Record Reviews

JETHRO TULL ~ CURIOUS RUMINANT INSIDEOUT 738 (Barcode: 198028618823) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2024 Released: 2025 This is the 24th studio album by iconic British Prog band Jethro TullFind albums by this artist, following relatively very quickly the previous album “RokFloteFind albums with this title” released just a couple of years earlier. The album was recorded over a period of several months by a lineup that includes alongside Ian AndersonFind albums by this artist, who sings and plays flutes and guitars, keyboardists John O`HaraFind albums by this artist and Andrew GiddingsFind albums by this artist, guitarist Jack ClarkFind albums by this artist, bassist David GoodierFind albums by this artist and drummers Scott HammondFind albums by this artist and James DuncanFind albums by this artist, all playing in various configurations. The album presents nine original songs, all by Anderson. In the booklet accompanying the album Anderson explains at length (and in his customary style) the background of each track, using his usual “oiber-chuchem” (check this out in Yiddish) attitude, which I have learned to accept over the years, taking it half-seriously. I have been listening to Jethro Tull for almost six decades now, and honestly one has to respect, if not admire, Anderson’s stability, persistence, stamina and passion, which basically never fails. Jethro Tull is the last remaining band going back without interruption, and is still very much in the game! In all respects the music is very much the “good old Tull”, with a strong Folkish tinge and as good as anything Anderson wrote in the last six decades, which means there are no surprises or innovations, for good and for bad. He still very much plays the first fiddle in the band and the musicians, although playing along amicably, have very little space to show their chops, apart from an occasional guitar solo here and there. The formula is kept intact and the big question here is the relevance. How long can we listen to the same music time after time. For some, myself included, the answer probably is: “forever”. Personally I would have loved and appreciated Jethro Tull and Ian Anderson even if their book was closed twenty years ago. Overall, this is a fine album, better than most of the current releases in the stale Progressive Rock universe, but it adds nothing to the group’s splendid legacy and as such is simply less relevant today. That chapter of music history is definitely closed by now. Of course it is still better than most of the horrible music that surrounds us these days, but there is very little solace in that. Jethro Tull / Anderson fans will undoubtedly love this album, especially since it manages to hide the problems Anderson’s vocals suffered from during live performances in the last two decades. Have a ball!

Updated: 09/04/2025Posted: 05/04/2025

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