, Floyd and Genesis. This album just clicked in a major way with me in the last hour after months of listening to it. Genius, genius, genius, sublime, beyond words, I’d venture to say it’s almost a sister/brother album to the Lamb though much more working class, almost punk in its representation of what appears to be the travails or the ordinary, mundane existence, one in which, despite appearances, we are tasked with traversing the desert of complex, intricate questions that this life presents to us all.
What can I do if A Passion Play is one of the 5 best JT albums? Aside from the "conceptual album" features emphasized in the comments below, I think there are many folk-pop-rock portions or chunks in the songs ( I don't know how to say it in english) that are very beatiful and contrast very well with the instrumental arrangements, especially the keyboards approach. It is always delightful and paradoxically surprising at each new listening.
I don't like the Wilson version of the Chateau material - lots of simply unfinished backing tracks, Ian Anderson really brought them to life on Nightcap with his added flute tracks.
The versions released in the 1980s are certainly more vibrant and sound complete but I'm glad to have the full untampered with version as well. It's a shame they couldn't of both been included in the set.
@@classicalbum Nightcap is from 1993 and I agree about the great sonic quality. Only Scenario /Audition / No Rehearsal on Nightcap are from 1988 (first released on the "20 Years of Jethro Tull" box set) - perhaps the best section of the Chateau Tapes, but sadly the sound is not on a par with the 1993 mixes. I hope these versions will be remastered one day.
A Passion Play is a work of genius, and was far too sophisticated, complex, and deep for the scribblers of the capitalist music press, who are used to reviewing crap like Status Quo and Duran, Duran. Ian Anderson is the Mozart of our age. The range, quality, and originality of his music is without parallel in modern music, and that includes Lennon & McCartney. Because he has always spurned a "top 20 funeral" he will never get the recognition he truly deserves from the philistines of the capitalist music press or the masses, force-fed on computerised, made-to-order, brainless "rap" (read "crap") and pop music. The legions of Tull fans around the world have been blessed with music that has everything you want when you sit down and listen : beautiful melodies; celtic tunes; hard rock; classical passages; thought-provoking lyrics; amazing musicianship; and the sheer charisma of Ian Anderson as a performer. Well done Ian. Tull fans like myself owe you an enormous debt of gratitude for enriching and adding texture to our lives.
A passion play is a good album but to be honest I prefer the Chateau d'Isaster tapes. Had they completed them ( thus releasing an ambitious double concept album ) I wonder how their career would've changed.
Man I'm so happy! I FINALLY got into *A Passion Play* just the other day! And got into it quite hard, been listening to it constantly every day since, it's funny how everything that just sounded like random, boring and pointless noise can suddenly start sounding so damn good 🤯 And now I can confidently say w/o a doubt that it really is my favorite album, NOW I finally get everthing you said about it (in the album ranking video I think), all the praise... I mean it really is a definitive top contender on it's own BUT WITH the *Chateau D'Herouville Sessions* it pretty much solidifies 'em as the best "double album" ever! ✊ Just about all their albums has taken me some time to warm up to, and now *A Passion Play* marks the end of their 70's albums for me (including *This Was* , *Stand Up* and *A* ). I'm actually a bit sad that this journey has come to an end, they really are/were one of a kind, but I'm sure I'll keep listening to all these masterpieces forever either way. Thank you for sharing your reviews man! Another album I hold in very high regard is *War Child* did you ever do a video/review on that one? And all the bonus stuff that came with the 40th/Steven Wilson Remix? I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts. However I do know it's generally not a very popular album so I get if you never did/will cover it. EDIT: Perhaps you did cover "enough" of it in the album ranking video? I might have to rewatch that one...
