THICK AS A BRICK

When I first joined ProgArchives Thick as a Brick held the No. 1 spot on the reviewers list of all-time greatest Prog Albums. As a teen moving into the prog world in about 1972 (Uriah Heep's Demons and Wizards though The Beatles and Led Zeppelin had certainly warmed me up for the plunge), I found that I never seemed to be drawn to the music and phenom of Jethro Tull. Though I loved themes from A Passion Play, overall they were not a sound I gravitated to. As a matter of fact, being supremely fascinated by speedy, flashy guitar players (Page, Akkerman, McLaughlin, DiMeloa), I remember distinctly holding some disdain for Martin Barre's "mediocre" skill. But, with the 2008 resurrection of progressive rock in my world, I decided to try everything I'd missed. Thus, this review. I've now owned TaaB for almost a year. I have listened to it attentively, repeatedly, and spaced apart by weeks. While I do appreciate it much more now, I still must say that there are enough flaws and "boring" parts (Side 2's organ work and drum solo) that I could never rate this album the standard by which all other prog LPs are measured. However, Side 1 is nearly a flawless composition of group coherence and catchy melodies (even if the story is at times a bit obtuse). Anderson vocalizations are powerful, Barre's work (often double tracked) is good, and Hammond and Evans are wonderful. I must admit, however, that I like the eleven minute live from Madison Square Garden, 1978, "excerpt" on the new remastered CD better. Long enough to catch many of the highlights, short enough to let the listener move on to a variety of the group's sample pieces. Still, TaaB is, overall, a very pleasant listening experience. And, though it stands up fairly well over time, the weaknesses of Side Two cause me to offer an overall rating of a strong four.