Jethro Tull has to be one of the strangest bands to ever become successful. They mixed rock, folk, blues, jazz, and classical music, with Ian Anderson standing on one leg playing the flute. Somehow it all worked.
They were certainly an album band, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t be catchy. Songs like Living in the Past, Teacher, Aqualung and Locomotive Breath could stick in your head with the best of them. Even when they stretched a song across an entire album, they didn’t forget about melody.
That brings me to Thick as a Brick. After Aqualung was released in 1971, some critics called it a concept album. Ian Anderson has said that wasn’t really what the band intended. So for the next album he decided to take the idea to an absurd extreme. If people wanted a concept album, Jethro Tull would give them one.
Thick as a Brick was released in 1972 and consisted of one continuous piece of music lasting more than 40 minutes. Obviously, an LP had two sides, so the song had to be divided between them. The original album was even packaged like a small-town British newspaper called The St. Cleve Chronicle and Linwell Advertiser.
Then there was Gerald Bostock. The lyrics were presented as a poem written by an eight-year-old boy named Gerald Bostock, who was completely fictional. It was all part of Anderson’s joke. They took the idea of the serious progressive-rock concept album and pushed it about as far as they possibly could.
The funny thing is that the joke produced some seriously good music. The album constantly changes. There are acoustic passages, hard rock, flute, keyboards and odd time signatures. It can become complicated and then suddenly return to something incredibly melodic. The opening acoustic section is the part I always remember. You don’t have to sit down with a calculator and work out the time signatures to enjoy it. The melody sticks with you.
The band at this point was Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, John Evans, Jeffrey Hammond and Barriemore Barlow. Anderson wrote the music and lyrics, although the lyrics were originally credited to our eight-year-old friend Gerald Bostock.
For something created partly as a parody of overly serious concept albums, Thick as a Brick did remarkably well. It reached number one on the American album chart.
Think about that for a second. A band featuring a flute player standing on one leg released an album containing one song that lasted nearly 45 minutes, based around a poem supposedly written by a fictional eight-year-old boy, and America made it the number one album.
The seventies were wonderful. Jethro Tull could be complicated, strange, and sometimes completely over the top. That’s part of what makes them interesting. But underneath all of that, Ian Anderson could write melodies.
That’s what keeps Thick as a Brick from becoming a musical homework assignment for me. It wanders all over the place, but there are sections that grab you immediately. I’m not going to pretend that every time I want to hear the song Thick as a Brick that I have 40-plus minutes available. Sometimes I just want that opening section.
But once it starts, it’s awfully hard to stop. I’m not a huge progressive rock fan. Sometimes I’ve heard bands change time signatures seemingly just because they could. I never get that feeling with Thick as a Brick. The changes seem to have a purpose. Underneath all of the progressive rock, odd time signatures and Ian Anderson’s flute, there are some real pop sensibilities. There are melodies here that stick with you.
One Note: Later CD and digital releases can make Thick as a Brick look like it contains a number of individual tracks or sections. Those divisions were added to make the music easier to navigate in the digital age. The original idea hasn’t changed. It is still one continuous composition, originally divided only by the necessity of flipping the LP over. So if your CD or streaming service shows a list of titles or sections, don’t worry, we haven’t suddenly discovered a bunch of missing Jethro Tull songs.
Thick As A Brick
See there, a man was born and we pronounce him fit for peace
There’s a load lifted from his shoulders with the discovery of his disease
We’ll take the child from him, put it to the test
Teach it to be a wise man, how to fool the rest
We will be geared to the average rather than the exceptional
God is an overwhelming responsibility
Oh, fluffy duck
We walked through the maternity ward and saw two hundred and eighteen babies wearing nylons
It says here that cats are on the upgrade (upgrade?)
Hipgrave, downgrades are rare, it’s got that fat and old cat
In the clear white circles of morning wonder, I take my place with the lord of the hills
And the blue-eyed soldiers stand slightly discoloured
In neat little rows sporting canvas frills
With their jockstraps pinching, they slouch to attention
Whilst queueing for sarnies at the office canteen
Saying “how’s your granny?” and good old Ernie
Coughed up a tenner on a premium bond win
The legends worded in
The ancient tribal hymn
Lie cradled in the seagull’s call
And all the promises they made are ground beneath the sadist’s fall
The poet and the wise man stand behind the gun, behind the gun
And signal for the crack of dawn, light the sun, light the sun
Do you believe in the day?
Do you believe in the day?
The dawn creation of the kings has begun, has begun
Soft Venus, lovely maiden brings the ageless one, the ageless one
Do you believe in the day?
Do you believe in the day?
