It’s the dichotomy of seeing a homeless person and hating their outward appearance, but when you humanize them you see a heartbreaking story leading them to that state.
Exactly. The "dirty pervert" is a depiction of how society perceives the homeless, but the reality is he's just a "poor old sod" outcast from society,. Love this song.
@@RicoBurghFan Yes, for many years Guitar Player magazine routinely had this solo in its "top 10" of all time list. Sadly now, the kids making those lists have never heard it. This music is essentially forgotten now.
Just think about this for a second: the Aqualung album was recorded one of two studio rooms at the studio...in the other one, Led Zeppelin IV was being recorded at the same time. Whoo boy!
@@dumcasta9327 Jimmy did overdubs at Island studios. I seriously doubt John Bonham, JPP or Plant ever stepped into that studio. If JPP or Plant did show up it was to do a piano part or a harmonica section....but that was likely done at Headley Grange. The point is....you weren't stepping into that studio and witnessing the magic & seeing all of them there. Hell, even at that point in Aqualung they were probably working on overdubs as well. And all that magic for Zeppelin was at Headley Grange. In fact, some recording sessions can be extremely dull. Ringo Starr famously said about his least favorite album, Sgt Peppers, that is "when I learned to play chess". There were entire days that he wasn't even needed. And George basically implied that the White Album was recorded like 4 solo albums.
The louder , harsher sound is meant to indicate the contempt for the dregs of society, but the distant, softer, sound indicates a sympathetic view of the hard way of life for the very unfortunate.
When you consider that the song was originally called : "a guilt-ridden song of confusion about how you deal with beggars, the homeless." and in Mr Anderson's own words describe its meaning as : "It's about our reaction, of guilt, distaste, awkwardness and confusion that we feel when we're confronted with the reality of the homeless" It is sadly the fact that in 1971 this was written to portray the mindset of those who would seek to increase the burden of the downtrodden of society by the assumption of deviance, and even more sad that it remains the same almost half a century later.
It's easier to assume that people are homeless because of their own bad decisions and weakness, (whatever that weakness may be: drugs/alcohol, ptsd/mental problems/health problems/insufficient opportunity), than it is to treat people the way in which we ALL would want to be treated. If America could remember to apply the Rule of Law equally, fully fund education to include ALL children and support the Common Good for everyone, we'd all be better off and it would cost less over the long run. Of course, there's always people in the world who measure their own success by the failure of others. Makes them feel better about themselves I guess.
61 years old, my interpretation of this song has always been, don't judge!, there but for the grace of God go I, I don't know if I got it or not let me know what you think. God bless all of mankind, enjoy your reactions.
In an alternate universe, I wonder how this would sound with two lead vocalists, Ian as the derisive one and a contralto female as the sympathetic one, and the two combining in the bridge.
so much music in the 70's was a journey - many albums were made to listen to them as a whole piece- Jethro Tull, Bowie, Pink Floyd, Emerson Lake and Palmer...
samsbro1952 I agree. Tull is my era too, and that’s one of my all time favorite guitar riffs. I could listen to it every day. Still gives me goose-bumps every time. 🥰
Still sounds edgy nearly 50 years on - these guys were way ahead of their time. Meaningful lyrics, original arranging and a truly charismatic front man in Ian Anderson. And boy, were they great live - not something you forget.
I had tickets to see them, but Ian broke his leg and had to cancel the concert. We didn't even find out until turning up at the venue and finding a poster out front advising us of the fact.
Like others, I've seen Tull more than any other band in my life. Maybe 20 or 25 times? The story of the band is amazing, and Anderson is a fascinating human. (Olympic broad jump competitor, salmon farmer, rocker... good gig if you can get it. ;) ) His lyrics are amazing - his flute playing is like no other. Look up the war of words Jethro Tull had with Metalica - pretty amusing.
I saw them during their 50th anniversary tour just a few years ago. It was still a hell of a show. I wouldn't be surprised to see Ian back out on tour once life gets a bit more normal again.
I love hearing people react to Tull, hearing it for the first time. If you’ve never watched a live performance of them, you’re doing yourself an injustice. Ian Anderson is an exceptional performer with a crazy amount of energy. Enjoy!
@Billy White Jr. absolutely, love seal drivers guitar. Martin could be unconventional, even choppy, but his licks were unquestionably amazing, and he's incredible live even now. Roots to Branches has some great playing, and check out the 25th anniversary version of The Whistler.
I have said the same thing for many years my friend. If you haven't already give his solo albums a listen. Stage Left is a particularly good one, recorded when he was still with Tull. Now that he's touring with his own band there's some good videos on TH-cam. He even has a flute player and singer for the Tull songs they do, apparently with Ian's blessing.
Agreed. I've listened to this album (yes album) 100+ times. It's a masterpiece. I never owned anything else from JT. This is the baddest rock and roll flute jammer in existence.
As an owner of Aqualung from when it first was released (and believe me...I wore this vinyl out!), I'd suggest listening to the album from start to finish.......it's a tale.
I absolutely love Jethro Tull, his music is fantastic and so many memories from the 70's and I miss those times but I love my life now! I have been with my hubby for 40 yrs! When you get into your 60's you look back! I listened to this with my hubby all the time as well because he loved Jethro Tull as well!
The difference between today's music and classics like this is that once I hear a modern song it fades from my memory and turns into background noise compared to the golden era songs that I can listen to time and again without ever being bored.
I think of Aqualung as the man in "Locomotive Breath" Who's children jumped off at stations. one by one (abandoning him), and his woman ran off with his best friend "in bed and having fun". And from there his life just spiraled downward with one bad event after another, not being able to get off that train "No way to slow down", until he finally hit rock bottom. And now he's just a homeless person left with nothing who's given up. Sadly, that's probably the story for a lot of real homeless men who've lost everything, family, wife, job, house and just end up on the streets. By the way Jamel, an 'aqualung' is what they used to call an oxygen regulator that allows breathing from the tanks on a deep sea diver's back. I can only imagine how that fits into Jethro Tull's homeless old man in this song. Maybe it's that he's submerged, trapped in the deep waters of life but hangs on still able to somehow breathe anyway,...a survivor in a world that shows him no mercy. Who knows? But it's fun to try and figure out the meanings of these kinds of songs anyway. Its kind of like poetry if you will.
I believe you have a point. I have always linked the two in my mind for some reason, probably because the unfortunate circumstances of the subjects of the songs.
An oxygen tank "Aqualung" allows you to breathe under water, under pressure and only for a short time. It's really difficult to get used to breathing pressurized air and it's all timed. If you go too deep, then you can't come back up quickly or you get air bubbles in your blood. Decompression illness or "The Bends." This is the life of a homeless person.
" Feeling alone The army's up the road salvation alamode and a cup of tea." The Salvation Army feeding the homeless. Brilliant! Great reaction as always...
One thing you might notice if you read the lyrics over: The beginning and the end of the song depict aqualung as people who don't know him perceive him, how they profile him as disgusting and dangerous ("eyeing little girls with bad intent" etc.), and the middle part talks about his aches and pains, the fact that he's cold, and the fact that he's afraid of anyone who approaches him, even someone who thinks of him as a friend. It's actually a pretty sensitive portrait of what it's like to be homeless and misunderstood. Listen to the song again and check out how the point of view and the music shift. [1. The opening music is a bit alarming and we are given a glimpse of how outsiders perceive him] Sitting on a park bench Eyeing little girls with bad intent Snots running down his nose Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes, hey, Aqualung Drying in the cold sun Watching as the frilly panties run, hey, Aqualung Feeling like a dead duck Spitting out pieces of his broken luck, oh, Aqualung [2. The music grows quiet and we see how he experiences his life and how a sympathetic person sees him] Sun streaking cold, an old man wandering lonely Taking time, the only way he knows Leg hurting bad as he bends to pick a dog end *[a cigarette butt]* He goes down to a bog and warms his feet Feeling alone, the army's up the road *[a reference to the Salvation Army]* Salvation a la mode and a cup of tea Aqualung, my friend, don't you start away uneasy You poor old sod, you see it's only me Do you still remember December's foggy freeze When the ice that clings on to your beard It was screaming agony Hey and you snatch your rattling last breaths With deep-sea diver sounds And the flowers bloom like Madness in the spring Sun streaking cold, an old man wandering lonely Taking time, the only way he knows Leg hurting bad as he bends to pick a dog end He goes down to a bog and warms his feet Feeling alone, the army's up the road Salvation a la mode and a cup of tea Aqualung my friend don't you start away uneasy You poor old sod, you see it's only me Aqualung my friend don't you start away uneasy You poor old sod, you see it's only me [3. Again, the music changes and the point of view is back to that of people who look down on him and are afraid of him] Sitting on a park bench Eyeing up little girls with bad intent Snots running down his nose Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes, hey Aqualung Drying in the cold sun Watching as the frilly panties run, hey Aqualung Feeling like a dead duck Spitting out pieces of his broken luck, hey Aqualung Oh Aqualung
The funny thing is Ian Anderson never whipped out the flute on this one. And you might think the flute is lame for rock band, but he rocked the frickin' flute like Eddy Van Halen on guitar.
