JETHRO TULL
"This Was"
(Chrysalis, 1968)
With this excellent and refined album Mr. Ian Anderson
and Company were given to know in the musical palaestra of those years where the efusive
psychodelia, the rhythm and blues sticky and the hard blues or blues-rock was in fashion.
It hurts that I didn't live those years: - (
"This Was" sound represents in some or another way
the gestation of what would come to be the progressive rock, next to the seminal or
embryonic disks of the I generate; that I suppose that all the I publish knows:
"Days of Future Passed" (Moody Blues); "The Piper at the
Gates of Dawn" (Pink Floyd); "Freak Out" (Frank Zappa)
and of course the well-known "Sargent Peppers" -maybe the most complete
disk that was made in the 67-pero I keep to "Revolver".
Of course that in this disk the bearded Ian already delights us with
its telluric flute and its "farmer" voice, knitting in some way what would be
known as the sound Tull. There are several prominent things of this album; first,
there is not acoustic guitars; second, the sound is too much jazz-blues (with but you
tinge toward the blues); third, guitarist Mick Abrahams's early exit for problems
of egos; room, does the magazine Melody Maker locate to the Tull like the
second more promising band of all England (?) and for I finish, David Palmer's
first appearance, member official not official of Jethro Tull in a theme.
This was the fifth disk that I listens of Jethro -the first one it
was "Songs From the Wood", together with the works teachers: "Aqualung",
"Thick As A Brick" and "Passion Play" - and be extremely
surprised by their sound (very clean) and their melodies (simple but Tull), and I have to
recognize that ignored their stage more blues that this present also in "Stand
Up".
If it is necessary to highlight a theme especially of this disk "Beggar's
Farm" would choose, the most complex composition and the one that has but
deviations of harmony, the most progressive to understand each other better, although also
"Dharma for One" brings them to him; however all the themes of the disk
are very interesting. In the 2001 you publishes a version remasterized that contains 3
themes extras: "One For John Gee", "Love Story" and "Christmas
Song" (these 2 last they are in the disk "Living In The Past").
Original members:
Ian Anderson: voice leader, flute, mouth organ,
harmonica, claghorn, pIano
Mick Abrahams: guitars
Clive Bunker: drums, hooter, charm bracelet?
Glenn Cornick: bass
David Palmer: some wind-metals
Jeffrey Hammond: although he doesn't play any instrument,
invention one and Ian dedicates him a song!
Play List:
"My Sunday Feeling": it is a brillIant theme
blues-rock to the Cream, with lineal melody, something of jazz and the incomparable
sound of flute traversa, but where stands out for on all the things the drums of Bunker
that he plays it as caressing her. In half of the theme there is an alone of exquisite
guitar, courtesy of Abrahams. In sum, a crazy blues with flute; that another group
him toward in that year?
"Some Day The Sun Won't Shine For You": Practically
it would have composed it and crazy Sonny B. Williamson with their singular
voice and their burning harmonica. With this piece we delight the hearings with an
exquisite beat of Harmonica-Blues that narrates us an indifference (typical theme of the
Blues), with harmonica obviously and a rhythmic electric guitar.
"Beggar's Farm": it is without a doubt some the
best theme in the disk and it hurts that it is so short, even so it surprises. He has a
staccato and oppressive guitar until the final one and you already begins to notice the
not very orthodox form in that Anderson played its flute!. At the 1:31 the first
change of tonality is elucidated with one jam species jazz-blues; then at the 2:50 kind of
a delirious cacophony or a quite singular entropy of chords, to put an end to a powerful
one alone of flute.
"Move On Alone": Speech of indifference but he has
a farcical sound. The instruments of wind (trombones, trumpets and saxo) they make us
imagine to a type walking for the alone London streets and made bitter for that their dear
girlfriend abandons him. "Let us get tired of crying"! says in a verse.
A very good one final but nothing else.
"Serenade To A Cuckoo": it is an excellent
instrumental piece and in words of the own Anderson: "The first song
that I learned how to play with my flute". This theme this credited Rahsaan
Roland Kirk, a not so famous jazzy piper-saxophonist of those times and the mentor of Anderson,
of the one which
he learned their style and technique to play the flute. Then Ian
impregnates to the technique that sound something impure crammed of vocal screeches. In
1969 Kirk and Tull they played together in the Festival of jazz of
Newport in Rhode Island, allowing a great audience so knew the musical virtues of
Kirk. "The Serenade To A Cuckoo" is in fact that, a serenade a hundred
for a hundred jazzy, with a flute emulating the song of a bird and blended with the vocal
game that Anderson adds him.
"Dharma For One": Has an extraordinary beginning
with sound hard blues and of course another white influence of Cream, but that to
the min. 1:30 break down for the impertinent and unnecessary alone of drums of Bunker;
unbalancing it totally. Here an instrument made by Jeffrey Hammond appears
(according to the disk) called Claghorn!!. Ian then put letter to this theme and appeared
in the disk "Living in the Past" with a duration of 10:00 min. and with a
different tonality.
"It's Breaking Me Up": it is another theme blues
but in diverse slope, but to Muddy Waters's style, with harmonica of for half, an
interrupted bass, melancholic guitar, leisurely drums, and of course letters related with
a lost love; we go, a I authenticate Blues, simply pleasant of I begin to end. One of the
themes where the flute is not listened.
"Cat's Squirrel": it is a traditional theme and in
turn a cover of the power-trio Cream with arrangements of Abrahams that emulates to
the harmonica of the original theme with their guitar; perhaps improving it a lot and
giving him but to be able to. Obviously he has strong riffs of guitar very to Eric
Clapton's style. It is the theme more heavy of the disk and other where the flute
shines for its absence.. An excellent work of guitars that catches until the end. This
piece appears in the album "Fresh Cream" (Cream, 1966) and that
thanks to my uncle I could listen to it, and that album for heaven's sake!!!, be with the
open mouth. Ahh, like their bassoonist called herself?, now memory, Jack Bruce! And
their drummer?, Ginger Baker! And their guitarist, Eric Clapton.
"A Song For Jeffrey": Like we could call this
melody: A British psychedelic folk? or a West-End country?. A theme dedicated to the one
that once formed part of The John Evan Band (the beginnings of Jethro) and
that then he appeared as bear in later disks, Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond. It fits
to highlight of this theme the guitar with slide tube and the sound
powerful of the harmonica, besides the intro with flute. The theme that gave to know Jethro
Tull was or rather, the but well-known of this disk.
"Round": it is a filler little theme, where Anderson
plays the pIano.
The classic disks will always give that to speak!,
A greeting to all the bearded and not bearded!, je je Jethro Tull
fans or not.
Roberto I. Quesada
saytra@racsa.co.cr