Hey guys, this was an interesting one!! What’s the next Jethro Tull song we need to check out?!?! What’s a track that’s got TOP CLASS FLUTE BANGER written all over it?!?! Let us know down below!!!
The Aqualung character is being looked at from two perspectives, one being "look at that nasty, old homeless guy who is probably a pervert", the other being one of kindness and sympathy.
@@aafjeyakubu5124 LOL, live he doesn't even nail the studio solo. I've been trying to nail that solo since the album first came out and have yet to do it. It's one of those solo's done in a zone at that time never to be duplicated because of the emotional energy at that one place in time. Know what I mean?
I'm a 64 year old grandma and I grew up with this music. I am SO happy to see that you guys like the music from back in the day! I've subscribed and look forward to seeing more of your reactions!
I just wanna say thanks to you two. I'm sixty-two years young, an old rocker from the early days of rock and roll. Whenever I watch you two, with your bobbing heads and closed eyes, hearing a great classic from the golden age of yesteryear, I feel almost the same way I did when me and my circle of friends would listen to a new album by a current artist. You find a groove and just let yourself go for four minutes, appreciating what the artist put out and what it took them to get it from their initial vision to their finished work. So like I said, thanks.
I’m pretty sure Ian Anderson was quoted as saying that this song was 2 different people looking at the same homeless man but having very different opinions about him. One was harsh and judgemental and the second was someone who formerly knew him and had pity and compassion for him.
I'm 65 and well remember those days,going round to a friends place,plenty of herb,lots to eat and drink,and an album each,then we'd kick back and listen and get right into it.Rarely was there a turkey. I remember playing Aqualung to them once and ALL of them went out next day and bought at least a cuople JT albums. You could tell what a person was like by the records he had under his arm and conversations were regularly struck up on buses,trains and sometimes,planes. No such social interraction today of course.......sadly. they missed the party didnt they.
I went to one of their concerts in the 70's. It was so good, it was one of those rare times when everybody just shuts the hell up and sits down and watches the unbelievable talent of Ian Anderson. It was incredible.
I saw them in the late 90s in Memphis and they were still rocking’ it! One of the best shows I have ever seen. Ian Anderson is unlike anyone else. Such a talented human!
Berlin 1973ish. Thick as a brick at the top of the charts. Without doubt the second best concert I ever attended. The first was The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. So glad I was 16 in 69.
When you do study the lyrics, bear in mind that the two different singing styles are reflective of who is perceiving the homeless guy. Society's baseless slurs to more easily ignore the tragedy of his situation, or the person who actually knows he's harmless and deserving of pity rather than scorn.
@@michaelb1761 Semantics. Before the caring and love, there must be recognition of that need. Pity is NOT a dirty word. It is the empathetic emotion that moved you to argue the point. ;-)
My perspective on the lyrics has changed over the years as I've gotten old myself. I think the creepy section of lyrics has more to do with the unfounded judgement and accusation of others toward an old homeless man, rather than his actual personal thoughts and motivations. This is clarified by the description as a poor old lonely person, in pain, dying, just trying to warm himself in the sun, by the person who knows him "it's only me".
Yes, he used to play the flute, standing on one leg for whatever reason. I couldn't do it back then because I was too stoned & now I can't because I'm too old
I saw an interview with Martin where he said that he knew he had to get the solo right on the first try or it might be replaced with a flute solo. He also said that someone from another band (I think it was Led Zeppelin) came by and was gesturing to him in the window trying to distract him. But somehow he pulled it off anyway. Amazing solo.
I prefer Wind Up, but that's because he ruthlessly tears into the Catholic Church. Having a chat with God and being told "I'm not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays..." Great stuff
He has TB(Aqualung)The song is about the world just spinning around him while he is dying from the disease.The song is hard to listen to,but is beautiful at the same time.Thats my take.I remember when it came out,it was sooooo different.
Interestingly, I haven’t heard the TB reference before, but it’s spot on....the bass player in Jethro Tull died of congenital lung disease at 29 and Ian Anderson has lung disease now....
I had a seventh grade teacher who let us play rock albums in class. She brought this to class and proclaimed this was a masterpiece and played it for us!
I bought this album days after it’s first release in 1971 in my youth, this was and still is a fantastic album and still play songs from it today. Love the flute and guitar work.
Michael Baughman-- Bungle in the Jungle was not an anti-war song. It was about the hardships of living in the big city and how greedy people are. It was released in 1974. LBJ was long gone and the Vietnam war was just about over.
Bungle In the Jungle was a cute, fun song. Def listen, it’s not long, but it’s also not a headbanger. It’s more of a commercial success single that’s prob any of their other songs. Nothing wrong w that, I loved it as a kid. Just saying what it is.
I'm 60 so for young musicians especially, such as my friends and me, this was a must-have, important, mile-marker album when it was released. The song "Aqualung" at that time would have raised questions ("Who is this Aqualung guy?'") and the song was cutting edge, both time sig wise and sonically. The lyrics were quite amusing even then and everyone would have been mimicking it, even years later; especially, "Snot is running down his nose." We assumed that this character was kind of a (harmless) pervert, not someone who would have acted on it; simply a visual thing and perhaps causing him to realize his mortality, age, and outcast status. Back then, we would have been eagerly reading the album liner notes and analyzing the cover painting. (We thought that might have been Ian Anderson as first.) I would have my older sister, who was an English Major in college, help me interpret the lyrics and cover. I listened to this album alone but would also have listened with a small group of friends in a room with a black light or a red light (very popular), posters on the walls, and a mirror ball (not always associated with Disco as perceived today). We would have been smoking weed and stashing it quickly when a parent would called out to us or come near. We would have been taking note of various changes or highlights of the song and verbally expressing these to each other and we would have been digging the music with more of a straight on head banging. We wouldn't talk about anything else unrelated to the music or my one friend would say, "Shut up and listen to the music!" This album and especially this song, is a classic and still played on Classic Rock radio. It's always a mindfucker to me when anyone under a certain age wouldn't have heard it.