Well, we saw him (them) last year in concert and he still rocks, despite his age (fluteplay is as good as ever, singing voice may be not so, but man, he's 70+).
This song is about other peoples perceptions of the homeless. Not bad for the 70s. Thanks Jamal hope all is well in your world. Be safe careful and healthy ! Peace!!
Sadly we still demonise the poor and the homeless : it makes them easy to dismiss. Witness erstwhile presidential candidate Dr Ben Carson saying "Sometimes I think poverty is a choice".
In the my high school years my friends and I got into a discussion about what instruments can be used to play rock and roll. I have always held the position that any instrument could be used. One of my friends asked if a flute could used. I told him that if he had to ask that question he never heard of Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull. It's not about the instrument that is used, as much as it is the sound the artist is trying to create. And Ian Anderson produces one heck of a sound.
My first rock concert - Oakland Coliseum 1972. The Eagles opened. Still today one of the best concerts ever. Saw them again 40 years later here in Houston❤❤
David; You ain’t kidding, it seems that every album has its theme. Aqualung is a bit more inner city Brit, Too Old to Rock n Roll, Too Young to Die was more late 60’s early 70’s English college scene/ music, Stormwatch was just straight up sailor/fisherman songs, Heavy Horses, was songs of the countryside. I could go on and on and on and etc,etc,etc,etc, As you said, not all about homeless people.
@@Dingomush Not so much their earlier stuff prior to Aqualung, for example: Benefit, Stand-Up etc. But certainly afterwards, and what I love about Tull is there is an album for when you want to listen to Blues, Folk, Rock, Folk-Rock, Prog-Rock. Ian Anderson's humour and wit is also present in almost every album. Thick as a Brick was a tongue in cheek parody of concept albums, only to become one of the greatest concept albums ever, My God, Minstrel in the Gallery, The Mouse Police the lists go on and on
It's gonna be quite hard to top this album and I haven't gotten bored of this album after listening to it for 15 years. No reason to move to next album yet
My dad accidentally sold my Mom's entire collection of Jethro Tull albums at a garage sale in the 70s. I don't know how he made it up to her, but he survived. She replaced them immediately. Jethro Tull is an incredible band. Ian Anderson's voice is like a lullaby to me, which sounds weird, but I associate this group so closely with my mom. It makes me teary at times listening to them, but good tears. Good memories. Music. Connection.
I've always thought that the line about snatching his rattling last breaths with deep sea diver sounds refers to his death from exposure to the elements, with the next line "and the flowers bloom like madness in the spring" meaning he's enriching the soil as a corpse.
Certain albums MUST be played all the way through- Aqualung by Jethro Tull, Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd. Yes, they have their famous cuts, but the whole is even bigger than just the excerpts. You can play a song or two off of them, but they are not simply collections of songs as most albums are. I am not one to say this lightly, but albums such as these are EXPERIENCES. You must give up 45 minutes to listen to the whole thing at once.
I grew up in the 70s (teen years), with this music...I remember when this album came out, how much I played it at top volume. I so enjoy your reaction to truly good music from my time. 🎶♥️
When it is harsh at first they describe what people presume to "SEE" as in the bad assumptions they make when they see a homeless person, when it gets softer it tells the reality and clarifies the stark difference of these two things.
“Leg hurting bad, as he bends to pick a dog-end” is so evocative. Paints the whole picture in less than a dozen words. Btw, “dog-end” is British slang for a discarded cigarette butt, if you didn’t know.
This song always put me in mind of a homeless guy taken in by a Catholic church I ran into over and over taking the bus when I lived downtown and was going to college. Years later he saw me out for lunch with work friends and called out to me and crossed over the street. The "friends" laughed "Who's that, your Dad?" and shied away to leave me there talking with him. People can be shameful and fearful.
It could happen to anyone of us, it doesn't take anything that earth-shattering to topple somebody into ending up on the street. And yet, so many, too many judge the homeless as inferior, losers, addicts, etc. Instead, we could try regarding them as a sort of "mirror".... could so easily be "us" instead of "them". Circumstances can change so quickly, as we have witnessed over the last couple of months.
As far as I recall (late 1970s) the old guy was still in much the same circumstance, unfortunately. He was probably too old by then to get work and live independently.
I agree, it’s like two different views of the same person... one person views him as a degenerate, but the person who really knows him sees him as a sad old homeless person bent over in pain... just trying to survive the day.
We listened to some of the best music from 1965 to about 1990. Just a really rocking time. I am not putting down today's music. I like everything from Chandalier to "Niggah in Paris" but our lyrics...the stories songs Harry Chapin told would drop you. Jim Croce singing Time in a Bottle and then dying in a plane crash. From Jimi Hendrix to Donovan they all were great Lyricists. Bob Dylan Leonard Cohen poets who sang their lyrics. Music from my generations era really was great. They still have the power to touch my heart. I like listening with you. It trips me out that you are such a rock and roll virgin. But it fires me up to see you listen to this stuff for the 1st time. Enjoy "Low Spark oh High Heeled Boys" Traffic "Court of the Crimson King" King Crimson
It was a time of awakening for my generation. No subject was left untouched in the storytelling and the music always soul-stirring. It’s a pleasure to revisit the songs and the mood of those times that I’ve forgotten such as this song. Wow!
This is Sandra's husband: This was one of my favorite bands in the 1970's. I still have the vinyl album. I saw them in concert at the University of Georgia Coliseum. By the way, it is not "tool," but "tull." Anyway, in an English class in which were we asked to write an essay on, I think, House of Seven Gables and democracy, I quoted a line from "Crossed Mary," "Who would be a poor man, a beggar man, a thief, if he had a rich man in his hand?" Well, one day, while wandering in the stacks of the University of Georgia library, I picked out a book on famous British inventors. I randomly opened it. I opened it to the page for Jethro Tull. Jethro Tull was the inventor of the wheeled plow! Now, why this band named themselves after the inventor of the wheeled plow and had their break-out album about misfits and people down on their luck, I don't know. But, I love this album. It gives me frizions when I listen to it.
As a big fan of Tool and Tull, I think the vocal sound IS a similarity, but also the lyrics really saying something. Both Ian and Maynard write songs about the harder aspects of life, the nitty gritty details. Most people miss those parts of life, but these guys dissect them. Also both bands (in their own way) are very orchestral in how they build their songs. Brilliance: that’s the connection.
I'm a simple cat. I see Jamel, I see Jethro, I see jams. I click, yo. I click like. Then I request something he won't listen to. this time I'm going to request "Waking Every God" by Pain Of Salvation, because it's freaking beautiful and shreds at the same time. Some of the most amazing male vocals in the history of recorded rock.
Yeah. I see it as the beginning youre looking at the homeless man, maybe feeling slight disgust. Then it cuts to his sad backstory with the acoustic, only to return to the present day at the end.
JAMEL, I AM GLAD THAT YOU ARE GETTING OFF ON JETHRO TULL, ONE OF THE GREATEST BANDS EVER, KEEP THE VIDEOS COMING BROTHER, YOU MAY WANT TO CHECK INTO A BAND CALLED SAVOY BROWN, A BLUES ROCK BAND THAT WAS GREAT, THEY HAVE BEEN FORGOTTEN, THEY NEED EXPOSURE, YOU CAN FIND THEM ON THE TUBE, MAN, YOU WILL LOVE THIS BAND, ALL OF THIER ALBUMS WERE GREAT, BUT ONE ALBUM CALLED STREET CORNER TALKIN IS AWESOME MAN, MY BEST, COUSIN FIGEL
The best part of your videos, my friend, is the humanity you bring to experiencing these songs on a deeper level. When you feel the lyrics strike your soul to the core we can all feel it with you. Humanity has a terrible habit of placing everyone in categories: black or white, rich or poor, smart or stupid, beautiful or ugly. We might not all realize it, but it’s in our nature to label and divide. You bring back the humanity and the feel of empathy for others that we all over look nowadays.
If you're going to do "Living In the Past" do the one live from the 20 years box set. The one that starts with "here's a song that we utterly loathed for 15 long years, but now its back in a slightly more tricky form..."
