There's no rockstar I envy more than Anderson. His professional, musical, and theatrical detachment is unique in the arena rock genre. Too many rockstars sink down into their own minds. Too many turn to drugs because they're so miserable and/or spoiled. Ian, on the other hand, is always a man in the flow of the show, like a great Shakespearean actor -- engaged, disciplined, knows how to play with every beat and line, always exudes the all-important awareness of the audiences' experience, and NEVER takes himself too seriously.
Don’t think the creativity has gone away, it just exists in other forms of music, check out Jacob Collier for someone who is crazy talented (and depressingly young!) or Akala, there is still great music out there, and it’s more accessible than ever!
I agree, Jethro Tull was a.m. radio in my car on the way to work. Catchy tunes that I never stopped to appreciate. My brother was the only one in my family that went and saw Jethro Tull in concert...he reminded told me over the years how much I missed .
Jethro Tull were like amazing medieval troubadours who somehow landed in the 20th century and went electric. Thick as a Brick - an incredible masterpiece!
"Thick As A Brick" is a deliberate over the top and overly pretentious "prog" concept record with heavy handed lyrics and corny themes. ....oh yeah, and it is a complete and utter masterpiece. One of the best sounding and perfectly executed records of the 1970s.
Prog doesnt get much better than this. Sadly the Brilliance of Tull got lost and new generations of prog bands dont care about Tull. The Blues runs in the blood of this guys.
@@jerrylev59 Your characterization "pseudo-sophomoric" is spot on. TAAB is a serious piece of music and lyricism-its piecemeal method of composition notwithstanding-masquerading as a joke, while A Passion Play is a spoof masquerading as the more somber effort. Its delve into "serious" questions about the afterlife is an inherently unanswerable quest that's been addressed _ad nauseum,_ since time immemorial. Its more-scholarly references to religion and literature do little more than underscore its unoriginality compared to TAAB. The themes addressed in TAAB (such as our right brain/left brain, liberal/conservative, thinker/doer, etc. conflicts) have very real, down-to-earth consequences that are often overlooked despite being felt by every generation. The overarching theme of TAAB, for those who must have one, might be posed as "the getting of wisdom": growing up, wising up, and the price paid for doing so. The gloomy minor-key "Clear White Circles" exposition that commences about 4 minutes into side 2 and culminates with "Do you? Believe in the day!" is possibly the most incredible, insightful thing Ian's ever written, and the band's ever done. "And fully pregnant with the day, wise men endorse the poet's sight," indeed. Deep, yet with a winking, egoistic nod to himself...as always. That's not to say that TAAB wasn't _spoofy._ One look at the "newspaper" upon opening it made clear that the boys were in a jocular mood, and making fun of a lot of things-including their audience. But just because they were didn't mean they weren't dead serious about the content of the record contained within. Saying they weren't is like believing Google wasn't a serious company with serious intentions because it had play areas for its employees and let them horse around at will. On the contrary, it was when they did those things that Google had its highest prowess and proficiency. Same with the band: this was its most productive era. Don't let things in TAAB like references to comic book heroes in politics fool you. Anyone alive then could recognize its pointed comments, such as about Americans and their idiotic insistence that their system was unbeatable and their elected officials some kind of idyllic figures. And people think this is just a spoof, reflective only of the times during which it was written and released? Hah! I saw the band during this tour (Too Old To Rock'n'Roll) as well as the original TAAB and ensuing tours. I thought it a low point, as it relied on little more than Tullovision for the "lots of extras" one had come to expect from Tull. The band was, of course, tight and professional as ever...but clearly beginning to age.
craigdamage The live production of that tour was breakthrough cutting edge technology. Video cubes hanging from the roof and the lighting picked up every bit of counterpoint and song change.
I saw them in Chicago when they were touring Thick As A Brick, which was new and I'd never heard, and I was waiting for Aqualung hee hee hee. You Kan, guru. The album cover was clever. I'm autistic and that was my way of connecting with the outside world.
Alright Fil you've hit upon my favorite performance group. As I've mentioned before I partly designed their lighting system including the first lighting computer used for Rock and for Touring. I spent 2 weeks on my back redoing cables because I'd designed the connectors to a US Military standard Mil Spec. Not knowing our British light equipment manufacturers had done theirs in Metric....oh boy. The whole time the band was working up the show. For fun Ian would stand over me picking his nose...to annoy and help my confusion at my work. But at his work the Head Master was all work. He choreographed the show in every way. He had me design a Parabolic strobe light so with all lights off, he could jump up as he played his flute, the sensors would setoff and present a "flash photographic " image that would burn into the audiences retinas for an instant. He did that for an entire interlude. It was quite mad..and brilliant. He is in my mind the hardest working lead artist of all times. I saw several nights of that tour from the Board while supervising the lighting crew. Unforgettable. I saw Jethro Tull and Ian alone maybe 15+ times. Never, ever getting tired of it.
Fascinating! Ian guested on our new record, wanted no reward or thanks. We asked and he just did it because it was a nice thing to do - absolute gentleman.
I literally played the grooves off of this album. My middle son asked me to take him to see Jethro Tull for his 6th birthday. All these years later we still have at great musical bond.
From the first time I heard Jethro Tull, being about 14 in the mid 70's, I have loved them for one reason; from the music to the theatrics to the facial expressions, Ian is the travelling minstrel telling stories to amaze the children of the village. It's as if they came 500 years into the future and said "Electricity... Fantastic!"
I saw Jethro Tull perform Warchild c. 1974. I was 14. My first rock concert ever. I knew it was awesome. It took me a few more rock concerts to understand just exactly was special they are/were.
Ian is one of the best frontmen, fantastic performance!! Thick As a Brick is a phenomenal prog record!! I love the album cover😂 Martin Barre is one my favorite guitarists🤘🏻
Ian and Jethro Tull are now and have always been my favorite band to see live. 13 times and it never got old. However, there are some others who are pretty special on stage or were as well. Freddie Mercury was one of those special performers as well.
Saw Tull (War Child and Too Old tours). Classic line up. Ian had incredible charisma and KNEW how to work the audience. The audience quietly awaited his every move. Bono has it. So, surprisingly enough, does Willie Nelson. Been to dozens of concerts. Those three had the strongest rapport. Many Springsteen fans tell me he had the same sort of rapport. Very few have it.
I first saw Jethro Tull in 1970 at the Strawberry Fields Festival in Toronto. After they finished, I ask my friends , what did we just see and hear? I'm 71 now and still enjoy hearing and remembering.
The only thing I can say about Jethro Tull. ( They are in their own category) Can't be compared to any other Band! Plus Ian Anderson is the greatest front person from any Band!
It's cool seeing a youngster like Fil enjoying Jethro Tull's incredible music. I was so fortunate to grow up in the 70s and experience so much great music of that era when it was new. Jethro Tull, Zeppelin, Bad Company, Heart....too many to list. And back then the radio stations would play deep album cuts. It a shame what radio has evolved into....Corporate Rock. It's just cool that people like my man Fil can appreciate that era of music the way we all did back then. Nice job, Fil. Cheers amigo!
Radio station WQUT, in the 70's, would play entire album sides. Sometimes youd just hear silence and the needle bouncing of the label because DJ would be outside smoking pot!! Must look up the Tennessee Midnight Rambler...crazy DJ on some weekends who became nationally known. Pure hard RnR! I loved that decade. sheepishly resubscibing
Marco Polo Cool comment. I also enjoyed christian bands such as Petra, The Resurrection Band, The Glen Kaiser Blues Band, White Cross, Guardian and a few others. Unfortunately the music of these bands was awesome but never got airplay on secular nor christian radio with the exception of a few stations that were mostly underground. I know good music when I hear it. Love Jethro Tull and his style on the flute was his own.
