The whole album is fire!! This track has two stories, one voice that seems to come from afar is the reality- the other voice is the people’s negative perspective of the homeless man. Genius!
@@tompahlgooglesucks The opening metal bit represents the harsh view most people have of him. The light rhythm guitar represents his world of arthritis, lumbago and eventual death ("And you snatch your rattling last breaths with deep-sea-diver sounds, and the flowers bloom like madness in the spring.") from Tuberculosis.
Great reaction. A few others songs from them to check out are "Thick As A Brick", "Locomotive Breath", "Cross -Eyed Mary", "Hymn 43" and "Bungle In The Jungle"
@@JacobBailey You are right Jacob. It turns out this is the 5th Jethro Tull song already done. I'll instead suggest "Bungle in the Jungle" from "War Child" (1974). Lots of fun!
@@Cybercygni I shy away from picking a "best" anything in music lol... but yeah I totally agree the two solos on We Used To Know is probably my second favorite... his use of the wah-wah pedal on those solos to shape the tone is superb
Barre said the Ian actaully wanted to do a flute solo as the main solo, but Barre wanted it bad and really broght it on the day they recorded it and convinced Ian tha the gutar solo was a better fit.
Ian's inspiration for this song happened when Jenny , his first wife , a photographer took pictures of the homeless. She's credited on the album with writing some of the lyrics to this song.
I saw them twice , first time from about row 10 center stage, you couldn't blink or you'd miss something, most amazing showman ever Ian Anderson, he was juggling, animals running around, stuff blowing up, the music was amazing, this was right after that album with ' Bungle In The Jungle' came out. Flash forward about 20 years and I saw them again in Houston, with Anne Marie Calhoun, she played the first 45 minutes to open the show then she played the entire show with Jethro Tull, plus there was a much larger catalog of music for them to choose from, don't know which one I liked better, they both rank in my top ten concerts ever. Pull him up with Anne Marie Calhoun on youtube.
so many young listeners to the music of my generation are so surprised at transitions in songs. I guess people today write songs that just drone on and on, never surprising and not so creative. Is this true? Cause I grew up on songs that took you all over the place, (Starship Trooper, live especially). So I thought, that's part of a really well crafted song. good choice!
Its wonderful to see a younger generation appreciating one of my favorite bands! I was lucky enough to see them live and while Ian was much older than when he recorded this song it was still such a great experience. He really is a superb story teller. You should check out more of their catalog, I think you will enjoy it.
I love watching these reaction videos. Reaffirms that I was born at just the right time to have enjoyed good music for DECADES!!! Take THAT you TikToker’s that say I was born in the mud 1900’s!!! So F’ing glad I DID!!! I liked that you were surprised by the tempo changes, but let the sing play!!! Kudos to you!!!
This album is worthy of a full listen/reaction. The prior album Stand Up has at least 4 complete must listen songs as well. Who else heard Toni Iommi talking about being recruited from Black Sabbath to play guitar for Jethro Tull? Can you imagine!! Well I still am glad he didn't because we got two great bands instead.
Guitarist Martin Barre is brilliant and much under rated as far as RS rankings. Although Ian Anderson, the singer, sounds quite subdued on this track, you should hear and see him in full flight with flute in hand posing for his live audience. His exaggerated posturings are legendary. Cheers Silas. ✌
My brother in law (RIP) saw Tull in the 1970's, he said it was one of the best concerts he ever saw. He saw Ian Anderson throw his flute up in the air and not miss a beat. Jethro Tull has been one of my favourite bands since the 1980's when I first discovered them as a teen. Locomotive Breath, Cross Eyed Mary, Thick as a Brick are some other great songs by them.
