THIS WAS

It should be pretty obvious by now, but in case you still haven't figured it out, I'll make it clear for you. This album has absolutely nothing to do with prog. Jethro Tull's debut still sees them as a band - Ian Anderson hadn't taken complete control yet. For that reason, this is a fairly unique effort in JT's catalogue. Martin Barre is completely absent from the album, as Mick Abrahams was still in the band at this point - and he's one of the main figures here as well. The music, while fairly professionally done, brings nothing new to the blues/folk-rock scene, which was extremely popular those days. You can hear traces of what was to come of Anderson later on, as his songwriting style was already quite daring and unconventional. That said, don't go expecting to hear anything too intricate, This Was is a very straightforward blues album - they get to the point quickly and effectively. Not that that's a bad thing per se, I like my blues-rock just as much as the next guy, but it does not have the sophistication (I hate that word in music, aarrggh!) many prog fans expect from their music. This Was is a good effort from the lads surely, but better things were yet to come.