In the Prog Seat: Album Study 'Jethro Tull-A Passion Play'

Join the In the Prog Seat crew as they go in depth on some well known & obscure classics. Today, it's Jethro Tull 'A Passion Play'. #jethrotull
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[@Morthoron1]

As a medievalist, I can tell you that Ian really researched this "Passion Play" to match the late medieval passion or mystery plays in England that preceded the Elizabethan and Jacobean plays by Shakespeare, Marlowe and Jonson. Interestingly enough "The Hare that Lost His Spectacles" is a comic "interlude" that morality/mystery plays often inserted in the heavy moralizing that made up the bulk of the actual play. Shakespeare would later insert such comedic interludes to keep the "groundlings" amused because most of the rest of the play was literally "over their heads" (being groundlings in the cheap seats, after all). So, there is a place where "The Hare that Lost His Spectacles" is an insertion that is completely natural and an historic aspect of the original passion plays.

[@tomorrows_dream]

Luis did a great job hosting. He knows how to generate a lively conversation.

[@boulderbug]

...Luis Is such a Killer addition to the SOT cast of Characters....We all Win !

[@tomorrows_dream]

@@boulderbug I'd love to see Luis host programs periodically on SoT. He always brings a unique point of view.

[@manuelper]

@@boulderbug Professor Luis is awesome. I love hearing his analysis on music, dude knows his shit.

[@lahloonatic]

You guys are much too kind. I am very honored to be part of SOT. Cheers!

[@bradstensland506]

If you like Luis as a speaker, you should hear him as a bass player. I got to see him in Silver Pipe(the Tull tribute he mentioned, not by name), and one of his multiple attended bands at THIS time...Sonus Umbra...what an incredible bunch of LPs! Please, check it out...I'm not a marketer, just a huge fan.

[@marcblachman2322]

JT’s best album as far as I’m concerned. It was a grower, but I’ve absolutely loved it for decades. Still sounds fresh today. Always hear new things, esp with the Wilson remix.

[@custom55]

I saw this tour at MSG the summer of 1973. An amazing show.

[@kevinmcgauhey3829]

I agree! It's fluctuated here and there but A Passionplay was my favorite Tull album for the longest time. But it's also always been my top favorite Progressive rock album of all time! It's still in my top 5 prog albums.

[@Sabotaged88]

I love this album, it's often been my favourite Tull album. I think this album contains side by side, moment to moment both the most heaviest, menacing, darkest music and lightest, whimsical music that Tull has ever done. Like in the exact same passage how it changes one second to the next is marvellous. I think that and the chaotic nature of the music lends itself completely to the theme of the album of life, death and everything in between. For me "The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles" does the same thing in representing the overall theme. Here's all these animals sitting around trying to decide what should happen to the hare, much like the arguing over whether someone deserves to go to heaven or hell, but in the end the hare isn't interested in the argument as he's got another pair (another chance at life). It probably sums up Ian's outlook on religion as a whole that he's got no time for needlessly debating what's right and wrong in the end, he's just going to put his glasses on and get on with his own life and own decisions, he won't be pressured by all these arguing sides who think they know better. I do think that Ian has meaning in his lyrics, that's one of the things I lobe about him and Tull is that I feel he's often trying to convey something. I personally think Tull's best work is when they have an overarching theme on an album, I think that when they done albums that were seemingly just a collection of individual songs with no connective tissue (either theme or story wise) that it wasn't as good. I think Ian needs a larger picture to draw his focus on to work to his best. I'm not saying that every lyric in this album has deep meaning or tells the story, far from it, but large portions of it are at least geared towards a theme and ideas. Certainly when it comes to concept albums there's few out there where every single line of lyrics is purely about telling the story, because if they were it would simply be prose and not lyrics, it wouldn't work as a song. A generalisation of lyrics on these types of concept albums would be that line 1 of a lyric is about the story, but line 2 is for the melody or the rhyme. The ending of the album being kinda sudden and the sense mentioned that "the scenery being taken away as the band keeps playing" would again tie into the themes and "story" of the album. The theme that life and death can just come to you at a random moment when you're already in the middle of something and the idea of the story that Ronnie would be just transitioning into another life and that this will be a cycle that happens again and again continuing on forever. I still love this album and loved this video, you guys are great and I totally get why people don't enjoy this album. I'm controversial in that I always preferred this to "Thick As A Brick". Looking forward to more of the album deep dives when you get a chance to do them.

[@johnw706]

A very interesting discussion . I was fortunate enough to see Jethro Tull play it in it's entirety at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1973 . I went to this concert having heard the album only once or twice , and I wondered how the heck they could play it live . Well , it was nothing short of sensational . The music was riveting , as was the stage show that accompanied it . ( including the Hare Who Lost his Spectacles , which functioned nicely as an intermission ) Oh how I wish that they had filmed one of the shows on this tour . Sadly , they didn't . Anyway , as a live presentation , it was a tour de force . And the saxophone that Ian Anderson played on stage sounded great . I saw the Thick as A Brick tour the year before , and they played all of that live as well , which was also great . A Passion Play is definitely a top 5 Jethro Tull album for me . Thank you for the lively discussion !!

