Aqualung - Jethro Tull (1971)

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Jethro Tull's "Aqualung": https://youtu.be/Qq_sE-cqx8I

"Aqualung" was the title track from Jethro Tull's fourth album which was released in March 1971. Back now, for a (possibly) limited engagement (well see!), and featuring high resolution flac audio track from the Aqualung Adapted Edition...your old friend, Aqualung! ;-) 40th Anniversary 96KHz/24 bit HD FLAC!

I made a video for this song seven long years ago, soon after discovering that I enjoyed making music videos to express my love for some of the songs that I'd been listening to my whole life. The original video has been on a bumpy road, and somewhere along the trip, the audio was lost/removed. I've been wanting to upgrade it for a long time, but each time I'd start I'd soon ask myself "why am I doing this one again when there are so many other great and deserving Tull songs to choose?"....however once the audio disappeared, I had new motivation. Still it took me forever to finish it....with the updates I always try and keep the same elements (and mainly update the effects, use higher quality art, video, audio, etc), but this one made me question if I really wanted to use so much of the album art animations that I'd used so heavily in the first one. They seemed silly, but when I tried to take them out, I missed seeing them? LOL! ...besides I didn't really have any new ideas for the video anyway, so I ended up using all the old ideas cranked to 11! ;-) Real 24 bit music!

This is the album that really broke the group out to massive popularity they achieved. It is regarded, despite the band's disagreement, as a concept album featuring a central theme of "the distinction between religion and God". The album's "dour musings on faith and religion" have marked it as "one of the most cerebral albums ever to reach millions of rock listeners". Aqualung's success signaled a turning point in the band's career, which went on to become a major radio and touring act.

Recorded at Island Records' studio in London, it was their first album with John Evan as a full-time member, their first with new bassist Jeffrey Hammond, and last album featuring Clive Bunker on drums. Something of a departure from the band's previous work, the album features more acoustic material than previous releases; and—inspired by photographs of homeless people on the Thames Embankment taken by singer Ian Anderson's wife Jennie—contains a number of recurring themes, addressing religion along with Anderson's own personal experiences.

Aqualung has sold more than seven million units worldwide, and is thus Jethro Tull's best-selling album. The album was generally well-received critically and has been included on several music magazine best-of lists. The album spawned two singles, "Hymn 43" and "Locomotive Breath". Aqualung has always played like a concept album to me (though Ian Anderson has always strongly stated it is not), it's compositions dealing with a central theme "the distinction between religion and God".

This incredible album, which Rolling Stone included it on their list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", at number 337 (UK magazine Q listed it a number 7 in their "40 Cosmic Rock Albums") was remastered (by Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson) for it's 40th Anniversary and (though I've owned nearly every sonic upgrade ever released) the sound is extraordinary....finally! One of prog rocks greats!

The track Aqualung was written by Ian and his wife Jennie, apparently after she had taken some photos of homeless people along the Thames. Martin Barre's solo on this track was included in Guitarist magazine's list of "The 20 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time" at number 20.

Special thanks to: Paulstam48's Channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/paulstam48) for the wildflower madness video and radma.ca (http://radmad.blogspot.com/) for the cool old aqualungish dude image...and of course, as usual, any one else whose contributions helped make this video possible!

[Lyrics]
Sitting on a park bench
eyeing little girls with bad intent.
Snot running down his nose
greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes.
Drying in the cold sun
Watching as the frilly panties run.
Feeling like a dead duck
spitting out pieces of his broken luck.
Sun streaking cold
an old man wandering lonely.
Taking time
the only way he knows.
Leg hurting bad,
as he bends to pick a dog-end
he goes down to the bog
and warms his feet.

Feeling alone
the army's up the rode
salvation à la mode and
a cup of tea.
Aqualung my friend
don't start away uneasy
you poor old sod, you see, it's only me.
Do you still remember
December's foggy freeze
when the ice that
clings on to your beard is
screaming agony.
And you snatch your rattling last breaths
with deep-sea-diver sounds,
and the flowers bloom like
madness in the spring.

Check out my new video "Fire At Midnight" from Songs from the Wood!