@@nigelreed6819 same with the 40 minute thick as a brick. I wish andy and alex would react to it. But I get why they dont. He already reacted to the normal version
Guys, when you do Jethro Tull songs, getting the lyrics is absolutely paramount. Ian has made very few songs that are simple there to enjoy as music. (Disclaimer - until the 1990es) There ALWAYS is a story, a message to the songs, sometimes a whole album (TAAB, and even more weird, A Passion Play). If you get to see these songs as a whole, the musical dimenison suddenly fits. Just like getting a different perspective where the dots suddenly line up and you can see the shape. Yes, Tull mainly is an acquired taste - but a profound one. Absolutely worth doing if you are into deep, meaningful music.
I'm 61 and heard Aqualung at age 13 when it was new. You are college age and clearly more sophisticated and have the benefit of being alive with decades more music in existence to listen to. When I was 13 I had no music in my bedroom except a thing called a transistor radio playing static AM radio. Our family ''record player" was in the living room and my parents listened to classical and opera....(which today I actually respect)......then came the day I went to a kids house who had an expensive stereo system in his bedroom and he played Aqualung. All I knew were the Beatles and , the Supremes and Elvis...2 minute songs about how much I love you and few exceptions. I didnt know music like this existed w 5 minute and 7 minute songs with creative lyrics, and changes and breaks the way classical music was written.....this song and the rest of the album changed the molecular structure of my brain and there was no going back.
With Tull, you never know where they’ll take you next. 15th Century Scotland 🏴, modern day England 🏴 or somewhere in someone’s dream. Andy you want flute? Try “Cross-Eyed Mary” or “The Witches Promise” Alex, take in the nuances of “Teacher”or “Sweet Dream” Tull has a unique lane in Prog-Rock history. Enjoy the trip. We appreciate you and are enjoying the channel! Cheers 🍻
When I was a kid, my older brother came home from a Tull concert with a broken drumstick that the drummer threw into the audience. John caught it, and kept it on top of his amp (he played bass in a garage band) for years. Music was such a big part of our lives back then!
The basis of the lyrics is the perception of the homeless by common misinformed people. Jethro Tull was looking to shine a light on this unjustified smearing of the homeless to show they are human too and they count as people as well.
A song about a homeless man named Aqualung. The first and last stanzas are basically looking at him as an unwashed person who deserves our derision. But the middle stanzas are the more compassionate ones, looking for hope for our hero. "The Army's up the road" meaning The Salvation Army where he can get warm and a cup of tea. When he "bends to pick a dog-end", they're talking about a cigarette butt. British slang and all that rot. And yes, he's "watching little girls with bad intent", but in my experience, no one I've ever talked with about this line actually believed he would ever carry through with anything illegal or immoral. Our own opinions and interpretations. But by all means, do a lyrical analysis. I gave you a bare bones one that is probably fairly close, but might have inaccuracies.
Not actually named Aqualung, but a mean nickname given to him because he has pneumonia and sounds like a deep-sea diver. Hence the line about his dying last breaths described as "deep sea diver sounds".
"Watching little girls with bad intent" is actually ambiguous. Is he watching with bad intent or is he watching girls who have bad intent, as in girls who are making fun of him, calling him names, etc. That all fits in with the ambiguity of the song as well, filthy bum versus another human being who needs our help.
To me that always came off as this was how the girls and other people interpreted him, as this dirty old disgusting man. You know how people talk about the less abled right?! Then you proceed to hear about how his days are really like. The heavy riff is the cold hard perception of those who pass him by, as he tries to survive the day. The softer interludes are what is really going on in his life and head.
@@michaelb1761: What makes me think that it's the former is the later line, "Watching as the frilly panties run". He's staring at the little girls with their frilly panties. That's a pervert's point of view, no? But as I said, my "analysis" may have inaccuracies. I'm not all knowing and always like to hear others' thoughts. Peace, Brother.
@@vovindequasahi: That pretty much sounds like most of the talk I've heard over the last fourty-five years or so about this song's meaning. About as close to a general consensus I've ever heard. Basically, two different points of view of the same situation.
"Snatching your last breath, with deep sea diver sounds" is a direct correlation to the title, Aqualung and is the sounds his chest makes when breathing with a terminal lung disease, probably something like emphysema. One of the most underrated rock bands of all time and a band I have loved since I first heard them way back in the 60's. Iconic sounds
Give Minstrel in the Gallery a try. It's a good banger with flute. Jethro Tull was my favorite band growing up in the 70s and I've seen them live 14 times.
The Aqualung album was one of the first two albums recorded at Island Studios, which had two studios. The other album, recorded in the other studio at the same time was Led Zepplin IV. Martin Barre, Tull's guitarist, tells the story of being in the middle of the solo and trying to get it done (afraid that Anderson might replace the guitar solo for a flute solo if he didn't get it right) when Jimmy Page came into the control room and was trying to get Martin's attention.
