Thick as a Brick

JETHRO TULL

THICK AS A BRICK

1972

I can still remember the first time that I heard “Thick as a Brick”. Scott and I were in the back of our grandpa’s truck on a camping trip, driving from Salt Lake City to Fish Lake. It was either 1973 or 1974. My brother, Scott, had just gotten a cassette tape of this wild haired, flute fronted rock band from England and wanted to play for me the craziest new album.

ONE SONG!

ONE SONG! . . . Forty-three minutes long!

One song on the whole album. How audacious. Crazy?

Kind of cool though.

And the second I heard it – BRILLIANT! Beautiful, melodic, soaring, gritty, funny, technical.

I was completely engrossed in the artistic masterpiece, the stunning transitions from soft acoustic guitars to hard electric riffs, to orchestral passages that literally float away. The contract between acoustic and electric in this album is second to none.

This was Tull’s real transition from being a blues based band to being considered one of the leaders of the “progressive” rock world. It all started out as a parody, conceived by leader and songwriter Ian Anderson (who many thought was actually “Jethro”), in response to the audacious progressive rock being produced by groups like Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer. The lengthy lyrics were also supposed to have been written by the fictional character, Gerald “Little Milton” Bostock, a nine-year-old boy from St. Cleve, England. Anderson's response to the critics was: "If the critics want a concept album, we'll give the mother of all concept albums, and we'll make it bombastic and so over the top."

The album was recorded in a whirlwind fashion in December of 1971 at Morgan Studios in London. The whole album was written by Ian, and pieced together by the band at essentially the same time. Ian would spend the evenings huddled away alone writing the next several passages of music and lyrics, then bring it the next morning to the rest of the band. The band would rehearse the new sections and promptly lay down the new passages on tape. Through this process they spliced together the whole album to make one long song, labeled as “side 1” and “side 2”.

“Thick As A Brick” charted to Number One in the Billboard 200 in 1972.  Radio stations at the time would typically play the opening “single edit”, that clocks in at 3 minutes. It is still played worldwide on classic rock stations. Even more, it holds up today better than ever. To really capture the breadth of TAAB, one has to devote the time to sit down and listen to the album from top to finish, which is a commitment that few have in these days of hectic schedules and “Attention Deficit” digital media disorders.  The varied instrumentation of the album is impressive – guitars, flute, timpani, xylophone, violin, lute, trumpet, saxophone, and a string section – and went to establish Jethro Tull as a band second to none when it comes to musical proficiency, technical prowess, and creativity.

Here is 23 minutes of part two. See how long it can keep you entranced. 

And there I sat, listening to TAAB with Scott from a small cassette deck in 1974 in the back of our grandpa’s pickup camper truck, travelling to Fish Lake in central Utah, mesmerized.  This was the album that really made me a Jethro Tull and Ian Anderson fan for the rest of my life. I had to get a copy of my own! So I got back home and bought the album. It was then that I found out that the album packaging was as creative and brilliant as the music itself. The album cover was designed as a multi page small town newspaper – The St. Cleve Chronicle. Hours of fun reading to be had if you dig into the tiny details, all in the very English Monty Pythonesque style.

I still remember grabbing an acoustic guitar in my room and beginning to pick apart the opening riff. Capo on the 3^rd fret, major key picking soft opening passage, followed by the vocal refrain of “Really don’t mind if I sit this one out…”!

In 1972, Tull embarked on a worldwide tour where they played the entire album start to finish. The performance got huge attention because of their musical prowess and the theatrical aspects of the band, especially the wild-eyed, long-haired Ian Anderson. He was establishing himself as one of the consummate entertainers in rock, and is still going to this day.  I remember vividly one of my first Tull concerts, and the image of Ian stepping out on stage to begin the night picking the opening acoustic riff to “Thick As a Brick”, and instantly getting goose bumps.

Jump to 2012, and with the 40-year anniversary of the album’s release, Ian Anderson wrote a follow up to TAAB, promptly titled TAAB2. It is a concept album that takes the juxtaposition of, “whatever happened to little Gerald Bostock” (now that he is approaching 50). The musical technicality of Ian and his current band are stronger than ever, and there are many great moments on the album (I give, it’s a CD). I definitely have a copy on CD and iPod, and it is good listening - but it doesn’t quite capture the lilting structure and grace of the original.

What was brilliant, however, was the 2012 World Tour of Ian Anderson, where he played the original TAAB in its entirety, for the first time since 1972.  Scott & I were able to get great seats to the show while on their US leg, and while Ian has lost his hair and some of his voice, the musical show was still majestic and far beyond what you will find in most concerts today. Even my wife (who is not a big progressive rock fan) came out of the show shaking her head saying she couldn’t believe how good that band was and how detailed the music and performances were.

