Jethro Tull: Aqualung

If there is any Jethro Tull album that I would recommend people to buy, it would be the 1971 LP “Aqualung.” While some view the LP as a concept album, it is not – that would come with the band’s next release “Thick as a Brick.”

In places the album appears to be anti-Christian on some songs; however, if you listen deeply to the lyrics it becomes apparent that Ian Anderson is not anti-God or antichrist in his treatment of these songs. He attacks the ecclesiastical excess of the Anglican Church and other organized religions. Anderson also takes issues with those who profiteer in the name of Christ.

It is the band’s bestselling album with sales in excess of seven million units worldwide. It placed at 337 on Rolling Stone’s top 500 albums of all time. In the US album rock stations embraced three cuts: “Aqualung ,“ “Cross-eyed Mary,” and “Locomotive Breath.” The latter and the title cut received the lion’s share of the airplay. These three cuts are featured below.

The Album in its Entirety

To get a sense of the vinyl release in all of its glory, I have prepared a YouTube playlist with the songs in order as they appeared on the LP.