Aqualung
"Aqualung" is a progressive rock album released by Jethro Tull. The album was released on March 19, 1971.
About The Album
Aqualung was one of the first albums to be recorded at Island Studios out in London. While they were recording, Led Zeppelin was mixing their untitled fourth album. Aqualung was Jethro Tull's fourth studio album.
Side A begins with two sketches, including some characters that are less than reputable (Aqualung and Cross Eyed Mary). Then, it includes two autobiographical tracks, both written by Ian Anderson. They are about visiting his father when he was chronically ill.
Side B is about being "Pro-God, Anti-Church". This is because, as it states many times on side B, having an organized religion can restrict somebody to worshiping God in a certain way, thereby not enhancing it.
Cover
The cover depicts the title character, Aqualung, standing and eying something. The back cover shows Aqualung sitting on a corner. It was drawn by Burt Silverman. Although Silverman says that it was inspired by Anderson, Anderson denies this.
Track Listing
Side A
- Aqualung-6:31
- Cross-Eyed Mary-4:06
- Cheap Day Return-1:21
- Mother Goose-3:51
- Wond'ring Aloud-1:53
- Up To Me-3:15
Side B
- My God-7:08
- Hymn 43-3:14
- Slipstream-1:13
- Locomotive Breath-4:23
- Wind Up-6:01
Bonus Tracks
Included with the 1996 and 1999 re-releases of the album were some bonus tracks.
- Lick Your Fingers Clean-2:46
- Wind Up (Quad Version)-5:24
- Excerpts From The Ian Anderson Interview [Mojo Magazine]-13:59
- Songs For Jeffery (BBC)-2:51
- Fat Man (BBC)-2:57
- Bourée (BBC)-3:58
Total Time (Original Release)-42:55 Total Time (Re-release)-75:27
Track Breakdown
Side A
Aqualung
This is the first song on the album, coming before "Cross-Eyed Mary". The song is about a pervert named Aqualung who ma********s to little girls (Spitting out pieces of his broken luck.). Aqaulung is probably a homless person because he is not dressed up in great clothes (Snot running down his nose --/Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes.). Aqualung hangs out at the park to watch the little girls play. He is very paranoid about the police coming (Aqualung my friend --/Don't you start away uneasy/You poor old sod, you see, it's only me.).
Cross-Eyed Mary
This is the second song on the album, following "Aqualung" and coming before "Cheap Day Return". The song first starts out with a scene of a homless man who would do anything to get back at the rich people ignoring him (And who would steal the candy/From a laughing baby's mouth/If he could take it from the money man.). Then, the song goes to Mary, who is a rich girl (Dines in Hampstead village//On expense accounted gruel). In this song, whilst out at the playground, she notices Aqualung, who she gives money to. She takes from her rich house and gives to the poor (She's the Robin Hood of Highgate --/Helps the poor man get along.).
Cheap Day Return
This is the third track on the album, after "Cross-Eyed Mary" and before "Mother Goose". This song is aqustic, only feturing the aqustic guitar. This song is about Ian Anderson visiting his chronically ill father (And you sadly wonder/Does the nurse treat your old man/The way she should.).
Mother Goose
This is the fourth song on the album, coming after "Cheap Day Return" and before "Wond'ring Aloud". This track does not really have any connection to the Mother Goose of children's stories. This song is about a person that goes to a fair and sees many things. This song is also very aqustic.
Wond'ring Aloud
This is the fifth song on the album, coming after "Mother Goose" and before "Up To Me". This song is another aqustic song. This song is about a couple having sex ("As we start both our hearts beating life/Into each other."). Then, it goes on to states that the only way that you can become better is by giving things up.
Up To Me
This is the sixth song on the album, coming before "My God" and after "Wond'ring Aloud". Also, it is the last song on Side A of the album. This song is about a guy that makes choices and states that they were up to him and he did not have to do it. For instance, he leaves his date at a bar ("Take you to the cinema/And leave you in a wimpy bar --/You tell me that weve gone to far --/Come running up to me."). He also talks about breaking his cousins glasses at a party and leaving him to put them back together.