[@tomstelmach5233]

My favorite Tull album hands down! Still gives me chills when I hear it, and I listen to it all the time. Hard core Tull fans don’t seem to like it. I ran into Martin Barre at a guitar show and he said that Ian Anderson didn’t want to play it as excerpts. He felt it should be played in its entirety.

[@gregmellon185]

I never listened to this album before the show topic was announced. Since I’ve listened to it about six times. It grows on me with every listen. Getting to really love this album. Great album choice, great discussion. Thanks fellas

[@BobC59]

Yes! Happened to me half a century ago, but like you, I needed some time with it to fall in love. I still enjoy it after who-knows how many listens and many, many years.

[@victorluchitz7907]

In my opinion the reason this album stands above many others of the genre and probably even TAAB is that it still remains an enigma even after 50 years of its release. Complex? Definitely. Dense? Absolutely. Impenetrable? Probably. What I also seem to notice is that APP is a "musician's album" and definitely not a "casual listener's album". Those who can appreciate the musicianship and amount of effort put into the album will definitely be rewarded on each listen. The fact that the album was basically put together in a period of two weeks after the band returned from France to resume recording at home, still blows my mind to this day.

[@Bill_Yarkakar_XVIII]

I'm a musician - not a good one, mind you, but a musician nonetheless. This is a difficult, but rewarding, album. Every time I hear this, I hear something new. I have an original vinyl copy that was well used before I got it, but it is still highly rewarding to spin it again and again. i will say, however, that my wife (who is not a musician) enjoys this album too, but she was raised on Tull, whereas I only got into them in the early 2000s.

[@Humb7757]

I have been hooked on this Passion Play Vinyl in 1973, when I was 14…Boy it never left me… from the Original recording to the Enhanced CD beautiful sounding version of it…it remains My Favorite Jethro Tull! So complex and wonderfully produced!!

[@timsmith9953]

Even in the UK, the phrase "I'll go to the foot of our stairs" is a regional saying (Northern and Midlands, I believe) for something that's surprising or noteworthy. Presumably folk on this panel won't know that, but can't believe it affected their enjoyment!

[@lahloonatic]

Not a problem for me.

[@siribal]

Wohooo. Hands down, this was one of the BEST youtube videos I ever saw. Cool people talking about great music (A Passion Play is one of my fave JT albums, too) and adding so much knowledge and details to the topic that it was a pure joy to witness all this. I watch almost all the SOT videos, but this here is the mother of'em all. I would love to hear Ian Andersons thoughts about the video. THANK YOU to all the people involved. And also THANK YOU for keeping the flame of good music burning and making a "weird" hobby look so normal!! :)

[@alexb.969]

Best choice for album study so far … also because I love that album. Thx Luis 🤘

[@kzustang]

Great job Luis. Great episode. As much as I love Ken's humerous arogancy, Steve is a great addition to the Prog Seat.

[@jtull6558]

Just a coincidence, my name is Tull, Jim Tull, yet 'Passion Play' is my all time favorite album and Tull's 'Passion Play' tour (MSG, '73) my favorite concert (out of 40+ Tull concerts I've attended over 5+ decades). 'Thick as a Brick' prolly tied for #1 with 'PP'. When this video popped up in my feed today I suddenly felt like a kid in my KZbin candy store. I also don't listen to PP often, like Peter and Eric. It is a 'hard listen' for sure. I got schooled by Luis because my listening is like many of yours, the lyrics blend with the singing that blends with the music. I had a vague idea of the story, but as I was buffing the dept. store floors at 2am next to the music dept. while the NYC dj's played the album complete, I just let it wash over me and fell in love. I hounded Sam Goody every day until they got the album in. [It might have been Scott Muni, the NY dj, who introduced Yes as Tull's opening act in a summer '71 concert I attended, simply declaring "Few of you have heard of this band, but within a month you will all be buying their record, please welcome is 'Yes'" I did just as he predicted!]

[@zootallures6470]

This is my fav Tull album. As Luis said, it’s Thick As A Brick on 11. And as several people here agreed the meaning of the lyrics doesn’t matter that much. I have both the original and the Steven Wilson remix and I don’t have any problems with the saxophone. It was already used on Brick. The Hare. I hated it in the beginning. Eric said you get tired of it after the 150th time - I started loving it after the 150th time because I’ve have acknowledged that it belongs to the record. Really nice show gentlemen. Thank you Luis for choosing this album.

[@katesjanice]

A Passion Play tour was the first time I saw Tull live. I was 13 and just blown away. A great work - one of my top 5 Tull albums too!

[@glschupner]

When this album study thread started, this was the album I thought of first. Fantastic record! Thank you Luis. Great job!

