c o n r a d

"In the beginning Man created God"; thus read the controversial liner notes for Jethro Tull's legendary Aqualung. Ian Anderson continued his exploration of musical possibilities with a step into the realm of the concept album, and just so happened to do it at a point in time when he was writing some of his best remembered tunes. The concept is a dual one split on either side of the old vinyl disc. The first half concerns a lecherous derelict called Aqualung (so named for his rattling breath), while the second is a stinging attack on organised religion. The liner notes tie the two themes together in a faux-Biblical text which implies that if Man remembered the spirit in which he created religion, he would have more affinity with the social outcasts who are also his creations. Musically, this album is Martin Barre's finest hour. He's never played a finer solo than on the title track, and is clearly in his element when churning out the driving riffs of "My God" and "Locomotive Breath". While I'm not as big a fan of songs like "Cross-eyed Mary" and "Aqualung" as others seem to be, I still consider this album to be a good showcase of Ian Anderson's songwriting. "Mother Goose", "Wond'ring Aloud", and "Hymn 43" aren't the first songs people talk about on this album, but they're all of a very high standard. The depth of quality of the music is one of the reasons for this being considered a classic. This album still isn't Tull at their best, but it's not too far off. I personally don't find it as rewarding as their more progressive releases such as Thick as a Brick or "Minstrel in the Gallery", but it's still a good solid rock album which gets all the fundamentals right. As for the album's concept, pointing out in "Wind-up" that "He's not the kind of God you have to wind up on Sundays" shouldn't be too controversial. review by Conrad Leviston — 8-4-03 —

j o e

Sporting no less than three classic rock staples ("Aqualung," "Cross-Eyed Mary," "Locomotive Breath"), most fans would agree that Jethro Tull's fourth album represents the turning point for Ian Anderson and company. The title track is one of the deserved classics, and yet that such an odd song with not immediately attractive lyrical content could achieve this level of immortality somewhat manages to surprise me still. Apart from featuring one of the most iconic rock riffs this side of "Smoke on the Water" or "Whole Lotta Love," what is particularly impressive is the way the dynamics of the song reinforce its psychology. For example, Martin Barre's dissonant opening riff and Anderson's coarse, disdainful delivery perfectly suggest the park bench lech's reception among his society. This is then sharply contrasted with the song's abrupt transition into an acoustic section, which conveys a more sympathetic tone. "Cross-Eyed Mary," another character portrait about a prostitute schoolgirl, is a bit heavier on black comedy rather than pathos. Anderson delivers with equal power on the acoustic front with the briefer but just as effective interludes "Cheap Day Return," "Wond'ring Aloud," and "Slipstream," and with the rest of the band on the superlative "Mother Goose." The second side of the album represents the thematic culmination of the album's main concept against organized religion. Though Edward Macan, in his book Rocking the Classics, suggests that in its earliest days prog rock was more cryptic in its countercultural messages, this is one album that doesn't fit the mold. As evidenced on "My God," "Hymn 43," and "Wind-Up," Anderson's lyrics are unambiguously pointed and openly protesting. Despite the accusations of pomposity that critics would level at the band from here on in, they are also quite eloquent. Too quaint, too clichéd in sentiment? Personally, I think the lyrics in a song like "Wind-Up" serve as a much needed reminder to keep some humility and sense of perspective in a society where people routinely pray to God to alter their flight schedules or to instantly heal injuries during the big game. The perspective that Anderson was suggesting is finding a sense of the divine in showing compassion towards the less fortunate ("Aqualung"), in enjoying those special moments in our close relationships ("Wond'ring Aloud"), or maybe even in writing a good tune ("Wind-Up"). Needless to say, this one is a definite must-have for those who want to hear one of the legendary 70s rock bands in top form, or just one of the classics of rock music in general. review by Joe McGlinchey — 3-5-04 —

m a t t

Aqualung is one of those albums (see: Led Zeppelin IV, Dark Side of the Moon, Who's Next) that you could know nearly all of by heart if you've ever spent long periods of time listening to classic rock radio. Other than for the song fragments "Cheap Day Return" and "Slipstream" and possibly (though I really can't say for sure) the seven-minute "My God," I've heard all of these songs played over the commercial airwaves, some of them solidly entrenched as staples. The popularity of Jethro Tull's biggest-selling album is well deserved: I think it is a bit uneven but still top-shelf overall. I prefer the first half of album (the observations on society) to the second (the attack on religion). The title track, with its biting, dissonant riff and classic guitar solo is one of my favorite Tull songs. "Cross Eyed Mary" follows, another hard rock song and with an even grimier feel than "Aqualung." Although I find Ian Anderson's emoting vocals to often be a hindrance on Benefit, I think this style complements the material on Aqualung very well. "Mother Goose" demonstrates the band's knack for writing mostly-acoustic songs that nevertheless stay snappy. The song also exhibits Anderson's expressive range as a singer. "Up to Me" is a bluesy jaunt that shows how Tull had moved beyond merely writing blues songs to incorporating elements of the style into their own unique aesthetic. All in all, a great run of songs. I find the second half to be less consistent. "My God," a stage-tested piece about the hypocrisy of organized religion, is hit and miss. The lyrics are too melodramatic, but the music that carries them has a definite edge. The instrumental part in the middle is overkill (albeit with an interesting use of the mellotron), though I can see how it may have worked better on stage. Actually, I like the few live versions of "My God" that I've heard through the years better than the studio recording. In any event, it is the band's first foray into longish song-forms with distinct, fully-composed sections. "Hymn 43" usually gets lumped in by the critics as another naïve anti-religion rant, but I beg to differ. It concerns evangelicalism, after all, and when Frank Zappa devoted a good part of an album to bashing them 17 years later (Broadway the Hard Way), it was generally considered relevant. Lyrics notwithstanding, the music makes it yet another excellent hard rock song; that classic riff essentially is just a slightly-tweaked version of the one used on "Up to Me," but made powerfully electric. "Slipstream" is more of an interlude than anything else and it wouldn't be much to speak of if it didn't segue into the great "Locomotive Breath" so perfectly. The "Locomotive Breath" fade-out would have been an excellent place to finish the album; unfortunately, there is still the bludgeoningly preachy "Wind Up." "He's not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays" is a creative way to state an old idea. It is largely ruined by redundancy, however, both musical and lyrical. Consumers note: The sound quality of Aqualung is notoriously inadequate for a studio recording by a major band in 1971, especially the clarity and depth at the low end. This is a shame, because the music is an instrumentally busy mixture of loud and softer tunes. The album wasn't particularly well-recorded to begin with, but because the master tapes have reportedly been in irrevocably deteriorated condition for many years, no amount of "remastering" will ever significantly improve the sound. Ian Anderson has long lamented the sound quality of Aqualung and as recently as the late 1990s he considered the possibility of re-recording the album from scratch. The consensus best-sounding CD version of Aqualung is the gold CD issued by DCC in 1997. This item went out of print when DCC ceased to exist, however; such circumstances rendering the prospects of a reissue unlikely. It is a very expensive unit on the secondary market and I would caution any interested parties to consider what other uses they might have for about $100. Improvements are audible but slight. review by Matt P. — 3-7-05 —