The Concept

The theme of this anniversary follow-up album is to examine the possible different paths that the precocious young schoolboy, Gerald Bostock, might have taken later in life and to create alter-ego characters whose song-section identities illustrate the hugely varied potential twists and turns of fate and opportunity. Not just for Gerald but to echo how our own lives develop, change direction and ultimately conclude through chance encounters and interventions, however tiny and insignificant they might seem at the time.

In the development of the piece, the divergences of life’s infinitely forked roads finally give way to an almost gravitational pull which brings us back in convergence to, perhaps, a pre-ordained, karma-like conclusion.

As we baby-boomers look back on our own lives, we must often feel an occasional “what-if” moment. Might we, like Gerald, have become instead preacher, soldier, down-and-out, shopkeeper or finance tycoon?

And those of more tender years -the social media and internet generation -may choose to ponder well the myriad of chance possibilities ahead of them at every turn.....
Odd chap, life.....

Ian Anderson January 2012 

 

 

Admin edit: Sorry Maani, but as you know (much as we would like to) we cannot publish full lyrics on the site without the consent of the copyright owner.