It's difficult for me to *_a la carte_* songs off albums like this - I was ready for "Cross-Eyed Mary" as "Aqualung" ended, which has a prominent flute in the intro - so there's your flute, the intro to the next song. Aqualung may not be a concept album, but it plays like one. (Cross-eyed Mary) Laughing in the playground Gets no kicks from little boys Would rather make it with a letching grey Or maybe her attention is drawn by Aqualung Who watches through the railings as they play The music press' insistence that Aqualung was a concept album is what prompted Ian Anderson to compose their follow-up "Thick as a Brick" as a parody of a concept album.
Yes. This definitely felt weird to me all on its own. I realized as many times as I've listened to it, I've never jumped in to the beginning that abruptly. The song to me is responding to what has gone before.
When Martin Barre rips into his legendary guitar solo, it sends piss shivers up my spine. This is what most musicians wanna accomplish with their solos. This stands at the pinnacle of greatness with very little comparison out there. Thanks, gentlemen. You do Tull fans a great service.
"Benefit" Album is prob my favorite. "nothing to say", "Teacher" "to cry you a song" "with you there to help me". Almost top to bottom great. Teacher is probably the riffiest out of those.
I totally agree with you on this one. There isn't a bad song on the whole album. Also, one of my favorite cuts from this album is: " Sossity, you're a Woman". Tull at their finest!
Play in time is outstanding, I've bee a Tull fan my whole life and I never hear anyone suggest or comment on one of my favorites which would be Play In Time.
Ian Anderson basically had a huge influence on teaching me how to think and how to speak. The lyrics were very deep for a high school student back when these amazing songs were released.
I’m not a deep cut Tull person but I’ve always loved Aqualung, in my youth and still today. I like how it’s arranged, complex and interesting. Yes some disturbing lyrics, a crazy homeless dude. (Another poster opened my eyes on the lyrics, I never caught the two different views based on the vocal styles. Good stuff!) Give it those 12 listens. Thanks again, good stuff!
They weren't trying to be jazzy and weird - the chords are derived from medieval counter point, which is a big part of their sound. I guess it's a generational thing though. Back in the day, this song was an immediate banger. One of their best. And imo stands the test of time.
Yep, I was a Jethro Tull fan, back in the day! I'm 61 years old now. Of Jethro Tull, I've always said, they are a band for those of us who just can't get enough flute in our rock music!
Jethro Tull is one of those bands that you only get half of the picture if you don't see them playing these songs live. There is such an emphasis on theatrics and performance, especially from vocalist/flautist/guitarist Ian Anderson.
Thick as a Brick Live Madison Square Garden 1978. Its an abbreviated version of Thick as a Brick but showcases all of Ian Anderson's talents. If you want to see Tull at their best all in one piece,then this piece has everything- flute, acoustic guitar, great drumming, keyboards.
I like Tull, just not rabid for them. My favorite by them is the 1st LP. Now, again I'll put a shout out for Robin Trower. There has to be fellow Trower fans that will back me up here. Long Misty Days Too Rolling Stoned Bridge Of Sighs... I could go on and on. Rock 🤘
I was lucky enough to see Jethro Tull with Robin Trower and Rory Gallegher open in front of 50,000 fans at Shea Stadium in NYC in 1976. Its ashame these artists don't get the recognition they deserve.
I haven't heard this song in a long while or really sat and concentrated on it since the 70's. I forgot how truly POWERFUL and SENTIMENTAL it was. Your show forces one to concentrate on every nuance of the music, instead of using it as backdrop. Because you both are reserving a space and time to BE with the song, it allows us the opportunity to BE with the song and to re-experience it, as for the first time. For this particular song, I found the experience to be sacred, because Jethro Tull played like there was no tomorrow, with a true edge and the lyrics here were so honest and probably would be unappreciated and despised in today's over-sanitized society, celebrating the pitiful drama of a freezing homeless man.
The whole album was about homeless people, cross eyed Mary, locomotive breath, aqualung, those were all derogatory names given to homeless people and I think Locomotive Breath more than the other ones exemplify how most people vilify the homeless people in the first verse while the other set of verses shows you that it’s just someone that’s down on his luck and having a hard time in life and he eventually dies alone, it’s a great song and album that are still relevant today.
Hello, I'm 61 and saw Jethro Tull 7 times in concert, first in 1974 and last in 2013, my favorite band. When I see you listen with headphones, I remember when with friends we smoke and enjoy that album. Thanks for your work.
You know I have no choice but to comment on this one.... Tull being my favorite band, I encourage you to dig deeper. Look to more bangers like Hunting Girl, Songs from the Wood, Bungle in the Jungle (with lyrics), Heavy Horses, Nothing to Say, Sossity, Teacher, Cry you a Song, My God, Thick as a Brick (full album only), Acres Wild, the list goes on and on.....
Love. Love. Love the fact that you two don't interrupt the song every 13 seconds to give your comments. Watching you guys get this jam for the first time reminds me of how I felt.
Jethro Tull Banger - Hunting Girl from the Songs from the Wood Album Barrymore Barlow, the drummer on this album, will blow your mind. The musical arrangement in general will blow your mind. But Barlow was the first, to my knowledge, to use double bass. Definitely worth checking out if you want to hear Tull when they're full tilt rocking.
What a classic Tull track ! After four weeks in hospital and two of them in the ICU, to hear my favourite Tull track is a kind of early Christmas present - so thanks, lads, there are so many brilliant Tull albums you can review it is difficult to name them all but you will certainly get round to listen to them all. Thanks again for playing this wonderful song which I first heard over 60 years ago !
One of the top 20 Albums of all times not just because the band are supremely talented but there's not one lame tune on it. Kudos to the U.S.kids of the '70's who embraced this classic but also the young ones of today who take time to give it a listen.