[@douglashanau3339]

@luisnasser What a fantastic conversation about lyrics and vocals. Sometimes the cadence and vocal melody is paramount and sometimes the lyrics "matter." Sometimes Graham Chapman says something profound and biting about British society and class and sometimes he says "Throat Warbler Mangrove"

[@rightchordleadership]

Graham was the king 👑

[@terrywalker8446]

Never really listened to Tull as I'm more of a metal fan, but this episode's chat piqued my interest. What a fantastic album. Thanks Luis for turning me onto it. Got to admit tho, the amount of panelists who admitted to not being "lyrics guys" is bizarre. I can understand the "Englishness" not being everyone's cup of tea, but genuinely don't understand how anyone can disregard the lyrical content of music 😳(especially 'darker' albums such as The Wall🥰)

[@johnmichaelwilliams6694]

Just an outstanding and fascinating episode. Kudos to Luis for his hosting duties and to everyone for their commentary and thoughts. Picture it - November 5, 1972 - attended the band on the Thick As A Brick Tour with Gentle Giant opening. Then, in just 10 months - September 21, 1973, saw the band on tour for A Passion Play. Each concert opened with full performance of the album of the tour. From the perspective of this 16/17 year old attending these, can assure all of you that people were still arguing about what TAAB was all about, much less diving fully into the lyrics and whatever thoughts were behind the APP album. The audience for APP was mesmerized at the very start by the film of the ballerina that started the APP concert and the band was rocking both times. Nobody - or it appeared at least that nobody - was trying to dig deep into the performance for meaning - just enjoying the band for the performance as it was. That is how I still hear these albums today - with the memory clearly of each of those time. At the time the thought never crossed my mind that either of this albums would be so deeply discussed fifty years on. Comparing about TAAB and APP seems perhaps more inevitable since they were released back-to-back as full album songs - even with the Hare interlude for APP. Both are high on my list of favorite Tull albums but probably listen to TAAB more often. But only because, as several mentioned, APP is almost required complete listening at the time from beginning to end. Enough rambling. Thanks again to everyone involved.

[@lahloonatic]

Thanks for sharing. You were lucky to be there at that time and place. Cheers!

[@BrianRobbins2]

Never really got into in the prog seat like I did hvs but this episode looks enticing. Will be watching tonight!

[@JCM-LedZeppelin-Stories]

This channel will soon be called Luis of Tranquility haha! You rock sir! Sos un genio del Storytelling y verdadero análisis musical/humano!

[@nectarinedreams7208]

Luis is many wonderful things, but tranquil he is not!

[@aldebaran4154]

I love The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles. It's an allegory to the story proper and those with a sense of humor get it. It's about non-conformity and self awareness and not blindly following others. It's sad that humor in music is hated by so many. Catch that wrong note in Mozart? Haydn's symphony where the musicians at the end walk out one by one? Van Der Graaf Generators cha-cha-cha in The Sleepwalkers? The entire catalog of The Bonzo Dog Band? I just happen to love humor in music.

[@rightchordleadership]

What wrong note in Mozart?

[@aldebaran4154]

@@rightchordleadership I was thinking more of his entire A Musical Joke but I could swear there's a piece of his where he purposely threw in a wrong note. But for some reason I can't think of what piece so I may be wrong. The Haydn is Symphony 45 "Farewell." I always laugh at the end of that symphony.

[@knightvisioniixv]

@@aldebaran4154 Or (with Papa Haydn) his Op.33 String Quartet, No. 2 😉 P.S. The Hare cracks me up. I've always loved it.

[@jerrylev59]

Since 1973, thanks to Ian, I always make sure I have a spare pair. ;)

[@rightchordleadership]

@@jerrylev59 you can Garoo, you can!

[@stevecowder4774]

Without question this album has always been one of the most overlooked pieces out of JTs discography, along with “ Songs from the Wood. “ However, A Passion Play is more artistic, presenting a unique look into the more theatrical side of Tull. I love it’s eccentric and mysterious sounds projected throughout and it’s bold effort at originality makes it one their finest.

[@TravelOutlook]

I'm glad Peter Pardo mentioned the box set. Listening to the music in the box set version and reading the extensive notes in it would have made sense as a requirement to participate in this discusson.

[@nellgwenn]

I bought this album when it came out. I was a teenager. I love it. I always have. I didn't struggle with it as some people seems to. I think that A Passion Play is Tull's most undated album. Because of the nature of it, it could have been recorded yesterday. Or today, or tomorrow. As a primer to this album I would have someone listen to Mozart's Requiem Mass. Or have them watch the first three episodes of the BBC series The Fall of Eagles. It would depend on how much British TV they watch.

[@leythmulla8312]

That was my first Jethro Tull purchase (back in 1978 on vinyl) and it's still my favorite from JT.

[@sebastianurrutia2881]

The best album fron Tull....dramatic, theatrical, intellectual, awesome and complex composition , keyboards, guitars, saxophone, flute and drums are awesome.......the soul of this rock opera its amazing, one of the top five records from progressive rock

[@MyVeryHappyDay]

Edit #9 was an AM / FM rock radio hit that got a lot of play in Detroit. You could also find it in juke boxes as a 45.

