Thick as a Brick
Thick as a Brick | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 3 March 1972[1] | |||
Recorded | December 1971 | |||
Studio | Morgan Studios, London | |||
Genre | Progressive rock | |||
Length | 43:46 | |||
Label | Chrysalis (Europe) Reprise (America, Japan and Oceania) | |||
Producer | Ian Anderson, Terry Ellis (ex.) | |||
Jethro Tull chronology | ||||
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Thick as a Brick is the fifth studio album by the British
The album was recorded in late 1971, featuring music composed by Anderson and arranged with the contribution of all band members. The album was the band's first to include drummer Barrie "Barriemore" Barlow, replacing the band's previous drummer Clive Bunker. The live show promoting the album included the playing of the full suite, with various comic interludes. Thick as a Brick is considered by critics to be the first Jethro Tull release to entirely consist of progressive rock music. It received mixed reviews upon its release, but was a commercial success and topped various charts in 1972. Today it is regarded as a classic of progressive rock, and has received several accolades. Anderson produced a follow-up to the album in 2012, focusing on the adult life of the fictional Gerald Bostock, and being released as Anderson's solo album instead of as Jethro Tull's album.
Background
Jethro Tull's frontman and songwriter
Anderson has also said that "the album was a spoof to the albums of Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, much like what the movie Airplane! had been to Airport"[5] and later remarked that it was a "bit of a satire about the whole concept of grand rock-based concept albums".[6] Although Anderson wrote all the music and lyrics, he co-credited the writing to a fictional schoolboy named Gerald Bostock. The humour was subtle enough that some fans believed that Bostock was real.[2] Reviewing the 40th anniversary reissue, Noel Murray suggested that many listeners of the original album "missed the joke".[7]
Recording
The group ran through two weeks of rehearsals using the Rolling Stones' basement studio in Bermondsey.[8] They had not intended to record a single continuous piece;[9] the band came up with individual song segments, then decided to write short pieces of music to link them together.[10]
Recording started in December 1971 at Morgan Studios, London.[8] Unlike previous albums, where Anderson had generally written songs in advance, only the initial section of the album had been worked out when the band went into the studio. The remainder of the suite was written during the recording sessions.[11] To compensate for a lack of material, Anderson began work early each morning to prepare music for the rest of the band to learn during that day's session.[12] The lyrics were written first, with the music constructed to fit around them.[13] Anderson recalls the album took about two weeks to record and another two or three for overdubs and mixing.[8] The final work spanned the entire length of an LP record, split over two sides.[9]
The group remembered the recording being a happy process, with a strong feeling of camaraderie and fun, with numerous practical jokes. They were fans of Monty Python, and this style of humour influenced the lyrics and overall concept.[14] Guitarist Martin Barre recalls the whole band coming up with various ideas for the music.[6] Some parts were recorded in a single take with every member having an input, including significant contributions from keyboardist John Evan.[15][16]
Musical style
Thick as a Brick was viewed by some critics as Jethro Tull's first progressive rock album.[17] The album has a variety of musical themes, time signature changes and tempo shifts – all of which were features of the progressive rock scene.[18] Although the finished album runs as one continuous piece, it is made up of a medley of individual songs that run into each other, none of which individually lasts more than 3–5 minutes.[19] Parts of the suite blend classical and folk music into the typical rock music framework.[20]
The album prominently features flute, acoustic and electric guitars and Hammond organ, which had been used previously,[14] but the instrumentation includes harpsichord, glockenspiel, timpani, violin, lute, trumpet, saxophone, and a string section—all uncommon in the band's earlier blues-inspired rock.[18] Anderson later said that the lyrics were partly derived from his own childhood experiences, though the overall theme was Bostock's attempt to make sense of life from his point of view.[21]
Cover
The original LP cover was designed as a spoof of a 12-by-16-inch (300 mm × 410 mm) 12-page small-town English newspaper, entitled The St. Cleve Chronicle and Linwell Advertiser, with articles, competitions and advertisements lampooning the typical parochial and amateurish journalism of the local English press.[22] The band's record company, Chrysalis Records, complained that the sleeve would be too expensive to produce, but Anderson countered that if a real newspaper could be produced, a parody of one would also be practical.[23]
The mock newspaper, dated 7 January 1972, also includes the entire lyrics to "Thick as a Brick" (printed on page 7), which is presented as a poem written by Bostock,[18] whose disqualification from a poetry contest is the focus of the front-page story. This article claims that although Bostock initially won the contest, the judges' decision was repealed after protests and threats concerning the offensive nature of the poem, along with the boy's suspected psychological instability.[24] The front cover includes a piece where Bostock is accused without foundation of being the father of his 14-year-old friend Julia's child.[25] The inside of the paper features a mock review by "Julian Stone-Mason BA", a pseudonym of Anderson.[26]