I was 19 the first time I heard this song and it still strikes me the same way it does you. I find it very interesting watching your body language as you listen to this because it does articulate to me exactly how I feel
So great to hear this. And I think it's great to hear the studio cut before seeing the live video because the live video gives you a good idea of how cool they were on stage, but they really kind of changed the songs a fair amount from the sharpness and ear candy and everything of the studio cuts that were the hits on the radio. Another one that's hugely popular and it's also from the same Aqualung album is Locomotive Breath. Once again I would really recommend finding the audio cut just like this one to do before a live version. And you will get to hear his amazing guttural flute playing. As far as learning guitar and playing this riff, you could definitely do it. And really you could probably learn a lot of that opening part if you have learned Barre chords yet. And then the softer middle parts that are from the point of view of someone who sympathizes with the homeless man, those are mostly just standard acoustic guitar folk fingerings above standard chords.
As so many have said, you have to see a live performance from Jethro Tull! They resemble a band of medieval minstrals, but the sound and performing is pure rock!
I heard that Jimmy Page was in the studio behind the glass when this was recorded. They said he was rocking out on the guitar solo. I think the Dee Dee Dee after the solo is the most tranquil thing I have ever heard.
Ian Anderson is the vocalist/flautist/leader of the band. At one point (idk if it's still current) he was by far the richest man in Scotland, but Jethro Tull was only his side gig. He had his hand in literally more than a third of all fish, Scotch, or beef deals in the Scottish export trade. He rivaled Mic Jager for the richest man in Rock. (The Stones invested well and as a pool. They made collective decisions, but left management to Jager, and paid a good management fee. He turned out to be something of a business savant, despite his anti-establishment leanings.) Ian Anderson was self taught, and the first real purveyor of the rock flute. Classically trained flautists are always blown away by his ease and fluidity with advanced techniques -- but they are also quick to point out his pinky, which often floats above the flute, and a classic mark of informal training. But of course, his style and ability are both incredible and unique, and mostly beyond constructive critique.
If you like Tull and you like longer songs with many transitions, it's time to react to the entire Thick as a Brick studio album (technically all one song).
Aqualung is one of those albums which (by design) has a number of tentpole songs which are intended as the big takeaways (like this and _Locomotive_ _Breath)_ and then a number of little songs that help give the album a shape. I certainly wouldn't recommend, say, _Cheap_ _Day_ _Return_ or _Mother_ _Goose_ as songs to listen to on their own, but I think if you were to do the whole album you'd appreciate the minis too.
I'm 67 years old, I first heard this song when I was 15. Life changing. Bought the album and never stopped listening. Nice to see younger people enjoying!
Another great group I saw in concert; no computers, no auto tune, no special effects, just a group of great artists enjoying exploding their music on stage! Yes, do a reaction to this whole album.
I was 13 my first concert, Jethro Tull Aqualung Tour 1971, Locomotive Breath, “Cross-eyed Mary”, “My God”, “Up to Me”, “ Mother Goose”. Move onto Thick As a Brick album. Welcome to the Jethro Tull rabbit hole.
Great reaction! Great song! If you want a long song, try “In a Gadda da vida” by Iron Butterfly. It’s 17 minutes long! It’s from 1968. It was like an anthem back then. In it the guitarist was only 17, he was incredible! Knowing you…you would LOVE it! It has a very unique drum solo in it too that everyone back then tried to imitate. It would be fun watching you listen to THAT song! Anyway, loved your reaction to this song, thank u! 😀
Jethro Tull - My God (Nothing Is Easy - Live At The Isle Of Wight 1970) Amazing. And when you can listen Thick as a brick . Brilliant. All album is one song....Wonderful.
Locomotive Breath and Crosseyed Mary are great because you will hear Ian Anderson doing what he's best known for - fabulous flute solos that are unbelievable. This album is great.
I feel so lucky having grown up in the 70s!! There was so much genius going around in music from the late 60s to the early 80s that it would probably take me a whole phone book size ledger to list them!!! But Jethro Tull is definitely one of those!! The flute solo in "locomotive breath" is breathtaking so to speak!! "Thick as a Brick" is one of his other famous & brilliant songs!!