“A Passion Play” is actually my favourite Tull album - just my opinion but I think it’s musically, lyrically and thematically more mature (even with the bonkers “Hare” interlude) and even better than “Thick As A Brick”. I honestly think the real reason the critics slammed it at the time was because it was maybe to complex and/or intellectual - plus anything even vaguely ‘spiritual’ is a critical “hot potato” the music press can’t deal with (see also Yes’ ‘spiritual’ “Topographic” which also received negative criticism yet, through the years has seen it’s reputation rise). Like you, I also like the Chateau tracks and concept (especially the track “Left/Right”) but, on balance, think the revised sessions that resulted in “A Passion Play” yielded something even more superior.
My fav part is when Ronnie sings " where no one has nothing and nothing is" then the devil picks up with " well meaning fool, pick up they bed and rise up from your gloom smiling, give me your hate and do as the loving heathen do ". That is fucking brilliant
Just been listening to this for the first time, didn’t catch the lyrics other than some nonsense about a hare lost his glasses, my first impression is that the album is cringeworthy. However, many of my favourite albums and music have sounded awful on first listening so I’ll persevere. I’ll study the lyrics and themes and see if that pulls it together.
Without any doubt , Passion Play is the best progressive rock album ever made in the prog rock history, it is better than Thick as a Brick and too much better than any progressive rock album from bands as Yes , Genesis, king Crimson, Pink Floyd, Camel , Rush , etc . APP smartness, brilliant and complex sophisticated composition doesn’t have comparison on progressive rock. In this album the members of the band have performed their best qualities , B Barlow performed the drums better than any drummer in the 70s , the same for M Barre and J Evan , D Palmer, J Hammon. It is the most geniality album I ever heard .
Passion Play exemplifies the good and bad of the late prog years. Much like with YES's "Topographic Oceans" there are flourishes of brilliant musicianship combined with bold compositional inventiveness. And then...there are excesses and attempts at experimentation that fall flat. In the case of Passion Play, it lacks cohesiveness. It sounds like bits and piece of ideas stuck together. Nothing ever finds its climax. And that absurd rabbit losing his spectacles bit was the epitome of pointless indulgence.
It is a good album but for me its weakness is that it doesn't have memorable tunes ( the flute and Martine Barre's guitar are barely audible ). So, I'd rate it a 7-/10.
A good album, not great. Complex, I had to listen to it several times to like it, but anyway, it's far from the level Tull reached on "Brick...."Minstrel....." Songs from the Wood", "Aqualung"
Unfortunately, Ian's music will most likely perish with him. He is a SNOB and does not publish his music in Musical Notation so the rest of the world can play his music. We are so glad that Bach Beethoven and Handel put their music into notation so that it still exists today. How marvelous it would be if the local orchestra could play A Passion Play or Thick as a Brick. Just because he can't sing anymore he has turned into an elitist SNOB and will take his ball and go home so no one else can play if he can't. Shame on you IAN. There is no doubt YOU WERE THE GREATEST ROCK PERFORMER OF ALL TIME. There is no doubt. No one comes close. You are not that person anymore. PUT YOUR MUSIC INTO NOTATION FOR THE WORLD TO HEAR
I also think A Passion Play is one of the finest albums ever. Your review is rich in the discussion of Ian's brilliant lyrics as epic poetry. I would emphasize just how brilliantly played the music composition is as well reflecting the words as it does with a PLAYful sense of descension and ascension and return. Cheers and thanks!
Glad to hear you agree with me about the merits of APP - not many people seem to. Thoughtful records like this will aways get short shrift from the critics and I think the reception APP got from the Chris Welches of this world permanently damaged Ian Anderson's confidence. Certainly, Tull music was never as ambitious as this again and though I enjoy everything that followed up to and including Broadsword, I get wistful thinking about what might have been. Your analysis is compelling. Thank you for this video.
