Every prog-rock group strives to improve with each new song they release. They find it simple to produce a standard classic rock song. However, isn’t it more enjoyable to create an episodic piece that captivates the listener for longer than ten minutes at a time? Ian Anderson thought Jethro Tull shouldn’t be like The Who or The Rolling Stones. Jethro Tull aimed for something different. The band almost became prog-rock legends.
However, were The Stones really that unoriginal? Jethro Tull is classic rock. But they did more than just simple rock songs. The band had many moments where they explored new sounds. These moments went beyond their comfort zone.
Their album Their Satanic Majesties Request received a poor reception, almost akin to someone breaking wind in church. However, songs like “Might As Well Get Juiced” stand out as intriguing experiments in their own right. They mixed things up by bringing in new influences from the psychedelic movement. If anything, Mick Jagger might have been afraid to continue down the same route on their subsequent albums because those didn’t work.
There is also a similar tale involving The Who. While there were undoubtedly times in the late 1960s when their songs started to get a little repetitive, Townshend deserves recognition. He played a crucial role in shaping the evolution of prog rock. Townshend’s approach to extending rock and roll on “A Quick One While He’s Away” deserves recognition as foundational to the genre. This holds regardless of how many people credit acts like King Crimson as the first significant progressive act.
Yet Anderson told Louder that Jethro Tull “tried hard over all those years, being a little different from what rock and roll was supposed to be.” Some may argue that we tried too hard. However, to stay on course, it’s better to take a few stumbles and fall on your face occasionally than to sit back and take it easy. I would become restless if I performed generic music like The Stones or The Who.
Granted, Anderson raises valid points regarding The Stones and The Who. In recent years, both acts have maintained the status quo by repurposing their old sounds. Alternatively, they have refrained from releasing new music altogether. Nonetheless, fans can still rely on them for daring performances.
Even though Jethro Tull had more than a few instances where they started to disappear up their ass, none of their albums were uninteresting from beginning to end. Like Jagger and Townshend, they began with the blues. Their records feature a wide range of genres, from classical music to conceptual art, occasionally including misfires like J-Tull Dot Com. Anderson believes it’s much more enjoyable to take a fresh approach each time you take up the instrument. It’s up to each band to decide whether or not to get stuck in a holding pattern.
