Jethro Tull - Aqualung - Review

Songs: Aqualung, Cross Eyed Mary, Cheap Day Return, Mother Goose, Wond'ring Aloud, Up To Me, My God, Hymn 43, Slipstream, Locomotive Breath, Wind Up.

Type of Music: (Hard) Rock with bits and pieces of Folk.

Comments:

There is no Classic Rock Fan that can´t hum the opening riff from Aqualung´s title track! The Album became Jethro Tull´s biggest commercial success and most acknowledged effort. This despite the controversial theme and lyrics of the album that deal with the distinction between religion and God. Ian Anderson is quite clear in stating that organised religion interferes with the divine relationship between God and men. Ian uses the figure of Aqualung ( a beggar with a bad cough – hence the name) to tell us his story.

I´m not sure if Aqualung is the Tull´s best Album but it is certainly one of their best efforts. And that´s because most of the songs here are excellent. They have even survived years and years of daily air-play on Classic Rock Stations all over the world. And that says something about the timeless quality. Many people thought at the time that it was a Concept Album but Ian has stated quite clearly that it's "just" a bunch of good songs. There is however an acoustic touch to the Album that the band would investigate more further on down the road.

The best song on the album must be Locomotive Breath, the perfect Rock Song about bad luck. The piano and the guitar get the train moving and once on its way, it won´t stop going, no way it would slow down! Many artists have recorded songs that seek to imitate the movement of trains but Ian beats them all.

Also excellent is the title track. Actually there are three different moods in this song reflecting our friend Aqualung´s state of mind. And both Cross Eyed Mary and Mother Goose display that near perfect inter-play between guitar and flute that is so characteristic for the best of Jethro Tull´s work.

Up to Me, My God and Hymn 43 have strong and recognisable riffs as well but the songs themselves are less memorable. And there are three short acoustic interludes (Cheap Day Return, Wond´ring Aloud, Slipstream) that are nice but quite uneventful actually,maybe with the exception of Wond'ring. Ian knows how to play the acoustic guitar although he would abuse it sometimes later in the Tull´s career.

The only slight let-down is the album closer Wind Up. Here Ian gets a bit too preachy for my taste. That´s also the case in My God but there the instrumental parts of guitar and flute provide a necessary counter balance.

And there´s one other flaw. The sound quality of the re-mastered album is still relatively poor and lifeless. It misses the warmth of the original vinyl record. In the interview that is added as one of the bonus tracks, Ian explains that the band was never happy with the sound of the Island studios. Apparently Jethro Tull was the first band to record an important Album there, together with Led Zeppelin.  

The other bonus tracks include alternate versions of Song for Jeffrey, Fat Man and Bouree as well as a slightly better version of Wind Up and, finally,  Lick Your Fingers Clean that would later be released on the Warchild album, be it in a somewhat different version.

Conclusion:

Despite some small flaws, Aqualung is one of the great Jethro Tull Albums and should be part of every Classic Rock Collection.

Who should buy this Record: Everybody.

Bonus Tracks: Lick Your Fingers Clean, Wind Up (Quad Version), Excerpts from the Ian Anderson Interview (1996), Song for Jeffrey, Fat Man, Bouree.

Rating: ********* (9 out of 10)

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Dalmore 10 Years Medoc Finish (Chieftain's) Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Chieftain’s Dalmore Medoc Finish

Bottled by: Ian Macleod & Comp. Ltd., Edinburgh

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Highland

Age: 10 Years

Alcohol: 43%

Colour: Red Gold

Nose: Oh dear! Some call it Baby Vomit, I call it Morning Sickness because babies are so cute! But it hits you right in the Nose and it’s not pleasant. Other than that it’s Sour with some Wood and a faint hint of Bitter Orange Marmalade.

Taste: Delivery is watery, a bit hot and sweet (as in Sugar). Rubber Tires, Bitter Salted Almonds, Oak.

Finish: Hot, Alcohol, Salt.

I added a few drops of water that help control the sickness a bit. With some imagination you can detect a faint fruitiness that returns on the palate. It is too faint to be pleasant but a little water makes this almost drinkable. Almost but not quite!

The famous Dalmore stag

Rating:  67 

Nose: 17 - Taste: 17 – Finish: 16 – Overall: 17

General Remarks: Ian MacLeod is a so-called Independent Bottler. These companies play an important part in today’ s whisky industry. They buy casks of (young) spirit from Distilleries, mature them, finish them and bottle them, all at their own discretion and then sell the final product under their own label. This is all very attractive for whisky drinkers who look beyond the standard Distillery offerings. They are often bottled at cask strength and non-chill-filtered. Many times, but not always, Independent Bottlers offer products that are greatly appreciated.

