Some additional thoughts: 1) I didn't really have time to get into the bass in the intro, but it's doing a cool thing: For the second half of the progression, it's largely playing the 5th of the chord while the lead guitar fills in the root. This puts the chords in what's called second inversion, where the lowest note is the 5th, and second inversion chords are a lot less stable than root position ones, so this choice helps accent the atonality of the section by making sure nothing really feels resolved. 2) Also, I briefly mentioned the song structure, but seriously it's so weird. You've got this crazy rock section, then you flip to a really laid back, folky thing, which then transitions into high-energy folk which slowly becomes more rock-y, then we pull a hard turn back into that laid back folk section before jumping back to the rock intro. It's also really hard to nail down specific sections from a functional perspective: Is anything the chorus? Are there verses? It's not just looping but it's also not following a consistent pattern. It's really interesting how it all fits together. 3) I expected some pushback on the atonality analysis, so here's a short explanation I wrote about it for the folks in my discord: I did consider the Gmi analysis for the intro, but I felt that too many of the chords didn't really make sense in that key. At different times it seems to tonicize Db, F, and debatably even Eb. Most notably, it includes a fairly prominent Gb major triad, and while there's ways to analyze that in G minor, its behavior doesn't really seem to jive with any of those analyses. I don't know, it's just hard for me look at a section with 7 different major triads as belonging to a single key, even if the riff itself could be explained as G minor blues. That said, analysis is obviously subjective so I don't think any of y'all are wrong either, I just figured I'd explain my thoughts a bit. 4) Also, if you're wondering what my reasoning is for viewing the "verse" melody in F, I wrote about that over on twitter: twitter.com/12tonevideos/status/1082377343132491776
@andercert705 жыл бұрын
And then think about trying to organize the structure of Thick as a Brick. :P
@dariocaporuscio87015 жыл бұрын
I don't think the song is in F major, I've always felt like everything was just g minor. The switch IV major/minor is more common than a V switch and that C major doesn't feel like dominant at all. The C Major/ C minor/G minor is a very common plagal cadence, it doesn't have sense to do VM/Vm/II/I. The F is clearly a second that is going to the fourth... Maybe it's just me but I also always get a sense of resolution with g minor. I just feel that. I also feel the "atonal" intro as g minor very clearly: that D at the end is clearly a dominant chord!! And then every section starts with a g minor chord! the first section starts with a g minor blues riff, the second section starts with a g minor and the third as well... you say that you feel like the solo is in g minor too so... why do you make your life so complicated choosing F? Sorry for my comment but I just can't get the F thing
@jrpipik5 жыл бұрын
@@dariocaporuscio8701 I think you're right. The basic riff is built on a Gm, and resolves nicely to Gm, though of course Anderson doesn't go that direction. He darkens things (even further) by throwing in some dissonant chords and passing tones, of course, but his tonal center is that G. And to me, the second "folky" section is clearly in Gm. The F has dominant function, straining to go somewhere, rather than a restful tonic function. F wants to go back to Gm and the tonal center. The song even ends with the victorious "Mario Cadence" leading to an almost ironic G major.
@jglopez58555 жыл бұрын
Thanks 12tone! Amazing analysis! Aqualung is a great album. I would love more prog analysis, specially something from prog era Genesis. You create amazing content, keep it up!
@Kass6865 жыл бұрын
Dario Caporuscio I feel the same way, I hear the whole thing in G. Even the opening riff is essentially just a G blues scale missing the F, which we get soon anyways, and I think your interpretation of those chords (G, F, and C) is more accurate. But that’s the great thing about music theory, different people can hear things functioning in different ways, and there are always things to be learned from it!
@gemmachaos5 жыл бұрын
I don't always get Jethro Tull stuck in my head. But when I do, I'm sitting on a park bench
@andrewamann88555 жыл бұрын
You should really stop eyeing those little girls with bad intent, sir.
@samus885 жыл бұрын
I always crack this line for real: I don't always sit on a park bench, but when I do, I eye little girls with bad intent. People look at me weird when I say it.
@mirageowl5 жыл бұрын
@@samus88 Semiramis is a very cool band and I really like that album on your profile picture
@jasonnstegall5 жыл бұрын
Da duh duh da DUH DUH!
@sonnyweidenboerner40005 жыл бұрын
... And for God's sake, wipe your nose! No-one wants to see you dirty boogers dangling on your face - geeze!
@coryman1255 жыл бұрын
In my high school, we had a mural over the art classroom entrance with a bunch of bands from the 40's through 2010's or so. One day, I asked my art teacher why there was nothing up there for Jethro Tull. He looked at me and said "You know, I have been looking for something to put in the drum, where the clock used to be. And this might make me seem old, but Jethro Tull's Aqualung was the first record I ever bought." A few days (and a good conversation later), we put up Jethro Tull's logo on the wall :)
@blackenedizzycore5 жыл бұрын
I know this probably won't get seen by anyone, but my dad passed away today and seeing this in my recommended made me happy because this was one of his favourite songs. He practiced it a lot and would even sing along and it would always make me happy seeing how much he enjoyed playing it.
@zigguratdemetrius59845 жыл бұрын
Sorry about youre dad
@jameslaversa5285 жыл бұрын
Take the happy memory.It is yours forever.👣🌎✌🏼❤️🎶😎👍
@stupidhat17795 жыл бұрын
Thank you for posting that, I am sorry for your loss.
