Jethro Tull: Ian Anderson (vocals, acoustic guitar, flute); Martin Barre (guitar, descant recorder); Jeffrey Hammond (alto recorder, bass, background vocals); John Evan (piano, organ, Mellotron); Clive Bunker (drums, percussion).

Recorded at Island Studios, London, England. Originally released as Reprise (2035).

Released at a time when a lot of bands were embracing pop-Christianity (… la Jesus Christ Superstar), Aqualung was a bold statement for a rock group, a pro-God antichurch tract that probably got lots of teenagers wrestling with these ideas for the first time in their lives. This was the album that made Jethro Tull a fixture on FM radio, with riff-heavy songs like "My God," "Hymn 43," "Locomotive Breath," "Cross-Eyed Mary," "Wind Up," and the title track. And from there, they became a major arena act, and a fixture at the top of the record charts for most of the 1970s. Mixing hard rock and folk melodies with Ian Anderson's dour musings on faith and religion (mostly how organized religion had restricted man's relationship with God), the record was extremely profound for a number seven chart hit, one of the most cerebral albums ever to reach millions of rock listeners. Indeed, from this point on, Anderson and company were compelled to stretch the lyrical envelope right to the breaking point. [In the digital age, Aqualung has gone through numerous editions, mostly owing to problems finding an original master tape when the CD boom began. When the album was issued by Chrysalis through Columbia Records in the mid-'80s, the source tape was an LP production master, and the first release was criticized for thin, tinny sound; Columbia remastered it sometime around 1987 or 1988, in a version with better sound. Chrysalis later switched distribution to Capitol-EMI, and they released a decent sounding CD. Chrysalis also issued a 25th anniversary edition in 1996.] ~ Bruce Eder

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 is ultimately the music that makes the album.

Tull's winning way with a riff was never so arresting as on the chugging "Locomotive Breath," or 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.

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 here--the hypocrisy of Christianity in England--is stronger than on most other '70s conceptual efforts, but it's ultimately the music that makes it. Tull's winning way with a riff was never so arresting as on the chugging "Locomotive Breath," or 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.

Rolling Stone (10/11/01, p.94) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...They were the most frazzled British art rockers of their day..."

Q (7/96, p.140) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...occupies a special place in the idiosyncratic Tull pantheon. Many of its key songs have been lionised in live sets....The smaller stuff stands up well too..."

Q (7/96, p.140) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...occupies a special place in the idiosyncratic Tull pantheon. Many of its key songs have been lionised in live sets....The smaller stuff stands up well too..."

Mojo (Publisher) (3/01, p.57) - "...Demonstrates a new maturity in Ian Anderson's songwriting as he draws together disparate folk, jazz and heavy metal influences. The tramp on the cover quickly became the Tull persona in the public mind..."