Wond'ring Aloud
In defense of Jethro Tull and why I think their singles & albums recorded between 1968 and 1971 are better than Led Zeppelin.
Over the years, I have had endless conversations about music. However, there’s one rock band that probably gets me into more arguments than any other group.
Jethro Tull
Their very name conjures up images of an eccentric bloke wearing a codpiece and knee-high moccasins while standing on one leg playing a flute and theatrically flailing around the stage. Meanwhile, most think the band behind him is plodding away at self-indulgent progressive minstrel rock.
Fair enough.
Jethro Tull gets beat up by many as they wore out their welcome. They also became the benchmark for what Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious, and the punks hated about the state of rock & roll in the ‘70s. But I’m here to state that before they went down that pretentious pomp rock path, the band recorded several killer singles and three excellent albums that deserve a second glance.
Now, here is where I get into deep water with friends - I actually prefer Tull’s output from 1968-1971 over Led Zeppelin. Not only could Tull rock as hard as Zeppelin, but they also had clever wit and intellect in their songwriting that required their listeners to think. While Zeppelin was stealing blues songs or singing about sex and Tolkienesque fantastical themes, Tull went straight for the throat of real life. Their intricate lyricism critiqued everything from religion to education and the British class system, as well as dysfunctional families, parental relationships, love, and death.
Taking their name from an 18th-century English agriculturalist, Jethro Tull started as just another blues band. They flirted with some experimentation and psychedelia on their first single Sunshine Day/Aeroplane, but didn’t strain too far from familiar blues territories. However, by 1968, the band began to put the touches on something far different than your ordinary blues rock band. The addition of the flute and the way their vocalist, Ian Anderson, manipulated his breathing and tongue as he aggressively forced the air through the instrument helped traverse their sound from a blues act into a medieval-sounding, and heavy-hitting rock & folk band.
Having secured a residency at the Marquee Club, they developed a following, and word quickly spread about their wild flute-playing singer and great, energetic rocking band capable of whipping an audience into a frenzy. Tull eventually secured an opening slot for Pink Floyd at their Hyde Park show on June 29, 1968, which led to a barnstorming performance at the Sunbury Jazz and Blues Festival later that year. Tull’s reputation for red-hot live shows helped seal the deal for a contract with Island Records.
By all intent and purposes, the first album, ‘This Was,’ is standard ‘60s blues rock. It’s a decent first attempt, but only A Song For Jeffrey hints at the direction they were heading in their next album. It is a fantastic tune highlighting Anderson’s superb flute playing, great harmonica, and a hard-driving rhythm from the rest of the band. The success of the first album and more scorching live shows brought them to the attention of The Rolling Stones, who requested Tull’s company for their ‘Rock & Roll Circus’ filmed in December 1968. Tensions, however, were brewing within the band, and after one final recording session, the fantastic Love Story single, guitarist Mick Abrahams left to form the bluesy Blodwyn Pig. A young, pre-Sabbath Tony Iommi briefly joined Tull in 1968 for some immediate live dates and the filming of ‘Rock & Roll Circus’ (yes, that is pre-Black Sabbath Iommi playing guitar in the film!). Iommi, however, soon left to form Sabbath, and Davy O’List of The Nice temporarily joined the band before Martin Barre eventually became their permanent guitarist.
Stand Up
Barre’s first recording with Tull was on the single Living In The Past B/W Driving Song. Both are superb non-album tracks, with the former being one of their most memorable songs. The song highlights Anderson’s burgeoning songwriting talents, and by the time their second album, ‘Stand Up’ (1969), was released, it had moved into a category all its own. The album comes housed in a beautiful gatefold sleeve featuring a fantastic woodcut by artist Jimmy Grashow and pop-up figures that stand up when opened. The songs on the new album were also more diverse than the previous record, ranging from pummeling sludge rock A New Day Yesterday and For A Thousand Mothers to the fabulously jazzy reworking of Bach’s Bouree in E-Minor. Their new musical direction showcased not only savage riffs but there are also many beautiful, delicate folk guitar moments from Barre. The delicious fuzz on We Used To Know is just one of many moments where Barre takes control of the sound around him, allowing the song to explode off its canvas. ‘Stand Up’ also incorporates Anderson’s perfectly timed flute and creative lyrics ranging from the ridiculous Fat Man to the autobiographical Back To the Family and touchingly emotional Reasons for Waiting and Look Into The Sun. It is an outstanding second album from a young band that was only beginning to find their voice.
