Rating: 
Summary: It could be worse
Review: I suppose if one knows nothing about Tull, this comprehensive overview could be very useful. If, however, you're a fan and already know the basic history, there is much less here than one might want. First, much is recycled from other sources. Second, the desciptions of the albums are far too subjective. Descriptive analysis of the music would have been worthwhile, but Nollen's opinions (and even worse, recycled reviews from Rolling Stone and the like) are unnecessary. Does anyone really care whether or not Nollen likes a particular album? A true history of the band, something that would detail the creation of the various songs, their instrumentation and studio techniques, how they relate to Ian Anderson's life, the details of their tours with descriptions of the staging, etc., i.e., something that does for Tull what "The Last Gang In Town" did for The Clash has, sadly, yet to be written.
Rating: 
Summary: Original Rock 'n' Roll
Review: Jethro Tull has always been one of the most original and innovative rock and roll bands, blending countless types of music, and they continue to perform all over the world. Scott Nollen's book provides the most thorough history of the band, plus a first-hand touch with his years of knowing and hanging out with the band. A good combination of history, critical reviews and survey of the musical development of the band over their first 33 years of non-stop recording and touring. And the foreword by Ian Anderson and afterword by Dave Pegg give the book a nice personal touch.
Rating:
Summary: Original Rock 'n' Roll
Review: Jethro Tull has always been one of the most original and innovative rock and roll bands, blending countless types of music, and they continue to perform all over the world. Scott Nollen's book provides the most thorough history of the band, plus a first-hand touch with his years of knowing and hanging out with the band. A good combination of history, critical reviews and survey of the musical development of the band over their first 33 years of non-stop recording and touring. And the foreword by Ian Anderson and afterword by Dave Pegg give the book a nice personal touch.
Rating:
Summary: A treasure trove of detail will delight the avid fan
Review: Jethro Tull is an unusual and informative history of the rock band formed by Ian Anderson in 1968. Jethro Tull is written by an acquaintance of several of its members and includes a chronology of all the band's recordings and tours, as well as the author's critiques and the band's own opinions of its albums. While costly for a standard paperwork, Jethro Tull is a treasure trove of detail will delight the avid fan.
Rating:
Summary: Most Authoritative Book Yet on Tull
Review: Scott Nollen did a fabulous job on this history of Jethro Tull. He provides the reader with the inside scoop from the band: Why band members joined and departed, why songs were written and what the lyrics really mean, plus recollections and stories from band members that you won't read anywhere else. Vivid descriptions are offered of each album, how it was produced, and the accompanying concert tour. I also enjoyed reading about the dry British humour and zany "behind-the-scenes" antics of John Evans, Jeffrey Hammond, David Pegg, Doane Perry, and Glenn Cornick. This light-hearted, back stage humour provided a great counterpoint to Ian Anderson's disciplined, stern, highly professional expectations of the band. I bought this book 3 weeks ago and I still can't put it down -- a fascinating read.
Rating:
Summary: Most Authoritative Book Yet on Tull
Review: Scott Nollen did a fabulous job on this history of Jethro Tull. He provides the reader with the inside scoop from the band: Why band members joined and departed, why songs were written and what the lyrics really mean, plus recollections and stories from band members that you won't read anywhere else. Vivid descriptions are offered of each album, how it was produced, and the accompanying concert tour. I also enjoyed reading about the dry British humour and zany "behind-the-scenes" antics of John Evans, Jeffrey Hammond, David Pegg, Doane Perry, and Glenn Cornick. This light-hearted, back stage humour provided a great counterpoint to Ian Anderson's disciplined, stern, highly professional expectations of the band. I bought this book 3 weeks ago and I still can't put it down -- a fascinating read.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Reference Guide to a Great Band
Review: This book is the first I've read on Jethro Tull. I found it to be very interesting. It is more of a reference guide than the "good curl-up" Ian Anderson describes it as in his forward. The chapters are divided by album and subsequent tour, including Anderson's solo projects. I was drawn into the book by Nollen's preface and his brilliant short essay on the overall music of Tull. Nollen was an ordinary Tull fan from Iowa who was elevated to the privileged class of fans who have met and befriended the band members, particularly Dave Pegg. He received the cooperation of Pegg, Glenn Cornick, Doane Perry and the one-legged flautist himself to write this book which really adds to its credibility. It is very scholarly and well-organized. The footnotes reveal that much of this information was garnered from old reviews, the Tull fanzine A New Day, etc., which may result in less new information for the long-time Tull fanatic. I agree with another reviewer who stated that this book reads like a college Masters thesis.What I enjoyed the most from this book are the analyses of some of the lyrics to Tull's songs. I have a greater appreciation for "Aqualung" after reading this book. I also finally understand what is meant by "One white duck on your wall." I wish there was more of these lyric explanations as the descriptions of the sound of the songs (and I know, from writing reviews for Amazon how difficult it is to describe music in words) become rather tedious. I often skimmed over some of these descriptions, particularly concerning some of the later albums I have not heard as such words cannot bring music to life. For the most part, this is a very glowing, often sycophantic account. I love Jethro Tull, they are one of my all-time favorite bands, but some of Nollen's praise is a little much: "the band rollicked into one of the most incredible performances ever heard by a rock audience" (151), "Barrie Barlow...executes some of the most astounding snare drum rolls in the history of rock" (147). What is frustrating is Nollen's tendency to start an interesting story and then cut it off abruptly with an unrelated quotation. Glenn Cornick's statements about being fired are cut off by an Anderson quote about breaking even financially on an American tour (62). A story about Martin Barre and Dave Pegg having a knife pulled on them when they were trying to retrieve a stolen jacket ends abruptly with a Pegg quote on Barre's passion for leather (217). The many long quotations, especially towards the end of the book, make for very tedious reading at times. Still, this book is very impressive work and very valuable to the Tull fan.
Rating:
Summary: Nice Overview
Review: This book takes a no nonsense, chronological approach to telling the Tull story. Each album and track is handled in order of release, with tour info and other items of interest, such as band comings and goings (and they have had many!). I like this approach, personally, because the music tells the story for me anyway. If you are a casual fan and feel like digging a little deeper beyond the Classic Rock hits, there is something for you. You may even find yourself buying the reissues due out this year. Rabid Tull fans will enjoy reading what a fellow fan has to say.
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