Behind the Album: ‘Aqualung,’ the Classic Jethro Tull Album at the Intersection of Hard Rock, Folk, and Prog

Many bands test out different styles of music over the course of an entire album, switching it up from song to song. Jethro Tull could shift genres several times in the course of a single song, which makes listening to their classic albums a heady experience.

The British band made the biggest artistic leap of their career on their 1971 album Aqualung. It was a record devoted alternately to scathing critiques and societal outcasts, not exactly feel-good stuff. But it resonated then, and it still sounds as vibrant as ever today, certainly worthy of a look back to what spawned its creation.

Tull’s Climb

Jethro Tull formed in 1967 as a somewhat traditional blend of blues-rock and R&B. That approach changed when original guitarist Mick Abrahams departed after just a single album with them. While his replacement Martin Barre could bring the thunder, he was more willing to cede artistic control of the band to frontman Ian Anderson.

Anderson brought an interesting blend of talents to the Jethro Tull package. In addition to being a distinctive singer and a songwriter with a knack for finding atypical song subjects, he played multiple instruments, most notably the flute. It helped Tull’s sound stand out a bit in the crowded British rock scene.

He also yearned to stretch the sound of the band to different areas. While he still envisioned Tull as a hard-rocking outfit, he began to incorporate jazz and folk into the mix. The formula worked beautifully when the band scored both a No. 1 album (Stand Up) and a Top-5 single (“Living in the Past”) in the UK in 1969.

When the time came for Tull to make their fourth album, Anderson had taken over the bulk of the songwriting duties. His inclination to write about some of the seedier aspects and characters in the world set him, and the band in turn, apart from the pop music pack.

Anderson had much of Aqualung worked out when he brought the material to the band. While the album proved a massive success on both sides of the pond (it was their first Top-10 record in the U.S.), Anderson was frustrated by some critics categorizing it as a concept album. While there is some carryover in certain songs and some common themes (most notably qualms about religion), there’s no through line connecting every song. (That would come with Thick as a Brick, the follow-up album that’s essentially one long song.)

Revisiting the Music of Aqualung

While Anderson might have been the architect of Aqualung, and his vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute certainly set the musical tone, credit needs to be given to the rest of Jethro Tull for realizing his vision. The quintet handles every surprising tonal shift without every sounding clunky. Individual moments also stand out, such as Martin Barre’s crunching lead guitar in the title track and John Evan’s piano flourish at the beginning of “Locomotive Breath.”

It’s fascinating to listen to Aqualung and realize how so many of these songs have become part of the classic rock firmament, and just how uncompromisingly weird those songs are. Anderson was onto something. He sussed that people weren’t afraid to hear tales of deviants and miscreants, especially if they were delivered with power and flair.

Because the band never settles too long into any one style, the album never drags. Even when the band gets a bit more conventional on songs like “Up to Me,” Anderson’s melodic sense keeps things fresh. “Wind Up” gives the album a suitably fantastic finish, an epic filled with musical grandeur and lyrical fury.

Jethro Tull found a formula on Aqualung, one to which they would largely stick with slight deviations throughout their ’70s heyday and onward. The album is a testament to what happens when an artist, in this case Ian Anderson, writes according to his instincts instead of prevailing tastes. If the music is this inspired, those tastes will come around.

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