Jethro Tull 'Aqualung'.

The riff reminds me of the main riff of Led Zeppelin's " The Ocean." And it came first.

 

Speaking of Zeppelin, wasn't Tull recording Aqualung while they were doing IV? I seem to recall that. Same studio, I believe.

 

wow you might be on to something.....Jimmy Page was known to be hanging around the studio when tull recorded aqualung

 

It looks like a section of a pole, like on an outdoor umbrella. There is an open end (ferrule) where another section would be inserted. I have another picture that shows it better. I'd have to search for it and figure out how to upload it.

 

I've always had problems with the vocals on side 2. But I have the quad album now and the vocals sound a lot better on these songs. The grating vocals that prevented me from enjoying hymn 43 and my god are pretty much gone from the quads. Wind up also has grating vocals and I don't like the heavy bits but I quite like the older version. Locomotive breath quad sounds cooler also. On my iPod I'll be replacing 4 songs with different versions which makes side 2 enjoyable finally. I'll also add the great side 3 tracks eg.

Side 1
Aqualung
Cross eyed Mary
Cheap day return
Mother goose
Wondring aloud
Up to me

Side 2
My god(quad)
Hymn 43(quad)
Slipstream
Locomotive breath(quad)
Wind up(early version)

Side 3
Lick you fingers clean
Just trying to be
Wondering again
From later
Up the pool
Life is a long song
Dr bogenbroom
Nursie

I think side 2 improves from 3 to 4 star with the other versions

 

I have to agree. I don't like Anderson's singing during this period at all; it's nasally and snide. While I enjoy side 1 of Aqualung nonetheless, the combination of Anderson's most grating vocals and some lesser material (My God, Wind Up) make side 2 a drag for me. (It doesn't help that I'm apparently one of the handful of people on the planet who doesn't much like Locomotive Breathe.)

I much prefer Anderson's vocals during the 1974-1977 period, when his voice (and/or the recording thereof) had more warmth and depth.

 

Oops. At least I didn't type "Wined Up" or "greating vocals"...

 

An amazing album. Every song is close to perfect, with not a filler song on the album. I firmly believe that this is an album that everyone should have in their collection.

 

This is true.

 

Basing Street. LZ were in the smaller (downstairs) studio. JT were in the main (converted church) studio. IA later said that in hindsight, they would have been better off downstairs. The acoustic was problematical and there were equipment shakedown problems - they were the first project in the new studio.

 

Love side 1. Never liked side 2 much at all just like you. Not a fan of wind up at all but I like the early version. You heard this one? Vocals are way different and all the annoying guitar riffing is gone and the piano and bass are cooler. Didn't care for hymn 43 but the quad version is amazingly my fave song on the album. Didn't care for My God. But the quad is better. The vocals are layered. I can listen to this version all the way through and enjoy it finally. I can listen to locomotive quad too. You got the quads? It will improve side 2 quite a lot

 

Hymn 43 was the only single released from this album! In fact, wasn't it the first Tull single released in the US at all? August 14, 1971. It was in the Billboard Hot 100 for 2 weeks, peaking at #91. It didn't chart in the UK at all, iirc.

My wild, uneducated guess is that the name "Hymn 43" was hoped would capitalize on the generally positive feeling toward religion those days (if not entirely orthodox --Jesus Christ Superstar was the top selling album of 1971), presumably before anyone listened to the lyrics. Although it did have a righteous riff....

Not that Tull was ever a singles band, but Aqualung is a great example of a band whose popularity really, really wasn't built on singles, but still had such overwhelming presence with the big songs from this album that they sure seemed like hit singles....and obviously others as well, although some of those were in fact singles.....

 

There was at least one earlier U.S. single, "Living In The Past." However, "Hymn 43" was their first chart single here ("Living" became a hit in 1972).

 

Never liked this lp. Nowhere near as good as Benefit and Stand Up lp's and the singles like Witches Promise, Sweet Dream that preceded it. Most of the the cuts are just riff-a-rama, pedestrian hard rock for mass consumption and AOR play. Overall songwriting is very weak and forgettable. Hymn 43 and Up To Me are my only faves on this platter. Their next lp Thick As A Brick however was a huge rebound.

 

Thanks, I'll give it a try!

 

Actually, these are my two favorite songs on the album. Interesting the different opinions. Well, along with Cross-Eyed Mary. Aqualung, the song, has been worn out.

 

The song that "Hymn 43" has always reminded me of - not for its riff but for a part of the chord progression, the transition before the choruses - is The Guess Who's "Hand Me Down World", also (the recordings) from 1970.

 

""Hymn 43," My God," and "Cross-Eyed Mary" are my favorite 3 tracks on the album too, in that order. "Locomotive Breath" is #4 for me, but there's a big gap between that and the first 3.

"Aqualung" is one of those songs that, if you can separate it from all the times it's been played, you can sort of listen to it for what it is. "Stairway to Heaven" is like this for me. It's a lot of work to appreciate anymore, and I don't always have the energy to spare.

Unlike "Stairway," though, I don't think this one quite holds up to scrutiny. It's not that I don't like it -- it's #5 on my list of tracks from this album, and top 10 all-time Tull. I also appreciate its compassion (which I think was largely missed at the time), but it doesn't feel quite as substantial as these other songs imo, or others from around this time ("Teacher," "Living In The Past," etc).

I think it's still overall a pretty special record, easily one of the top handful from an incredible year.

There was talk of a supergroup: Aqua-led Zep-lung.

 

Oh yeah!

 

Not a thread crap, but great song!!

 

I'm not a great fan of the riff-laden songs, but i will speak up for my four favourites, pretty much unmentioned til now- that's Cheap Day Return, Wondering Aloud, Slipstream, and Mother Goose. Add the wonderful Nursie to that list, and either i like my Tull in small doses, or Ian Anderson is one of the great writers of the short song.

To be fair, Mother Goose is full length, so it is clearly acoustic Tull i like. When i first bought the album on release i was slightly dissappointed there was nothing with the single appeal of Witch's Promise and Teacher which had recently been in the UK charts. Looking back on it now i'd have bought it just to own the magnificent Cheap Day Return .

 

I love Martin Barre's Les Paul tone on this album; especially on "Up To Me".

 

For me it is one of the few often-played classic rock songs that never wears out (but I don't listen to rock radio much these days).

I like side one more than side two though.

 

Another oh yeah!
Two favourites in one.

 

Respectfully, it seems it is the only Tull song they play most times besides Bungle in the Jungle. At least my local stations anyway.