The contents of the newspaper were written mostly by Anderson, bassist Jeffrey Hammond and keyboardist John Evan.[23] While some of the pieces were obviously silly, such as "Magistrate Fines himself", there was a lengthy story entitled "Do Not See Me Rabbit" about a pilot in the Battle of Britain being shot down by a Messerschmitt Bf 109.[27] The overall layout was designed by Chrysalis' Roy Eldridge, who had previously worked as a journalist.[23] Most of the characters in the newspaper were members of the band, their management, road crew, or colleagues; for instance, recording engineer Robin Black played a local roller-skating champion.[28] Anderson recalls that the cover took longer to produce than the music.[23]
The satirical newspaper was heavily abridged for conventional CD booklets, but the 25th Anniversary Special Edition CD cover is closer to the original, and the 40th anniversary boxed version contains most of the content from the original newspaper.[29]
Live performances
Following the album's release, the band set out on tour, playing the entire piece with some extra musical additions that extended performances to over an hour.[30] At the start of the show, men wearing capes appeared onstage and began sweeping the floor, counting the audience and studying the venue; after a few minutes, some of them revealed themselves to be members of the band and began to play.[31] During some shows, the entire band stopped mid-performance when a telephone rang on stage, which Anderson would answer, before carrying on performing. News and weather reports were read halfway through the show, and a man in a scuba diver outfit came onstage. The tour's humour caused problems in Japan, where audiences responded to the changes with bewilderment.[30] Barre recalls these first live performances being "a terrible experience" as there was a lot of complex music with a variety of time signature changes to remember.[32]
Anderson performed the entire album live on tour in 2012, the first complete performances since the original tour.
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [36] |
Christgau's Record Guide | C−[37] |
The Daily Vault | A[42] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [38] |
Musichound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [39] |
Record Collector | [40] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [41] |
Thick as a Brick was originally scheduled for release on 25 February 1972. Following production problems relating to the
Contemporary reviews were mixed.
Retrospective reviews have been positive. AllMusic wrote that "Jethro Tull's first LP-length epic is a masterpiece in the annals of progressive rock, and one of the few works of its kind that still holds up decades later."[36] Jordan Blum of PopMatters thinks that the album "paved the way for modern progressive rock" and "today, it represents not only a pinnacle achievement for Jethro Tull, but also a concrete example of just how adventurous and free artists used to be." Record Collector's reviewer writes that "today, free from the irrelevant context of misdiagnosis and derision that dogged it on its original release, the album sounds like nothing less than an Olympian feat of composition and musicianship."[40] According to Modern Drummer reviewer Adam Budofsky, "that it remains so elevated in progressive rock fans' hearts and minds forty years later is a testament to its quality."[51] Paul Stump's History of Progressive Rock commented of the album, "The 'concept', a somewhat self-conscious and mannered lionization of individual genius ... against caricatured bourgeois Philistinism, scarcely sees the light of day through the thickets of Anderson's imagery, but this doesn't detract from what, in hindsight, is quite a respectable, if periodically water-treading, stab at advanced extensional technique."[52]
In 2014, Prog magazine listed Thick as a Brick at number 5 in the list "The 100 Greatest Prog Albums of All Time", voted for by its readers.[53] Rolling Stone listed the album at number 7 in their "Top 50 Prog Albums of All Time".[54] Thick as a Brick is ranked number 5 in the user-managed website Prog Archives' top albums list, with a weighted average rating of 4.63 stars.[55] Rush's Geddy Lee has said Thick as a Brick is one of his favourite albums,[56] as has Iron Maiden's Steve Harris.[57]
Track listing
1972 original release
All lyrics are written by "Gerald Bostock" (
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Thick as a Brick" | 22:40 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
2. | "Thick as a Brick" | 21:06 |
Total length: | 43:46 |
No. | Title | Length |
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3. | "Thick as a Brick" (1978 live version at Madison Square Garden) | 11:50 |
4. | "Interview with Jethro Tull" (Ian Anderson, Martin Barre and Jeffrey Hammond) | 16:30 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Thick as a Brick (Part I)" | 22:44 |
2. | "Thick as a Brick (Part II)" | 20:54 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Thick as a Brick (Part I)" (5.1 Surround Mix) | 22:44 |
2. | "Thick as a Brick (Part II)" (5.1 Surround Mix) | 20:54 |
3. | "Thick as a Brick (Part I)" (2012 Stereo Mix) | 22:44 |
4. | "Thick as a Brick (Part II)" (2012 Stereo Mix) | 20:54 |
5. | "Thick as a Brick (Part I)" (Original Stereo Mix) | 22:44 |
6. | "Thick as a Brick (Part II)" (Original Stereo Mix) | 20:54 |
7. | "1972 Radio Ad" | 1:02 |
Reissues
The album has been reissued on CD several times: the first CD release (1985),[58] the MFSL-release (1989),[58] the 25th Anniversary Edition (1997), and the 40th Anniversary Edition (2012).