[@BobC59]

I absolutely love this album and have been able to sing almost every note of it for the better part of 50 years, but I have never really known what the hell it’s about either - and never cared. Like most songs I enjoy, I love it for the music, not the meaning. In fact, there’s a lot of songs I love but hate the message (and don’t much care). Great discussion guys. Doing this half a century later is (more) proof of Anderson’s timeless genius. Mega kudos, with a big nerd nod to Luis ;)

[@VincentGavin]

Thanks Luis for that intro, such an incredible LP, my only criticism is that Forest Dance 1&2 don’t go on for longer… and I think the sax is 😗👌🏼

[@bertkarlsson1421]

My Favorite Tull album! One of my all time favorite albums!

[@knightvisioniixv]

A Passion Play saw Tull definitely flirting a little more with dissonant harmonies (e.g. tritones), and rhythmical complexity when compared to its predecessor (Thick as a Brick, which, of course, was no small potatoes.) And thank you, Steve - you were the only one to point out the very thing that I have always suspected: the influence / inspiration of Gentle Giant. Some of the passages, arrangements, even the production...it brings that band to mind when listening. While I don't follow Ian Anderson on a regular, it does seem (as Luis points out) like he tries to put some distance between himself and APP (along with some of the other albums from around that period.) Probably has something to do with the journalists' long-standing antipathy towards progressive rock; artists often act as if they are impervious to criticism, but, deep down, we know better. These things do get to them, and I think Ian Anderson was / is no exception. Me? I love A Passion Play, even if I don't necessarily listen to it as frequently as I used to. I'd place it 5th or 6th in my Tull rankings. Ken's take had me positively howling! Oh, and I never thought I'd hear a Romper Room reference around here. Ever. Talk about a blast from the past (and what a killer theme song. That bass!) Great episode.

[@duanekayreed6899]

I like your comment about Tull flirting with dissonant harmonies. During the discussion, members of the group discussed the rhythmic complexity and the additions of the saxes among many other things, but not enough was said about the use of dissonance harmonies. I think employing them helps to create the atmosphere of other-worldliness the soul enters after death and of course creates tension needed throughout the play. I think these harmonies and the sax supplanting the flute are two key reasons why listeners have trouble with this Tull album. There are obviously other reasons, but I thought your comment on the dissonant harmonies was perceptive. Don't get me wrong, I love this album and think it is a treasure. Like the others, I'm trying to work out my understanding of this classic Tull album and your comment was helpful.

[@Taylor-kd6lr]

What a fantastic breakdown to a great album IMO. My second favorite Tull album. On another note, Ken can break down an album like nobody’s business. Five stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@thomasmoroney1079]

I hope you’re happy! I’ve been singing, “I Am Potato Man” walking around the house ever since he said that about lyrics not mattering ✌️❤️🤘🎸

[@fw1421]

I saw Passion Play at Bayfront Center in St.Petersburg,Fla in the early 70’s. Great concert.

[@lawrencewittenberg6594]

Massive work that will be recognized as such for centuries!!

[@MinstrelInTheGallery]

I never get tired of listening to this album. It's my favourite along with Heavy Horses. Love it!!

[@nandopelusi7699]

Close to the Edge's lyrics are impressionistic -- they convey a personal journey, subjective. Passion Play's lyrics are expository, objective. They both fit the vibe of their respective albums.

[@nectarinedreams7208]

Spot on.

[@jaybee7890]

Damn good episode gentlemen!

[@genestippell1833]

I was thinking, just before someone said it, that this is Tull's relayer by Yes. More specifically, gates of delerium. Same time period where the bands would explore uncomfortable topics. When yes decided to depict war and everything that comes with it, before they even wrote the first note, to fit the topic, they couldn't make it sound like roundabout or all good people. Same with passion play. you want to write an album about the experience of death and the afterlife, where do you go musically? There's not gonna be room for catchy hooks and things you can whistle to-- especially if heaven sucks. The subject matter boxed these bands in from the outset. They were forced to be difficult listens.

[@timothydrake1030]

I drove 70 miles to get this album the week it came out. I had just graduated from high school, and I owned all the previous Tull albums. I never purchased another Motown album after I heard Benefit. Anyway, I loved "A Passion Play," the first time I played it. I immediately memorized the Hare, and I still enjoy telling it to children today. Back then my turn table was one of those you could stack albums, it was a pain to flip, so I put it on cassette. I didn't cut the story of the Hare. It has always been a complete listen all the way through album for me. I've never recommended it to anybody as nobody ever like my TAAB recommendation. The Carpenters were big back then. Its not perfect, its very dense, and it was perhaps rushed, but for this Tullite, its better than any follow-up Tull album.

[@ejc636]

Another brilliant episode from you guys. Thanks 🙏

[@weirdspins6315]

I was picking this album apart fanatically at around age 12 and got a lot of it. It's still among my favorites.

[@jazzpunk]

Enjoyed watching this. Missed George, though. Agree with those that think APP should be listened to in its entirety...about every 5 years. :-) Agree that it should be approached as if listening to a Classical piece.