I saw them in the 70's with Captain Beefhart as the opening act. Between the two, the roadies. dressed in Trench coats and hats, set up the equipment. A lot of activity by those guys, but what really floored everyone, was the roadies removed their coats and began play. Cute trick.
I saw this lineup, I think in Fayetteville, NC, and it was an absolutely incredible concert. I remembered Captain Beefhart but forgot that he opened for Jethro Tull. Saw Jethro Tull three or four times and each concert was different and a force of nature.
One of the tightest bands of all time. When they weren’t touring their 8 hour job was rehearsing. Barriemore Barlow, one of the greatest drummers of the classic rock era.
Love this.. Ian is a superb lyricist, writer and musician. I've had the privilege to see Jethro Tull more than a few times over the years. It's a shame his voice left him in the 80's, but prior to that I don't think there was a better live band. The humour was absolutely spot on and the performances were amazing.
I first saw Jethro Tull perform TAAB live 1972 in Chicago, which was also the first real stadium concert I had ever attended. (Opening act was Gentle Giant!). To me, at age 19, this was never a parody of anything... just an amazingly beautiful and complex piece of music performed to perfection. I’d grown up listening to “This Was”, “Stand Up”, “Benefit”, then “Aqualung”. All uniquely beautiful in their own right. But “Thick As A Brick”... breathtakingly beautiful, sad, joyful, amazingly complex... and to see and hear this performance live, is indescribable. Ian racing around the stage, throwing his flute 20’ into the air... only to catch it on the fly and break into a solo without missing a beat. Just amazing music and equally amazing performances. This performance set the bar VERY, VERY high for any future live stadium concerts I’ve ever attended. The musicianship of Jethro Tull... Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, John Evan, Jeffrey Hammond and Barriemore Barlow was breathtaking. The Gerald Bostock newspaper “parody” aspect was just icing on the cake for the album. But to hear... and SEE this performed live was to genuinely witness geniuses at work.
Every musician that ever played in Jethro Tull were exceptional at what they did, it's the only way their lives shows could have worked ! Ian Anderson is such a perfectionist that he put heavy expectations on the others who worked with him. He's the best frontman in rock n' roll history.
When I was in school, a boy bought me this album, (it opens up like a newspaper,) introducing me to Jethro Tull. Since then, they have remained one of my favorite bands. I wish you could have seen them LIVE , back then, Fil, because those concerts, to me, remain to be the best I've ever seen. Musical magicians, they were. I hope some day you will give us your take on their performance at the Isle of Wight concert in 1970. Their performance of "My God," is a masterpiece.
Genius album! I listened to it over & over back in 72. To this day I can still sing it through. Never forgot it. Ah to be 16 again! Thanks for analysing it.
I was 21 when I saw them perform TAAB in 1972, I then listened to.the album many times until I finally stopped listening to JT a couple years later. Now I’m 70 listening to it for the first time since back then and my old brain still knows exactly (or almost) what is going to happen next before the next bit actually starts to play. I think that’s quite extraordinary considering the album is over 40 mins long. For me it’s proof that TAAB is an extraordinary album by a wonderfully talented Ian Anderson and band
Ian is a genius in IMHO. Odd time signatures and keys throughout his songwriting career. Doesn't actually read music. Martin Barre is a VASTLY underrated guitarist. John Evan added so much on the keyboards. All through the band changes, those 3 held the JT sound together over the years. Funny aside. It wasn't until Ian's daughter took up the flute that he realized he had been playing it all wrong. He actually relearned how to play late in life. Saw them many times over the years. Another thing. Ian and the boys in the band were straight for the most part, no drugs even during the crazy stage show days. He used to joke that they'd play a few hours on stage and be comfortably in bed by 11 or 12.
I could never understand how people who make music their careers don't learn to read music. I don't mean to be able to look at a sheet of music and be able to play it in real time, but just be able to look at it and be able to figure out the piece. I had a piano in my house and the beginners books made you learn the basics. Of course when you have a piano teacher, they all read and teach reading music. Guitar is weird, because people just pick it up on their own and I've seen people giving lessons who can't read music.
@@rickjason215 If you were to read sheet music while playing guitar you'd have to question where on the neck do I want to play this note. It isn't like other instruments. That's not an excuse to not learn. I picture the notes of the piano keyboard when reading before transposing to guitar.
OMG I love JT, imagine playing this stuff live with such ease - let alone composing and arranging the songs in the first place. Real talent and a boatload of hard work
There was no one remotely close to Ian and Tull in the 70's! One of my all time favorites. Incredible creative genius and outstanding stage performance. I've seen many groups, but I saw Tull in 1974 in San Antonio Texas, and I've never seen anything close since. Completely blew me away. Spectacularly tight and so well rehearsed! If this world survives, this music will be the classical stuff that is listened to in the future centuries!
I personally see the so called Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, as a huge joke, its run by people who, seemingly know Little if anything about Rock & the bands/artists that made such great music, sold millions of albums, played to huge arena crowds, etc. I knew it was a joke when the "president" of the HoF, said Robert Plant was mimicking Janis Jopiln. I'm a huge fan of Janis, but for any one to say that, shows they're not REALLY informed at all. Oh well. One need only look at the number of great bands that haven't been inducted, to know it's a commercial venture, not a true HoF. IMO
I thought he had gone to a prestigious music school .. And he said to a professor that he was going to make some money at. A bar gig... The professor admonished him.. So he showed the professor and quit the school... The rest is history.... He can really shred the flute... Talking thru it... We love him... Thanks teach...
Can we also remember that the categorizations came later. When living at the time, it was all rock. The Allman Brothers had a "sound". It was their sound. Classifying them as "Southern Rock" came later. Jethro Tull had a sound. The Who had a sound. Steppenwolf had a sound. The identity of each group was "their" sound. Fitting them in a nice box, i.e., category, came later. There is a lot of revisionism that goes on when talking about music at that time. Most people who lived back then, just remembered them as great Rock 'n Roll bands.
Thanks Fil. And thanks for the shout out to Martin. Truly one of the most underated great guitar players. I mean what guitar player didn't learn Aqualung. Hard to believe they're not in the R&RHOF
I've been thinking the same thing for years. So many sucky bands have been inducted into the R&RHOF, and didn't deserve it, yet Tull is a band who more than deserves to be in there. I wonder how this could be made to happen for them for real.
Ian Anderson is a musical genius, able to pick up instruments like the flute and play so well, great songwriter and composer, an excellent guitarist and also playing intricately and singing so well at the same time, brilliance.
I got to hang with J.T. at the Forum and drink Moet with them and they were really cool ! Especially Martin Barre and Barrymore Barlow.I spilled my drink on his shoes and he just laughed it off !
60+ million albums sold. One if the biggest concert draws of the 70s, one of the best front man, totally unique music etc... and yet not in the R and R hall. ABSURD!
@@mevrammcoyoteV8f150 So you're saying Jethro Tull is just any band? Never mind I get what you're saying but I don't think they'll ever get in. I agree though there are plenty of artists whose body if work don't deserve it. I mean really, Pearl Jam but not Alice in chains or Joan Jett but not the Pretenders etc...
@@mikesimonian484 what I have seen is that the rock n roll hall of fame is pretty political ..grammies not much respected anymore by the vast musicians in the U.S. who load up their gear every night and travel around to thousands of venues .
This is the best video you have ever done!! Analysing such a great composition by a fantastic band that was so integral to my high school days back in the 70s is commendable. 😀
They've had excellent music across the entire time, but the TaaB to Stormwatch period is my favorite. Such a great blend of folk, classical, rock, blues, etc. with impeccable execution and generally excellent lyrical qualities. Ian Anderson knew (knows) exactly how to use what makes his voice so unique, as well. One of my favorites.
