Tull Tuesday: Solstice and Holiday music from Jethro Tull | The Daily Doug (Episode 291)

Jethro Tull are always a pleasure to listen to.

A huge favorite. This is awesome. Thanks for doing this one Doug.

Do you think they're referencing The Pleiades when referring to the seven maidens?

We five kings. the knocking "woods" at the beginning is from Take 5 Dave Brubeck

have you really listened to YES Tales From Topographic Oceans,,,which I believe is a misunderstood and underappreciated piece of Genius,,Ive been listening to it for almost 50 years and never get tired of its sheer creative power,,

I don’t know if u know that Ian is self taught. He took off keys on the flute he didn’t need nor understand & his right pinkie is deformed. He spoke or sang when playing to make the flute more dynamic but at this point he didn’t need to and his playing is wonderful. I play all clarinets & after 20s year break those trills ain’t easy. Nor is the breath control or reed choice. Alto is my favorite. The cello of clarinets.

Doug, I don’t know why Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull is not in the hall of fame. They are being snubbed. How is the Beastie Boys are in before them!

Happy Alban Arthan.

Jethro Tull is one of my top favorite bands. Love the flute! Songs from the Wood and Heavy Horses are the albums I have played a lot.

Those three albums (Songs From the Wood, Heavy Horses and Stormwatch) are my favorites. I've been a fan since Warchild in '74, but possibly earlier, as my older brother had Aqualung. The Christmas album is my favorite all-time Christmas album and I have about 40 on CD and twice that many on vinyl/cassette. That being said, "Ring Out, Solstice Bells" is my favorite "Christmas" song! My second favorite Christmas album is Bruce Cockburn's...check it out!

Doug, I think you'd appreciate Jethro Tull's 'A Christmas Song' on their 'Living in the Past' Album. It has a pertinent message, and a touch of humour. If you listen to it, wait a few seconds after the end of the song, there's just a bit more :)

The Christmas album is in my top 3!

You missed a chance to play their Christmas Song from the Living in the Past album.

A friend gave me his Songs from the Wood LP a couple of years ago and I have really enjoyed it. I’d say Minstrel in the Gallery is one of my favorite JT albums, followed by Stand Up, Thick as a Brick, and Aqualung, but this one is really fun.

I've always been a huge Tull fan, with "My God" being my favorite song.

Cool video. The Songs from the Wood is my favourite album by Jethro Tull! 😊

Hi Doug.. Bah I dont know how many people suggested this, but to me, Song from the Wood is the First album without magic.. Ian voice has already changed and become super nasal.. the last One special is Minstrel in the Gallery...

the one you left out was "Jack Frost and the hooded Crow"

Jack Frost and the Hooded Crow is amazing.

Very, very, very nice!!

Hi Doug. I reiterate probably what several others have said. Listen to ALL of 'Songs from the Wood' It's one of their greatest masterpieces. Of course, I recommend that you listen to most of the other albums of Jethro Tull, from the second album, 'Stand Up', from 1969 all the way through their classic decade of the 70's. You've got several masterful treasures lying ahead of you.

Thanks Doug--love your skills, you missed my favorite song tho (Another Christmas Song).

I found myself in Nice France on a college trip,in the early 80’s I recorded this album on cassette to play in my Walkman but had not listened to the recording. That afternoon I got sunburn on the beach in Cannes. That evening as the group,went out for dinner I stayed behind being uncomfortable from the sunburn. I got bored so I grabbed my Walkman and my camera and went to the town square. From the moment I hit play not only did my mood improve but by the end my sunburn did not hurt anymore. The mysterious healing power of music

Tull is always great!

Yes, Solstice is a Pagan time for merriment and PARTY, but most European music including blues and rock , is from the oppressive viewpoint of the Roman Catholic perspective.....that is, anti any PAGAN merriment.

For Doug......
If you haven’t already heard it, try Tull’s “ A Christmas Song “.

Ian is definitely a good Christian lad who simply despises the organised church...... this song showcases both his humour and his disdain.

As for their best album or time period.
Tull were constantly changing from Album to Album.
This Was..... a good album but a poor Blues Album.
Stand Up.... my favourite album of all time, but impossible to classify. Some brilliant simple pure rock mixed with East Euro and Middle Eastern folk.
Benefit..... one of the best Rock / Heavy Rock albums of all time.
Aqualung .... their rockiest album but badly recorded and start of their decline towards medieval folk.
Thick as a Brick..... a great album , but purely a rant against music critics and their ilk that dominate our education and history.
After that I don’t care anymore......
But with every change of direction they lose fans and gain some new ones.