The big song from this album is "Locomotive Breath", but the whole album is great, as are several of their others (Stand Up, Benefit, Heavy Horses...). This song was a reaction to a series of photographs of homeless people, and alternates between society's fears of them and the reality of the situation they find themselves in. Tull were an odd combination of prog rock (hence all the changes and different sections), hard rock, and trad folk - and you need to see video of them playing live - Ian Anderson is an incredible showman!
What has always struck me about Aqualung was the smooth transition of acoustic guitar to electric with but a moment between. I hadn't heard it done that well before, and I haven't heard it since.
Hey Silas! Man, you've got to do the next song on the album, "Cross-Eyed Mary", to get a good load of Ian Anderson's flute. It's a great album and band. Saw them twice back in the day and they really put on a show! ✌😎
It's an extraordinary character study of what, at first glance, is some depraved sub-human hardly worth a second glance. Then the tone becomes softer and a more sympathetic image emerges, one who is suffering immeasurably and whose only solace is going down to the bog to warm his feet. We are now reminded of the suffering we are seeing all around us more and more often. Then Ian hits you with the ultimate upper-cut, "You poor old sod, you see it's only me!"
As a teen when this album hit, I had almost recovered from the title track when "Locomotive Breath" played. BTW I was in my 30s before I understood all the uniquely British references.
Aqua-Lung is what Jacques-Yves Cousteau called the first successful , open-circuit SCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) he co-invented. There were always TV specials on "The Undersea world of Jacques Cousteau' so the word "Aqua-lung" was in common usage
Aqualung is a song highlighting the plight of the homeless. Passers-by imagine he is eying up little girls : easy to be suspicious of people like him. His one bright spot is when he goes to the Salvation Army to get a cup of tea. He can't afford cigarettes, so he picks up dogends, British slang for discarded butts. He has very little shelter, so he "goes down to the bog to warm his feet", in British slang a bog is a sit down toilet, in this case a public one, which in those days were often below ground, hence the line. He's called Aqualung because his wheezing breath sounds like a deep sea diver. "You poor old sod" is used in a rather affectionate way rather than as something judgemental.
My crazy story goes as follows, it was 2002 and Ian Anderson was coming to Seattle and I scored a pair of tickets to the show. I lived about 60 minutes drive time and a 45 minute ferry ride away. I was 34 and none of my co-workers except for one appreciated the GREATEST R&R flautist except for the one younger lady who had been in a very serious relationship for almost 4 years. She straight up told her bf that she was going with me to Seattle to the concert and with not being able to catch the last ferry back it would be at least 2 or 2:30 in the morning. I had no intentions of doing anything, though she was quite a hottie. It just shocked me that she was willing to basically go on a date with a co-worker of 3 months just to see Ian Anderson...😊 The show was amazing and she brought the herbage to enjoy pre-show... Truly a memorable night...
This whole album is a treat, one of the most solid albums of its time. Several excellent hard rock songs mixed with a few amazingly pretty little acoustic guitar-based ditties... all very listenable if it suits your tastes, Anderson composed a lot of great music and there are a few other very solid Tull albums out there, I would recommend Benefit and Thick as a Brick as starters 🐱
If you really want a long guitar song it's a band that I listened to in my teens (I'm now 67) it's Grand Funk Railroad. Two songs I played in my bands: "Outside Looking In" or "In Need". This band is how I taught myself how to solo. They're not too complicated, but a whole lot of fun to play
Listen to the entire album,Silas...it's a classic! You want a long song? The next JT album is all one long song-in parts. One of the early 'concep't albums. And...probably their best one,too. Dive in... T
Hi this is Steven from Montreal Canada great album I saw him three times live just fantastic show hey buddy you have to play the group is Grand Funk Railroad the song is inside looking out it will get you off your seat
Locomotive Breath and Cross-Eyed Mary from the same album are classics, actually the whole album is just great, I put it in my top 20 albums to be stuck on a desert island with if I had to choose
Great reaction, my man! 😁 This is an absolutely killer album from start to finish. Why not go for track 2, "Cross-eyed Mary." It even lyrically references the opening track.
