THICK AS A BRICK

Truly a tremendous and tumultuous landmark for music general, Thick as a Brick took progressive rock and gave it a fresh coat of paint. One of this albums strongest features is pacing. The band never drags on or overplays a melody; each section soars and leaps into the next section seamlessly. With Ian Anderson's brilliant lyrics (and not to mention some of prog's best flute playing), the album truly blends Tull's accessibility with Anderson's creative wackiness. Literally intended to be a prog rock parody, I think it's proof enough that it comes so highly rated amongst us prog rockers to how brilliant this album really is.

I need to talk about the ending, because it's one of my favorite moments in Prog rock history. The grand and epic build-up to the reprising melody ties the whole concept together, returning the listener back to the beginning and giving them a sense of utter completion. Each time I listen it gives me goosebumps and I have to stop whatever I'm doing to cope with the music.

The album sleeve is absolutely hilarious, like Monty Python meets The Onion.