Drinking Experience Neat: Unpleasant

Conclusion: This is easily the worst Single Malt I’ve tasted so far. If this were your first whisky it would scare you off forever. It should not have been bottled, let alone sold. Thanks God I only bought a miniature. Apparently this whisky was distilled in 1994 and bottled in 2005. There shouldn’t be too much of it around but my advice is to stay away from it.

Jan van den Ende                                                                  May 26, 2012

The Dalmore Distillery

George Harrison - All Things Must Pass - Review

Songs:

CD I: I´d Have You Anytime, My Sweet Lord, Wah-Wah, Isn´t It A Pity, What Is Life, If Not For You, Behind That Locked Door, Let It Down, Run Of The Mill.

CD II: Beware of Darkness, Apple Scruffs, Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll), Awaiting On You All, All Things Must Pass, I Dig Love, Art Of Dying, Isn´t It A Pity (Version Two), Hear Me Lord.

Type of Music: Pop/Rock/Folk/Country/Gospel.

Comments:

This is certainly not an easy Album to review. Because there are people who love it and consider it the best Solo Album of any of the Beatles and there are a lot of people who, while acknowledging it as a truly artful personal musical statement, consider it overproduced and a bit boring. Well Music is an art and art is a very personal thing. My opinion is that the release is certainly not bad but that it could have been better.

In his time with the Beatles, George Harrison usually only got one or two of his songs on the albums. As a result he had lot of good songs on the shelf when the group broke up. Well, All Things Must Pass, said George to himself and started working on his solo project. The result some say is one of the greatest double albums (triple if you count the original jams) ever made in pop history. I say it just might have been if not for the fact that on a rainy and foggy London morning, George picked up the phone, called Phil Spector and asked him to produce his first solo album. Why oh Why didn´t George stay at home for his first record just like John and Paul!!

Now I know that some people, even some of my friends, adore the Wall of Sound that Mr.Spector produces. I`m not one of them. In my opinion, this guy has the doubtful capability of transforming the most delicate ballad into an agonising pool of muddy echoes.

Even George himself wrote in the liner notes that he had to restrain himself not to re-mix every single song on the album during the Re-Mastering in 2000. Personally I think that attitude is not overly correct because it was after all George who called Phil back in 1970. But it does reinforce my point here.

If you want to know how the Album could have sounded, listen carefully to the acoustic version of Beware of Darkness, one of the bonus tracks on CD I or to the verses of Isn´t It A Pity ( Version Two). And compare those to some terribly over-produced songs like Wah-Wah, Let it Down or Awaiting On You All .

Isn´t It A Pity? Indeed because George´s song-writing was immaculate around this time. In fact he would never again come close to this level. George wrote all the songs except If Not For You (Bob Dylan) and I´d Have You Anytime, a song co-written by Bob Dylan and George.

All Things Must Pass is not an easy listen by all means. This is serious stuff! It is an overwhelming spiritual event about Love, Happiness,Peace, Hope, Death and God. Only Apple Scruffs, a song about  Beatles fans hanging around the Apple studios on Abbey Road is a less serious and more than welcome moment of simple musical fun.

Apart from the production I also feel that All Things Must Pass, like the White Album, would have been better if released as a single album. It could have looked like this:

Songs: I´d Have You Anytime, My Sweet Lord, Isn´t It A Pity, What Is Life, If Not For You, Behind That Locked Door, Beware of Darkness, Apple Scruffs, All Things Must Pass, Hear Me Lord.

Producer: I would like to suggest George Martin who did such a great job on Abbey Road.

Now I tell you, that could have been one hell of an Album. As it was, the original Long Play Album consisted of three records. The Third Record consisted of a series of Rock & Roll/ Blues Jams recorded during the All Things Must Pass Sessions. And there were a bunch of good players hanging around at that time. In fact, as a result of these jams, Eric Clapton and the members from the Delaney & Bonnie band formed Derek & the Dominos.

The digital Re-Mastering did a lot of good to these jams and they are now perfectly listenable.

Also during the Re-Mastering, five bonus tracks were added. They can be found on CD number I. There are acoustic versions of Beware of Darkness and Let it Down and a not very interesting instrumental version of What is Life. But two songs called my special attention: I Live for You is a song that never made it to the original album but should have. Good Song! And, unfortunately, George decided to include My Sweet Lord in a modern 2000 light version, backed up by singer Sam Brown. Unfortunately, George´s voice had lost most of his magic by 2000 and I find it simply painful to listen to this version.

Let´s sum it up. Yes, this is definitively George´s best solo Album. But it does suffer immensely from Phil Spector´s production and it would have worked better with half of the songs.

