"Minstrel in the Gallery" is the eighth studio album by British rock band Jethro Tull, released in September 1975. The album marks a shift from their previous work, "War Child" (1974), embracing a mix of electric and acoustic songs reminiscent of their early 1970s albums like "Benefit" (1970), "Aqualung" (1971), and "Thick as a Brick" (1972). The album was recorded in Monte Carlo, Monaco, utilizing a newly constructed mobile recording studio specifically built for the band, making it their first album recorded outside the UK.
This was the last Jethro Tull album to feature bassist Jeffrey Hammond, who left the band after the album's tour in late 1975. He was succeeded by John Glascock, formerly of Carmen.
In late 1974, after finishing the tour for their seventh album, "War Child," Jethro Tull returned to the idea of recording outside the UK. Frontman Ian Anderson commissioned a mobile studio, allowing the band to record in various locations. This studio, constructed by engineer Robin Black and Pete Smith of Morgan Studios, was named the Maison Rouge Mobile Studio. It was transported to Monte Carlo, Monaco, in April 1975, where the band recorded the album at the Prince of Wales Hotel.
To complete the album, Anderson rented a home in Los Angeles in December 1974, where he was joined by orchestral arranger Dee Palmer, who would later become Jethro Tull's keyboardist. Palmer helped finalize the string arrangements for the album.
