AQUALUNG

When I was a little child, this cover frightened me as I alluded it to the bogeyman. The first chords almost confirm my initial toughs. But then, the heavy riffs, both guitar and piano, fade away and an acoustic guitar appears with a distant nasal voice weeping hopes for the spring.

The title track is the signature of the sound for this classic prog group, especially on the production level. The sounds here are so cerebral, heavy and soft, clever and catchy, harmonious and visceral. Easily this tune brings you back some point in the distant time among medieval sounds and epic psychedelic electric guitar riffs. An incredible portrait for a homeless, or better said every homeless.

"Cross-Eyed Mary" remains the energy and style from what "Aqualung" has already traced, but of course with the incursion of thus mythical flute. The instrumental intro growths and explodes into Anderson's gritty vocal cords. Hard rock at its finest.

"Cheap Day Return" makes a pause for serenity in this musical bridge into a farer past trough "Mother Goose". Almost purely acoustic, like any other Elizabethan troubadour, the young narrator describes a circus day in a cold sunny english day. Another soft acoustic bridge with "Wond'ring aloud". An intimate ballad before enter the modern times in the "Up to me"; cocking tale of an immature working class man, who cynical describes all kind of misfortunes that closures the first side of the LP and the first part of the album. An innuendo of social criticism.

Then after a short pause, that already acid acoustic guitar opens the way for "My God", this album epic accusation of tyranny and hypocrisy of religion. Coming as an angry voice from medieval times, discharges all their strength in the instruments, singing hopeless choirs inside an empty forgotten church. Once again the production helps this piece to become marvelous. Jazzy riffs bring back to present days among the electric guitar fierce still echoing the dying choirs. "Hymn 43" keeps rocking ironically against the church within blues and jazz streams.

Another acoustic bridge with "Slipstream" sliding into the gloomy sober then powerful track, the dynamic "Locomotive Breath", still playing within it blues-jazz influences and with the hard rock as well.

Then again, the echoing distant voice from the title track spokes laments accompanied by a soft piano and acoustic guitar in "Wind Up". Soon other instruments join to the piece, volume up and triggering a raging wave of irony, rocking that gritty voice demanding to a lending ear out there. The most known and crucial album form Jethro Tull, since here there's an after and before 'Aqualung' in the band's discography. If you haven't listened to this one, what are you waiting for?