01	A Passion Play						21:35
	02	The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles						23:30
	03	First Post (bonus track)						01:54
	04	Animelee (bonus track)						01:40
	05	Tiger Toon (bonus track)						01:35
	06	Look At The Animals (bonus track)						05:09
	07	Law On The Bangle (bonus track)						02:31

Ian Anderson - Martin Barre - John Evan - Jeffrey Hammon-Hammond - Barriemore Barlow

~ A Passion Play ~

An introduction to "A Passion Play"

In 1972 Jethro Tull went to France to record the follow-up to 'Thick As A Brick' at the Chateau d'Herouville studios, where in those days David Bowie, Elton John, Brian Eno and Pink Floyd also recorded. After working for months on a new double album, Ian called the sessions off, being unsatisfied with the way the recorded tracks sounded. The album was never completed. Some musical ideas and bits of lyrics were recycled for 'A Passion Play'. (Only two songs from these sessions appeared two years later on the 'Warchild' album. About fifty minutes of these so called 'Chateau d'Isaster' tapes were released on 'Nightcap' in 1993).

In the 17 days, that were left before the next US-tour would start, Jethro Tull in 1973 recorded and released their most disputed and controversial album: 'A Passion Play'. Anderson has been quoted as saying that that album is about the dichotomy of good and evil. It is an exceedingly complicated album to understand: music and lyrics ask a real effort from the listener. The music is so complex because - though presented as one long piece of music - the album consists of a series different, rather laboured, artificial pieces. The lyrics are difficult to interpret as Ian uses imagery from c.q. seems to refer to classic literature like Dante's Inferno and the Book Of Revelation from the New Testament. Like 'Thick As A Brick' this is a concept-album.

The lyrics tell the story one Ronnie Pilgrim who dies, experiences judgement and afterlife - visits heaven and hell - and then is reborn (reincarnation?). 'A Passion Play' is a passion play: only here not Christ is the principle person, but modern man, who as a pilgrim in a complex society steers a course between good and evil as a "voyager into life". Like a real medieval play, the story consist of several acts:
Act 1: Ronnie Pilgrim's Funeral: a winter's morning in the cemetery
Act 2: The Memory Bank: a small but comfortable theatre with a cinema-screen (the next morning)
Act 3: The business office of G. Oddie & Son (two days later)
Act 4: Magus Perde's drawing room at midnight

He meets up with Peter Dejour or Peter of the Day or St. Peter of the day. Then he is led to a movie theater where he is shown his life. Since the album is presented as a play complete with a program, we have an interval: The Story Of The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles. After the interval, the play resumes in the business office of G. Oddie and Son or God. From there Ronnie goes to Hell and meets Lucifer and finally Magus Perde in his drawing room. The album ends with Ronnie Pilgrim facing impending rebirth/reincarnation.

So what does this all have to do with good and evil? Well, we see that both God and Lucifer are present. So our character Ronnie would seem to be a metaphor for humanity. He steers a course between good and evil. He accepts neither God nor Lucifer: "Here's the everlasting rub: neither am I good nor bad I'd give up my halo for a horn and the horn for the hat I once had." Man is neither wholly good nor wholly bad but both at once. This human paradox informs all of our lives. The three previous albums were critiques of modern society. This album mostly avoids this (although God has a business office!) in favor of an extended commentary on one aspect of human nature.

When Anderson was asked in a radio interview in 1979 what A Passion Play was all about, he explained: "It's about . . the notion of what might happen to you when you die, and the idea that rather than just sort of be allotted a place in a notional heaven or hell one still had to make a choice, still had to work on towards other levels of post- death options, you know -- you were still able to make choices and do one thing or the other in a post-death experience -- a bit sort of Buddhist in philosophy, I suppose. Anyway, that's what it was about, but deliberately couched in fairly abstract terms and a lot of verbal imagery that I wanted there because I didn't . . . I wanted people to listen to it and form their own conclusions about what I was saying . . . or what I might be saying . . . ."

Although the album would eventually chart at #1 in the U.S., critics lambasted it and the band. This resulted in the announcement that they would stop touring and relations with the press were cut off. This situation lasted only a short time but the rift that developed between the band and the press has never been bridged since. But it was not the press alone who could not cope with Ian's ingenuity: I want to state that is has been this album that divided even the core of Tull-fans. For many fans of the early days, who would stick more to the blues and rock idiom, this album just was too much, as it transcended the musical and lyrical conventions of rock.
* Jan Voorbij & "Songs from the wood : the music and lyrics of Ian Anderson" (1994 - John Benninghouse).


Annotations


A Passion Play
A passion play (or passionate play) is a non liturgical drama depicting the life of Jesus Christ (especially the crucifixion, the death, the resurrection). They were popular in the 15th century, before the Renaissance - and they could require three days for performing, but are still performed today. Bach - of whom Ian is fond of - wrote Passion Music - the liturgical counterparts of the Passion Plays: two Passions (St. John Passion, and St. Matthew Passion) which were the central part of the liturgy for the Holy Week. They consist of recitatives, arias, polyphonic choirs ("All the old familiar choruses come crowding in a different key: Melodies decaying in sweet dissonance."), and there are various characters who represent the 12, Mary, Jesus etc. I remember that at that time there was a problem - whether Jesus should be a bass, or a tenor. Eventually, in Bach's music Jesus was a tenor. Every ten years, in Oberammergau, Germany, the most traditional passion play is presented. This tradition goes back to the year 1634.The lyrics could have been taken out of the gospels - as Bach did - or written by various poets.
Ian may have thought of writing a modern Passion, in which Christ could be the modern man. (think of what James Joyce did with Ulysses). C.G.Jung said that Jesus is an archetypal every one of us has inside of him/her and that may be what Ian though of. But I really don't know what's the connection between Jethro Tull's album and that time's music. It's right religion is considered and you hear all kind of biblical references. Until I have discovered this history of Passions - I've considered "A Passion Play" a kind of an ode to the Passionate man - to the one that is really enthusiastic about something. Etymologically, enthusiasm means "having the god into the worshipper" - so here we come to religion again. Well - I think that you can happily enjoy "A Passion Play" without so many references to Jung's psychology, James Joyce, history or who knows what other cultural stuff - but I think this kind of looking to the things makes Ian Anderson the modern artist - in the classic sense of the word - the one that integrates the cultural history in the present day.
* Victor Ciofoaia, Joao Viegas (SCC volume 9 nr. 14, 3/30/1998)


"I go escorted by a band of gentlemen in leather bound"
I'm pretty sure Ronnie is on his own, but carrying a Bible. Beautiful phrasing! The angel has directed him to the viewing room, but he crosses the icy wastes to get there. 'Icy wastes' conjures up a bleak, lonely image in my mind. The line immediately following '...band of gentlemen...' might be in intentional reinforcement of the riddle - a band of gentlemen, but NO-ONE? A very Anderson concept!
* Neil Thomason
The Silver Cord
Traditional in the language of out-of-body experiences, whether induced by hypnosis or by near-death experience, is the silver cord that binds the soul to the flesh.
Over the Hill
Two possible readings of this line are: The hill in question is Calvary. The hill is an elfmound. Interestingly enough, both these hills are crowned with "trees", the one with the Rood (as it was called in Medieval times; the Cross), the other with the blackthorn tree of Faerie. The more obvious reference is that you can't get much more "over the hill" (ie, old) than being dead.
Fulham Road
A long street in London, running from near Putney Bridge to South Kensington. Maison Rouge Recording Studios, where the band occasionally recorded, is at 2 Wansdowne Pl., Fulham.
A sweetly-scented angel
Possibly a reference to the angelic Beatrice, who appears in Dante's Divina Commedia, first to the poet Vergil in Inferno, to encourage him to rescue Dante (Canto 2, Terzettas 54-117), then later to Dante himself.
Icy Wastes
This line refers to Canto 32, Terzettas 21-72, of Dante's Inferno. In the lowest circle of Hell, Dante finds those who had been traitors in life, consigned to suffer in a lake of solid ice up to their necks.
The old dog
From Dante's Inferno (John Ciardi's translation): "Here monstrous Cerberus, the ravening beast, howls through his triple throats like a mad dog over the spirits sunk in that foul paste. ... And they, too, howl like dogs in the freezing storm, turning and turning from it as if they thought one naked side could keep the other warm."
* Leigh-Ann Hussey (The Annotated Passion Play)

I'd also like to suggest a second interpretation for "the old dog". Though you equated it with Cerebus, I think a simpler reference might be meant: perhaps to the superstition that hearing a dog howl foretells death.
* Christine Hoff


