Jethro Tull Album Reviews

Ian Anderson, Jeffrey Hammond, and John Evan attended grammar school together in Blackpool, England. Together with drummer Barrie Barlow, they formed a six-piece “blue-eyed soul” group called the John Evan Band. Evans, Hammond, and Barlow all left the group, but would all rejoin Anderson in the 1970s lineup.

Anderson linked up with guitarist Mick Abrahams. They went through many names, as they found it hard to secure repeat bookings. Jethro Tull, named for an 18th-century agriculturalist who invented the seed drill, was supplied by a booking agent, and stuck after they secured a weekly residency.

I was a little embarrassed a few weeks later when I realised this wasn’t an original name, but the name of a historical character. It’s a bit like being called Genghis Khan or Robin Hood or Adolph Hitler or something. If there is one thing in my life, I would go back and change the name of Jethro Tull to something less historical.

Ian Anderson, Austin Daze

Jethro Tull went through many lineups and styles, with Anderson the only constant member. They’re loved for their progressive rock albums in the early 1970s, Thick as a Brick and Aqualung. I find them less consistent than contemporaries like Yes and Genesis, but their best work is very strong.

Jethro Tull Album Reviews

This Was

1968, 6.5/10
Jethro Tull’s debut album is markedly different from their later work. With guitarist Mick Abrahams, they’re blues-oriented, more like contemporaries of Cream. Abrahams has some cowriting credits (rare for Tull), and sings lead on ‘Move On Alone’.

This Was is a respectable debut, and Anderson has enough charisma to make their blues songs work, but the songs are less interesting than their subsequent work. Anderson’s vocals and flute are the band’s most distinctive aspect – by the time they recorded Thick as a Brick, three-and-a-half years later, Anderson was the only original member still in the band.

The best material is stacked on the first side. ‘Beggar’s Farm’ is my favourite here, finding an interesting midpoint between jazz and blues, and letting some personality shine through. The jazzy touch also works on ‘Serenade to a Cuckoo’. The opening ‘My Sunday Feeling’ works well too, with a straightahead blues-rock sound.

In hindsight, This Was feels like a dead end for Tull, and they’d improve markedly with a few changes.

Stand Up

1969, 8/10
When Anderson started writing for Tull’s second album, his songs weren’t as bluesy as before. Abrahams, a blues purist, quit the band to form Blodwyn Pig. He was briefly replaced by Tommy Iommi, who decided he didn’t fit and left to form Black Sabbath. Martin Barre became the band’s guitarist and Anderson’s longest-serving sidekick, staying into the 21st century. He’s a much better fit, able to deftly play Anderson’s sophisticated compositions.

The band worked with Andy Johns, and Stand Up is more studio-based than This Was. There are still traces of blues, but the folk of Roy Harper and Bert Jansch influenced Anderson as well. Stand Up topped the albums chart in the UK, helped by the success of the non-album single ‘Living in the Past’.

The best tracks are those in which the band displays its increasing sophistication. There’s a great blues-tinged opener for each side – ‘A New Day Yesterday’ and ‘Nothing Is Easy’ – while they tackle J.S. Bach on ‘Bouree’. The gently psychedelic ‘Look Into The Sun’ is another highlight.

Stand Up was an important sophomore album for Jethro Tull, establishing them as more than a second-rate blues-rock band.

10 Best Jethro Tull Songs

• Nothing Is Easy