This album was summarily dismissed by reviewers, who universally invoked their handbooks of hackneyed "critic speak." Cop-out terms like "indulgent" and "pretentious" were bandied about, employing the popular critic's method of simply discrediting an album due to its concurrent release with the arrival of punk-rock- - as if that were an intellectually sound critique given the virtually unrelated style of
Jethro Tull
's music. The main knock on this album is the ill-conceived concept involving an aging rock star. That is a valid observation, but what rock concept albums are deserving of literary accolades? Precious few, if any. Lyrical themes notwithstanding,
Too Old to Rock 'N' Roll
is a fine collection of independent rock songs that marked a return to the classic
Tull
style carved out on
Aqualung
and
Benefit
. Absent here are the muddled epic-length pieces synonymous with
Thick As a Brick
A Passion Play
, the pop leanings of
War Child
, and the complexity of
Minstrel in the Gallery
. So despite being the target of disparaging reviews, this album achieved modest chart success and boasted several quality rockers like
"Quizz Kid,"
"Taxi Grab,"
"Big Dipper."
Martin Barre
's unheralded lead guitar style remains a force, rescuing a couple of tracks from the doldrums.
David Palmer
's orchestral arrangements are, at times, a bit overblown but this album is far from the colossal disaster it's been portrayed as.
's third bassist
John Glascock
made his debut on this record, and
Maddy Prior
makes a guest appearance on the title track. [In October of 2002, EMI issued a remastered and expanded edition of this album, with killer sound and a pair of pleasantly folky, albeit unambitious bonus tracks from the same sessions,
"A Small Cigar"
"Strip Cartoon"
-- the latter is especially cheerful and will especially please guitar buffs with its mix of Anderson's glittering acoustic guitar and
's crunchy electric lead playing.] ~ Dave Sleger