Jethro Tull - "Aqualung" (1971) - Chrysalis
Hello Friends,
The wind is picking up, the nights are growing long and there's a chill in the air; another Summer has drawn to a close and with it, our final Prog Rock Saturday!
We're going out with a classic tonight... Jethro Tull's fourth (and best) album, 1971's Aqualung.
Aqualung is the record the record that really put Jethro Tull on the map. Songs like "Aqualung", "Cross-Eyed Mary", "Hymn 43" and "Locomotive Breath" became classic rock radio staples as well as fixtures in Tull's live shows.
Following a loose concept, the album touches on some pretty lofty (and pretty non-proggy) themes of homelessness, despair, teenage angst, religious hypocrisy and the role of god in modern England. There's some pretty great guitar riffs throughout (courtesy of Martin Barre)-- including one of rock & roll's most famous opening riff's on the title song-- but there's also a fair amount of folk guitar and flute-playing which lends an Olde English, Renaissance Faire feel to the record.
(Legend has it that the song/concept/character of "Aqualung" was inspired by some startling photos that frontman Ian Anderson's wife, Jennie Franks, took of homeless men living along the Thames!)
Side One (labelled as "Aqualung" on the record) starts with the hard rocking one-two punch of the aforementioned "Aqualung" and "Cross-Eyed Mary". Two classics. Then there's three acoustic songs in a row-- "Cheap Date Return", "Mother Goose" & "Wond'ring Aloud"-- which feature Anderson in full minstrel mode. The side ends with the terribly under-appreciated, "Up To Me". Take you to the cinema, And leave you in a Wimpy Bar...
Side Two (labelled "My God") begins with "My God"-- another song which builds on the theme of religious hypocrisy with lyrics about "the bloody Church of England", "plastic crucifixes" and "the God of nothing". Anderson's distinctive vocals coupled with the way the song slowly builds it reminds us a little of early Black Sabbath (if early Black Sabbath had a flute player!)
"Hymn 43" absolutely rocks while the acoustic "Slipstream" is once again a return to the Renaissance Faire sound. The bluesy, "Locomotive Breath" is one of the band's most famous achievements about a loser ("an all time loser") whose wife is having an affair with his best friend and decides to end his life by... stealing a train?!?!
The album closes with the terrific ballad, "Wind Up", which ties up all the themes of religion, god, hypocrisy, etc. with lamenting lines like, "You had the whole damn thing all wrong... he's not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays". Great ending to a great album!
Jethro Tull were in a different class than the other major players in 1970's prog-rock often sounding more like Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin than Yes, ELP or King Crimson. We like to think of them more as a blues band that did some weird things rather than a collection of musical aficionados who step over each other to show how proficient they are in their playing skills. Its heady without being math-y. Complex without being overwhelming. And to their credit they also seemed to have a sense of humor about things-- including themselves...
Now bring on the fall!
RATING: 5 salvations a la mode and cups of tea out of 5
Following a loose concept, the album touches on some pretty lofty (and pretty non-proggy) themes of homelessness, despair, teenage angst, religious hypocrisy and the role of god in modern England. There's some pretty great guitar riffs throughout (courtesy of Martin Barre)-- including one of rock & roll's most famous opening riff's on the title song-- but there's also a fair amount of folk guitar and flute-playing which lends an Olde English, Renaissance Faire feel to the record.
(Legend has it that the song/concept/character of "Aqualung" was inspired by some startling photos that frontman Ian Anderson's wife, Jennie Franks, took of homeless men living along the Thames!)
Side One (labelled as "Aqualung" on the record) starts with the hard rocking one-two punch of the aforementioned "Aqualung" and "Cross-Eyed Mary". Two classics. Then there's three acoustic songs in a row-- "Cheap Date Return", "Mother Goose" & "Wond'ring Aloud"-- which feature Anderson in full minstrel mode. The side ends with the terribly under-appreciated, "Up To Me". Take you to the cinema, And leave you in a Wimpy Bar...
Side Two (labelled "My God") begins with "My God"-- another song which builds on the theme of religious hypocrisy with lyrics about "the bloody Church of England", "plastic crucifixes" and "the God of nothing". Anderson's distinctive vocals coupled with the way the song slowly builds it reminds us a little of early Black Sabbath (if early Black Sabbath had a flute player!)
"Hymn 43" absolutely rocks while the acoustic "Slipstream" is once again a return to the Renaissance Faire sound. The bluesy, "Locomotive Breath" is one of the band's most famous achievements about a loser ("an all time loser") whose wife is having an affair with his best friend and decides to end his life by... stealing a train?!?!
The album closes with the terrific ballad, "Wind Up", which ties up all the themes of religion, god, hypocrisy, etc. with lamenting lines like, "You had the whole damn thing all wrong... he's not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays". Great ending to a great album!
Jethro Tull were in a different class than the other major players in 1970's prog-rock often sounding more like Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin than Yes, ELP or King Crimson. We like to think of them more as a blues band that did some weird things rather than a collection of musical aficionados who step over each other to show how proficient they are in their playing skills. Its heady without being math-y. Complex without being overwhelming. And to their credit they also seemed to have a sense of humor about things-- including themselves...
Now bring on the fall!
RATING: 5 salvations a la mode and cups of tea out of 5
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