Typically, rock bands don’t boast an impressive history when it comes to putting out albums or singles during the holiday season. We can all recall some truly cringeworthy examples. Therefore, it’s commendable that Jethro Tull has managed to create a credible effort. In fact, it’s definitely a more enjoyable choice than enduring Mariah Carey’s or Paul McCartney’s Christmas tracks!
Jethro Tull are not exactly novices when it comes to Xmas tunes, having previously recorded ‘A Christmas Song’ (1968) and ‘Ring Out Solstice Bells’ (1976). The Jethro Tull Xmas Album is a remixed version of the original 2003 album, and there’s very little rock or anything prog on it. Tricky time signatures have mostly been eschewed, so there’s less prog than Tull have been known for. Rather, this is just a bunch of jolly little tunes to help you get into the Xmas spirit, though the feel is more seasonal, more of ‘winter’ than Xmas. Sonically, it’s an album akin to Tull’s mid-late 70’s ‘Songs From The Wood / Heavy Horses‘ period with the band playing up their folk roots, with three tracks from ‘ .. Wood’ being included, plus one from ‘Horses.’
The album opens with a song written for the album, Birthday Card at Xmas, written by Ian Anderson for his daughter Gael, born just before Xmas. ‘Holly Herald’ is the first of seven instrumental numbers, a sprightly take on ‘Hark The Herald Angels Sing,’ and this could almost be mistaken for Mike Oldfield. This is followed by the first of the three Jethro Tull Xmas songs, entitled ‘A Xmas Song,’ which originally appeared as the B-side to ‘Love Story’. This new version has a folkier feel compared to its predecessor and joyfully wraps up with the line, “Hey Santa, pass us that bottle will you?” Additionally, both ‘Ring Out Solstice Bells’ and ‘Another Xmas Song’ echo that “…there’s always time for another Xmas song…” in their updated forms.
‘Jack Frost & the Hooded Crow’ is one of three Tull songs re-recorded with a Xmas feel, alongside ‘Fire At Midnight’ and ‘Weathercock’. ‘Greensleeved’ is an interesting version of an old classic with a touch of bossa nova flair added. ‘We Five Kings’ is performed with an accordion and flute and ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’ is somewhat jazzed up though still recognisable. ‘Pavane’ (a slow processional dance) though, suffers from having too much orchestration added, and Bourée is given a somewhat radical reworking .. would Glenn Cornick (bass player on the original version) even recognise this adaptation? The album concludes with another instrumental, ‘Winter Snowscape,’ from a Martin Barre solo album.
The musicianship demonstrated on this album is of course first class, and the overall execution of what could easily have become an exercise in tacky commercialism is commendable. Sadly, however, the Jethro Tull Xmas album was the last one to feature Martin Barre as the band entered a lengthy hiatus after this time, and when Ian Anderson eventually decided, rather than record another solo album, to record the new album under the name Jethro Tull, which became 2022’s The Zealot Gene, Martin Barre had been replaced by Florian Opahle.
