Oct 10
15
Jethro Tull – Thick As A Brick
Well, it’s the middle of October. The leaves are changing, the air is getting crisp, and the Tull is pouring from the speakers more and more. And with this album, like most Tull albums, things are about to get heavy.
Released in 1972, Thick As A Brick followed the ridiculously huge impact of 1971′s Aqualung. Seems the critics were erroneously calling that album a “concept album” which no doubt angered that poor old sod Ian Anderson. So he and the band went and recorded a real concept album…real at least for Jethro Tull. The rock world was about to discover a whole new idea of what a conceptual album could be.
For those not familiar with the album there are only two tracks, “Thick As A Brick Pt.1″ and “Thick As A Brick Pt.2.” Technically there is only one 43 minute song that is split into two parts, one per side (record side that is), but for the sake of this review let’s just pretend there are two songs. Two absolutely fantastic, majestic, fully engrossing beautiful songs. Of the two parts I prefer “Part 1″ but let’s get on with the show shall we?
“Part 1″ starts off with the familiar intro played by Ian on acoustic guitar, the warm melody washing over you with it’s simplistic beauty. The soft flutes and chimes ring in and for a moment, a very brief moment, this could be an album nice enough to play for Grandma…until all hell breaks loose at the 3 minute mark. Suddenly the band enters full on prog rock mode, the thick bass rumbling the earth beneath it as the organ and drums begin to swell in unison. For people that have only heard the first 3 minutes played on the radio it’s quite a revelation and the band sets off on a musical journey of the highest order.
The dexterity among the band is superb as they dance in and around tricky riffs and clever musical passages, all with a rock panache that is uniquely satisfying. Ian is right out in front playing his flute like the maniac that he is, and the band backs his every move. The interplay between the drums and bass as they set up groove after groove is simply ridiculous and at times you just want them to hold onto the groove for just a little bit longer. But, Tull being Tull, that elusive groove just keeps on moving into different spaces and setting the stage for Ian to ply his dense lyrics.
Ian Anderson has always had a way with the English language and this album was perhaps the first to really set him apart as a lyricist. We could go on for days dissecting the meaning behind his words, which do indeed get quite dense, but I find it more enjoyable to just listen to the way he strings his words together. His rhyming schemes are unexpected, his phrasing unique, and his actual choice of words vastly different from most popular music of the day. Is some of it pure nonsense? Sure, but that doesn’t make it any less engaging. I have spent years making up my own interpretations of the lyrics, based mostly on what I know of Ian and on his past and future references to life, family, and even religion. But really, it’s best to just let him sing away…
Something life changing happens around 16:23…the acoustic guitars come back in and the band goes into an achingly beautiful melody that I could listen to all day. It is one of the most perfect pieces of music I have ever heard and continues on into an even more beautiful passage around 17:29, Ian strumming away on that acoustic guitar of his, the melody building in a bolero like manner. The cymbals come crashing in as the band enters a march like pattern which is quickly followed by Ian going absolutely nuts on the flute. Of all the Jethro Tull I have heard through the years, and believe me, there has been tons, this is perhaps the most perfect synthesis of what makes Tull so special and so unlike any other band.
“Part 2″ enters in true ’72 psychedelic fashion complete with blowing wind sounds – back in the early 70s you couldn’t have a good album without blowing wind sounds. The band wastes no time jumping right into a pulverizing groove and drummer Barriemore Barlow gets a chance to shine with some amazingly fluid drum work. As the song goes on we are treated to multiple musical passages that touch on multiple genres of music. When the end finally comes, and those two sweeping orchestral parts come in, Ian and company settle back into the main intro played on acoustic and then, well, it just ends. It’s almost anticlimactic and yet completely satisfying – you can’t help but sit in the silence and marvel at what you have just heard.
Thick As A Brick is a wonderful album full of amazing musicianship and fantastic writing, and will always stand out as a cornerstone of classic Tull. It is completely unique and unlike anything you may have heard before. If you even think you are a fan you need it. If you want to hear a band during a peak of creativity you need it. Really, you just need it.
Tracklist
- “Thick As A Brick Pt. 1″ – 22:40
- “Thick As A Brick Pt. 2″ – 21:10
- “Thick As A Brick (Live at Madison Square Garden 1978)” – 10:50
- “Interview with Jethro Tull” – 16:30
