a new record of my favourite band, Jethro Tull, I received from my logistic company yesterday. A new day yesterday, not at all, it is fresh music in a modern disguise. At first I was surprised how good Ian Anderson ´s voice sounds. I really thought he lost his voice when he was supported by an additional singer on stage. And the recording is one of its best in the long career of the band. 

Nevertheless Ian recorded some tapes in the last 20 years e.g. Tab II, Homo Erraticus he switched back to Jethro Tull instead of Ian Anderson. It is a funny story but Ian is one of the survivors in the rock music business, besides of The Rolling Stones. I remember very well when I hitchhiked as a school boy from my school into Marburg city visiting the local record shop and buying his 70 ies records from Stand Up, Benefits, Aqualung, Thick as a Brick, A Passion Play and so on… We then went to the 50 miles distant Century Concert Hall in Frankfurt to join his concerts, among the visitors many GIs with a touch of Marihuana clouds around them. My god, these were days…

As a growing youth of 18 I was fascinated by his music, especially by Thick as a brick.
In my boarding school ´s room, in Amöneburg, I had quite a serious equipment of a Thorens TT and a Grundig RtR, later on a Philips reel to reel. When I visited my parents in Fulda I had the chance to take with me my Philips reel to reel (one of the most sophisticated ones in these days). I don ´t know why but I was interested to let my parents liston to Thick as a brick. They survived the 44 minutes, not showing any sign of admiration or fatigue. I guess they just wanted to show me – it is ok, boy…

Later on – today – I am sitting in my listening room, enjoying the Tull music. Ian Anderson is getting 75 years this year, I am some 10 years younger. He said he doesn ´t liston to music, he has no car and he loves his cats. Still some differences to me, this is how an idol went his way. Congrats to his new masterpiece, learned he is already working on his next record.

of course I do own all the publications of Tull, including the many live sessions and the MFSL issues on vinyl (only dot.com was not issued on vinyl). Just look at the „Aqualung my friend“ article on this blog. Here are some of the CDs: