My God is the band’s song-suite exemplar and Anderson’s quintessential flute song. Anderson has described it as the blues for God – a theme that runs through much of Side B of the Aqualung album. Notably, the song is titled My God with the personal pronoun there for emphasis. The song is decidedly pro-God andContinue reading “My God”
Category Archives: Jethro Tull
Wond’ring Aloud
An acoustic gem about love and life – I do not know of another rock/pop song that accomplishes so much with so little. Clocking at less than two minutes, Anderson sings about the little pleasures and annoyances of companionship, asks the important questions and furnishes profound answers (especially in the very last line). Equally restrainedContinue reading “Wond’ring Aloud”
Mother Goose
A hundred schoolgirls sobbing into their handkerchiefs as one makes an indelible visual impression showcasing Anderson’s skill as a lyricist. Mother Goose is a pastiche of surrealism that punctuates the more serious content of the album. And, the music is fittingly amusing, capturing Mother Goose’s strutting across Hampstead Fair. Boy, does she find some funContinue reading “Mother Goose”
Cross-Eyed Mary
If there is one song that is quintessentially Tull, it is Cross-Eyed Mary for the sheer visceral response that it provokes. About a youthful prostitute and the men she satisfies, the song is wrong in every level. Yet, Anderson succeeds by making it an aesthetic representation of man’s ugly side. The unapologetically hard-rock orientation ofContinue reading “Cross-Eyed Mary”
Aqualung – The Song
Ta-da da-da daa da! The six-note opening motif and the matching phrasing of the lyrics (Sitting on a park bench….) occupy an exalted position in rock music, much like the famous four-note motif in Beethoven’s Fifth. Ian Anderson talks about creating the main riff in a hotel room in New York City and playing itContinue reading “Aqualung – The Song”
Aqualung – The Album
This year (2021) marks the 50 year anniversary of the release of Aqualung! It is with trepidation that any fervent fan would approach writing about the album. On the one hand, we are faced with objectively describing what we consider as perfection in rock music and, on the other hand, we have to find somethingContinue reading “Aqualung – The Album”
Isle of Wight
An outstanding example of live Tull performance is the Isle of Wight concert in 1970, where Jethro Tull was second on the bill behind Jimi Hendrix. The concert was captured for posterity in the Nothing Is Easy: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 DVD and album. Thanks to Remy Tena and his vast YouTubeContinue reading “Isle of Wight”
Teacher
Teacher was on Side B of The Witch’s Promise single and on the US version of the Benefit album. The two versions are different though with the album version including Anderson’s flute. A crowd-pleaser with its driving riff, Anderson notes that manager Terry Ellis mis-interpreted the song as being about him, which led Anderson toContinue reading “Teacher”
The Witch’s Promise
The Witch’s Promise is a single recorded in Dec 1969 and released in January 1970—between the Stand Up and Benefit albums. It is the first recording to feature John Evan as a session musician, prior to his role in the Benefit album and the ensuing tour, which subsequently led to his joining the band asContinue reading “The Witch’s Promise”
Short Notes on Benefit
The remaining four songs in Benefit run the gamut from love and rebellion to philosophies of life and music. Alive And Well and Living In is a melodious paean to selfless love (She’s quite content to sit there listening to what he says/How he didn’t like to be alone/And if he feels like crying she’sContinue reading “Short Notes on Benefit”
Wond'ring Aloud 