The live version of Aqualung on the album “Bursting Out” really kicks ass. Tull had a different drummer by then, Barriemore Barlow who really punched up this song even more. The guitar solo is also much improved on the live track. Jethro Tull is extremely tight live, much like Rush. The group is full of some incredible musicians who play with near perfection any time I have seen them live.
The next Jethro Tull song should be Living In The Past, the whole melody of the song is infectious, so good to see you guys appreciate golden oldie but classic music, this is what is coffin dogers were brought up on 🤘
Hey guys, this was an interesting one!! What’s the next Jethro Tull song we need to check out?!?! What’s a track that’s got TOP CLASS FLUTE BANGER written all over it?!?! Let us know down below!!!
Thick As a Brick brings the flute + great melody and lyrics!
CROSS-EYED MARY!!
Edit: a lyrical analysis of Aqualung would be cool
Cross-eyed Mary
Cross-Eyed Mary - Iron Maiden have covered it. it's a banger.
Has anyone suggested Cross-Eyed Mary yet? :P
The Aqualung character is being looked at from two perspectives, one being "look at that nasty, old homeless guy who is probably a pervert", the other being one of kindness and sympathy.
Or you could see Ian Anderson has a aqualung with the performance and singing and the flute his performance of Thick as a Brick is 44 minutes long
Martin Barre's guitar playing really shines on this track. He's criminally underrated.
Kyle S. Agree!
I've been trying to work out this solo these past few days. There's nothing quite like trying to play the piece to make you really appreciate it more.
Aqualung's solo is one of THE finest guitar solos ever,it just flows beautifully
He actually beat out Tony Iommi for the Tull gig. Martin's range of styles was better according to Ian. Worked out for both of them.
@@aafjeyakubu5124 LOL, live he doesn't even nail the studio solo. I've been trying to nail that solo since the album first came out and have yet to do it. It's one of those solo's done in a zone at that time never to be duplicated because of the emotional energy at that one place in time. Know what I mean?
I'm a 64 year old grandma and I grew up with this music. I am SO happy to see that you guys like the music from back in the day! I've subscribed and look forward to seeing more of your reactions!
Me too and my sons love it too
Yes.. This song deserves a lyric analysis. Many British lyricists of this time had deep meaning writing skills.
I just wanna say thanks to you two. I'm sixty-two years young, an old rocker from the early days of rock and roll. Whenever I watch you two, with your bobbing heads and closed eyes, hearing a great classic from the golden age of yesteryear, I feel almost the same way I did when me and my circle of friends would listen to a new album by a current artist. You find a groove and just let yourself go for four minutes, appreciating what the artist put out and what it took them to get it from their initial vision to their finished work.
So like I said, thanks.
@Drummingvulture
Thank you for watching! Glad you’re enjoying the videos! We have a blast doing this with you guys!
I’m pretty sure Ian Anderson was quoted as saying that this song was 2 different people looking at the same homeless man but having very different opinions about him. One was harsh and judgemental and the second was someone who formerly knew him and had pity and compassion for him.
Drummingvulture so so true!
@@andyandalex Please react to the studio versions of Roxy Music's "Out of The Blue", "The Thrill of It All",and 'The Bogus Man"
I'm 65 and well remember those days,going round to a friends place,plenty of herb,lots to eat and drink,and an album each,then we'd kick back and listen and get right into it.Rarely was there a turkey.
I remember playing Aqualung to them once and ALL of them went out next day and bought at least a cuople JT albums.
You could tell what a person was like by the records he had under his arm and conversations were regularly struck up on buses,trains and sometimes,planes.
No such social interraction today of course.......sadly.
they missed the party didnt they.
I went to one of their concerts in the 70's. It was so good, it was one of those rare times when everybody just shuts the hell up and sits down and watches the unbelievable talent of Ian Anderson. It was incredible.
I saw them in the late 90s in Memphis and they were still rocking’ it! One of the best shows I have ever seen. Ian Anderson is unlike anyone else. Such a talented human!
1977 Jethro Till with Uriah Heep. One of the best concerts I've ever been to
Berlin 1973ish. Thick as a brick at the top of the charts. Without doubt the second best concert I ever attended. The first was The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. So glad I was 16 in 69.
When you do study the lyrics, bear in mind that the two different singing styles are reflective of who is perceiving the homeless guy. Society's baseless slurs to more easily ignore the tragedy of his situation, or the person who actually knows he's harmless and deserving of pity rather than scorn.
Nice take on the lyrics. Well put, my friend.
I agree except with the use of the word "pity". I'd say more deserving of love and caring as a fellow man.
@@michaelb1761 Semantics. Before the caring and love, there must be recognition of that need. Pity is NOT a dirty word. It is the empathetic emotion that moved you to argue the point. ;-)
Yes thanks, well said
YES THIS! Good that there are others who have interpreted this song in the same way.
My perspective on the lyrics has changed over the years as I've gotten old myself. I think the creepy section of lyrics has more to do with the unfounded judgement and accusation of others toward an old homeless man, rather than his actual personal thoughts and motivations. This is clarified by the description as a poor old lonely person, in pain, dying, just trying to warm himself in the sun, by the person who knows him "it's only me".
👍🏻Excellent.....we’re on the same page (my comments written above under Courtier)
" Cross Eyed Mary " All the way guys.
"Feeling like a dead duck.....spitting out pieces of his broken luck..." What can you say? Crazy lyrics. I like JethroTull.
The lead singer Ian Anderson was very theatrical on stage. Have to watch the live version!