"A New Day Yesterday" and "We Used To Know" are probably the greatest Tull songs IMO that never got any recognition from the "Stand Up" album. th-cam.com/video/Kq5zTznlSJI/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/VAnh1waFPeY/w-d-xo.html
Hi Jamal! Went to see Jethro TULL not Tool (!) his name is pronounced like LULL ( lullaby) .So went to see The band Jethro Tull in 1972 way before The Almond Brothers existed. This music is called “ Prog” and is progressive so yes you would not have heard anything like it. The male front singer dancing around is Ian Anderson and is a musical genius! Still touring today! Seeing them live in the early 1970’s as a young teenager you never forget how mine blowing they were! Grand Funk Railroad was good but nothing like these guys. I would compare them more to The Moody Blues or YES for story telling, great lyrics and musicianship and incredible tunes! I love watching you react to our music! At 66 I can say we had the best music this world has ever seen and heard. We lost Jeff Beck, Christie McVee and David Crosby recently. They are dying off so please catch any of our groups and singers out there when you can! Peace ✌️ ❤ Bless you Jamal! Xx
Back in the 70's and 80's, I saw Jethro Tull 4 times. Exciting stuff for sure, and the lyrics are profound and even intellectual. If you visit some of their early albums you will be amazed at their creativity.
Saw the band perform thick as a brick when it was first released in 1972. To come on stage and just rip out the album in it's entirety as the first tune of the night was not an effort to be taken lightly, especially given the complexity of the music. 19 yrs old and my first tull concert. Still remember it like it was last week!
This took me back almost 50 years. The summer of '71. I was living in Santa Barbara when I got into Anderson's music and one other, Zappa. A to Z. Still my favorites after all these years.
That part you were talking about where it sounds like in a distance: The unusual audio effect you hear in this song is called "telephone burbles" where you remove all frequencies except for a narrow band around the 1,000 hertz mark. This is to reproduce the sound of a telephone. As Ian Anderson told us: "It's also like when you're addressing a crowd through a megaphone. Or even perhaps the tinny sound of a voice trumpet, which is a non-active megaphone. It's a form of address. It's the sound that woke up young pilots in 1941 and sent them into the skies to battle the Hun. This is the sound of the Tannoy, the calling to arms of young men going up in their Hurricanes and Spitfires. It's something that's very much part of the blood of an Englishman." www.songfacts.com/facts/jethro-tull/aqualung
@@JimmiHDX The Salvation Army is a Christian organisation that helps those who are less fortunate in life focusing on the homeless and hungry. They have soup kitchens in many cities and provide warm food and tea for those who need it. Salvation in the name of God. They do many other good things in society but that is their most visible part.
I'm 58 when I was young this was my favorite group. Now when I got older Tool is my favorite. Seen them in concert and loved it. Got tee shirts all there cds .tool is my life.
What is the line. “ Her attention is grabbed by Aqualung “ I think that is it . Yes Aqualung does do a cameo . Ian contacted his agent and Aqualung did it for a bottle of ripple .
Your Tool reference to how Maynard sometimes sings using the "flanger effect" that they're using in the middle of this song. It's a technique to distort the vocals in an interesting way. You can look it up online to get all the technical details on how it works.
You need to understand, he is saying that this is the perception of a homeless veteran, who has been forgotten, who was a family man, but because of PTSD (what we call it now) lost everything. And everyone looks at him like he's terrible. When he's just a very unfortunate guy.
@@sschmidtevalue There are two people in this song/story that are speaking their opinion about Aqualung. Which one do you think has enough info to be correct in their assessment of Aqualung?
The song to me, was the way people see the homeless v.s. what the homeless are. I did my best to keep clean. But you can't hide that you've been living outside, little to no food for days on end. People you thought were friends, turning away, walking away.
I'm not sure if this is folklore, I heard Ian Anderson would sit on the streets just before his concerts, dressed as if living on the streets. Concert gowers would pass him on the street as they entered the arena- behaving like so many when confronted with this preventable situation- Abolish Homelessness Now! As concert goers wait in line to enter the arena, all those feelings would emerge when confronted with a man that is homeless, like guilt for witnessing the criminalization of the poor people. Ian would start the show by walking on stage with the same clothing and reveal himself to the audience. Even if it's not a true story, it is thought provoking- as all of his music is.
@@frankfortino2843 @steveholloway I’m reposting this for y’all 😉🙏🏻 Actually, it’s loosely based on an actual homeless person that they encountered while on tour. The gentleman in an eastern state that suffered from mental illness and WAS NOT a pervert. Very nice man with a mother, father, wife, daughter & mental illness. Plain & simple. 💕🤘🏻
My husband and I have been homeless for about a year and a half. But I grew up in the 60s and 70s listening to great music. This song still has such a deep meaning. People still don't acknowledge homelessness and despair even today.
The singer and Flute player of Jethro Tull is Ian Anderson his Daughter is Married to guy from The Walking Dead that left the show Andrew Lincoln, Rick.Grimms
Saw Jehtro Tull when they toured the Aqualung album and Thick as a Brick. Greatest concerts I've ever been to and I've been to a lot of concerts. Ian Anderson was a tremendous showman with the theatrics and the music. You couldn't stay in your seat and you were thrilled at the performance from start to finish.
There's no value in today's music, when a person writes a 4 minutes song in 2 minutes, you know it's garbage. The 1970's peaked in all genre's of music, the greatest decade for music.
@@ryanbroadley23 It certainly must not be that good then, because music today isn't broadcasted like it was in the 60's and 70's. Today's music is so forgettable and throw away.
"When you push off from the shore, and you turn your head once more, to do the things you should have done." Such a great and under appreciated song. In my mind a version of the rapture... skating away into the Light of a new day.
YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO “TOO OLD TO ROCK AND ROLL, TO YOUNG TO DIE” BY TULL FOR A GOOD SONG ABOUT A MIDLIFE CRISIS. YOU REALLY WILL APPRECIATE THE TUNES AND LYRICS. KEEP TULL ALIVE!
@@jameskirschling7887 both of you gentlemen both beat me to it as well. I truly love the whole album of Too Old... Quizz Kid is one of my all time favorites. Thanks to you both for the recommendation. Take care & stay safe to all 😷
I fell down a Jethro Tull rabbit hole and ended up here. I have never subscribed to reaction videos before now. I was a kid when this music came out. I LOVED IT. I was too poor to buy albums or tapes back then. Poor white kid from the gettos of San Fransisco. Moved to Indiana later on, I couldnt handle it there, I missed the city. So I joined the USAF at 17 years old. Suddenly I had money! At my first duty station, George AFB, CA, I bought my first stereo system. I pieced out each component. I matched them they best I could for maximum sound quality and SNR. I became a audiophile geek. Aqualung was my first album. More than that, it was also a Half-Speed master recording. I was so serious about my music, that my turntable was the Pioneer PL-L800. A linear tracking turntable. It uses a servo to move the stylus across the record instead of the grove pulling it which causes severe wear on the grove. My record collection grew over the years to about 50 titles. Mostly Journey, ZZ Top, Blue Oyster Cult, Pink Floyd (The Wall on Half Speed Master) to name just a few. Sigh... life throws a curve once in a while, and I lost them all. Se la vie (sp?) I have a request for you. A Blue Oyster Cult favorite of mine, "The Golden Age of Leather". I think you will love it. Listen to it without reading the lyrics first. The story is timeless. LAter on check the lyrics, and you might get a little disturbed. But its a solid music bit, great guitar, and I still love that song.
Out of all the music I grew up listening to the guitar solo in this studio version is probably my favorite guitar solo ever. Not taken anything away from any other guitarist but Martin Barr is unreal.
I guess I'm following you this evening! (Just left "Cross Eyed Mary.") Tull was a nuclear explosion from a pre-Renaissance Festival! I thought they were awesome!
Watch Jethro Tull, in a movie called "Rolling Stones Rock n Roll Circus". The Jethro Tull lineup features guitarist Tony Iomi from Black Sabbath, before there was a Black Sabbath. Old band.
any idea what year as tony could have been with sabbath if film is 1966 or early 1967 then he was not with sabbath yet think he lst his finger tips in early 1964
Tony Iommi was only in Jethro Tull for 2 days following the departure of guitarist Mick Abrahams in the Rock N Roll Circus performance. And he was only a member of Jethro Tull for 2 weeks before being replaced by Martin Barre. And in that video, only the flute and vocals were live, all the other instruments were mimed. Meaning there were pretending to play. So the guitar you're hearing is not Tony Iommi playing, it's actually the Mick Abrahams studio recording. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rolling_Stones_Rock_and_Roll_Circus www.dailymotion.com/video/x3r40q4
I've been a Tull fan since the mid 80s, but after seeing a documentary on prog rock here on TH-cam, I appreciated prog rock so much more. Especially some King Crimson.
