Jethro Tull - Aqualung (Hybrid SACD)
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Ian Anderson – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, flute, production
Martin Barre – electric guitar, descant recorder
Jeffrey Hammond (as "Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond") – backing vocals (on "Mother Goose"), bass guitar, alto recorder, odd voices
John Evan – piano, organ, Mellotron
Clive Bunker – drums and percussion
Arranged and Conducted by David Palmer
Written by Ian Anderson
1 SACD, jewel box
Original analog Master tape : YES
Stereo
Studio
Label : Analogue Productions
Original Label : Island
Recorded April 1970 – February 1971 in London at Island Studios and Morgan Studios
Engineered by John Burns
Produced by Chas Chandler
Mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering
Glass master made at Sony DADC
Originally released in 1971
Reissued in 2023
Tracks:
- Aqualung
- Cross-Eyed Mary
- Cheap Day Return
- Mother Goose
- Wond'ring Aloud
- Up To Me
- My God
- Hymn 43
- Slipstream
- Locomotive Breath
- Wind Up
Awards:
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Rated 337/500!
Guitarist magazine number 20 on their list of "the 20 Greatest Guitar Solo of All Time"
Classic Rock magazine The 100 Greatest Rock Albums of All Time - Ranked 30
1000 Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die - Ranked 205
Reviews :
“The leap from 1970's Benefit to the following year's Aqualung is one of the most astonishing progressions in rock history. In the space of one album, Tull went from relatively unassuming electrified folk-rock to larger-than-life conceptual rock full of sophisticated compositions and complex, intellectual, lyrical constructs. While the leap to full-blown prog rock wouldn't be taken until a year later on Thick as a Brick, the degree to which Tull upped the ante here is remarkable.
The lyrical concept -- the hypocrisy of Christianity in England -- is stronger than on most other '70s conceptual efforts, but it's ultimately the music that makes it worthy of praise. Tull's winning way with a riff was never so arresting as on the chugging "Locomotive Breath," or on the character studies "Cross Eyed Mary" and "Aqualung," which portray believably seedy participants in Ian Anderson's story. The fable imagery of "Mother Goose" and the vitriolic anti-authoritarian sentiments of "Wind Up" both serve notice of Anderson's willful iconoclasm and his disillusionment with the spiritual traditions to which he was born. Varied but cohesive, Aqualung is widely regarded as Tull's finest hour.” AllMusic Review by Rovi Staff
Ratings :
AllMusic : 4.5 / 5 , Discogs : 4.62 / 5