An introduction to
"A Minstrel In The Gallery"
The successful Warchild tour of 1975 was
briefly interrupted for two months to record 'The
Minstrel In The Gallery'. It was recorded in Monte Carlo
in the band's newly purchased mobile studio. According to
Rees (1; 68) the songs were written by Ian Anderson
around Chrismas 1975 during a month of isolation, in
contradistinction to all previous Tull albums. He had
given up his appartment in Baker Street to live in hotels
for about a year, where he felt he could be more
productive as a songwriter. Ian recalls that
"Technically, it was a very good album, one of the
better ones. We managed to get a great sound, having had
the luxury of being able to set up the studio exactly the
way we wanted it. But again, it's a bit humourless, a bit
too introverted. It didn't have the input from the band
that the three previous albums had. I think the band was
suffering at the time of 'Minstrel' (...) The band was
still playing well, but it lacked real harmony" (1;
68-69).
We have seen how with 'Warchild' Ian
Anderson continued to elaborate his ideas on human
nature. On this album however, 'Minstrel In The Gallery',
we see the wit who has slyly commented upon modern
society and human nature turned on itself. The resulting
material was a wonderful, versatile collection of deeply
personal reflections, of anger and sadness. At the time
he was divorcing his first wife Jennie. Anderson has
remarked that he thought the album became "too
introspective". The mood of the album is captured
quite well by a photo on the album's inner sleeve. It
shows Anderson seated with his guitar on a balconey.
Because the photo was taken at a low angle, the railing
looks like prison bars. Anderson himself looks quite
drained and somber with bags under his eyes.
In spite of Ian's recollections and
self-critique the album received a warm welcome by the
fans, regarding it as one of the finest Tull-albums. It
seems that the different types of Tull-fans were catered
for, since the album contained rocksongs, acoustic songs,
classical elements (David Palmer's string arrangements)
and Ian's famous mix of rock and acoustics within songs
like 'Black Satin Dancer' and the title track. It even
contained a mini-concept in the tradition of 'Thick As A
Brick' and 'A Passion Play': 'Baker Street Muse'! And for
the poetry-lovers among the fans: once again refractory
and imaginative lyrics were offered, as well as tender
and simple ones ('Mother England', 'Requiem', 'Grace').
*
John Benninghouse, Jan Voorbij
The UK single 'Minstrel In The
Gallery/Summerday Sands', released in September 1975.
Annotations
Minstrel In The Gallery
In the title track Anderson seems to
be refering to himself as a minstrel who plies
his trade in recording studions and theaters
rather than in courts of kings. Even if the
critics didn't care for him and his music, the
loyalty of the fans has been unswerving:
"Then he called
the band down to the stage
and he
looked at all the friends he'd made."
* John Benninghouse
It's interesting to see how Ian
describes in this song what a minstrel is
actually doing in performing his art and what it
does to himself in the end. At the start of his
performance the minstrel looks down upon his
audience, looks them in their eyes, observes them
and gauges the atmosphere. Then he chooses a
suitable song full of humour, critique and
innuendoes. He waits to make sure it has effect
on the audience and watches how it takes place.
Then the effect is worded in: "he polarized (...),he titillated (...),
he
pacified (...)".
The minstrel not only looks down in a
literal sense (being on stage). In fact he does
not like what he sees at all: the description of
people in his audience, both their behaviour and
the condition they are in, is far from
flattering: old men's cackle (...),
factory-cheatres salaried and collar-scrubbing
(...), hands still rubbing on the parts they
never mention (...), overfed (...), family-scared
and women-haters, etc.
Once he becomes aware of this, he realizes that
he in fact does not differ from them in any way. Now that is
has become clear that he is no better or worse,
it is not up to him to criticize: "And he threw away his
looking-glass, saw his face in everyone".
Since this album is so introvert, I wonder if
this portrays Ian's reflections on his art, his
stage personae, his severe criticizing lyrics of
the previous three albums and the Château
d'Isastre tapes. Is there a glimpse of feelings
of uncertainty (partly caused by being subdued to
severe hammering himself for e.g. 'A Passion
Play'), of being confused as how to go on and
give new form, meaning and content to his art?
* Jan Voorbij
The album and track title is a
literal reference to the recording location. The
studio was placed in a gallery, as pictured on
the back of the album. In a literally sense the
band members were 'minstrels
in the gallery'. Since
Anderson did all the songwriting and recorded
most of the album, there is a singular minstrel
in the title. It seems that Ian for the next tour
exchanged his court jester stage persona for that
of the minstrel.
