1001 Albums Summary

Quintessentially English in both sound and writing. Dickensian. Jethro Tull is certainly eccentric. Who else could write a 7 minute + epic about a creepy old pedophile, by the end of which we are dared to sympathize with the man? In musicianship, they sit at a precipice- they are too prog-ish for mass consumption, but they are no Yes or King Crimson- they know how to rock. They have a flute player. Why? Why not is a better question. It works, adding a unique texture. Cross Eyed Mary is about a elementary aged prostitute. That’s two songs in a row about pedophilia. I don’t want to know about these guy’s personal lives. Or maybe they made outragous songs just for the fun of it, like the Rolling Stones, but more bookish. The drums sound very close, but not very loud. Pretty nice. Excellent acoustic work. I’ve heard this album many years before. We’ll get to that. Did I mention the acoustic guitar? Incredible. Mother Goose. Wondering Aloud and Cheap Day Return are excellent song fragments, but they aren’t complete. For wondering aloud that’s a real shame, because it really is a beautiful song. What is Up to Me about? The lyrics seem to be an enigma. Not even Dylan could be this enigmatic. My best guess is it’s about a guy who beats his wife. I have no clue really. My God. I listened to this album obsessively for a few weeks in 2019 when I was in 9th grade and at that time, I was an atheist. Most of the songs on side two take a heavy anti-christian angle, which I loved at the time and now look on with disgust. I can at least say that on My God, the lyrics are a masterwork, no matter if I disagree with the lyrics. It gave me quite the chill. And it’s wonderful music. Why the choir section though? That self indulgent section puts a big dent in what would otherwise be the standout track on the album. When I first heard the song, I pictured as this atheistic anthem, but upon further listening, it is really quite a comedic song. Hymn 43 is not an anti Christian song as much as it is an anti christian song- it is directed against the personal failings of christians to uphold His example. But you could make that song about any religion. Regardless, it’s a good hard rocking tune, with some pretty good guitar riffing. Slipstream is another beautiful acoustic fragment. If you tied all those fragments together you’d have a pretty good song. What on earth is that string section. Even stupider than the choir section on My God. Locomotive Breath. A commentary on “overpopulation.” Quite frankly to me it takes on eugenic overtones. But on the other hand it sounds quite relevant to today, just in the sense that it seems like we’re all on a crazy runaway train to nowhere. Is that buzzing sound intentional? It’s awful. Wind Up is the kind of song that only really works as a finale, but it does its job well. Another anti-christian drag. I can get some of the sentiments, and I used to embrace the whole thing, but I’ve grown up. I’ve moved on. If watching the world for the last 8 years has taught me anything it is that the worst kind of world is one in which everybody interprets reality through their own lens, instead of all agreeing on one objective truth. In no other world could Donald Trump become president. I think there is a good side of rigid dogmatism that Ian Anderson failed to get. Nice to relive some old memories. Excellent album all things considered.

The title track might just be the greatest guitar solo ever recorded. Eddie Hazel etched his name in history with this song alone. It’s a strongly held belief of mine that during the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s, Rock and R&B/Soul were not separate genres, but instead existed as a spectrum, with the only distinction being the race of the performers involved, and this album is strong evidence for that thesis. This is a rock album, specifically a prog rock album. “Can You Get to That,” at least instrumentally, might as well be a CSNY song. Who was their drummer? He’s incredible. Hit it and Quit it is driven by a keyboard riff resembling the work of Keith Emerson. Emerson was quite funky. How have I never heard of this band? How has this incredible black prog band been hidden from me? We should be mentioning these guys in the same breath as the Yeses and Genesises and King Crimsons of the world. You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks really rocks. Damn this band is good. Super Stupid? Stupid good! They beat Deep Purple at their own game! And then on Back In Our Minds they do the same thing to the Stones! This album… a masterpiece born of the cultural wasteland that was the early 70’s USA… “Wars of Armageddon”, an anthem for the Nixon years. Psychedelic freakout! More power to the pussy! Fart solo… far out man! This album blew me away. Every expectation I had was shattered into a thousand pieces.

Really good country album. No complaints.