Nearly twenty five years ago, Ian Anderson was badgered by the press about the seemingly autobiographical lyrics in the song "Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll, Too Young to Die." For years, they couldn't wait to pin that tag on him despite the fact that he (along with Tull mainstay Martin Barre) continued to disprove the theory with each subsequent release. Here we are, almost a quarter of a century down the road and, although the question is no longer asked, Anderson, Barre and Co. have disproved the theory yet again. The evidence is, of course, the latest offering from Jethro Tull entitled, j-tull Dot Com. This thing ROCKS!!

From the opening riff of "Spiral", it is clear that this is a Tull record that can easily take its place alongside such classics as Thick As A Brick, Songs From The Wood, and Heavy Horses. Martin Barre is one of the Forgotten Gods in the rock pantheon, as responsible for the signature Tull sound as Anderson (a fact Ian has often asserted). A master of tasteful understatement, Barre allows Anderson's songs to breathe without making one feel as though he forgot to take his guitar to the studio. Make no mistake, he rips it up with the best of them, but he waits his turn and thereby makes the songs that much stronger. And speaking of ripping it up, I still find it strange and amusing that flute solos can actually work in a heavy rock context, yet, when listening to Tull, I await them as if they were smoking guitars. There is a funny bit in David Rees' "Minstrels in the Gallery" (the only real Tull bio) about Ian's first attempts to play a flute: Having acquired one in a local pawn shop trade, Ian was hoping to occupy himself on-stage during (then lead guitarist) Mick Abrahams' solos. Oddly enough, he found that he was the only member of both band and crew who couldn't produce a musical sound from the instrument! Obviously, this served only to piss him off to the point where he fast became a world class player. And play he does! As evidenced in songs such as "AWOL", "Hunt By Numbers", "El Nino" and "Far Alaska", his skills are indeed formidable; weaving in and out of the arrangements with seemingly effortless grace.

Lyrically, there is a hint of reminiscence apparent in songs such as "The Dog-Ear Years" and "Wicked Windows." In the latter, Anderson offers: "I review my past through wicked windows framed in silver and hung in toughened glass, upon my face, around and over. Now and then: memories of men who loved me. No stolen kiss could match their march on hot coals for me." I assume this is a reference to his fiercely loyal fans, some of whom have been so for over thirty (yes-thirty!) years. How often is fan loyalty even accounted for any more? I suppose in today's flash-in-the-pan, throwaway society, a rock band that spans five years is an anomaly, let alone five decades! I must admit, as one of those fans, I was both flattered by the acknowledgment and moved by the humble sincerity of his words.

The band, I should mention, is rounded out by longtime (14 years or so!) drummer Doane Perry, keyboardist Andrew Giddings and bassist Jonathan Noyce. This is the strongest Tull line-up since the glory days of Barriemore Barlow, John Evans and John Glascock. Giddings, in particular, has helped to "resurrect" the classic Tull sound with what have to be the truest sounding keyboard string sections I've heard. (Who knew the keyboardist on Sniff 'n' The Tears near-classic "Driver's Seat" was such a talent?).

While not as adventurous as 1995's Roots to Branches in its arrangements or time signatures, this is a collection of strong, classic sounding, yet modern progressive rock songs. If you're one of the faithful, then you probably already own this. If you're inclined to write off bands like Jethro Tull as "Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll", you're missing out on some truly great music.

Reviewed by Nostradumbass

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