The fading hero has returned to the night, to the night
And fully pregnant with the day, with the day, wise men endorse the poet’s sight
Do you believe in the day?
Do you believe in the day?
Let me tell you the tales of your life
Of your love and the cut of the knife
The tireless oppression, the wisdom instilled
The desire to kill or be killed
Well, let me sing of the losers who lie
In the street as the last bus goes by
The pavements ar empty, the gutters run red while the fool toasts his god in the sky
So come all ye young men who are building castles!
Kindly state the time of the year
And join your voices in a hellish chorus
Mark the precise nature of your fear
Let me help you pick up your dead
As the sins of the father are fed
With the blood of the fools and the thoughts of the wise
And from the pan under your bed
Well, let me make you a present of song
As the wise man breaks wind and is gone
While the fool with the hour-glass is cooking his goose and the nursery rhyme winds along
So come all ye young men who are building castles
Kindly state the time of the year
And join your voices in a hellish chorus
Mark the precise nature of your fear
See the summer lightning casts its bolts upon you
And the hour of judgement draweth near
Would you be the fool stood in his suit of armour or the wiser man who rushes clear?
So, come on ye childhood heroes!
Won’t your rise up from the pages of your comic-books, your super-crooks
And show us all the way?
Well, make your will and testament
Won’t you join your local government?
We’ll have Superman for president
Let Robin save the day
So where the hell was Biggles when you needed him last Saturday?
And where were all the sportsmen who always pulled you through?
They’re all resting down in Cornwall writing up their memoirs
For a paper-back edition of the Boy Scout Manual
So you ride yourselves over the fields
And you make all your animal deals
And your wise men don’t know how it feels
To be thick as a brick, yeah
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You’re a musician so certainly more qualified to take a critical look at this album than me. I suppose artistically I get it, kinda shocked the record label went for it. A great album side for the overnight DJ back in the day. You could take a lunch break during this one!
Yea…I couldn’t listen to it every day…but the story makes this album even more interesting.
God, I loved this band – who else can record a Rahsaan Roland Kirk tune and follow it up with J.S. Bach? And, while other rock bands have successfully used flute, who else is led by flute? (The nearest analog I can think of is Traffic, also drawing on English folk, jazz, and flute.)
While normally I want to hear music, not “see a show”, I’ll admit that Ian Anderson puts on a pretty entertaining show – incredible balance as he stands on one foot, wearing riding breeches, playing virtuosically, and dancing like a madman.
I got to see the Thick as a Brick show free, working for Acid Rescue and required to stay near the stage for emergencies (which did not arise).
I agree with you…just watching him is entertaining in itself. There is nothing really like them, at least that I’ve heard. They were the complete package as far sound and sight…and I think the difference with “see a show” with them…is that it was natural…not forced.
When you said Acid Rescue… I read where Keith Moon’s handler once called them at a concert, they weren’t there…a doctor in a Grateful Dead t-shirt showed up… when someone spiked Keith’s drink with tranqulizers. They ended up giving Keith a shot in each leg at the same time while he was drumming…the doctor said it had to be at the same time. I always wondered what that was.
I remember the story (and I’ve seen the video) of a kid coming out of the audience to replace Moon during a concert. I don’t know if that’s the same incident you’re talking about – this was at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. I never did understand the appeal of PCP.
Yea…the book his handler wrote was implying it was a different concert…but he could have got 3-4 different situations mixed up. Yea, he talked about PCP in that book at the time…Angel Dust or something like that. Sorry…I didnt’ mean to interview you this morning! This stuff is interesting…. in this story he goes on and plays the rest of the night….but like I said…it could have been Cow Palace and another place thrown together.
Wow, Steve! Tull is on my TMBL. And they are still making new music (but I think Ian is the only original member of the band left.)
My second favourite Jethro Tull album, after Aqualung
Yea that is me as well. I love the story with this Glyn…you want a concept album? Ok…here it is…one continuious song!
Glyn, it is very difficult for me to pick a favorite from their discography. Aqualung is up there.
Wow. That’s incredible! I didn’t know it was one long song nor a parody of pompous prog rock pieces. In Canada, the ‘song’ ‘Thick as a brick’ got played on classic rock stations, but it was about a four minute long edit, apparently. Wasn’t a big fan, outside of ‘Living in the Past’ and ‘Bungle in the Jungle’ but had to admire them for doing things their own way, far removed from the mainstream and winning fans regardless.
It didnt’ hit me either Dave…but I posted the original album from spotify…read the list! Now they call the different sections names…but yes…it IS one long song. Dave, this is the only post I ever done…where I count it in my songs and albums lol.
Yea, only in the 70s would a band like this work…at least at first. They never seem to try to be commercial…but they had some great melodies that were catchy.