There's a lot of Jethro Tull to check out, of course, but seeing as you like the longer songs and that I don't think you've touched on Bowie yet why not try these monsters by him: The Cygnet Committee / The Width Of A Circle / Stationtostatiion / Bring Me The Disco King.
If you like to dive into longer songs you would not only appreciate, but also benefit from, listening to more Tool. But, I heard Tool music for 20 years and only started to actually listen in the last few. Tool finds you when you're ready.
The whole album is fire!! This track has two stories, one voice that seems to come from afar is the reality- the other voice is the people’s negative perspective of the homeless man. Genius!
Yet the other voice is sympathetic?
I never saw that the dichotomy of the song until you pointed it out
I never saw the dichotomy of the song until you pointed it out
@@tompahlgooglesucks The opening metal bit represents the harsh view most people have of him. The light rhythm guitar represents his world of arthritis, lumbago and eventual death ("And you snatch your rattling last breaths with deep-sea-diver sounds, and the flowers bloom like madness in the spring.") from Tuberculosis.
As James said, you gotta see Ian Anderson jumping all over the stage, playing flute on one leg. It's a "must see".
i saw them mid-seventies. Tullevision......and boy oh boy did Ian take advantage of the close ups. the faces he made!!!!
Great reaction. A few others songs from them to check out are "Thick As A Brick", "Locomotive Breath", "Cross -Eyed Mary", "Hymn 43" and "Bungle In The Jungle"
Plus “Living in the Past”
Locomotive Breath from Aqualung is a must listen!
I’m pretty sure he did react to that song. It is a great one! Maybe he could get Alivia to join him on it?
@@JacobBailey You are right Jacob. It turns out this is the 5th Jethro Tull song already done. I'll instead suggest "Bungle in the Jungle" from "War Child" (1974). Lots of fun!
Martin Barre's solo here still stands as one of the most elegantly phrased high distortion solos in all of rock
For decades, until uninformed youth took over the publication, this solo was consistently rated in the top 10 of all time by Guitar Player magazine.
His solo on "we used to know" is his best. It sounds like he trying to strangle the guitar. 🙂
@@Cybercygni I shy away from picking a "best" anything in music lol... but yeah I totally agree the two solos on We Used To Know is probably my second favorite... his use of the wah-wah pedal on those solos to shape the tone is superb
Barre said the Ian actaully wanted to do a flute solo as the main solo, but Barre wanted it bad and really broght it on the day they recorded it and convinced Ian tha the gutar solo was a better fit.
Martin said that Jimmy Page came into the studio while he was recording this solo. I think he said Jimmy waved to him
Ian's inspiration for this song happened when Jenny , his first wife , a photographer took pictures of the homeless. She's credited on the album with writing some of the lyrics to this song.
what he said
Very cool!
What a joy to see this youngster's Reaction 😂! Another recruit 😊!!
Long song, live version, Ian on flute, mind blowing performance ..... Thick As A Brick
Agreed. There's a video of the live performance from Madison Square Garden in 1978.
This guitar solo is one of the finest in the 70’s!
This was their big one, but my favorite by them was "Locomotive Breath". That one's a lot of fun, and a good rocker to boot.
I’m partial to “Cross-Eyed Mary”
I like My God.
🎼I saw Jethro Tull back in 1970. What a concert! Ian Anderson is the best frontman in the business. Listen to the whole album. 🎼
Hell yeah! I didn't see them until 1989. In my defense, I wasn't born until 1971. 😁
He became one of the 'pioneers' of fish farming. Interesting person, Ian Anderson.