* Jan Voorbij
Cold Wind To Valhalla
The song contains several pagan
connotations and offers a foretaste of things to
come on later albums.In this case Ian derives
elements from Norse/Germanic mythology. The Valhalla was the
elysium of heroes, fallen in battle. The souls of
these heroes were collected and brought to the
Valhalla by the Valkyries, which in
Old Norse means 'chooser of slain'. These
Valkyries (compare the German Walküre) were
war-godesses and "Thor's
trusty hand-maidens", who under
his command directed the battles and selected the
warriors, who were to fall in battle. Thor was
the god of thunder, the son of Odin (Wodan) - the
main god of the Germanic nations - and his wife
Frigga. The verse lines "We're
getting a bit short on heroes lately" (and) "Valkyrie maidens ride
empty handed on the cold wind to Valhalla" might
contain a bit of Ian's tongue in cheek criticism:
are they returning empty handed because there are
no more true heroes to be found?
* Jan Voorbij
Black Satin Dancer
After 'Cold Wind To Valhalla' come
three songs that, however obliquely, express
Ian's troubled life. 'Black Satin Dancer' would
seem to be a tribute to his ex wife and the
better days they shared. In it is a line that
seems quite familiar: compare "In all your giving, given
is the answer" of this
song to "and it's only the giving
that makes you what you are" from
'Wond'ring Aloud'.
* John Benninghouse
It has been suggested
(unfortunately, I forget where, and by whom) that
this song is about a couple's last sexual
contact. Intellectually, and in their daily
lives, they have moved on, and in the morning,
they will separate forever, but they can satisfy
their physical and deeper emotional needs just
once more. The relationship is over; should they
be doing this?: "...
shedding right unreason". They are
isolating what they know to be realistic and
sensible ('...life...') from what they
want on a more basic level ('... limb...').
In addition to the sexual imagery, there are
undertones of desperation ('tearing...
begging... fly... fleeting... mercy...
desperate...') to capture this last
shared enjoyment and make the most of every
moment: "Bending
the minutes, the hours ever turning". In doing
so, they see each other anew, and appreciate what
they're losing: "...and
looking sweeter than the brightest flower in my
garden."
In a sense, they don't want the night to end and
everyday, practical concerns to intrude again,
but time presses on: "Over sensation fly the
fleeting seasons... the hours ever
turning...". The
penultimate line (really the last, as that is a
paraphrase of the first), perhaps returns the
abstract concept back to Ian's own situation: "Your fast river flowing,
your northern fire fed.": Jennie is
(a southerner, from London) life had moved on and
her need for Ian (the northerner) was no more.
The line "Thin
wind whispering on broken mandolin"
encapsulates the whole song for me; the
relationship may be broken, but there's still
some music in it. To this point, the song is a
wistful, semi-acoustic piece, but following the
line "Come, black satin
dancer, come softly to bed". Martin's
guitar takes over, and the music builds to a
climax - in both senses of the word.
* Neil R. Thomasson
Requiem
- By
the time this album was recorded Ian was going
through divorce. He and his first wife Jennie
broke up. This beautiful acoustic song is a
requiem for a relation that came to an end. In
the first verse he draws images from nature as
metaphores to describe how tender, vulnerable
creatures cannot cope with 'nature's violence'.
Both the blown away bird and the sun
burned butterfly symbolize the tender
relation that could not sustain life's pressure.
The second verse describes the definite parting
and the grief that goes with it - masterfully
worded between the lines. The last
verseline "Well I saw a bird today, I
looked aside and walked away along the
Strand" is a reprise, but
here the bird stands for another woman he meets.
He keeps his distance, afraid to get hurt again ("it's
the same old story").
The "Strand"
is a shopping street in London.
* Jan Voorbij
- This
was published in A New Day # 50 (August/September
1995): Ian's hand-written first draft of
'Requiem'. Possibly the only song we'll ever see
in its formative stages, and a nice insight into
the writing process. Transcribed below --
words in [square brackets] are ones that have
been crossed-out.
'O' Requiem
Well I saw a leaf today
falling from a bush
And the wind blew it away.
And the black-eyed mother sun
Scorched it where it lay, velvet-veined.
