Appearing one after the other in 1972 and 1973, these two concept albums had different receptions. "Thick as a Brick" fared better than "A Passion Play", but I enjoy them both. Ian Anderson and the rest of the band took their music to the concept album with an extended song or songs centered around one idea. Certainly they were not the first to do so, but the albums are intriguing.
The parody of a small town newspaper works well, especially with its scandal. From my literature classes, I knew what a passion play was, and appreciate the treatment given the genre here. Actually there were many medieval and baroque tales of people after their death, related so that the audience would avoid their fate.
I liked to let one of them play while I am doing other work; I do not want to be searching for something every five minutes or so. Last week Sirius XM played the entire "A Passion Play" remastered version, and I appreciated it all over again.; except for the spoken part about a hare losing his spectacles. When visiting London, I remember seeing the Fulham Road, but do not remember rushing!
Perhaps some of my longer poems or cycles have been inspired by these concept albums. I cannot say for sure, but I never tire of listening to them.
No comments:
Post a Comment