If you want to see and hear how good a flautist Ian really is, then I suggest any of the LIVE videos from 1972 to late 70’s maybe early 1980’s.

He sings, flutter tongues and plays all at once as well as seperately.
You will also recognise his masterful 12 string and 6 string guitar playing.
Might even see him playing mandolin or violin. lol

Pre 1972 there were times when the band were crap live ( early on ) and then later lots of videos of poor quality ..... and really BAD quality. lol

I actually got Ian to sign this album for my dad when I worked at the World music theater. When he saw me he actually said that I was to young to know his music, I told him that my dad raised me right. He said he's a good man then. I said you're damn right and I love your music. He asked why this album. I said it was my favorite along with Thick as a brick. He said thank you and walked away. One of the best days of my life.

Love this love you merry Christmas

Hey Doug, please consider making a video on the entire Songs From The Wood album. I promise you'll love it 🙂 ...and, so will we!
0.00 Songs From The Woods: Let me bring you love from the field: poppies red and roses filled with summer rain. To heal the wound and still the pain.
4.56 Jack-In-The-Green: I saw some grass growing through the pavements today.
7.27 Cup Of Wonder: Question all as to their ways, and learn the secrets that they hold.
12.01 Hunting Girl: One day I walked the road and crossed a field....to where the path was barred.
17.14 Ring Out, Solstice Bells: Praise be to the distant sister sun, joyful as the silver planets run.
21.02 Velvet Green: Isn't it rare to be taking the air, singing. Walking on velvet green.
27.06 The Whistler: All kinds of sadness I've left behind me. We'll find the speck of truth in each riddle. Hold the first grain of love in our hands.
30.38 Pibroch (Cap In Hand): And each step he takes is one half of a lifetime: no word he would say could you understand.
39.13 Fire At Midnight: I'll sit and write this love song, build a little fire this midnight. It's good to be back home with you
41.45 Beltane: The sun's up for one more day, to be sure. Play it out gladly. (this track is only on the remaster)

"Ring Out Solstice Bells" was the first Jethro Tull song I ever heard. It played on the radio when I was a teenager and I can see in my mind exactly where I was when I heard it for the first time. I was transfixed. I'm now 62 and still a big Tull fan.

Ian is like Zappa and the other one off geniuses. There must be more of them out there but not lately it seems. Songs from the wood is unique. His lyrics are better than the music which is sublime.

Songs From The Wood got me thru the trials of high school. Fantastic album, and the musicianship is stellar.

Ring Out Solstice Bells is my favorite Winter Solstice sone of all time! Used to do wassailling at the solstice and this was a staple and a favorite of the neighbors

It is not the first day of winter! What part of Midwinter do people not get. Only a culture out of touch with nature would call December 21 the beginning of winter. The Celtic Calendar took its wisdom from nature not the urbanized culture we inherited from Imperial Rome. The Gregorian calendar sucks!

Please listen to "y Guitar Wants To kill out Mama" Then listen to every song ever written from the year " 210 bc to the year 1940" there are only 7000000000000000000000000000. of them

My favorite TULL album and yes I love the Christmas album....my favorite Christmas album in fact..,..I play from Thanksgiving on....

Ian always surprises me. What a creative, observant, and learned talent, irrepressible--and so fotrunate is he and us to have the Tull family to help him bring his ideas to life.

Surely the winter solstice is celebrated in the north because it signals the return of the sun. It's not so much the first day of winter as the beginning of the lengthening of the days.

My favourite Tull album. Folky Tull brilliant from me. My favourite tracks are Velvet Green and the wonderful PIBROCH!?

The whole Songs from the Wood album is great. Worth a full reaction

Thank you for reviewing this phenomenal song off of one of Tull’s best albums, Songs from the Wood. The whole album is fantastic! As far as The Christmas Album however, you neglected to play my favorite and perhaps one the most beautiful songs in Tull’s catalog, Tharp being Winter Snowscape.

Heavy horses also has great songs, it's the last album featuring John Glacock on bass and Barrie Barlow on drums.

One of my favorites ❤

Not sure if you have heard Ian’s original Christmas song-A Christmas Song- from the Living in the Past album 1972 but it’s great- lyrics and acoustic guitar- just great from Mr. Anderson

Seven appears in some form in a lot of the songs from Songs from the Wood album. Not sure of its significance. Also the executives didn't like the idea of a Christmas song in 7 beat, so they recorded another version in 4 beat which was so bad (but they weren't bad in it of course) the executives capitulated and went back to this version.