AQUALUNG

Celebrated by both classic rock and prog rock fans as one of the seminal albums of the early 70s, Jethro Tull's 'Aqualung' remains one of the most cerebral, recognizable and influential rock albums to have come out of the UK, and while many [rightfully] consider it one of the rare instances of a work of genius, what remains undeniably true is that the band's fourth studio album combines in a magical and transcendent way elements of blues, folk, psychedelia and rock music, producing a work that not only defines its era, but has remained relevant, potent and exhilarating to this day. Of course, we all know that this is the band's highest selling album, too, as well as the one that presented Tull to a much wider audience, with many of its iconic tracks frequenting worldwide radio stations, but the inherent creative spark, brilliant songcraft and passionate performances are the reasons making 'Aqualung' such an important rock album.

Unlike previous efforts, this album is much more "electrified" and riff-heavy, while the band achieve a fine balance between the acoustic and folky bits of preceding albums and this invigorated drive that is so prevalent on many of the songs on here. Wrongly accused of having a stringent conceptual thread, 'Aqualung' is more of a collection of songs exploring various styles, with several of them having the religious theme as an underlying thematic inspiration. A run of memorable classics, from the mesmerizing and cathartic title track to the groovy 'Cross-Eyed Mary' and the folk anthem 'Mother Goose', to the epic and gloomy 'My God', the hard-hitting 'Hymn 43', to the monumental 'Locomotive Breath'. Sprinkles of acoustic brilliance grace the space in-between the main songs with the album's stylistic variety and bold, daring sounds and sophisticated arrangements impressing all throughout; and shall we mention the dazzling flutes of Ian Anderson or the acrobatic drumming of Clive Bunker, matched only by the fierce playing and unbridled imagination of Martin Barre's guitar sounds. 'Aqualung' is simply an all-time classic album recorded by an incredibly talented band, completely aware of what they're doing.

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