Jethro Tull, Metal, and The Grammys

Reading about the Grammys via Twitter last night (knowing hardly any of the acts performing) made me think back to when Jethro Tull won the Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Performance or whatever it was called. Tull was one of my favorite bands at the time. I listened to their records everyday, including Crest Of A Knave which was the album the Grammy Committee was considering for the award. Though I was a big fan, I didn't consider them Metal or even Hard Rock. Certainly not Crest Of A Knave. It was more of a folksy rock. Earlier albums, I'd consider Prog Rock.

I know Tull had a great influence on metal musicians, particularly Iron Maiden, but were they considered Hard Rock? Do you guys consider them Hard Rock? I've been trying to think of what might have been their heaviest-sounding album (I haven't listened to my Tull records in a while) and I can't really think of anything I'd consider Hard Rock much less Metal.

Never were a hard rock band (though they definitely had rockers in their discography), certainly not metal. One of the very finest progressive rock bands. Tull themselves were completely confused by winning that award (and were just as perplexed about being nominated).

It was simply a case of the Grammy committee having no clue about the genre of music and deciding to give praise to an older established group that had never been nominated for any awards.

I listened to people talk crap about Jethro Tull for years afterward when it completely wasn't their fault.

I totally agree with SD.
I never considered Tull to be hard rock though songs like Hymn 43 and Locomotive Breath definitely rock. To me Jethro Tull is almost their own genre of music. The early albums are more bluesy while albums like Songs From The Wood and Heavy Horses are more folksy (almost Celtic-sounding) and stuff like "A" and "Under Wraps" border on electronica at times.
And that's what I love about Jethro Tull; they defy categorization. And as usual the Grammys crew had no idea what they were talking about.
EDIT: so who won the best hard rock/metal category (or whatever they call it now) last night? I'm too lazy to look it up.

The strange thing is though, although they have never been hard rock or metal, I don't know many hard rock/metal fans (of a certain age) who don't like them.

They just won the award for not being Metallica that night and didn't deserve the flak that they got for it.

Boris2008 wrote:

The strange thing is though, although they have never been hard rock or metal, I don't know many hard rock/metal fans (of a certain age) who don't like them.

They just won the award for not being Metallica that night and didn't deserve the flak that they got for it.

That's an interesting point. I can't remember the last time Tull came up in a music conversation I was having and the other person said "Ugh! Can't stand them." I'm sure such people are out there but Tull sure seems to be a common bond between hard rock/metal fans.

For instance, Jethro Tull is practically the only band SD and I have in common.

I laughed at the time, Ian and the boys were like, huh? Okaaaaaaaay. I like them but it's not a catagory they were in full time.

Dark Horseman wrote:

I laughed at the time, Ian and the boys were like, huh? Okaaaaaaaay. I like them but it's not a catagory they were in full time.

It's a catergory they've barely been in at all IMO.

tohostudios wrote:

For instance, Jethro Tull is practically the only band SD and I have in common.

Steely Dan also.

I was watching the Grammy's that night, I was so excited to see Metallica play "One" and as I was pondering whether winning a Grammy was a good thing or a bad thing, they announced that Jethro Tull won. I had always liked JT but for that split second moment, I hated 'em.

S.D. wrote:

tohostudios wrote:

For instance, Jethro Tull is practically the only band SD and I have in common.

Steely Dan also.

Oh yeah, I forgot The Dan.
But I'm late to the party on Steely Dan; hated them as I was growing up. I only appreciated them as I got older.

But I've always dug Tull.

stepcousin wrote:

I was watching the Grammy's that night, I was so excited to see Metallica play "One" and as I was pondering whether winning a Grammy was a good thing or a bad thing, they announced that Jethro Tull won. I had always liked JT but for that split second moment, I hated 'em.

I also watched the awards that night and saw Metallica perform, they were even standing backstage afterward ready to walk out and accept. Then they called Jethro Tull.

But you know, I didn't hate Jethro Tull for that, I hated the Grammy committee for their ignorance of the music.

S.D. wrote:

stepcousin wrote:

I was watching the Grammy's that night, I was so excited to see Metallica play "One" and as I was pondering whether winning a Grammy was a good thing or a bad thing, they announced that Jethro Tull won. I had always liked JT but for that split second moment, I hated 'em.

I also watched the awards that night and saw Metallica perform, they were even standing backstage afterward ready to walk out and accept. Then they called Jethro Tull.

But you know, I didn't hate Jethro Tull for that, I hated the Grammy committee for their ignorance of the music.

I was watching that night too and that was my reaction because I knew people would somehow be pissed off at Tull for winning the award.