Yes... Rush to the water... The Camel is already here... Neil and Wakeman are waiting... (A reference to three amazing bands ... only those who hear Prog will understand)
Tool fan checking in. LOVE that you made a connection between them and Jethro Tull! Astounding progressive musicianship and artistry are what they have in common.
This is Jethro Tull? I had no idea. I haven't heard this song since I was a child, and it freaked me out then. The only song I know by Jethro Tull is "Living in the Past".
Tool is one of my favorite bands of all time, & Aqualung has been one of my favorite classic rock albums of all time for over 20 years. I totally can see what you're talking about in the similarity of the quality of the distant-sounding singing. Both so amazing. Both give me chills.
Yeah Jethro Tull was a real agriculturist in the 1700s! You’d love Hymn 43 same album. Also would LOVE some Procol Harum- Whiter Shade of Pale and Conquistador Or Traffic - Medicated Goo
When this was written, "homeless" people were called "bums" and "hobos". Ian Anderson (the singer/flautist) seemed to be fascinated with what made people tick. From the lowliest bum toy our normal everyday person, he just liked to dissect their motives. See "Skating Away" as an example.
More Jethro Tull reactions, please! Awesome band. Ian Anderson had it all. Saw them for the first time when I was 12 years old in 1975. Such a fabulous concert! Saw them again a decade or so ago at Harrah's Rincon and it was entertaining, but Ian Anderson struggled with breath going between singing and playing the flute. Was still an awesome show, though.
Why Jethro Tull is still not in the Rock &
Roll Hall of Fame is beyond me!! This album is 50 years old this year and still holds up!!
The rock and roll hall of fame is a joke. That’s why
@@superkidplays6555 basically
It's because the Hall of Fame is shit. 3 Dog Night and Renaissance aren't in either, I don't think. It's a socialite kiss-ass club, of sorts.
I don't think Tull is very upset about that. They had more than their share of fame and fortune.🥰
Ian andersen…full blown-high horsepower-spirit filled- Christ conscious TALENT, of magnificent incomparability…nuff said…
It’s the dichotomy of seeing a homeless person and hating their outward appearance, but when you humanize them you see a heartbreaking story leading them to that state.
Exactly. The "dirty pervert" is a depiction of how society perceives the homeless, but the reality is he's just a "poor old sod" outcast from society,. Love this song.
Well stated! You can hear it in the accusatory voice that bookends the song versus the compassionate voice inbetween.
Heartbreaking story or poor decisions? How much of it has to do with addiction?
@@pulsarlights2825 probably a homeless war vet
"Feeling alone, the army's up the road. Salvation a la mode, and a cup of tea."
@@pulsarlights2825, less than one would think.
In my opinion this is one of the greatest songs ever written the musicianship and storytelling are surreal.
Johnny Bones The whole album.
Anthem to the 70s. Agree 100%!
I agree, the first time I heard it I was enraptured by the words the style and the sounds of the music itself.
Agreed. And with one of the smoothest guitar solos ever.
@@RicoBurghFan Yes, for many years Guitar Player magazine routinely had this solo in its "top 10" of all time list. Sadly now, the kids making those lists have never heard it. This music is essentially forgotten now.
Just think about this for a second: the Aqualung album was recorded one of two studio rooms at the studio...in the other one, Led Zeppelin IV was being recorded at the same time. Whoo boy!
Two legendary albums recorded in the same studio at the same time
Ian Anderson actually was trying to poach Jimi Page...
Uhhh, hate to break this to ya but....no they weren't. Led Zep IV was recorded in the country house Headley Grange.
@@jimmygreer6172 they moved there after a while
@@dumcasta9327 Jimmy did overdubs at Island studios. I seriously doubt John Bonham, JPP or Plant ever stepped into that studio. If JPP or Plant did show up it was to do a piano part or a harmonica section....but that was likely done at Headley Grange.
The point is....you weren't stepping into that studio and witnessing the magic & seeing all of them there. Hell, even at that point in Aqualung they were probably working on overdubs as well. And all that magic for Zeppelin was at Headley Grange.
In fact, some recording sessions can be extremely dull. Ringo Starr famously said about his least favorite album, Sgt Peppers, that is "when I learned to play chess". There were entire days that he wasn't even needed. And George basically implied that the White Album was recorded like 4 solo albums.
I’m hard pressed to think of an album I played more times than, “Aqualung” in the 70’s....thanks for refreshing the memories, Jamel!
shnibby69 How about “The Dark Side of the Moon”
Always my favorite lp since it was new. I still have my original vinyl.
For me it's gotta be Thick as a Brick. Love this one too though!
wore out 2 copies of Nazareth's "Hair of the Dog"
The louder , harsher sound is meant to indicate the contempt for the dregs of society, but the distant, softer, sound indicates a sympathetic view of the hard way of life for the very unfortunate.
"spitting out pieces of his broken luck" is a great line.
Wow, all these years I thought he was saying "spitting out pieces of his broken lung"
@@alrivers2297 lol..me too
@@alrivers2297 both words make sense is in the context.
@@mikeyaureliush9017 yes I realize that
It is lung, the song is about the plight of a man with black lung disease and the chew-em-up-&- spit-em out mindset of the coal mine owners
When you consider that the song was originally called : "a guilt-ridden song of confusion about how you deal with beggars, the homeless." and in Mr Anderson's own words describe its meaning as : "It's about our reaction, of guilt, distaste, awkwardness and confusion that we feel when we're confronted with the reality of the homeless" It is sadly the fact that in 1971 this was written to portray the mindset of those who would seek to increase the burden of the downtrodden of society by the assumption of deviance, and even more sad that it remains the same almost half a century later.
And we can see those assumptions in the comments section beneath every Aqualung TH-cam video.
Well said, and sadly it's only going to get a lot worse given the pandemic. Maybe we'll learn to help take care of one another.
@@TheKatonahKid Spot on! We'll be fine I believe in humanity as a whole, we always seem to find a way!
It's easier to assume that people are homeless because of their own bad decisions and weakness, (whatever that weakness may be: drugs/alcohol, ptsd/mental problems/health problems/insufficient opportunity), than it is to treat people the way in which we ALL would want to be treated. If America could remember to apply the Rule of Law equally, fully fund education to include ALL children and support the Common Good for everyone, we'd all be better off and it would cost less over the long run. Of course, there's always people in the world who measure their own success by the failure of others. Makes them feel better about themselves I guess.
61 years old, my interpretation of this song has always been, don't judge!, there but for the grace of God go I, I don't know if I got it or not let me know what you think. God bless all of mankind, enjoy your reactions.
The song is from two perspectives, one derisive and one sympathetic.
Mr.Foster. eloquently and accurately described
@@joycebaier8180 I thank you.
In an alternate universe, I wonder how this would sound with two lead vocalists, Ian as the derisive one and a contralto female as the sympathetic one, and the two combining in the bridge.
Dang great stuff
so much music in the 70's was a journey - many albums were made to listen to them as a whole piece- Jethro Tull, Bowie, Pink Floyd, Emerson Lake and Palmer...
Yes
Moody Blues☯️
Queensryche did
Let's not forget Harry Nilsson...a creative and masterful story teller!
One of the great songs ever. Great lyrical picture of a forgotten human being and one of the best guitar riffs in history.
My favorite guitar solo of all time
There's not a bad song on the whole album.
samsbro1952 I agree. Tull is my era too, and that’s one of my all time favorite guitar riffs. I could listen to it every day. Still gives me goose-bumps every time. 🥰
Still sounds edgy nearly 50 years on - these guys were way ahead of their time. Meaningful lyrics, original arranging and a truly charismatic front man in Ian Anderson. And boy, were they great live - not something you forget.
Saw them many times--best live shows I have ever seen! He was a showman like no other...
A good song is timeless. This will still be awesome 100 years from now.
I had tickets to see them, but Ian broke his leg and had to cancel the concert. We didn't even find out until turning up at the venue and finding a poster out front advising us of the fact.
Like others, I've seen Tull more than any other band in my life. Maybe 20 or 25 times? The story of the band is amazing, and Anderson is a fascinating human. (Olympic broad jump competitor, salmon farmer, rocker... good gig if you can get it. ;) )
His lyrics are amazing - his flute playing is like no other.
Look up the war of words Jethro Tull had with Metalica - pretty amusing.
I saw them during their 50th anniversary tour just a few years ago. It was still a hell of a show. I wouldn't be surprised to see Ian back out on tour once life gets a bit more normal again.