[@georgelydakis2652]

Great album! Been listening to it since it was released when I was 11! In my top 4 with Stand Up, Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll, Songs From The Wood

[@danieldelrio1411]

Love ❤️ this album 💿

[@EltweedPomeroy]

The promotional materials for this release gave the American listener warning... "English Music on Chrysalis records"... and for the time, early 1970's ~ the lyrics and "the Hare" took a teenager from Florida across the pond. I love the Relayer/Passion Play analogy.

[@nickvickers3486]

Glad you like it. Britain's been inundated with Americanisms since WWII, I don't have many problems with this and heck it's a lot better than some of the possible alternatives from those times, but I do like it when we sling a few phrases back across the pond!))

[@benavich8]

The JT Passion Play tour was my very first concert as a 16 yo punk kid. Bought tickets for my older sis and future bro-in-law...drove to the legendary Cobo Arena in Detroit....and proceeded to see one of the best concerts still to this day....fantastic, and $5.50 a ticket....! This was not an easy LP to digest right off the bat....took several listens, but...as I've always said...I think Anderson's a genius, to come up come up with material like this and with his other works. Great show, guys!

[@Nark212]

Agreed, Thick As A Brick is JT’s Close To The Edge but Passion Play , for me is their Tales From Topographic Oceans

[@sdrandazzo]

Looking forward to the ITPS gentlemen’s insights into (imho) one of JT’s top albums. Looking forward to their views regarding The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles section of the album. The JT video of the Hare song is very memorable imho. Instrumental part "Do you still see me even here?" (The silver cord lies on the ground.) "And so I'm dead", the young man said - over the hill (not a wish away). My friends (as one) all stand aligned, although their taxis came too late. There was a rush along the Fulham Road. There was a hush in the Passion Play. Such a sense of glowing in the aftermath ripe with rich attainments All imagined sad misdeeds in disarray the sore thumb screams aloud, Echoing out of the Passion Play. All the old familiar es come crowding in a different key: Melodies decaying in sweet dissonance. There was a rush along the Fulham Road Into the Ever-passion Play. And who comes here to wish me well? A sweetly-scented angel fell. She laid her head upon my disbelief And bathed me with her ever-smile. And with a howl across the sand I go escorted by a band of gentlemen in leather bound NO-ONE (but someone to be found). Instrumental part All along the icy wastes there are faces smiling in the gloom. Roll up roll down, Feeling unwound? Step into the viewing room. The cameras were all around. We've got you taped; you're in the play. Here's your I.D. (Ideal for identifying one and all.) Invest your life in the memory bank; ours the interest and we thank you. The ice-cream lady wets her drawers, to see you in the passion play. Take the prize for instant pleasure, Captain of the cricket team Public speaking in all weathers, A knighthood from a queen. All of your best friends' telephones never cooled from the heat of your hand. There's a line in a front-page story, 13 horses that also-ran. Climb in your old umbrella. Does it have a nasty tear in the dome? But the rain only gets in sometimes and the sun never leaves you alone. Lover of the black and white it's your first night. The Passion Play, goes all the way, spoils your insight. Tell me how the baby's made, how the lady's laid, Why the old dog howls in sadness. And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away On the bony shoulders of a young horse named George Who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision. (The examining body examined her body.) Actor of the low-high Q, let's hear your view. Peek at the lines upon your sleeves since your memory won't do. Tell me: how the baby's graded, how the lady's faded, Why the old dogs howl with madness. All of this and some of that's the only way to skin the cat. And now you've lost a skin or two, you're for us and we for you. The dressing room is right behind, We've got you taped, you're in the play. How does it feel to be in the play? How does it feel to play the play? How does it feel to be the play? Man of passion rise again, we won't cross you out: For we do love you like a son, of that there's no doubt. Tell us: is it you who are here for our good cheer? Or are we here for the glory, for the story, for the gory satisfaction Of telling you how absolutely awful you really are? There was a rush along the Fulham Road. There was a hush in the Passion Play. Instrumental part Songwriters: Ian Anderson. For non-commercial use only.

[@BrianRobbins2]

I too am interested in seeing what they have to say about it. It will definitely be dividing people as I like it but can see why others wouldn’t.

[@ndmich88]

This was a fascinating and informative conversation! Since I’m still somewhat newish to JT’s entire catalog, this was helpful. Always enjoy the passion that this group brings to these discussions. Sorry I missed it “live” with the group chat, but I learned a lot 👍

[@mbgaomo]

I love "A Passion Play" but I do agree with the comments on the lyrics. I never understood what Ian was talking about but musically it is fantastic! Top tier Tull album imo.

[@pawekondratowicz5933]

fascinating discussion, the way you guys talk about the music... Love it! Mr. Luis Nasser, could listen to you for hours, ok., what's the next record? ;)

[@gogoyubari366]

My favorite Jethro album!

