Jethro Tull may be a revered name in progressive rock these days, but back in 1971 the band was just breaking through. That year they released “Aqualung,” an album that peaked at number four in the UK and is still regarded by many to be their best record. Songwriter-vocalist-flutist Ian Anderson was perplexed by its reception, however, describing it as “just a bunch of songs” rather than a true concept album. Anderson’s response was to create something which was, in his words, “the mother of all concept albums.” The resulting effort was “Thick As A Brick,” a 44-minute epic that confused the music press of the time, but delighted listeners and is now held up as a classic of progressive rock.
The defining characteristic of this record is that it doesn’t have “songs” so much as it has “sections”: the only break occurs where the original vinyl LP had to be flipped over. While this seems intimidating on paper, it manages to be neither dull nor overstimulating. The sections are each well-developed and have ingenious little transitions between them, with dynamic contrast in instrumentation that is essential for a project of this scope to succeed.
It also helps that each musician in the group is giving their all: Anderson provides his nasally vocals and virtuosic flute work, as well as his often unsung acoustic guitar playing. Martin Barre lays down bluesy licks to rival his contemporaries, and is as comfortable riffing in 5/8 as he is in 4/4. Drummer Barriemore Barlow, eager to please in his first outing with the band, plays percussion tracks with defined grooves, slick fills and an intense drum solo at the beginning of Part II that features layered timpani parts. Filling out the rest of the sound are John Evans on keyboards and Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond on bass. Evans’ organ playing does serve to date the record a little, but is masterfully done nonetheless.
Perhaps more intriguing (and according to Anderson, more time-consuming) than the actual music is the cover, which in the original LP format folds out into a 12-page newspaper. It is here that we are told that the album’s lyrics are lifted from a controversial epic poem written by an eight-year-old genius named Gerald Bostock.
This is all pure fiction, of course, conceived by Anderson, Hammond-Hammond and Evans. The foldout serves as a parody of the amateurish local newspapers of rural England, and, while fun, does little to explain the meaning behind the album’s lyrics. As they are farcical in nature, it is best not to read too much into them.
More important than the actual words is how they sound. Anderson’s language is grandiose and sometimes esoteric, but at the same time quite playful.
“Thick As A Brick” is not for the faint of ear. It demands more from the listener than even the average Tull disc, but if allowed space to do its thing, it is a diverting, delightful saga of surreal English humor.
May Cassidy can be contacted at
May.Cassidy@keene.edu
