Jethro Tull: The devil is in the details!

Earlier this year we very enthusiastic told about the old British prog veterans Jethro Tull announced details for the group’s first studio album of new material in over 18 years! The album Zealot Gene, will see a January 28th, 2022 release on Inside Out Music.

To give Tull fans their first taste of the new record, the group has released the first single from the album, titled Shoshana Sleeping, accompanied by a stunning visual created by Thomas Hicks. When I first listen to Shoshana Sleeping I was impressed, and after repeated listening I`m even more impressed. All the dear Tull trademarks are there, but with a fresh a new twist as a bonus.

The devil is in the details! The devil is in the details is an idiom alluding to a catch or mysterious element hidden in the details: something might seem simple at a first look but will take more time and effort to complete than expected.

With more than 30 albums to their credit and sales totaling more than 50 million, Jethro Tull are one of the most successful rock bands of all-time with a catalog that contains classics that still resonate today. Led by Ian Anderson, Tull still continue to tour throughout the world, entertaining audiences of all ages.

The band currently consists of:

Ian Anderson – Flute, acoustic guitar, harmonica, vocals

Joe Parrish-James – Guitar

Florian Opahle – Guitar (album only)

Scott Hammond – Drums

John O’Hara – Piano, keyboards and accordion

David Goodier – Bass guitar

The new  record began to take shape as early as 2017,The Zealot Gene, in many ways, seeks to defy convention during a time when the business of being a touring and recording artist has never faced more uncertainties. Tull bandleader Ian Anderson holds no reservations about the role for which the mythos and themes of Biblical storytelling played in the lyrical content of the new album, saying:

«While I have a spot of genuine fondness for the pomp and fairytale story-telling of the Holy Book, I still feel the need to question and draw sometimes unholy parallels from the text. The good, the bad, and the downright ugly rear their heads throughout, but are punctuated with elements of love, respect, and tenderness».

Looking back on the earth-shaking disruption of the Coronavirus pandemic, which ultimately ended the band’s touring plans and hopes of a 2020 release for The Zealot Gene, Anderson shares, «It was so sudden. Amidst the concerns and warnings of the scientific community and a few more enlightened politicians, we all retreated in disbelief to our homes to wait out the storm».

The Zealot Gene will be offered in the following formats:

–    Special Edition Digipak CD

–    Gatefold 2LP+CD+LP-booklet

–    Limited 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook

–    Limited Deluxe 3LP+2CD+Blu-ray Artbook

Both art book editions feature a second CD of demos and initial ideas, plus extended liner notes and an interview with Ian Anderson undertaken by Tim Bowness Mo-Man).

The Zealot Gene track listing:

1. Mrs. Tibbets (5:54)

2. Jacob’s Tales (2:13)

3. Mine Is The Mountain (5:40)

4. The Zealot Gene (3:54)

5. Shoshana Sleeping (3:41)

6. Sad City Sisters (3:40)

7. Barren Beth, Wild Desert John (3:37)

8. The Betrayal Of Joshua Kynde (4:06)

9. Where Did Saturday Go? (3:53)

10. Three Loves, Three (3:30)

11. In Brief Visitation (3:00)

12. The Fisherman Of Ephesus (3:41)

Jethro Tull was founded in Blackpool, UK in 1967 – Hiatus from 2012-2016.

«I didn`t have to play it all the time, I just had to wave it around and look good» – Ian Anderson 2003.

Eccentric on stage yet rather thoughtful, reserved and even sombre at times when not in the limelight, the Jethro Tull image was the brainchild of flute wielding frontman Ian Anderson. Clad in scruffy vagabond apparel, and looking more like an anachronism out of a Charles Dickens tale, Anderson conveyed an old English aura during the band`s formative years in the late 60`s and early 70`s which would persist throughout the band’s soon 55 year career both visually and musically.

Jetrho Tull, music news, England, Ian Anderson, Thomas Hicks, InsideOutMusic, Joe Parrish-James, Florian Opahle, Scott Hammond, Tim Bowness, Mo-Man, John O’Hara, David Goodier,

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Jethro Tull – The Zealot Gene