The most theatrical singer ever. I saw him live back in the day.
Yes, he used to play the flute, standing on one leg for whatever reason. I couldn't do it back then because I was too stoned & now I can't because I'm too old
Lawrence Ramirez So glad you noted this~ seeing Ian perform is amazing & a must-see... I love watching his live performances!
evoman1776 I can't even begin to imagine being able to say that! Must have been phenomenal!
You're very fortunate!!
HamiltonRb Did you see them live?
Lol, I read that one person's description of Ian was "deranged flamingo"... ☺️
The guitar solo in this song is on my top 5 favorite guitar solos list. Martin Barre knew exactly what it needed, and he delivered. 🎸✌️❤️
Martin always delivered.
I saw an interview with Martin where he said that he knew he had to get the solo right on the first try or it might be replaced with a flute solo. He also said that someone from another band (I think it was Led Zeppelin) came by and was gesturing to him in the window trying to distract him. But somehow he pulled it off anyway. Amazing solo.
After 11 listens you'll love this song. It's totally one of those songs that get better with listens.
Take my word...Jethro Tull "My God" is a masterpiece...
I prefer Wind Up, but that's because he ruthlessly tears into the Catholic Church. Having a chat with God and being told "I'm not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays..." Great stuff
He has TB(Aqualung)The song is about the world just spinning around him while he is dying from the disease.The song is hard to listen to,but is beautiful at the same time.Thats my take.I remember when it came out,it was sooooo different.
Interestingly, I haven’t heard the TB reference before, but it’s spot on....the bass player in Jethro Tull died of congenital lung disease at 29 and Ian Anderson has lung disease now....
I had a seventh grade teacher who let us play rock albums in class. She brought this to class and proclaimed this was a masterpiece and played it for us!
"Teacher", Cross-Eyed Mary"
Teacher would be my pick. Hooks galore. Off my fav Tull Album "Benefit"!
Two outstanding choices.
Wow my 2 favs.benefit is best album I think
The entire Stand Up album has a great sound.
Cross eyed Mary!
I bought this album days after it’s first release in 1971 in my youth, this was and still is a fantastic album and still play songs from it today. Love the flute and guitar work.
Tull's"Bungle in the Jungle" has some flute!
Yeah, but it's one of their lamest songs.
@@banishedfromthedwarfplanet530 yeah...but it was an anti-war sound. Think about LBJ, VIETNAM, AND THE whole MILITARY big business thing.
Michael Baughman-- Bungle in the Jungle was not an anti-war song. It was about the hardships of living in the big city and how greedy people are. It was released in 1974. LBJ was long gone and the Vietnam war was just about over.
Bungle In the Jungle was a cute, fun song. Def listen, it’s not long, but it’s also not a headbanger. It’s more of a commercial success single that’s prob any of their other songs. Nothing wrong w that, I loved it as a kid. Just saying what it is.
I'm 60 so for young musicians especially, such as my friends and me, this was a must-have, important, mile-marker album when it was released. The song "Aqualung" at that time would have raised questions ("Who is this Aqualung guy?'") and the song was cutting edge, both time sig wise and sonically. The lyrics were quite amusing even then and everyone would have been mimicking it, even years later; especially, "Snot is running down his nose." We assumed that this character was kind of a (harmless) pervert, not someone who would have acted on it; simply a visual thing and perhaps causing him to realize his mortality, age, and outcast status.
Back then, we would have been eagerly reading the album liner notes and analyzing the cover painting. (We thought that might have been Ian Anderson as first.) I would have my older sister, who was an English Major in college, help me interpret the lyrics and cover.
I listened to this album alone but would also have listened with a small group of friends in a room with a black light or a red light (very popular), posters on the walls, and a mirror ball (not always associated with Disco as perceived today). We would have been smoking weed and stashing it quickly when a parent would called out to us or come near.
We would have been taking note of various changes or highlights of the song and verbally expressing these to each other and we would have been digging the music with more of a straight on head banging. We wouldn't talk about anything else unrelated to the music or my one friend would say, "Shut up and listen to the music!"
This album and especially this song, is a classic and still played on Classic Rock radio. It's always a mindfucker to me when anyone under a certain age wouldn't have heard it.
Black lights! Yes!
Another good song by Jethro tull is minstrel in the gallery
Especially the long version
@@nigelreed6819 same with the 40 minute thick as a brick. I wish andy and alex would react to it. But I get why they dont. He already reacted to the normal version
Solataire!
"Hymn 43", hands down, no contest.
Stuart Alexander yes!
Damn straight.
Damn Skippy. "Well if Jesus saves, then he better save himself..."
Guys, when you do Jethro Tull songs, getting the lyrics is absolutely paramount. Ian has made very few songs that are simple there to enjoy as music. (Disclaimer - until the 1990es) There ALWAYS is a story, a message to the songs, sometimes a whole album (TAAB, and even more weird, A Passion Play). If you get to see these songs as a whole, the musical dimenison suddenly fits. Just like getting a different perspective where the dots suddenly line up and you can see the shape. Yes, Tull mainly is an acquired taste - but a profound one. Absolutely worth doing if you are into deep, meaningful music.
Please do "Skating Away On the Thin Ice of the New Day"
If you should go skating
On the thin ice of modern life
Absolutely.
