Baby it's me (Davy Jones) (LP 2899)

Davy Jones  Davy Jones (Vinyl, Pye Records, Originally 1965 - this copy is a re-issue in 1967) ***  

Genre: pop 

Places I remember: Five dollars from a record fair in Palmy.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: It Ain't Me Babe (weird hearing a cockney voice taking on Dylan but at least he's current and enthusiastic - it is 1965 remember)

Gear costume: Dream Girl

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4

Active compensatory factors: I only got this because it was so cheap at a record fair in Palmerston North. It is also in mint condition! Fairly amazing given it was most probably bought by a teenager keen on the Monkees.

I love The Monkees but I'm not a completist for the solo stuff from the four original members.

This is his debut solo album from 1965. That's a year before The Monkees debut album. My copy from 1967 has a Monkees era photo as Colpix were obviously keen to cash in on the band's success.

The approach is London cheeky chappy to springboard off that accent (although he was from Manchester) and his appearance in Oliver! as the Artful Dodger. So, along the way we have Maybe It's Because I'm A Londoner and Any Old Iron. Yikes.

Where do they all belong? An interesting mid-sixties artifact/ curio.

Comin' home baby (Luther Johnson) (LP 2898)

Luther Johnson (and The Muddy Waters Blues Band)  Chicken Shack (Vinyl, Muse Records, 1974) ****  

Genre: Blues 

Places I remember: Little Red Bookshop

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Mini Dress

Gear costume: Evil

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4

Active compensatory factors: There are a few Luther Johnsons in the blues pantheon. This one is Luther 'Georgia Boy' Johnson, a.k.a. Luther 'Georgia Boy Snake' Johnson.

Chicken Shack came out at the tail end of his career but you would never know it (tragically he passed away in 1976 from cancer while in his forties). There are some stingingly great electric blues lines on this long player.

His history with Muddy Waters goes back to 1966 when he joined the great one's backing band.

Among The Muddy Waters Blues Band on this occasion are Otis Spann on piano, Muddy Waters on guitar and George 'Mojo' Buford. As you can imagine they are superb!

Luther himself has a great voice, as well as being a talented guitarist. It's tough picking a highlight - each track is great.

Where do they all belong? Do yourself a favour and have a listen to Luther via YouTube. Sadly, it's not on Spotify.

Good people (Jack Johnson) (LP 2896 - 2897)

Jack Johnson  On and On (CD, The Moonshine Conspiracy Records, 2003) ***  

Jack Johnson  In Between Dreams (CD, Universal Records, 2005) *** 

Genre: Folk rock

Places I remember: Lindsay Hope collection

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Wasting Time (On and On)

Gear costume: Banana Pancakes (In Between Dreams)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4

Active compensatory factors: This is feel good, sunny music and there's nothing wrong with that. 

Jack Johnson is a soothing presence - all down home, relaxed, soothing vibes, via his smooth voice and laid-back acoustic guitars. Although one person's soothing presence is another person's bland. Just saying.

These are his second and third albums which Lindsay passed on to me with the rest of his CD collection. I wouldn't normally have bought these albums so having them is a bonus. Thanks again Lindsay.

Where do they all belong? Great for a sunny afternoon on the deck with a beer.

Liberty (Greg Johnson) (LP 2891 - 2895)

Greg Johnson Set  Everyday Distortions (CD, Pagan Records, 1993) ***  

Greg Johnson  Chinese Whispers (CD, EMI Records, 1997) ***  

Greg Johnson  Sea Breeze Motel (CD, EMI Records, 2000) ***

Greg Johnson  Here Comes The Caviar (CD, EMI Records, 2004) ***  

Greg Johnson  Anyone Can Say Goodbye (CD, EMI Records, 2006) ***  

Genre: NZ Music, pop 

Places I remember: Slow Boat Records, Roger Marbeck for Sea Breeze Motel, Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Hibiscus Song

Gear costume: Liberty, Isabelle

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4

Active compensatory factors: Greg Johnson, a talented musician (keyboards), writer and singer, is a fellow Aucklander.

His career can roughly be split into the NZ residence albums and then stuff he released after moving to the United States in 2002 (two of the above are from that period).

Second album Everyday Distortions sounds great. The musicians include Trevor Reekie on guitar and the band create a very commercial set of songs. Isabelle was the big single from this album. The rest of the album has some pleasant songs but there is also a sameness that creeps into the sounds.