Side B
My God
This is the first song on Side B, coming before "Hymn 43" and after "Up To Me". The song first states that people have minipulated God for their purposes ("Locked him in his golden cage./Made him bend to your religion --"). Then, it goes on to state the atheist point of view ("He is the God of nothing --/If thats all that you can see."), and the Christian point of view ("You are the God of everything --/Hes inside you and me."). It then says that people should lean on God gently, "And dont call on him to save you/From your social graces/And the sins you used to waive." Graces, in this sense, refers to charities, and most likely means that because throughout history, the church has generally helped the rich, the church is only doing the charities to make them look good. The sins that were waved refer to during the Protestant Reformation, when people would pay the church indulgences to have their sins forgiven. It then says that the church is wrapped in the chains of history, meaning that it cannot be forgotten just because it was the church doing it, showing it's also "earthly presence".
Hymn 43
This is the eighth song on the album, coming before "Slipstream" and after "My God". The first two lines of the song, "Oh father high in heaven -- smile down upon your son/whose busy with his money games -- his women and his gun." These lines probabily refer to how most conservatives (eg. Rupert Murdock) are exteremly rich ("Money games"). The woman is probabily refering to how he is busy having sex with his woman. And woman, especially at that time, were housewives. The gun refers to the common conservative belief that everyone should be able to own a gun. This is about conservatives because conservatism is conseidered to be the "moral party" and therefore would speak on behalf of Jesus Christ.
The "unsung western hero" in the next verse refers to the people that first came to America and would use Native American slave labor, and would kill them. The justification behind doing that was that they could introduce the Natives to Christianity. The part about going to Hollywood "To set the white man free" probabily refers to the movie The Birth Of A Nation. This film is considered to be the first Hollywood blockbuster, and glorifies the Ku Klux Klan, as saviors from the black people that were (in the film), taking over the world and oppressing white people. In the film, the Ku Klux Klan have crosses on their uniforms.
The chorus "warns" Jesus to save himself "from the gory glory seekers who use His name in death." This refers to the many religious battles fought in Jesus' name. The line "His cross was rather bloody" probabily refers to the amount of death that has been caused in his name and therefore, make his cross bloody.
Slipstream
This is the ninth song on the album, coming before "Locomotive Breath" and after "Hymn 43". This is an acustic song on the album about the rich. It paints a scene about a rich man in an eloquent ship. He is pressing "on God's waiter" his "last dime". The man gets out of the boat without having to do anything.
Locomotive Breath
This is the tenth song on the album, coming before "Wind-Up" and after "Slipsteam". It is about a man who is just going die and has nothing to do besides that ("runs the all-time loser,/headlong to his death."). Because the man is so boring, "He sees his children jumping off/at the stations -- one by one.", which probabily means that they don't visit him that much. His wife is sleeping around with other men ("His woman and his best friend --/in bed and having fun."). The man is trying to escape by crawling on his hands and knees, but he cannot. The man "Catches angels as they fall.", which probabily means that he is a very religious person and knows a lot of the angels. Towards the end of the song, the man takes a bible and opens it to page one, probabily implying that he is always reading the Bible and does not have enough time for anything else.
Wind-Up
This is the 11th song on the album, as well as the last song on Side B and the last song on the album. It comes after "Locomotive Breath". The song is about the singer when he is younger. He goes to school and is tought "how not to play the game". He then, prays to God, and God says that he's not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays. Then, he says that they could "excomunicate" him on his "way to Sunday school", implying that they would just assume keep him out for saying what is agianst the church.
Reception
The album was 7th in Billboard Music Charts' North America. The album was 4th in the UK Charts. The song "Hymn 43" was 91st on Billboards Pop Singles chart. The album was ranked 337th on Rolling Stones top 500 albums of all time. This is Jethro Tull's most popular album.
Quadraphonic
This was one of two Jethro Tull albums released using quadraphonic sound (the other is War Child). One difference between the actual album and between the quadraphonic version was that the song "Wind Up" was preformed in a higher key (this version is included in the re-release). Also, the song "Aqualung" has two riffs at the begining of it instead of just one in the quadraphonic version.