One of the best guitar solos ever. Martine Barre is sadly under-rated as a guitarist.
I agree.
Still one of the best short guitar solos ever in the history of rock and roll.
Pure magic.
I've always considered this in my top 5. The way it fits into the song, ebbs and flows... masterful.
Ditto.
Dittos to that. I saw a video with Joe Banamasso (sp) filling in. I have always wondered why we never heard much on Barre. He is powerful!!
that solo is so rich it encapsulates the song so well i love how Martine milks that melody
I love hearing people react to Tull, hearing it for the first time. If you’ve never watched a live performance of them, you’re doing yourself an injustice. Ian Anderson is an exceptional performer with a crazy amount of energy. Enjoy!
I wish I could express the feeling, having grown up with these songs, I get hearing you hear them for the first time.
Martin Barre is overlooked quite often when talking about great guitar players. His playing is so tight.
and so is Ian's guitar work for that matter!
It's a bit difficult to find on YT but one of the best showcase of Martin is the live instrumental "trio" from the 'A' tour in 1980.
@Billy White Jr. absolutely, love seal drivers guitar. Martin could be unconventional, even choppy, but his licks were unquestionably amazing, and he's incredible live even now. Roots to Branches has some great playing, and check out the 25th anniversary version of The Whistler.
I have said the same thing for many years my friend. If you haven't already give his solo albums a listen. Stage Left is a particularly good one, recorded when he was still with Tull. Now that he's touring with his own band there's some good videos on TH-cam. He even has a flute player and singer for the Tull songs they do, apparently with Ian's blessing.
I heard Martin Barre playing a small pub gig a few years ago and he is still awesome.
There was not a bad song on this album. The guitar intro to Aqualung is one of the most recognizable riffs ever.
And the guitar solo is one of the best in rock and roll history.
Agreed. I've listened to this album (yes album) 100+ times. It's a masterpiece. I never owned anything else from JT. This is the baddest rock and roll flute jammer in existence.
Still one of my favorite albums.... continues to stand the test of time.
Absolutely! My grandmother would recognize that and I am 66 years old!
As an owner of Aqualung from when it first was released (and believe me...I wore this vinyl out!), I'd suggest listening to the album from start to finish.......it's a tale.
Cheap Day Return.
Nita B concept album.
Wind Up
I absolutely love Jethro Tull, his music is fantastic and so many memories from the 70's and I miss those times but I love my life now! I have been with my hubby for 40 yrs! When you get into your 60's you look back! I listened to this with my hubby all the time as well because he loved Jethro Tull as well!
The difference between today's music and classics like this is that once I hear a modern song it fades from my memory and turns into background noise compared to the golden era songs that I can listen to time and again without ever being bored.
I think of Aqualung as the man in "Locomotive Breath" Who's children jumped off at stations. one by one (abandoning him), and his woman ran off with his best friend "in bed and having fun". And from there his life just spiraled downward with one bad event after another, not being able to get off that train "No way to slow down", until he finally hit rock bottom. And now he's just a homeless person left with nothing who's given up. Sadly, that's probably the story for a lot of real homeless men who've lost everything, family, wife, job, house and just end up on the streets. By the way Jamel, an 'aqualung' is what they used to call an oxygen regulator that allows breathing from the tanks on a deep sea diver's back. I can only imagine how that fits into Jethro Tull's homeless old man in this song. Maybe it's that he's submerged, trapped in the deep waters of life but hangs on still able to somehow breathe anyway,...a survivor in a world that shows him no mercy. Who knows? But it's fun to try and figure out the meanings of these kinds of songs anyway. Its kind of like poetry if you will.
39thala Wonderful assessment!
I believe you have a point. I have always linked the two in my mind for some reason, probably because the unfortunate circumstances of the subjects of the songs.
An oxygen tank "Aqualung" allows you to breathe under water, under pressure and only for a short time. It's really difficult to get used to breathing pressurized air and it's all timed. If you go too deep, then you can't come back up quickly or you get air bubbles in your blood. Decompression illness or "The Bends." This is the life of a homeless person.
Aqualung refers to the sound the man makes as he breathes. That sound a scuba diver makes underwater.
Fun fact.Aqua lung developed by Jaques Cousteau and Emile Gagnan.
This song is about perception (of the homeless) verses their reality. One of the all time great rock songs.
" Feeling alone The army's up the road salvation alamode and a cup of tea." The Salvation Army feeding the homeless. Brilliant! Great reaction as always...
You are absolutely right. one of the best lines written.
One thing you might notice if you read the lyrics over: The beginning and the end of the song depict aqualung as people who don't know him perceive him, how they profile him as disgusting and dangerous ("eyeing little girls with bad intent" etc.), and the middle part talks about his aches and pains, the fact that he's cold, and the fact that he's afraid of anyone who approaches him, even someone who thinks of him as a friend. It's actually a pretty sensitive portrait of what it's like to be homeless and misunderstood. Listen to the song again and check out how the point of view and the music shift.
[1. The opening music is a bit alarming and we are given a glimpse of how outsiders perceive him]
Sitting on a park bench
Eyeing little girls with bad intent
Snots running down his nose
Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes, hey, Aqualung
Drying in the cold sun
Watching as the frilly panties run, hey, Aqualung
Feeling like a dead duck
Spitting out pieces of his broken luck, oh, Aqualung
[2. The music grows quiet and we see how he experiences his life and how a sympathetic person sees him]
Sun streaking cold, an old man wandering lonely
Taking time, the only way he knows
Leg hurting bad as he bends to pick a dog end *[a cigarette butt]*
He goes down to a bog and warms his feet
Feeling alone, the army's up the road *[a reference to the Salvation Army]*
Salvation a la mode and a cup of tea
Aqualung, my friend, don't you start away uneasy
You poor old sod, you see it's only me
Do you still remember
December's foggy freeze
When the ice that clings on to your beard
It was screaming agony
Hey and you snatch your rattling last breaths
With deep-sea diver sounds
And the flowers bloom like
Madness in the spring
Sun streaking cold, an old man wandering lonely
Taking time, the only way he knows
Leg hurting bad as he bends to pick a dog end
He goes down to a bog and warms his feet
Feeling alone, the army's up the road
Salvation a la mode and a cup of tea
Aqualung my friend don't you start away uneasy
You poor old sod, you see it's only me
Aqualung my friend don't you start away uneasy
You poor old sod, you see it's only me
[3. Again, the music changes and the point of view is back to that of people who look down on him and are afraid of him]
Sitting on a park bench
Eyeing up little girls with bad intent
Snots running down his nose
Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes, hey Aqualung
Drying in the cold sun
Watching as the frilly panties run, hey Aqualung
Feeling like a dead duck
Spitting out pieces of his broken luck, hey Aqualung
Oh Aqualung
Still gives me goose bumps after listening to them for 50+ years. Cheers!
Jethro Tull - My God ...that's all that needs to be said.
The entire Stand Up album too
I personally like the live version from Tanglewood!
@@ryanmorrissey2612 that's a good one
The 1971 Isle of Wight performance!
Probably my favorite Tull song.
The funny thing is Ian Anderson never whipped out the flute on this one. And you might think the flute is lame for rock band, but he rocked the frickin' flute like Eddy Van Halen on guitar.
Well, we saw him (them) last year in concert and he still rocks, despite his age (fluteplay is as good as ever, singing voice may be not so, but man, he's 70+).
He taught himself the flute in 3 weeks, to add an instrument to the sound. He rocks, and now has played with a symphonic orchestra, wild!
He has be quoted as saying he plays heavy metal flute. Sadly missing in this song.
This song is about other peoples perceptions of the homeless. Not bad for the 70s. Thanks Jamal hope all is well in your world. Be safe careful and healthy ! Peace!!
Sadly we still demonise the poor and the homeless : it makes them easy to dismiss. Witness erstwhile presidential candidate Dr Ben Carson saying "Sometimes I think poverty is a choice".
Dude, the 60s and 70s were the golden age of English music
In the my high school years my friends and I got into a discussion about what instruments can be used to play rock and roll. I have always held the position that any instrument could be used. One of my friends asked if a flute could used. I told him that if he had to ask that question he never heard of Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull. It's not about the instrument that is used, as much as it is the sound the artist is trying to create. And Ian Anderson produces one heck of a sound.
My first rock concert - Oakland Coliseum 1972. The Eagles opened. Still today one of the best concerts ever. Saw them again 40 years later here in Houston❤❤
Those saying Jethro Tull only sing about 'Homeless People" have not listened beyond this one album.