thanks for watching
Thank you for the excellent and well thought-out review! APP is my favorite of Tull's albums, and indeed one of my very favorite albums of all time. A couple of minor points: I always did understand "memory bank" to be something to do with computers, even in 1973 (probably mentioned in science fiction), so I think that by issuing a directive to "invest" in such a bank, Ian was making a pun. As for "The Hare," there was an tradition in the actual medieval Passion Plays of adding comic interludes to the story. From Wikipedia: "The Passion Plays of the 15th century, with their peculiar blending of religious, artistic, and increasingly secular elements, gave a true picture of German city life of those times. Serious thought and lively humour were highly developed in these plays. When, however, the patricians, in the sixteenth century, withdrew more and more from the plays, the plays, left to the lower classes, began to lose their serious and (in spite of the comic traits) dignified character. The influence of the Carnival plays (Fastnachtspiele) was felt more and more. Master Grobianus with his coarse and obscene jests was even introduced into some of the Passion Plays. In time the ecclesiastical authorities forbade the production of these "secularized" [citation needed] plays. Thus, the Bishop of Havelberg commanded his clergy, in 1471, to suppress the Passion Plays and legend plays in their parish districts because of the disgraceful and irrelevant farces interspersed through the productions." I've always thought the moral of "Hare" was a bit more to do with the themes of Aqualung ("My God" and "Wind-Up") than APP: Don't look to leaders or gurus for enlightenment (spiritual vision, or spectacles). Rather, look within yourself, because you carry your vision with you all along, like a spare pair.
Wow... Thank you for this detailed and informative response. It makes doing these videos so worth while... Thanks
Interesting observation. The Hare could be see as a simple metaphor for something that people mostly never do - Mind your own business!:) The Hare, did not care:)
Standing ovation follows your deep, thoughtful analysis of this magnificent opus. Definitively the Tull record I have invested huge amounts of time in trying to understand. And by this I mean, the beauty of Songs From The Woods comes more straightforward and palatable. Bot with A Passion Play you really need to dig into it to get the golden nugget. I like the way Jan Voorbij analyzed the record, and gathers that some of the final lines contain the juice: "I'd give up my halo for a horn and the horn for the hat I once had" which I freely translate "I'd rather be in hell than in heaven, but would even prefer being alive again". The whole record deals with human duality, we are never completely good or thoroughly bad but a mixture of decisions. Keep up the excellent job!
Thank you for your comments. It is a complex album but one that rewards the listener the more you delve into it.
Thumbs UP! This is a very good review and synopsis of APP, one of Tull's most underrated works. Incredible lyrics, incredible arrangements, amazing musicianship!
My favourite Tull album.
After listening to your review,
A great album. One of Tull's best.
yes it is
Thank you very much for this very informative review for one of the best albums ever made in the history of rock music. Then again, Tull has quite a lot of them.
Late to this party, but what the hell: I appreciate this elucidation of the story, which i never really understood. Would have liked some time devoted to the music itself...several brilliant passages deserve attention, and Ian's expansion of the Tull sound beyond flute to other woodwinds is notable. As usual your florid commentary is brimming with its own brand of passion!
Beyond the obvious plot and great lines, I haven't thought about the story in such detail. If there was ever a great line, it's, "The last hymn is sung and the Devil cries, More!" One of many. However, the music is what's great. Moments in there like the jam in 11/4 have never been heard before or since.
An excellent review - thank you. It inspired me to listen to the album again after a very long interval and I was blown away by this masterpiece.
I bought it when it came out, green cassette!, and thought it was great..
Then the reviews came out...
Realized then that critics had a bone to pick with Tull
Great video, fantastic speaker and thank you!
A Passion Play is to the Tull catalog is what Tull is to all other bands. The acme with no close second.
Recently I purchased a Pro Hi Tech earphones and I am amazed to hear hide sounds of this record, is really complex. My favourite progressive album
I loved PP. I was surprised at how far the critics got under Anderson's skin, and he in turn seemed to bow to them when he delivered up War Child, a step backward to some of us. The Hare/Spectacles bit was a very bold risk, and it became a ready target for those looking for something to pounce on.
My favorite Tull album. My mother gave it to me on Easter 1974 and it has always been one of my all time favorite albums. Loved your video.
I just listened to this today. It's pure genius!