Fil on Point again with one of my favorite classic rock bands two bands who made the flute very profound Jethro Tull and Marshall Tucker Band thanks again Fil
@@kevingrady8736 Don't forget that just having an unusual instrument for a rock band doesn't make you great or innovative. Ian Anderson used the flute in a way that was completely unique. Just because a few other rock bands used it doesn't mean they're in the same ballpark; none of them are. The Moody Blues are to Ian Anderson and Tull, what Kenny G is to John Coltrane; a speck of nothing.
@@Gregorypeckory I agree that Ian Anderson Plays the flute in a unique way however that doesn't make him so much better, it's just differences in opinion.
Love love love Jethro Tull! Thank you for this, Thick as a Brick is one of my favorite albums! First time I ever heard them was live in concert doing Aqualung - 1971. I only went cos some friends were going, omg what an experience!
thank you so much Fil for this fantastic video. I just watched it for the 2nd time this week, and have been watching other videos on yt as well. They were one of my favorite bands in the early 70's, and it reminded me of how much I loved their music. I have been listening to them quite a bit this week, and various songs keep popping into my head throughout the day (and night). I also picked up the Very Best of Jethro Tull cd, and have been playing that constantly. I think they were one of the best bands of that time period, and it stands up just as well today, as back then.
I attended dozens and dozens of concerts back in the 1970s and Tull's performance of Thick as a Brick in 1972 was by far the best. They came on stage like complete goofballs and proceeded to blow the roof off of the Seattle Center coliseum. I've never seen anything like it, the bands show that night remains one of my favorite memories from my youth.
Ditto , Matt . I saw Tull back in '73 ( ? ) in Philly and it still ranks as my favorite Arena Concert ever ! One question though , did you ever become a Gentle Giant fan ?
I saw this concert at Madison Square Garden. It is still one of my favorite concerts too. I was 20 years old and I loved that it was a play inside of a concert. Got to talk to him once. He really is a wonderful man.
Thick As A Brick was one of my favorite albums. I didn't realize it was a parody but that makes sense, especially since I've long been a Monty Python fan. Great Job!
I wish I knew somebody who liked to talk about music as intelligently as you do, Fil. Love this channel. Jethro Tull is one of my first favorites all the way back to elementary school in the '70s. Ian's acoustic work is some of the best guitar I've ever heard and it's found throughout Thick as a Brick. Thanks for this video.
Ian ruined me for playing the flute. Back then we didn't have the internet and I never got to see them live, but had every album. I couldn't replicate the sound Ian was getting from his flute. Years later I read an interview where he admitted he didn't know the proper fingering. Aha! That's why I couldn't get "that sound". No one could. With proper fingering, you can hit the same notes, but not the same timbre. Ah well, a self taught genius is a genius still. Great job Ian, you're still the best
Instead of blowing "tuu-u-u into the flute, which is what was taught back then, Ian Andersen used his voice to modulate the sound to incredible effect!
I'm going to keep this simple. There is no other band like Tull. They are the top of the heap when it comes to musicianship, entertainment, melodies and lyrics. They had some to the greatest instrumentalists who sadly never got proper recognition, though being vastly superiour to other popular musicians. Barre, Evens and Barlowe... all masters and of course Ian. Who is one of the greatest acoustic guitarist in the rock era. No one talks about this because of his " Other " Instrument. Great vid thank you.
Yes! I have said the same for many, many years! I love Ian’s acoustic guitar playing! He often disparages it, but he’s full of beans! His guitar playing is top shelf!!
I have been a Jethro fan for many years...and you just gave me a plethora of information that I had not heard before. That's why I love your analyses ..keep on doi'n that thing ..You do so well !
One of my main influences as a performer. Saw it in 72, in Florida, Bayfront Center. From my vantage point I could see that when he left stage two guys threw him in a chair and slapped an oxygen mask on him. Huffing and puffing. When he returned to the stage, they stood him up and he bounded out. Renewed with vigor.. He did most of the show on 1 leg. I was enraptured. Post show I was hitch hiking home. A limo pulled up. I got in. Martin Barre, Clive Bunker and a bevy of girls. All dressed circa 1972 They asked me if I enjoyed the show.. I answered yes. I was 15 years old. They asked me if I wanted to accompany them to the next gig in Daytona. I politely declined for 2 reasons. 1) I was very high. 2) I was overwhelmed by the entire night and situation. They dropped me off off at my buddies house. I thanked them and they drove off. That night changed my life. So you see, Fil, that was what I meant when I said the rock scene available if you wanted to do it back in the old school days. I graduated, did college for 1 year and started touring 6 years later. BTW, that's the same venue I saw Deep Purple do Machine Head. 3 row. I told you I was born under a lucky star. Take care. David from Florida 😎✌️
I've probably listened to Jethro Tull longer than you've been alive Fil , but that doesn't mean I can't learn from you. Your videos are so good I find myself picking one, and see I've already thumbed it up. Could be those nights I had a few extra pints and forgot I'd already seen it. These days I find I'm not drinking more, but definitely not less either!
You've done it again! They had ME fooled. I was a college rock station dj at the time and just thought it was another weird ass concept album. One night on the 11pm - 3am gig I put Side 1 on for my last song. Old dj trick gives you a bathroom break plus you put all the albums yes VINYL back in the stacks. Anyway I cut about 15-20 seconds off the end to talk over. The phone rings. Its a guy stoned out of his mind like Tommy Chong "Hey MAN!!" "You didn't play the rest of the SONG man!" "I'm sorry dude. It was just a couple of seconds" "No man" "The other side man." "The other SIDE!" My favorite Tull is their 1968 BBC performance of "Stormy Monday" In fact now that I've recovered from my 70s flashback I'm gonna give it a listen. Gnite Fil.
UNIQUE!!! UNREACHED!!! Thank you for sharing and analysing this jewel ;-* The best lyricist, writer, troubatour, flutist, melodist, showman, artist, musician of all time!! I never tire to listen to his very special sound.
Your channel is breath of fresh air. Unlike most of the reaction channels (which I know you are not, you analyse rather than react) you are very knowledgeable about music. Props to you.
I have been a Jethro Tull fan since about 1970.... for many years I have proclaimed that Aqualung is best complete album of all time!!!! His earlier songs blended more of the Gallic flavor... I loved them all.....I listen Tull almost every day in my car. Brick is one of the great spoof albums..I agree.😃😃
Love Ian Anderson,such a one off,and a great musician/entertainer, Ian was a great player ,but decided to play the flute ,because no one else was doing it,and such a performer, a national treasure!
I remember listening to my albums as a kid. Just listening and looking at the album covers for hours at a time. Boy how times have changed! Thanks Fil!😎✌
Tull was probably in the top 3 live acts I ever saw and I have a shoe box packed with concert ticket stubs. Often misunderstood on this side of the pond, but I can't emphasize how underrated all of them were. Especially Martin Barre. Their album catalog is as diverse as any of the supergroups normally discussed in prog music circles and equal to the very best output by Yes, King Crimson, ELP, and Rush. Virtuosos.
I have always said Ian Anderson was one of the top 4 or 5 front men in the industry. Absolutely dynamic and theatrical performer! I think Emerson, Lake and Palmer during that era were another band that carved out their very own niche similar to Jethro Tull's unique sound.
I think what I like most about your videos is that you always smile, and clearly enjoy the music you're talking about, even though you cover many vastly different styles. You're a music lover, and it shows. You look for the good in all these different styles. You don't just rave about the shredders, or the technicians, or the flash bastards. You get that the guitar is a hell of a flexible beast, and can be used to great effect in so many different ways. That's refreshing.