Like me
David; You ain’t kidding, it seems that every album has its theme. Aqualung is a bit more inner city Brit, Too Old to Rock n Roll, Too Young to Die was more late 60’s early 70’s English college scene/ music, Stormwatch was just straight up sailor/fisherman songs, Heavy Horses, was songs of the countryside. I could go on and on and on and etc,etc,etc,etc, As you said, not all about homeless people.
@@Dingomush Not so much their earlier stuff prior to Aqualung, for example: Benefit, Stand-Up etc. But certainly afterwards, and what I love about Tull is there is an album for when you want to listen to Blues, Folk, Rock, Folk-Rock, Prog-Rock. Ian Anderson's humour and wit is also present in almost every album. Thick as a Brick was a tongue in cheek parody of concept albums, only to become one of the greatest concept albums ever, My God, Minstrel in the Gallery, The Mouse Police the lists go on and on
You are right the band sang about life
It's gonna be quite hard to top this album and I haven't gotten bored of this album after listening to it for 15 years. No reason to move to next album yet
You are 100% my favourite “reacter” by far.
Same!
T K...I agree.
Agree !!!
Yes!!
Agreed
Glad to see you reacting to Jethro Tull... one of my all time favorite bands.
My dad accidentally sold my Mom's entire collection of Jethro Tull albums at a garage sale in the 70s. I don't know how he made it up to her, but he survived. She replaced them immediately. Jethro Tull is an incredible band. Ian Anderson's voice is like a lullaby to me, which sounds weird, but I associate this group so closely with my mom. It makes me teary at times listening to them, but good tears. Good memories. Music. Connection.
I've always thought that the line about snatching his rattling last breaths with deep sea diver sounds refers to his death from exposure to the elements, with the next line "and the flowers bloom like madness in the spring" meaning he's enriching the soil as a corpse.
Me too; coughing from pneumonia or other lung infection.
Certain albums MUST be played all the way through- Aqualung by Jethro Tull, Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd. Yes, they have their famous cuts, but the whole is even bigger than just the excerpts. You can play a song or two off of them, but they are not simply collections of songs as most albums are. I am not one to say this lightly, but albums such as these are EXPERIENCES. You must give up 45 minutes to listen to the whole thing at once.
With headphones!! that way you do not miss anything!!
That's why it's art rock. The albums are a work of art. Not a few good songs. This term prog rock is new to me.
Pink Floyd's The Wall is an even better example. Local rock station would pick 2 in sequence to play instead of one.
The whole point of RECORDS is that you listen to the whole thing.
Animals
the comparison to tool is apt. harsh shifts in tone, key, and volume, along with the spacey, complex lyrics.
Tull is sometimes labeled as progressive, so yeah.
Also they both overdub their vocals with layered harmonies, which adds a lot of power and complexity to the sound.
I grew up in the 70s (teen years), with this music...I remember when this album came out, how much I played it at top volume. I so enjoy your reaction to truly good music from my time. 🎶♥️
When it is harsh at first they describe what people presume to "SEE" as in the bad assumptions they make when they see a homeless person, when it gets softer it tells the reality and clarifies the stark difference of these two things.
As a bass player, this is in my top 10 of all time. I adore the note choices, high energy, bouncing rhythm, dynamic shifts. What a pleasure.
“Leg hurting bad, as he bends to pick a dog-end” is so evocative. Paints the whole picture in less than a dozen words.
Btw, “dog-end” is British slang for a discarded cigarette butt, if you didn’t know.
I just made same comment, don't remember how I found out about dog end but it was recent
Thanks, always wondered about that for nearly 50 years... :)
In northwestern Pennsylvania creepy townie dudes, who hung out with my sister, would call it a Cadillac with the keys in it.
@@bjhellstream I was going to type exactly the same words! Thank you stvbrsn!
@@AZURAKAZ that's an evocative comment James, coming at you from Pittsburgh PA you in Erie?
This song always put me in mind of a homeless guy taken in by a Catholic church I ran into over and over taking the bus when I lived downtown and was going to college. Years later he saw me out for lunch with work friends and called out to me and crossed over the street. The "friends" laughed "Who's that, your Dad?" and shied away to leave me there talking with him. People can be shameful and fearful.
That's integrity of being a human being! Good job!
So, finish the story: was the homeless guy in a better place? ❤️
It could happen to anyone of us, it doesn't take anything that earth-shattering to topple somebody into ending up on the street. And yet, so many, too many judge the homeless as inferior, losers, addicts, etc. Instead, we could try regarding them as a sort of "mirror".... could so easily be "us" instead of "them". Circumstances can change so quickly, as we have witnessed over the last couple of months.
As far as I recall (late 1970s) the old guy was still in much the same circumstance, unfortunately. He was probably too old by then to get work and live independently.
Jamel--This song is not for the faint of heart, my friend. For real.✌🏼out
A dog end is a discarded cigarette butt. The vile lyrics are assumptions about him, like taunting.
I agree, it’s like two different views of the same person... one person views him as a degenerate, but the person who really knows him sees him as a sad old homeless person bent over in pain... just trying to survive the day.
We listened to some of the best music from 1965 to about 1990. Just a really rocking time. I am not putting down today's music. I like everything from Chandalier to "Niggah in Paris" but our lyrics...the stories songs Harry Chapin told would drop you. Jim Croce singing Time in a Bottle and then dying in a plane crash. From Jimi Hendrix to Donovan they all were great Lyricists. Bob Dylan Leonard Cohen poets who sang their lyrics. Music from my generations era really was great. They still have the power to touch my heart. I like listening with you. It trips me out that you are such a rock and roll virgin. But it fires me up to see you listen to this stuff for the 1st time. Enjoy
"Low Spark oh High Heeled Boys" Traffic
"Court of the Crimson King" King Crimson
Powerful and crushing, what a masterpiece.
It was a time of awakening for my generation. No subject was left untouched in the storytelling and the music always soul-stirring. It’s a pleasure to revisit the songs and the mood of those times that I’ve forgotten such as this song. Wow!
This is Sandra's husband: This was one of my favorite bands in the 1970's. I still have the vinyl album. I saw them in concert at the University of Georgia Coliseum. By the way, it is not "tool," but "tull." Anyway, in an English class in which were we asked to write an essay on, I think, House of Seven Gables and democracy, I quoted a line from "Crossed Mary," "Who would be a poor man, a beggar man, a thief, if he had a rich man in his hand?"
Well, one day, while wandering in the stacks of the University of Georgia library, I picked out a book on famous British inventors. I randomly opened it. I opened it to the page for Jethro Tull. Jethro Tull was the inventor of the wheeled plow!
Now, why this band named themselves after the inventor of the wheeled plow and had their break-out album about misfits and people down on their luck, I don't know. But, I love this album. It gives me frizions when I listen to it.
It's Cross-Eyed Mary, by the way.
As a big fan of Tool and Tull, I think the vocal sound IS a similarity, but also the lyrics really saying something. Both Ian and Maynard write songs about the harder aspects of life, the nitty gritty details. Most people miss those parts of life, but these guys dissect them. Also both bands (in their own way) are very orchestral in how they build their songs. Brilliance: that’s the connection.
"As he bends to pick a dog ends" Dog ends - English slang for cigarette butt
Thanks for clarifying. I never knew that. I thought it might be a reference to beastiality 😆
And the bog is a lavatory.
They call cigarette fags....
@@elifoust7664 yes, the cigarette itself, the butt though is to what he is referring.
Thank you, I never knew a “dog end” was a cigarette butt.
I'm a simple cat. I see Jamel, I see Jethro, I see jams. I click, yo. I click like. Then I request something he won't listen to.
this time I'm going to request "Waking Every God" by Pain Of Salvation, because it's freaking beautiful and shreds at the same time. Some of the most amazing male vocals in the history of recorded rock.
I'm with you, brother.
I always thought of this song as being two differing opinions of this homeless person. Quite telling.
Yep.
Yeah. I see it as the beginning youre looking at the homeless man, maybe feeling slight disgust. Then it cuts to his sad backstory with the acoustic, only to return to the present day at the end.
That's exactly what it is. Ian Anderson's wife wrote the lyrics. They depict society's view of the homeless versus the reality of their lives.
My take on the beginning is, it is a literal description of the man, unemotional, this is who he is and how he lives.
@@m.gideonhoyle409 Wow, I didn't know that. Did she continue writing lyrics?
