Published on Mar 1, 1998
I’m a bit of a purist when it comes to covers of original songs
that I’ve either grown up with or have become very familiar with.
In my mind, there will never be a version that will top the one
that I’ve come to know and love. Even when the same band makes
changes to the song (as Tonic did with “If You Could Only See”), it
just doesn’t sound right.
So there was a bit of apprehension on my part going into
To Cry You A Song, a 1996 tribute album to British
progressive folk-rockers Jethro Tull. And while a few performances
do fall a tad flat, the overall mood is quite good and is very
enjoyable.
This album features the original Jethro Tull rhythm section of
guitarist Mick Abrahams, bassist Glenn Cornick and drummer Clive
Bunker for the first time since Abrahams had left the band in 1968.
Their contributions to a handful of songs makes them sound more
authentic.
What I tended to notice on
To Cry You A Song was if the vocalist had a certain amount
of grit to their delivery, the cover sounded that much better. In
the case of Magellan’s cover of “Aqualung,” they captured the
spirit musically, but vocalist Trent Gardner just doesn’t have the
roughness or the humor in his voice to push the song over the edge.
(I do, however, like the extended ending they put on the song.) On
the other hand, Leif Sorbye captures the mood almost perfectly on
“Mother Goose,” and does so again later on the album with his band
Tempest’s cover of “Locomotive Breath”.
I will admit that John Wetton (of Asia fame) doesn’t have a
gritty voice, but he was an excellent choice for “Nothing Is Easy,”
which features the flute work of Ian McDonald (formerly of King
Crimson). And while Dave Pegg’s vocal is gritty (partially thanks
to a nasty case of the flu he had), he just doesn’t capture the
magic on “Life’s A Long Song” – though I do like the sudden ending
to it.
It was good to hear from old folkie Roy Harper again – his
version of “Up The Pool” was stylistically different than Ian
Anderson’s original, but if anyone was qualified to cover a Tull
song, it is Harper. And this version does grow on you after a few
listens. The same can’t be said for the version of “Living In The
Past”, featuring Keith Emerson on bombastic organ. Sorry, Keith,
but this one called for spastic flute work, not over-the-top organ
noodlings. And try though I might, I can’t get used to hearing “A
New Day Yesterday” turned into heavy metal thanks to the shrieks of
ex-Deep Purple vocalist Glenn Hughes.
In the overall picture,
To Cry You A Song is a fitting tribute to Jethro Tull, but
the greatest criticism I would have would be the selection of
songs. Of all the numbers here, maybe only Echolyn’s cover of “One
Brown Mouse” or the inclusion of “Cat’s Squirrel” are surprises.
The rest of the numbers are pretty well-known. I would have liked
to hear someone pick a Tull song like “Black Sunday” from
A, “Dun Ringill” from
Stormwatch, or even the title track from
Songs From The Wood. Why not pick some of the Tull numbers
that are just as progressive, but not as well known? (Memo to my
friends at Magna Carta: Think
sequel
. I’ll be glad to write the liner notes for you – one step
closer to voting membership in NARAS.)
To Cry You A Song is meant for the older Tull fan, but
should be taken with a grain of salt. Not everything is going to be
the same way you remember it to be from albums like
This Was or
Stand Up; these are modern interpretations. If you keep an
open mind about a lot of it, not only will you appreciate most of
the versions, but you’ll find yourself getting interested in some
younger, up-and-coming artists. This one might take some searching
for, but it’s worth it.