They had the closed circuit camera and screens and called it 'Tullivision'...I remember the crowd going nuts when they showed them walking from the dressing room to the stage
Aqualung is great , probably his best work. But Thick and a Brick is my favorite. I was 16 when it came out and it created quite a divergence in my life. :~) They teach his flute style in college now and orchestras play his tunes. Ian is an amazing musician.
Met Ian in 1978 at spectrum music in Webster groves Missouri,he was a down to earth singing for his super type, didn't expect you to treat him any different than one your mate's,and how well he performed at his last show,I said you would have been very successful as a minstrel and musician seven hundred years ago,he said thank you very much and meant it sincerely 😀winked like that's promo for the last album..😒
You just brought back memories as a teenager in the early 80s listening to Tull on cassette in a boom box on a corner in the Bronx at night drinking beer and smoking funny cigarettes.
Jethro Tull - Aqualung/Thick as a Brick Tour in 1972 was my 1st concert. I was 14 and it was at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City. My older brother wasn't thrilled with having to drag me along.
I just love Ian Anderson. His tone is so enjoyable and always draw me in. I also love the instrumentality of Jethro Tull, its variety of sounds. Really, in terms of distinctiveness, they stand alone. Great video choice, Fil. Thank you.
Ah Fil you went and done it now man ... made me take another trip in the Wayback machine. This same tour of 76 he graced Fort Worth Texas with his presence. I will never forget it. He came traipsing out on the stage wearing an oversized codpiece that had a hole in it with his flute stuck in it as he held on to it with his right hand. Between sets he would put it back in the hole. Absolutely adore this man.
Thank you Fil! I've listened to this album for 40 years and was lucky enough to see them live once. Yet you gave me so much more info! As always great review of styles, composition and instrumentation.
Ian Anderson.. The greatest entertainer of my generation.. I've been blessed to see the "One Legged Flautist " on three different occasions.. I love your channel, young man!! Kudos to you on your excellent taste in music!!
Yes..he does talk like you..Hahaha I totally love the way you break everything down for us. Btw..Love your accent! My great grandparents had the same accent 💙
Appreciate you featuring my favorite band of all time. Can't even tell you how many times I listened to this when I was younger. It's pure brilliance. I've always wondered what he used to inspire all the parts of this song each day they moved it forward. And there is no comparison to the album cover. Best of all time!
I service brass and woodwind instruments for a living. I enjoy listening to Tull well enough...but watching...to quote Moe Howard: “My nerves, my nerves!” I’m just waiting for that flute to go flying!
Probably it went flying at some point! Ian Anderson wrote about his gig instruments, "I used to travel with a case of about 12 of them to get through a long US tour and they had bits missing, dents, ingrained dirt and were a biological hazard to anyone who touched them."
Ian anderson is a great guitarist i saw tull twice. The left side of the stage lost power he got two mics from the right side and a stool sat down with his acoustic didn't miss a beat
I couldnt even begin to describe this bands overwhelming talents. Ian Andersons VOICE is so iconic that its enough in itself. The extraordinary Flute playing was almost too much for the audience to fully grasp the talents of everything else the band had to offer. The Baroque rock theatre blues band is the only way i could describe them. I saw this band in the 70s and your analysis clarifies things i didnt even realize were happening.
Ian Anderson was Knighted by the Queen for his contributions to music, and his philanthropy in employing virtually all the people in a small Scottish village, … on his ‘Salmon Ranching’ farm. His Salmon Ranch grew and was valued at over $10 million, before he sold parts off.
There's no rockstar I envy more than Anderson. His professional, musical, and theatrical detachment is unique in the arena rock genre. Too many rockstars sink down into their own minds. Too many turn to drugs because they're so miserable and/or spoiled. Ian, on the other hand, is always a man in the flow of the show, like a great Shakespearean actor -- engaged, disciplined, knows how to play with every beat and line, always exudes the all-important awareness of the audiences' experience, and NEVER takes himself too seriously.
In the 70s, we took all these great bands for granted. Looking back, the depth and breadth of talent was simply amazing.
Something was sure stirring in those days, lots of great stuff since but damn, the 70 to 78 or so period produced the best music that will ever be
@@haroldburrows4770 Pure Truth
Don’t think the creativity has gone away, it just exists in other forms of music, check out Jacob Collier for someone who is crazy talented (and depressingly young!) or Akala, there is still great music out there, and it’s more accessible than ever!
Hard to appreciate at age 16 but yes, you're right.
I agree, Jethro Tull was a.m. radio in my car on the way to work. Catchy tunes that I never stopped to appreciate. My brother was the only one in my family that went and saw Jethro Tull in concert...he reminded told me over the years how much I missed .
Jethro Tull were like amazing medieval troubadours who somehow landed in the 20th century and went electric. Thick as a Brick - an incredible masterpiece!
"Thick As A Brick" is a deliberate over the top and overly pretentious "prog" concept record with heavy handed lyrics and corny themes. ....oh yeah, and it is a complete and utter masterpiece. One of the best sounding and perfectly executed records of the 1970s.
Pseudo-sophomoric brilliance.
Also, the album cover was great. A newspaper with nonsense articles about emperor penguins and the “best of the last ten years’ weather”.
Prog doesnt get much better than this. Sadly the Brilliance of Tull got lost and new generations of prog bands dont care about Tull. The Blues runs in the blood of this guys.
@@jerrylev59 Your characterization "pseudo-sophomoric" is spot on.
TAAB is a serious piece of music and lyricism-its piecemeal method of composition notwithstanding-masquerading as a joke, while A Passion Play is a spoof masquerading as the more somber effort. Its delve into "serious" questions about the afterlife is an inherently unanswerable quest that's been addressed _ad nauseum,_ since time immemorial. Its more-scholarly references to religion and literature do little more than underscore its unoriginality compared to TAAB.
The themes addressed in TAAB (such as our right brain/left brain, liberal/conservative, thinker/doer, etc. conflicts) have very real, down-to-earth consequences that are often overlooked despite being felt by every generation. The overarching theme of TAAB, for those who must have one, might be posed as "the getting of wisdom": growing up, wising up, and the price paid for doing so.
The gloomy minor-key "Clear White Circles" exposition that commences about 4 minutes into side 2 and culminates with "Do you? Believe in the day!" is possibly the most incredible, insightful thing Ian's ever written, and the band's ever done. "And fully pregnant with the day, wise men endorse the poet's sight," indeed. Deep, yet with a winking, egoistic nod to himself...as always.
That's not to say that TAAB wasn't _spoofy._ One look at the "newspaper" upon opening it made clear that the boys were in a jocular mood, and making fun of a lot of things-including their audience. But just because they were didn't mean they weren't dead serious about the content of the record contained within. Saying they weren't is like believing Google wasn't a serious company with serious intentions because it had play areas for its employees and let them horse around at will. On the contrary, it was when they did those things that Google had its highest prowess and proficiency. Same with the band: this was its most productive era.
Don't let things in TAAB like references to comic book heroes in politics fool you. Anyone alive then could recognize its pointed comments, such as about Americans and their idiotic insistence that their system was unbeatable and their elected officials some kind of idyllic figures. And people think this is just a spoof, reflective only of the times during which it was written and released? Hah!
I saw the band during this tour (Too Old To Rock'n'Roll) as well as the original TAAB and ensuing tours. I thought it a low point, as it relied on little more than Tullovision for the "lots of extras" one had come to expect from Tull. The band was, of course, tight and professional as ever...but clearly beginning to age.
craigdamage The live production of that tour was breakthrough cutting edge technology. Video cubes hanging from the roof and the lighting picked up every bit of counterpoint and song change.
To me Jethro Tull represents the British folk-rock music at its best.
Teacher. Inside.
I saw them in Chicago when they were touring Thick As A Brick, which was new and I'd never heard, and I was waiting for Aqualung hee hee hee. You Kan, guru. The album cover was clever. I'm autistic and that was my way of connecting with the outside world.