I have to admit I never listened to the entire album, and yes I remember the connect the dots picture inside the gatefold album……I didn’t remember the length of it, I can remember listening to Iron Butterfly’s In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, but I think that was only under 20 minutes…and as for flipping that vinyl over, our local radio station CKUA has managed to play that Iron Butterfly album on vinyl as was requested during a pledge drive..so can be done
This was only my second time or so listening to the complete album. It is really good and I do love the story behind it. Yea they probably would line up the B side ready to go when the A side finished for a smooth transition.
I have not listened to this in years, and I forgot how good this sounded.
Yea I wanted to revisit them after seeing someone post them and I marked a reminder for myself….I think it was Lisa but I’m not sure.
Max, I’ve written about their music several times, so may be.
I’m almost positive it was you.
<3
I mostly know Jethro Tull based on the songs that were included on the 1985 collection “Original Masters,” which is a great sampler. “Thick As a Brick” is one of their few albums I previously listened to in their entirely. Given it’s essentially one long divided track, I guess it’s tricky to do otherwise!
Yes…I told Dave…this one fits into my song category AND my album category lol…it was a great listen.
I like musical journeys and get locked in if they deliver. Tull delivers.
This one does deliver no doubt…it takes you on a trip.
I got lost in this stuff. I guess thats the reason I got taken by jazz, first with Mahavishnu, Weather Report. Return to Forever then back to the innovators.
It’s a voyage into the unknown…you never know where it will lead. Like I said in the post…the good stuff has a purpose…and this does…so does Mahavishu…
Max, I have to ask you why, of all of Tull’s albums, you chose this one to review?
I’ve never given it the attention I have their other albums like Aqualung and War Child…plus… to be honest…I love the song Thick As A Brick…and I thought…well heck…I can cover the song AND the album.
Oh, ok, makes sense 🙂
Max, I thought Jethro Tull was always a strange, one-of-a-kind band, but then I read this. The backstory on this song is just wild, and the song itself is a completely unique composition…but what else would we expect from them, right? My question is…considering that background and the resulting tune…is this one of the most “outside-the-box” songs you’ve ever featured here?
YES it is! It’s an entire album in reality… which I’ve never been able to place a song in my songs and album category at once lol.
It works! It manages not to mire itself under that po-faced Prog-Rock self-importance.
You are right…it doesn’t sound forced…it’s natural…tha tis the difference in it.
I’ve been saying for a long time now that this is not just the best Jethro Tull album (though Stand Up and Songs from the Wood aren’t far behind), but the best album by anyone in any genre ever.
I agree Phillip, it really flows well. Everything makes sense when you listen to the entire album.
I’ve been saying for a long time now that this is not just the best Jethro Tull album (though Stand Up and Songs from the Wood aren’t far behind), but the best album by anyone in any genre ever.
.
When you said you were covering an album by a band I like this weekend, consider me surprised you chose this band and this album of theirs. Great job of trying to describe the concept and the music hoping to manifest it. I’ve had this album longer than several others of theirs, but it isn’t one I listen to a lot. I do know it is is an attention-holding experience once you commit to it.
“A Passion Play” is another one that is one long composition — and another I own but don’t play as often as others.
You may or may not know that JT did a follow-up album to TAAB, called TAAB 2, released in 2012, where they ponder where and what Gerald might be 40 years later.
Interesting: Gerald all growed up?
by my math, Gerald is 48 in TAAB 2
I love the story of this one Lisa. They tell him that Aqualung was a concept album…he said no it wasn’t…but if you want one…here you go.
Oh A Passion Play is the album right after this one I believe.
I like Aqualung better than this one…but oh how I love the story to this one!
I didn’t know that! Thank you Lisa…I WILL check it out. I think a post you made before inspired me to do this…I put it in a note to cover an album by them…and I’m almost positive it was you. So thank you!
🙂 Ian is his own person, and it has served him well.
Story on Aqualung (iirc) is that Ian’s girlfriend/wife? was a photographer and she came across “Aqualung” so Ian wrote a song about him. (my memory is faulty so I could be wrong on some of the deets)
Wow…that sounds very pausable anyway.
OK I went a-looking….
https://www.loudersound.com/music/tracks-singles/jethro-tull-aqualung
It’s the catchiest thing they ever wrote i reckok, even though its 40 minutes long. Yes, Genesis, and Tull all had the tunes and melodies, and deservedly had hits at some points in their careers.
When you featured Genesis in your B-Sides…the early years…it made me realize…hey…they are not just trying to change time signatures and do musical gymnastics for the sake of doing them…there are solid melodies underneath
This album is one I want to add to my vinyl collection!
It’s worth it Dana!