- A Passion Play
Infobox Album | Name = A Passion Play
Type =Album
Artist = Jethro Tull
Released =July 13 ,1973 (UK)
Recorded = March 1973, Morgan Studios, London
Genre =Progressive rock
Length = 48:13
Label =Chrysalis Records
Producer =Ian Anderson
Reviews =
*Allmusic rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?P=amg&sql=10:16jweaz04xa7 link]
*"Melody Maker " (unfavorable) [http://www.tullpress.com/mm21jul73.htm July 21, 1973]
*"New Musical Express " (unfavorable) [http://www.tullpress.com/nme21jul73.htm July 21, 1973]
*Rolling Stone (unfavorable) [http://www.tullpress.com/rs30aug73.htm August 30, 1973]
*George Starostin rating|6|10 (overall rating: 9/15) [http://starling.rinet.ru/music/tull.htm#passion link]
Last album = "Living in the Past"
(1972)
This album = "A Passion Play"
(1973)
Next album = "War Child"
(1974)"A Passion Play" is a
concept album released by Jethro Tull. Apparently concerning the spiritual journey of one man in theafterlife , it is similar to "Thick as a Brick " in that it is one long track split across both sides of the LP vinyl record (actually a medley of segued shorter songs,) save for the interruption of the oddly-whimsical spoken word piece "The Story Of The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles". The dense lyrics, filled with wordplay and allegory, along with music that some found lacking in creativity compared to earlier work, have made "A Passion Play" one of the most disputed albums in Tull's catalog. On its release in 1973, it received generally negative reviews; nevertheless, it sold well enough to reach #1 on the charts in the U.S (in the U.K however, it did not do as well, reaching #13). Even today, Jethro Tull fans are still divided over the merits of the album.Script of the concept:
*Act 1: Ronnie Pilgrim's Funeral: a winter's morning in the cemetery.
*Act 2: The Memory Bank: a small but comfortable theatre with a cinema-screen (the next morning).
*Act 3: The business office of G. Oddie & Son (two days later).
*Act 4: Magus Perdē's drawing room at midnight.Releases
Subsequent to the original 1973 release, the album was released on CD. Later, in March 1998
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab released a CD, which indexed tracks as per the radio-station promo (see below) and in 2003 a remastered CD version with an additional video track was released.cite web
title = allmusic - A Passion Play (bonus tracks) - Overview
url=http://wm06.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:8y62mpbk9f5o
accessdate = 2007-11-10 ]Track listing
[These titles were provided by Anderson for the 1973 DJ pressing of the LP, though they were not included for the standard pressing. The gold Ultradisc Original Master Recording cd contains cueable tracks for each title, but the standard cd releases contain only one or two tracks, depending on the version.]
All songs written by Anderson unless stated otherwise.
#"Lifebeats"
#"Prelude"
#"The Silver Cord"
#"Re-Assuring Tune"
#"Memory Bank"
#"Best Friends"
#"Critique Oblique"
#"Forest Dance #1"
#"The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles" (Anderson / Hammond / Evan)
#"Forest Dance #2"
#"The Foot of Our Stairs"
#"Overseer Overture"
#"Flight from Lucifer"
#"10.08 to Paddington"
#"Magus Perdē"
#"Epilogue"The 2003 release includes an additional 4-minute
QuickTime video "The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles", showing a part of "A Passion Play"'s stage presentations.Chart positions
Personnel
*Ian Anderson -
flute , acoustic guitar,saxophone s, Vocals
*Barriemore Barlow - drums, percussion
*Martin Barre -electric guitar
*John Evan -piano , organ,synthesizer s, speech
*Jeffrey Hammond -bass guitar , vocalsReferences
External links
* An excellent line-by-line annotated interpretation of the lyrics can be found at [http://www.ministry-of-information.co.uk/app/index.htm The Ministry of Information] .
*
* (bonus tracks)
* [http://www.progreviews.com/reviews/display.php?rev=jt-app "A Passion Play"] atGround and Sky .
* [http://www.progressiveworld.net/jethrotull18.html "A Passion Play"] atProgressive World .succession box
before = "Chicago VI " by Chicago
title = "Billboard" 200 number-one album
years =August 18 -August 24 ,1973
after = "Brothers and Sisters" byThe Allman Brothers Band
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