[@alder456]

Cheers Proggers! I love Louis. That was the best description of the Passion Play story I have ever heard (except for the Christians blaming the Jews for Christ death. Some, not all the leaders were complicit with the Romans). I love Passion Play and ranks likely number 2 behind Minstrel in the Gallery. The music is dark, dense, exciting and even more adventurous than Thick as a Brick (which I love too). The Chateau D’ Saster music is amazing as well. If this would have been cleaned up like Steven Wilson did much later this would have been even better. It would have been Tull’s Tales from Topographic Oceans, but without the lamé Remembering. Passion is also about Suffering and yes The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles is a bit of that, but the payoff is so much better. I like the ending as well ( It begins where it ends with a heartbeat and life). Similar to Pink Floyd The Wall (aka James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake). Question for Prog Heads that don’t like sax. So you don’t like Dark Side of the Moon or Wish You Were Here either. Plenty of sax on those two classic Prog albums.

[@tomcurless7691]

Great job guys I really love this album studies! I am falling in the camp with Pete on this one and that I think the château disaster tapes are really good and they should’ve continued down that path with this album. I think Ian panicked and redid everything when really it wasn’t needed.. I still really enjoy the record, and the musicianship is excellent as always. I do agree with the comments that it is very dense and it doesn’t breathe as much as thick as a brick. That’s my two cents but enjoyed the video immensely.! More album studies please

[@mintyfresh4987]

This is a great album. Aside from "The Hare..." I think it equals TAAB.

[@trevdowson5810]

Very enjoyable, thank you gentlemen.

[@eltronics]

Great choice Luis, it was quite a mind-bending album when you first hear it. I've been a Tull fan from "This Was," so I had heard and experienced the melodic interlacing known as Jethro Tull in the previous 5 albums. My appreciation wasn't garnered at first listen. If I remember, I played it twice at home with headphones, then the next day, took it to a friend house and played it on his stereo. On that third playing I picked up nuances I missed the first couple of times. I agree with the panel, it was love at first listening when it came to "Thick as a Brick," I had heard nothing like that before. "Passion Play" took a little longer, but I am a fan, though I did shake my head when I heard "The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles." I just chalked it up as "this is what Ian Anderson does." I accept it, and have been a lifelong fan.

[@stevewhiteside4525]

I had this on vinyl back in the day, then on the first CD issue and recently bought the SW do-over, so know the music well. The music had faded into the background as I became absorbed in the notes, but the minute those extra seconds inserted popped up the music jumped to the forefront and grabbed my attention.

[@jimmypage2843]

I could never get heavily into Tull, just not one of the 70's prog bands I could get into. But I'll watch because I love the commentaries especially Old Man Prog. I'll also get super drunk because I take a drink every time Dr. Nasser says right.

[@lahloonatic]

Make it a good drink though...

[@jimmypage2843]

I'm wasted. 😵

[@yokerecords803]

A great album. My review from August 30, 2016, 4 Stars. Jethro Tull took another shot at the one song album format with A Passion Play. While A Passion Play does not measure up to Thick As A Brick, it is a bit unfair to hold it to such a high standard. After all, Thick As A Brick is one of the very best records of all time. Personally, I think A Passion Play is a great record. It is always an enjoyable listen and holds together very well. There are some very solid Martin Barre riffs and Ian Anderson is at the top of his game as always. Certainly essential for Tull fans.

[@jeffreyrobinson9120]

Yeah, a lot of rock n roll lyrics are nonsense and meaningless, but Ian Anderson is one of the most literate songwriters in rock. I`ve always loved Jethro Tull as much for the incredible music as for Ian`s lyrics. If you sleep on the lyrics to Tull, your missing out. "Really don`t mind if you sit this one out/ my words but a whisper/ your deafness a shout"

[@weirdspins6315]

I also love the bit of self parody in tone poetry form... all the old familiar choruses come crowding in a different (change keys) key... Melodies decaying in sweet dissonance (new melodic hook that opens strong attack but drops into decay at end of the phrase) That's kind of funny.

[@spectriaofficial]

This is my dad's favorite album of all time and it's one I love a lot as well so it's a really personal album as far as my favorites go :) TOO MANY PEOPLE SLEEP ON THIS ALBUM I DO NOT UNDERSTAND

[@neutralearth1061]

A Passion Play is our favorite Jethro Tull album. It inspired us to do our own 45+ minute one song concept album. We called it Coma.

[@peggs1]

ASTONISHING album. So underrated.

[@gonzalovinent3929]

This was the best "In The Prog Seat" ever

[@paulhart3812]

A Passion Play sounds like it came out of the Middle Ages. Ian’s voice is timeless and sounds like a medieval minstrel weaving a tale of life and death, good and evil, God and the Devil. For these reasons alone, me and my proghead friends worshiped this album… even if we didn’t understand every verse. How many people here understand every line of Homer’s The Iliad and the Oddysey. That’s the way songs were written in the progressive era of rock. I dare anyone to interpret ELP’s Endless Enigma or Yes’ Tales From Topographical Oceans.

