Friday, April 15, 2011

No. 321: Jethro Tull - "Stand Up" (1969)

Does flute belong in rock music??
If you've heard this album then you'll know the answer.
This hard rocking classic has elements of folk, celtic and classical music mixed together under the direction of singer/guitarist/flutist Ian Anderson - the man with a recognizable silhouette: shaggy hair and shabby clothes, up on one leg belting out an insane flute solo. New guitarist Martin Barre adds some punchy riffing to tracks like "Nothing Is Easy" and "A New Day Yesterday", but the softer tracks are just as impressive, especially the cover version of classical composer J.S Bach's melodic "Bouree". A fine listen indeed.
Jethro Tull are often overlooked in the history of British hard rock, presumably because the world had Sabbath and Zeppelin at around the same time, but Tull brought a more "English" feel to the genre and proved that a flute is not necessarily out of place on a rock & roll stage.
They went on to bigger & better things with the Aqualung album in 1971, but this is probably my favourite Tull record - its rawness seems to give it a timeless feel. Check out their performance at the Isle of Wight 1970 on DVD if you're unfamiliar - a powerful set from a group near the height of their popularity.

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