Jethro Tull

Aqualung

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Genre: Progressive Rock.
Released: 19/03/1971
Via Warner Music Group

Album Review: Jethro Tull – Aqualung

Jethro Tull has been entertaining fans with their unique blend of progressive and folk-rock since 1967 and to celebrate Aqualung’s 50th anniversary the band are re-releasing this classic album. I think it’s only right that we gave this album a review as a way to honour its legacy and check out how this reissue holds up. So without further adieu, here are my thoughts of Jethro Tull’s Aqualung. 

The album starts with the title track ‘Aqualung’ which is definitely not something you’d ever get nowadays. However, the way the band play is quite unlike anything I’m used to. The song has quite the groove to it and flows well. From general listening, you start to sense that it’s more of a story-driven song rather than a contemporary piece of music. The story-driven theme continues into ‘Cross-Eyed Mary’ however the instrumental of this one has a lot more going for it. A nice syncopated beat accompanied by a unique guitar tone makes for an interesting listen. Old school rock fans will find a lot of joy from this bare-bones track and I can appreciate what it is despite this style of music not being my cup of tea. The guitar solo is a real highlight in this one. 

‘Cheap Day Return’ is a short acoustic number that has it’s own little charm to it. The vocals sound a lot cleaner during this track while the use of pure acoustic rather than just using a clean-toned electric allows the accented notes to ring like they are intended too which can also be seen in ‘Mother Goose’. This song unfortunately doesn’t hold up today and leaves a lot to be desired. The riffs themselves almost clash with the vocals and occasionally gives off a strange twang. A disappointing song that unfortunately doesn’t get saved by ‘Wond’ring Aloud’. A fairly dull and uneventful track that misses the mark. The only saving grace for this one is the angelic Melodie that can be heard in the background. 

Luckily ‘Up To Me’ is a much better effort. The swing created by the guitar playing will have you grooving along to this one without a doubt, not to mention the infectious percussive beat that dominates the track. A much-needed breath of life to the record that is somewhat lost by ‘My God’. This 7-minute long behemoth has a lot of contrasting sounds and rhythms in it that just leave the flow of the song all over the place. Once again the guitar solo’s are really good and help to salvage the song a bit however the sheer length of this track highlights it’s weaknesses. 

Thankfully ‘Hymn 43’ once again gets the record back on track. A more upbeat number that just sounds a lot more pleasing than the previous song. I love the use of palm mutes throughout this song as well as the drumming that dominates the track. This is by far the best song on the record in my opinion. This is followed by another short acoustic number titled ‘Slipstream’. This has a lot more going for it than ‘Wond’ring Aloud’ with the help of an additional string section that allows the song to feel larger than it is. 

The penultimate song of the record is ‘Locomotive Breath’ which has one of the coolest intros I’ve heard in a while. The keys and guitar work so well together and create a memorable intro that hasn’t been present in any other song. When the tune gets going, the dominant 4 to the floor bass drum give the song a nice feel that will have you nodding your head right from the off. Riffs weave in and out of the groove creating a nice swing that gives that old school rock feel. Unfortunately ‘Wind-Up’ falls a little flat. It’s by no means a bad song however it once again suffers from it’s own length. Coming in at 6 minutes long, The lack of ambition is prevalent throughout this one, The song does feature an infectious groove once again however it’s somewhat overshadowed by dull themes and a lack of charisma.

Aqualung is certainly not for everyone and is still unlike much else available to a music lover. The album has some decent tracks and boasts it’s own unique charm due to Jethro Tull’s boldness to attempt a record of this nature 50 years ago. I recommend this album to fans of old school rock and folk and I also would recommend anyone who has a passion for modern rock to really get a glimpse into all aspects of your chosen genre’s history. As for my final verdict, I think the album is decent. I know it’s certainly not my kind of thing however I can appreciate what went into creating the record.