I know... the album's not bad either... :-)
Something worthy of playing in one's head. Thank you Mr Anderson
Great piece of music ! Saw the tour and knew that night this band would be huge in rock n' roll.
I always look forward to your reviews.I enjoy the way you actually analyse the lyrics which in the case of Anderson is always interesting.So many reviews only consist of the reviewer saying they like this bit but not that bit so it is good to hear someone approaching albums and songs in a deeper way.I regard A.P.P. as a really interesting album which reveals more with each listen.Cheers.
Thanks. I do try to offer something different from the spate of reviewers already on You Tube. Please share...
As I get older, this album means more and more to me. The concepts of life and death, of good and evil, is treated with a depth of understanding that is sadly absent from most music. Despite the fact that a lot of folks probably don't appreciate this album, you gave it a very respectful review, and for that I thank you deeply!
Very good album...among greatest released.
Loved your explanation of this complicated storyline. Very much appreciated!
My favourite Tull album, very good review
Thank you for watching
One of my favorite albums, and I really enjoyed your deep-dive into the lyrics. A favorite line for me is one you missed, where God declares "mine is the right to be wrong", which I take as a sly dig at the notion of an all-knowing loving deity. As for the interlude of "The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles", I took it, aside from just being a bit of fun, to be partly a goof on the then current obsession with depending on gurus to help one through life's difficulties, with the Kangaroo/"you can guru" play on words. Anyway, a truly brilliant piece of work from Anderson and Co. that to me stands the test of mine better than a lot of the tripe the critics back then were praising.
Great review as always)!
I must admit that the interlude (The Story of the Hare who lost his Spectacles) did kind put me off the album on my very recent first listen. Now I am ready for another go at it...
Well said!
The video of the Hare is hilarious!
Thank you for this detailed appraisal of a Tull album I hadn't warmed to upon release. The "Chateau" cuts do help clarify the story a bit more so it is unfortunate that A PASSION PLAY didn't come out as a double. Your analysis will help me as I journey with Ronnie on future listens.
You're very welcome!
This Christmas, I have mostly been listening to, and purchasing, Jethro Tull.
Has anybody heard a complete live version of this show? This album is becoming my drug!
I have on line but unfortunately sound quality not good
I am a bit late to your commentary. In 1977 (I think), I saw a Passion Play reprised during the Minstrel in the Gallery tour. Absolutely brilliant performance, which included a string quartet.
Unable to find the right recording for an evening's listening on a very fine stereo system, I came across A Passion Play on Amazon Music (and thus being lead to your post on RUclips) and while I have the CD, streamed it . . . remarkable listening experience.
I agree with another post, that you ignored the power and resplendent composition of the music itself.
I really enjoyed this review, it popped into my feed and after listening to this review for the first time, I listened to APP several times (I used to have the album, one of a dozen by JT, but apparently sold it in a reduction of my collection with a move). I happened to see JT perform this for the 3rd time live in the US in the summer of 1973. It was the first time I saw JT live. I also dug up the 1973 RS review by Stephen Holden (NY times music critic and still alive, now 80 years old), and it definitely was one of the reviews that really panned this album. My memory of my 19 year old self's understanding of the lyrics and story back then was that I had no clue what this was about and with no Internet (for public use yet) I did not bother to attempt "research" this and had not learned most of the lyrical/religious references you cite. So, again very much appreciate this take. I also happened to find on YT the "movie" of the Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles and think you may be possibly right about this being a Ronnie Pilgrim dream sequence. Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond is the narrator (after John Evan's introduction) and he appears to be Satan. I just shared that video with my 17 year old nephew as part of our video exchanges and he really liked it. They are in the woods and dancing around the maypole and the use of the animals telling this allegorical story about the Hare seems to have been in anticipation of Anderson's use of animals this way eventually resulting in the hit Bungle in the Jungle. I also had forgotten about the music from this album, it is quite good and thanks for the reference to Heitor Villa-Lobos, who I had not heard of, and presumably Martin Barre was playing these guitar parts. In a 2010 interview, I heard Anderson discussing the instruments around his house and how he promised to "never play the saxophone again." I think APP was the only album on which he played it, and I remember him playing it live, it actually appeared to be a clarinet. Thanks again, will have to check out some of your other reviews.