The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles
Within A Passion Play, this fable-like story has the function of relativizing everything and preventing it from getting too serious. I think the drift of the story is "much ado about nothing" and contains a mild criticism on people who meddle with of kinds of things that are not there business at all, while in the mean time they neglect the things that really matter in the end.
* Jan Voorbij
The cynical absurdism of the piece is in keeping with the cynical and absurd tone of the majority of the lyrics. It functions as a bridge between the two "movements" of A Passion Play, like the wind & bell/gong-like sounds at the center of 'Thick As A Brick'. It is a lampooning of "children's" cherished orchestral pieces like Prokofiev's 'Peter and the Wolf'. At the same time, the whole album can be viewed as a lampooning of traditional christian thought on life, death and morality. Both 'Thick As Brick' and 'A Passion Play' can be seen as attempts to deflate societal and institutionalized pomposity and irrational conservatism. The jabs seemed aimed more specifically at British culture than any other. It can be viewed as "flashback" or metaphorical review of the life of the afterlife-traveler, the "moral" being that what the society around the traveler found of utmost importance was really inconsequential. It deals with the theme of alienation from the surrounding society due to an irreconcilable difference in moral perspectives. This particular type of alienation is explored extensively throughout both TAAB and APP. It is the most traditionally "western" of any of the music on APP. The afterlife is depicted musically with pagan and folk overtones, while this possible "flashback" is depicted with music of the "establishment". This further highlights the contrast between the conflicting moralities, expectations, realities, and priorities of the dominant society vs. the alienated individual.
* Jay Thomas
D.A. Scocca points out all the animal puns lurking in "The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles". "_Bee_ wanted to help.... answer _BE_gan..." "all the time _Owl_ had been sitting on the fence sc_OWL_ing" "You _CAN, GURU_, you can!" "Newt _KNEW T_oo much to be stopped..." A lot of these are lost on the reader who hasn't actually heard the recording; Jeffrey Hammond's narrative style makes the puns really obvious.
* Leigh-Ann Hussey (The Annotated Passion Play)



"Kentish Town, love-hungry pilgrims, no bodies to feed..."
Robert Pahre suggests that " 'Kentish town' is a reference to Canterbury, seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury." Canterbury has been a city of pilgrimage since Thomas a Beckett was killed there in the 11th century. Some kind of pilgrims turn up here: "... a new breed of love-hungry pilgrims". These pilgrims don't have to be fed anymore, since they are dead: "no bodies to feed" might refer to the fact that in the middle ages pilgrims received free meals in the monastries during their stay and a place to sleep. Neil R. Thomason and Thomas Birch point out that Kentish Town is in fact the name of a district of London, near Camden. We might have to do here with one of Ian's double 'entendres'.
* Jan Voorbij
"Pick up thy bed and rise...."
Referring to the Bible-verse, John 5:8:" Jesus saith unto him, rise, take up they bed, and walk".
"Fell with mine angels..."
Possibly from the first chapter of Milton's "Paradise Lost":

"Th' infernal Serpent; he it was, whose guile
Stird up with Envy and Revenge, deceiv'd
The Mother of Mankinde, what time his Pride
Had cast him out from Heav'n, with all his Host
Of Rebel Angels, by whose aid aspiring
To set himself in Glory above his Peers,
He trusted to have equal'd the most High,
If he oppos'd; and with ambitious aim
Against the Throne and Monarchy of God
Rais'd impious War in Heav'n and Battel proud
With vain attempt. Him the Almighty Power
Hurld headlong flaming from th' Ethereal Skie
With hideous ruine and combustion down
To bottomless perdition, there to dwell
In Adamantine Chains and penal Fire,
Who durst defie th' Omnipotent to Arms."

"Icy Lucifer"
Another Dante reference, this time from Canto 34, Terzetta 30 (Longfellow's translation):
"The Emperor of the kingdom dolorous
From his mid-breast forth issued from the ice... "

"Lord of the Flies"
Referring to Beelzebub, one of 'the fallen angels'. Beelzebub literally means "the lord of the flies" in Hebrew.
* Leigh-Ann Hussey (The Annotated Passion Play)


"Pick me up at half past none ....."
From this verse-line up to "I'd stay but my wings have just dropped off." there are two possible references, but I am not sure which one is right. One might be referring to dying, the other might be - once again - a biblical one referring to 'resurrection on the youngest day'."Half past none" suggests the end of time, the moment when we are supposed to be"picked up", according to John in chapter 20. The train is symbolic for the life we have lived full of rush and hurry, our own personal passion play; 'the old shoes on the platform' possibly stand for everything we leave behind when dying: our earthly life, our history and our body. But departing without shoes also suggests a kind of nakedness, vulnerabilty perhaps. All that is left of us is the nucleus of what and who we essentially are. That part of us travels further. In the context of the verses that follow I tend to assume that the second reference might be correct, though the line "I'd stay but my wings have just dropped off" pleas in favour of the first one.
* Jan Voorbij
"Magus Perde"
Magus (1) -i, m. a learned Persian, a magician; magus (2) -a -um, magical. Magus Perde is a medieval latin term that translates roughly into 'Supreme Magician' or ' extreme magician'. I cannot tell you its origin however, I have two ideas - either it was a church term for the devil or it is an alchemical term for god, or both.
* Reddred
In Antiquity and during the middle ages there was the common notion among intellectuals, that wizards, magicians etc. stemmed from Persia, in fact from Babylon. These magicians originally had a religious, priest-like function in the society of the old Babylon, reading the stars, explaining the will of the gods, telling fortune, excercising black magic, alchemy, medicine and mathematics. "Loose a wish to still the rain, the storm about to be" : they were supposed to have contact with and have partly power over supernatural forces and could influence the course of ones life, the weather, and were therefore consulted by kings and magistrats. There is a connection between these magicians, gnosticism and alchemy (including witchcraft). And as gnosticism and alchemy were by the official church considered as the works of the devil these people were often protrayed as a devil and persecuted. It is very well possible, that in the context of A Passion Play this Magus Perde-figure stands for the devil. Via Leigh-Ann Hussey I found this striking tarot-card with an image of the devil, who with his chain keeps men and women emprisoned: "Magus Perde, take your hand from of the chain":
* Jan Voorbij



After the Norman invasion of Britain in 1066 and the subsequent crowning of William the Conqueror, French became the official language of the Court and of learned discourse. One of the common oaths to enter into early English literature was the French 'per Dieux', meaning 'by God', with this example taken from Chaucer's poem 'Trolius and Criseyde' (c.1384):

"I have herd told, perdieux, of youre lyuynge,
ye loueres, and youre lewd obseruances . . ."

In the same poem, Chaucer also gives the phrase in its shortened form (a later example of this linguistic habit can be seen in the use of the exclamation 'Zounds!' rather than the original 'God's wounds!') --

"And yet thow hast this comfort, lo, perde . . "

As an abbreviation rather than a proper word, variants in spelling were common: 'perdee', 'pardy', 'perdi', 'parde'.

The mediaeval English mystery plays, which date from this same period, also contain many examples of the word. These mystery plays were originally oral dramas performed by different tradesmen within the towns and villages in order to enact popular Bible stories in the common tongue. The plays of York, Chester and Towneley provide the best surviving examples, ranging from the Creation right through to Judgement Day. This body of early English literature is also the source of what are now referred to as Passion Plays, the ritual drama of Christ's arrest, trial, crucifixion, harrowing of Hell, and final resurrection.

Here is an example from the Towneley play of Noah:

"UXOR:
Behald!
It is of an olif tre
A branch, thynkys me.

NOE:
It is soth, perde,
Right so is it cald."

The mystery plays were all heavily rhymed, and also extremely limited in their rhymes. From this example it is clear how 'perde' was pronounced: rhyming with 'tre' (tree) and 'me'. In mediaeval English however, the word 'tree' sounded much like 'tray', and 'me' similar to 'may'.

Modern editors of these mystery plays tend to indicate the correct pronunciation of 'perde' by adding an acute accent over the final 'e' -- perde. My guess is that Ian was doing some background reading into the original Passion Plays of 14th century England, and caught sight of this strange word 'perde' in the text. Looking to the footnotes or to the glossary, he would have found it translated as 'by God'.

My own edition of the English mystery plays (ed. Peter Happe, Penguin Books, 1975) gives the word no accent, leaving it as it was originally written. It wasn't until Lois Chadwell Cruz found this online example (line 83):
http://www.lib.rochester.edu/Camelot/teams/ragnell.htm , that the likely source of Magus Perde became clear.

