Not unlike the protagonist, Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll certainly seems like a bit of an anomaly in Jethro Tull’s catalogue. As fate has it, the old rocker falls into a coma, only to reawaken during a revival of his music, in which he rises back to stardom. Convinced that he is nothing more than a relic of past times, the man decides to commit suicide by getting into a motorcycle accident. He sees how the music of him and his peers falls out of favor, and begins to fall into obscurity. The album, which is, in all probability, at the least slightly autobiographical, tells of an aging rock star struggling to remain relevant among changing times. One of Jethro Tull’s most straightforward 70’s offerings, the rock opera is certainly entertaining and pleasant, but despite moments of sheer genius, never becomes essential. Jethro Tull soon followed the example set by the Fab Four and released a group of three (some say four) concept albums, the last of which was Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young To Die!. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which pushed the notion of a concept album into the mainstream. And yet, albums unified by one idea were quite a rarity in rock music, that is until the release of The Beatles’ Sgt.

From the ancient, long-forgotten songs of Greek bards, praising heroes of old, to the ballads of recent folk singers, such as Bob Dylan, story and melody were always intertwined.

Since the dawn of time, music has been used as a means to tell tales and legends.

Review Summary: Jethro Tull proves that, if anything, they’re not too old to rock ‘n’ roll.

Ian anderson rock opera reviews