I saw them twice , first time from about row 10 center stage, you couldn't blink or you'd miss something, most amazing showman ever Ian Anderson, he was juggling, animals running around, stuff blowing up, the music was amazing, this was right after that album with ' Bungle In The Jungle' came out. Flash forward about 20 years and I saw them again in Houston, with Anne Marie Calhoun, she played the first 45 minutes to open the show then she played the entire show with Jethro Tull, plus there was a much larger catalog of music for them to choose from, don't know which one I liked better, they both rank in my top ten concerts ever. Pull him up with Anne Marie Calhoun on youtube.
@@thomassicard3733
Yes. He bought a salmon farm up on the coast of the North Atlantic in Scotland. He’s quite a businessman.
Your enthusiasm is infectious, you really feel music deeply.
so many young listeners to the music of my generation are so surprised at transitions in songs. I guess people today write songs that just drone on and on, never surprising and not so creative. Is this true? Cause I grew up on songs that took you all over the place, (Starship Trooper, live especially). So I thought, that's part of a really well crafted song. good choice!
Its wonderful to see a younger generation appreciating one of my favorite bands! I was lucky enough to see them live and while Ian was much older than when he recorded this song it was still such a great experience. He really is a superb story teller. You should check out more of their catalog, I think you will enjoy it.
The whole album is a classic, and a must have back in the day. Safe to deep dive this one!
I love watching these reaction videos. Reaffirms that I was born at just the right time to have enjoyed good music for DECADES!!! Take THAT you TikToker’s that say I was born in the mud 1900’s!!! So F’ing glad I DID!!!
I liked that you were surprised by the tempo changes, but let the sing play!!! Kudos to you!!!
This album is worthy of a full listen/reaction. The prior album Stand Up has at least 4 complete must listen songs as well. Who else heard Toni Iommi talking about being recruited from Black Sabbath to play guitar for Jethro Tull? Can you imagine!! Well I still am glad he didn't because we got two great bands instead.
Guitarist Martin Barre is brilliant and much under rated as far as RS rankings. Although Ian Anderson, the singer, sounds quite subdued on this track, you should hear and see him in full flight with flute in hand posing for his live audience. His exaggerated posturings are legendary. Cheers Silas. ✌
My brother in law (RIP) saw Tull in the 1970's, he said it was one of the best concerts he ever saw. He saw Ian Anderson throw his flute up in the air and not miss a beat. Jethro Tull has been one of my favourite bands since the 1980's when I first discovered them as a teen. Locomotive Breath, Cross Eyed Mary, Thick as a Brick are some other great songs by them.
I was 19 the first time I heard this song and it still strikes me the same way it does you. I find it very interesting watching your body language as you listen to this because it does articulate to me exactly how I feel
You just scratched the surface of Tull. This whole album is great.
The next thee songs will knocks your socks off, esp the flut Locomotive Breath", "Cross -Eyed Mary", "Hymn 43" and "Bungle In The Jungle"
So great to hear this. And I think it's great to hear the studio cut before seeing the live video because the live video gives you a good idea of how cool they were on stage, but they really kind of changed the songs a fair amount from the sharpness and ear candy and everything of the studio cuts that were the hits on the radio.
Another one that's hugely popular and it's also from the same Aqualung album is Locomotive Breath. Once again I would really recommend finding the audio cut just like this one to do before a live version. And you will get to hear his amazing guttural flute playing.
As far as learning guitar and playing this riff, you could definitely do it. And really you could probably learn a lot of that opening part if you have learned Barre chords yet. And then the softer middle parts that are from the point of view of someone who sympathizes with the homeless man, those are mostly just standard acoustic guitar folk fingerings above standard chords.
Jethro Tull - pure talent. The band I have seen more times than any other, and am booked to see the latest incarnation in April 24.
As so many have said, you have to see a live performance from Jethro Tull! They resemble a band of medieval minstrals, but the sound and performing is pure rock!
I heard that Jimmy Page was in the studio behind the glass when this was recorded. They said he was rocking out on the guitar solo. I think the Dee Dee Dee after the solo is the most tranquil thing I have ever heard.
