Canada's The Metal Voice recently spoke to Jethro Tull's leader Ian Anderson. In the interview Anderson spoke about the new album 'The Zealot Gene', gave an update on the continuing re-issues of the bands catalog and spoke about meeting Iron Maiden's Steve Harris and performing with Bruce Dickinson.
Jethro Tull have announced their first new studio project in nearly two decades: The Zealot Gene will arrive on Jan. 28 2022 via Inside Out Music
Watch Full Interview here
Ian Anderson was asked about the next upcoming Jethro Tull Re-issues he told The Metal Voice, "Broadsword and the Beast is the next reissue in July of next year. Which is all complete in terms of all the music and I think just the final components, the little parts of the packaging are just being finished at the moment. Beyond that I can't really comment cause we haven't had any detailed discussions about how far to go or the availability of Steven Wilson who has done all the remixes."
The Metal Voice also asked Ian Anderson about meeting Iron Maiden's Steve Harris and performing with Bruce Dickinson, Anderson Said, "I probably met Steve Harris briefly on one occasion a little bit more on another occasion. I know he is a rather shy person, he said he never wanted to push himself forward in terms of trying to meet me or talk to me. I think I got in touch with him and asked him if he would do a little throw away intro to a particular track on a live concert tour we did, in terms of being a video. A little video contribution that he offered to introduce a song. He went on, "I think his interest in Jethro Tull is probably based on having gone in a direction kind of beyond the performances that you would associate yourself with Iron Maiden. The first thing Iron Maiden seemed to be linked to Jethro Tull was a song called Cross -Eyed Mary which was on the Aqualung album and they did it on an early record release. I think they did it in the same key as I did but puts it in the impossible key for Bruce Dickinson. Bruce is a tenor and I am a baritone a low baritone. So for him to sing down here, he had to go up an octave but then he was going up really an octave which out it in a very uncomfortable high register that even as young Bruce Dickinson. He was pushing his luck singing it an octave higher, than my original vocal. "
He continued," I don't really know these people very well at one occasion Bruce was a guest of mine at Canterbury Cathedral's performance I did in 2011 and he is a great person to work with, very professional, very straightforward, Easy going guy we learnt his couple of songs and he sang on one of ours. I got an e-mail this morning from Bruce Dickinson, that he sent a couple of days ago about asking me to do some live performance project together at the end of next year. "
Jethro Tull, ‘The Zealot Gene’ Track Listing
"Mrs. Tibbets"
"Jacob's Tales"
"Mine Is the Mountain"
"The Zealot Gene"
"Shoshana Sleeping"
"Sad City Sisters"
"Barren Beth, Wild Desert John"
"The Betrayal of Joshua Kynde"
"Where Did Saturday Go?"
"Three Loves, Three"
"In Brief Visitation"
"The Fisherman of Ephesus"
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