They don't mak'em like that anymore.... :(
Tull was more folk-Progressive Rock! Ian Anderson is the greatest all-around Rock musician/composer/performer of all time!
I still love Tulls Music
The greatest Rock and Roll HOF snub is Jethro Tull. Not even close
Alright Fil you've hit upon my favorite performance group. As I've mentioned before I partly designed their lighting system including the first lighting computer used for Rock and for Touring. I spent 2 weeks on my back redoing cables because I'd designed the connectors to a US Military standard Mil Spec. Not knowing our British light equipment manufacturers had done theirs in Metric....oh boy. The whole time the band was working up the show. For fun Ian would stand over me picking his nose...to annoy and help my confusion at my work. But at his work the Head Master was all work. He choreographed the show in every way. He had me design a Parabolic strobe light so with all lights off, he could jump up as he played his flute, the sensors would setoff and present a "flash photographic " image that would burn into the audiences retinas for an instant. He did that for an entire interlude. It was quite mad..and brilliant. He is in my mind the hardest working lead artist of all times. I saw several nights of that tour from the Board while supervising the lighting crew. Unforgettable. I saw Jethro Tull and Ian alone maybe 15+ times. Never, ever getting tired of it.
I remember the strobe shot during the kick into Locomotive Breath after the opening piano section.
kurtisle wow! How cool is that! Thanks for sharing!
I am pretty sure I remember that very effect from 1978 Bursting Out Tour, first time 16 year old me saw them. Love your recollection, sir. Great work.
Dang! I'm so jealous! You are soooo lucky to have experienced that.
Fascinating! Ian guested on our new record, wanted no reward or thanks. We asked and he just did it because it was a nice thing to do - absolute gentleman.
I literally played the grooves off of this album. My middle son asked me to take him to see Jethro Tull for his 6th birthday. All these years later we still have at great musical bond.
It was both of my son's early experience with music. In fact, my older son has all of his music. Their friends were all into Disturbed and Slipknot.
From the first time I heard Jethro Tull, being about 14 in the mid 70's, I have loved them for one reason; from the music to the theatrics to the facial expressions, Ian is the travelling minstrel telling stories to amaze the children of the village. It's as if they came 500 years into the future and said "Electricity... Fantastic!"
I’ve felt exactly the same for nearly 50 years!
I saw Jethro Tull perform Warchild c. 1974. I was 14. My first rock concert ever. I knew it was awesome. It took me a few more rock concerts to understand just exactly was special they are/were.
@David Coleman I couldn’t have put it better myself, that’s 100% Spot on👍
Let's not forget Barriemore Barlow, a genius drummer in my opinion
Possibly the greatest drummer ever. Unbelievable talent.
YES!!!!!!!!
@@garrondury7167 He's right up there, no doubt! Glenn Cornick was a great bass plater too!
He was a drummers drummer.
@@russejonesThought that was Clive Bunker...!😅
Ian is one of the best frontmen, fantastic performance!! Thick As a Brick is a phenomenal prog record!! I love the album cover😂 Martin Barre is one my favorite guitarists🤘🏻
Ditto.
Jazz Cat jjjjujjjj
Warren552011 You know your good when Mr. Blackmore gives you the nod!!🤘🏻
Like me, did you join the dots in the 'newspaper' the album was wrapped in?
Robert Parums lol, I did but cannot longer remember what came out of it. I guess either total nonsense or a penguin?
My all time favorite band! Thank you for covering them. Why they’re not in the RRHOF boggles the mind!
And Steppenwolf
Ian Anderson, THE GREATEST ROCK PERFORMER OF ALL TIME. NO ONE COMES CLOSE
...TRUE!!!
I may be old, but I got to see all the good bands.
Ian and Jethro Tull are now and have always been my favorite band to see live. 13 times and it never got old. However, there are some others who are pretty special on stage or were as well. Freddie Mercury was one of those special performers as well.
Saw Tull (War Child and Too Old tours). Classic line up. Ian had incredible charisma and KNEW how to work the audience. The audience quietly awaited his every move. Bono has it. So, surprisingly enough, does Willie Nelson. Been to dozens of concerts. Those three had the strongest rapport. Many Springsteen fans tell me he had the same sort of rapport. Very few have it.
I first saw Jethro Tull in 1970
at the Strawberry Fields Festival in Toronto. After they finished, I ask my friends , what did we just see and hear? I'm 71 now and still enjoy hearing and remembering.
The only thing I can say about Jethro Tull. ( They are in their own category) Can't be compared to any other Band! Plus Ian Anderson is the greatest front person from any Band!
It's cool seeing a youngster like Fil enjoying Jethro Tull's incredible music. I was so fortunate to grow up in the 70s and experience so much great music of that era when it was new. Jethro Tull, Zeppelin, Bad Company, Heart....too many to list. And back then the radio stations would play deep album cuts. It a shame what radio has evolved into....Corporate Rock.
It's just cool that people like my man Fil can appreciate that era of music the way we all did back then.
Nice job, Fil.
Cheers amigo!
Radio station WQUT, in the 70's, would play entire album sides. Sometimes youd just hear silence and the needle bouncing of the label because DJ would be outside smoking pot!!
Must look up the Tennessee Midnight Rambler...crazy DJ on some weekends who became nationally known. Pure hard RnR! I loved that decade.
sheepishly resubscibing
Thanks Marco!
Radio stations back in the 70s were independent so they could play whatever they wanted.
Marco Polo Cool comment. I also enjoyed christian bands such as Petra, The Resurrection Band, The Glen Kaiser Blues Band, White Cross, Guardian and a few others. Unfortunately the music of these bands was awesome but never got airplay on secular nor christian radio with the exception of a few stations that were mostly underground. I know good music when I hear it. Love Jethro Tull and his style on the flute was his own.
Yes I agree very much.
I saw them in the 70's with Captain Beefhart as the opening act. Between the two, the roadies. dressed in Trench coats and hats, set up the equipment. A lot of activity by those guys, but what really floored everyone, was the roadies removed their coats and began play. Cute trick.
I saw this lineup, I think in Fayetteville, NC, and it was an absolutely incredible concert. I remembered Captain Beefhart but forgot that he opened for Jethro Tull. Saw Jethro Tull three or four times and each concert was different and a force of nature.
Yep, I remember that with the roadies. Seems like they had a light flash too. The crowd went nuts.
Captain Beefhart: Hey Babe, ya wanna boogie? Boogie woogie woogie with me-e-e!
One of the tightest bands of all time. When they weren’t touring their 8 hour job was rehearsing. Barriemore Barlow, one of the greatest drummers of the classic rock era.
:Barriemore Barlow, one of the greatest drummers of the classic rock era.?!! Ah, Ginger Baker!!!
@@falungongboy BB was technically better, more creative and not addicted to opiates-Which probably explains his technical capability and creativity.
Neil Peart the greatest drummer of the classic rock era .
Love this.. Ian is a superb lyricist, writer and musician. I've had the privilege to see Jethro Tull more than a few times over the years. It's a shame his voice left him in the 80's, but prior to that I don't think there was a better live band. The humour was absolutely spot on and the performances were amazing.