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Thanks for your extensive commentary. I'm in the perhaps rare subgroup of those who discovered JT around age 20 and loved their/his music for decades, yet somehow didn't really connect with APP until recently. Definitely for the more literary listener.
Wow Another great review!
I like the analysis. One theory I have liked to consider is this is in fact Judas who is dead as the silver cord lies on the ground (after having hung himself) In some ways Judas is in a unique position to traverse both the heaven and hell realms. Regardless the character is a pilgrim who prefers the human condition rather than a mundane afterlife. One small quibble- it is "the old dog howls with sadness", rather than growls with sadness. Very pleased to see a fellow Tull fan having an appreciation of APP. It is one of my favorites along with Stand Up and Thick As a Brick.
@ScienceFindsGod2 Well, your reference does not entirely fit the context of A Passion Play. Silver has represented the devious actions of Judas and the gleaming armour that’s now rusted. But you have a point, the "silver cord" often refers to the connection between the body and the "soul" and indeed Judas has died and if the theory is correct, the Passion Play is about Judas's journey into Hell. It makes sense when you view the timeline of APP, JC Superstar was first released in about 1970 with a strong theme related to Judas and his conflicts as much as JC's struggles. These themes were in the popular culture at the time of IA's composition of APP.
@ScienceFindsGod2 Sure. I think good artists construct pieces that work on several levels. Like what does I am the walrus by the Beatles "mean" probably as many interpretations as there are Beatle fans 😉
@ScienceFindsGod2 Well the point is the lyrics go on to say "And So I'm dead the young man said" so yes if the silver cord is lying on the ground the person is dead and Silver in the Passion play would be representative of Judas and his probable descent into the hells- could easily be a reference to Dante's Infernal analogously. The Inferno describes Dante's journey through Hell, and ultimately towards god. Which appears to be the progression of the story of the Passion Play. IA has described himself as a Deist, so revelation as a source of religious knowledge is rejected in favor of observations of the natural world. However, seeing much of the New Testament as a metaphor works very nicely indeed.
I always thought this album was where Tull 'jumped the shark' but your praise for it made me listen again ... and again. No joke, it took about 10 dutiful listening in the car until I began to like it but it was well worth it. Some of their best music.
One of my favourite Tull albums too. Thick As A Brick is my all time favorite with Ministry In The Gallery, Stand Up and the compilation Living In The Past in no particular order would round off my Top 5 fave Tull albums. Got to see them live In Dunedin in 2017.
Hi Barry,
A band after my own heart. I do love this album but I must say it is the one I visit least... but when I do I am astounded especially with the Disaster tapes. Love the sound, the production.. the lyrics and the sax as opposed to the flute. Ian Anderson's writing is extremely deep... and sometimes it is hard to grasp because unfortunately as much as I think I am a decent writer not in that league... not in the least. A man I would love meet and discuss about his writings and works. The theme is well done.. combining the after life and a theatrical performance.
Your review is wonderful.... you really go deep and investigate all those wonderful moments of Ian's musings and all the vital issues explored in APP..
Thank you for promoting the Tull and all that is wonderful in the world of classic rock,
Keep them coming,
Sincerely,
Tino
thanks
You're welcome. Love promoting anyone who helps advance my deepest passion coursing in my veins and giving me sustenance. My passion for classic rock music. It is I that need to thank you.
Tino
Magus Perde might refer to the Latin per diem meaning for the day. Very thoughtful and detailed examination.
An excellent review and interpretation. I well remember struggling with the words as a teenager, mainly because I had bought the cassette version and the print of the small booklet was harder to read! I'm assuming the reviewer did not say much about the music because it is just so good. I especially enjoy the saxophone which gives the piece a totally different mood in place of the flute.
