#music, Great British Bands, Chapter 6: Jethro Tull

Definitely one of the progressive rock bands of the 1970’s with power and individuality, especially that flute. I was truly blown away with their sound back in the day. I remember the first Jethro Tull song I heard was Aqualung and I had to get the album of the same name which was…and is…phenomenal. And the name of the band was another blast. Smashing good I would say…

Jethro Tull was formed in 1967 and they are still around. They are from Blackpool, England and have always been led by the Scottish flutist, guitarist and singer, Ian Anderson. He has also written practically all the songs of the band has played and recorded, and the only member to still be rocking today, progressively that is. Jethro Tull has done it all. Their musical range has gone from the more progressive side of rock, to the blues, to baroque, to English folk, to hard rock, and to an impressive acoustic repertoire, albeit hard to categorise, is amazing. Their sound, although dominated by Anderson’s phenomenal flute can also be distinguished by Martin Barre’s guitar work which is distinctive and flawless.

In case you did not know, the name Jethro Tull was given to the band by one of the club agents they used during their first years. The rela Jethro Tull was an English «gentleman farmer» who lived in the XVIIIth Century and designed the first agricultural machine, the seed drill. They kept the name, apparently since they were booked under it and thought it would serve for name recognition.

Well, what can I say, I am a big fan. I mean such phenomenal songs, the jazzy sound, the classical influence, the bluesy tones and the rock, this makes the band an original. These are their best albums: Aqualung (1971); Thick as a Brick (1972); Living in the Past (1972); A Passion Play (1973); War Child (1974); Minstrel in the Gallery (1975) and Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll, Too Young to Die (1976). In 2022 Jethro Tull published and released their 23rd studio album, The Zealot Gene. I have not heard it so I will not comment on it but if you have heard it I would certainly love to hear your comments.

One interesting note, in the album Aqualung, there were two songs, that were banned by the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco: Aqualung and Cross Eyed Mary because of their lyrics which included pedofilia and teen-age prostitution. And not only that, upon their arrival, the albums Thick as a Brick and Minstrel in the Gallery were also banned by the Spanish dictator. Imagine that! So let’s play them…