Benefit
Next up for Tull was ‘Benefit’ (1970), a devastating collection of ten hard-rocking tunes. The album kicks off with the blistering With You There To Help Me. It is a 6.5-minute slow build that eventually erupts into a cacophony of maniacal laughter, a floaty wispy flute that swirls through the air, and a head-crushing sonic assault by Barre and the band. It is one of Tull’s greatest and most ferocious rock songs and was only the opening track on the album. It sets the scene for what is to come and highlights a band that had found its rock & roll chops. While not all tunes have the same explosive effect as the opener, every song on the album is still a gem. Side one closes with the sublime ballad For Michael Collins, Jeffrey, and Me. The name “Jeffrey” appears a few times in Tull songs as a nod to ex-member Jeffrey Hammond, who would later re-join the band. When the song arrives at its chorus, it veers off and becomes a gentle ode to Michael Collins, the forgotten astronaut on Apollo 11. While Armstrong and Aldrin walked into history, Collins remained in the modular command ship. Not only is this typical of Ian Anderson’s wit and humor, but what a fabulous angle to point the lens. Who thinks about the one left behind in the spaceship? This is precisely Anderson’s point by pointing out that Michael Collins also played a significant part in history.
Rock is what Tull does on this third album, and side two opens with To Cry You A Song, yet another smoking hot riff burner. Clive Bunker pounds the skins heavier than ever, and Barre continues to bend his strings and make his guitar wail like never before. It is, however, the subtle bit of controlled feedback at the 1'20 mark of A Time For Everything that, for me, sums up the album. In these few seconds of sheer genius, a gorgeous white light of noise flows over the listener in a liquid bath of electricity. Akin to a genius and expressive brushmark on a painting, this minor moment, which most listeners probably overlook, symbolizes the creative spark that the band would hit with its next album, Aqualung.
Before the end of 1970, Tull released another fantastic single, Witches Promise B/W Teacher, which charted very well. The latter, in particular, was a hit in the States, and to capitalize on it, the US pressing of ‘Benefit’ included it on the record and omitted “Alive & Well And Living In.”
The band soon returned to the studio and began work on their new album. By December ’70, bassist Glenn Cornick had left to form his band (Wild Turkey). Past member Jeffrey Hammond re-joined to play bass, as did John Evans (piano). While both ‘Stand Up’ and ‘Benefit’ are brilliant and skillfully played rock albums, what came next would arguably be Tull’s magnum opus.
Aqualung
Aqualung (1971) creatively mixes profound songwriting with inspired musicianship, cementing the groundwork for much of the band’s unique progressive rock sound. The record tackles tough subjects such as class systems, prostitution, homelessness, visiting a parent in their dying days, and the heaviest and most controversial of them all, religion. It was the start of what would come, and in many respects, it was also the end of this period of Tull. Anderson had always been a dominant figure in the band, but his ego, creativity, and wanting to tell more intricate stories moved the band away from traditional “songs.”
Conceptually and musically, ‘Aqualung’ is a monumental album. Side one begins with the brain-searing iconic guitar riff on its title track. Anderson’s baritone voice illustrates a picture of a creepy homeless man whose “snot is running down his nose” and is “eyeing little girls with bad intent.” It is a raw, visceral song that delivers a cold punch in the face. Cross-Eyed Mary is another bruising rocker presenting difficult truths about humanity while questioning, “Who are we to be judging others?” Anderson’s point is that even those deemed wretched by society are still human and deserve dignity.