Thanks so much. Great job. Very enlightening. This album even though it will sound like a bunch of chaotic gibberish (sp) to most is just loaded with great musical ideas. I'm talking musically, as in the notes. What I always found frustrating was that some of the great musical ideas weren't developed more. Nevertheless, this is a great great album.. I learned a lot watching this video.
I love your breakdown of the story, very impressive. I would have liked to hear you talk about the music too.
I've had this album for quite a long time but hadn't listened to it in ages.
It is much better than I remembered,
Although I still am not a fan of the hare who lost his spectacles.
I've always loves APP and was privileged to see if performed live,back in the day.One gets the feeling that critics and audiences were upset that they found it "Too clever" and impenetrable.It takes repeated listenings and some reflection,that's all.Rock n'Roll purists felt Ian had gone too far.I say....open your mind and ears!Of course,it's a classic album written by a genius now.
great with all these details from proberly the words bedst band ever.More please !
Thanks, will do!
I knew of Jethro Tull for few of their songs were being played on progressive/aor radio.
But one time I was walking down the hall of my dormitory back at U of Iowa late 73 and I heard some really good bass sounds. So I walked into this room and the guy was playing a reel to real recording of this album that he got in the Navy while overseas. And it freaked me out. So I become a Jethro Tull fan after that and start buying everything. Now I got all if their Steve Wilson produced 5.1 discs!😍
I finally got to see him live when they were doing the "War Childtour and Iowa City back in around late 74 or 75. I've lost track. I know this was the first time that we couldn't smoke pot at the concert so we all ate brownies before we showed up.
Hi Baz... I saw your initial review. I have the reissue and I like it when I put it on....and love the sax... but for some unknown reason to me I have a harder time to fully immerse into this one. I can understand the status. The lyrics are incredible and less evident to grasp for someone with nowhere near the intelligence of Mr. Anderson.
Maybe during this quarantine may indulge in it more.
Tino
Another great review and analysis of a complex album. I never thought that J. Pilgrim died and was reincarnated..For some reason, I always took the lyrics as meaning he died and was resusitated... The whole journey to the afterlife happening between death and him being "brought back".. I guess if you asked 100 people what the albums in about, you'll likely get 100 different answers.. One of the things that makes it great. Like all the best things in life, you have to learn to love this album..
I've showed my 6 years twin grandaughters "The Hair to who lost his Spectacles". They got a big kick out of that. But they also got a big kick out of me miming Queens' "Bohemian Rhapsody" operetic part.
I prefer the earlier version with the backwards reverb on Ian Anderson's vocals.
Update. Thank you for posting your very informative understanding of what A Passion Play is about. I’ve played it through numerous times now, focusing on the ‘music’, another time focusing on the words and then listening with the lyrics and music full on quite a few times. I don’t like the beginning, I don’t like the non lyrical non musical vocal, the lyrics are deliberately vague and I doubt that IA could explain what a lot of it means. The music is just as random and comprised of fun fair and circus sequences of irritating motif’s with changing time signatures, Celtic swings and roundabouts. Yes Walter Pidgeon gets re born but who cares in amongst this noise. My own view is that this is awful, the critics got it right, every time it finishes I thank the Lord for the relief.
I recently bought This Was, Stand Up, Benefit, Aqualung, Thick as, Passion Play, songs from the wood, Minstrel, Horses so I’ve still got some catching up to do. I’ve been going through them chronologically and wasn’t hot on Benefit, This Was is a good Album, Stand Up is ok, Aqualung ok, Thick is thick, Hopefully the other albums will be an improvement on A Passion Play.
Good review from an up and down album. A bit long and some lulls at times yet I hear some great music Ethan was used later on some of my favorite albums such as Songs From The Wood And Heavy Horses!
