Some Tull
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Artist:
Jethro Tull seems to have been brought to the fore on MOG lately and I thought it would be good to give this a turn.
This is from the 25th Anniversary edition of the album which included a live (albeit truncated) version of the song recorded in 1978 at Madison Square Garden as well as an interview with the boys of tull. I'll post the interview in comments should anyone care to listen. (It's about 18 minutes).
Not a bad recording, all things considered.
After doing some research at the time of the album's release, the title, "Thick as a Brick", was understood to be a British slang expression. It was the equivalent of "Full of Shit" in Americana. Others have their theories. The album truly was a parody of society. Anderson was brilliant at sarcasm, and cynicism, and had a fantastically developed sense of writing that was unequalled at the time.
Many have wondered where the album title came from. One theory follows the custom of English boys being aware of, and many having succumbed to, Lord Baden-Powell's tenets for good boyhood. As the inventor of the Boy Scouts he admonished young Englishmen to "be a brick" in all aspects of their lives. In other words, to fit in, to not rock the boat, but to be a solid citizen. The original Boy Scouts were also an organization designed to prepare young men for the military, being as England was still master of the world then, with holdings and wars upon which "the sun never set". Some samples from the song lyrics supporting this theory:
"And where were all the sportsmen who always pulled you though? They're all resting down in Cornwall -- writing up their memoirs for a paper-back edition of the Boy Scout Manual."
"See there! A son is born -- and we pronounce him fit to fight."
"We'll/make a man of him/put him to trade/teach him/to play Monopoly and/to sing in the rain."
"The young men of the household have/all gone into service and/are not to be expected for a year."
"We'll/take the child from him/put it to the test..."
Locating MOG account...
Comments (16)
The Interview
I saw these guys maybe 10 years back and there were some reasonably old dudes on the stage, they did a stunning show. I think I might did out me old vinyl over missy, thanks for the trip backwards
gotta check this out.....i think i was actually AT that show at the Garden. if i remember correctly, Gentle Giant was the opener as well.....
Another brilliant post! After your xmas-Tull post last week, I've been going back and listening again and again. While Tull is certainly very "of their time," there's a lot going on musically that still makes it work. I even got into an argument over the weekend and defended Jethro Tull as something rounder than just "that acid-headed flute player!" I even managed to play 4 Tull songs in the background before I was asked, "Is this Rush?" Hmmm.......
Thanks again for digging this out!
Stay the course, my friend! You are correct, they are of their time BUT there is some quality stuff goin on here! There is good reason this music has stood the test!!
...and for some reason (I guess it is the upbeat mix of acoustic instruments?) their music is of a very wintery nature, and warming! I had this 25th anniversary edition for awhile, mainly 'cause I wanted to re-read the paper. Sold it to an avid fan in France....beauti-Tull!!
Never saw Jethro Tull live, but their performance (esp. Anderson's) on The Rolling Stones' R&R Circus is.....mesmerizing. Really, I mean that is the best word for it.
Many moons ago, I won a radio contest and the prize was the album Living In The Past and 2 tickets to the show. It was incredible, as you might expect. This CD will definitely stand the test of time, as will many of their others.
Robin--does this mean that you've seen Gentle Giant live? I'm in full jealous fit right now, just so you know.
T as a B is one of my all time favorite album packages. You could do a slew of posts just on the album design itself.
That is what was so exquisite about vinyl, when it had quality packaging, it just put a great big freaking dollop of icing on the cake. A part of the experience that I'm sure millions of folks have missed out on.
Agreed--and most of them don't even know what they're missing.
and they are the poorer for it
As always- beautiful,such a rich kaleidoscope of sounds- it may be "of it's time" but cream is always cream
preachin to the choir there, Mitchy. I hear ya
Hi, there is probably nothing in my 52 years that I am as qualified to comment on as Jethro Tull, an avid fan since nearly the start, 69 or 70 for me, but the abject fanaticism began with the first leg of the TAAB tour in spring 72 at the Chicago Amphitheater. The final nail in my head was the following Nov when they re visited at the Chicago stadium. I truly have never seen a crowd more spellbound, even a Grateful Dead audience or Sun Ra.