I first saw Jethro Tull perform TAAB live 1972 in Chicago, which was also the first real stadium concert I had ever attended. (Opening act was Gentle Giant!). To me, at age 19, this was never a parody of anything... just an amazingly beautiful and complex piece of music performed to perfection. I’d grown up listening to “This Was”, “Stand Up”, “Benefit”, then “Aqualung”. All uniquely beautiful in their own right. But “Thick As A Brick”... breathtakingly beautiful, sad, joyful, amazingly complex... and to see and hear this performance live, is indescribable. Ian racing around the stage, throwing his flute 20’ into the air... only to catch it on the fly and break into a solo without missing a beat. Just amazing music and equally amazing performances. This performance set the bar VERY, VERY high for any future live stadium concerts I’ve ever attended. The musicianship of Jethro Tull... Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, John Evan, Jeffrey Hammond and Barriemore Barlow was breathtaking. The Gerald Bostock newspaper “parody” aspect was just icing on the cake for the album. But to hear... and SEE this performed live was to genuinely witness geniuses at work.
Every musician that ever played in Jethro Tull were exceptional at what they did, it's the only way their lives shows could have worked ! Ian Anderson is such a perfectionist that he put heavy expectations on the others who worked with him. He's the best frontman in rock n' roll history.
When I was in school, a boy bought me this album, (it opens up like a newspaper,) introducing me to Jethro Tull. Since then, they have remained one of my favorite bands. I wish you could have seen them LIVE , back then, Fil, because those concerts, to me, remain to be the best I've ever seen. Musical magicians, they were. I hope some day you will give us your take on their performance at the Isle of Wight concert in 1970. Their performance of "My God," is a masterpiece.
Genius album! I listened to it over & over back in 72. To this day I can still sing it through. Never forgot it. Ah to be 16 again! Thanks for analysing it.
Me too lol
My daughter Beth could sing along, accurately, when she was 5.
lol Me too, the words and instruments.
The music and lyrics are ingrained in my brain!
I was 21 when I saw them perform TAAB in 1972, I then listened to.the album many times until I finally stopped listening to JT a couple years later. Now I’m 70 listening to it for the first time since back then and my old brain still knows exactly (or almost) what is going to happen next before the next bit actually starts to play. I think that’s quite extraordinary considering the album is over 40 mins long. For me it’s proof that TAAB is an extraordinary album by a wonderfully talented Ian Anderson and band
Ian is a genius in IMHO. Odd time signatures and keys throughout his songwriting career. Doesn't actually read music. Martin Barre is a VASTLY underrated guitarist. John Evan added so much on the keyboards. All through the band changes, those 3 held the JT sound together over the years. Funny aside. It wasn't until Ian's daughter took up the flute that he realized he had been playing it all wrong. He actually relearned how to play late in life. Saw them many times over the years. Another thing. Ian and the boys in the band were straight for the most part, no drugs even during the crazy stage show days. He used to joke that they'd play a few hours on stage and be comfortably in bed by 11 or 12.
Thanks teach
Geezer Butler of Sabbath said he liked hashish . But agreed it made him sleepy !
The solo on Aqualung was just terrific. Barre is just terrific. They were all terrific.
I could never understand how people who make music their careers don't learn to read music. I don't mean to be able to look at a sheet of music and be able to play it in real time, but just be able to look at it and be able to figure out the piece. I had a piano in my house and the beginners books made you learn the basics. Of course when you have a piano teacher, they all read and teach reading music. Guitar is weird, because people just pick it up on their own and I've seen people giving lessons who can't read music.
@@rickjason215 If you were to read sheet music while playing guitar you'd have to question where on the neck do I want to play this note. It isn't like other instruments. That's not an excuse to not learn. I picture the notes of the piano keyboard when reading before transposing to guitar.
OMG I love JT, imagine playing this stuff live with such ease - let alone composing and arranging the songs in the first place. Real talent and a boatload of hard work
There was no one remotely close to Ian and Tull in the 70's! One of my all time favorites. Incredible creative genius and outstanding stage performance. I've seen many groups, but I saw Tull in 1974 in San Antonio Texas, and I've never seen anything close since. Completely blew me away. Spectacularly tight and so well rehearsed! If this world survives, this music will be the classical stuff that is listened to in the future centuries!
I am SOOOOO glad you covered my favorite band! The songs he writes are pure poetry!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mate, it's a pure joy watching all your videos which are ABSOLUTE SPOT ON!!! Take care mate!!!
The most unique front man in Rock history.
Unique and completely entertaining not to mention his amazing musical talent and flair for poetry. I'm proud to have the same surname!
I personally see the so called Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, as a huge joke, its run by people who, seemingly know Little if anything about Rock & the bands/artists that made such great music, sold millions of albums, played to huge arena crowds, etc. I knew it was a joke when the "president" of the HoF, said Robert Plant was mimicking Janis Jopiln. I'm a huge fan of Janis, but for any one to say that, shows they're not REALLY informed at all. Oh well. One need only look at the number of great bands that haven't been inducted, to know it's a commercial venture, not a true HoF. IMO
You poor old Sod. You see its only. Me... What a great performer...
Great band behind him too..
Aqualung my friend ... One of the greatest of all time...
I thought he had gone to a prestigious music school .. And he said to a professor that he was going to make some money at. A bar gig... The professor admonished him.. So he showed the professor and quit the school... The rest is history.... He can really shred the flute... Talking thru it... We love him...
Thanks teach...
@@kensod6034 Ian Anderson has always been one if my faves. That guy makes the flute one if the coolest instruments ever.
Definitely one of my favorite Alanna.. Showmanship .. Timing... Hall of famer...
Can we also remember that the categorizations came later. When living at the time, it was all rock. The Allman Brothers had a "sound". It was their sound. Classifying them as "Southern Rock" came later. Jethro Tull had a sound. The Who had a sound. Steppenwolf had a sound. The identity of each group was "their" sound. Fitting them in a nice box, i.e., category, came later. There is a lot of revisionism that goes on when talking about music at that time. Most people who lived back then, just remembered them as great Rock 'n Roll bands.
Thanks Fil. And thanks for the shout out to Martin. Truly one of the most underated great guitar players. I mean what guitar player didn't learn Aqualung. Hard to believe they're not in the R&RHOF
Locomotive Breath mandatory acoustic guitar lick !
I've been thinking the same thing for years. So many sucky bands have been inducted into the R&RHOF, and didn't deserve it, yet Tull is a band who more than deserves to be in there. I wonder how this could be made to happen for them for real.
I'm glad they aren't in the rrhof. It would lump them in with people like Janet Jackson. I mean let's get serious here.
Ian Anderson is a musical genius, able to pick up instruments like the flute and play so well, great songwriter and composer, an excellent guitarist and also playing intricately and singing so well at the same time, brilliance.
Ian is such an entertainer, superb musician and smart ass all rolled up in one.. Loved thick as a brick ever since it came out when I was 7 years old.
I got to hang with J.T. at the Forum and drink Moet with them and they were really cool ! Especially Martin Barre and Barrymore Barlow.I spilled my drink on his shoes and he just laughed it off !
back when long years of playing together and sheer talent throughout actually counted for something - my favourite line up - thanks
I love that keyboard player grinning like a possum when the camera goes to him.
John Evan, Just fit in with the whole band persona
Brick was a great album. John Glascock stands out with Tull - a brilliant bassist - RIP. Fab video - well done!
60+ million albums sold. One if the biggest concert draws of the 70s, one of the best front man, totally unique music etc... and yet not in the R and R hall. ABSURD!
don't worry..he will..they let just about any musicians/bands in there.
@@mevrammcoyoteV8f150 So you're saying Jethro Tull is just any band? Never mind I get what you're saying but I don't think they'll ever get in. I agree though there are plenty of artists whose body if work don't deserve it. I mean really, Pearl Jam but not Alice in chains or Joan Jett but not the Pretenders etc...
@@mikesimonian484 what I have seen is that the rock n roll hall of fame is pretty political ..grammies not much respected anymore by the vast musicians in the U.S. who load up their gear every night and travel around to thousands of venues .
@@mevrammcoyoteV8f150 All awards are nonsense but especially music, which is so subjective.
