THICK AS A BRICK

This is one of those albums that have been reviewed so many times that nothing new can really be said about it. So I'll keep it short. This is one of my all time favorite albums ever, but I do have several all time favorites. Just like most of the people on this site, I absolutely love this album, and I did the first time I heard it 40 years ago. I thought it was cool that it was only one long song split up into two parts, but in reality, it is several songs all glued together into one long masterful work. It is the band's best, just a bit better than "Aqualung". But unlike Aqualung, this one is more progressive. Everyone knows the story, I'm sure, that after many reviewers said that Aqualung was a concept album, Ian Anderson kept refuting that claim. So he thought he would make a real concept album just to show them what one really was, and so "Thick as a Brick" was born.

The ever changing melodies are all perfect with excellent guitar solos, addictive keyboard riffs, plenty of that signature flute and the different themes, melodies and songs flow from one to another almost seamlessly, and it is amazing how many of the parts of this huge suite are so memorable. Even with the way this album is formatted, it never gets tiring and it doesn't feel as thick as you think it would. Some people went so far as to say that it wasn't progressive enough, that it was too accessible. So in response to that, the next album "A Passion Play" was born, again it was set up the same way as this album, but so progressive that you can easily say that it is a thick album. Just because this one is more accessible, however, doesn't mean it isn't progressive, because it is. The fact that so many people love this album attests to it's brilliance, that Tull could make an album so progressive and yet be appealing to so many people.

Anyway, if you haven't heard this and become familiar with it, then you are missing out. The odds are that you will love it, but again, everyone has their opinion. To me, this is a masterpiece and is an essential album for all prog lovers.