I'm 61 and heard Aqualung at age 13 when it was new. You are college age and clearly more sophisticated and have the benefit of being alive with decades more music in existence to listen to. When I was 13 I had no music in my bedroom except a thing called a transistor radio playing static AM radio. Our family ''record player" was in the living room and my parents listened to classical and opera....(which today I actually respect)......then came the day I went to a kids house who had an expensive stereo system in his bedroom and he played Aqualung. All I knew were the Beatles and , the Supremes and Elvis...2 minute songs about how much I love you and few exceptions. I didnt know music like this existed w 5 minute and 7 minute songs with creative lyrics, and changes and breaks the way classical music was written.....this song and the rest of the album changed the molecular structure of my brain and there was no going back.
With Tull, you never know where they’ll take you next. 15th Century Scotland 🏴, modern day England 🏴 or somewhere in someone’s dream. Andy you want flute? Try “Cross-Eyed Mary” or “The Witches Promise” Alex, take in the nuances of “Teacher”or
“Sweet Dream” Tull has a unique lane in Prog-Rock history. Enjoy the trip. We appreciate you and are enjoying the channel! Cheers 🍻
Its a theme album that needs to listen to in its entirety to understand the characters, a huge commentary on society, religion etc.
I absolutely LOVED Alex's reaction to the end of the solo at 5:09! He was REALLY into that solo!
Heartwarming to see the new generation appreciating classics like this. Thank you!!!!
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day !
To me, this guitar solo is the best thought out solo of all time.
OK. It's been 3 years since this video. It is time to react to the entire album. The flow of the songs is amazing. You won't be disappointed.
When I was a kid, my older brother came home from a Tull concert with a broken drumstick that the drummer threw into the audience. John caught it, and kept it on top of his amp (he played bass in a garage band) for years. Music was such a big part of our lives back then!
Do "My God" next from Jethro Tull. You won't regret it. The whole album is masterpiece.
Find the live version of My God from 1970 Isle of Wight Festival. Some outrageous flute on that.
My God and Wind Up... bangers thinking deep thoughts.
I agree with Mark, My God is as heavy as anything at the time.
No, get off this album, they need to experience other albums to properly appreciate Tull.
If you do My God, do a live version from the 70s.
everything is perfect in this band
Nobody could write a song like this today, and if someone did, there's no way they'd get away with playing it with these lyrics.
I saw Ian Anderson last summer in concert. Guy still has it all! Played the flute danced around and never broke. I mean...amazing.
The basis of the lyrics is the perception of the homeless by common misinformed people. Jethro Tull was looking to shine a light on this unjustified smearing of the homeless to show they are human too and they count as people as well.
Gotta give Jethro Tull’s “Too Old To Rock And Roll” a try. Think you’ll enjoy the hell out of that song.
Discovering good music is great but discovering Tull is sublime.
I would recommend "Nothing Is Easy" from their "Stand Up" album - lots of great flute and still in their early heavy blues/rock phase. Great song!
Once again, I say you *definitely* should go with ‘Cross-Eyed Mary’ next... No holds barred BANGER *and* it has generous amounts of flute.
I think "Songs From The Wood" would be a great one to get into.
Aye,and HEAVY HORSES
A song about a homeless man named Aqualung. The first and last stanzas are basically looking at him as an unwashed person who deserves our derision. But the middle stanzas are the more compassionate ones, looking for hope for our hero. "The Army's up the road" meaning The Salvation Army where he can get warm and a cup of tea.
When he "bends to pick a dog-end", they're talking about a cigarette butt. British slang and all that rot. And yes, he's "watching little girls with bad intent", but in my experience, no one I've ever talked with about this line actually believed he would ever carry through with anything illegal or immoral. Our own opinions and interpretations.
But by all means, do a lyrical analysis. I gave you a bare bones one that is probably fairly close, but might have inaccuracies.
Not actually named Aqualung, but a mean nickname given to him because he has pneumonia and sounds like a deep-sea diver. Hence the line about his dying last breaths described as "deep sea diver sounds".
"Watching little girls with bad intent" is actually ambiguous. Is he watching with bad intent or is he watching girls who have bad intent, as in girls who are making fun of him, calling him names, etc. That all fits in with the ambiguity of the song as well, filthy bum versus another human being who needs our help.
To me that always came off as this was how the girls and other people interpreted him, as this dirty old disgusting man. You know how people talk about the less abled right?! Then you proceed to hear about how his days are really like. The heavy riff is the cold hard perception of those who pass him by, as he tries to survive the day. The softer interludes are what is really going on in his life and head.
@@michaelb1761: What makes me think that it's the former is the later line, "Watching as the frilly panties run". He's staring at the little girls with their frilly panties. That's a pervert's point of view, no?
But as I said, my "analysis" may have inaccuracies. I'm not all knowing and always like to hear others' thoughts.
Peace, Brother.
@@vovindequasahi: That pretty much sounds like most of the talk I've heard over the last fourty-five years or so about this song's meaning. About as close to a general consensus I've ever heard.
Basically, two different points of view of the same situation.
"Snatching your last breath, with deep sea diver sounds" is a direct correlation to the title, Aqualung and is the sounds his chest makes when breathing with a terminal lung disease, probably something like emphysema. One of the most underrated rock bands of all time and a band I have loved since I first heard them way back in the 60's. Iconic sounds
You guys need to check out a live performance. Ian Anderson has an awesome stage presence. Captivating to watch.
Give Minstrel in the Gallery a try. It's a good banger with flute. Jethro Tull was my favorite band growing up in the 70s and I've seen them live 14 times.
The Aqualung album was one of the first two albums recorded at Island Studios, which had two studios. The other album, recorded in the other studio at the same time was Led Zepplin IV. Martin Barre, Tull's guitarist, tells the story of being in the middle of the solo and trying to get it done (afraid that Anderson might replace the guitar solo for a flute solo if he didn't get it right) when Jimmy Page came into the control room and was trying to get Martin's attention.
