Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick (1972) GBR
A1. Thick As A Brick (Part 1)
B1. Thick As A Brick (Part 2)
In this digital age of endless information and limitless online published opinions about almost everything that has/had value in human history, there is very little a humble Gen X record collector from Australia can add to the conversation about this masterwork.
(except for my own unique experience of first hearing this album)
To myself and many of my comrades, who would regularly trade bragging rights of our so called discoveries of cool bands we have ‘unearthed’ to our little gang of 15 year old rock connoisseurs, ‘Jethro Tull’ was a name we associated with the ‘hip’ dads of the seventies generation. Such a tough sounding name that was often cited by tough older guys while they would shitcan ‘our’ music with statements like Pixies, Nirvana and Dinosaur Jr. would be nothing without Jimi, Led Zep, Black Sabbath and occasionally the more knowledgable dads would add Jethro Tull to that list. Statements which, in hindsight were absolutely true.
It was one late drunken night however, that i stumbled into the living room of a house party and there, beyond the mess of beer cans and sleeping bodies, on a small TV screen, with volume turned completely down, was the most interesting looking performers my 15 year old eyes had ever seen.
A fiery eyed, crazed looking vagabond, dressed in rags, twitching and sweating under a mess of matted hair and beard, moving to and fro from microphone to flute like a man possessed. His jolting movements seemed almost graceful while our hero stands one foot tucked in above the knee of the other like some kind of ancient elvish piper summoning forest gods with his song. Before even hearing a single note, i was totally mystified. An unforgettable impression was made on me as a tag on the screen some minutes later read the name Jethro Tull...i was hooked.
Fast forward to weeks later when visiting my dads place i find in amongst his small and relatively uninspiring stash of records i find a bizarre looking sleeve in the form of a newspaper. THICK AS A BRICK scrawled across the tattered and torn page with a very boring looking photo of a aging balding man posing in front of a very bewildered looking young boy with his family surrounding. Its not until i check the spine that my enthusiasm rises and take the scratched up copy straight from the sleeve and put it on to the turntable.
A softly picked English sounding Folk guitar and jig like flute weaves a nice little tune. Ancient and fantastical sounding. Like the sound of a Tolkien novel. Not what i was expecting but then the most alluring, confident and evoking voice swoops into the speakers. Melodious, poetic, eerie and yet soothing. As the he laughs to himself while singing the lines ‘Your sperms in the gutter, your love’s in the sink’, I knew right away I was into something pretty great. Next comes the quick stab of the full band for one short, sharp measure that punches the volume and dimensions of the sound way beyond the barrier. Fucking amazing! It had me right there.
The band pours in moments later to surround our hero like a burst of radiant colour and energy. From then on, until the needle drags across the dead wax and returns itself back to the start position, i am totally mind blown by this incredible, startlingly dexterous and heart wrenchingly melodic piece of music, that without even considering to flip the record, i play side A once more to fully understand and absorb what i had just heard.
This is my introduction to not only this wonderful band but also to the sound i would come to know and love as Progressive Rock and the art of concept music.
The extended organ solo that trades licks with the electric guitars while the bass and drums hammer out a brilliant galloping rhythm adorned with the occasional stop in sound to let an acoustic strum exhale a breath of relief from the dramatic musical onslaught all within the first 5 minutes of play. This album is jam packed with groundbreaking time signatures (for rock), magical vocal lines, and solos made for Rock Gods. This is a massive game changer at a time where other bands of the same ilk and influence miss the mark as a complete package.
Not that i get any joy comparing bands and releases, but just to put into context the times we are talking about. Released the same year as the Yes classic ‘Close To The Edge’, Deep Purple’s incredible Machine Head, Genesis’ Foxtrot and Black Sabbath’s Vol 4, Thick as a Brick, as far as i am concerned, is far and away the more complete and all round masterwork. Ian Anderson is the epitome of the power vocalist and multi instrumentalist genius who appears to have never taken himself too seriously.
Years later, though i inherited my dads beat up copy, i am playing my rebought version (still a little crackly) and i am enjoying the experience just the same as i did almost 20 years later which is why its so hard to find a mint copy of this as those who have it have played it to death. A testament to not only its longevity as a classic but to its massively vast appeal to music fans of all generations.
Thick As A Brick will never not be in the conversation when discussing the most innovative Rock records of all time and I am so glad to have been the one to introduce some of my high school buddies to this massively cool album.
Ian Anderson - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Flute, Violin, Trumpet, Saxophone, Producer
Martin Barre - Electric guitar, Lute
John Evan - Piano, Organ, Harpsichord
Jeffrey Hammond - Bass guitar, Vocals
Barriemore Barlow - Drums, Percussion, Timpani
1st AUS Pressing on Chrysalis Records 1972.
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