You can't go wrong doing the whole album - it's one of those classics like dark side of the moon. Got the first one under your belt - keep going man
Ian Anderson is the vocalist/flautist/leader of the band. At one point (idk if it's still current) he was by far the richest man in Scotland, but Jethro Tull was only his side gig. He had his hand in literally more than a third of all fish, Scotch, or beef deals in the Scottish export trade. He rivaled Mic Jager for the richest man in Rock. (The Stones invested well and as a pool. They made collective decisions, but left management to Jager, and paid a good management fee. He turned out to be something of a business savant, despite his anti-establishment leanings.)
Ian Anderson was self taught, and the first real purveyor of the rock flute. Classically trained flautists are always blown away by his ease and fluidity with advanced techniques -- but they are also quick to point out his pinky, which often floats above the flute, and a classic mark of informal training. But of course, his style and ability are both incredible and unique, and mostly beyond constructive critique.
If you like Tull and you like longer songs with many transitions, it's time to react to the entire Thick as a Brick studio album (technically all one song).
I'm with you. Love Thick as a Brick! Masterpiece.
A Passion Play too. Brilliant.
Great Reaction!!!! Jethro Tull is a very legendary Progressive Rock Band!!!
I have always LOVED the drumming on this track.
Aqualung is one of those albums which (by design) has a number of tentpole songs which are intended as the big takeaways (like this and _Locomotive_ _Breath)_ and then a number of little songs that help give the album a shape. I certainly wouldn't recommend, say, _Cheap_ _Day_ _Return_ or _Mother_ _Goose_ as songs to listen to on their own, but I think if you were to do the whole album you'd appreciate the minis too.
I'm 67 years old, I first heard this song when I was 15. Life changing. Bought the album and never stopped listening. Nice to see younger people enjoying!
Another great group I saw in concert; no computers, no auto tune, no special effects, just a group of great artists enjoying exploding their music on stage! Yes, do a reaction to this whole album.
I was 13 my first concert, Jethro Tull Aqualung Tour 1971, Locomotive Breath, “Cross-eyed Mary”, “My God”, “Up to Me”, “ Mother Goose”. Move onto Thick As a Brick album. Welcome to the Jethro Tull rabbit hole.
Ian Anderson is a wizard with the flute. Very early classic prog rock and they should have been in the rock hall of fame years ago, but they're not.
Live versions of every thing JT does, please! They're mad! :)
Never on the first listen. Their live stuff is too manic and ignores too much of the music as written.
Ok, crazy time. Going Home by Ten Years After, live at Woodstock.
Hey, Silas... ALBUM VERSION The Outlaws... Green Grass and High Tides... Triple guitar assault!!
Great reaction! Great song! If you want a long song, try “In a Gadda da vida” by Iron Butterfly. It’s 17 minutes long! It’s from 1968. It was like an anthem back then. In it the guitarist was only 17, he was incredible! Knowing you…you would LOVE it! It has a very unique drum solo in it too that everyone back then tried to imitate. It would be fun watching you listen to THAT song! Anyway, loved your reaction to this song, thank u! 😀
Jethro Tull - My God (Nothing Is Easy - Live At The Isle Of Wight 1970) Amazing.
And when you can listen Thick as a brick . Brilliant. All album is one song....Wonderful.
god am I really 60? Listening to the Tull, I'm transported back to my youth and I'm remembering.... and grinning! Magical music... a magical time.
Locomotive Breath and Crosseyed Mary are great because you will hear Ian Anderson doing what he's best known for - fabulous flute solos that are unbelievable. This album is great.
And Ian never had a flute lesson in his life. Totally self-taught.
Great song and album!
I'd say their best albums are 'A Passion Play', and 'Thick as a Brick'. To me their best song is ' Sossity, you're a woman'.
To me Thick as a brick is a masterpiece
Jethro Tull was their own category
Highest even again from Montreal they have great songs checkout cross-eyed Mary and Locomotive Breath
You have exactly the correct reaction; I knew kids who were OBSESSED with Tull the way some were with Zeppelin, or Pink Floyd.
