I'm a Tull fan. The first album I ever bought was Songs from the Woods in 1978. I was hooked after that. But I gotta admit, they should have hanged it up after Stormwatch, which I think was their last good album. There was a review in Melody Maker for one of their later albums, name escapes escapes me now, but the whole review was, "And they plod on and on." But anyway, the point of this post is that in my opinion " Minstrel" was their best album. Their are no bad songs, no filler. Ian was at his peak, both songwriting and flute-playing. But mostly it is the height of Tullishness. That is, great songs, great playing, related contemporary themes, but all within the scope of medieval/Rennaiscance tropes. P.S. Rolling Stone Review. Those guys were so full of shite its not even funny. "Minstrel" is a masterpiece! What planet were they living on! Think about what passes for popular music today, corporate product and rap music ("music").

Brilliant review of an album strangely I have been playing a lot lately! Very enjoyable thanks 🙏👍

Wonderful review. Over the years this has become one of my very favourite Tull albums.

This has become my favorite Jethro Tull album and with a catalog that includes Aqualung, Thick as a Brick..... says a lot. Some of the songs are so utterly beautiful... touching. Great compositions. The title track is the perfect balance between acoustic and electric. The ballads on this album are sheer beauty and the epics are awesome. A work of art from cover art to what is in the grooves. Thank you for this incredible review, Tino

Thank you for your informative review of this album. I like how you included Mr. Anderson's words explaining his experience writing the songs on this album. But I must say you do an exceptional job and you keep me wanting to hear everything you say during these reviews. I learn something from you every time I listen and for that I thank you.

Really love your reviews! Has anyone ever told you you sound just like Peter Green?!?

I love minstrel in the gallery song the album is asi asi

Ian has never been keen on this album, which may by why it has been so neglected in concert. He’s claimed it’s ‘rather too personal’ and it’s an open secret, when you consider the timeline, that many of the songs deal with the end of his first marriage and his courtship of his second (and current) wife. All very oblique, of course, because he doesn’t do ‘confessional songwriting’. That RS review is so typical of the critical kicking Tull had throughout their career (their last good reviews were for Stand Up).

LOL - The so-called music critics are just jealous. Wasnt it, Zappa who said, "Music Critics are people who don't play music writing about people who do play music."

I like the bass player they had done he died.

Didn't they play a bit of Black Satin Dancer live? It's on that first box set.

It's my favourite cover art, I mean, you enter a record shop, you see a cover art like this, you just buy the record regardless of the artist.

Let us never forget just how much ROLLING STONE Magazine sucked.