Although Trevor Reekie was still involved on his fourth album, Chinese Whispers, GJ dispensed with the band idea and just presented himself as a solo artist.

The music is more mature sounding on Chinese Whispers, but the same criticism about the sameness of songs can apply to this one as well. Liberty stands out as Isabelle did on the previous album. 

Sea Breeze Motel was the first album I heard by Greg Johnson. Roger gave me a promo copy and I was an instant fan. There is that voice for a start - very smooth, polished, confident.

The songs on Sea Breeze Motel are much better generally. Beautiful Storm kicks off the album and signals the intent - more songs with catchy hooks! By fifth song - Hibiscus Song, a clear standout, I am sold!

Even his voice sounds more varied on Sea Breeze Motel, and more in the mix. His albums all seem to peak on side one, though, and taper off in quality towards the end. Unfortunately, SBM is not an exception. 

Before Here Comes The Caviar and Anyone Can Say Goodbye, Greg had relocated from NZ to Los Angeles. It was a good time to release a compilation of material up to this point and The Best Yet is a good summation of things.

Both of the American albums continue the familiar Greg Johnson sound. Save Yourself (HCTC) and Now The Sun Is Out (ACSG) were mildly successful singles.

Anyone Can Say Goodbye gets special kudos for limiting itself to 10 songs of good quality and it doesn't flag on side 2!

Where do they all belong? I would snap up his other albums if I came across them, but I'm not actively pursuing them. I think he's an under-appreciated talent in Nu Zild. Maybe he's more appreciated in America? Best place to start would be his The Best Yet compilation from 2001 for the early stuff (and the hits).

Your song (Elton John) (LP 2881 - 2890)

Elton John  Elton John (Vinyl, DJM Records, 1970) *** 

Elton John  Tumbleweed Connection (Vinyl and CD, DJM Records, 1970) *****

Elton John  11-17-70 (CD, Rocket Records, 1971) ****  

Elton John  Madman Across The Water (CD, DJM Records, 1971) *****  

Elton John  Honky Chateau (CD, DJM Records, 1972) *****  

Elton John  Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Piano Player (CD, DJM Records, 1973) ****  

Elton John  Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (CD, DJM Records, 1973) *** 

Elton John  Caribou (CD, DJM Records, 1974) *****

Elton John  Songs From The West Coast (CD, Rocket Records, 2001) ****

Elton John/ Leon Russell  The Union (CD, Mercury Records, 2010) ****

Genre: Pop 

Places I remember: Amoeba Music (San Francisco)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Country Comfort (Tumbleweed Connection)

Gear costume: Honky Cat (Honky Chateau), Ticking (Caribou)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4

Active compensatory factors: I am by no means a completist, but I do have a large number of his classic seventies albums, plus I've read his autobiography (excellent) and Bernie Taupin's (terrible) so this will be a reasonable list.

Having said that, I've always been a little late to the party with most of his stuff, except for Tumbleweed Connection which I bought many decades ago, but we'll get to that.

First album I have of his, Elton John, was actually his second. And I only got this a few years ago while browsing the racks at Amoeba Music while visiting San Francisco.

It's okay - it does have some classics on it - Your Song, The Border Song, Take Me To The Pilot, but a lot of it sounds over-cooked and straining to be 'important'. Basically, I'm not a fan of Paul Buckmaster's overblown string arrangements, and there are too many meh songs on the album for me.

His third though, now we're talkin'!! Tumbleweed Connection is his first genius record. Bernie goes full western mythology mode and having a full album of it gives the coherence and depth that Elton John lacked.

Elton's music is the perfect counterpoint to the lyrics throughout the album. It all works magnificently. Plus, Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson appear for the first time together on this album. The classic seventies years were off and running, and it was only 1970!!

The live album 11-17-70 (mine is the American version - in the UK it was 17-11-70) is pretty damn good too. Elton, Nigel and Dee are the band and they make a mighty cohesive noise throughout. Highlights are the Tumbleweed Connection tracks and the Stones and Beatles covers - Honky Tonk Women and Get Back.

Madman Across The Water continued the surge forward. It's another spectacular set of songs. It has the hits Levon, Tiny Dancer, but the rest of the songs are great as well. The versatility is back but this time without the overcooked orchestrations by Buckmaster. 

It's mainly session musicians on these songs and there is zero problem with that; the classic Elton John Band (Johnston, Murray, Olsson) would all feature on the next album.

