Among fans and critics alike, no other Jethro Tull album creates more controversy than "A Passion Play". To be honest, opinion isn't all that divided: critics, at least, all agree it's pompous shite (somehow, the medieval form sounds more appropriate than just plain shit). Fans often defend its complexity and argue that the band undermine any notions of pomposity by injecting it with healthy doses of surrealist humour, although all agree that this mix of English folk, classical music, jazz and rock is somewhat difficult to digest. Serving it all up in one piece (or two sides of vinyl) makes it nigh-on impossible to swallow. Which is why I had so far abstained from acquiring it. It took the recent appearance of a Steven Wilson remix to change my mind. The Porcupine Tree mastermind's remixes of classic prog albums (especially in 5:1 surround form) have won heaps of praise but what tipped the scales for me was his decision to divide the album into 15 "songs" - although few of them can actually be described as such. Now even those of us with a short attention span can enjoy "A Passion Play". Bandleader Ian Anderson's first mischief was his work's title, the word "passion" in classical music usually referring to the passion of Christ. But, although this play deals with Heaven & Hell, its take on the afterlife is distinctly different from the official Christian version. After an instrumental intro, track 2 ("The Silver Cord") has the protagonist Ronnie Pilgrim watch his own funeral, in ghostly form. The song is a ballad in the familiar JT prog-folk style, giving way to an acoustic instrumental interlude ("Re-Assuring Tune"), a complex prog piece ("Memory Bank") and a more hard rock one ("Best Friends"). "Critique Oblique" is a strong prog-rocker which survived from sessions for an aborted album at the Château d'Hérouville studio. In storytelling terms, these songs account for Purgatory and Judgement. "Forest Dance" (a nice baroque-prog piece) sees Ronnie Pilgrim pass the test and get admitted to Heaven. But it's interrupted, to the dismay of Tull fans, by a completely unrelated Monty Python-esque story about a "hare who lost his spectacles", narrated in a silly voice. A short film of the story was made and projected during the band's concerts of the time. Trying to describe it is pointless. You just have to see it:
The second part sees Ronnie experiencing Heaven and Hell and rejecting them both, to finally get in line for reincarnation. Musically it is, to my ears, more accessible, with songs like "Flight From Lucifer" and "Magus Perde" sounding like the familiar Jethro Tull of the Aqualung period. Saxophone solos (most notably in "The Foot Of Our Stairs") make for a nice addition to the Tull sound, as do some flamenco flourishes in "Overseer Overture". Two short pieces (acoustic instrumental "10.08 to Paddington" and the literally titled "Epilogue") round up the record. My final verdict is that "A Passion Play" isn't all that bad. Taken in small morsels rather than swallowed whole, it can be quite enjoyable. The new remix, which properly highlights the musicians' inspired playing, almost compensates for the absence of recognisable song structures. On the other hand, there can be no excuse for including the silly rabbit story and placing it in the middle of the album. JT fans circulate their own versions of the album on youtube with that piece edited out - probably a better way to enjoy this work...
**** for Critique Oblique, Flight From Lucifer, Magus Perde
*** for The Silver Cord, Re-Assuring Tune Memory Bank Best Friends, Forest Dance #1, Forest Dance #2, The Foot Of Our Stairs, Overseer Overture, 10.08 to Paddington,
** for Lifebeats /Prelude, The Story Of The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles, Epilogue
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