I feel so lucky having grown up in the 70s!! There was so much genius going around in music from the late 60s to the early 80s that it would probably take me a whole phone book size ledger to list them!!! But Jethro Tull is definitely one of those!! The flute solo in "locomotive breath" is breathtaking so to speak!! "Thick as a Brick" is one of his other famous & brilliant songs!!
The whole album is classic from start to finish. Not a bad song anywhere. "Wind up" is the last song on the album and yet might be my fav.
You are in luck kid!its great to see someone so young diggin real music!!sit back if you can and listen to the next fifty years of a great band!!
hi silas..been sick..had some heart surgery..good to see ya..
The song, the album and the band are legends amongst the legends of rock!
This is the first album I ever bought by myself, when I was in 8th grade. A LONG time ago.
The big song from this album is "Locomotive Breath", but the whole album is great, as are several of their others (Stand Up, Benefit, Heavy Horses...). This song was a reaction to a series of photographs of homeless people, and alternates between society's fears of them and the reality of the situation they find themselves in. Tull were an odd combination of prog rock (hence all the changes and different sections), hard rock, and trad folk - and you need to see video of them playing live - Ian Anderson is an incredible showman!
What has always struck me about Aqualung was the smooth transition of acoustic guitar to electric with but a moment between. I hadn't heard it done that well before, and I haven't heard it since.
Hey Silas! Man, you've got to do the next song on the album, "Cross-Eyed Mary", to get a good load of Ian Anderson's flute. It's a great album and band. Saw them twice back in the day and they really put on a show! ✌😎
CROSSEYED MARY IS ANOTHER THEY ALL SHOULD BE PLAYED LOL
The guitar solo near the end is so good, it makes your heart ache
Fun to watch. Epic gold from across the pond so so so many years ago!
Aqualung is one of the few songs where Ian doesn't play flute. And that lick you were singing was the hook . It really gets stuck in your head.
It's an extraordinary character study of what, at first glance, is some depraved sub-human hardly worth a second glance. Then the tone becomes softer and a more sympathetic image emerges, one who is suffering immeasurably and whose only solace is going down to the bog to warm his feet. We are now reminded of the suffering we are seeing all around us more and more often. Then Ian hits you with the ultimate upper-cut, "You poor old sod, you see it's only me!"
As a teen when this album hit, I had almost recovered from the title track when "Locomotive Breath" played. BTW I was in my 30s before I understood all the uniquely British references.
Aqua-Lung is what Jacques-Yves Cousteau called the first successful , open-circuit SCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) he co-invented. There were always TV specials on "The Undersea world of Jacques Cousteau' so the word "Aqua-lung" was in common usage
do the whole album it was a great one of a kind landmark album and tull had a highly intelligent following
When Tull was recording this album, Led Zeppelin was recording their 4th album just down the hall in another studio. (If I remember correctly.)
Aqualung is a song highlighting the plight of the homeless. Passers-by imagine he is eying up little girls : easy to be suspicious of people like him.
His one bright spot is when he goes to the Salvation Army to get a cup of tea. He can't afford cigarettes, so he picks up dogends, British slang for discarded butts. He has very little shelter, so he "goes down to the bog to warm his feet", in British slang a bog is a sit down toilet, in this case a public one, which in those days were often below ground, hence the line. He's called Aqualung because his wheezing breath sounds like a deep sea diver. "You poor old sod" is used in a rather affectionate way rather than as something judgemental.
This album is a masterpiece, you definitely need to do the entire album, Locomotive Breath, the 70’s had the best music
Glad you like that guitar solo by Martin Barre. You want to hear more great guitar, check out My God and Wind-Up from the album. Rock On!!!!
Velvet Green a most excellent song!
