Jethro Tull was
formed in Luton, England, in 1967 when Ian Anderson and Glenn Cornick,
members of a visiting Blackpool blues group, John Evan's Smash,
became acquainted with Mick Abrahams and Clive
Bunker , Abrahams' colleague
in local attraction McGregor's Engine, completed the original line-up which
made its debut in March the following year with 'Sunshine Day'. This
commercially minded single, erroneously
credited to Jethro Toe, merely hinted
at developments about to unfold. A residency at London's famed Marquee
club and a sensational appearance at that summer's Sunbury Blues
Festival confirmed a growing reputation,
while 'Song For Jeffrey',
the quartet's first release for the Island label, introduced a more
representative sound. Abrahams' rolling blues licks and Anderson's
distinctive, stylized voice combined expertly on This Was - for many
Tull's finest collection. Although the material itself was
derivative, the group's approach
was highly exciting, with Anderson's propulsive flute playing, modelled
on jazzman Rahsaan Roland Kirk, particularly effective.
The album
reached the UK Top 10, largely on the strength of Tull's live
reputation in which the singer
played an ever-increasing role. His exaggerated gestures, long, wiry
hair, ragged coat and distinctive, one-legged stance cultivated a compulsive
stage personality to the extent that, for many spectators, Jethro Tull
was the name of this extrovert
frontman and the other musicians
merely his underlings.
When future
Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi proved incompatible, Martin Barre
joined Tull for Stand Up, their excellent chart-topping second album. The
group was then augmented by John Evan ), the first of Anderson's Blackpool
associates to be invited into the line-up. Benefit, the last outwardly
blues-based album, duly followed and this period was also marked by
the group's three UK Top 10 singles, 'Living In The Past',
'Sweet Dream' (both 1969)
and 'The Witch's Promise' (1970). Cornick then quit to form Wild
Turkey and Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond , already a legend in Tull's lexicon
through their debut single, 'Jeffrey Goes To
Leicester Square' and 'For
Michael Collins, Jeffrey And Me', was brought in for Aqualung. Possibly
the group's best-known work, this ambitious concept album featured
Anderson's musings on organized religion and contained several tracks that
remained long-standing favourites,
including 'My God' and 'Locomotive
Breath'.
Clive Bunker,
the last original member, bar Anderson, left in May 1971. A further John
Evan-era acolyte, Barriemore Barlow , replaced him as Jethro Tull
entered its most controversial period. Although Thick As A Brick
topped the US chart and reached number 5 in the UK, critics began questioning
Anderson's reliance on obtuse concepts. However, if muted for this
release, the press reviled A Passion Play, damning it as pretentious,
impenetrable and the product of an egotist and his
neophytes. Such rancour obviously
hurt. Anderson retorted by announcing an indefinite retirement, but
continued success in America, where the album became Tull's second
chart-topper, doubtless appeased his anger. War Child, a US number 2, failed
to chart in the UK, although Minstrel In The Gallery proved more popular.
Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll, Too Young To Die marked the departure of
Hammond-Hammond in favour of John Glascock , formerly of the Gods,
Toe Fat and Chicken Shack.
Subsequent releases, Songs
From The Wood and Heavy Horses, reflected a more pastoral sound as Anderson
abandoned the gauche approach marking many of their predecessors. David
Palmer, who orchestrated each Tull album, bar their debut, was added
as a second keyboards player as the group embarked on another highly
successful
phase, culminating in November 1978
when a concert at New York's Madison Square Garden was simultaneously
broadcast around the world by satellite. However, Glascock's premature
death in 1979 during heart surgery ushered in a period of uncertainty,
culminating in an solo album, retaining Barre and new bass player Dave
Pegg and Marc Craney . Long-time cohorts Barlow, Evan and Palmer were
left to pursue their individual paths. The finished product, A, was ultimately
issued under the Jethro Tull banner and introduced a productive period
that saw two
more group selections, plus Anderson's
solo effort, Walk Into Light, issued within a two-year period. Since
then Jethro Tull have continued to record and perform live, albeit
on a lesser scale, using a nucleus of Anderson, Barre and Pegg. Catfish
Rising in 1991, although a disappointing album, was a return to their blues
roots. Roots To
Branches was a return to the standard
Tull progressive rock album, full of complicated time changes, and fiddly
new age and Arabian intros and codas. Squire Anderson has also become
a renowned entrepreneur, owning tracts of land on the west coast
of Scotland and the highly
successful Strathaird Salmon processing
plant.