[@michaelferland6611]

Loved this album back in '73, when I was 18 😅. I attended 2 live performances. First in August, at the Civic Center in Providence, R.I. And then in September, at the Boston Garden. I think the Garden concert may have been the last full live performance of "A Passion Play". Both concerts were amazing! Great debate guys!!!

[@joeblow2069]

Loved this album since age 16, 48 years ago. I did buy it with my own money.

[@johnnyscarecrow71]

Interesting discussion. I'm with Luis and Chuck on this one. Ken Golden is right that "A Passion Play" is dense, but that's not a detraction but the album's main strength. It's dense musically AND lyrically and requires the listener to do work and demonstrate patience and curiosity to fully appreciate it. Being an ACTIVE listener is not for everyone. That said, the album remains only one of two Tull releases to hit #1 on the U.S. Billboard chart, so someone was buying and appreciating it when it was released 50 years ago.

[@JJKarpinski]

Thick As A Brick also charted at #1.

[@johnnyscarecrow71]

@@JJKarpinski Indeed it did. I should have known that. I fixed my post, thanks to your reminder!

[@kayfimt7769]

Thanks for this video! I love this album and reject the consensus that it’s an inferior footnote to Thick As A Brick. Great to see A Passion Play being taken seriously.

[@elioneal6192]

Guys great job , im just today catching this show...and as i'm listening , i actullcaught this show, in Mobile Alabama, and most or all of what you katz are saying i agrer with that aside )it worked Live withe the balirina came out and did a routiand as it came to a close she was atop. a stage prop balconyand acted as though she had triped and fell of the balcony the lights went to dark at that instance, and in 20-25 seconds a movie screen had dropped down and a projector came on and it was the album cover, exept they had at some point had filmed the scene and the actress is in the cover pose and the blood was dripping from her lips.. my first experince inimteractive performance...keep doiing what your doing 🖖

[@enriquemachorromendoza4310]

Great progressive music on this album, opinions are always interesting to listen. To me best Tull album and one of the top 5 in progressive era.

[@colbefc]

Great show as usual. I have every JT album and love them all, apart from "Under Wraps" and A Passion Play is in my top 5. We are very lucky he has started making great music again. Thanks lads and thanks Ian.

[@capecyn]

Great episode, guys! On the subject of lyrics, I guess I was a little surprised, being one of those proggers (or just music fans in general) who finds the lyrics as important as the music and memorizes every damn word!! 😂

[@Prog-t9d]

Another great episode

[@dargbarnett]

I enjoy ITPS because being "prog lite" I am often directed to music I wouldn't naturally discover. I hadn't heard this album so I stopped the show and went an listened. If ever there was something that captured England in the early 1970's then this must be it. Although I was quite young reminds me so much of what England was like. You have to remember in 1973 England had 3 TV channels and radio. Monty Python and the BBC had a massive influence on popular culture, I can hear all that in this album. I find it hilarious that bunch of, fine, guys (that should really be chaps to keep the correct tone), from NE USA (and Mexico) should try and analyse this. I am equally amazed how popular JT were in the USA as they are so English. Did I enjoy it? Not really but it did fascinate me. Great show.

[@uncleambient]

A Passion Play is Ian Anderson and Tull's magnum opus, but Anderson will never admit it because the critics hated it at the time. it's a much better album than Thick As A Brick.

[@FrenchSquareDancer]

APP is in my top 5 JT albums, too. As far as "The Hair Who Lost his Spectacles", I find the marriage of the music to the lyrics is magical. How can anyone NOT listen to the lyrics of a JT album? This little interlude is proof that Ian and the band can create music to match any emotion they want to pass. As for the sax, wonderfully different from his previous albums, just as adding the diatonic accordian in War Child. I've heard a few of the re-mixes of Minstrel In the Gallery on KZbin and was nicely impressed by the results. I imagine the sound quality of KZbin is lacking compared to the actual recordings available. I'll have to reinvest in my Tull collection to get the best of the best.

[@mitchcompton2530]

My FAVORITE Tull album. I read an interview with Ian Anderson from several years ago where he called the album "a real stinker". He's since then been a bit kinder towards it....

[@DRRwine]

I love it. It's a rock masterpiece and I love it. I love that I didn't "get it" the first ten (erm, let's say closer to twenty... OK, OK, thirty) times I listened to it. I love that I had to have Steven Wilson's edition liner notes to help defray all the literary references. I love the sheer musical intensity (which, as a compositional choice can be expressed as density, frenetic rhythms, layered lyrics, all used here) and the wildly "blasphemous" narrative. My position is that the complexity comes from making the individual "edits" (formerly more accessible "songs") weave together, by using text painting, and melodies/gestures from elsewhere in the record: some bits forecasting the next "edit", some calling back to earlier edits. It's thick with symbolism, and intellectual, and not a "light" listen in any way. Thank god! Given this, I am puzzled as to why people don't see "The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles" (spoken of here as the intermission) as some very welcome COMIC RELIEF from all the meaning of life/death/heaven/hell heaviness! It's deliberately daft! It paints the painstakingly dull "entertainment" of a kind of children's hour television show, its lyrical content so utterly banal & boring (yet so artfully presented), and you keep waiting for a point, and... it's over and nope, maybe there isn't a point after all. Except that if a hare loses his spectacles, maybe don't meddle, just let him be. LOL. THWLHS shows animals (us, really) spending our lives meddling in other people's business and fussing over nothing meaningful. "Now let us return to the increasingly displeased Ronnie in heaven, bored out of his mind with the politeness, longing to feel alive again so he begs his way down to hell. A fantastic concept, a mind-blowing performance, and hands down my favorite of JT's albums. Keep listening, guys n gals. Thanks Luis!

