Back in 2005, Jethro Tull released Aqualung Live, which captured a live performance of their classic 1971 album, Aqualung. Performed by the lineup of singer and flautist Ian Anderson, guitarist Martin Barre, drummer Doane Perry, keyboardist Andrew Giddings, and bassist Jonathan Noyce, the concert was recorded in 2004 as part of Sirius XM’s “Then Again Live” series at their studio in Washington DC. Twenty years later, it’s been remastered and reissued.
Jethro Tull’s best-selling album spawned FM-staples “Locomotive Breath,” “Cross-Eyed Mary,” and of course the title track, plus hit on some rather lofty lyrical themes. Although the band tickled across these songs a-plenty at this point, what’s wonderful about them playing an entire album live is that the audience gets to hear those deep cuts. Coming from Aqualung, they rate right up there with the hits. Running through the songs in order, we are instantly reminded of the importance of song formatting across two sides of an album.
There is no ignoring the one-two punch opener of Aqualung’s title song and “Cross-Eyed Mary.” Both come off hard and fast here, but it’s Aqualung’s acoustic tunes that have always gotten to me, and in catching Jethro Tull in concert many times before, I don’t recall some of them being played. Songs like “Cheap Day Return” into “Mother Goose,” the latter showcasing Anderson’s voice, as he was losing a good amount of his vocal prowess in 2004. “Wond’ring Aloud,” with some beautiful playing from Giddings, features one of my all-time favorite lyrical lines: “And it’s only the giving that makes you what you are.”
The band rolls around an acoustic opening to “Hymn 43,” then kicks in full rocking at about the two-and-a-half-minute mark. Giddings is on top form for the classic piano beginning of “Locomotive Breath.” From there, we are into my favorite Jethro Tull tune, “Wind-Up.” Once again, Giddings is in top form, tickling the ivories behind Anderson’s school boy confession, creating a truly spine-chilling beginning. Then the band kicks in and away we go until things slow down again for the end.
There has been a long line of players in and out of Jethro Tull, led always by Ian Anderson, and they are still pumping out solid studio albums and touring to this day. Still, I am tickled pink about this particular lineup of musicians — who had all been with Tull for a while at that point, especially Barre — playing Aqualung all the way through. Hard to imagine any Jethro Tull not feeling the same.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
