Jethro Tull – Thick As A Brick (1972)

Not their first album – but the first one I bought, after seeing them perform it live, plus a few other songs back in 1972 itself.  I had heard of them but never really was that intrigued to buy them – too many other brilliant albums to buy I suppose.  But I went to see them, at Hammersmith Odeon I think, and loved them.  The impish figure of Ian Anderson standing on one leg playing his flute and the occasional descent into pretty hard rock interspersed with almost medieval semi-classical and lyrical tunes.  A great contrast and all really the creation of Anderson.   I went and bought the album the next day and discovered that it was actually a complete newspaper purporting to celebrate the epic poem by twelve year old Gerald Bostock.  There were bizarre stories and even sports reports – a complete ‘Monty Pythonesque’ skit.  It made no sense and was never intended to; I think it was Anderson’s response to the in-vogue ‘concept album’ – as both album and cover had no concept.  The music itself, and it is largely instrumental is complex and brilliant.  But you either loved it or dismissed it as prog-rock excess.  It has remained a personal favourite of mine.  I have bought quite a few Tull albums, but none quite compare to ‘Brick’.