Jethro Tull - Baker St. Muse || Jana's First Listen and Song REVIEW

Welcome to ‘Prog Song Sunday’, where we listen to a Progressive Rock song together and then discuss our thoughts about that particular piece of music. In each episode, you get two different perspectives- the seasoned Prog fan who has 20 years of experience listening to the genre (Nathan), and the fresh new listener who is only now discovering the world of Progressive Rock (Jana).
In this episode, we are featuring "Baker St. Muse" by Jethro Tull! Please listen along with us, and continue on to our discussion to see how Jana feels about her first dedicated listen to this prog rock gem and Nathan’s background and history with this particular piece of music!
#progrock #jethrotull #janareacts #firstlisten #bakerstmuse #minstrelinthegallery #progressiverock​​ #nathanonshuffle #janafirstlisten #reactionvideos #reaction
Disclaimer: We try our best to let the song play and be heard before we give our commentary, but we may briefly give comments during the song based on our impressions and reactions in the moment. We don’t intend to be annoying or “sacrilegious” to the integrity of the song, we are just being our pure, unfiltered selves as we listen. If you want a pure, uninterrupted listen, we encourage you to please seek out the song on your platform of choice (link to my Spotify playlist that features all the songs we cover in this series is below)!
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[@broadsword6650]

Written when Ian Anderson was living in a small apartment just off Baker Street, a busy mixing pot of humanity in working class London. It's a series of observations about the people he saw living and working in the area: the buskers, newspaper sellers, businessmen, whores, and the homeless. It centres around the Baker Street Underground Railway station and the song is very urban: he writes: "I have no house in the country...", but the next three albums - Songs From The Wood, Heavy Horses, Stormwatch - are much more folk-rock, triggered by Ian's move to a large house in the country, a major turning point in his personal and musical life.

[@charlesberton2581]

You forgot Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die which came out in '76, right after this album, and was urban influenced as well. I LOVE that album.

[@phillyflyer12]

Amazing composition and delivery. Ian is a master. Also, there's not enough praise for Ian's singing. He's amazing.

[@charlesberton2581]

Because most people are impressed with range rather than technique. He had great technique. I liked his singing best from Thick as Brick to Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die. It was packed with such attitude!

[@michaelbaucom4019]

Minstrel In The Gallery is as much a masterpiece album as Aqualung, Thick As A Brick, Songs From The Wood, Heavy Horses. Ian Anderson has wrote so many great works, Minstrel(including Baker St Muse), gets lost in the....shuffle(I had to make the pun, sorry all) Baker St Muse definitely goes well with breakfast too

[@HollowGolem]

This album has a special feel because it's probably the most personal album Ian wrote for Tull. It's all about his divorce, sometimes directly like with one white duck or Black satin dancer, and sometimes it's about the fallout from that divorce like Baker Street Muse. But it's probably the fewest layers of ironic detachment between Ian and his listener that I think I've ever heard. It's interesting to see him allow himself to be a little vulnerable. One white duck is my favorite example. It's one thing to look back in sorrow at a failed marriage in your music, it's another to admit that the entire failure was your own fault in that music. That song succeeds in making you far more sympathetic to his ex-wife than to him. That's some serious art.

[@willicat44]

He alludes to not being able to escape the world he created,...ergo " I can't get out!"

[@PJprog]

Although I think A Passion Play is my favourite Tull album , this long epic suite and indeed the whole of the Minstrel in the Gallery album is probably the one I've most listened to of theirs. I've kept going back to it over the years , and still in awe of the amazing musicanship on display throughout. Definitely my top progressive-folk album ever recorded !! Many thanks Nathan and Jana. Have a great Sunday. 😍

[@bobby666666]

A Passion Play and The Minstrel In The Gallery are my fave Jethro Tull albums.The Minstrel Deluxe set has the only official live recording by the best Jethro Tull line up (IMO).

[@garysexton8840]

A unique album by the best band of the decade and my absolute favorite band

[@dunringill1747]

Ian Anderson is a multi-Instrumental multifaceted genius. He will often critique society with metaphors, wit, and some tongue-in-cheek campiness. The entire band is exceptionally talented as well. With Jethro Tull, you won't find too many top hits. Instead you will find musical masterpiece after masterpiece in every album.

[@Robert-s1k8p]

Sherlock Holmes lived at 22b Baker street

[@TallNorske]

From an article in Grooves magazine, #18, 1979, on the Stormwatch album, called “Jethro Tull’s Stormin’ Again” - writer Mike Greenblatt discussing what Ian had earlier stated in 1975, after Minstrel in the Gallery was put out - “I am absolutely not interested in what other groups are doing,”’Anderson stated flatly in an interview with Judith Sims at the time. “My inspiration is more historical. I’m looking for something people might enjoy, not this year or the next; but maybe in a hundred years somebody will say, ‘that chap did something different, rather interesting, not the same old thing”

[@charlesberton2581]

Great song from my favorite album of all time! Thank you!

[@craigryan3069]

This album just wouldn't be the same without the beautiful orchestral arrangements by David (now Dee) Palmer. Simply sublime.

[@HollowGolem]

How did I miss this baby? Love this whole album and this is absolutely one of it's peaks. Tull's last epic, and a real spectacular one at that.

[@gaiaeternal5131]

Hi Shufflers. Dave from London. I know Baker Street very well. Yes, there's an underbelly that Ian portrays so well, but there's a classy side to it too. The fictional home of Sherlock Holmes was 221b Baker Street. One of Jethro Tull's finest pieces - brilliant story-telling, colourful characters, and of course the musicianship. I agree with you, Nathan, about the blending of folk and rock. I don't think anyone else does it better, and one of their folkier albums Songs from The Wood is probably my favourite.

[@stevematthews641]

Dee Palmers orchestral input is impressive

[@willicat44]

Nathan: "We've got to do the whole thing" Jana......."wait...what??!! lol😄

[@tomfashing208]

Incredible song writing, storytelling, musicianship and vocals. The whole enchilada! By the way…all of the incredible acoustic guitar ( not just a flute master) is also played by Ian. Thanks for the great reaction to this classic.

[@larsbehrmann3768]

Nothing to say about the strings? 🤨😘

[@leonardgoulet5864]

Ah! vinyl?

[@leonardgoulet5864]

well done. Damn, those digital dropouts!!

[@charliediottaviano3995]

Progressive masterpiece. Ian Anderson is a musical genius