[@thomasleblanc4228]

Not sure why "Left, Right" was left off the album other than LP time constraints, but I think it's my favorite. I am happy to have the extended album.

[@joepalmer3795]

I adore Passion Play. But I've never been able to follow the story. Even reading the playbill and lyrics along with the album it makes no sense to me. But I don't care. It's fun, the music is great, the lyrics sound cool even if I don't comprehend them. And I'm totally cool with the sax. And the Hare is wonderful.

[@Mark-qz2nu]

I listen to this album 3to5 times a week in my car.

[@lazarossamaras4427]

Great choice, great album with a lot of background story with the rejected tapes.

[@robertpannullo5687]

If Luis is reading this just wanted you to know that i listened to A Passion Play with all the info you talked about.. I have the box set.. and I think it’s Ian Anderson’s finest moment, lyrically , singing and musically .. it’s brilliant. The lyrics mostly make sense with the story you told , they are at times sarcastic, satirical and British . Musically it’s Tulls best ..

[@lahloonatic]

That makes me very happy. Cheers!

[@jeffkortsch8276]

I bought it on CD probably 25 years ago and I have listened to it maybe twice. I have listened to Under Wraps more times than A Passion Play. Nothing wrong with it but when I am picking a Tull album, it doesn't percolate to the top of the pile.

[@jamesgeckle489]

I've loved A Passion Play since I 1st heard it in the 70s. I consider it among my very favorite albums and prefer it to Thick as a Brick, which I also like very much.

[@allornadaaccordingtojack7601]

I agree with Eric, I also hate the "Hair who lost......." although I understand why it needs to be in there. My favorite part of the album is Overseer Overture. And I do like the soprano sax in this album, it gives us something different from Tull's other albums.

[@Skycladatdusk78]

I love the album but can't stand The Hare interlude, low point of their career.

[@bradstensland506]

The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles: "You bastards want Jethro Tull to be prog? Hold my ale!!!"

[@fastcakes]

Just dug out my CD (I have no memory of ever playing it before, having had it for decades, but I must have played it at least once when I bought it), part way through side two I fell asleep (I had it cranked to 11) and was startled awake by a loud guitar bit. Then it ended. It left me baffled, it sounds like they wrote fifty different songs, cut them up into 4 bar lengths and then threw them into the air and re-assembled them. In a bad way. I love Tull but it may be a long while before I endure it again. I will stick to Minstrel...(in my top 5 of all time by anyone)

[@Ferretbomber]

I freaking love this album. I've given the vinyl as a gift to several friends who collect vinyl, and it has stayed one of my faves since I first heard it as a high schooler in the mid-'80s. I understand that Ian and Martin, etc. don't love it, but I think they are being a little dour. I'm sure touring this would have been a huge undertaking and left some unsavory memories for them - not to mention the critical backlash - so it isn't too surprising, really. But considering everything going on at the time I think this album is tremendous. Very challenging, but albums like that for me tend to have more to discover and more pay-off in the end.

[@awrogers3013]

This and TAAB are on another plane from all other records for me. I like the prog JT best

[@NigelSmith66]

Another interesting discussion, although I don't own "A Passion Play". My Tull CD collection just consists of "Aqualung", "Thick As A Brick", "Songs From The Wood" and "The Broadsword And The Beast". At some point soon I shall "strap myself in" and listen to "A Passion Play" on Spotify. I was totally bemused when Luis suggested listening on KZbin but NOT listening on Spotify for some invented reason. Glad the other guys set the record straight.

[@BayouMaccabee]

Based on some of Luis' comments regarding his dislike of Spotify, I wonder if he knows about the setting on Spotify that adds or eliminates the gap of silence between changing tracks. The silence gap can be turned off so the transition from track to track is seamless. I could definitely see how this setting would ruin the listening experience of full albums, but using the right setting makes Spotify perfectly acceptable while on the go.

[@lahloonatic]

I confess total ignorance. My beef with spotify came from the fact I discovered Sonus Umbra albums there that I never gave permission for. When i asked them to take them down, they didn't, and joked that I could always sue them. I don't stream, and I don't understand why people think it's not theft - which began with i-tunes, in point of fact - but I cannot challenge the sheer convenience for a consumer. Cheers!

[@keydobutkrak]

Never listened to this album before this episode. Now I’ve listened to it twice. I like it. Even the hare and the spectacles

[@arnaudb.7669]

Excellent choice of album (my favorite Tull record) and great discussion. Hope that Steve is OK.