JAMEL, I AM GLAD THAT YOU ARE GETTING OFF ON JETHRO TULL, ONE OF THE GREATEST BANDS EVER, KEEP THE VIDEOS COMING BROTHER, YOU MAY WANT TO CHECK INTO A BAND CALLED SAVOY BROWN, A BLUES ROCK BAND THAT WAS GREAT, THEY HAVE BEEN FORGOTTEN, THEY NEED EXPOSURE, YOU CAN FIND THEM ON THE TUBE, MAN, YOU WILL LOVE THIS BAND, ALL OF THIER ALBUMS WERE GREAT, BUT ONE ALBUM CALLED STREET CORNER TALKIN IS AWESOME MAN, MY BEST, COUSIN FIGEL
The best part of your videos, my friend, is the humanity you bring to experiencing these songs on a deeper level. When you feel the lyrics strike your soul to the core we can all feel it with you.
Humanity has a terrible habit of placing everyone in categories: black or white, rich or poor, smart or stupid, beautiful or ugly. We might not all realize it, but it’s in our nature to label and divide.
You bring back the humanity and the feel of empathy for others that we all over look nowadays.
A few of the songs on THIS album are about A homeless person. His name is Aqualung. The great Martin Barre on guitar.
Listen to "Bungle in the Jungle" and "Living in the Past" by Jethro Tull as well.
Why is everyone requesting the played out radio songs? They have SO many MUCH better songs. Ian Anderson hates Bungle in the Jungle an he wrote it ;p
Yes
Hymn 43 also
Back door Angels, Fires at Midnight, Cup of Wonder all good.
If you're going to do "Living In the Past" do the one live from the 20 years box set. The one that starts with "here's a song that we utterly loathed for 15 long years, but now its back in a slightly more tricky form..."
-Jethro Tull -
Too old to rock and roll, Too young to die
Heavy Horses
Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day
Meanwhile back in the year one....
Heavy Horses was their best album I think.
Skating Away is one of my all-time favorite songs.
"A New Day Yesterday" and "We Used To Know" are probably the greatest Tull songs IMO that never got any recognition from the "Stand Up" album.
th-cam.com/video/Kq5zTznlSJI/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/VAnh1waFPeY/w-d-xo.html
Best 3 albums imo
1-Thick as a Brick
2-Heavy Horses
3-Benefit
Kind of in that order.
Hi Jamal! Went to see Jethro TULL not Tool (!) his name is pronounced like LULL ( lullaby) .So went to see The band Jethro Tull in 1972 way before The Almond Brothers existed. This music is called “ Prog” and is progressive so yes you would not have heard anything like it. The male front singer dancing around is Ian Anderson and is a musical genius! Still touring today! Seeing them live in the early 1970’s as a young teenager you never forget how mine blowing they were! Grand Funk Railroad was good but nothing like these guys. I would compare them more to The Moody Blues or YES for story telling, great lyrics and musicianship and incredible tunes! I love watching you react to our music! At 66 I can say we had the best music this world has ever seen and heard. We lost Jeff Beck, Christie McVee and David Crosby recently. They are dying off so please catch any of our groups and singers out there when you can! Peace ✌️ ❤ Bless you Jamal! Xx
Back in the 70's and 80's, I saw Jethro Tull 4 times.
Exciting stuff for sure, and the lyrics are profound and even intellectual. If you visit some of their early albums you will be amazed at their creativity.
Jethro Tull "Bouree" live is fantastic!
Ian Anderson is the lead singer and his ex wife wrote the lyrics to Aqualung.
You must react to Jethro Tull’s "Thick As A Brick" live from Madison S. Garden, will blow you away!😎👍
Agreed
BilbofromTG the studio version is far superior
@@trevorsanders5303 That's subjective and purely a matter of personal opinion.
BilbofromTG Thick as a Brick, though an entire album, is actually a single track. I don’t think you can do it justice within the time constraints.
Saw the band perform thick as a brick when it was first released in 1972. To come on stage and just rip out the album in it's entirety as the first tune of the night was not an effort to be taken lightly, especially given the complexity of the music. 19 yrs old and my first tull concert. Still remember it like it was last week!
This took me back almost 50 years. The summer of '71. I was living in Santa Barbara when I got into Anderson's music and one other, Zappa. A to Z. Still my favorites after all these years.
Dude you react to all songs I type in the TH-cam search bar! Hell yeah glad you do.
hit the like button b4 even watching.. always entertaining, love your appreciation for the music!
That part you were talking about where it sounds like in a distance:
The unusual audio effect you hear in this song is called "telephone burbles" where you remove all frequencies except for a narrow band around the 1,000 hertz mark. This is to reproduce the sound of a telephone. As Ian Anderson told us: "It's also like when you're addressing a crowd through a megaphone. Or even perhaps the tinny sound of a voice trumpet, which is a non-active megaphone. It's a form of address. It's the sound that woke up young pilots in 1941 and sent them into the skies to battle the Hun. This is the sound of the Tannoy, the calling to arms of young men going up in their Hurricanes and Spitfires. It's something that's very much part of the blood of an Englishman."
www.songfacts.com/facts/jethro-tull/aqualung
One thing that stuck with me, was "The Army's up the road. Salvation A la Mode, and a cup of tea."
The. Salvation. Army.
You get a gold star for figuring that out
@@joesimon2018 That's good to know. I'll display it on my refrigerator, I think.
Always did, from the first time I heard it in the 70's!
Sorry for my ignorance, what is the Salvation Army in this case?
@@JimmiHDX The Salvation Army is a Christian organisation that helps those who are less fortunate in life focusing on the homeless and hungry. They have soup kitchens in many cities and provide warm food and tea for those who need it. Salvation in the name of God.
They do many other good things in society but that is their most visible part.
I'm 58 when I was young this was my favorite group. Now when I got older Tool is my favorite. Seen them in concert and loved it. Got tee shirts all there cds .tool is my life.
The Witches Promise, is still one of my favourite songs, fifty years on.
Mine, too. :-)
Same!!
Aqua lung is mentioned in Cross eyed Mary too
Yes he says auqalung is worse than mary
What is the line. “ Her attention is grabbed by Aqualung “ I think that is it . Yes Aqualung does do a cameo . Ian contacted his agent and Aqualung did it for a bottle of ripple .
@@dagnabbit6187 , you're showing your age. I don't think many people know about ripple or Boone's farm.
@@rayniecox7683 Or Bali-Hi or Mad Dog 20/20😁
*Ripple* and *MD 20/20...* y'all really got me feeling like a geezer.
And don't forget *Night Train...*
"spitting out pieces of his broken luck" Such a great line. It gives an immediate insight into his ruined past and what he may be thinking day to day.
Ausgamer5171 was he smoking Lucky Strikes? Makes me think that’s a part of the image...
No one comes close to writing great lyrics as Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull!
Your Tool reference to how Maynard sometimes sings using the "flanger effect" that they're using in the middle of this song. It's a technique to distort the vocals in an interesting way. You can look it up online to get all the technical details on how it works.
63 now, love seeing younger folks reactions to music I grew up with.
Check out Humble Pie Rocking The Filmore
66 me, too
I’m so grateful to have been a teen in Toronto back when bands like Tull were always coming to town. A Great time to be young. Peace
You need to understand, he is saying that this is the perception of a homeless veteran, who has been forgotten, who was a family man, but because of PTSD (what we call it now) lost everything. And everyone looks at him like he's terrible. When he's just a very unfortunate guy.
Well said!
If you say so, but what about that "eyeing little girls with bad intent" part. Sounds pretty suspicious to me!
@@sschmidtevalue If the person who said that also said the world was flat would you believe him?
@@sschmidtevalue There are two people in this song/story that are speaking their opinion about Aqualung. Which one do you think has enough info to be correct in their assessment of Aqualung?
While this could apply to veterans, I believe it was the homeless in general the song was about.
The song to me, was the way people see the homeless v.s. what the homeless are. I did my best to keep clean. But you can't hide that you've been living outside, little to no food for days on end. People you thought were friends, turning away, walking away.
Brother I have been homeless for 2 years now and I 1000% agree with this statement.
I'm not sure if this is folklore, I heard Ian Anderson would sit on the streets just before his concerts, dressed as if living on the streets. Concert gowers would pass him on the street as they entered the arena- behaving like so many when confronted with this preventable situation- Abolish Homelessness Now! As concert goers wait in line to enter the arena, all those feelings would emerge when confronted with a man that is homeless, like guilt for witnessing the criminalization of the poor people. Ian would start the show by walking on stage with the same clothing and reveal himself to the audience. Even if it's not a true story, it is thought provoking- as all of his music is.
@@frankfortino2843 @steveholloway
I’m reposting this for y’all 😉🙏🏻
Actually, it’s loosely based on an actual homeless person that they encountered while on tour. The gentleman in an eastern state that suffered from mental illness and WAS NOT a pervert. Very nice man with a mother, father, wife, daughter & mental illness. Plain & simple. 💕🤘🏻
My husband and I have been homeless for about a year and a half. But I grew up in the 60s and 70s listening to great music. This song still has such a deep meaning. People still don't acknowledge homelessness and despair even today.