As to the significance of all this, we can only guess. 'Magus' signifies either a wise philosopher or a sorcerer, which suggests a Doctor Faustus character (it may be an obvious point, but Doctor Faustus made a deal with the Devil in return for his mortal soul). If the appellation 'Perde' is to be given any significance, we may perhaps look to one of the Christian mystics such as
Meister Eckhart.
* Andy Jackson

I come from Lebanon (an Arab speaking country) and until I read your annotation of A Passion Play, I had thought that Magus Perde was a person. Then it struck me that 'magus' sounds like a word used in Arabic which roughly translates: a word of Persian origin- which signifies a sect of people who worship fire or the sun. As for the information on the sun or fire worshiping, I found that under the definition of Magus in an Arabic dictionary called 'Al Munjid' which is considered the bible of Arabic language. It also means a philosopher or wiseman. And from my own knowledge I believe that the word magus in Arabic signifies the 3 kings who come from the orient (probably Persia) to bring gifts to baby Jesus.
* Ghayya Al Amine


"Tread the knife's edge"
There is a pun on this, of course -- "tough are the souls", but this line also refers to the sword-bridge over the Abyss, the most famous instance of which is in the tale of Lancelot told by Cretien de Troyes called "Le Chevalier de la Charrete", or the Knight of the Cart. In it, Lancelot must undergo numerous humiliating ordeals before finally coming to the Pont de l'Espee, the Bridge of the Sword, which he must cross to rescue Queen Guenevere ("Ganievre" in the French), who has been kidnapped by Sir Meleagans. To cross it, he must divest himself of all but his helmet and hauberk and cross on bare hands and feet.
* Leigh-Ann Hussey (The Annotated Passion Play)
"Hail! Son of kings make the ever-dying sign...."
From this point in the lyrics Ian makes use of several elements of the visions of St. John concerning the fate of mankind and the universe, as described in the Book Of Revelation. The apocalyptical conflict between the powers of good and evil, God and the devil might be referred to in these verselines:

"...cross your fingers in the sky for those about to BE.
There am I waiting along the sand.
Cast your sweet spell upon the land and sea.
Magus Perde, take your hand from off the chain.
Loose a wish to still, the rain,
the storm about to BE. (...)
Break the circle,stretch the line, call upon the devil.
Bring the gods, the gods' own fire. In the conflict revel".
* Jan Voorbij


"The gods' own fire"
This probably refers to the Greek myth of Prometheus, but one should also bear in mind that "Lucifer" is Latin for "light-bearer".
* Leigh-Ann Hussey (The Annotated Passion Play)
"The passengers upon the ferry crossing, waiting to be born...."
I assume that here Ian refers to the river Styx, the river in Greek mythology, that parts the living from the dead and from where - once crossed - no return is possible. Only this time the dead are returning to live and cross the river once again, called awake by the reveille horn , to make their appearance for the Last Judgement, in the hope to gain eternal life ("From the dark into the ever-day"):
"renew the pledge of life's long song rise to the reveille horn.
Animals queueing at the gate thatstands upon the shore
breathe the ever-burning fire that guards the ever-door".



"Roll the stone away from the dark into the everday"
Referring to the Bible-verse, John 20:1: "Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance." (English - NIV)
* Jan Voorbij
Andy Jackson has a different view on Leigh-Ann Hussey's annotations in which she states there are references to Dante and Milton in the lyrics of A Passion Play:
"I must admit I've never really bought the idea that A Passion Play was *directly* inspired by Dante or Milton. I don't know how many people on this list have sat down to read either 'Paradise Lost' or 'The Inferno'. I read Paradise Lost at university when I was 18, and Christ it was a chore. All twelve books, over 10,000 lines. Not exactly bedtime reading. And more to the point, not part of the 'O' level curriculum (neither is Dante of course, also a similarly mind-numbing epic for the first-time reader). So you would have to assume that Ian read both of these in his spare time, at some point after finishing school, just for the hell of it . This is a guy who says he doesn't like poetry as well . . . . I just don't see it. What are supposed to be references to Milton (the fall of Lucifer seems to be the only one) are pretty much part and parcel of general knowledge. Next to the Bible, 'Paradise Lost' was usually the only book you'd find in your average Protestant household. The two went hand-in-hand, as being the 'same story'. And anyway, the story of Lucifer's fall is right there in the Bible -- Ezekiel, Isaiah, Job, etc. So knowledge of this particular story requires no knowledge of 'Paradise Lost' . . . it's there in every sermon already, as well as being embedded in the Protestant psyche. The references to Dante -- again, I don't see it. 'The old dog howls with madness' being a nod to Cerberus . . . . Cerberus originates in Greek myth -- the labours of Hercules -- common stories for most schoolboys. Even having said that, I don't see any indication that this is a reference to Cerberus at all -- Ian's lyrics are full of dogs. To go from dogs to Dante is stretching it to say the least. It's more of a challenge to make some sense out of Ian's constant use of the 'dog' as a private symbol I think. The 'sweetly-scented angel' being a reference to Beatrice, or maybe it's just an angel? No need for Dante here. Hell being 'icy' -- to me this looks like a simple creative paradox. Lucifer is 'freezing', i.e. *non-creative*, as opposed to the fire or flame of Life. He's a dead-end. You don't have to plough through 32 Cantos of Dante to come up with that idea. Also, Ronnie Pilgrim isn't *in* the lowest circle of Hell at this point on his journey through the 'icy wastes' -- he's in limbo -- so the reference wouldn't make sense even if it were intended. And I guess we're all familiar with the phrases "It'll be a cold day in hell before . . ." or "When hell freezes over." My guess -- Ian has never read a word of Dante in his life. The poetics of Milton are as much an accepted part of the culture as Shakespeare, i.e. you can know the phrases and images without necessarily knowing their source. So while these references may strike a chord with folk who happen to be (perhaps only slightly) familiar with these works, I've never seen them as being of any real use in approaching the Play itself. I guess it's understandable though -- Satan's fall is described in the first 300 lines of 'Paradise Lost' -- anyone picking it up for the first time gets to read all the racey bits without having to go any further. Young master Ian may have done the same I guess".
* Andy Jackson



~ A Passion Play ~


Jethro Tull's A Passion Play

A line by line analysis by Frank Mathie

(very special thanks to Michel Vale Ferreira)



A Passion Play was released to almost unanimous critical disapproval in 1973 and remains, even amongst the most avid Tull fans, the subject of great controversy. Many find it musically and lyrically unfathomable, others find it a challenging, but rewarding work. Basically, I think you either love it or hate it!! Personally I love it!

What follows is my personal interpretation of "A Passion Play"; what you see below is what I currently see and feel when I listen to this album. I do not pretend that it was what Ian meant when he wrote it, or what you might hear when you listen to it.

It is fairly well known amongst Tull fans that "A Passion Play" was created out of the aftermath of the abortive "Chateau D'Isaster" sessions in 1973. These sessions, which were later to appear on the 1993 release "Nightcap" seem to deal with two main themes. Firstly there is Ian's slant on the acceptability of aggression in business which he achieves by portraying business people as various animals. Secondly, he deals with the subject of Free will Vs Pre-Destiny in human existence. As part of this thread, he likens life to a play, with God as the Director. Each of us goes on stage without a script or rehearsal, to improvise our story as best we can.

For various reasons, these recordings were abandoned, but the twin themes were refined and developed, later to appear as separate albums, A Passion Play and War Child. A Passion Play deals with the death, afterlife and resurrection of its central character, Ronnie Pilgrim In the programme it is presented as being a play in four Acts, these being:

Act I: Ronnie Pilgrims Funeral: A winter morning in the cemetery
Act II: The Memory Bank: a small but comfortable theatre with a cinema screen - the next morning
Interval: "The Story of the Hare who lost his Spectacles"
Act III: The business office of G. Oddie and Son - two days later
Act IV: Magus Perde's drawing room at midnight

I believe it to be a mistake to take the contents of the "Programme" too literally, particularly the list of characters and their order of appearance as I believe it was produced for effect, to be part of the packaging, rather than a true representation of the work. Similarly, I feel that the ballerina on the cover has little or nothing at all to do with the story, other than the fact that on the front she is dead, and on the back she is alive (a fairly tenuous connection but there you go) Anyway, on with the show...........



A Passion Play

Act I
"Do you still see me even here?"
Off to a flying start!!!! The first line and I'm confused!!. I have never been exactly sure as to who is being asked this initial question. The choices I have are The young man is addressing his friends who have gathered to attend his funeral, or is he addressing God and saying " Is there nowhere I can go and be unseen by you? I favour the latter, mainly because of the use of the words "still" and "even", but I remain to be convinced :-\}

"(The silver cord lies on the ground.)
And so I'm dead'', the young man said --- over the hill
(not a wish away)."
A number of cultures share the belief that our physical body is connected to an astral body by a silver cord, and that death occurs if (or when) this cord is severed. The common belief is that our dreams are the half remembered activities of the astral body which take place whilst the physical body sleeps. In this scene Ronnie looks down to see the severed cord lying on the ground and the realization dawns on him. He is dead, he is over the hill, and his previous existence is beyond him (more than a wish away). A significant aspect to the use of the silver cord, is the Ian makes it clear that we are not dealing with an exclusively Christian view of the afterlife, the implication being that no single religion has all the answers.

"My friends (as one) all stand aligned although their taxis came too late."
This for me is the first indication that the other theme from the Chateau tapes was carried into APP. This line and later lyrics in the work lead me to see Ronnie as a leading light in the rat race who died prematurely. His supposed "friends" all showed up late for his funeral, all using the same excuse that their taxis were late. If nothing else, this shows their lack of respect for him.

"There was a rush along the Fulham Road.
There was a hush in the Passion Play."
This phrase is varied throughout, and is used as an indicator of a scene closing. Here I see the rush depicting his friends hurried departure from the scene, getting away as soon as they can and the hush being Ronnie left alone in the cemetery, his life now finally over. (For anyone interested, Fulham Road is a longish street which runs from the Putney Bridge to the South Kensington areas of London, the Maison Rouge studio, at which Tull recorded being located at 2 Wansdowne Place, Fulham.)

