Jethro Tull - Aqualung

Details:

• Year of release : 1971
• Label : Chrysalis
• Review format : vinyl

It doesn’t take much to send me scurrying to the shelves to dig out an album. A comment here, a magazine article there or even a brief snippet of a song entering my head at some random point. This weeks announcement of a Jethro Tull 40th Anniversary Tour though has me reaching for Aqualung for the first time since I bought the vinyl (again!) a while ago.

Billed as a concept album thanks to a lyrical theme of society and religion that runs throughout the two sides, it’s not an album I can honestly say has ever gripped me entirely. Instead, I found myself drawn to it for three good reasons and two of those open the album. The title track Aqualung recounts the tale of a tramp with questionable motives to say the least and I think is a marvellous example still of the unique sound Tull possessed thanks to frontman Ian Anderson’s flute intereacting with the guitar driven sound. Truly progressive, I can’t imagine too many rock bands today giving such an instrument a lead role in their sound and being successful, nevertheless it’s amazing how often Aqualung gets airplay on PlanetRock for instance and how good it still sounds.

The second track on side one is of course Cross Eyed Mary. This time the lyrics detail an under-age prostitute, the objects of the tramp Aqualung’s desires, and also perhaps one of the lesser known Jethro Tull songs I’m more familiar with thanks to a cover version by Iron Maiden appearing on the flip side of The Trooper back in the eighties.

If I’m truthful though, once these are out of the way I’m playing a bit of a waiting game. It’s not that the other material on side one is poor because it isn’t. It does fail to scale the heights of the title track perhaps but it’s clever lyrically… how many other tracks can you think of that name-check a Wimpy Bar as Up To Me manages to do?… and possesses that definitely listenable, yet somewhat unique style Tull hit upon. No, its because for me the real treat in Aqualung the album lies tucked away on side two, the side that boasts five songs delivered under the banner of “My God”.

Listen past the suddenly dramatic My God itself, the surprisingly heavy Hymn 43 and the brief Slipstream and you get to the finest thing I think that Anderson has given the rock world. I’m talking of course about the excellent Locomotive Breath, a true rock classic with that unique rolling rhythm that just thunders out of the speakers like… well, a train really! It’s another one of those tracks that just won’t die and while Jethro Tull’s version too remains on rock radio playlists quite rightly, cover versions by the likes of Helloween and WASP ensure new generations discover it afresh.

Wind Up of course does conclude the album but personally the desire is always there to move the needle back a track a take another listen to Locomotive Breath before returning the vinyl to its sleeve.

Summary : For all obvious preference for three main songs in particular this is actually a fine album overall, although I do have to be in a certain mood to listen to it properly and in full. Quite rightly given the the title track and Locomotive Breath in particularit’s the album by which all other Jethro Tull albums are measured. I can understand why for many this is an essential album and regularly scores highly when reviewed although for me personally it marks a little lower perhaps because its some distance from my preferred style of music. Definitely a release that should be heard though!

If You Listen To One Track Listen To : Locomotive Breath

Score : 3.5/5

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And the story that triggered me reaching for Aqualung….

Jethro Tull Celebrate 40th Anniversary with
An Evening with Jethro Tull UK Tour

Jethro Tull are to celebrate their 40th Anniversary as a band with a mammoth 29-date UK tour. Most performances of “An Evening With Jethro Tull” will feature a special guest, who fans will know and recognise, as Ian Anderson honours past band members, friends and local musicians. As well as performing a Tull song or two, guests might also perform one of their own songs.

Ian Anderson is taking this opportunity to thank Tull fans for their continued support over the past four decades by performing a bumper show which will provide a comprehensive trip through their history. Much of the show will focus on the first 3 albums – performing such early favourites as Serenade To A Cuckoo, My Sunday Feeling, Living In The Past, Bouree, A Song For Jeffrey and A new Day Yesterday. The band will also treat fans to some new songs, which are as yet unreleased as well as perennial favourites from their long career.

The band will consist of Ian Anderson on vocals, flute and acoustic guitar and Martin Barre, who joined at the end of 1968, on electric guitar. The rest of Jethro Tull are: Doane Perry on drums and percussion since 1984; David Goodier on bass and John O’Hara playing piano and accordion – who are amongst the 26 musicians who have been recording or touring members of Jethro Tull in the last 40 years.

EMI Records will be releasing product around the tour, which will be confirmed nearer to the dates.

Sun, April 6th Swindon Wyvern Theatre
Tues, April 8th Oxford New Theatre
Weds, April 9th Salford Quays
Thurs, April 10th St Albans Arena
Fri, April 11th Brighton Dome
Sat, April 12th Cambridge Corn Exchange
Mon, April 14th Cardiff St David’s Hall
Tues, April 15th Salisbury City Hall
Weds, April 16th Bournemouth Pavilions
Thurs, April 17th Basingstoke The Anvil
Fri, April 18th Bristol Colston Hall
Sat, April 19th Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall
Weds, April 30th Dunfermline Carnegie Hall
Thurs, May 1st Edinburgh The Queens Hall
Fri, May 2nd Glasgow Pavilion Theatre
Sat, May 3rd Aberdeen Music Hall
Tues, May 6th Inverness Eden Court
Weds, May 7th Perth Concert Hall
Thurs, May 8th Newcastle City Hall
Fri, May 9th Carlisle Sands Hall
Sat, May 10th Sheffield City Hall
Sun, May 11th York Grand Opera House
Tues, May 13th Liverpool Philharmonic
Weds, May 14th Llandudno Venue Cymru
Thurs, May 15th Blackburn King George’s Hall
Fri, May 16th Peterborough Broadway
Sat, May 17th Ipswich Regent Theatre
Weds, May 28th London Royal Festival Hall

Tickets are available from venue box offices or online from venue websites and maybe subject to a booking fee. There will be no support artist on this tour and Jethro Tull play for approx 2 hours with a 20 minute intermission. The show starts at 7.30pm unless otherwise stated on the tickets.

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Now that’s what I call a UK tour! So how about a nice live version of “Locomotive Breath” from 1978 featuring a suitably manic Ian Anderson?

In fact, the only sour note in enjoying this Jethro Tull album this week was reading a rather poor interview Ian Anderson gave in the November Record Collector which ultimately gave too little information on a potential new studio album rumoured for release in March 2008. It was only a half page piece though so perhaps was poorly edited rather than poorly answered although some of the responses came across as particularly glib. Nevertheless, Aqualung is worth an hour of anyone’s time and has certainly ensured I’ll listen out for a new release from the band bizarrely named after a 18th century English agriculturist!

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BL