I didn't know who else was nominated, so I looked it up, and here were all the nominees (according to Wikipedia). I'm not sure why it just lists a song for Iggy Pop. I don't know much about Jane's Addiction, but I didn't consider them metal/hard rock, either. Iggy Pop I think of as Punk Rock:

Blow Up Your Video by AC/DC,
"Cold Metal" by Iggy Pop (from the album Instinct)
Nothing's Shocking by Jane's Addiction
Crest of a Knave by Jethro Tull
...And Justice for All by Metallica

80s Metal Lady wrote:

I didn't know who else was nominated, so I looked it up, and here were all the nominees (according to Wikipedia). I'm not sure why it just lists a song for Iggy Pop. I don't know much about Jane's Addiction, but I didn't consider them metal/hard rock, either. Iggy Pop I think of as Punk Rock:

Blow Up Your Video by AC/DC,
"Cold Metal" by Iggy Pop (from the album Instinct)
Nothing's Shocking by Jane's Addiction
Crest of a Knave by Jethro Tull
...And Justice for All by Metallica

I agree with you. Of that lot I only consider Metallica and AC/DC to be metal (although these days AC/DC is "classic rock"). Jane's Addiction is hard alternative and I agree, Iggy Pop is punk.

tohostudios wrote:

I totally agree with SD.
so who won the best hard rock/metal category (or whatever they call it now) last night? I'm too lazy to look it up.

LOL, I thought this was going to be easy to find, but it took a bit of searching (not for the lazy, after all). I guess the Grammys still don't have a lot of respect for Metal:

Halestorm won for their track "Love Bites (So Do I),"

Jane's Addiction were always considered 'Alternative' but like Smashing Pumpkins were in fact Hard Rock, just not the type of hard rock that was around at that time.

I'm surprised that Jane's Addiction didn't win tbh, they were media darlings.

Boris2008 wrote:

Jane's Addiction were always considered 'Alternative' but like Smashing Pumpkins were in fact Hard Rock, just not the type of hard rock that was around at that time.

I'm surprised that Jane's Addiction didn't win tbh, they were media darlings.

I use the term "hard alternative" to differentiate a band like Janes Addiction from Counting Crows who are also called "alternative".
Yet mainstream media calls bands like U2 or The Rolling Stones "hard rock" so I feel the need to invent my own category of "hard alternative" because Jane's Addiction doesn't sound anything like U2, The Stones OR Counting Crows.

I totally get what you are saying and agree to an extent but I call them Hard Rock because I hate this current trend of inventing a new category in rock every time a band sounds a little different. There's only so many times I can hear music being described as Post Prog Industrial Darkwave Suicidal Black Metal before my head starts to hurt.

Must be getting old!

Boris2008 wrote:

I totally get what you are saying and agree to an extent but I call them Hard Rock because I hate this current trend of inventing a new category in rock every time a band sounds a little different. There's only so many times I can hear music being described as Post Prog Industrial Darkwave Suicidal Black Metal before my head starts to hurt.

Must be getting old!

Just wait youngin'; it only gets worse.

S.D. wrote:

Never were a hard rock band (though they definitely had rockers in their discography), certainly not metal. One of the very finest progressive rock bands. Tull themselves were completely confused by winning that award (and were just as perplexed about being nominated).

It was simply a case of the Grammy committee having no clue about the genre of music and deciding to give praise to an older established group that had never been nominated for any awards.

I listened to people talk crap about Jethro Tull for years afterward when it completely wasn't their fault.

Yep, I remember that.... I just took it as the Grammys being clueless

80s Metal Lady wrote:

tohostudios wrote:

I totally agree with SD.
so who won the best hard rock/metal category (or whatever they call it now) last night? I'm too lazy to look it up.

LOL, I thought this was going to be easy to find, but it took a bit of searching (not for the lazy, after all). I guess the Grammys still don't have a lot of respect for Metal:

Halestorm won for their track "Love Bites (So Do I),"

Yep - I saw the quotes, Lizzy Hale was surprised that they beat Iron Maiden

I did not watch the Grammys the night Jethro Tull won and the tradition continues because I did not watch that crap last night either.

Didnt Ian Anderson make some tongue-in-cheek remark about the whole deal, saying "the flute is a heavy metal instrument"?

Hadley wrote:

Didnt Ian Anderson make some tongue-in-cheek remark about the whole deal, saying "the flute is a heavy metal instrument"?

Yes, "the flute IS a heavy metal instrument".

He also said awhile back that he was able to be the best & the worst flute player in rock simultaneously and that while Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck were all fantastic guitar players...they were terrible flute players the lot of them.

In their heyday how many of the following bands won Grammy's?
Led Zep, Janis Joplin, The Doors, The Grateful Dead, Skynyrd, The Who?
Hell, I don't even think Queen ever won.
No, those bands aren't metal, but I think this partial list says all you need to know about the Grammy's…….