It is difficult to categorize the music of Jethro Tull, a british band formed in 1967 comprising Ian Andersen (vocals, lyrics, guitarist, flautist), Mick Abrahams (guitar and backing vocals), Glenn Cornick (Bass guitar) and Clive Bunker (drums). Their roots were certainly in the British blues of the mid-60’s but the music was a mix of Blues licks, hard rock and folksy tunes. No wonder the critics did not take them seriously.
Their first single released by MGM was ‘Sunshine Day’ and was incorrectly credited to the band Jethro Toe. It made no impact.
Small wonder…. There must have been scores of bands making the same type of music, but the instrumentation change halfway through is surely a harbinger of what was to follow.
The band had their first success playing at the Sunbury Jazz and Blues Festival in 1968, and shortly afterwards released their debut album ‘This Was’ (Island Records). By this time Anderson was the dominant figure in the band with his crazy onstage antics.
Opening track on the album - My Sunday Feeling.
I am not going to track the personnel changes as these were frequent with Ian Anderson being the persistent member. All told the band has had 16 members and 18 guest musicians over the years
In 1969 the British music weekly Melody Maker rated Jethro Tull as their #2 band of the year, second to The Beatles and ahead of The Rolling Stones (3rd). Their album Stand Up made it to #1 on the UK Album charts with the single Sweet Dreams breaking into the Top10.
Over the next couple of years Jethro Tull continued to tour, both in the US as well as the UK releasing another album Benefit . The album (in my opinion) that really put them on the map was Aqualung.
Sitting on a park bench
Eyeing little girls
With bad intent
Snot running down his nose
Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes
Drying in the cold sun
Watching as the frilly panties run
Feeling like a dead duck
Spitting out pieces of his broken luck
By now one could hear that the Blues influence was fading and rock was the dominant genre. Two more tracks which were listed on this album were Cross Eyed Mary (one of my all time great tunes, a character sketch of a school girl prostitute) and the well known Locomotive Breath
Laughing in the playground gets no kicks from little boys
Would rather make it with a letching grey
Or maybe her attention is drawn by Aqualung
Who watches through the railings as they play
Cross-eyed Mary finds it hard to get along
She's a poor man's rich girl and she'll do it for a song
She's the rich man stealer but her favour's good and strong
She's the Robin Hood of Highgate, helps the poor man get along
The band had 11 Gold and 5 Platinum albums in all. I reckon to this day no respectable music shop would be without a Tull collection available
The ever popular and much covered Locomotive Breath.
All told the band, in it’s many forms and personnel, released 21 Albums up to 2003. The one constant being Ian Andersen. Let us enjoy the music…..
Living in the Past …. Released in 1969
I would love to include the music from Thick as a Brick, but the album only had two tracks… a ‘concept’ album of note. Each track was a full side of a vinyl…roughly 22 minutes each …
So I found a live performance at Madison Gardens which is only 12 minutes… so listen to as much as you like and then desist. My money is on you listening the whole way, and mayhaps even finding the album.
Really don't mind if you sit this one out.
My words but a whisper your deafness a SHOUT.
I may make you feel but I can't make you think.
Your sperm's in the gutter your love's in the sink.
So you ride yourselves over the fields and
You make all your animal deals and
Your wise men don't know how it feels
To be thick as a brick
I really hope you enjoyed this really different but to my mind really talented and brilliant band. For those discovering them for the first time enjoy the journey!
Credits
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/jethro-tull/biography
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jethro-tull-mn0000850692/biography
http://www.metrolyrics.com/jethro-tull-lyrics.html
I am featuring artists from the 60’s and 70’s from diverse genre’s over the next few months. If you love music … FOLLOW and take the journey with me..it is going to be one thrilling ride !! Furthermore I will only be featuring artists from MY vinyl collection, and I shall start all of the posts with a photo of an album cover to authenticate
Previous Music Legends
Leonard Cohen
The Doors
Bob Dylan
The Rolling Stones
60’s Protest Artists
Janis Joplin
John McClaughlin
Bob Marley
Billy Joel
And many more …… take a look
One my favorite classic rock bands absolutely (from the Stand Up to Thick As A Brick). They had a completely unique mix of rock, folk and psych/prog that is unrivaled in my opinion. My favorite is still Aqualung, with the other albums as a combined second :-)
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Thanks for the read and taking the time to reply..... I was gobsmacked at myself for leaving them out for so long!! Besides the music, it was also at such a memorable time of my life... where music WAS life {smile}
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Thanks, this was enlightening. I have always wanted to know more about this band but have been a bit too lazy to delve into finding out. Reading this while listening to their music was great! :)
I wonder if you know about an american band called Iron Butterfly, I have one of their LPs (safely in my brother's garage) my dad brought back after home after his exchange student year in the early 70's. It has the song "In-a-gadda-da-vida" which is pretty cool.
I know they had made a few more albums than that, but from what I hear they stayed relatively unknown to the rest of the world. Apparently their guitarist was a young genious or something, but died from drugs? (I might remember it wrong. It's been almost 30 years since I last read the in-sleeve of the album cover.
I find In-a-gadda-da-vida weirdly similar to Cream's Sunshine of Your Love.
I love these band essays you have written. I might try it out too, I have not very many, but some interesting albums in my shelf. :)
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Cream .. First heavy metal band imho
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Ah, the great Rock and or roll band, I Ron Butterfly
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Oh yeah, Cream were the 'super group' with brilliantly talented musicians ...Jack Bruce was rated as the top Bassist at the time, Ginger Baker to my mind WAS the best drummer then and possibly of all time (I know...subjective {grin}).... and of course old slow hand himself Eric Clapton a virtuoso guitarist. Overall their career together was a disappointment... imo their best being White Room off the Wheels of Fire album!
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Btw. I read here that Clapton adopted his style of playing from JJ Cale.
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I remember Iron butterfly well, and yes their song Inacadanaveda was a classic. I believe I may have some of their stuff in my collection. I enjoyed them without being a big fan.... but there is a qualifier here. In those days we only had AM or Medium Wave radio so the quality of the sound was not good. So a lot of the instrumentation was lost... {note to self: Dig out Iron Butterfly vinyl and re-listen}
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment, I really appreciate it.
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Heh, I had to check IB from Wikipedia and discovered that it wasn't the guitarist Eric Braunn who died, but their bassist Philip Taylor Kramer who apparently did a suicide.
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Be careful @Gamer00... this music stuff sucks one in :) :) ... When I get started I lose hours. thanks for the feedback.
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Haha, I noticed. I should've been doing homesteading, and now be picking up my offspring from school and daycare and I've wasted my morning listening to music and reading wikipedia.
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Never wasted {grin}...now off with ya..
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I discovered that my knowledge of Jethro Tull was abysmal. The only song I knew was Living In The Past. I must be just those few years younger than you fellas, so I find it a bit hard to relate to them and to other bands like Cream. But it was fascinating having a listen.
It started me thinking about 2 of my older cousins who might have been into them more. Then that started me thinking about the musical careers that my two cousins have had. Maybe I'll write a post about them both when I run out of my own favourite music. Or maybe as an in between post.
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You did not know LOCOMOTIVE BREATH?? {eyes bulge in their sockets....bottom lip quivers hopelessly} ... that is amazing .....LOL. An interesting band nonetheless eh @kiwideb?
I shall look forward to your story of your muso cousins
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great post @themagus & cheers for Jethro Tull
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My pleasure... did I enjoy putting it together. Was almost twice as long ... took me longer to edit it than to do the original... go check out some of the other good stuff !!!
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