THICK AS A BRICK

It is time to unleash my opinion of this album on you unsuspecting readers. You will probably expect some anecdote (there is one) or something totally in contrast with most reviews that will make this one stand out from the other 300 reviews of this album. Well I am here to tell you that you are wrong. Thick As A Brick is a masterpiece just as most people say it is. It deserves this 5 star rating. And now I will mercilessly waste your time as I explain why, in great detail.

But first the anecdote I promised. The first time I listened to this was not at 3 am or was I not expecting something. I was sitting in my house listening to a Jethro Tull compilation (to my great joy my dad encouraged me to listen to this band and he bought the compilation). I was thoroughly enjoying the album when this song came on. It surprised me. I liked it a lot. I enjoyed it thoroughly. You all may be wondering why this is shocking. It is because I was listening to a 3 minute version. Yes a very short version of Thick As A Brick that cannot do this song (the whole 2 sides of the album is one song) any justice at all. Needless to say the next day I approached my friend (a proghead - thank goodness!) and started to tell him of this great band I discovered and this amazing song Thick As A Brick. What I got next was hurtful and did scare me from listening to the album. I was told that I could not enjoy Jethro Tull if the song I knew as Thick As A Brick was only 3 minutes long instead of 40 minutes. I thought Jethro Tull just repeated the three minutes for way too long on the album and chose to ignore it. For about 3 years, I continued in my folly and decided to ignore Jethro Tull. Until I heard mention that this was the "mother of all concept albums". I found it and decided to give it a listen, no harm would come out of it, or so I thought.

(This is the point in the anecdote where you go off and do something else while I take a breather and soon I get to the point of this little story)

I came home that day form the record shop eager to play this and hear what it actually sounds like. For the 40 minutes of Thick As A Brick I did not move. I was ecstatic. It was sheer brilliance pouring form the speakers. Not brilliance (as stated in my other reviews) that Rush is a brilliant band and you should all listen to them no matter what other people say, but as in Ian Anderson is a genius for writing the "mother of all concept albums".

Now for the next 2 paragraphs I will begin to explain what that brilliance is.

First and foremost, the music. Folk-y, rock-y, and all around groovy. The music alone can keep your attention for the whole 40 minutes. First it begins with a great melody on acoustic guitar with catchy flute tunes and piano tunes. The band comes in strong with electrifying electric guitar, rhythmic bass, groovy percussion, and awesome organ playing. A perfect mixture of music. There is a similar riff throughout the whole album but it never gets old, because of all the variations put on it. The musical passages are long and engaging. They even mix it up a bit just to add some variation (it needs no such thing in my opinion). Solos are taken and gladly received.

Second, the lyrics. They are unbelievable. I encourage you to read the lyrics. They are very imaginative and have great imagery. There is a bit of repetition, but it is so far between that you cannot help but be glad to listen again. Many verses are written to fill this album with not only good music but catchy lyrics. The lyrics aren't just thoughts and rhyming lines put together to please the audience. This is a story the lines and verses are connected as seen by this example "And the poet lifts his pen while the soldier sheaths his sword" which is followed by (sometime later) "And the poet sheaths his pen while the soldier lifts his sword." The brilliance shines throughout the whole album.

There is a remastered version of Thick As A Brick. You are probably wondering why, after hearing this great album, why you need some bonus tracks to listen to. Well the bonus tracks are not needless outtakes or alternate studio versions. First there is a 10 minute version of Thick As A Brick live. Now you might say this is a needless copy of the song that is only a quarter of the actual length. But it is important to hear the band play one of their best known songs live. The energy put behind this version is, I must say, a bit more enthusiastic than the studio version. Also there is a 16 minute interview with Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, and Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond. This is the important part of the bonus tracks. The interview lets the listeners get a glimpse into what was happening in the studio at that time and a few stories from concerts. A gem in finding out more about the band known as Jethro Tull.

Now for a quick recap of all the stuff I have been writing (this is the important part). The music is very well thought out and played to perfection. The lyrics are funny (in a satirical sort of way) and pure genius. It has everything that merits it as a masterpiece and deserves the praise it gets. 5/5 stars