"Such a sense of glowing in the aftermath /ripe with rich attainments all imagined / sad misdeeds in disarray
the sore thumb screams aloud, echoing out of the Passion Play.
All the old familiar choruses come crowding in a different key: Melodies decaying in sweet dissonance."
At this point, recollections of his life crash in on Ronnie like a wave. He now sees his life from the new perspective (a different key)which his after life state has given him. He sees his achievements (rich attainments)and his actions for what they really are, and the realization of what he was makes him howl in anguish as he sees all he held to be true exposed as worthless. Ronnie has been ruthlessly shown the honest measure of his worth! Additionally, Ronnie was unable to make his "quietus", whereby a dying person could make atonement and achieve penance by recalling and repenting ones every sin. The sudden nature of his death meant Ronnie was unable to do this, and as a result his sins are left in disarray.

"There was a rush along the Fulham Road, into the Ever-passion Play."
Ronnie is ripped from this last earthly scene into the after life.

"And who comes here to wish me well?
A sweetly-scented angel fell.
She laid her head upon my disbelief and bathed me with her ever-smile."
Ronnie stands alone in the afterlife and is still suffering the shock from his new self awareness. This state is not unique to our hero, as all newly departed souls would suffer the same sensory overload, and so what happens ? An angel arrives to administer an almost spiritual anaesthetic to soothe his shock and to make him ready for the ordeal to come. The use of the word "scented" (repeated later on as "scented cathedral") suggests purity and wholesomeness.

"And with a howl across the sand I go escorted by a band
of gentlemen in leather bound -- NO-ONE (but someone to be found)."
Almost as suddenly as the Angel arrives, Ronnie is snatched from her by a group of "gentlemen". He is bound, and taken into limbo to await his fate. As a soul in limbo Ronnie has no status (He is no-one) and his future has yet to be decided (someone to be found)




Act II
"All along the icy wastes there are faces smiling in the gloom."
This is quite a vivid image for me. Ronnie is being escorted towards a film theatre like a movie star on Academy Awards night, only instead of a glorious Spring evening with cameras flashing and crowds of excited fans, it is silent and in semi-darkness and his path is lined by barely visible faces peering at him expectantly through the gloom. Spooky!!!

"Roll up roll down, Feeling unwound? -- step into the viewing room."
The narration then shifts from Ronnie, to the Cinemas Projectionist who invites Ronnie in and asks if he is relaxed:
"The cameras were all around. We've got you taped -- you're in the play. Here's your I. D. (Ideal for identifying one and all.)"
Ronnie is told that every moment of his life has been recorded on tape. The Projectionist finds Ronnie's particular tape and tells him that his life is about to be re-shown. (normally when people returns from coma or any death-like experience, they tell they have seen their lives as a movie)

"Invest your life in the memory bank -- ours the interest and we >thank you." Ronnie is given a clue as to the purpose of this recording. His life is being compared to a bank account with his actions, good or bad keep him in credit or put him overdrawn, with the obvious connotations of where he is bound for if his account end up finally overdrawn. The pun on the word "interest" delivers a message that it is the duty of the projectionist and his staff to examine his life and balance the account. It is also implied that any form of profit he makes is passed on to them in some way. They are therefore interested in his life as it earns them interest!!. The tone in Ian's voice as he delivers the words "and we thank you" tell us that they didn't earn much from Ronnie :o)

"The ice-cream lady wet her drawers, to see you in the passion play."
A lovely image. Ronnie is told that his life was so ridiculous to behold that even the lady who sells the ice -cream and soft drinks during the interval, laughed so hard that she wet her pants! (Here I ever thought the movie was depreciating him so much that it was interesting for the other "human" beings in the room) The Projectionist then begins to recount some of the details of Ronnie's life, almost as though he is reading the cover notes from a video cassette case. >take the prize for instant pleasure We are told that Ronnie is way ahead of his peers in terms of being selfish and self indulgent.

"...captain of the cricket team
public speaking in all weathers
a knighthood from a queen."
He is revealed as a success in all walks of life, gaining public and official recognition for his business and public actions.

"All your best friends' telephones never cooled from the heat of your hand.
There's / a line in a front-page story / 13 horses that also-ran."
These lines suggest to me that Ronnie was never reluctant to touch his friends for favours and information, but that he rarely repaid them, and frequently used the information he gained to profit at their expense.

"Climb in your old umbrella. Does it have a nasty tear in the dome? But / the rain only gets in sometimes and / the sun never leaves you alone."
I take the umbrella to be a metaphor for Ronnie's self perception, which he used in life as a defense mechanism to shield himself from his own true personality. He is being asked if the insights being provided have made a hole in his protective layer through which the reality of his true self can be viewed and through which the real world leaks in. I am probably totally wide of the mark, but I have always felt that the line "the sun never leaves you alone" refers to the Sun newspaper, published in the U. K. , which has something of a well earned reputation as a sensationalist scandalsheet, and is probably most well known for its "Page Three Girls" (the topless models it used to feature on the third page) It is the type of journal that is renowned for publishing whatever scandal it can find on public figures, often pursuing them beyond the bounds of decency to get a "story". Ronnie, in life, would be a natural target for it's attention. As I say, I'm probably wrong, but I hear the line and I get that image every time. One of Ian's many talents (I had never thought this sun would be The Sun, but now that you said, it makes a lot of sense, so I think you can remove the "I'm probably wrong")

"Lover of the black and white -- it's your first night.
The Passion Play / goes all the way / spoils your insight."
The Projectionist tells Ronnie that they know that he is/was a man with strong views and definite opinions, sure in his knowledge, but that they know that he is growing nervous about his life being replayed and made public(he is like an actor with first night nerves). He is warned that there is worse to come and that what he will see will shatter his illusions about himself and his life.

"Tell me / how the baby's made / how the lady's laid / why the old dog howls in sadness."
Ronnie is taunted about what he knows about life(how the baby's made, the lady's laid) and death (there is a belief in British folklore that a dog will howl at the moment of its masters death). These questions are thrown rapidly at him. but before he can answer, the projectionist relates the following:

"And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision. (The examining body examined her body.)"
This sordid and previously unknown episode is related, almost contemptuously by the Projectionist, as if to prove how much he knows and how little Ronnie really knows.

"Actor of the low-high Q, let's hear your view.
Peek at the lines upon your sleeves since your memory won't do.
Tell me / how the baby's graded / how the lady's faded / why the old dogs howl with madness."
Ronnie's humiliation continues, as the Projectionist continues to question how little Ronnie knows. His remark that Ronnie should peek at the lines on his sleeve are a further attack on his honesty and that they are reminding him of his lack of scruples in life.

"All of this and some of that's the only way to skin the cat."
Ronnie's response to the taunts and questions is to tell the Projectionist " Yes I did all that you said, and I would do more of the same because life is hard and that's the only way to get through it.

"And now you've lost a skin or two -- you're for us and we for you.
The dressing room is right behind"
The Projectionist tells Ronnie that he has passed his ordeal, that for him the play is over, and that his place of rest (the dressing room) is at hand.

"We've got you taped -- you're in the play."
The expression "We've got you taped" has a double meaning here. Apart from the obvious statement that his life has been recorded, it is also a common English slang term. To "have someone taped" means to have the measure of them, to be wise to them and their ways.

"How does it feel to be in the play? >How does it feel to play the play? >How does it feel to be the play?"
The Projectionist is asking these questions, not to taunt Ronnie. There is almost a sense of envy about them, as if they want Ronnie to tell them about what it is like to be alive, something they have not experienced and cannot comprehend. (Here I think he's being asked how does it feel to be exposed, but I think that the point you mentioned is also very relevant. That was what he did, he is now retired from living).

"Man of passion rise again, we won't cross you out -- for we do love >you like a son -- of that there's no doubt."
By the use of the phrase " Man of Passion" which is clearly a reference to Christ, as well as the use of the word "cross",the projectionist is acknowledging that Ronnie has passed through purgatory, and that his suffering is now over. These lines, and the invitation to rise again indicate that his admission to heaven is now assured. (That's another reason why I think the Projectionist is God, because the use of the word son and he is doing to Ronnie what he did to Christ, but I think when he says Man of Passion is probably because Ronnie is up to stand for himself).

"Tell us / is it you who are here for our good cheer?
Or / are we here / for the glory / for the story / for the gory satisfaction
of telling you how absolutely awful you really are?"
This parting shot by the projectionist begs the question as to who's end is served by this process. (Here I think it's Ronnie standing up for himself, questioning God and then the surprise of everybody)

"There was / a rush along the Fulham Road.
There was / a hush in the Passion Play."
Ronnie moves on from Purgatory to the next stage of his journey Interval This marks the end of the second Act and the start of the interval. It was (is) traditional during the performance of Passion Plays, to insert a lighter hearted,but moralistic,piece between Acts. The plays themselves could last up to three days, and these pieces were meant to lighten the mood. The story is in the form of a fable (a short moral work in which the characters are usually animals) and is essentially a lesson to us about interfering in the business of others. Hare loses his spectacles, and all the other animals, who seem to think they know what's best for him, offer various (useless) solutions to his predicament. At the end, hare wonders what all the fuss is about, because after all he has a spare pair. The piece contains a number of puns. They are far more obvious when you hear John Evan actually reciting the work.