👍
This is the best video you have ever done!! Analysing such a great composition by a fantastic band that was so integral to my high school days back in the 70s is commendable. 😀
They've had excellent music across the entire time, but the TaaB to Stormwatch period is my favorite. Such a great blend of folk, classical, rock, blues, etc. with impeccable execution and generally excellent lyrical qualities. Ian Anderson knew (knows) exactly how to use what makes his voice so unique, as well. One of my favorites.
The greatest rock band of all time, well them and YES!
Let's not forget E.L.P.....!
Fil on Point again with one of my favorite classic rock bands two bands who made the flute very profound Jethro Tull and Marshall Tucker Band thanks again Fil
I'm a license plate pressing dude hunter
don't forget Ron Burgundy
Don't forget the Moody Blues.
@@kevingrady8736 Don't forget that just having an unusual instrument for a rock band doesn't make you great or innovative. Ian Anderson used the flute in a way that was completely unique. Just because a few other rock bands used it doesn't mean they're in the same ballpark; none of them are.
The Moody Blues are to Ian Anderson and Tull, what Kenny G is to John Coltrane; a speck of nothing.
@@Gregorypeckory I agree that Ian Anderson Plays the flute in a unique way however that doesn't make him so much better, it's just differences in opinion.
Love love love Jethro Tull! Thank you for this, Thick as a Brick is one of my favorite albums! First time I ever heard them was live in concert doing Aqualung - 1971. I only went cos some friends were going, omg what an experience!
Saw these guys twice in the early 90's , incredible musicians, great show, good memories, thanks Fil...
I saw them in 72 and 77 in Portland Oregon.
thank you so much Fil for this fantastic video. I just watched it for the 2nd time this week, and have been watching other videos on yt as well. They were one of my favorite bands in the early 70's, and it reminded me of how much I loved their music. I have been listening to them quite a bit this week, and various songs keep popping into my head throughout the day (and night). I also picked up the Very Best of Jethro Tull cd, and have been playing that constantly. I think they were one of the best bands of that time period, and it stands up just as well today, as back then.
I like your pleased with it look. Ian Anderson put out some of the most superb music since who can remember, without being glib or trite.
I attended dozens and dozens of concerts back in the 1970s and Tull's performance of Thick as a Brick in 1972 was by far the best. They came on stage like complete goofballs and proceeded to blow the roof off of the Seattle Center coliseum. I've never seen anything like it, the bands show that night remains one of my favorite memories from my youth.
Matt Bush And now for our second number..... blown away.
Ditto , Matt . I saw Tull back in '73 ( ? ) in Philly and it still ranks as my favorite Arena Concert ever ! One question though , did you ever become a Gentle Giant fan ?
I saw this concert at Madison Square Garden. It is still one of my favorite concerts too. I was 20 years old and I loved that it was a play inside of a concert. Got to talk to him once. He really is a wonderful man.
Awesome first rock concert, so technically GT was my first live rock band. Lord, it was a mesmerizing show at the Baltimore Civic Center in 1972.
Thick As A Brick was one of my favorite albums. I didn't realize it was a parody but that makes sense, especially since I've long been a Monty Python fan. Great Job!
I wish I knew somebody who liked to talk about music as intelligently as you do, Fil. Love this channel.
Jethro Tull is one of my first favorites all the way back to elementary school in the '70s. Ian's acoustic work is some of the best guitar I've ever heard and it's found throughout Thick as a Brick.
Thanks for this video.
Ian Anderson might not be Eric Clapton, but he's my all-time favorite acoustic guitar player. Just love that tone.
Thank god he isnt !!!
Give me tull over crapton anyday
YES!!!!! Nobody ever quite got that same sound from the acoustic guitar that he did! It's like Angels were dancing on the strings!
As a man in his 60s who grew up with this band, I was looking more at your smiling reaction..so glad they still can have an impact on people.
Such an intensely rich and deeply layered performance. Overwhelming to try and take it all in at once. Thanks Fil this is one of my favorites.
This is your best review yet..... Have followed Ian since he started...... Denton TX
This was from concert in Tampa, Florida 1976! I was there!! What a great show that was!!!
Ian ruined me for playing the flute. Back then we didn't have the internet and I never got to see them live, but had every album. I couldn't replicate the sound Ian was getting from his flute. Years later I read an interview where he admitted he didn't know the proper fingering. Aha! That's why I couldn't get "that sound". No one could. With proper fingering, you can hit the same notes, but not the same timbre. Ah well, a self taught genius is a genius still. Great job Ian, you're still the best
Instead of blowing "tuu-u-u into the flute, which is what was taught back then, Ian Andersen used his voice to modulate the sound to incredible effect!
I'm going to keep this simple. There is no other band like Tull. They are the top of the heap when it comes to musicianship, entertainment, melodies and lyrics. They had some to the greatest instrumentalists who sadly never got proper recognition, though being vastly superiour to other popular musicians. Barre, Evens and Barlowe... all masters and of course Ian. Who is one of the greatest acoustic guitarist in the rock era. No one talks about this because of his " Other " Instrument. Great vid thank you.
Yes! I have said the same for many, many years! I love Ian’s acoustic guitar playing! He often disparages it, but he’s full of beans! His guitar playing is top shelf!!
I have been a Jethro fan for many years...and you just gave me a plethora of information that I had not heard before. That's why I love your analyses ..keep on doi'n that thing ..You do so well !
One of my main influences as a performer. Saw it in 72, in Florida, Bayfront Center. From my vantage point I could see that when he left stage two guys threw him in a chair and slapped an oxygen mask on him. Huffing and puffing. When he returned to the stage, they stood him up and he bounded out. Renewed with vigor.. He did most of the show on 1 leg. I was enraptured. Post show I was hitch hiking home. A limo pulled up. I got in. Martin Barre, Clive Bunker and a bevy of girls. All dressed circa 1972 They asked me if I enjoyed the show.. I answered yes. I was 15 years old. They asked me if I wanted to accompany them to the next gig in Daytona. I politely declined for 2 reasons. 1) I was very high. 2) I was overwhelmed by the entire night and situation. They dropped me off off at my buddies house. I thanked them and they drove off. That night changed my life. So you see, Fil, that was what I meant when I said the rock scene available if you wanted to do it back in the old school days. I graduated, did college for 1 year and started touring 6 years later. BTW, that's the same venue I saw Deep Purple do Machine Head. 3 row. I told you I was born under a lucky star. Take care. David from Florida 😎✌️
You must have been VERY high.
@@deniselewandowski5274 Indeed I was and loving every minute of it.😉
awesome story
I've probably listened to Jethro Tull longer than you've been alive Fil , but that doesn't mean I can't learn from you. Your videos are so good I find myself picking one, and see I've already thumbed it up. Could be those nights I had a few extra pints and forgot I'd already seen it. These days I find I'm not drinking more, but definitely not less either!
You've done it again!
They had ME fooled.
I was a college rock station dj at the time and just thought it was another weird ass concept album.
One night on the 11pm - 3am gig I put Side 1 on for my last song.
Old dj trick gives you a bathroom break plus you put all the albums
yes VINYL
back in the stacks.
Anyway I cut about 15-20 seconds off the end to talk over.
The phone rings. Its a guy stoned out of his mind like Tommy Chong
"Hey MAN!!"
"You didn't play the rest of the SONG man!"
"I'm sorry dude. It was just a couple of seconds"
"No man"
"The other side man."
"The other SIDE!"
My favorite Tull is their 1968 BBC performance of "Stormy Monday"
In fact now that I've recovered from my 70s flashback I'm gonna give it a listen.
Gnite Fil.
UNIQUE!!! UNREACHED!!! Thank you for sharing and analysing this jewel ;-* The best lyricist, writer, troubatour, flutist, melodist, showman, artist, musician of all time!! I never tire to listen to his very special sound.
