Jethro Tull: The Château D'Hérouville Sessions

If ever there was proof that one man’s disaster can be another’s triumph, then it must be The Château D'Hérouville Sessions, or as it became to be known The Château D’isaster Tapes. In fact, so dissatisfied with the recording process that had taken place just outside Paris in 1973 - and which included bouts of food poisoning, bug infestations and a host of technical issues - as Jethro Tull looked to craft their follow up to Thick As A Brick that the equivalent of three sides worth of work was abandoned. That however does not mean that this material was simply forgotten as Tull decamped to Morgan Studios in England to start again. Some of it was reworked into the next album they finally crafted, A Passion Play and some on 1974’s WarChild. These ‘disastrous’ sessions were then plundered again with some pieces being spruced up for the 1988 20 Years of Jethro Tull Box Set, although it was Nightcap five years later that gave the larger portion of these recordings new life. On that album you can hear much of what the sessions entailed, although with the addition of overdubbed flute courtesy, of course, of Ian Anderson.

Fast forward to 2014 and A Passion Play reissue box-set finally gave us The Château D'Hérouville Sessions in their entirety remixed by Steven Wilson but without any of the updates and changes to be found as the songs were either re-recorded, reworked or embellished for the intervening releases. There’s no doubt that it’s understandable that it took the passing of many years for those involved to separate the music that was created in the Château, from the harrowing circumstances they underwent in doing so, but hearing these recordings in this setting genuinely proved a revelation when the APP box set was released. The power and, yes, passion with which these recordings were delivered a real pleasure to behold. Arguably they might even be better than A Passion Play itself and, for my money, much better than the versions we got on Nightcap, good though they were. The major differences between the two being the amount Martin Barre seemed to be steering these sessions, his guitar to the fore in a way Tull seldom allowed, with his riffs and the general heaviness creating one of the most impactful Jethro Tull ‘albums’ they’ve released. The second major point of diversion comes from the lack of Anderson’s flute here, which is sparse indeed and an aspect that was added latterly, in a heavy-handed fashion. to the Nightcap versions.

Now released as, nearly, a standalone album on (for the first time) vinyl, the three sides of music that was recorded sound remarkably focussed and cohesive. As you would expect from this iteration of Tull - Anderson, Barre, John Evan (keys), Jeffrey Hammond (bass) and Barriemore Barlow (drums), the performances are absolutely bang on the money and Steven Wilson’s remixing work hits home with real authority, but without lifting the effect from its early 70’s beginnings.

Now, it’s odds-on that most dyed in the wool Tull fans will already have these recordings in one shape or form so going through them track by track here feels a little superfluous. However, even with that in mind it’s worth mentioning just how vibrant the two parts of “Critique Oblique� are in this form, while the same can be said for “Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of The New Day�, “The Big Top� and, well, basically the whole damn thing!

With the intended double album sessions never completed in The Château D’Hérouville, the album they were hoping to make remains three sided and incomplete. The final side here rounded out by 4 related recordings, the 1988 Box Set Mix of “Chateau D'isaster Tapes (Scenario/Audition/No Rehearsal)�, 1974 WarChild mixes of “Only Solitare� and “Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of The New Day�, along with the 1973 A Passion Play mix of “The Story Of The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles�, with the latter being a track that I guess will still split opinions as it always has.

Coming beautifully packaged with a lengthy essay about the D’isaster sessions in the inner gatefold, the record sleeves then add some images from the studio, lyrics and a brief history of each track and the releases they have featured on, and other such interesting tidbits. Often when these type of recordings are focussed on in this way, especially when they have been recently released on a wider more encompassing box set, there’s a feel of the cash-in about them. On this occasion, as with the recent WarChild II vinyl release from Jethro Tull, the exact opposite is true. The opportunity to treat these songs as a separate and distinct album giving them their rightful place in the Jethro Tull catalogue. I’d argue that The Château D'Hérouville Sessions is right up there with the best collections of music this band has ever released.

Track Listing
Side 1
1. The Big Top
2. Scenario
3. Audition
4. Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of The New Day
5. Sailor
6. No Rehearsal

Side 2
1. Left Right
2. Solitare
3. Critique Oblique (Part I)
4. Critique Oblique (Part II)

Side 3
1. Animelee (1st Dance)
2. Animelee (2nd Dance)
3. The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles
4. Law of the Bungle (Part I)
5. Tiger Toon
6. Law of the Bungle (Part II)

Side 4
1. Chateau D'isaster Tapes (Scenario/Audition/No Rehearsal) (1988 Box Set Mix)
2. Only Solitare (1974 WarChild Mix)
3. The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles (1973 A Passion Play Mix)
4. Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of The New Day (1974 WarChild Mix)

Added: March 13th 2024
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
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Language: english

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