Act III THE END
"We sleep by the ever-bright hole in the door / eat in the corner / talk to the >floor -- cheating the spiders who come to say "Please'',
(politely). They bend at the knees. Well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs."
The Act opens with Ronnie's observations on life in heaven, and it is not what he expected. The lines give me an image of a vast barrack like room, full of Army style, metal frame beds. The room is dominated at one end by a huge wooden door, pillars either side, and with a large key hole. Were they allowed through it, the door would lead to the presence of God and the heavenly hosts. The light emitted by this divine gathering beams through the keyhole and is the light by which the occupants are expected to sleep. The occupants of the barracks are highly regimented, with none of the freedom Ronnie was expecting. They have to eat their meals in the barrack corner, and must keep their heads bowed when they speak (i. e. they talk to the floor.) Even the behaviour of the insects has been rendered polite and inoffensive. The line " Well I'll go to the foot of our stairs" is an expression used in Lancashire in the North of England, to express surprise or amazement It is similar to "Well I'll be a monkeys Uncle".

"Old gentlemen talk / of when they were young / of ladies lost and erring sons. Lace-covered dandies revel (with friends) pure as the truth -- tied at both ends.
Well I'll go to the foot of our stairs."
Ronnie expresses surprise at how boring the after life is, with little to do but sit around and reminisce about the past.

"Scented cathedral -- spire pointed down.
We pray for souls in Kentish Town."
I remember reading that a church spire was pointed because it was supposed to channel the prayers of the congregation upward towards heaven. The line suggests that the churches in heaven would logically (?) have their spires pointing earthwards as the congregations pray for the souls on earth. It also suggests to me that each section of heaven has its own bit of earth to pray for, Ronnie's being the area of London known as Kentish Town. An alternative theory I remember seeing (but I can't remember where) is that the Kentish town refers to Canterbury in the county of Kent, which is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, ordained head of the Church of England

"A delicate hush -- the gods / floating by / wishing us well -- pie in the sky."
This strengthens the image of an indolent and inert place, and again provides a hint that heaven is not just limited to Christianity. There is more than one god here, lesser ones (denoted by the small case "g") float by offering their patronising best wishes to the masses.

"God of ages / Lord of Time -- mine is the right to be wrong.
Well I'll go to the foot of our stairs."
Ronnie addresses God angrily, telling him he has a right to more than this boring existence, he has a right to be human and experience success and failure.

"Jack rabbit mister spawn a new breed of love-hungry pilgrims (no bodies to feed)." He continues his irreverent speech, likening God to a jack rabbit in the way he sires new life. He tells God that he should produce a race who are only interested in the spiritual, and are free from all earthly appetites. That way he would be sure of producing souls who found heaven acceptable, as it is currently no place for a real person.
"Show me a good man and I'll show you the door."
Ronnie tells God he is sick of Saints and piety, and says the equivalent of "if I see another goody goody I'll scream!!

"The last hymn is sung and the devil cries "More.''
He points out the futility of singing Gods praises, as even Lucifer is not daunted by them and asks to hear more.

"Well, I'm all for leaving and that being done, I've put in a request
to take up my turn in that forsaken paradise that calls itself "Hell'' --
Where no-one has nothing and nothing is..."
Ronnie tells God he has had enough of heaven and has decided to try Hell:
"... well meaning fool, pick up thy bed and rise up from your gloom (smiling).
Give me your hate and do as the loving heathen do."
Tired of this tirade, God interrupts Ronnie. Almost sympathetically, he tells Ronnie to cheerfully pack his belongings (paraphrasing Christ's words when he healed the lame beggar "Take up thy bed and walk", Mark Chapter 2 vs 1 to 13). He accepts Ronnie has no great love for him, and so bids him do what the promiscuous non-believers do, and Go to Hell!!

"Colors I've none -- dark or light, red, white or blue."
Ronnie is transported to hell, where Lucifer introduces himself. His opening remark is to tell Ronnie that he owes allegiance to no-one, neither to good or evil (dark or light) nor to any artificially created state, (the red, white and blue representing a nations flag).

"Cold is my touch (freezing).
Summoned by name -- I am the overseer over you.
Given this command to watch o'er our miserable sphere.
Fallen from grace / called on to bring sun or rain.
Occasional corn from my oversight grew.
Fell with mine angels from a far better place, offering services for
the saving of face."
He goes on to outline his history. He is the Archangel who fell from Gods grace, and that as punishment, was cast down from heaven and was charged to oversee the mortal world. The line "offering services for the saving of face" suggests that part of Lucifer's duty involves being a ready scapegoat for mankind to use when they do wrong. Easier to save face and say "the Devil made me do it " than admit your own failings.

"Now you're here, you may as well admire all whom living has retired
from the benign reconciliation."
Ronnie is told that he is not the only person who came to hell because they could not cope with heavens sterility compared to the feeling and joy of being alive.

"Legends were born surrounding mysterious lights seen in the sky (flashing).
I just / lit a fag then / took my leave in the blink of an eye."
Lucifer boasts to Ronnie that he is so powerful that an action of his as simple as lighting a cigarette achieves of power and status beyond human comprehension. "Passionate play -- join round the maypole in dance (primitive rite) (wrongly). Summoned by name / I am the overseer / over you."
He tells Ronnie what he must do in Hell. It is constant action and activity, exactly the opposite of heaven, but to Ronnie, equally unattractive!!

"Flee the icy Lucifer. Oh he's an awful fellow! What a mistake! I didn't take a feather from his pillow."
Ronnie has realised he has made a mistake, and that hell is no better than heaven: "Here's the everlasting rub: neither am I good or bad. I'd give up my halo for a horn and the horn for the hat I once had."
He realises his dilemma. He has to spend eternity in either heaven or hell, and he belongs in neither. He would give up both to be alive again. His observation that he is neither good nor bad, comes from the realisation that whether or not an action is sinful is a purely human and subjective decision.

"I'm only breathing. There's life on my ceiling.
The flies there are sleeping quietly."
The reality of his situation grows clearer to him. His thought " I'm only breathing" means he is not truly living, he is just existing in his current state. He realises that even the flies on his ceiling are better off than he is. They are sleeping quietly, satisfied with what they are.

"Twist my right arm in the dark. I would give two or three for one of those days that never made impressions on the old score. I would gladly be a dog barking up the wrong tree."
He would endure torture to re-live even the dullest day of his life and would be glad to be in a position to make mistakes.

"Everyone's saved -- we're in the grave. See you there for afternoon tea."
He realises that everyone in heaven or hell is comfortable with their lot, although their spark of humanity is dead (in the grave) He mocks the dullness of their cosy existence with his reference to taking afternoon tea, that most genteel and staid of English customs.

"Time for awaking -- the tea lady's making a brew-up and baking new bread."
Ronnie decides he has had enough and he has to get back to a mortal existence. He is aware that God is constantly creating new souls to be born. (he trivialises this by comparing Gods creation of flesh and blood, to the routine tasks of a worker in a factory canteen, what we Brits call a tea lady, preparing bread and tea, with a parallel to the Eucharist where bread and wine represent the body and blood of Christ).

"Pick me up at half past none -- there's not a moment to lose."
Having decided to go, he must go now. Even in a place where time stands still (the clocks stand at none o'clock) he has to leave as soon as possible, i. e. half past none.

"There is the train on which I came. On the platform are my old shoes.
Station master rings his bell. Whistles blow and flags wave.
A little of what you fancy does you good (Or so it should)."
Ronnie makes his way to the arrival/departure terminal. I always get a picture of a huge, incredibly busy, transport complex, with countless souls coming and going on every conceivable form of transport. Ronnie spots the particular train he arrived from purgatory on, and sees that the place is so busy, his human trappings have not yet been disposed of.
"I thank everybody for making me welcome.
I'd stay but my wings have just dropped off."
He joins the queue to depart, bidding everyone a sarcastic farewell.

Act IV
"Hail! Son of kings / make the ever-dying sign / cross your fingers in the sky for those about to BE."
Ronnie calls on Christ (identified by the use of an upper case "S" in Son) to give the command that will allow those waiting to be born. He also asks him to cross his fingers, thereby wishing them luck in life. (Just a note:"here I always imagined the Son of Kings making that symbol to tell the gladiators, they could kill their opponents in the Roman Empire" because as he's in limbo, a sign to go down would be here to the earth as you said about the spire pointed down. I always imagine the Sarcastic Ian doing it live...)

"There am I waiting along the sand.
Cast your sweet spell upon the land and sea."
Ronnie is anxious, in a state of suspense, and he asks Christ to hurry. The image of being on the sand, between land and sea reflects him being in a state of transition between life and after-life

"Magus Perde, take your hand from off the chain.
Loose a wish to still / the rain / the storm about to BE."
The word " Magus" comes from the Old Persian for sorcerer or wise man (there is a Simon Magus in the New Testament, who was a sorcerer who tried to buy spiritual powers from the Apostles). Perde I cannot come up with a meaning for. The closest I can get is "Perdre" the French verb, which means to lose, forfeit or to ruin. (I don't know the meaning of Perde, but I know that Perdo in latin means destruction, also associated to magic) I would therefore hazard a guess that Ronnie is addressing Christ again, calling him " Sorcerer of the Lost", a somewhat insulting interpretation of the word "Saviour", and is again beseeching him to hurry and pull the chain and blow the whistle which is the command that will free him, this time comparing the souls awaiting birth to a storm about to break.

