Jethro Tull - Thick As a Brick Mlps (4 tracks) +Album Reviews

FLAWLESS

M. Ryan | California | 01/20/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Masterful. Indescribable. The most amazing rock album ever. More than rock music, this is MUSIC. This is an album musicians appreciate. And writers will appreciate the incredible lyrical tale. Poetic, powerful, pervasive - this music, these words are in my soul. I am buying another CD because my vinyl is too precious to me to be lent out (most people can't play vinyl anyway), and I love sharing this with people who don't know it, especially younger people who have never heard anything like this before. And I doubt anything like this will ever come again, much like Beethoven's music. Do yourself a favor. Get rid of all distractions. Sit down. Close your eyes. LISTEN all the way through. This is an experience not to be missed."

Classic extended play progressive rock cd

M. Calvin | orlando, FL | 02/17/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Classic extended play progressive rock cd that musically weaves back and forth and in and out of the main infectious melody."

That's One Solid Brick!

A. Ricciuti | 06/14/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One might think that an album with only one song (well, two, but only because it's far too long for just one side of a vinyl record) would be 45 minutes of sheer wankery. Wouldn't there be filler? Wouldn't there be needlessly long displays of shallow virtuosity? Wouldn't there be verse after verse of pretentious, humorless philosophical drivel? Wouldn't it, well, suck? These apprehensions are a problem many people (especially critics) have with what we have deemed 'prog'.

Obvioulsy, having given Jethro Tull's "Thick as a Brick" a whopping five stars, I disagree. "Thick as a Brick" is a musical and lyrical masterpiece that defies prog's stereotypes. In an ironic twist, the album itself is actually a satire of the very stereotypes it defies. "Really don't mind if you sit this one out", warns Ian Anderson at the beginning of the album, aware that his band is about to embark on an adventure that his listener might not understand ("I may make you feel, but I can't make you think"). Ideed, what follows is a massive epic poem that requires close reading to attempt to understand. Humorless philosophical drivel? I suppose it depends on the kind of person you are as to whether you think it's particularly meaningful, but what can't be denied is the presence of dry humor, with lines like "Your sperm's in the gutter, your love's in the sink" and "A man is born, and we pronounce him fit to fight/There are blackheads on his shoulders/And he pees himself in the night". This would sound silly if it were sung by other great prog singers like Yes's Jon Anderson or Pink Floyd'd David Gilmour, but Ian's tongue-in-cheek English folkiness suits his writing perfectly. Clearly, Ian and the gang are having fun.

With all the writing aside, let us consider Jethro Tull's use of their musical abilities. Yes, the album does feature many displays of technical prowess, but the music never lacks inspiration. Idea after idea races along with just as much energy as punk rock has at its best. JT's rhythm section manages to juggle loud guitars, flute, and organ at a manic pace. There is no filler. "Thick as a Brick" is also produced much better than Jethro Tull's other big album "Aqualung".

I am giving this album my highest reccomendation.

"

Glorious dose of epic rock

Bloodbath_and_Beyond | usa | 09/08/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jethro Tull's 5th album Thick As A Brick is a masterpiece of early 70's progressive rock. Of course it was designed to be a parody of the genre which by 1972 had become the leading genre in rock alongside glam/glitter. The band had broken big the year before with Aqualung, which critics labeled a concept album because of its thematic elements dealing with religion and whatnot. Although it was not a concept album Ian Anderson was taken back by it and decided he would give them a concept album and it would be "the mother of all concept albums". It ended up being a single song 45 minutes in length, split over 2 sides of the LP. It was interesting because Tull had largely been a underground band before Aqualung and somehow they were now superstars, injecting folk elements into their unique rock sound, Aqualung crystalized a more commercial sound with the dirty but catchy riff of famous title track/radio staple. Thick ended up being their most successul regular album (not counting compilations).

The album itself is a conceptual epic, filled with themes on soceity, culture and religion, too complex to explain in a review. It's something the listener must seek out for themselves, but musically its really a journey, of course its everything you expect if youre familar with bloated early 70's prog rock, multi sections, lots of structured sections, lots of non rock instruments like harpsicords, xylophones, lots of piano and keyboard but even still the guitar and drum work is quite nice. Many acoustic passages as well. And of course many time changes. It's an all encompassing work and might be Tull's best album musically. Whats interesting where other bands like Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer's albums might've bored the obvious rock listener this album somehow manages to not be as overwhelming as those bands epics were. The changes of mood, emotion, and thought the music evokes is not so much more simplistic or mainstream but more manageable. Tull never took pieces of classical compisitions like ELP or Yes which probably made them more acceptable to the common rock fan, much like Rush. Tull continued to do the side long concept album a few more records down the road but it never worked as well as this LP does. The opening acoustic riff is the most catchy part and its reprised for a quite grandoise closing segment where a beautiful but brief string section drops in. With all the madness going on for nearly 40 min, when that orignial riff chimes back it evokes quite a celebratory feel. The music in detail from section to section can go from happy, melodic and vibrant to hazy and somewhat dissonant but always busy. There's never a quite moment in the piece at all, there are so many things going on one part flows into another so smoothly which is really what makes it all work, there's no disjointedness here.

For fans who wanted more than sex drugs and rock n roll with their music and were into the story book aspect of prog rock which reigned supreme from 68-74, this is a towering achievement even though it was deigned to be a smirking yet illustrious effort from Anderson. The newspaper design of the original LP was classic and although the art is abridged into a booklet for the CD it doesnt really capture the feel. But thats something for serious collectors who really want a time capsule to seek out. If you like big indulgent prog rock, this is a must hear."

One of the most interesting albums ever made.

Altjungr | 02/25/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Not only does this Thick as a Brick mock other more serious concept albums lyrically, but it also mocks every other contemporary album musically! It is a rebellion against the modern Idea of the Song and the Album in general as being an unconnected collection of songs. There are no real tracks and the entire concerto is based on the progression of a simple musical theme. It is, in fact, the modern paradigm of what classical composers referred to as "variations on a theme". Leave it to the genius of Ian Anderson to let a riff run wild and take on a life of its own! It is possibly the most experimental and yet musically palatable album out there. It is energetic, funny, epic, and at times, even sweet. And who doesn't love flute solos? As an added bonus, there is a live performance on this release featuring some of the highlights of the album.

That being said, this album is very hard to listen to casually and it is certainly not for everybody, but you should definitely give it a chance, especially if you are a musician or songwriter. Make sure you get a copy of the mock newspaper that is featured on the cover (in this release, it is the bulk of the CD-booklet so no worries there) since there are some jokes in that paper that are referenced by the lyrics."

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