Jethro Tull – Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young to Die!
hello all! thsi week, we’re listening to the 1976 release from Jethro Tull, Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young to Die!
Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young to Die! is, to my understanding, the last Jethro Tull concept album we’ll be seeing for a while. this one tells the story of an aging musician – he ends up in a fancy part of town, he tries to hook up with a girl but gets rejected, remembers his glory days and how much everything has changed, tries to commit suicide but fails, and when he wakes up the music trends have shifted back in his favor and he’s hip and cool again.
on the whole though, i dont think there’s like, a deep insight to Ray Lomas, the protagonist – he’s presented a bit as someone who’s too into his own version of the past, a trait youd expect to be paid off, but the way the record ends he’s almost rewarded for it. there was a planned sequel that never got made, so maybe that wouldve been explored later, but as it is the narrative doesnt do a ton for me.
the odd part, to me, is that this record feels a bit stretched. Taxi Grab, for example, has some neat musical stings, and i really love the harmonica in it, but late in the song it’s just the chorus, repeated. there are a few other places where it feels like they dwell in places that dont pay off as well as you’d like, and for the narrative to have a somewhat unfocused end, it does make you wonder if this couldnt have been a tighter first half to a fuller picture. From a Deadbeat to an Old Greaser followed by Dead-Eyed and Loveless, in particularly, really stalls the pacing out in a weird place.
so yeah. i think there a nugget of something interesting here, but it doesnt really work out for me.
faves –
dislikes –
Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young to Die! – 4/10
first: This Was | previous: Minstrel in the Gallery | next: Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young to Die!
all my reviews for Jethro Tull
Discussion ¬