"Here am I (voyager into life).
Tough are the soles that tread the knife's edge."
There is a pun here on the words soles/souls, with the knife's edge being life. There is also a somewhat tenuous literary link to the Sword Bridge across which Sir Lancelot had to cross on his bare hands and feet, in order to rescue Queen Guinnevere in the story, " The Knight of the Cart"

"Break the circle / stretch the line / call upon the devil.
Bring / the gods / the gods' own fire.In the conflict revel."
The command is given, the gift of life (the Gods own fire, which has a reference to the Greek myths of Prometheus who was blinded for stealing the Gods own fire) is bestowed and they can begin to enjoy the struggle of being alive.

"The passengers / upon the ferry crossing / waiting to be born / renew the
pledge of life's long song / rise to the reveille horn.
Animals / queuing at the gate that stands upon the shore / breathe the ever-burning fire that guards the ever-door."
The signal is given, and as life is breathed into them, all those who wait, human or animal begin to move forward to be born

"Man / son of man / buy the flame of ever-life (yours to breathe and >breath the pain of living): living BE"!
Ronnnie's turn to be reborn into human life arrives. His mortal status is acknowledged (Man, son of Man) and he is told the gift comes at a cost, that cost is to feel pain and suffering

"Here am I! Roll the stone away from the dark into ever-day!"
Ronnie announces his arrival or resurrection, the image of rolling the stone from the tomb coming from the New Testament account of Christ's resurrection, and the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

"There was a rush / along the Fulham Road / into the Ever-passion Play."
We end with the rush of the new souls into life, part of the never ending cycle.

c1973 Chrysalis Music Corp. (ASCAP) US & Canada.}







In 1993, Ian compared The Play to the Rolling Stones' 'Satanic Majesties':
"... it's just not really appreciated at the time, a bit too contrived, a little bit too heavy-handed, but looking back on it with the passing of the years, you can be a little bit more generous in the way that you view it and the way you listen to it, and I guess that's how I feel about Passion Play. There are two thirds of it which are actually okay. It's just heavy going to play, which is why, I think, we very rarely play any bits of it.

"I think for me the problem with it, if there was a problem, was that the humour that was there on Thick As A Brick was not there on Passion Play. I think because a lot of the humour had been knocked out of us after a year of being away, touring, living in Switzerland, rehearsing, then recording in France, then finally coming back to England and starting all over again to rehearse and record virtually all-new material. That kind of took a lot of the humour out of it. I think, for me, looking back on it, that's the thing that's missing from Passion Play. It's a little bit too deadpan. It doesn't have that kind of slightly irreverent and humorous kind of little interludes or moments of light relief that would make it more listenable."

From 'The 25th Anniversary Review' (1993)


"I think that, out of all the records that we have made, more people talk about Passion Play than a lot of albums. It's a memorable album. I think it's an important album; I think that the difficult thing was going back to England, having scrapped a whole album. Months and months of work, and the terrible thing, for [Ian] more than for anybody else, was having to then completely start again, and rewrite, re-record, relearn, re-rehearse. But I think it was a good album, and the tour, and the sort of theatrics that came with the tour, were quite a memorable period."

From 'The 25th Anniversary Review'


The album was released in the UK on 13 July 1973; 23 July in the USA. Despite the hostile press criticism, The Play reached number 13 in the UK album charts, and achieved the US #1 spot. It later went Gold in the UK, USA and Canada.

Although the album was officially released in 1973 as one long piece, broken only by the interval of 'The Hare...', the original vinyl copies of 'A Passion Play', given to DJs for promotional purposes, included a track listing. These titles were omitted from the official release, but when the indexed Mobile Fidelity CD version of the album was released in March 1998, the track listing was restored.

The track timings of a live show are included for comparison; the 20 July, 1973 concert at the LA Forum, bootlegged as 'Pilgrim's Progress'.

Title Album Live Seattle
1. Lifebeats Intro 3:24 5:35
2. Prelude Intro 2:14 2:27 A reworking of 'Tiger Toon'
3. The Silver Cord 4.29 4:22 4:24
4. Re-Assuring Tune 1.11 1:09 1:13
5. Memory Bank 4.20 4:37 5:03
6. Best Friends 1.58 4:04 3:59
7. Critique Oblique 4.38 4:41 5:14
8. Forest Dance #1 1.35 - 1:15
9. The Story Of The Hare 4.18 - 4:16
10. Forest Dance #2 1.12 - 1:39
11. The Foot Of Our Stairs 4.18 4:18 4:57
12. Overseer Overture 4.00 3:58 3:59 'Edit 8' on 'MU'
13. Flight From Lucifer 3.58 3:57 2:49 'Edit 9' on 'Repeat'. Original form of 'Passion Jig'
14. 10.08 To Paddington 1.04 - 0:48 10/8, i.e. 10 August , is Ian's birthday.
15. Magus Perde 3.55 - 4:03 Featured on the 'Anniversary Collection'
16. Epilogue 0.43 - 0:34


I added the track titles to the annotated Play script, highlighted in red at the beginning of each track. However, I feel the divisions are somewhat arbitrary, not seeming to match the natural musical, lyrical, dramatic or thematic breaks in the Play. Some tracks, such as 'Best Friends', start in the middle of scenes or even verses; rather illogical points, in lyrical, musical, dramatic or thematic terms.

My initial thought was that the tracks were devised simply to provide radio-friendly segments for 1973 DJs, to be played out-of-context.

An alternative explanation could be that the track divisions reflect the way the album was recorded. Perhaps each track was recorded separately, then assembled for the final album. Presumably Ian had learned his lesson from the TAAB recording problems and didn't try to record all of APP onto one tape! Perhaps each segment was as much of the piece as the band could play without having to stop to realign their fingers.

Either way, I don't think the track divisions have a significant role in the structure of the Play as a whole - could this be a reason why the official album release wasn't divided into tracks (even on the liner notes)?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another promotional curiosity: the initial release (i.e. only in 1973 itself, not repressings) apparently featured not only the Linwell theatre programme, but also a real, wearable theatre mask; Job recalls it as having been of Comedy. Does anyone remember this? Does anyone still HAVE one?



Interviewer: What's the theme of the album?
Ian Anderson:It's a piece I wrote about life and death, but it's not limited to that subject.
New Musical Express, 24 March 1973


As any listener knows, 'A Passion Play' is not an easy album. Even putting the elaborate musical arrangement to one side for a moment, the lyrics themselves are extremely complicated, the story is often unclear, and much is left to the individual's interpretation. Each person might find their own meaning, which might change on a repeated listening. However, a consensus is emerging, at least for the basic story; my own version of this narrative is presented here.

Or will be soon, anyway...

This is the story of Rael. No, no, no; start again. Actually, there is a parallel between The Play and Genesis' 1974 album 'The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway'. Though far more surreal than Ronnie's, the hero of 'The Lamb', Rael, also embarks on a trip (a carefully chosen word) through what might be considered an afterlife or near-death experience.
The biggest difference between The Play and The Lamb, and indeed Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' (1979) is that while all three characters - Ronnie, Rael and Pink - go through an episode of self examination (Rael literally confronts himself face-to-face), Ronnie is the only one who doesn't seem to achieve any discernible enlightenment - he's seen the afterlife and doesn't like it, but there's no suggestion that it's going to change his lifestyle.
This is perhaps typical of Ian's observational style of writing, and his habit of watching from an ironic distance rather than describing the sensations of an experience - Ian leaves it to the audience to decide how it feels to be in the Play.

Andy Jackson compares Ronnie to a stereotypical British tourist, who surveys the surface of different cultures, complains about the food, and returns home with little more than sunburn and hardened preconceptions. We, as listeners, learn about Ronnie, but does Ronnie?




A Passion Play - Remaster Coming Soon!


Tull fans are a rather cordial group but breech the topic of "A Passion Play" at your own peril. Many vehemently defend it as Tull's finest work -- others downright loath it. Tull fans are not the only confused lot. While many critics did (and still do) pan the album, it is not too difficult to find reputable, glowing evaluations. The album even hit #1 in the U.S. charts, Tull's last top runger in the standard rock/pop listings.

"Play's" development began as a real concept album, after the previous genre satire, "Thick as a Brick." Work began in Switzerland, then studios in France (mostly to escape high British tax rates). Enough tracks to fill three sides of a double album were developed when technical problems in the studio, and band members' longing for home, caused all but four tracks to be scrapped (some of this material, like "Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of A New Day," would appear on "War Child"). The dreadful experience lead Ian to dub the Chateau d'Herouville studio as the "Chateau D'Isaster."

With only seventeen days left before the American tour, Ian wrote new material and vastly restructured some of the "Chateau d'Isaster" ideas and the band recorded the 45-minute album.

"A Passion Play" is much darker than "Thick as a Brick," both in music and theme. Musically, "Play" is heavily toned with dominating minor key variations. Thematically, the concept album chronicles, as the title implies, a story of life and death, beginning with a recently deceased man viewing his own funeral, descending into purgatory and Hell, then reincarnated. The lyrics are, arguably, even more confusing than "Thick as a Brick" and Tull fans vary in their interpretation of the details.

The strangest segment of "Play" is undoubtedly "The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles," a spoken word piece with musical underpinnings. It is often noted the piece has lyrical connections to "Winnie the Pooh" or "Alice in Wonderland" yet the best, and appropriate musical, comparison would be to Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf." Like this classic piece, the band backs a story teller with music representing the tale's characters and events.

The long, nine-month supporting tour (even beginning before the album's release) featured the entire album, supporting film (later to appear on the 25th Anniversary video), and perhaps Tull's high water mark for elaborate stage productions.

A low point occurred, however, when Tull's business manager announced the band would cease live performances, in response to negative critical reviews of the album and concerts. It was not true, and seriously hurt the band's image. To this day, Ian gets questions about why the group disbanded in the 1970's (see the all too frequently asked questions page for Ian's response to this all too common inquiry).

Released: 1973

Charts: 13 (U.K.), 1 (U.S.)

Lifebeats
Prelude
The Silver Cord
Re-Assuring Tune
Memory Bank
Best Friends
Critique Oblique
Forest Dance #1
The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles
Forest Dance #2
The Foot of Our Stairs
Overseer Overture
Flight from Lucifer
10:08 from Paddington
Magus Perde
Epilogue

note: track list from gold CD. Reflects the original intent of the album.


A "passion play" is a general term used to refer to stories of the life and death ("passion") of Christ.

The backing concerts featured video segments which are on the 25th Anniversary video.

The "original" album, the aborted "Chateau D'Isaster" tapes, were thought lost until found in the late 1980's and were included on the out take collection "Nightcap" (previously, three songs from the sessions were included on the 20th Anniversary box set).

The "hare" looking for his spectacles would become a common concert theatrical bit.

Elton John had a bit more success recording at d'Herouville in 1972, producing "Honky Chateau" with hits "Rocket Man" and "Honky Cat."

Who is Mark Ridley?
Lead actor's name (Ian posing) in the theatre program spoof accompanying the original album.

Ian Anderson - flute, acoustic guitar, saxophones, vocals
Barriemore Barlow - percussion
Martin Barre - electric guitar
John Evan - piano, organ, synthesisers, speech
Jeffrey Hammond - bass guitar, vocals

The original album included a six-page satire of small theatre programs, complete with band members posed as actors, staged performance credits, and more.











A Passion Play
Date of Release Jul 1973

AMG EXPERT REVIEW: Jethro Tull's second album-length composition, A Passion Play is very different from - and not quite as successful as - Thick as a Brick. Ian Anderson utilizes reams of biblical (and biblical-sounding) references, interwoven with modern language, as a sort of rock equivalent to T.S. Eliot's The Wasteland. As with most progressive rock, the words seem important and profound, but their meaning is anyone's guess ("The ice-cream lady wet her drawers, to see you in the Passion Play..."), with Anderson as a dour but engaging singer/sage (who, at least at one point, seems to take on the role of a fallen angel). It helps to be aware of the framing story, about a newly deceased man called to review his life at the portals of heaven, who realizes that life on Earth is preferable to eternity in paradise. But the music puts it over successfully, a dazzling mix of old English folk and classical material, reshaped in electric rock terms. The band is at its peak form, sustaining the tension and anticipation of this album-length piece across 45 minutes, although the music runs out of inspiration about five minutes before it actually ends. The sound on the CD is significantly brighter than the LP, bringing out the full impact of the electric instruments once the piece takes off, but also imparting more presence to the acoustic instruments (such as Anderson's guitar over the line "God of ages/Lord of time" and the sax part that follows). The only serious complaint about the compact disc is that it isn't indexed to separate the two halves of A Passion Play from the A.A. Milne-style interlude "The Story of the Hare That Lost His Spectacles," instead being treated as one long track. - Bruce Eder

1. Lifebeats - 1:14
2. Prelude - 2:14
3. The Silver Cord - 4:29
4. Re-Assuring Tune - 1:11
5. Memory Bank - 4:20
6. Best Friends - 1:58
7. Critique Oblique - 4:38
8. Forest Dance - 1:35
9. The Story of the Hare Who Lost His... - 4:18
10. Forest Dance - 4:18
11. The Foot of Our Stairs - 4:18
12. Overseer Overture - 4:00
13. Flight from Lucifer - 3:58
14. 10.08 to Paddington - 1:04
15. Magus Perdc - 3:55
16. Epilogue - :43

Ian Anderson - Guitar (Acoustic), Flute, Guitar, Sax (Soprano), Vocals
Jethro Tull - Arranger
Martin Barre - Guitar, Guitar (Electric)
Barriemore Barlow - Drums, Glockenspiel, Marimba, Timbales, Tympani [Timpani]
Robin Black - Engineer
John Evan - Organ, Synthesizer, Piano, Keyboards, Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part
Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond - Bass, Guitar (Bass), Vocals
David Palmer - Synthesizer, Keyboards, Saxophone
Brian Ward - Photography
Terry Jones - Producer

CD Chrysalis F2-21040
1973 LP Chrysalis 1040
1990 CS Chrysalis 21040
1990 CD Chrysalis 21040
1998 CD Mobile Fidelity 720
CS Chrysalis F4-21040
1996 CD Alliance 21040
1991 CS Alliance 21040


Jethro Tull - "A Passion Play" (1973) Another album-length epic but of a much darker tone than "Thick...". The lyrics (compared to this, even Jon Anderson's lyrics seemed to be easy to understand!) were mostly impossible to understand, but Anderson himself said that the album was about a dead girl and the decisions she had to take in the life after dead. Anderson had now also added saxophone to the music, which gave the album a different feel from the previous albums. The whole piece is broken up in the middle by a child-like, theatrical track called "The Story of the Hare That Lost His Spectacles". But most of the album was in a quite dark mood. Not so good as "Thick...", but still amongst Tull's best albums. The saxophone works great and there are lots of good ideas and parts in the piece.



Jethro Tull - A Passion Play

Member: Yogibear 7/20/03

This is considered by many Jethro Tull fans as being their favorite release. Some prefer Thick as a Brick as their favorite but this one does it for me.

A Passion Play tells the story of a man who dies and watches his own funeral. He then spends time in purgatory then descends into hell and then miraculously is resurrected. Now if I remember correctly wasn't Jesus's story very similar? In religious circles the 'passion play' was the life of Jesus.

So by all rights it is much darker than the previous opus, it is much more concise with a more unified story and musical accompaniment. This remasterd cd features a fuller sound and more ability to hear all the music that is going on. This cd also is the first time Ian plays saxes and saxello. The first appearance of a synthesizer is here as well. The real musical star of A Passion Play is the keyboard player, John Evan.

The songs are in two parts patterned after a play but with an intermission right in the middle to lighten up the pretty heavy subject matter. "The hare who lost his spectacles" is supposed to be a kind of funny throw away piece patterned somewhat after "Peter and the Wolf" where the musicians play bits to accentuate characters and moods within the little vignette. Some hate it, but think in the context of what's going on its perfect. This remaster also has reprinted the original theater program which is a truly fun and interesting spoof of theater in general.

Ian has said that he thinks "this release is somewhat one dimensional". Many fans just love it. The concept and ideas that Ian has laid down with penning the story and then adapting them to music is what makes great progressive music. Originally planned as a real theater play he decided to add music to it later. Some of the tunes here were from the Chateau D'isaster recordings which also got used on the following release.

Musically most everything works well and there are many "Ianisms" or turns of phrases that fans just love to death one being where "your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulder of a young horse named George". The experiments with saxes while at first strange sounding seems to work and fits the pieces.He also plays flute as well and together they exude a freshness where some of his flute playing had become "samey". The band as a whole on the remaster just sounds so much more together the tightness is remarkable. Not a note is out of place or wrongly played. While the previous one had a lot of wonderful passages it also had some parts that were boring. A Passion Play is more consistent musically with no low points and stays on a level that surpasses Thick. Achieving greatness: To think that Jethro Tull has done this twice while many have tried in vain and failed is remarkable.

This is i think the culmination of the most progressive period of Jetho Tull's existence. I love this one and think it stands the test of time rather well. There are no cheesy sounds or special effects. This is a true classic, A Passion Play,along with Thick as a Brick has a revered place in the halls of progressive music history.

c2001 - 2003 Progressive Ears
All Rights Reserved



Jethro Tull
A Passion Play
Chrysalis (CHR 1040)
UK 1973

Ian Anderson, vocals, acoustic guitars, flute, soprano and sopranino saxophones;
Martin Barre, electric guitar;
John Evan, piano, organ, synthesizer, speech;
Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond, bass guitar, vocals;
Barriemore Barlow, drums, timpani, glockenspiel, marimba

Tracklist:
1. A Passion Play, Part 1 - 23:07
2. A Passion Play, Part 2 - 22:04

total time 45:11

conrad

After the success of Thick as a Brick, Jethro Tull moved to France for tax purposes and began recording their new album. They didn't finish recording there, but much of what they did do formed the nucleus for A Passion Play, which was completed back in England.

This album was another single-song affair, but the musical style had drifted yet again. This time the addition of saxophones played by Ian Anderson gave the band a very different sound; coupled with some somewhat unconventional melodies, this reminds me a little of Gentle Giant, though the Ian Anderson songwriting style is unmistakable.

The album tells the story of Billy Pilgrim, who we first meet at his death. In the afterlife he is taken to a place called "The Viewing Room", where he gets to see the edited highlights of his life, which are generally embarassing. An intermission is filled by a twee morality play done in the style of a bad "Peter and the Wolf", which some may find amusing. Back to the main play and Billy Pilgrim is taken to heaven, which he dislikes, so then he goes to hell, which he also dislikes. The play ends with Billy Pilgrim being reborn. The play is like The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway in style, but I personally find it to be more rewarding and a little less self indulgent, bespectacled hare and all.

Unfortunately the music on this album suffers in comparison with Thick as a Brick. There are certainly moments that are almost as good, and the music flows together very well, but there is still a noticeable drop in quality. It's not that bad an album, but Jethro Tull probably suffered from having set the bar too high. Certainly, though, this is a superior album to most of Tull's 80's output.

While I am not entirely enthusiastic about this album, it should be noted that many consider this to be Tull's finest hour. It particularly appeals to those who have a penchant for big concept albums and less accessible melodies. I personally prefer the so called "Chateau d'Isaster" tapes recorded in France and which appear on Nightcap. Give this album a number of plays through before you make up your mind on it.

8-13-03
(c) ground and sky




Jethro Tull - A Passion Play

Released: 1973 / 2003
Label: Chrysalis
Cat. No.: CHR 1040 / 81569
Total Time: 45:08


Reviewed by: Tom Karr, March 2004
The now famous/ infamous follow up to the chart topping Thick As Aa Brick was released to the beat of international hype and huge expectations in 1973. Following the unsuccessful sessions in France, which were ultimately released as a part of Nightcap: The Unreleased Masters in 1994, the band returned to England. The bare bones of the French attempts were re-worked, expanded and committed to tape. Another bold attempt at epic musical sermonizing from Ian Anderson, this release followed the previous year's success and became Jethro Tull's second straight #1 album. The lyrical subject matter was of similar complexity, but whereas Thick As A Brick dealt with man's earthly foibles, A Passion Play stopped only briefly on earth before heading straight to purgatory, heaven and hell, before returning its protagonist, the recently deceased Ronnie Pilgrim to the joys and travails of corporeal form.

Although the LP sold quite well and the resulting world tour was yet another string of sold out performances, the harsh greeting from the press, especially in England, caused Mr. Anderson to threaten, albeit briefly, to cease touring altogether.

Lyrically and musically, A Passion Play is more sophisticated than its predecessor, though unlike Thick As A Brick, this release is a string of individual songs tied by a number of devices. Sections are interrupted with lines of dialogue from the "play," drift away in echoes, shift abruptly or, as in the middle of this magnificent presentation, are interrupted by a charming children's (?) tale. Jeffery Hammond's wonderfully spoken and orchestrated "The Story Of The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles" is further enhanced on this CD reissue by the inclusion of the legendary film shot for the Passion Play tour. This short Quick Time video is a joy and it alone is well worth the price of the CD. For Tull fanatics like myself, this will now be the centerpiece of your collection. Add to this gem the newly re-mixed and mastered sound, capturing every nuance of the performance of Ian Anderson on flute, soprano sax and guitar, Martin Barre and Jeffery Hammond on guitar and bass respectively, Barriemore Barlow behind his monster kit, armed with tympani and glockenspiel as well, and, playing a greater and more varied role than ever, John Evan with the B-3, piano and synthesizers. Long time collaborator David Palmer, usually responsible for arranging and conducting strings or chamber ensembles when needed, steps in for additional keyboard duties.

To make a long, but very easily followed story short and sweet, the lyrics tell the tale of the previously named Mr. Pilgrim who, now departed after a greedy and conniving life in business, finds himself in the company of a string of characters who lead him through the afterlife. Angels, and other minions of the directors of G. Oddie & Son, a well known firm specializing in redemption, and of course, the principal partners themselves, make their various points to Ronnie and, failing to recruit him for a long and binding contract, reluctantly send him off to meet with their competitor Lucifer (Lucy in the stage version). Also failing to impress Ronnie with his various feats of trickery and illusion, our hero (is he?) makes a break for it and joins with countless other souls awaiting birth. As our story ends, Ronnie queues at the gate with the others, to be thrust back into the fray, to live and breathe the pain and joy of life once more.

Well, that addressed, we can look at the music of this classic. As I said, this is a sophisticated work, subtle and yet quite powerful. This recording has huevos aplenty, as well as numerous passages of subdued, beautifully arranged, almost, :well almost religious music. John Evan's keyboards are right up front, fighting for supremacy (just like the characters in the lyrics narrative) with Ian's flute and acoustic guitar. Many moments may go by without the presence of bass or electric guitar, but again, this is no whimpy piece of work. The group's incorporation of classical and jazz stylistic elements are superb. Barriemore Barlow's drums are some of the most butt kicking stuff you are likely to hear in any progressive rock recording. In fact, I would say his chops on this, and Thick As A Brick, are amongst the finest to be heard in any type of rock music. This man knocked most drummers out of the ring. Everyone has their moments on this recording and Martin Barre is not forgotten. I have hummed to myself his rhythm guitar part from the "Magus Perde" section of this work for about, oh : about 25 years now.

This is a memorable work, the CD and video bonus a treasure. This is not the place to start if you are unfamiliar with Jethro Tull, but believe me, once you are, you'll want this one.

Rating: 5/5

More about A Passion Play:

Track Listing: Lifebeats (1:14) / Prelude (2:14) / The Silver Cord (4:29) / Re-Assuring Tune (1:11) / Memory Bank (4:20) / Best Friends (1:58) / Critique Oblique (4:38) / Forest Dance, No. 1 (1:35) / The Story Of The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles (4:18) / Forest Dance, No. 2 (4:18) / The Foot Of Our Stairs (4:18) / Overseer Overture (4:00) / Flight From Lucifer (3:58) / 10.08 To Paddington (1:04) / Magus PerdE (3:55) / Epilogue (0:43)

Musicians:
Ian Anderson - acoustic and electric guitars, flute, soprano sax, vocals
Martin Barre - guitars
Barriemore Barlow - Drums, Glockenspiel, Marimba, Timbales, Tympani
John Evan - Organ, Synthesizer, Piano, Keyboards, voice
Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond - Bass, Vocals
David Palmer - Synthesizer, Keyboards, Saxophone







Ian's Liner Notes : "A Passion Play" Remastered

Following hot on the progressive little heels of "Thick As A Brick," Tull decamped to Montreux, Switzerland to develop song ideas for a new and similarly up-beat concept album. TAAB had, of course, been a spoof on the concept album genre and we were set to follow it up with another slightly jokey set of material with a few more musically serious passages thrown in for good measure.

The recording sessions were undertaken in the "Funky Chateau" D'Herouville near Paris. Unfortunately for us, the technical excellence of records by Elton John and Cat Stevens was not to be replicated during our visit.

Endless recording equipment problems and minor bouts of food poisoning dogged our attempts to produce masters. Finally, with only a few relatively unusable sections of the album complete - or nearly so - we gave up our recently won Swiss residence status and fled home to the welcoming embrace of the British Tax man.

Rather than re-record or polish up the existing material, we elected to start again with a completely new album and the disruptive recent events gave rise to an altogether darker set of tunes on the soon-to-be-named "A Passion Play." Following the theme of post-death meanderings in another world, the record was debuted with concert tours in the UK and USA.

Veteran features writer Chris Welch of Melody Maker and long-time friend of the band, used the moment to avoid professional charges of being altogether too chummy with the likes of us and so, savaged the performance of a work he clearly didn't like too much anyway. "Play Without Passion" hollered the front page story as it echoed its way around the known universe. One or two eminent US critics followed the example and we were on the back foot for the first time in our musical lives.

Of course, Chris later declared that he "might have over-reacted a bit" but the damage was done. A naughty deal was cut by manager Terry Ellis with "Uncle" Ray Coleman, editor of Melody Maker, to trade the scoop on a "Tull Quit" story in return for another front page in MM the next week. I wish Terry had remembered to tell us first! We were left feeling and looking pretty stupid having apparently resigned in a fit of pique whereas, in reality, there had never been a moment of such thought as far as the band were concerned. We rather liked our new record and thoroughly enjoyed performing it live in concert.

Here then is the re-mastered end result which courted such controversy. Not the most accessible of Tull albums, for sure, but a slightly weird and instrumentally adventurous concoction which set a few a young progressive-rock wannabes on their way to eventual musical success. Even now, I hear tales of the impression made on young minds by "A Passion Play," both then and now, and the badge of honour worn today by the hard line Tull fan who knows everything, is to claim to have listened all the way through, twice.

Doubtless, the bad press rap did us the power of good in providing a natural check in the band's career development and redirecting us in the context of more conventional songwriting. Later long song structure writing as in "Baker Street Muse," "Budapest" or the Ian Anderson solo "Divinities," benefited from the lessons learned. So, to old pal Chris Welch, I dedicate this new sonically improved edition of the infamous PP and trust he will give it another spin for old time's sake.

Ian Anderson
2003