50 years of Thick As A Brick

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

An ode to Jethro Tull's album Thick As A Brick, which completes 50 years today

Spin me back down the years, and the days at New Delhi's Hansraj College. The year was 1983, and a  few of us 20-year-olds would meet in the canteen, greeting each other, before singing in chorus, "The poet and the painter, casting shadows on the water, as the sun plays on the infantry, returning from the sea..."

It was a regular ritual, over tea, samosas and cunningly hidden cigarettes, with someone bringing out an air guitar, and another standing on one leg playing an imaginary flute. A third person would rattle the spoons, singing, "Where the hell was Biggles, when you needed him last Saturday?"

If you aren't a diehard fan of Jethro Tull, you'd have shut this file before reaching this sentence. But if you've progressed this far, you'll probably agree that among all the albums released by the British band, Thick As A Brick created an impact that was different from the others. Well, you wise men will know how it fee-ee-ee-ee-eels. As for the others, "you shake your head and say it's a shame". Tu-tu-tu-tooroodootu..

Today marks 50 years since the iconic album's release. And for a good chunk of us Tull addicts, it hasn't lost a wee bit of its charm even today. We can no longer attempt to stand on one leg, our air guitars aren't tuned and we have grown past the age when our spoons rattle in hand, thrust and parry, but we still love to copy Ian Anderson's voice, singing, "My words but a whisper, your deafness a shout".

Thick As A Brick - or TAAB, as some love to call it - was Anderson's idea of a concept album. The band's previous album, Aqualung, was described by the know-it-all British press as a concept album, but its creator never thought so. "Aqualung was not a concept album. Just a collection of songs, although there was a connection between two or three of them," he had told this writer in an earlier interview.

According to Anderson, "TAAB certainly was a concept album, and reflected the surreal and cynical British humour of that time, specially Monty Python." To give it a concept feel, the album was written in the form of a long suite spread over two sides of a vinyl record, with portions seamlessly moving from one to another.

Just 24 when the album was released, Anderson's intention was to write a parody of a concept album, and even make satirical comments on the progressive rock culture popular those days. The album cover was thus designed as the front page of a tabloid dated January 7 1972, claiming that 'Thick As A Brick' was an epic poem written by eight-year-old genius Gerald Bostock.

Gerald, of course, was a fictional character, and the actual words and music were written by Anderson himself. But when we first heard the album at college in Delhi, many of us actually believed a kid had written it. We were specially impressed with the line, "The builder of the castles renews the age-old purpose and contemplates the milking girl whose offer is his need". For some time, we were fans of both Ian and Gerald.

Like many Tull fans of my age, I first heard the song 'Thick As A Brick' in its edited avatar on the Bursting Out live album. A college friend, Pankaj Mridul, recommended three Tull albums - Aqualung, Songs From The Wood and TAAB. I got the first two recorded on cassette from a popular store in 1982, but since they didn't have the third one, my buddy himself recorded it a few months later and gifted me a copy, with War Child on the other side. It took me a while to get the nuances, but with Pankaj as guide, and his portable tape recorder in tow, it wasn't too tough.

Because of its very structure, TAAB proved to be a completely different listening experience. To begin with, one had to hear the whole album at a stretch - since it was on a Sony C-90 tape, both the sides fit on to one side. But I loved the album so much after a few listens, that poor War Child didn't dance the days and nights away, as I always rewound Side A.

For a few years, one kept shifting between Tull albums, simultaneously hearing many other rock and jazz records. Another friend Rahul Dutt became a Tull companion in those early days. The appreciation and understanding of each album changed too. There were Heavy Horses, Minstrel In The Gallery and Stormwatch phases, each lasting a few months of compulsory morning tea-time listening. But TAAB always remained special. So much so that when Anderson came to Mumbai on a promotional tour in 1993, fans were allowed to get only one album signed, and I chose this one.

Like with many Tull albums, I misheard many lyrics, getting them right only years later through a website. I always thought 'moral melee' was 'moral reprieve', thus having my own interpretation. Likewise, 'tardy tide' sounded like 'towering tide' and queuing for 'sarnies' seemed like someone waiting for 'sardines', till someone told me 'sarnies' was slang for sandwiches and Anderson had used the word in the song 'Up The Pool' too. I even did my bit in trying to popularise the word in Mumbai's cafes, but failed.

And yes, it took me 25 years to get the part beginning "You curl your toes in fun", which to me is one of the most melodious, gooseflesh-instigating  parts of the album. Luckily, I got the lyrics of the part that goes "La la la la" right.

There were many moments of sheer poetry, with Anderson's distinct voice adding to the depth. For instance, there was, "The poet and the wise man stand, behind the gun, and signal for the crack of dawn, light the sun", followed by "The dawn creation of the kings, has begun, has begun, soft Venus, lonely maiden brings, the ageless one, the ageless one". This had to be Ian, not Gerald.

Many visual connections took place thanks to this album. While watching the Superman, Batman, Spiderman and Tintin movies, one would always remember the lines, "Come on ye childhood heroes, won't you rise up from the pages of your comic books". The line, "The oldest in the family is moving with authority" reminds me of different tradition-thumping uncles. The phrase "sand-castle virtues" - there's no end to the number of people there.

And there was the music. Anderson's flute and acoustic guitars, John Evan's piano and organ, and Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond's bassline were consistent throughout. Guitarist Martin Barre's playing after the "Poet and the painter" part was legendary, and drummer Barriemore Barlow's opening of Side B is a treat. Plus, the album used saxophone, trumpet, glockenspiel, lute, accordion and timpani, adding to the mix. David (now Dee) Palmer's string arrangements were intricate.

While TAAB has stayed with us for years, Anderson attempted a sequel in 2012 to describe what turns Gerald's life might have taken had he been one of the following - an investment banker, a homosexual homeless person, a preacher, a soldier in the Afghan war and an ordinary man. Released as a solo album, it evolved mixed reactions, though I personally felt it had many dazzling moments, with Ian telling the story through many short songs, and using very different compositions. If you haven't heard it, you really shouldn't mind sitting this one out.

For Tull fans, today's a landmark day. In Facebook fan clubs, one reads stories from those who were youngsters when the album was released. There are different memories, different emotions, different companions in the TAAB journey.  A special occasion was listening to the album in 2018 with youngsters at Adagio, a place in Bandra, Mumbai, which has vinyl sessions (picture of event poster below). Some of them were hearing Tull for the first time, and it was interesting to explain the concept.

Today, as I play TAAB a millionth time, I shall miss the person who introduced it to me on that sharp and frosty morning of 1983. Pankaj, who had been known in advertising and marketing circles, and for writing poetry, passed away on November 1, and this piece is dedicated to his memory. Spin me down the long ages, let them sing the song.