Aqualung
Capitol - Capitol
Jethro Tull
Release date: 1999-02-09
Audio CD
Album Rock, England, Flute, Hard Rock, Pop, Pop/Rock Music, Prog-Rock/Art Rock, Rock, Rock/Pop
1. Aqualung
2. Cross-Eyed Mary
3. Cheap Day Return
4. Mother Goose
5. Wond'ring Aloud
6. Up to Me
7. My God
8. Hymn 43
9. Slipstream
10. Locomotive Breath
11. Wind Up
12. Lick Your Fingers Clean
13. Wind Up
14. Excerpts from the Ian Anderson Interview - Jethro Tull,
15. Songs for Jeffrey
16. Fat Man
17. Bouree
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Aqualung
Date undefinedFor me, this is Jethro Tull's best music, and a must have for anyone who loves rock 'n roll.
Aqualung
Date undefinedWhen people talk about progressive rock being dull and dated and pretentious, they surely can't be thinking of Aqualung. Jethro Tull's gospel-weary opus may be full of flute solos and lyrics about man's relationship to God, but it still rocks more righteously than anything Guns `N' Roses ever did. There's not a Moog synthesizer or an extended suite to be found (except for the title track, and it's not really all that extended), and pyrotechnical displays of instrumental prowess are kept to a tasteful minimum. Classical influences share space with strains of blues, folk, and a bit of gospel. The lyrics, even when they become abstract, make sense more often than not, and they're almost always poignant. The band even insists that it isn't a concept album, and sometimes it seems that they might actually be telling the truth! So, if it makes you feel uncomfortable, don't consider Aqualung a prog rock album. Just think of it as a blistering rock `n' roll record that happens to be, well, smart.
And then listen to it. Let that ludicrously good title track smash you in the gut. Listen to Ian Anderson's grizzled sneer, to that insistent guitar riff, to the sudden (and totally cool) tempo changes, to those fantastic lyrics. It's one of the greatest album openers ever, and it isn't even the best song here. That honor probably goes to "Hymn 43," a barnstorming surge of mutant gospel that burns with Biblical fury and melodic intensity. The lyrics are sheer bombastic brilliance, a scathing indictment of opportunistic religious leaders and human selfishness. My personal favorite line on the album has to be "and the unsung Western hero/ he killed an Indian or three/ then he made his name in Hollywood/ to set the white man free/ ah, Jesus save me!" Either that or "if Jesus saves/ well he'd better save himself." Other brilliant songs about organized religions and their failure to bring man closer to God (hey, maybe it really is a concept album!) include "My God" and "Wind Up," and both of them drip with dark genius. "Cross-Eyed Mary" ain't so bad either. I also love "Mother Goose," with its poetic childhood imagery and vaguely Medieval melody (okay, I guess it really is a prog rock album), and "Locomotive Breath," which rules on every level. Just like the rest of the album.
Aqualung
Date undefinedHave always loved this recording. Now I enjoy what was once only on vinyl or tape.