The singer and Flute player of Jethro Tull is Ian Anderson his Daughter is Married to guy from The Walking Dead that left the show Andrew Lincoln, Rick.Grimms
Saw Jehtro Tull when they toured the Aqualung album and Thick as a Brick. Greatest concerts I've ever been to and I've been to a lot of concerts. Ian Anderson was a tremendous showman with the theatrics and the music. You couldn't stay in your seat and you were thrilled at the performance from start to finish.
One of the greatest performances ever! Simply perfect!
This song exemplifies DEPTH....something todays music horrifically, almost intentionally -lacks
You don't listen to much modem music do you, there are some amazing bands with amazing depth, you just need to be open to find out
Jon L if I could give this comment multiple thumbs up I would
There's no value in today's music, when a person writes a 4 minutes song in 2 minutes, you know it's garbage. The 1970's peaked in all genre's of music, the greatest decade for music.
There's more people making music with this depth currently than there was back then
@@ryanbroadley23 It certainly must not be that good then, because music today isn't broadcasted like it was in the 60's and 70's. Today's music is so forgettable and throw away.
Jethro Tull “Skating Away” - you’re killing me Smalls,
"When you push off from the shore, and you turn your head once more, to do the things you should have done." Such a great and under appreciated song. In my mind a version of the rapture... skating away into the Light of a new day.
That song will move your guts around. I could tell you were feeling it.
Saw them in concert in late 70's.....AMAZING! Ian Anderson's talent with the flute.......no words...
So distinctive. How many rock bands would incorporate a flute into their music the way Tull did. Just sublime
Golden Earring also did.
Marshall Tucker
One of the best story telling songs by Jethro Tull is “Budapest” off the album “Crest of a Knave” think you’ll like it 👍🏻
Yeah, but the look on Metallica's faces was priceless!
In the program for the "Rock Island" tour makes a little cheeky comment about their Grammy win!
Grimread oh definitely 🤣
Doctor Phobos nice
YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO “TOO OLD TO ROCK AND ROLL, TO YOUNG TO DIE” BY TULL FOR A GOOD SONG ABOUT A MIDLIFE CRISIS. YOU REALLY WILL APPRECIATE THE TUNES AND LYRICS. KEEP TULL ALIVE!
Robert Chartrand you beat me to the punch. I was going to request that song. Hopefully more people will request it and we'll get a reaction.
@@jameskirschling7887 both of you gentlemen both beat me to it as well. I truly love the whole album of Too Old... Quizz Kid is one of my all time favorites. Thanks to you both for the recommendation. Take care & stay safe to all 😷
@@melissa2688 stay safe as well.
@@jameskirschling7887 thank you James!
Absolutely - one of Tull’s best. If you haven’t heard it, listen to one of their later songs ‘Budapest’ - very different but a great song 😊
Go with Cross Eyed Mary, the character of Aqualung is mentioned there.
Already donw
Great song
I fell down a Jethro Tull rabbit hole and ended up here. I have never subscribed to reaction videos before now.
I was a kid when this music came out. I LOVED IT. I was too poor to buy albums or tapes back then. Poor white kid from the gettos of San Fransisco.
Moved to Indiana later on, I couldnt handle it there, I missed the city. So I joined the USAF at 17 years old. Suddenly I had money!
At my first duty station, George AFB, CA, I bought my first stereo system. I pieced out each component. I matched them they best I could for maximum sound quality and SNR. I became a audiophile geek. Aqualung was my first album. More than that, it was also a Half-Speed master recording. I was so serious about my music, that my turntable was the Pioneer PL-L800. A linear tracking turntable. It uses a servo to move the stylus across the record instead of the grove pulling it which causes severe wear on the grove. My record collection grew over the years to about 50 titles. Mostly Journey, ZZ Top, Blue Oyster Cult, Pink Floyd (The Wall on Half Speed Master) to name just a few. Sigh... life throws a curve once in a while, and I lost them all. Se la vie (sp?)
I have a request for you. A Blue Oyster Cult favorite of mine, "The Golden Age of Leather". I think you will love it. Listen to it without reading the lyrics first. The story is timeless. LAter on check the lyrics, and you might get a little disturbed. But its a solid music bit, great guitar, and I still love that song.
Out of all the music I grew up listening to the guitar solo in this studio version is probably my favorite guitar solo ever. Not taken anything away from any other guitarist but Martin Barr is unreal.
I guess I'm following you this evening! (Just left "Cross Eyed Mary.") Tull was a nuclear explosion from a pre-Renaissance Festival! I thought they were awesome!
Watch Jethro Tull, in a movie called "Rolling Stones Rock n Roll Circus". The Jethro Tull lineup features guitarist Tony Iomi from Black Sabbath, before there was a Black Sabbath. Old band.
any idea what year as tony could have been with sabbath if film is 1966 or early 1967 then he was not with sabbath yet think he lst his finger tips in early 1964
Tony Iommi was only in Jethro Tull for 2 days following the departure of guitarist Mick Abrahams in the Rock N Roll Circus performance. And he was only a member of Jethro Tull for 2 weeks before being replaced by Martin Barre.
And in that video, only the flute and vocals were live, all the other instruments were mimed. Meaning there were pretending to play.
So the guitar you're hearing is not Tony Iommi playing, it's actually the Mick Abrahams studio recording.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rolling_Stones_Rock_and_Roll_Circus
www.dailymotion.com/video/x3r40q4
A song for Jeffrey
Welcome to the foundations of prog rock. Come on in, the water’s warm.
I've been a Tull fan since the mid 80s, but after seeing a documentary on prog rock here on TH-cam, I appreciated prog rock so much more. Especially some King Crimson.
Doctor Phobos King Crimson are awesome!!
Yes... Rush to the water... The Camel is already here... Neil and Wakeman are waiting... (A reference to three amazing bands ... only those who hear Prog will understand)
Love JT but the Moody Blues laid the foundations of prog rock years before this.
Yes! A dwight schrute reference😂
"Any Tool fans here?" Oh yeah, we're here.
We learned to appreciate great rock at the feet of Jethro Tull. I'd be willing to bet Tool did too. :)
Jamel: when you connected Ian Anderson and Maynard James Keenan - I knew you were for real!
Keep up the good work!
I’ve always connected pink Floyd to tool. They both take you to a certain kinda indistinguishable places
Tool fan checking in. LOVE that you made a connection between them and Jethro Tull! Astounding progressive musicianship and artistry are what they have in common.
@@cascadienne634 And the fact that Tull, Zeppelin and so many others influenced Tool.
Tool are big fans off killing joke.
I am and have been a Tull fan for 40 odd years. Never tire of their sound and Ian Anderson's voice and lyrics.
Used to play this in a band back in the 70’s... fun song to play...
This is Jethro Tull? I had no idea. I haven't heard this song since I was a child, and it freaked me out then. The only song I know by Jethro Tull is "Living in the Past".
I used to confuse Jethro Tull and Focus back in the early 70s when they played them on the radio.
Yaaay! So excited to see this one! JT is such a unique band and I’m so glad you’re exploring their work. Love all your vids and can’t wait for more 😃
Tool is one of my favorite bands of all time, & Aqualung has been one of my favorite classic rock albums of all time for over 20 years. I totally can see what you're talking about in the similarity of the quality of the distant-sounding singing. Both so amazing. Both give me chills.
This is one of the best rock song and a perfect guitar solo.
Yes....but Tool sounds like them not the other way around though
Exactly what I was thinking. Glad you made that point.
Well, just playing devil’s advocate, he knew Tool before Jethro Tull. So he’s really just comparing what he’s hearing to what he already knows.
@@kylethecatholic yeah we know...but some new viewers might not..;)
@Salem only two decades.
Jeff Reed they use megaphones
Yeah Jethro Tull was a real agriculturist in the 1700s!
You’d love Hymn 43 same album.
Also would LOVE some Procol Harum- Whiter Shade of Pale and Conquistador
Or Traffic - Medicated Goo
When this was written, "homeless" people were called "bums" and "hobos". Ian Anderson (the singer/flautist) seemed to be fascinated with what made people tick. From the lowliest bum toy our normal everyday person, he just liked to dissect their motives. See "Skating Away" as an example.
More Jethro Tull reactions, please! Awesome band. Ian Anderson had it all. Saw them for the first time when I was 12 years old in 1975. Such a fabulous concert! Saw them again a decade or so ago at Harrah's Rincon and it was entertaining, but Ian Anderson struggled with breath going between singing and playing the flute. Was still an awesome show, though.
One of the best guitar solos ever...