I was lucky enough to see them live in the 80’s - incredible. Bursting Out has to be one of the best live albums ever.
agreed, may be my favorite. limited edition of it is on sale soon
Your channel is breath of fresh air. Unlike most of the reaction channels (which I know you are not, you analyse rather than react) you are very knowledgeable about music. Props to you.
Ian Anderson is not mentioned nearly enough as a frontman. He's like the Lux Interior of Stonehenge Spinal Tap.
You are the most competent critic I have seen on UA-cam.
Thanks!
My favorite Tull song great pick Fil. Oh and btw I have this on 8 track stored away, it was passed down to me by my older cousin.
I have been a Jethro Tull fan since about 1970.... for many years I have proclaimed that Aqualung is best complete album of all time!!!! His earlier songs blended more of the Gallic flavor... I loved them all.....I listen Tull almost every day in my car. Brick is one of the great spoof albums..I agree.😃😃
I remember wearing out the 8 track for Aqualung.
It was lime green...the first one.
Love Ian Anderson,such a one off,and a great musician/entertainer, Ian was a great player ,but decided to play the flute ,because no one else was doing it,and such a performer, a national treasure!
I remember listening to my albums as a kid. Just listening and looking at the album covers for hours at a time. Boy how times have changed! Thanks Fil!😎✌
Nice to see Phil smile so genuinely!! Rightly so Jethro Tull are like pure oxygen in an otherwise helium and hydrogen suffocated world
I LOVE that you were smiling as you watched! Jethro Tull was an incredible band.
Tull was probably in the top 3 live acts I ever saw and I have a shoe box packed with concert ticket stubs. Often misunderstood on this side of the pond, but I can't emphasize how underrated all of them were. Especially Martin Barre. Their album catalog is as diverse as any of the supergroups normally discussed in prog music circles and equal to the very best output by Yes, King Crimson, ELP, and Rush. Virtuosos.
I have always said Ian Anderson was one of the top 4 or 5 front men in the industry. Absolutely dynamic and theatrical performer! I think Emerson, Lake and Palmer during that era were another band that carved out their very own niche similar to Jethro Tull's unique sound.
Jethro Tull is the best Rock n' Roll band in history.
I think what I like most about your videos is that you always smile, and clearly enjoy the music you're talking about, even though you cover many vastly different styles. You're a music lover, and it shows. You look for the good in all these different styles. You don't just rave about the shredders, or the technicians, or the flash bastards. You get that the guitar is a hell of a flexible beast, and can be used to great effect in so many different ways. That's refreshing.
Great post...saw this tour at Shea Stadium in NY...Tull was incredible and the openers were Robin Trower and Rory Gallagher!
Trower is so awesome live! ✌🏼
They had the closed circuit camera and screens and called it 'Tullivision'...I remember the crowd going nuts when they showed them walking from the dressing room to the stage
Trower, Gallagher, and Jethro Tull in 1 show! Awesome!!! Wish i could have been there!
My absolute favorite band. Great video!
Aqualung is great , probably his best work. But Thick and a Brick is my favorite. I was 16 when it came out and it created quite a divergence in my life. :~)
They teach his flute style in college now and orchestras play his tunes. Ian is an amazing musician.
Met Ian in 1978 at spectrum music in Webster groves Missouri,he was a down to earth singing for his super type, didn't expect you to treat him any different than one your mate's,and how well he performed at his last show,I said you would have been very successful as a minstrel and musician seven hundred years ago,he said thank you very much and meant it sincerely 😀winked like that's promo for the last album..😒
You just brought back memories as a teenager in the early 80s listening to Tull on cassette in a boom box on a corner in the Bronx at night drinking beer and smoking funny cigarettes.
Jethro Tull - Aqualung/Thick as a Brick Tour in 1972 was my 1st concert. I was 14 and it was at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City. My older brother wasn't thrilled with having to drag me along.
Thanks man. Love the way you break it down. This is from my era and I always loved Tull's work.
Such a unique artist! I for one am not butt-hurt that JT beat Metallica for a Grammy
So much iconic material on TAAB ! Seen live at age 14. Once in a lifetime … and yes, Ian is a fine acoustic player.
I just love Ian Anderson. His tone is so enjoyable and always draw me in. I also love the instrumentality of Jethro Tull, its variety of sounds. Really, in terms of distinctiveness, they stand alone. Great video choice, Fil. Thank you.
Ah Fil you went and done it now man ... made me take another trip in the Wayback machine. This same tour of 76 he graced Fort Worth Texas with his presence. I will never forget it. He came traipsing out on the stage wearing an oversized codpiece that had a hole in it with his flute stuck in it as he held on to it with his right hand. Between sets he would put it back in the hole.
Absolutely adore this man.
It's so fun to watch Fil's reactions to these classic greats. It does my heart good to see a younger person appreciating the best music ever. 😊😁
Cut my teeth the band's in The sevevties, zepp, sabbath, trower, mountain, Allman bros, Neal young, all the best!
The talent at that time was sureal.
Trower at the tower theater with power...
Thank you Fil! I've listened to this album for 40 years and was lucky enough to see them live once. Yet you gave me so much more info! As always great review of styles, composition and instrumentation.
Genesis w/ Peter Gabriel was another great prog band that was awesome on stage, especially when Gabriel put on all those weird costumes during a song!
Ian Anderson.. The greatest entertainer of my generation.. I've been blessed to see the "One Legged Flautist " on three different occasions.. I love your channel, young man!! Kudos to you on your excellent taste in music!!
Yes..he does talk like you..Hahaha I totally love the way you break everything down for us. Btw..Love your accent! My great grandparents had the same accent 💙
Appreciate you featuring my favorite band of all time. Can't even tell you how many times I listened to this when I was younger. It's pure brilliance. I've always wondered what he used to inspire all the parts of this song each day they moved it forward. And there is no comparison to the album cover. Best of all time!
I service brass and woodwind instruments for a living. I enjoy listening to Tull well enough...but watching...to quote Moe Howard: “My nerves, my nerves!” I’m just waiting for that flute to go flying!
Probably it went flying at some point! Ian Anderson wrote about his gig instruments, "I used to travel with a case of about 12 of them to get through a long US tour and they had bits missing, dents, ingrained dirt and were a biological hazard to anyone who touched them."
Sasha Mäkilä, lol. I wonder if there’s anybody out there with a piece of a flute as a concert memento?
My band plays a cover of Locomotive Breath, it's an honor covering their brilliance.
Ian anderson is a great guitarist i saw tull twice. The left side of the stage lost power he got two mics from the right side and a stool sat down with his acoustic didn't miss a beat
You could well imagine him as a court jester in the days of yore.
You mean troubadour
@@aliciasciarrillo1022 I imagine the person meant what they said. YOU mean troubadour.
bIg HilL YESSSSS!!! or ye olde Renaissance faire
Ian Anderson is all of those, the Court Jester a troubadour, and of course the minstrel in the gallery!
@@Gregorypeckory Ha ha. I agree.
Great way to end a Tuesday night. Thank you, Fil!
One of the greatest pieces of music ever written. And a very talented line-up performing here.
I couldnt even begin to describe this bands overwhelming talents. Ian Andersons VOICE is so iconic that its enough in itself. The extraordinary Flute playing was almost too much for the audience to fully grasp the talents of everything else the band had to offer. The Baroque rock theatre blues band is the only way i could describe them. I saw this band in the 70s and your analysis clarifies things i didnt even realize were happening.
Ian Anderson was Knighted by the Queen for his contributions to music, and his philanthropy in employing virtually all the people in a small Scottish village, … on his ‘Salmon Ranching’ farm. His Salmon Ranch grew and was valued at over $10 million, before he sold parts off.