For all of its levity and wacky Briticisms, the music of Jethro Tull has inevitably dwelled on the dark side of human nature. It is a product of much soul searching on Andersen's part as well as of his reluctance to embrace the easy answers and hedonism of the status quo. Even in the early Seventies, when sex, drugs and rock and roll were the party platform adopted by virtually every rock band, Jethro Tull were the lone dissenters.
I wasn't into the drug culture and party culture of the times, says Anderson.
It always offended me that people assumed I was on amphetamines, or something. His temperance earned him the disdain of at least one fellow musician.
We were Led Zeppelin's support act on a rather lengthy arena tour. And although they were party animals and certainly lived life to the excess, we got on fine with them. But Robert Plant didn't like the idea that I wasn't playing the game. I suspect he found that irritating about me, and I think that's part of the reason he and I never hit it off. Anderson's sober attitude toward drugs extended to his political beliefs, and at a time when criticizing the status quo was de rigueur for rock stars, he stayed true to his conservative views. There's a line in 'Living in the Past' that caused a bit of a problem with some people, he says. It goes, 'Now there's revolution but they don't know what they're fighting.' That was another one of the things that got me into trouble with people of my generation and with other musicians. No one likes folks who appear to be bucking the trend. So many musicians were politically and socially going down this prescribed track of appearing to have left-wing credentials, whilst at the same time raking in vast piles of money and living in big houses in Laurel Canyon. I found that a little odd.
Guitar World interview with Ian Anderson September 1999
Live Webcast link of Jethro Tull in concert from 1978 - Madison Square Garden - 'Thick as a Brick' - 'No Lullaby' - 'Flute Solo' - 'Songs from the Wood' - 'Aqualung' - 'Locomotive Breath' - 47 minutes streaming webcast video - need windows media player - this webcast and others care of www.electrocutas.com
Jethro Tull video clip of 'Living in the Past' - Wildhorse Saloon, Nashville, TN - Broadcast on 11.8.2001 - this clip and others care of http://www.laufi.de/tull/e/home.htm"
Quality Jethro Tull websites
I saw Jethro Tull in concert a couple of years ago. The Chieftans opened for them. It was a great show.
There are two unlikely, but nonetheless outstanding, Blues songs on this album you are no doubt aware of . . .
BluesDuke's Blues Thread . . .