Immediately following these two heavier numbers are three mellower acoustic songs. The delicately autobiographical and somber Cheap Day Return is an elegy written after Anderson visited his ill father. The medieval fanfare of Mother Goose tells a surreal story of childhood play and imagination. The lovely Wond’ring Aloud completes a song cycle of gentle beauty only to close with the full-blown heavy rocker Up To Me. It is a tremendous side of music, which gets even better as one flips the record over.
While side one spun around the theme of Aqualung, side two takes on God and religion. Opening with the seven-minute, cerebral My God, the record heads into uncharted territory. The song starts with a gentle acoustic guitar intro, eventually weaving a thick tapestry that includes piano, heavy slabs of guitar, a biblical flute solo, and Anderson introspectively asking:
People, what have you done
locked him in his golden cage
made him bend to your religion
him resurrected from the grave.
He is the god of nothing
if that is all you can see
As the song continues, it is clear nobody is spared from Anderson’s barbed tongue, not least the Church of England:
So lean upon him gently
and don’t call on him to save you
from your social graces
and the sins you wish to waive.
The bloody Church of England
in chains of history
requests your earthly presence
at the vicarage for tea
The band eventually ignites into an incendiary guitar riff and jam before making space for Anderson’s incredible orchestral flute solo layered over a church choir that inhabits the middle section of the song. This magical solo takes the song into an intensely new realm before the band seamlessly kicks back in for the final two minutes. The song is a vicious indictment of the Church of England and demands its audience to question their faith and image of god.
The punishing Hymn 43 continues down similar territory. Amongst rolling piano, heavy distortion, and muted guitar chords, Anderson wails:
If Jesus saves
well, he’d better save himself
from the gory glory seekers who use his name in death
The tender ballad, Slipstream, weaves into the hard grinding and FM radio-friendly Locomotive Breath, which chugs heavily towards the album’s marvelous closer, Wind Up. If the listener still has questions about where Anderson stands regarding faith and religion, Wind Up is the final nail in its coffin, and he hammers it deep:
When I was young and they packed me off to school
and taught me how not to play the game,
I didn’t mind if they groomed me for success,
or if they said that I was a fool.
So I left there in the morning
with their God tucked underneath my arm —
their half-assed smiles and the book of rules.
So I asked this God a question
and by way of firm reply,
He said — I’m not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays.
So to my old headmaster (and to anyone who cares):
before I’m through I’d like to say my prayers —
I don’t believe you:
you had the whole damn thing all wrong —
He’s not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays.
Well, you can excommunicate me on my way to Sunday school
and have all the bishops harmonize these lines —
how do you dare tell me that I’m my Father’s son
when that was just an accident of Birth.
I’d rather look around me — compose a better song
`cos that’s the honest measure of my worth.
In your pomp and all your glory, you’re a poorer man than me,
as you lick the boots of death born out of fear
Not one to mince words nor to win many fans from the religious right in America! Despite protests from the heart of the Bible belt, Hymn 43 would become a hit, and Aqualung would eventually sell several million copies worldwide. It is a powerful and impressive album that perfectly mixes heavy rock with quiet acoustic numbers. The ballads work beautifully as a bridge between the album’s heavier, longer songs. Anderson’s songwriting is also outstanding on the record, and as inspired as the previous albums were, Aqualung is truly an astonishing work of art. It is as expressive, reflective, imaginative, and skilled as a great painting or sculpture. The album demands its listeners to think critically and at a higher level. As with any great artwork, one finds something new with every listen.
At the time, Led Zeppelin was the darlings of hard rock, and their reputation as one of the greatest rock bands admittedly triumphs over Jethro Tull. But when comparing the two bands, it’s clear to me that the early years of Jethro Tull had significantly more depth than Zeppelin. While Zeppelin ripped off many artists, most notably black artists, without giving them credit, their songs were also often men boasting their sexual prowess or fantasy-inspired compositions. And, maybe that is precisely it with art. Art requires one to think. Often, art is a mirror that reflects the viewer and listener and makes us question our existence and the human condition. Zeppelin’s music didn’t ask its listeners to think deeply. It was simply there to energetically exist in the moment. And, for rock & roll, that is entirely fine. Ian Anderson, however, desired more from his music and asked his audience to listen and think.
After the mighty Aqualung album and lengthy touring, more line-up changes ensued. The band would release one last decent 45 – the five-track, maxi-single; Life is a Long Song/Up The Pool/Dr. Bogenbroom/From Later/Nursie (1971) that, for me, would be their last interesting breath. By 1972, Tull had moved on to Thick As A Brick, an entire album mocking the same critics who lauded Aqualung as a “concept album.” Thick As A Brick is a creative record with many ideas packed into one long, meandering art/prog rock song. Anderson always aimed to have the last laugh at his critics. After TAAB there were many more forays into theatrical concept rock or music played with rock and classically trained musicians. Of course, this later era of Tull had many fans, but I lost interest and jumped ship by then.
My purpose in writing this essay on early Jethro Tull is to provoke fruitful discussion and possibly reevaluate a band’s legacy. I also hope to point out to both wary and unfamiliar listeners that, given a chance, there is some extraordinary music on those early Tull albums and their various non-album singles. To those who know Jethro Tull but haven’t listened in a while, I hope this article will make you re-discover the band and these three great albums. Not only has the music lasted the test of time, but these records should be heralded as amongst the best from rock’s golden age.
Essential Tull
In my opinion, these are the essential Jethro Tull LP’s that should be in every good record collection:
Living In The Past (1972) – A double album that compiles all their great singles and non-album tracks 1968-1971.
*Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree has since remixed the above albums. They have never sounded better. This is particularly important with ‘Aqualung’ as Ian Anderson was never happy with the original mix. When I heard Wilson’s remix of ‘Aqualung,’ it was like hearing it for the first time. I highly recommend these repressings. They are relatively easy to find and clearly labeled as the Steven Wilson remix. All remixes are linked above via Spotify.
Afterword
I originally wrote and published this essay in 2013. Eleven years is a long time since writing a piece, and while I still firmly stand by the main points of my essay, I have significantly edited and reworked it for this 2024 re-print. Much of my original essay is still intact. As with remixing or remastering an album, it’s hopefully now a more clearly written article.
Aqualung is the only one I know. I'll definitely be checking out the other suggestions here.
Well done, Michael! Tull scratches where I musically itch, and have since "This Was" and its '68 release, when I was 13! Another freebie brought home from Dad's radio station, I was taken aback by the old men depicted on the cover, and it wasn't that album that grabbed me....the next year's "Stand Up," though, was another story.
That's the one where Ian's flute playing inspired me to rent a Gemeinhardt, take one lesson (to learn embouchure and fingering), and begin learning all his flute licks all the way, eventually, through to "A Passion Play"......all by ear! So, while every other teen was picking up guitars, inspired by Beck, Page, Hendrix, and Clapton, not I!
My interest in them started to wain around "War Child" ('74), and by "Too Old to Rock," I was basically done. But, my love for the band and, certainly, Ian, remain, especially for those early '70s years!
I saw them about 3 or 4 times during the early '70s, and once, at the Universal Amphitheatre in the late '80s in L.A., with a new favorite band opening. In fact, THEIR leader was a huge Ian/Tull fan, too, and I included a picture of the two together here, in my recent article: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/audio-autopsy-1989-it-bites-eat-me
As for your Zep/Tull debate, I'm not about to argue. You make some great stylistic points, from the standpoint of each band's motivation and output. Plus, I've always asserted that Ian is one of the most overlooked front men in history, always losing out to the Daltreys, Jaggers, Rods, and of course, Plant. None of those (or any others) can match Ian's dynamism, creativity, musicality, humor, and theatricality (as you so accurately mentioned)!
Bravo again, Michael!