On the album cover a homeless man with shaggy hair in a beggar's coat. Aqualung" got its title from his rattling breathing sounds, which sounded like a diver's lung. With its musical class, which combined hard rock, fine folk, romantic classical motifs and jazzy improvisation, the work was well received worldwide and is considered a milestone in Jethro Tull's band history as well as in rock and prog history in general. We roll up the history and meaning of "Aqualung" with mastermind Ian Anderson and guitarist Martin Barre.
Although the official chapter ended in 2011, Ian Anderson, 71, has kept the band alive both live and with new releases as Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson. With the three-CD box "50 For 50" he and the Warner label celebrate half a century of band history. Let's not kid ourselves: Nobody knows whether Tull music will still be played by one of the leading group members - above all Anderson - in ten years' time. This year's celebrations are therefore the ideal occasion to talk to the man who stands for Jethro Tull like no other about his life's work.
eclipsed: Jethro Tull celebrates his fiftieth birthday. How did you choose the tracks for the anniversary box "50 For 50"?
LED ZEPPELIN
Whole Lotta Phallus
It was pure sex, above all. Along with Jimmy Page's ubiquitous guitar and John Bonham's powerful drums, he seemed to be the driving force in the Led Zeppelin cosmos. Their highly potent and vibrant hardrock seemed like a permanent penis to the audience of the late sixties and early seventies.
CARLOS SANTANA
Number 4 lives!
For the third and definitely last time after the two "Thick As A Brick" albums Ian Anderson lets his alter ego Gerald Bostock have his say with "Homo Erraticus" (Review in eclipsed 4/2014). The latter again takes a stand on current political and social issues. In the eclipsed interview, the Jethro Tull boss explains why he is currently particularly concerned about migration and immigration.
eclipsed: Is "Homo Erraticus" your most political album yet?
