THICK AS A BRICK

Following Aqualung's release, many critics labeled it a concept album, due in large part to the trio of somewhat-anti-religious songs "My God", "Hymn 43", and "Wind Up". The band have always disputed this categorization of Aqualung and insisted this topical continuity was largely incidental. Nonetheless, in light of this interpretation, Ian Anderson decided to give rock critics the mother of all concept albums. With the addition of drummer Barriemore Barlow (replacing Clive Bunker, who left the band), and inspired by the comedy troupe Monty Python, Anderson intended to satirize the entire genre of progressive rock. He specifically intended to take the piss out of bands like Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Yes.

The result, released in early 1972, was Thick as a Brick, one 42-minute song split over two sides of a record. This is also quite possibly my favorite album of all time, only seriously challenged by The Beatles' Revolver and Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon.

The conceit of the album was that it was an epic poem written by a ten-year-old prodigy in the fictional British town of St. Cleve. This was further underscored by the album's packaging, which took the form of a 12-page newspaper, The St. Cleve Chronicle, full of bizarre in-jokes and humor so British, it comes off as more confusing than funny to an American like me. Ian Anderson has stated that the faux-newspaper took longer to create than the album itself.

The music for Thick as a Brick, unlike their previous releases, was written rather hurriedly and off-the-cuff by Anderson. All their previous albums had been much more meticulously planned. Somehow, this resulted in one of progressive rock's masterpieces.

The music is the greatest synthesis of all of Tull's influences. Folk is a major part of the music, most notably in the introductory movement, which remains a mainstay of classic rock radio. Hard rock, jazz, and avant-garde influences loom large as well. John Evan had significant contributions to the songwriting here, and considering how big the organ is, it's not surprising. Numerous musical themes crop up and are revisited and reinterpreted throughout the album's runtime, adding to its sense of continuity.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2019/07/25/deep-dive-jethro-tull/