So there it is. It’s one of my top 5 albums of all time. When you have 43 minutes to spare (a rarity, I know), it’s worth every minute. It’s also a great driving song on your next road trip.

Eric Winger

The White Album

THE WHITE ALBUM

THE BEATLES 1968

When it comes to contemporary music, it all starts and ends with The Beatles.  They were the first to take rock music to its heights, and I don’t think any artist has ever topped what they have achieved. I’m not talking about record sales; I’m talking about the pure songwriting and musical prowess that the four Liverpool lads accomplished in a 5-year period 1965 (Help) to 1969 (Abbey Road).

I have to agree with Rolling Stone magazine that the crowning achievement in rock music was “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” in 1967. It was named the best rock album of all time, and I have no argument. It is as close to perfection as one can get in terms of songwriting, craftsmanship, and creative recording production. But the Beatles have a few other albums that are a very, very close second to Sgt. Pepper, and The White Album is one of those.

Most of the songs for the white Album were conceived and written by the members of the group while in India studying meditation in the spring of 1968. The members, especially John & Paul, found themselves in songwriting mode, and privately met to compare notes and progress of new songs. Close to 40 new songs were penned while in India, and John said he thought some of his best work was written that spring.

Studio work on the material began at Abbey Road Studios in May of 1968, and the working title for the album was originally, “The Doll House”. The sessions were considered undisciplined compared to previous work, and tensions were growing among the band members. It was well chronicled that most of the members wrote and recorded much of The White Album independently, and with a lot of internal friction.  John, Paul and George had three different studios occupied at the same time, each working on their own bits and compositions. George Martin, the Beatles longtime producer, had said that many of the sessions were extremely unfocused and produced long hours of jamming that produced little value. Ringo quit the band for two weeks during the recording process, but was convinced to come back after pleadings by the other members.  Despite the difficult recording process, the tension in the studio did not prevent The Beatles from delivering phenomenal results.

The range of songwriting and experimentation really showed in the end result of this album. I loved trying to teach myself how to play “Martha My Dear” on the piano as a youngster (playing it very poorly, indeed). “Back in the USSR” is still a mainstay in McCartney’s live show as well as a true classic rock song. They had too much material to fit on one album, so The White Album became a double album, containing 30 songs when it was released in November of 1968.  Each of the members had songs, which didn’t make it on the album, only to resurface in their solo work years later.  Diverse musical styles are also displayed, from a 30’s style “Honey Pie”, to a chamber music “Piggies”, and a symphonic final song on the record -  “Good Night”. The material is grittier, edgier, and darker than their previous work. While still a smash commercial success, the album was not as focused toward pop singles - but the creative compilation of the White Album is remarkable.

As a young kid in the early 70’s, I remember the challenge of turning off all the lights and forcing yourself to listen to all 8 minutes of “Revolution 9” trying not to get completely spooked out! How fun was that! It’s kind of like why we love to watch horror movies – it scares us, but we still love it. On the other side of the spectrum, several graceful acoustic tunes emerge from these sessions. Maybe the most endearing might be Paul’s “Blackbird”. It was one of the early songs I wanted to learn to play on the acoustic guitar, and it takes some work to get it down. “Julia”, “I Will” “Dear Prudence”, and George’s “Long, Long, Long” are all acoustic classics in my book. The soft but haunting “Cry, Baby Cry” can still leave chills down your spine while listening to the simple complexity of the craftsmanship.

“Revolution 1” (the acoustic version) was the inspiration for the music of Winger’s Roadhouse Grill as we rolled out the “Real Food Revolution”, where we made the commitment to Fresh, Homemade, Over the Top Comfort Food! We were going to commission a studio to record the music for the new Winger’s Roadhouse commercials, but after consideration, I decided that I could compose and play all the instruments myself, and that’s what you’ll hear on WRG commercials.

I had not heard or listened to the White Album much until about 3 years ago, when I bought the White Album CD (yes, I still have the original LP version, too) and loaded it to my iPod. It was then that I spent a couple of nights with headphones on, re-listening to the songs, and realizing just how unbelievably strong all of this material was. I still struggle to comprehend the quality of the work that the boys produced during this period. I can’t believe how relevant it still sounds today. I have put this album back on my list of music that needs to be listened to on a periodic basis. It continues to remind me of just how magical music can be. I think that the recordings that came from The Beatles between Sergeant Pepper and The White Album are still unmatched today. It is hard for me to find anything critical of what these guys produced, so I admit I am biased.  But I do think I know a little bit about music and recording, and like I said earlier, it still all starts, and ends, with The Beatles.

Eric Winger