Minstrel In The Gallery

Minstrel in the Gallery (1975) is the eighth studio album by British band Jethro Tull, released in September 1975.
Ian Anderson's lyrics and subject matter show an introspective and cynical air, possibly the byproduct of Anderson's recent divorce from first wife Jennie Franks and the pressures of touring, coupled with the frustrations of writing for and recording the album in Monte Carlo. The title refers to the use of a minstrel's gallery in the great hall of castles or manor houses. Stylistically the album is varied. The songs "Minstrel In The Gallery", "Black Satin Dancer" are hard-rock, although "Minstrel", like another track, "Cold Wind to Valhalla", starts with several acoustic verses that are basically identical in structure to the main, hard rock section of the song, then break into the heavier version after an instrumental break.
Five of the seven songs on the album feature intros, consisting of either speech or count-offs (the exceptions being "Black Satin Dancer" and "Grace").
This album was remastered with five additional bonus tracks in November 2002, including incomplete live-in-the-studio renditions of "Minstrel in the Gallery" and "Cold Wind to Valhalla", some tracks that appeared only on maxi-singles ("Pan Dance", "March The Mad Scientist") and "Summerday Sands" which was the B-side of the "Minstrel In The Gallery" single.