1. A Passion Play
2. Aqualang
3. Stand Up
4. Minstrel Gallery
5. Storm Watch / Heavy Horses
I came to Tull about 2 years ago after many years believing they were some wonky, outdated relic of the past. All that despite my absolute love of Yes, Genesis, Floyd and Genesis. This album just clicked in a major way with me in the last hour after months of listening to it. Genius, genius, genius, sublime, beyond words, I’d venture to say it’s almost a sister/brother album to the Lamb though much more working class, almost punk in its representation of what appears to be the travails or the ordinary, mundane existence, one in which, despite appearances, we are tasked with traversing the desert of complex, intricate questions that this life presents to us all.
Great Album !!
Excellent interpretation
On the money, as A. Would love to hear you review the Chateau D’isaster album.
What can I do if A Passion Play is one of the 5 best JT albums? Aside from the "conceptual album" features emphasized in the comments below, I think there are many folk-pop-rock portions or chunks in the songs ( I don't know how to say it in english) that are very beatiful and contrast very well with the instrumental arrangements, especially the keyboards approach. It is always delightful and paradoxically surprising at each new listening.
The last Tull album I liked. Saw the tour in 1973 and that band was tight and balanced. Boston Garden, great old days.
I don't like the Wilson version of the Chateau material - lots of simply unfinished backing tracks, Ian Anderson really brought them to life on Nightcap with his added flute tracks.
The versions released in the 1980s are certainly more vibrant and sound complete but I'm glad to have the full untampered with version as well. It's a shame they couldn't of both been included in the set.
@@classicalbum Nightcap is from 1993 and I agree about the great sonic quality. Only Scenario /Audition / No Rehearsal on Nightcap are from 1988 (first released on the "20 Years of Jethro Tull" box set) - perhaps the best section of the Chateau Tapes, but sadly the sound is not on a par with the 1993 mixes. I hope these versions will be remastered one day.
Love this album!
Seen them at msg the best of the best what a show
A Passion Play is a work of genius, and was far too sophisticated, complex, and deep for the scribblers of the capitalist music press, who are used to reviewing crap like Status Quo and Duran, Duran. Ian Anderson is the Mozart of our age. The range, quality, and originality of his music is without parallel in modern music, and that includes Lennon & McCartney. Because he has always spurned a "top 20 funeral" he will never get the recognition he truly deserves from the philistines of the capitalist music press or the masses, force-fed on computerised, made-to-order, brainless "rap" (read "crap") and pop music. The legions of Tull fans around the world have been blessed with music that has everything you want when you sit down and listen : beautiful melodies; celtic tunes; hard rock; classical passages; thought-provoking lyrics; amazing musicianship; and the sheer charisma of Ian Anderson as a performer. Well done Ian. Tull fans like myself owe you an enormous debt of gratitude for enriching and adding texture to our lives.
A passion play is a good album but to be honest I prefer the Chateau d'Isaster tapes.
Had they completed them ( thus releasing an ambitious double concept album ) I wonder how their career would've changed.
Man I'm so happy! I FINALLY got into *A Passion Play* just the other day! And got into it quite hard, been listening to it constantly every day since, it's funny how everything that just sounded like random, boring and pointless noise can suddenly start sounding so damn good 🤯
And now I can confidently say w/o a doubt that it really is my favorite album, NOW I finally get everthing you said about it (in the album ranking video I think), all the praise...
I mean it really is a definitive top contender on it's own BUT WITH the *Chateau D'Herouville Sessions* it pretty much solidifies 'em as the best "double album" ever! ✊
Just about all their albums has taken me some time to warm up to, and now *A Passion Play* marks the end of their 70's albums for me (including *This Was* , *Stand Up* and *A* ). I'm actually a bit sad that this journey has come to an end, they really are/were one of a kind, but I'm sure I'll keep listening to all these masterpieces forever either way. Thank you for sharing your reviews man!
Another album I hold in very high regard is *War Child* did you ever do a video/review on that one? And all the bonus stuff that came with the 40th/Steven Wilson Remix? I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts. However I do know it's generally not a very popular album so I get if you never did/will cover it.