Which would be Honky Chateau - another progression and another landmark seventies' album. There is a lighter, fun, and yes - mellow vibe/ approach to much of the material on this album (even I think I'm Going To Kill Myself is a kind of parody - I mean - you can tap dance to it so...). 

For me, it could be his best album (Caribou is coming and that is stiff competition for Honky Chateau). He would never sound like this again though - mellow, fun, carefree.

It helps that Honky Cat is the first song. It's playful, funky as all get out and a stunning song in all ways. Rocket Man, and Mona Lisas... were the other standout singles but the rest of the material on the album is also of very very high calibre.

The purple patch continued with two albums in 1973 - Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Piano Player and the double album - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The hits just kept on coming!

Don't...Piano Player is a more uneven album - hot songs like the first three (Daniel, Teacher I Need You, Elderberry Wine) plus Crocodile Rock and High Flying Bird are balanced by some lesser efforts. 

And I've never been a fan of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Sure there are some excellent moments - Love Lies Bleeding and Gray Seal are great songs but if I never hear Candle in the Wind and Bennie again, I will not shed a tear. 

Then there are the stinkers over the four sides (Jamaica Jerk-off is definitely one) that reduce the album in my eyes. I'm in a minority, I realise that. I think it's the over-exposure that got to me. A song like Danny Bailey has a lingering appeal because it wasn't thrashed on the radio.

Although critics didn't particularly rate Caribou, I think it's a masterpiece. Along with Tumbleweed Connection, it's the Elton John album I've owned for the longest time, so it's one I'm very familiar with. For some reason, although I wasn't an Elton John fan at the time, the songs really appealed to me. And have stuck with me over the years. 

I lost track of him for many years (all of the eighties and nineties) before buying a copy of Songs From The West Coast released in 2001. The clever videos to I Want Love and This Train Don't Stop Here Anymore are responsible for me noticing this album.

Those two are the standout ones but the album as a whole has some good moments. Was it a coincidence that this was the album that saw the return of both Nigel Olsson and Bernie Taupin? I think not. It was certainly seen as a return to form at the time.

The final album in this collection is a collaboration between Elton and his hero - Leon Russell. The Union was the result. Elton's regular band members don't appear. Instead, the album features appearances by Booker T. Jones (on Hammond B-3), Neil Young (vocals), Robert Randolph (pedal steel), and Brian Wilson (vocal harmonies).

It takes a while to embrace the album - the songs are slowly growing on me, but Leon (who sadly passed away in 2016) is wonderful of course (much more to come from him when we get to the Rs). Actually, Elton sounds on form too - maybe inspired by playing with Leon.

Where do they all belong? I may pick up a couple of later career albums like Peachtree Road if I come across them.

Personality crisis (David Johansen) (LP 2880)

David Johansen  Live It Up (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1982) ****  

Genre: Rock, pop

Places I remember: Marbecks Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Melody

Gear costume: Stranded In The Jungle

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4

Active compensatory factors: I love this album - recorded live at the Paradise Club, Boston in February 1982. It is such fun - great covers and David is on fire throughout!

I heard it while working at Marbecks Records in the early eighties and was immediately floored. Not being a great fan of The New York Dolls, I would have left this one alone if not for playing it in the shop.

The covers are superb - and perfect for David's unhinged delivery. Let's see - The Animals get three in a medley, Four Tops - Reach Out I'll Be There, The Foundations' classic - Build Me Up Buttercup, the Cadets - Stranded in the Jungle are all highlights.

Side note - Huw Gower from The Records is in the band. I adore that band!

Where do they all belong? A one-off extraordinary event/album.

Morning hymn (Jade Warrior) (LP 2879)

Jade Warrior  Last Autumn's Dream (Vinyl, Vertigo Records, 1972) ****  

Genre: Prog rock

Places I remember: The Record Store (Palmerston North). This is a new store that's just popped up in Palmy. Well worth a repeat look next time we visit.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Morning Hymn

Gear costume: A Winter's Tale

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4

Active compensatory factors: This was the band's third album and their last on Vertigo. I wrote about their first album for Island, Way of the Sun, just a short while ago. That one was released straight after Last Autumn Dream, but it sounds like a different band in many ways.

This earlier album is a lot more experimental and varied. From a guitar wig out on Snake and the funky May Queen to a potential hit single - The Demon Trucker. Along the way are ambient flute tracks! 

