Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Jethro Tull
Label: Windsong International
Release: 1995
Duration: 53:14
Rating: 3/5
The early nineties were one of the most grueling stretches in the story of the legendary prog folk rock standard-bearers Jethro Tull. After the exhausting but still commercially successful eighties, which fans remember mostly for the controversial Grammy for best heavy metal album, bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, singer and flautist Ian Anderson had lost his appetite for artsy prog rock adventures. So on “Catfish Rising” (1991), an album that didn’t exactly stick in most fans’ fond memories, he opted for a temporary return to his blues roots. This turbulent phase of the career, when the Tull machine was getting a little rusty, was marked above all by a revolving door of keyboardists, while longtime bassist Dave Pegg was constantly torn between Jethro Tull and his home band Fairport Convention.
“In Concert” is an archival live document from the “Catfish Rising” tour, recorded at the legendary London venue Hammersmith Odeon in a show that BBC Radio One broadcast on October 8, 1991, but which only got an official release in 1995. As expected, it doesn’t capture the entire show, but there’s still no excuse for leaving the two most recognizable Tull evergreens, “Aqualung” and “Locomotive Breath”, off the setlist — they shouldn’t be missing from any official or unofficial live document. The trimmed-down selection doesn’t exactly inspire excitement, since the focus that night was, unsurprisingly, on “Catfish Rising”, from which no fewer than four songs made it onto this recording.
The opening hybrid “Minstrel in the Gallery/Cross Eyed Mary” turns out to be a pretty botched experiment. There’s no logic in pouring a classic like “Minstrel in the Gallery” into the next evergreen after less than half a minute, especially when you play it live more rarely than there’s snow in the desert. The sarcastic “This Is Not Love” and “Rocks On the Road”, a tale of a traveling salesman, both among the better cuts from that very average album, heat up the room nicely with their punchy blues/hard rock vibe. Then comes the big surprise and without a doubt the main reason this live document gains at least a bit of value: a decent rendition of the agrarian evergreen “Heavy Horses”, a prog folk rock masterpiece from 1978, which successfully brings back the memory of their golden days, even though Ian’s voice was already pretty worn and changed by then.
Producer Pete Ritzema surely made a nice move by not stripping out all of Ian’s, as always witty, banter between songs. So before “Tall Thin Girl” we get a funny anecdote about drummer Doane Perry’s first days in the band, when he visited an Indian restaurant in 1984. His flirting with an attractive waitress later inspired the lyrics of that aforementioned “Catfish Rising” standard. On the other hand, the band was in very good spirits that night, especially when playing the newer material, and the recording boasts quality production too. The short instrumental stretch “Blues Jam” is mainly a solo guitar opportunity for Ian’s indispensable Tull partner in crime Martin Barre to show why he belongs among the best rock guitarists of all time.
Although “Still Loving You” is among the least convincing moments of their career, the old cats deliver a confident live rendition. The heavily cut version of the legendary evergreen “Thick As a Brick” is poor consolation for longtime fans. Even the “Stand Up” (1969) classic “A New Day Yesterday”, which isn’t played with the usual fire and skill, makes it clear they were already seriously tired of playing the old favorites by then. Newer pieces like “Jump Start”, a standout from “Crest of a Knave” (1987), and especially the epic Cold War requiem “Budapest”, where the opening keyboard part from then-keyboardist Martin Allcock (ex-Fairport Convention) impresses, come off far more convincing in that night’s live renditions.
“In Concert” lands squarely in the middle of the official live albums released so far by the prog folk rock legends, which means it’s only of interest to the most devoted Jethro Tull fans. Everyone else won’t miss a thing if they skip adding it to their music collection. As a whole, the recording is too short and lacks too many longtime favorites to give a credible picture of the band’s state at the time, although you can feel throughout that they were going through a minor identity crisis, which fortunately passed quickly.
Lineup
Ian Anderson – vocals, flute, mandolin, acoustic guitar, harmonica
Martin Barre – electric guitar, acoustic guitar
Dave Pegg – bass guitar
Martin Allcock – keyboards
Doane Perry – drums
Production
Pete Ritzema
Track list
1. Minstrel in the Gallery/Cross Eyed Mary
2. This Is Not Love
3. Rocks On the Road
4. Heavy Horses
5. Tall Thin Girl
6. Still Loving You
7. Thick As a Brick
8. New Day Yesterday
9. Blues Jam
10. Jump Start
11. Budapest
