For old Jethro Tull fans this is a musically superior offering from the fading years of the past. Newbies should be prepared for something inventive and progressive.
Written by: veneto
ARTIST: Jethro Tull
ALBUM: J-Tull Dot Com
LABEL: Papillion Records
SERIAL: BTFLYCD0001
YEAR: 1999
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: England
LINEUP: Ian Anderson – vocals, concert flute, bouzouki, acoustic guitar * Martin Barre – guitars * Andrew Giddings – hammond organ, piano, chromatic and querty keyboards * Doane Perry – drums, percussion * Jonathan Noyce – bass
TRACK LISTING: 01 Spiral * 02 Dot Com * 03 AWOL * 04 Nothing At All * 05 Wicked Windows * 06 Hunt By Numbers * 07 Hot Mango Flash * 08 El Nino * 09 Black Mamba * 10 Mango Surprise 11 Bends Like A Willow * 12 Far Alaska * 13 The Dog Car Chase * 14 A Gift Of Roses
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
First impressions point strongly at thinly veiled ‘get rich scheme’ by a bunch of old fogies. ‘Tull Dot Com’ immediately kills that dark thought with the rich flute sweeping over a very modern but still very recognisable Jethro Tull sound. A solid production and still very witty and bizarre lyrics cover a mix of topics including executive stress, cats, hot mango flushes (?), and of course the Digital age.
Catchy riffs, funky bass lines, weird stream of consciousness style lyrics and that piccante flute produce a very sparkling album. Strong impressions of Genesis, Marillion and Eloy come through but still never leave you in doubt that you are listening to a Tull album.
The Songs
Ian Anderson is the driving force here, and there is a lot of flute in the album, however the guitar, bass and keyboards provide strong support, while subtle background vocals and slick production add the depth.
Guitars power through on a few tracks like the apocalyptic ‘El Nino’ and drive along in tracks like the ‘Bends Like A Willow’. This is no ‘Aqualung’. Jethro Tull have grown old gracefully, Ian Anderson no longer looks like Worzel Gummage’s brother and the raw Tull edges have long been smoothed by MIDI banks and electronic gadgets.
In Summary
For old Tull fans this is a musically superior offering from the fading years of the old Tull. For those new to the Tull sound then be prepared for something inventive and progressive. Oh. And there’s a hidden track on the end. Hot Mango Flush. What the hell is that?