This band is never less than interesting!

Where do they all belong? I'll keep an eye out for their first two albums on Vertigo.

Piano man (Billy Joel) (LP 2871 - 2878)

Billy Joel  Piano Man (Vinyl and CD, CBS Records, 1973) ****  

Billy Joel  Turnstiles (CD, CBS Records, 1976) ****  

Billy Joel  The Stranger (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1977) ****  

Billy Joel  52nd Street (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1978) *** 

Billy Joel  River of Dreams (CD, CBS Records, 1993) ***

Billy Joel  Songs in the Attic (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1981) **** 

Billy Joel  12 Gardens Live (CD, Sony, 1977) *****

Billy Joel  Live From Long Island (CD, Immortal, 2008) **** 

Genre: Pop, rock 

Places I remember: Marbecks Records, Shona Walding's collection, Hope collection, Graham Purdy collection, Kings Recording (12 Gardens Live), The Warehouse (Live from Long Island)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: You're My Home (Piano Man)

Gear costume: New York State of Mind (12 Gardens Live)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4

Active compensatory factors: My Billy Joel collection is pretty spotty. Of the studio albums I have number 2 (Piano Man), numbers 4, 5, 6 (Turnstiles, The Stranger, 52nd Street), and 12 (River of Dreams). Then a couple of live albums, and two compilations.

I've bought a few, but most were either gifts to my mum (#5 and 6) or were gifted to me from other collections.

I think this reflects my uncertain approach to him. Some of his stuff is very soppy, some too bombastic and there are a few classics in the mix as well. Some of the soppy ones I like for various reasons, and I love the live versions of some of the bombastic ones as well.

Some are vinyl, some are CDs, some are even DVDs. Basically, I'm all over the shop.

Piano Man is an early peak for me. It's his usual mixture of styles but it all hangs together somehow. Travellin' Prayer is a brilliant opener and You're My Home is a song I never get sick of hearing. I loved listening to it in the Middle East when Jacky went home to NZ early for health reasons and missing her while listening to this CD helped.

Captain Jack, Piano Man and The Ballad of Billy The Kid are all career highlights. And they were on his second album!

The CD has a bonus disc of an earlier live gig (1972) but beware - the sound is weird on his voice. It's a speeded up, unsettling sound. Not good!

Turnstiles has three Joel classics of its own: Say Goodbye to Hollywood, New York State of Mind, and Miami 2017 (seen the lights go out on Broadway). The New York mentality unites the album, even though he swings through various styles of music again.

The Stranger was an album I bought for my mother, based on the fact she loved Just The Way You Are (I bought that single for her as well). I heard it a lot, so I guess she liked the record, but I suspect she liked it because I bought it for her, if you know what I mean.

The record certainly holds up. There is a toughness to the sound, thanks to using his touring band rather than session guys, and the songs are some of the best he's written.

I also got 52nd Street for her, but I didn't hear this one as much, so it's not as instantly recognisable as the songs on The Stranger. There were smash hits on it again - the guy can sure write catchy, hit singles. This one has another three: Big Shot, My Life and Honesty.

I lost track of him for the remainder of his career, although I did own Nylon Curtain for a while for Allentown and Goodnight Saigon. I sold it off at some stage, I think because the rest of the material didn't do it for me.

River of Dreams came to me from a donation. I've kept it, but I can't say it gets much airtime. I like the cover (by his then wife - Christie Brinkley) and the title song, but the rest is a bit ho-hum. It's his last studio rock album because it didn't do much at the time.

And so - on to the three live albums. I prefer Billy Joel in a live setting - for me that's where he is his true showman self, and where the songs come alive with the audience becoming like another instrument.

Songs in the Attic came out in 1981. It includes material from his studio albums up to that point - all performed by his 1980 band. There is plenty of muscle added to these songs.  

12 Gardens Live is even better! While Songs in the Attic was a collection from various concerts and wasn't meant to be a definitive live album (his words), 12 Gardens, although taken from his run of gigs at Madison Square Garden, is presented as a definitive concert.

Billy is in a passionate state of mind - as in he delivers these songs with gusto! Songs come from all over his career but mainly from his classic years rather than albums after An Innocent Age. It's a non-stop performance - not much stage chatter here, as on Songs in the Attic. The music is the thing.

