JETHRO TULL – HARD TIMES OF OLD ENGLAND: FREIBURG 1982 – 2 LP

Description

Released as an unofficial double LP by Parachute, “Hard Times Of Old England” features a previously unreleased concert recorded on April 30, 1982 at the Stadthalle in Freiburg, Germany, and salvaged from a radio broadcast at the time. Three weeks earlier, a heavily reshuffled Jethro Tull lineup had released the album “The Broadsword And The Beast,” which marked a return to a more folk-oriented sound (albeit arranged in a more modern key with abundant use of synthesizers) than their previous albums. Moving on a stage set that evoked a Viking ship, Ian Anderson (vocals, flute and acoustic guitar), Martin Barre (guitar), Dave Pegg (bass and vocals), Gerry Conway (drums) and Peter-John Vettese (keyboards) proposed that evening a set obviously based on the new album (seven songs) but which also included pieces from “Songs From The Wood” and “Heavy Horses” plus the traditional jig “The Swirling Pit” and the ancient “Sweet Dreams” (1969), before closing with great classics such as “Aqualung”, “Minstrel In The Gallery” and “Locomotive Breath” linked to “Black Sunday” (from “A”, 1980).