| Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die! | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Jethro Tull |
| Cover: | JethroTull-albums-toooldtorocknroll.jpg |
| Released: | 23 April 1976 (UK) 17 May 1976 (US) |
| Recorded: | 19 November 1975 – 27 January 1976 |
| Studio: | Radio Monte Carlo by the Maison Rouge Mobile Studio, except tracks 8 and 10, recorded at Morgan Studios, in Brussels |
| Length: | 42:26 |
| Label: | Chrysalis |
| Producer: | Ian Anderson |
| Prev Title: | M.U. - The Best of Jethro Tull |
| Prev Year: | 1976 |
| Next Title: | Songs from the Wood |
| Next Year: | 1977 |
Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die! is the ninth studio album released by British band Jethro Tull, recorded in December 1975 and released in 1976. It is the first album to include bassist John Glascock who also contributes with backing vocals. Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die! is the last Jethro Tull concept album, which follows the story of Ray Lomas, an aging rocker who finds fame with the changes of musical trends.[1] It was Jethro Tull's only album of the 1970s not to achieve Gold certification.[2]
Like their previous album, Minstrel in the Gallery, the band recorded the album in the Maison Rouge Mobile Studio. They recorded "Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die" and "The Chequered Flag (Dead or Alive)" along with the outtakes "Salamander's Rag Time", "Commercial Traveller" and "Advertising Man (Unfinished backing track)" on 19 and 20 November 1975, "Big Dipper" on 3 January 1976, "Pied Piper" and "Quizz Kid" on 4 and 5 January, "Taxi Grab", "Pied Piper", "Crazed Institution" and "Old Rocker (Quizz Kid intro)" on 8 January, "From a Dead Beat to an Old Greaser", "Salamander" and "Pied Piper" along with the outtake "A Small Cigar (acoustic version)" on 12 January, and finally "Bad-Eyed and Loveless" along with the outtake "A Small Cigar (orchestral version)" on 27 January 1976.
Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson says the point of the album was to illustrate how his style of music may go out of popularity with every other fashion and fad, but he is determined that if he sticks to it, everything comes back around and the style will rise again.
Ian Anderson explains that the concept came from the turmoil of the rise of the punk movement, and was not meant to be autobiographical of him as an ageing songwriter, although "some members of the press took the album as our attempt to 'get with' the punks". Anderson also stated that the basis of the concept is "to point out that this business [music, fashion] is cyclic, and that if you stick around long enough, you do come into fashion again."[3]
Originally intended to be a rock musical, the story would follow an aging and retired rock star named Ray Lomas - winning money in a 'Quizz' show, trying to commit suicide and waking up years later to find out that the grease fashion has returned. Although much of the album concept is only explained in the cartoons printed in the sleeves, there are changes in the plot or in details between the cartoons and the music.[1]
A clip of the title track was released in the Slipstream video, which returned to much of the original album's concept.
Rolling Stone complained about the "muddled story" of the album, saying that "Ian Anderson should stick to music, because he most definitely is not a storyteller." Nevertheless, the same review praised Anderson's skill at musical composition, and the guitar solos of Martin Barre.
Chris Welch, writing for Melody Maker, gave a mixed review, saying that he "long(ed) for the beat of Barriemore Barlow to break free, or the guitar of Martin Barre to swoop", at the same time he praised Anderson's poetics.
AllMusic's review called the album "one of the minor efforts in the [Jethro Tull] catalogue".
Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die! was remastered in 2002 and the CD version contains two bonus tracks that were cut from the original LP, "Small Cigar" and "Strip Cartoon".
The album has been released in a box set called Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die! - The TV Special Edition in November 2015. The box set contains previously unreleased tracks and outtakes of songs from the album remixed by Steven Wilson, besides an 80-page booklet telling the story of the recording and the video of the special TV show recorded in 1976 and available officially for the first time.[4]
Orchestrations by Dee Palmer.Orchestra conducted by Dee Palmer.
| Chart (1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[5] | 25 |
| Danish Albums (Tracklisten[6] | 10 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[7] | 26 |