Jethro Tull
A Passion Play

Thump... Thump... Thump... The heart beats, inside me and in the speakers.

It's a crescendo of emotions: Evan's keyboards and Barlow's drums; the stunning bass of Jeffrey Hammond. Barre's guitar. And the winds of Ian Anderson. "Do you still see me even here?" asks the Magic Flute, and here comes his splendid voice carrying forward the first part of the concept on superb arrangements, "into the ever Passion Play".

It's 1973. Having left behind the progressive masterpiece/parody "Thick As A Brick," Jethro Tull are trying again, and this time with intentions that are serious, for some too much so. Another concept emerges, actually two suites united, as is well evident (??) from the Chrysalis CD remaster (don't miss the video shot for "Top Of The Pops," back then a notable program). The result leaves many early fans bewildered: the theatrical reinterpretation of the history of man, between religion and metaphors, doesn't convince most, who consider the album certainly well-played but too serious and pompous, even out of reach for the English band. Others see evident symptoms of the degeneration of progressive, whose pretentiousness now leads to boring and long repetitive sound mixtures. For the press, it's the definitive break of already strained relations with the 5. It seems like a disaster...

And yet the album is very successful in America, and in Europe, the hard core of fans elects this impressive sound mosaic as a masterpiece of the band, praised almost on par with the less controversial predecessor. It's either loved or hated, in short, like garlic. I love it. Meanwhile, it's worth noting, apart from the beautiful black and white cover, the booklet, which reconstructs the program of a theatrical performance where the actors are the alter-egos of the band's musicians. Musically, the great talent of the Blackpool flutist (often dealing with the sax here) is expressed by his wonderful voice (forgive this panegyric), the best possible summary of Gabriel's histrionics, Hammill's power, Jon Anderson's intonation, and Richard Synclair's melody. The other members are no less, and they construct intricate designs and enveloping melodies, as well as splendid backdrops to the flute solos, the group's trademark. The first part flows fast, with the reprise multiple times of the main theme and a text so dense with metaphors and idioms that I won't even attempt to interpret it (and besides, I wouldn't be able!!). The second begins with a roughly 5-minute skit... Hammond interprets a fable very well, "The Story Of The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles", supported by a very cabaret-like accompaniment... the hare's lost spectacles is a metaphor about religion, and the text is full of word plays (for example, Kangaroo-Can guru) to complicate things even further...
Moreover, it is precisely this fable that is the subject of the video, with the famous dancers. At the end of the skit, the theme of man returns, for "The End," culminating in a beautiful guitar theme that precedes the return of the main theme (here, the only flaw, in my view, being the ending, a bit confused...).

Thump... Thump... Thump...
Now I can catch my breath. Beautiful. Forgive me if I have gone on too long... I am anything but a seasoned reviewer, but I let my heart speak. And if according to someone I have been verbose, amen. It will mean that I am prog too.