Standing Up To Tull

Sure everyone knows Aqualung and everything after that album, but do they know Stand Up? My Jethro Tull experience started before the famous Aqualung, but Benefit. It was also the 20th Anniversary CD sampler called 20 Tears of Jethro Tull: The Highlights for the boxed set that came out in 1988. It was the first six songs on the this highlight was got me into pre 1971 and beyond of Jethro Tull. 

This Jethro Tull was a mix of Blues, Jazz, Classical, and English Folk music. If this was not enough everyone in the band was amazing to hear on their instruments. These guys knew their chops. After hearing and buying Benefit it was now to go backwards more. I went to the local used record store and bought Stand Up and This Was.  Both albums show their influences in the open. In This Was It was the song "Serenade to a Cuckoo." A song written by Roland Kirk and one of Kirk's most famous compositions. In Stand Up it was a Bach piece that had even my friend in awe. He had interest in Classical music, and "A Whiter Shade of Pale." was his favorite song. In Tull's response to Classical music it was a Bach piece called "Bouree." 

If there was reason to like Pre-Aqualung Jethro Tull. It was the music I loved. It was original and unique. It was also very British. The mix of genres was something I could not quite understand as a teenager. It was to me all the same, but with "Bouree" and "Pale" it was using Classical and to me Classical was old people music. I'm sure the sure the same goes for those Blood, Sweet and Tears albums or even Chicago ones that my dad owned.  Those also had old people music on them and that was the other odd genre Jazz. It was great to see music add more of a mix to their music. The older generation must have thought there was some hope for the future of music. 

With all this mix of those genres I knew from that point on I had to listen to a lot of the Blues, Jazz, Classical and whatever other styles there were. It was likely the reason that I got The Complete Robert Johnson Recordings because I heard Cream do "Crossroads." Jethro Tull made me listen to that dreaded Classical because of Ian Anderson's flute playing. There was more to Stand Up the album; it was the mix of all kinds of genres. In the post called Singles I mentioned Tull's "Sweet Dream." A mix of Blues, horns and strings and Hard Rock. It was also a song they recorded after Stand Up but ended up as a single.  I'm not sure why the album could have been delayed for this wonderful song. 

Stand Up launching pad for me made me understand Aqualung and when I saw them on tour in 1989 for Rock Island. It was Tull that got me into things more progressive.  King Crimson was the push, but It was Tull that made me understand that Progressive Rock can be combined with all kinds of styles and genres. I loved it all. It was those early Tull albums that made me totally understand how influence is in works in music.  Some of it is subtle and some of it is right there in front of you. It's what you decide to listen to from that album that makes the path you can choose.  Overall, the album has some great moments and should be as important as all those classic Tull albums we all know.  Cheers!