Try The Downeaster 'Alexa' for size - he almost bursts out of the song - 'I am trolling Atlantis' indeed!! Or Matter of Trust - superior to the studio version in every way.

Final album on my list is Live from Long Island - recorded live in 1982 at Nassau Coliseum. It's good - a spirited performance again from 1982 with some key tracks not on 12 Gardens like The Stranger. He was touring behind The Nylon Curtain and those songs sound better live to me.

Where do they all belong? Apart from a couple of live DVDs - Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium, and two essential type compilations, that's it for Billy Joel. The compilations or 12 Gardens are probably the best place to start if you are new to his work. Each are chocked full of a surprising number of great songs.

My Sunday feeling (Jethro Tull) (LP 2857 - 2870)

Jethro Tull  This Was (CD, Chrysalis Records, 1968) ***  

Jethro Tull  Stand Up (CD, Chrysalis Records, 1969) ***

Jethro Tull  Live & Sessions 1968 - 1969 (CD, MCPS, 2020) *** 

Jethro Tull  Aqualung (Vinyl/ CD, Chrysalis Records, 1971) ***** 

Jethro Tull  Thick as a Brick (Vinyl/ CD, Chrysalis Records, 1972) ***** 

Jethro Tull  Passion Play (Vinyl, Chrysalis Records, 1973) **** 

Jethro Tull  War Child (CD, Chrysalis Records, 1974) ***

Jethro Tull  Too Old To Rock'n'Roll: Too Young To Die! (Vinyl, Chrysalis Records, 1976) **

Jethro Tull  Songs From The Wood (CD, Chrysalis Records, 1977) ****

Jethro Tull  Heavy Horses (Vinyl/CD, Chrysalis Records, 1978) ****

Jethro Tull  Stormwatch (Vinyl, Chrysalis Records, 1979) ***

Jethro Tull  The Broadsword and the Beast (CD, Chrysalis Records, 1982) **

Jethro Tull  Nightcap - The Unreleased Masters 1973 - 1991 (CD, Chrysalis Records, 1993) **

Jethro Tull  A Little Light Music (CD, Chrysalis Records, 1992) ***

Genre: Blues, prog rock, folk rock 

Places I remember: (In order) 1 Fopp, 2 Fives, 3 and 12 JB Hi Fi; 4 DJ Records, 5 The Warehouse, 6 Keegan's collection, 7 Fives, 8 Chaldon Books and Records, 9 and 10 The Warehouse, 11 and 11 and 13 Real Groovy  

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Locomotive Breath (Aqualung)

Gear costume: The Whistler (Songs from the Wood)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4

Active compensatory factors: My Jethro Tull collection is all over the place - vinyl, CDs, DVDs and I've already written about a few albums (Benefit, Minstrel in the Gallery, Living in the Past, Thick as a Brick 2). 

So, this round up of the others in my possession will go back to the start - 1968's debut album - track one (My Sunday Feeling) and end somewhere in the nineties. 

Strap in. Grab another coffee. And away we go...

This Was is still a bit of a shock in that Jethro Tull started out life as a really good blues band thanks to Mick Abrahams' presence (Cat's Squirrel sounds like Cream). Ian Anderson is just another band member (his showcase on this album - Serenade to a Cuckoo is very jazzy). All light years away from the folk rock/ prog rock outfit they would evolve into.

Second album Stand Up sees the introduction of the mighty Martin Lancelot Barre - and the start of the next phase. 

That said, there are still bluesy, jazzy, folky numbers on Stand Up. The band, and Ian Anderson, are trying different styles and not afraid to experiment with their music (Fat Man is one brilliant example). That theme would continue.

Live & Sessions 1968 - 1969 neatly sums up the start of the band with both Mick Abrahams and Martin Barre getting roughly half of the tracks each. The majority of the songs come from BBC radio broadcasts (Top Gear).

Standout moments come from the early shows - the Top Gear 23rd July 1968 material and Living in the Past from 1969. A lovely sea change moment is documented.

The not so good is the drum solo on Dharma For One. They (there are three versions on this album) are long and tedious. Why drum solos became a thing is a mystery to me. I'm with Ringo - drums are always better when combined with other instruments.

Aqualung was my first glimpse of Jethro Tull in 1971. A school friend's brother was a fan and I was intrigued. Then Locomotive Breath happened and that was it, maan!