Rating: ******** (8 out of 10)

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

*Bonus Tracks CD I: I Live For You, Beware of Darkness, Let It Down, What Is Life, My Sweet Lord (2000).

*Bonus Tracks CD II (The Original Jams): It´s Johnny`s Birthday, Plug Me In, I Remember Jeep, Thanks For The Pepperoni, Out Of The Blue.

Who should buy this Record: This is an Essential record for George Harrison Fans. It´s simply too long and too serious for the occasional listener unless you program it as a single album only containing your favorites. 

Jack Daniels Gentleman Jack Review

Country: USA

Brand: Jack Daniels Gentleman Jack

Type: Whiskey (Tennessee)

Age:  Around 5 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Golden Amber

Nose: Sweet Corn Syrup, Vanilla, Charred Oak, Butter, Fruit (Think of Pineapple, Cherries and Banana). There’s some Alcohol but not too much. A hint of Furniture Wax. Bit of Burnt Sugar as well. Quite a restrained nose really.

Taste: Not at all as Sweet as expected after the Nose. A bit watery but very smooth. Toasted Grain, Licorice, Oak, White Pepper.

Finish: Quite a bit of Licorice. Very short bite on the tongue. Slightly bitter Walnuts. Some Lemon, Apple, Oak, and Cinnamon.

I added a few drops of water to the whiskey that brought more Sweet Grain, Honey and Pineapple to the Nose. But on the palate it waters down quickly so better drink it without water although I got some extra cherries in the Finish. Well, just try it out and see what it brings you.

Rating 80,5

Nose: 20,5 – Taste: 20 – Finish: 20 – Overall: 20

General Remarks: The Jack Daniels Distillery is located in Lynchburg (Tennessee). It was indeed founded by a man called Jack Daniel in 1866 and it stayed in the family until 1956 when it was bought 

by Brown Forman from Kentucky. Gentleman Jack was introduced in 1988 and is Charcoal-Mellowed twice, once before it goes into the barrel and a second time after full maturation. In this way, it is unique.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good

Conclusion: I rate the Gentleman Jack slightly higher than the regular Old no.7. It’s more refined on the Nose and it certainly tastes better on the Rocks. But straight, its double Charcoal Mellowing leaves it smooth but also quite uneventful, almost boring. I don’t think it’s worth the extra bucks. For much less you can get a large range of good Bourbons.

Jan van den Ende                                                                      May 20, 2012

Edradour Caledonia 12 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Edradour Caledonia

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Highlands

Age: 12 Years

Alcohol: 46%

Colour: Full Gold. It’s hard to believe it does not contain any artificial colourants. Those 4 years in Oloroso Sherry Casks really did the job!

Nose: Full Fruity Heavy Nose, very mature for its 12 Years. My first impressions are Sweet Dried Fruits (Figs, Sultanas), Sherry, Toffee, Oak, Toasted Grain and Light Peat. There’s a bit of Alcohol there and a slight bitter off-note. Still, a lot going on here.

Taste: A very complex taste. The delivery is almost overwhelming although a bit on the watery side, which is odd since it’s bottled at 46%. In the melee of flavors I detect Bitter Orange Marmalade, Apricot, Spices like Pepper, Cinnamon and Nutmeg, Oak, Caramel, Butterscotch and Raspberries. There is also an Acetone-like off-note. I find it in Bourbons sometimes as well. There’s enough to discover but I don’t think it’s well balanced.

Finish: Quite Long. Spicy and very dry with Cocoa, Apricot and Nuts. The Acetone is still there I’m afraid.

I added some water and the Nose releases more Peat, Toffee and Malt. You certainly can experiment with a couple of drops of water.

Rating: 81,5 

Nose: 22 – Taste: 20 – Finish: 19 – Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: Edradour is Scotland's smallest single malt whisky distillery and produces just 90,000 litres of hand made whisky each year. It’s located in the Southern Highlands. It was only bottled as a Single Malt in 1986. Only Three employees operate the distillery. The Caledonia expression was launched in 2009 and involved Scottish singer Dougie MacLean. Caledonia is one of his songs.

Drinking Experience Neat: Very different from your average Single Malt. You either like it or you don’t!

Conclusion: What can I say! It’s a very special Single Malt made by a very special Distillery. But somehow it doesn’t work for me. I had the same feeling with the 10 Year expression. It’s certainly not a boring Single Malt. There’s enough to discover, both on the Nose and the Palate. But I don’t find balance in this whisky and there are strange off-notes that I don’t find agreeable. I’m sure there will be whisky drinkers who have fallen in love with the spirits of the Edradour Distillery but I can’t say I’m one of them.

Jan van den Ende                                                                 May 18, 2012