It's difficult for me to *_a la carte_* songs off albums like this - I was ready for "Cross-Eyed Mary" as "Aqualung" ended, which has a prominent flute in the intro - so there's your flute, the intro to the next song. Aqualung may not be a concept album, but it plays like one.
(Cross-eyed Mary)
Laughing in the playground
Gets no kicks from little boys
Would rather make it with a letching grey
Or maybe her attention is drawn by Aqualung
Who watches through the railings as they play
The music press' insistence that Aqualung was a concept album is what prompted Ian Anderson to compose their follow-up "Thick as a Brick" as a parody of a concept album.
Agreed. To continue on to Cross-eyed Mary, and then the entire album.
Yes. This definitely felt weird to me all on its own. I realized as many times as I've listened to it, I've never jumped in to the beginning that abruptly. The song to me is responding to what has gone before.
When Martin Barre rips into his legendary guitar solo, it sends piss shivers up my spine. This is what most musicians wanna accomplish with their solos. This stands at the pinnacle of greatness with very little comparison out there. Thanks, gentlemen. You do Tull fans a great service.
"Benefit" Album is prob my favorite. "nothing to say", "Teacher" "to cry you a song" "with you there to help me". Almost top to bottom great. Teacher is probably the riffiest out of those.
I totally agree with you on this one. There isn't a bad song on the whole album. Also, one of my favorite cuts from this album is: " Sossity, you're a Woman". Tull at their finest!
It's a great album!....the first time I bought vinyl I bought 3 albums...Benefit was one of them.
Play in time is outstanding, I've bee a Tull fan my whole life and I never hear anyone suggest or comment on one of my favorites which would be Play In Time.
@@michaelakkerman407 Play in Time is great too, yes. I don't skip any track on that album.
Benefit is possibly better than Aqualung. Don’t get me wrong, Aqualung is a great album, but Benefit is Tull’s overlooked masterpiece.
Ian Anderson basically had a huge influence on teaching me how to think and how to speak. The lyrics were very deep for a high school student back when these amazing songs were released.
I’m not a deep cut Tull person but I’ve always loved Aqualung, in my youth and still today. I like how it’s arranged, complex and interesting. Yes some disturbing lyrics, a crazy homeless dude. (Another poster opened my eyes on the lyrics, I never caught the two different views based on the vocal styles. Good stuff!)
Give it those 12 listens.
Thanks again, good stuff!
They weren't trying to be jazzy and weird - the chords are derived from medieval counter point, which is a big part of their sound. I guess it's a generational thing though. Back in the day, this song was an immediate banger. One of their best. And imo stands the test of time.
“Teacher”always sounded good to me
Yep, I was a Jethro Tull fan, back in the day! I'm 61 years old now. Of Jethro Tull, I've always said, they are a band for those of us who just can't get enough flute in our rock music!
Jethro Tull - one of THE FIRST Progressive Rock bands ever!
Mysical geniouses!
"Mystical (or musical ?) geniuses"
spell check
I wouldn't call them prog. They're just straight-up hard rock/metal, flute notwithstanding.
I think Andy is definitely. This is, no doubt, one of my JT faves. Such moving melodies and incredible performances..
"Bouree" is an instrumental that is all flute. It's a bluesy take on classical piece.
Hard to go wrong with J.S. Bach.
Bass in this song is great
absolutely agree...
One of my favourite Tull pieces.
Check out Bouree. French T. V. La jaconde 💞
Martin Barre One of the most underrated guitarist
Something interesting on every album he played, sometimes very subtle; "Glory Row" & "North Sea Oil" to name but 2.
Jethro Tull is one of those bands that you only get half of the picture if you don't see them playing these songs live. There is such an emphasis on theatrics and performance, especially from vocalist/flautist/guitarist Ian Anderson.
Thick as a Brick Live Madison Square Garden 1978. Its an abbreviated version of Thick as a Brick but showcases all of Ian Anderson's talents. If you want to see Tull at their best all in one piece,then this piece has everything- flute, acoustic guitar, great drumming, keyboards.
Thick As A Brick, Part 1 is easily my favorite by Tull. 10/10
Andy's already reacted to it. They need to listen to the whole 44-minute album.
@@LeChaunce he only heard the first 5 or 6 minutes.
@@mustangdebbie56 Yes. The single edit. "Part 1", as mentioned in the original post. That's why I'm saying they should listen to the whole thing.
The bass line in this song is killer.
I’m surprised Bungle in the Jungle wasn’t a top Tull request.
It's not usually a top pick among Tull enthusiasts.
way way way down the list, somewhere near the bottom
Don't be surprised. It's one of their worst songs.
Tom Gibson While a hit on the radio to the general public, it wasn’t well received by the JT tried & true fanbase. Too pop for me.
No
I took my middle son to see Jethro Tulle for his 5th birthday back in 73! That's what he said he wanted for his present!
“Bouree” by Tull is totally different and memorable flute.
I love that song
Bouree is my favourite Tull song.
One of the first concerts I ever saw. Ian is amazing live. Playing that flute I swear I could see the notes flying off his flute.
“Hunting Girl”, “A New Day Yesterday”, “Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of A New Day”. 🎸
My God is the best song on the album. Aqualung is a somewhat of a concept album with some related concepts and characters
Best song on the album??? That's debatable.
I like Tull, just not rabid for them.
My favorite by them is the 1st LP.