Wow. I was born 1967. I feel old. Lifetime song for me
My crazy story goes as follows, it was 2002 and Ian Anderson was coming to Seattle and I scored a pair of tickets to the show. I lived about 60 minutes drive time and a 45 minute ferry ride away. I was 34 and none of my co-workers except for one appreciated the GREATEST R&R flautist except for the one younger lady who had been in a very serious relationship for almost 4 years. She straight up told her bf that she was going with me to Seattle to the concert and with not being able to catch the last ferry back it would be at least 2 or 2:30 in the morning. I had no intentions of doing anything, though she was quite a hottie. It just shocked me that she was willing to basically go on a date with a co-worker of 3 months just to see Ian Anderson...😊 The show was amazing and she brought the herbage to enjoy pre-show... Truly a memorable night...
Takes me back, absolutely brilliant album….end off 👍❤️
Helps to know the British slang of the early ‘70’s. Check the lyrics.
It almost hurts me physically to see you react so deeply but please don't stop...LOL!!!
IF ANY band is worth a deep dive, for a young guy, it's Tull! Ian Anderson a musical genius.
This whole album is a treat, one of the most solid albums of its time. Several excellent hard rock songs mixed with a few amazingly pretty little acoustic guitar-based ditties... all very listenable if it suits your tastes, Anderson composed a lot of great music and there are a few other very solid Tull albums out there, I would recommend Benefit and Thick as a Brick as starters 🐱
There has never been any group that parallels Jethro Tull.
Classic progressive music. A masterpiece.
If you really want a long guitar song it's a band that I listened to in my teens (I'm now 67) it's Grand Funk Railroad. Two songs I played in my bands: "Outside Looking In" or "In Need". This band is how I taught myself how to solo. They're not too complicated, but a whole lot of fun to play
I love when ya young whipper snaps dig the geezer rock.
Peace on earth.
Man we had great music when I was a teen in the 70s
And we took it for granted. Spoilt! That's just how it was. 😊
Listen to the entire album,Silas...it's a classic! You want a long song? The next JT album is all one long song-in parts. One of the early 'concep't albums. And...probably their best one,too. Dive in... T
Forgot to mention the album title...Thick As A Brick. :-)
Hi this is Steven from Montreal Canada great album I saw him three times live just fantastic show hey buddy you have to play the group is Grand Funk Railroad the song is inside looking out it will get you off your seat
I second that!
Locomotive Breath and Cross-Eyed Mary from the same album are classics, actually the whole album is just great, I put it in my top 20 albums to be stuck on a desert island with if I had to choose
tina s cover of this song is unreal.....need to check it out
Don`t overlook both the Stand Up, and Benefit albums, as they are unique in their own way.
Two favorites are Teacher & Locomotive Breath.
Anything from Minstrel in the Gallery or Songs From the Wood. You can't go wrong.
For the longest time I was sure the line was "Sitting on a park bench, Five little girls with bad intent" - heh
Good reaction to a classic!
Do the entire album Silas … that’s the 1st song . Keep going . Totally worthy … a perfect LP . 🎸
You should listen to their whole concept album "Thick As A Brick" from 1972. The whole album is one 44 minute long song.
Welcome to 70 s the best music
Die into the long version of whipping post all man bros. From live at the Fillmore!!
Great reaction, my man! 😁
This is an absolutely killer album from start to finish. Why not go for track 2, "Cross-eyed Mary." It even lyrically references the opening track.
Just saw the Martin barre band last night.😊
There's a lot of Jethro Tull to check out, of course, but seeing as you like the longer songs and that I don't think you've touched on Bowie yet why not try these monsters by him: The Cygnet Committee / The Width Of A Circle / Stationtostatiion / Bring Me The Disco King.
You really need to watch the video, Ian Anderson the lead singer is different. Peace!
If you like to dive into longer songs you would not only appreciate, but also benefit from, listening to more Tool. But, I heard Tool music for 20 years and only started to actually listen in the last few.
Tool finds you when you're ready.