I saw it burn
So the silver sad-lined cloud
Wept as she spun her misty shroud
And sharing in the afternoon, we sang O Requiem
Well I saw a child today, crying
near the station
In Camden town
And I heard the piper play, on a hill not far
away
had no change -- gave him a pound.
So the rain-blown wintry bird flew on the music
that he heard
And soaring in the afternoon he sang O Requiem.
Well my lady told me stay, I looked aside and
walked away
Along the Strand.
But I didn't hear a word and the train timetable
blurred
Close behind the taxi stand.
Saw her [throw open] the tear-drop black
cab [door]
face in window
[And taking my time I walked some more]
fading into the traffic -- watched her go
And glaring in the morning heard myself singing
O Requiem -- here I go again -- it's the same old
story
that old gold story
Interesting to see that he used 'that old
gold story' in Black Satin Dancer. This
phrase isn't crossed out on the manuscript, just
added below - perhaps as a possible option. It
looks like he has a good eye for the dud lines as
well - the 'sad-lined cloud/misty shroud' (a
'weeping cloud' is an example of the Pathetic
Fallacy in poetry - the notion that Nature is
expressing human emotions or sympathising with
our own. 'Pathetic' as in pathos - milking the
scene for emotion). Nice to see 'And taking
my time I walked some more' was axed as
well! It falls rather flat.
In both cases the final version is a significant
improvement. That's the process - weeding out the
dead-wood, keeping the original feeling, and
abandoning whole verses even though they work
well . . . perhaps to maintain the focus of the
song, or maybe a similar image was used
elsewhere. Maybe to avoid the associations of
'paying the piper'? Could be a number of
reasons. Not enough playing time available
on Side One even :-)
* Andy Jackson
-
... and the US release of the same
single. Note the misspeling of 'Summerday Sands".
One White Duck / 0/10 = Nothing At
All
- A
traditional wall ornament in northern England
is/was a set of three porcelain flying ducks,
each smaller than the last. They tend to signify
a well-established, settled household. If only
one remains, "one
white duck on your wall", the
suggestion is that the household or marriage is
has broken up; hence this song. Whether the
white duck is the only duck left, or the pale
outline where a duck has been removed from the
wall, is something to consider.
* Neil R.Thomason
- I
have always associated the verseline "So fly away, Peter, and
fly away, Paul" with a
song by Peter, Paul and Mary from around 1970:
"I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when
I'll be back again", which expresses similar
feelings.
* Jan Voorbij
- One
white duck: 'Fly away Peter and fly away Paul
from the fingertip ledge of contentment': This is
indeed a game or very simple 'magic' trick which
my mother used to play with me when I was VERY
young. It works like this: the adult fixes a
piece of paper to the tip of each of their index
fingers, and holds these against a ledge -
usually the edge of the table - so only the tips
of the fingers are seen by the child. Then the
adult says: "Two little dickie birds sitting
on a wall. One named Peter, One named Paul".
The adult then lifts their hands up to their head
one at a time and brings them back with the
middle finger visible, saying "Fly away
Peter, Fly away Paul". This creates the
illusion the pieces of paper have disappeared.
The adult then reverses the process, saying
"Come back Peter, come back Paul".
* Julian Burnell
Baker Street Muse
- The
self-deprecating elements in the lyrics of 'One
White Duck' tend to spill over in the song at
hand, which in fact is a collection of connected
songs, a 16 minute mini-epic. According to Rees,
the song suite was based on Ian's time spent
living in the Baker Street area of London, with
several allusions to his pursuit of a lady, Shona
Learoyd, who later became his wife (1; 69). We
see here how Ian picks all kinds of images and
impressions from what he sees in the streets and
uses them to express or illustrate his own
emotional condition, in a picturesque way that
reminds us of the imagery of 'Mother Goose' and
other songs from the 'Aqualung' album.
* Jan Voorbij
- Neil
Thomason came up with some additional information
on the imagery used in this song:
"I'll be your
headline, if you catch me another time": As a rock
star, Anderson is usually the subject of
newspaper articles, but this time, he's an
anonymous observer.
"Pig-Me And The
Whore": Pig-Me" implies a
small man (pygmy), but also something animalistic
('pig') and self-centred ('me').
"Vernacular,
verbose: an attempt at getting close to where he
came from": Meaning:
trying to get into her womb. The two v-words (
vernacular, verbose) imply a third: vagina.