EDIT: Perhaps you did cover "enough" of it in the album ranking video? I might have to rewatch that one...
I'm glad you are enjoying APP - and my videos. I will be doing a Classic Album Review of 'Songs | Wood' soon
“A Passion Play” is actually my favourite Tull album - just my opinion but I think it’s musically, lyrically and thematically more mature (even with the bonkers “Hare” interlude) and even better than “Thick As A Brick”. I honestly think the real reason the critics slammed it at the time was because it was maybe to complex and/or intellectual - plus anything even vaguely ‘spiritual’ is a critical “hot potato” the music press can’t deal with (see also Yes’ ‘spiritual’ “Topographic” which also received negative criticism yet, through the years has seen it’s reputation rise). Like you, I also like the Chateau tracks and concept (especially the track “Left/Right”) but, on balance, think the revised sessions that resulted in “A Passion Play” yielded something even more superior.
I always thought this particular album contained mostly music. I would not have learned about it from this “review”.
Definitely no thick as a brick,but in my view ,just as great......a very dark themed album though,I can see why some fans wouldn't like it .
👌
My fav part is when Ronnie sings " where no one has nothing and nothing is" then the devil picks up with " well meaning fool, pick up they bed and rise up from your gloom smiling, give me your hate and do as the loving heathen do ". That is fucking brilliant
Just been listening to this for the first time, didn’t catch the lyrics other than some nonsense about a hare lost his glasses, my first impression is that the album is cringeworthy. However, many of my favourite albums and music have sounded awful on first listening so I’ll persevere. I’ll study the lyrics and themes and see if that pulls it together.
I always figured "Magus Perde" was "Great Waste" from Latin.
What an amazing song, with some nasty guitar work by Barre
Without any doubt , Passion Play is the best progressive rock album ever made in the prog rock history, it is better than Thick as a Brick and too much better than any progressive rock album from bands as Yes , Genesis, king Crimson, Pink Floyd, Camel , Rush , etc . APP smartness, brilliant and complex sophisticated composition doesn’t have comparison on progressive rock. In this album the members of the band have performed their best qualities , B Barlow performed the drums better than any drummer in the 70s , the same for M Barre and J Evan , D Palmer, J Hammon. It is the most geniality album I ever heard .
I certainly like it.
Passion Play exemplifies the good and bad of the late prog years. Much like with YES's "Topographic Oceans" there are flourishes of brilliant musicianship combined with bold compositional inventiveness. And then...there are excesses and attempts at experimentation that fall flat. In the case of Passion Play, it lacks cohesiveness. It sounds like bits and piece of ideas stuck together. Nothing ever finds its climax. And that absurd rabbit losing his spectacles bit was the epitome of pointless indulgence.
Nobody liked your comment which to me is absurd , APP is the bets album ever made in prog rock . Jethro Tull is above the rest of all prog bands .
It is a good album but for me its weakness is that it doesn't have memorable tunes ( the flute and Martine Barre's guitar are barely audible ).
So, I'd rate it a 7-/10.
The whole album is a memorable tune!
I can't hear any tunes either. I've tried over the years but it leaves me cold.
A good album, not great. Complex, I had to listen to it several times to like it, but anyway, it's far from the level Tull reached on "Brick...."Minstrel....." Songs from the Wood", "Aqualung"
Unfortunately, Ian's music will most likely perish with him. He is a SNOB and does not publish his music in Musical Notation so the rest of the world can play his music. We are so glad that Bach Beethoven and Handel put their music into notation so that it still exists today. How marvelous it would be if the local orchestra could play A Passion Play or Thick as a Brick. Just because he can't sing anymore he has turned into an elitist SNOB and will take his ball and go home so no one else can play if he can't. Shame on you IAN. There is no doubt YOU WERE THE GREATEST ROCK PERFORMER OF ALL TIME. There is no doubt. No one comes close. You are not that person anymore. PUT YOUR MUSIC INTO NOTATION FOR THE WORLD TO HEAR