Now, again I'll put a shout out for Robin Trower.
There has to be fellow Trower fans that will back me up here.
Long Misty Days
Too Rolling Stoned
Bridge Of Sighs...
I could go on and on.
Rock 🤘
I was lucky enough to see Jethro Tull with Robin Trower and Rory Gallegher open in front of 50,000 fans at Shea Stadium in NYC in 1976. Its ashame these artists don't get the recognition they deserve.
@@michaelcampana3064 I see Trower all the time. He constantly tours and records. He has a new album out.
Yes to Trower!
Wind Up is a great choice too! Love Tulle and Ian Anderson! Do yourselves a favor and find a live version to watch!
The man.. There's no flute in R&R
Ian Anderson... Hold my beer.
I haven't heard this song in a long while or really sat and concentrated on it since the 70's. I forgot how truly POWERFUL and SENTIMENTAL it was.
Your show forces one to concentrate on every nuance of the music, instead of using it as backdrop. Because you both are reserving a space and time to BE with the song, it allows us the opportunity to BE with the song and to re-experience it, as for the first time.
For this particular song, I found the experience to be sacred, because Jethro Tull played like there was no tomorrow, with a true edge and the lyrics here were so honest and probably would be unappreciated and despised in today's over-sanitized society, celebrating the pitiful drama of a freezing homeless man.
Cross eyed Mary is a much better song in my opinion
Yeah, Cross-Eyed Mary rocks
Great but dark like Aqualung. Perhaps first Teacher, Bungle then Cross Eyed!
And then Maiden's version of cross-eyed mary to compare to :-)
@@nickmarsay4332 Maiden's Cross-eyed Mary is what got me into Tull in the first place. I had it on a Piece of Mind picture disc.
@@nickmarsay4332 I have heard Iron Maidens version and it is badass
Locomotive Breath, seriously! It epitomizes what Jethro Tull is. It has flute progression like a runaway train and metaphors like classic poetry.
I LOVE TO PLAY THAT ON GUITAR HERO AND I'M A DRUMMER AT THE AGE OF 64.......KEEP ROCKING TO OUR GREAT MUSIC WHEN I WAS YOUNGER THAN YOU....
The whole album was about homeless people, cross eyed Mary, locomotive breath, aqualung, those were all derogatory names given to homeless people and I think Locomotive Breath more than the other ones exemplify how most people vilify the homeless people in the first verse while the other set of verses shows you that it’s just someone that’s down on his luck and having a hard time in life and he eventually dies alone, it’s a great song and album that are still relevant today.
Cross Eyed Mary , has great flute intro and rocks harder, it’s kinda the sequel to this song but better in my opinion
Hunting girl by Jethro Tull is a banger with flute also cup of wonder but I think you would like Hunting Girl more.
Cool, you're doing Aqualung.... can't wait for you to react to Cross-Eyed Mary
Hello, I'm 61 and saw Jethro Tull 7 times in concert, first in 1974 and last in 2013, my favorite band. When I see you listen with headphones, I remember when with friends we smoke and enjoy that album. Thanks for your work.
“My God” by Jethro Tull has an absolutely wicked flute solo.
You know I have no choice but to comment on this one.... Tull being my favorite band, I encourage you to dig deeper. Look to more bangers like Hunting Girl, Songs from the Wood, Bungle in the Jungle (with lyrics), Heavy Horses, Nothing to Say, Sossity, Teacher, Cry you a Song, My God, Thick as a Brick (full album only), Acres Wild, the list goes on and on.....
Ahh, another true believer...
"Teacher" has a great guitar and flute riff.
Great song!
Love. Love. Love the fact that you two don't interrupt the song every 13 seconds to give your comments. Watching you guys get this jam for the first time reminds me of how I felt.
When that album came out, I played it over and over again, sorry mom & dad.
Jethro Tull won the first Grammy for heavy metal.
Jethro Tull Banger - Hunting Girl from the Songs from the Wood Album
Barrymore Barlow, the drummer on this album, will blow your mind. The musical arrangement in general will blow your mind. But Barlow was the first, to my knowledge, to use double bass.
Definitely worth checking out if you want to hear Tull when they're full tilt rocking.
What a classic Tull track ! After four weeks in hospital and two of them in the ICU, to hear my favourite Tull track is a kind of early Christmas present - so thanks, lads, there are so many brilliant Tull albums you can review it is difficult to name them all but you will certainly get round to listen to them all. Thanks again for playing this wonderful song which I first heard over 60 years ago !
From the same album "My God" has lots of flute. "hymn 43" has a little and is a rocker.
Saw Tull in '75. Great concert !!
One of the top 20 Albums of all times not just because the band are supremely talented but there's not one lame tune on it. Kudos to the U.S.kids of the '70's who embraced this classic but also the young ones of today who take time to give it a listen.
The live version of Aqualung on the album “Bursting Out” really kicks ass. Tull had a different drummer by then, Barriemore Barlow who really punched up this song even more. The guitar solo is also much improved on the live track. Jethro Tull is extremely tight live, much like Rush. The group is full of some incredible musicians who play with near perfection any time I have seen them live.
The next Jethro Tull song should be Living In The Past, the whole melody of the song is infectious, so good to see you guys appreciate golden oldie but classic music, this is what is coffin dogers were brought up on 🤘
Underrated great song!
"And the Flowers bloomed like madness in the Spring. Damn I love the Lyrics on this Song.
The whole album is a piece. Listening to it one song at a time limits the feel you are going to get in context of the other songs.
"Creepy" - sure is. One of the best bands to see live
My God has some epic flute.