Each song leaves an indelible impression. I have heard it countless times and I enjoy it every time. That's pretty remarkable. The CD version comes with a bonus CD of extras, but this is one album that doesn't need enhancement.

Thick is a Brick is another album like that. I know it's a kind of pastiche of concept albums, but I've never been too convinced or bothered about that. For me the two sides are genius full stop (I bought the CD so that I could listen to the whole album uninterrupted - just like on my original cassette tape version). 

This was Barrie Barlow's first album on drums and I think he's a great fit - nimble and swinging where Clive Bunker was a great blues drummer.

 

All up - a five-star classic and it's another album I never get tired of hearing.

In my world, Passion Play has gone from meh to 4 stars over the last 50 years. I initially dismissed it and found it boring to listen to, but I've revisited it from time to time and it's grown hugely in stature. Even the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles has charm now. 

It's a real concept album this time and it's more sophisticated musically than TAAB. It definitely rewards repeat hearings and an open mind (age will do that).

War Child was a return to songs with two resulting in hits - Bungle in the Jungle and Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day. Both are excellent songs. The rest of the album isn't very memorable though. Clearly, Ian was struggling for content around this time as both of those songs came from an earlier abandoned project.

Sadly, that trend would continue with the next album on my list - Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll: Too Young To Die! (which followed the excellent Minstrel in the Gallery). This one wouldn't have any great songs at all, although the title track is catchy enough.

Best thing about it is the comic in the inner sleeve spread which attempts to tell a conceptual story which is followed up on the actual album via the songs. Was this the last attempt at a concept album before his return to Thick as a Brick 2? Probably. I started to lose interest in the band around War Child times.

My ears pricked up again for the trio of folk-rock albums that came later in the decade.

First up was Songs from the Wood in 1977. These are muscular folk rock songs, nothing airy-fairy about them. While the content is inspired by English folklore and country living, the sounds are folk-prog-rock - i.e. combining traditional instruments and melodies with drums, synths and electric guitars. It works a treat!

The similarity with Steeleye Span isn't an accident - Ian Anderson had been involved with the band earlier in the seventies.

The second of the folky trilogy is Heavy Horses - a slightly earthier sound and subject matter prevailed this time. The album is dedicated to indigenous working ponies and horses of Great Britain.

On both of these first two albums Ian Anderson allows for a more democratic approach from band members. Martin Barre is an important ingredient to Jethro Tull as a guitarist, and he shines on these albums as a collaborator/composer as well.

The so-called third part of the folk-rock trilogy is Stormwatch. So-called because it sounds rockier than those others and deals more with Scotland and the sea than with English pastures and woodland.

Whatever, it is definitely the last Jethro Tull album of the seventies, and it also marked the end of the 'classic' seventies' lineup.  

Drummer Barrie "Barriemore" Barlow and keyboardists John Evan and Dee Palmer all left or were fired from the band in the months after the album's tour concluded in April 1980, while bassist John Glascock had died from heart complications in November 1979 during the tour.  

The Broadsword and the Beast is their only eighties album I own. That means I didn't bother with A (1981) and anything after Under Wraps (1984 onwards). Thick As A Brick 2 came out under Ian Anderson's name rather than Jethro Tull's, so it technically doesn't count.

The eighties Jethro Tull albums hold little appeal for me. Too many synths. The Broadsword and the Beast is a tough album to love. 

It's not as bad as one critic had it (tuneless drivel), but it's a typical sounding Tull album, okay but uninspiring. It's the place where I decided enough was enough for eighties Jethro Tull. I don't regret that decision.

Curiously, the bonus selections are much better than the actual album (Mayhem Maybe is terrific).

The other two albums listed above are kind of compilations. Nightcap has two CDs worth of unreleased songs - there is often a reason why they are outtakes, so this is an album I find hard going.

The live compilation, A Little Live Music, is more appealing, but this isn't a coherent concert. Instead, it has songs from ten different venues during their 1992 tour. 

It's quite a jolt moving through and among them, even though the band is on form.

The good news is Martin Barre, Dave Pegg and Dave Mattacks joined Ian Anderson as Jethro Tull.

The bad news is the songs range from A New Day Yesterday and Living in the Past to Under Wraps - so from a huge range of years and styles. Cohesion, then, is a problem for this album. Good for the Spotify age, not so good for people like me.

Where do they all belong? I think this is enough. I'm not a Tull completist and, in some ways, Ian Anderson's solo albums are a better prospect these days.