THIS WAS

Jethro Tull's debut, released in late 1968, was This Was. This Was is a blues-rock record with some occasional jazz flourishes. It opens with "My Sunday Feeling", a pretty decent rocker. Anderson's decision to take up the flute was a smart one. It adds a unique character to an otherwise good-but-unremarkable song.

"Beggar's Farm" is one of the stronger cuts on the album, and it's one of the points where Anderson's ambitions to move beyond blues were most evident. It slinks along smoothly, and Anderson's signature aggressive flute-playing takes the lead in the song's outro. The brief "Move on Alone" is another highlight. It's the only album track in the band's history to feature someone other than Ian Anderson on vocals (in this case, guitarist Mick Abrahams). The horn arrangement in this song's outro marked the first collaboration with Dee Palmer, who would work with the band until 1980.

"Dharma for One" is seen in its first incarnation here. In live settings, it would be reworked into a ten-minute monster. Vocals would be added to the supercharged music, but both live renditions and the version here are centered around an extended drum solo, which manages to avoid becoming tedious.

Overall, This Was is a pretty decent blues-rock album, and that's coming from a guy with a professed low tolerance for most overtly-bluesy music. There are a couple unimpressive tracks, like "Some Day the Sun Won't Shine for You", and the album's production isn't particularly good. Though considering this album was recorded on the shoestring budget of £1200, it could have been worse.

Mick Abrahams left Jethro Tull shortly before the release of This Was. His blues-oriented playing put him at odds with Anderson, and he went on to form the band Blodwyn Pig. Ian Anderson has stated that the album title "This Was" itself was meant to demonstrate the temporary nature of their blues sound, and Mick Abrahams's departure was necessary for the band to progress.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2019/07/25/deep-dive-jethro-tull/