The 40th Anniversary Edition was released in November 2012, and includes a CD, a DVD, and a book. The CD contains a new
For the 50th anniversary, a new vinyl pressing of the Wilson remix, mastered at half speed, was released with the original newspaper cover.[60] The CD/DVD bookset was also reissued, still titled 40th Anniversary Edition, but with the mastering on all versions of the remix as originally intended by Wilson. It can be differentiated from the original pressing by the copyright dates on the back and by being released on Parlophone instead of EMI.
The downloadable version of the 40th anniversary edition splits the overall suite into eight separate parts:[59]
- "Really Don't Mind" / "See There a Son Is Born" – 5:00
- "The Poet and the Painter" – 5:29
- "What Do You Do When the Old Man's Gone?" / "From the Upper Class" – 5:25
- "You Curl Your Toes in Fun" / "Childhood Heroes" / "Stabs Instrumental" – 6:48
- "See There a Man Is Born" / "Clear White Circles" – 5:58
- "Legends and Believe in the Day" – 6:34
- "Tales of Your Life" – 5:24
- "Childhood Heroes Reprise" – 2:56
Personnel
Taken from the sleeve notes.[61]
- Jethro Tull
- , producer
- Martin Barre – electric guitar, lute, flute
- John Evan – piano, organ, harpsichord
- Jeffrey Hammond (as "Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond") – bass guitar, spoken word
- percussion, timpani
- Additional personnel
- Dee Palmer – orchestral arrangements[18]
- Terry Ellis – executive producer
- Robin Black – engineer
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA)[75] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Covers and follow-ups
In 2012, Ian Anderson announced plans for a follow-up album, Thick as a Brick 2: Whatever Happened to Gerald Bostock?. According to the Jethro Tull website, the sequel is "a full length Progressive Rock 'concept' album worthy of its predecessor. Boy to man and beyond, it looks at what might have befallen the child poet Gerald Bostock in later life. Or, perhaps, any of us."[76]
The follow-up album was released on 2 April 2012. It describes five different scenarios of Gerald Bostock's life, where he potentially becomes a greedy investment banker, a homeless homosexual man, a soldier in the
While TAAB 2 was a follow-up about Gerald Bostock, the 2014 Ian Anderson solo album Homo Erraticus was presented as a follow-up work by Gerald Bostock. In the backstory Anderson created for the album, the now middle-aged Bostock came across an unpublished manuscript by one Ernest T. Parritt (1873–1928), entitled "Homo Britanicus Erraticus". Parritt was convinced he lived past lives as historical characters, and wrote detailed accounts of these lives in his work; he also wrote of fantasy imaginings of lives yet to come. Bostock then created lyrics based on Parritt's writings, while Anderson set them to music.[78][79] As with the original Thick as a Brick, authorship of each song on this album is explicitly credited to both Anderson and Bostock.[78]
Car maker Hyundai used the song in one of their commercials in 2001. Ian Anderson recorded a new version specifically for the commercial to avoid having another artist do it. He does not drive a Hyundai – indeed he has never held a driving licence – calling himself a "professional passenger".[22]
Composer Richard Harvey has covered Thick as a Brick in the special compilation The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Plays Prog Rock Classics.[80]
References
Citations
- ^ a b "Tull Tour". Melody Maker. 4 March 1972. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
- ^ a b c Rees 1998, p. 48.
- ^ Smolko 2013, p. 160.
- ^ Ditlea, Steve (April 1972). "Ian Anderson shows you how to lose your way through 'Thick as a Brick'". Circus. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
- ^ Keresman, Mark (7 July 2013). "7/10: Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull at Symphony Hall". AZCentral. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ a b Nollen 2002, p. 83.
- ^ Murray, Noel (28 November 2012). "Thick As A Brick and the pleasures of the very, very, very long song". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
- ^ a b c Nollen 2002, p. 82.
- ^ a b Smolko 2013, p. 14.
- ^ Rabey 2013, p. 84.
- ^ Morse, Tim (1998). "Classic Tracks: Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick". Mix. 72: 176.
- ^ Rees 1998, pp. 48–49.
- ^ Smolko 2013, p. 30.
- ^ a b "Thick As A Brick". The Mix. 22 (8): 176. August 1998.
- ^ Nollen 2002, p. 84.
- ^ Lalaina, Joe (17 November 2015). "Jethro Tull Guitarist Martin Barre Talks Guitars, Jimi Hendrix and "Aqualung"". Guitar World. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ISBN 978-0-8230-7665-9.
- ^ a b c d Anderson 1972, p. 7.
- ^ Smolko 2013, p. 13.
- ^ Smolko 2013, p. 58.