Thick as a Brick as many may know is a quite common British phraseology, basically means what a dolt. In fact as you traverse Ian Anderson's lyrical history right up to now if you are inclined (I have often felt that to refer to Tull's heyday as being 69-75 or some set of years that does not extend beyond 79 is misinformed but understandable.)I will agree those are the years when they set attendance records (LA Forum 5 nights) and MSG, probably since eclipsed by say, Metallica, and when radio would play something other than Aqualung or Locomotive Breath, thank goodness they are excellent songs since that appears to be what the world will remember them for, but anyway, what I was getting at is you need a knowledge of British idiomatic to know where he is coming from. Re Biggles is an actual character I think from a British comic book, I do forget, or Highgate in Cross Eyed Mary is a cemetery in London that I understand alot of famous writers are buried in. Robin Hood of Highgate.....hmmm. There is a great site on the net, some Dutch guy, where he goes into depths of exploration as to where each and every one of Ian's lyrics from 68 til now came from, often with pictures. On the Tull press site you can get pretty much a blow by blow of the Thick as a Brick show, complete with Barrie and Martin appearing to fight in a tent out of view at one point, of course the scuba diver, evening news reports of local non rabbits, the works.
Anyways as regards the picture, for this subject anyway am using one of me in 83 in Scotland on the Isle of Skye outside the home of and in the company of, on my left with pipe, one Ian Scott Anderson of Dunfermiine. He was then at the earlier stages of developing a salmon farm called Strathaird Salmon that eventually employed 500 people in the Highlands of Scotland, where unemployment has always been common it seems. This is well before any knowledge of farmed salmon being unsafe, at which point Ian divested his interest about 9 years ago, selling the estate of Kilmarie to the John Muir Trust, an incredibly beautiful slice of the Isle of Skye called Strathaird, of which Ian had been the Laird of Strathaird (fitting isn't it), when to sell it to a pvt individual would likely have netted him a much greater profit. Strathaid Salmon, which still exists, became the largest in Britain under Ian's watch, he even won Scottish business man of the year in like 97, all while keeping Tull very much thriving, if way under the radar, but consistently a sold out sign at the box office.
Gentle Giant did indeed open for Tull several of the Brick shows, and a few times in later years, but neither of the shows I saw. At least I don't think so, I don't remember an opening act in 5/72, and the night I saw them in November had former Tull bassist Glenn Cornicks Wild Turkey as the opener. The last I see on a Gentle Giant sight of a show w Tull was one in 76. I was never too big on many of the other "art rock" bands like Giant that Tull is frequently mentioned with, including Genesis, Yes, etc. I always felt all the above were far more guilty of the excess with which Tull was accused, to the extent Tull had relatives musically, and I really don't think they did, they were Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention, who, at last count, I believe have provided 6 full or part time contributors to either Tull or Ian solo projects, Dave Pegg the most obvious, 16 years with Tull and about 37 now with Fairport.
Thick as a Brick and Songs From The Wood remain my 2 favorite Tull albums, but my third favorite from just about 4, maybe 5 years ago is the Jethro Tull Christmas Album, reveals a still highly vibrant quintet. What is amazing is that Tull were ever as popular as they were, it had alot to do with alot of people being on psychedelics at the time, although the band was and is pretty straight, Ian Anderson said a couple years ago that he still had the heady side of rock and roll to look forward to, having never smoked his first joint or thrown a television set out a window. Apparently Hendrix was an early fan and supporter, and part of how Ian learned to stay away from drugs was being around Jimi while being his opening act in the winter of 69, not so much what drugs were doing to Jimi as the people of questionable character and intent who were around him, Ian said that he knew for himself that he was not likely the type of person who would have dabbled in drugs, he would have jumped in with both feet, and decided to take the high road, and as it happens there have been scarce evidence of much partying in the Tull ranks, a few wonderful bass players excepted. Ian was never a nazi about drug use as I understand some artists to have been, I kind of think that guy occupies in part, a state of mind, at least where his muse is concerned, that is naturally tripping. He said that he always brings a recorder with him on the plane "incase the muse is on the same flight."
A couple weeks back saw a musical alliance with Ravi Shankar's daughter Anoushka that unhappily occured during the nightmare over there, but the show went on complete with new matereal in a Celtic/Indian motif, and stuff like Locomotive breath with sitar and tabla accompaniment! So Tull continue to do well in their 41st year, continue to move considerable units of back catalogue, not bad for a band that has been the whipping boys of the rock press ever since about 73 and Passion Play
One can never separate a man and his passion! Thanks for the info!