"In the doorway of
the stars between Blandfor Street and
Mars...": Could be
anywhere; the precose location isn't important,
as the scene is repeated all over the world.
Incidentally, Blandford Street is in Soho, the
area of London associated with sex-shops and
strippers.
"Pulls his eyes
over her wool":
Rephrasing 'puuling the wool over his eyes'(i.e.
deceiving him) to add a second meaning.
"On a double
yellow line": In
Britain, a yellow line along the side of the road
indicates no parking during office hours. A
double yellow line denotes no parking at any
time.
"... his poisoned
regret": which could also be
understood as 'his poise and regret'.
"Oh officer, let
me send her to a cheap hotel": In this
verselines an the next ones, the narrator's one
attempt to involve himself in the situation is
rebutted, so he returns to passively watching.
"I have no wish
for wishing wells or wishing bones": If
'wishing bones'are dice, the line means that the
narrator doesn't rely on luck or chance.
"I can't get out!
": For all of the song, the
narrator is a neutral observer of human life,
standing outside the events he witnessed in his
walk around London. In the end, however, he finds
he is part of the scene himself, and can't hold
himself aloof.
* Neil R.Thomason
-
- You say "Blandford
Street is in Soho, the area of London associated with sex-shops
and strippers." and in fact, it joins Baker St and Gloucester
Place, and is just South of Baker St tube station. I used to live
there, and had many a good curry in Blandford Street.
- *Paul Bradforth
-
- "Dress
to the left divulging": an
English expression, now not much used, but once
upon a time posh tailors would ask 'which side
does Sir dress?' when they were measuring you for
a pair of trousers. This
was a polite way of asking which side your penis
hung when you were dressed. Most men apparently
tend to 'dress to the left', supposedly because
most men are right-handed. The line suggests
a prominent erection.
"There was a little boy
stood on a burning log (...)or did you light this
fire under me?": is an
obvious reference to Felicia Hemans' poem
'Casablanca', which tells the story of
Casablanca, the 13 year-old son of Vice-Admiral
Brueys, commander of the French fleet at the
Battle of the Nile in 1798. Casablanca is
pictured nobly standing at his post as the
flagship, L'Orient, burns underneath him. All his
shipmates have abandoned ship and he calls to his
father to relieve him of his duty and allow him
to follow them, but his father is dying and
doesn't answer. Eventually, the powder magazine
on the ship blows up, taking Casablanca with
it. This seems to our eyes a monumentally
stupid and pointless way to die, but for
generations of young British manhood it was held
up as a supreme example of devotion to
duty and patriotism, the mindlessness of which is
what Ian attacks in these lines.
* Julian Burnell
Grace
- Here
are Ian's comments about 'Grace', from
'Mintrel In The Gallery': "My big private
goal, my actual composing ideal, is to write a
30-second piece that just totally evokes
something. Everyone will say, 'I know just
what he means.' That's my sort of private
thing. I don't get caught up in that too
often, just once in a while. There's a song
on 'Minstrel In The Gallery' called
'Grace'. It's just a 40-second
piece. I literally woke up one morning and
looked out the window and just sang words that
perfectly evoked for me a feeling, and put it to
a sort of quartet arrangement for strings. For me
it evoked something that I think countless people
will sort of share in and understand. The only
twist is in the words:
"Hello sun,
Hello bird,
Hello my lady
Hello breakfast,"
and the next line: "May
I buy you again tomorrow?" And 'May I
buy you' is so ambiguous, whether it applies to
the $2.50 breakfast at the airport or the whole
thing. I mean, we all pay for this in one way or
another. That ambiguity is a consciously put-in
thing, but it's not something that anybody will
really pick up on, though some people obviously
will. The last line doesn't even need to be
there for most people. It's there as an extra
twist, an amusement. It's there if you happen to
feel, like I do, a certain cynicism about all
your pleasures in life. Because I wake up
some mornings and the sun is shining and the
birds are twittering and I feel like going out
and strangling the little bastards."
* Neil R.Thomason (from
"The Codpiece Chronicles", March 11,
1976) 1.
-
Works
cited:
1. David Rees: Minstrels In The Gallery, A History Of
Jethro Tull, Wembley, UK, 1998;
2.John Benninghouse: Songs From The Wood, The music and
lyrics of Ian Anderson", 1994.
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Introduction 