#337 - Jethro Tull - Aqualung (1971)

MUSIC HISTORY COMPILED BY ADAM BERNARD:

JETHRO TULL BIO

The British rock band formed in Blackpool, England in 1967. Initially a blues-rock and jazz fusion band, they incorporated elements of classical music, hard rock, and folk, and are considered one of the first big “prog rock” bands. Ian Anderson (lead vocalist, acoustic guitar, and flutist) is the primary composer of JT, with the band having numerous members at various points in JT’s career (electric guitarist Martin Barre was the longest serving after Ian). After having success on the club scene, they released their first album in 1968 (This Was). After doing some touring and opening for acts like Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, they released their 2nd album Stand Up in 1969. Stand Up was their first commercially successful album and leaned more towards folk. This led to their first headlining tour in the United States, which was followed by the recording and release of today’s album.

BACKGROUND – AQUALUNG

Aqualung was released in 1971 and was the 4th album released by Jethro Tull. It is also the band’s best selling album of all time (over 7 million units sold worldwide). The success of this album was a seminal moment for the band as they became major radio and touring acts after this release. It was recorded in 1970 in London, and features more acoustic material than previous albums. It was the first album for bassist Jeffrey Hammond (replacing the fired Glenn Cornick who partied too much for the band as the rest of the members were more reclusive) and it was the first time keyboardist John evan was a full time member. It was the last album for drummer Clive Bunker, who left the band to start a family shortly after the release of the album. Ian Anderson says his main inspirations for this album were Roy Harper (English folk singer/guitarist) and Bert Jansch (Scottish folk singer/guitarist).

This was the first JT album to reach top ten in the U.S., peaking at 7 (#4 in the U.K.) and received gold status (1 million sales) approximately 3 months after its release.

Each of the two album sides have a subtitle, “Aqualung” for Side 1 which focused more on characters that were down on their luck, and “My God” for Side 2 which focuses more on religion, the universe, and meaning of life. JT had no intention of making a concept album, but many regard this as one.