There are many bands that shape music so we look at it in differently. Jethro Tull was one of those bands. With his unique style of music and his awesome hate for the Church of Christian he mesmerized many people. When I listened to Aqualung it took my interest to a different world.
The band:
Ian Anderson- flute, acoustic guitar, vocals
Martin Barre- electric guitar
Jeffery Hammond- bass guitar
John Evans- keyboard
Clive Bunker- drums
1) Aqualung- This is a very good song to kick of this album and it has a very heavy opening riff. Ian all of the sudden goes to a softer part that has really deep lyrics and you can just relax at this part. Then it goes back to sudden driving acoustic guitar and intense vocal as Ian belts out "And do you still remember, December's foggy freeze" It goes to a swift solo by Martin and then it goes back to the beginning with some nice fills by Clive and you got your self a good song. (5/5)
2) Cross-Eyed Mary- Great song. Good job Ian. It starts with a lovely flute intro. Electric guitar then comes in with harmonized vocals from Ian. After a while of that it goes back to some punchy flute. There are nice lyrics and great rhythm to it makeing this song a very good charm to the album. (5/5)
3) Cheap Day Return- Nice short and sweet song. The beginning has very mellow and peaceful acoustic guitar with some beautiful vocals by Ian. This is a relaxing song after the first two. I would recommend it for who want to relax for a minute. (4/5)
4) Mother Goose- I really love this song. Its got soft guitar like Cheap Day Return in the beginning but it gets louder as it progresses. As it passes the halfway point then some electric guitar comes in to a pretty good jam. This is a very well written song. (4.5/5)
5) Wond'ring Aloud- Very peaceful song like Cheap Day Return but not as good as it. Its short and placid but incorperates a lot of other instruments. It's a good song but I just feel that the previous two songs had a better vibe to it. (3.8/5)
6) Up to Me- Awesome song. This starts out with Ian Laughing very awkwardly and then forceful flute comes in showing that this relates to the first two songs. This song has a nice tone to it and everyone participates and this song sort of snaps out of the mellow songs into more heavy songs incorparating heaveir vocals and instrumentals. The album really goes uphill from here. (4.5/5)
7) My God- This is a hateful but very good song. Its got very metal like feel to it with very eerie acoustic guitar in the beginning. During the middle of the song some very powerful piano comes in then some electric guitar joins and some odd choir voices come in. This has very expressive and stunning lyrics. (5/5)
8) Hymn 43- Wow, I love this song. It starts out strong with great piano and powerful lyrics. Ian has louder vocals that really express himself. Anderson is expressing hate as usual and this song is just filled with energy. A rhythmic guitar comes in while it blends into the rest of the intsruments very nicely. This is the song that really turned me on to the album. (5/5)
9) Slipstream- This song is short and flowing. With very smooth acoustic guitar. It would fit in good with the more peaceful songs that I mentioned before. The end gets a little weird but its all good. (4/5)
10) Locomotive Breath- This great song starts with classical piano and in comes the electric guitar. And then the song starts to jump with forceful lyrics and drums. "And no way to slow down!" A really hypnotizing flute solo comes in as the song builds. As the strong song comes to an end it fades away. In my opinion this is the best song in the album. (5/5)
11) Wind Up- It starts out small and goes harder and speeds up and now the song is pumping. As it comes to an end slows down again. This is more of a story than a musical piece. It shows Ian's frustration with how strict the Christian religion is. This song is a great wrap up for the album. (4.75/5)
This album let Ian Anderson speak his brilliant mind. With graceful but heavy flute and some crunchy guitar riffs, this album can easily be one of pregressive rock's best.
