Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Book Review: The Ballad of Jethro Tull

Product Details
Title: The Ballad of Jethro Tull (Hardcover)
Release Date: November 15, 2019
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Rocket 88
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1910978426
ISBN-13: 978-1910978429
Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 1 x 11.3 inches


The iconic prog-rock band Jethro Tull is immortalized through their music. There are other ways to achieve that status if you have been around for over 50 years. One way is to provide your fan base with a lavishly bounded hardcover book covering the history of the band. 

We now have The Ballad of Jethro Tull. It is quite an overview from Ian Anderson the band’s originator and leader, and other members of the band over the years.

I had the opportunity to speak to Ian about the book but unfortunately, the audio for my podcast did not transfer over. It was a sad day for this music fan and lifetime JT fan. But such is life and I did retain what was said. What I garnered from our conversation was that Ian was approached by the folks at Rocket 88. It was not his idea nor was he thinking of such a project. 

It all turned out wonderfully as the book is a beautiful documentation of the band with some colorful commentary from Ian and the band members that were involved with the albums that were covered to the point when Ian cut his ties with band and went solo then subsequently got a lineup capable of covering all of the JT catalog and his solo projects. I was amongst the many that saw him and that band on the 2018 50th anniversary tour.

I have to say I have never received anything quite like this book covering a band. The quality of the cover and all the pages and photos are superb! And it is definitely worth the price of $50 on the book’s website. It is going for $70 on Amazon so the choice is yours depending on what shipping costs add up to. Now that is for the classic version. If you want to go with signature version at $350 and claim one of the 500 limited edition copies, Ian’s autograph, a 7” single created by Ian for the book’s title b/w “Marmion,” original art prints by cover illustrator Peter Klucik, all in a clamshell box, then go for it. But you better make your move now as I am sure it will sell out quite quickly. That is quite the gift to put under the tree for your Jethro Tull superfan. 

I had a lot of fun reading all the stories and viewing all the pictures. If you are a fan you will go through this book quickly compared to others you may have hanging around in a box somewhere collecting dust. I admit I am one of those people. If I find a book I have a great interest in like this one, then it is a complete joy taking in every visual and every word and varying viewpoints of all the different band members.

The Ballad of Jethro Tull is an up-close look inside one of the most successful band’s in the world. I think what is so incredible was how it all started and where it all went. It is an amazing story of determination, wit, and persistence getting to the top of the heap in the world of prog-rock and music in general. From the humblest beginnings to superstardom and multi-millionaires is always a great story!

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
December 3, 2019

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Review Provided By Prog Rock Music Talk

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