AQUALUNG

"Aqualung" is the most accessible Jethro Tull album and it is the easiest to get into and to acquire as it is, I daresay the band's most critically acclaimed album. "Aqualung" is a wonder to listen to from start to finish and it features many classic songs which include "Aqualung", "Cross-Eyed Mary", "My God" and "Locomotive Breath." "Aqualung" is the heaviest of Jethro Tull's earlier albums. But is also has many folky sections as well which makes for a very interesting listen. I will go through some of the major songs, but not all as I don't want to bore you.

The title song depicts a shabby, mysterious beggar who pops up on a few other places on the album. "Aqualung" is the best Jethro Tull song, excluding T'hick as Brick 'parts 1 and 2, in my opinion. It starts off with a harsh opening played on an overdrive guitar which sets the initial mood of the song. It then moves into a short acoustic section and then into a very lively paty which is infectious, and amazing. The solo connects with this section, which is probably the best in all Tull songs and then the opening is repeated which then closes out the song.

The next song, depicts another of society's dregs "Cross-Eyed Mary" the prostitute and the harshness in Ian Anderson's voice shows his disapproval of such people. "Cross- Eyed Mary" is another "Aqualung"-like song with a similar structure and sound, although it isn't quite as good. The next major song is "Mother Goose" which is a folk song, accented by recorders played by Martin Barre and Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond as well as the trademark Ian Anderson Acoustic guitar chord progression and some electric guitar in the background.

"My God talks" explicitly of religion and of Christian Hypocrisy. It is rather true song in what it speaks of. Other than "My God" is a very good song and has a solemn mood with many minor chords spotted here and there. Locomotive Breath is another classic Jethro Tull song and it starts rather softly and builds its way up into a rock song. Aqualung was one of Jethro Tull's most successful albums and it reached number 4 in the UK and 7 in US.

With this major world-wide fan base, when the band released 'Thick as a Brick' it went to number 1 in America and 5 in England, so "Aqualung" set the stage so to say for many years to come. Anywho "Aqualung" is a major prog album and even today it is hailed as being one of the key albums in the advancement to hard rock music, although it may not be immediately apparent.