- ^ "The Story Behind The Song: Thick As A Brick by Jethro Tull". TeamRock. 3 December 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Thick as a Brick by Jethro Tull Songfacts". Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ^ a b c d Rees 1998, p. 49.
- ^ Anderson 1972, p. 1.
- ^ "Thick as a Brick". The Official Jethro Tull Website.
- ^ Smolko 2013, p. 40.
- ^ Smolko 2013, p. 39.
- ^ Smolko 2013, p. 37.
- ^ "TAAB 40th Anniversary Special". Official Jethro Tull Website. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ a b Rees 1998, p. 50.
- ^ Smolko 2013, p. 169.
- ^ Rees 1998, pp. 49–50.
- ^ ""Thick as a Brick" Played in Special 2012 Tour". Jethro Tull Official Website. 2011. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ "Jethro Tull". Burningshed.com. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
- ^ "Ian Anderson "Thick as a Brick" Live in Iceland DVD". Ultimate Classic Rock. 31 August 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ All Media Network. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 27 February 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
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- ^ a b Rathbone, Oregano (December 2012). "Jethro Tull – Thick as a Brick". Record Collector (408). Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ McDonald, Riley (2019). "The Daily Vault Music Reviews: Thick as a Brick". dailyvault.com. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- ^ Nollen 2002, p. 81.
- ^ Rees 1998, p. 51.
- ^ "Album artist 51 – Jethro Tull". Tsort.info. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
- ^ "RIAA Gold & Platinum Database: search for Jethro Tull". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
- ^ Welch, Chris (11 March 1972). "Jethro Tull: 'Thick as a Brick'". Melody Maker. Archived from the original on 17 April 2002. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ Tyler, Tom (11 March 1972). "'Brick': Is This Jethro's 'Tommy'?". New Musical Express. Archived from the original on 9 November 2005. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ Gerson, Ben (22 June 1972). "Thick as a Brick – Jethro Tull". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ISBN 978-0-394-73535-1.
- ^ Budofsky, Adam (19 November 2012). "Jethro Tull Thick As a Brick (Collector's Edition)". Modern Drummer. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ISBN 0-7043-8036-6.
- ^ Kilroy, Hannah May; Ewing, Jerry (6 August 2014). "The 100 Greatest Prog Albums of All Time: 20-1". Future Publishing. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
- ^ Epstein, Dan (17 June 2015). "50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ^ "Progressive Rock Top Albums / all subgenres". ProgArchives.com. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
- ^ Middles, Mick (29 June 2012). "In The Mood: The Favourite Albums Of Rush's Geddy Lee". The Quietus. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
- ^ Ewing, Jerry (19 October 2015). "Iron Maiden's 10 Proggiest Moments". TeamRock.com. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Core albums 1968 – 1977". Collecting-tull.com. 12 September 1997. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
- ^ a b "Thick as a Brick 40th Anniversary Editions – Special Collector's Edition". Thick as a Brick Deluxe.com. Archived from the original on 16 September 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ^ "Jethro Tull: "Thick As A Brick" erscheint zum 50. als Jubiläumsausgabe – inklusive dem legendären Zeitungspapier-Einband". Warner Music Germany (in German). 21 June 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
- ^ Thick as a Brick (Media notes). Chrysalis Records. 1972. CHR 1003.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 7698". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Jethro Tull – Thick as a Brick" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- Musica e Dischi(in Italian). Retrieved 20 April 2023. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Jethro Tull".
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Jethro Tull – Thick as a Brick". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ^ "Jethro Tull | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ^ "Jethro Tull Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Jethro Tull – Thick as a Brick" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ^ "Italiancharts.com – Jethro Tull – Thick as a Brick". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Jethro Tull – Thick as a Brick". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- GfK Entertainment Charts. 1972. Archived from the originalon 9 May 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- ^ "American album certifications – Jethro Tull – Thick as a Brick". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ Schlansky, Evan (2 February 2012). "Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson on Thick As A Brick 2, The Grammys And More". American Songwriter. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- All Media Network. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Ian Anderson – Homo Erraticus lyrics". Jethro Tull Official Website. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- All Media Network. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- All Media Network. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
Sources
- Anderson, Ian (1972). Thick as a Brick (Media notes). Jethro Tull. Chrysalis Records. CHR 1003.
- Rabey, Brian (2013). A Passion Play: The Story Of Ian Anderson & Jethro Tull. Soundcheck Books. ISBN 978-0-9571442-4-8.
- Smolko, Tim (2013). Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick and A Passion Play: Inside Two Long Songs. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-01038-4.
- Nollen, Scott Allen (2002). Jethro Tull: A History of the Band, 1968–2001. Jefferson, NC: ISBN 978-0-7864-1101-6.
- Rees, David (1998). Minstrels in the Gallery: A History of Jethro Tull. Firefly Publishing. ISBN 978-0-946719-22-8.