AQUALUNG

Wow. This one was the record that made me discover the bizarre genius of Ian Anderson, and I mean, what a positive shock it was since I probably started with the Tulls masterpiece along with Thick As A Brick. This is progressive folk rock truly at its best. Beautifully balanced between the more rock oriented tracks Aqualung (one of the most memorable song from the 70's in my humble opinion), Cross Eyed Mary (a perfect example of how simple exciting and always astounding a rock song can be), My God (the dark side of Ian Anderson, with probably one of the greatest flute themes he's ever composed), Hymn 43 and Locomotive Breath (faboluos riff) and the absolutely amazing folk pieces and interludes Cheap Day Return, Mother Goose, Wond'ring Aloud and Slipstream. The closing Wind Up is just perfect, catchy and rock'n'roll-ish like only Jethro Tull can be. Only the bluesy Up To Me is probably a little bit more useless, and works basically as a sort of divertissement, but except this particular one "Aqualung" is a collection of unforgettable tracks. This record remains what it will always be, a musical milestone.

Essential. Just essential!