@ottooldenhardt5 жыл бұрын
Your Dad had excellent taste!
@guitarprepnplus15 жыл бұрын
Sorry for your loss. God bless.
@seagullsoars5 жыл бұрын
Cross Eyed Mary would also be interesting to analyze, but then again so would everything else on the album
@anchoDePulso5 жыл бұрын
My God is also a great song.
@mikearcuri4065 жыл бұрын
Teacher
@michaelarrowood43153 жыл бұрын
So true!
@CyrusdVulture5 жыл бұрын
Frigging love Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull, and this just backs up how frigging smart that man is. Prog is one of the greatest genres out there.
@lorenzogiani71905 жыл бұрын
I'm just... I'm just so happy. Really, I'm a hardcore Tullhead, and having a video about my favourite band, by one of my favourite youtubers is really perfect. Thanks
@MarcoPellegrino19785 жыл бұрын
Same here! I completely agree. And it's funny...I see a lot of us italians this time. ;)
@lorenzogiani71905 жыл бұрын
@@MarcoPellegrino1978 I'm not italian, lol
@MarcoPellegrino19785 жыл бұрын
ops...your name misguided me XD
@lorenzogiani71905 жыл бұрын
@@MarcoPellegrino1978 Don't worry, I do have the italian citizenshop tho. I'm argentinian by the way
@Gil425 жыл бұрын
Hi there, random stranger here. Since you're a fan of both Tull and this channel I want to get your insight on a issue of mine. I absolutely love Benefit, Aqualung and Thick as a Brick, but never managed to find other things from the band that I liked that much. Albums like Stand Up, Passion Play, Heavy Horses, I found nothing special about them. Am I missing something? Is there some way to look at those records that I didn't get? Are there hidden gems on other, newer, material?
@lorenzogiani71905 жыл бұрын
We the People demand Thick as a Brick!!
@lorenzogiani71905 жыл бұрын
@Ed Lucas *Yes*
@Aquatarkus965 жыл бұрын
Then Supper's Ready
@alexno.3355 жыл бұрын
Yes
@seanmcaleavy23695 жыл бұрын
Yes to both, Thick as a Brick and Suppers Ready! Please comply. Don't make us come over there.
@filippofesta41875 жыл бұрын
I demand eloy
@ravenhorn31485 жыл бұрын
"We're just a little Blues band from England, and then we added a flute and it all went from there" - Ian Anderson; My mental recollection of one of the many interviews I watched
@TheGudih5 жыл бұрын
Next: Thick as a Brick.
@zolin68405 жыл бұрын
João Sena that’s a challenge ha!
@lucarubinstein39075 жыл бұрын
do you want him to die
@anchoDePulso5 жыл бұрын
The video could be divided in four or five parts
@arthurcassuli5 жыл бұрын
yes please
@NicholasMonks5 жыл бұрын
It's going to be a 5 hour miniseries. I'm in.
@bhx62525 жыл бұрын
From what I hear in the lyrics, I don't think the repetition of the intro at the end means another day for Aqualung. I think it more closely resembles the views of the public who think Aqualung is a vile man, and even after his death they don't change. People still don't care. The softer part of the song is from the perspective of a friend of Aqualung, who wants to see him get his life on track. But, the line "As you snatch your rattling last breath/with deep sea diver sounds/and the flowers bloom like madness in the spring" implies that Aqualung doesn't make it through the winter. Despite this, and the friend that he had, the people still view Aqualung as a creepy old man with little value in his life. But your analysis of the song was still great, and I love watching your vids. This is just how I always saw the song (definitely more sad, but still)
@deezynar5 жыл бұрын
I take it the way you do as well.
@jeffirwin78625 жыл бұрын
Wait, does Aqualung have redeeming qualities? I think he _is_ just a creepy old man.
@bhx62525 жыл бұрын
@@jeffirwin7862 The song doesn't really say he has any redeeming qualities, so you definitely have a point there, but I think the sad nature of the song comes from his friend trying to push him to fix his life, and it's too little too late
@TheGreatsagegoku5 жыл бұрын
@@jeffirwin7862 Living on the street can make you crazy. There are many ways people come to live that life, all tragic, but it's very possible Aqualung wasn't always a pathetic creepy gnarly old man. The whole album speaks earnestly of the unfortunate in society who may be unsavory but should still be thought of as human beings who are fucked up for a reason.
@CaptOrbit5 жыл бұрын
Bhx--- I always viewed it the same way but I had always seen it as two perspectives told from the same narrator. That the narrator of the song swings back and forth between feeling pity and sympathy for Aqualung and revulsion. As if to say the narrator is aware of the strange duality in which they feel towards the central character but it's honestly just how they feel. But your interpretation may be right.
@modomoro5 жыл бұрын
Hey!! I know you said that the song structure came off a bit mysterious to you but I think it may work best when you consider it derived from sonata form (Intro, exposition, development, recapitulation, coda). Tull's lead man and songwriter, Ian Anderson, has said that it was around this time that he *exclusively* started listening to Beethoven - I guess it would make sense that he would borrow from the composer's celebrated style. Beethoven's influence definitely becomes more apparent with Aqualung's successor 'Thick as a Brick' in 1972 and even MORE so with 'A Passion Play' in 1973. This same sonata form is also clearly used on other popular Tull tracks like "Songs from the Wood", "Minstrel in the Gallery", "Hunting Girl"!
@jamesvogt76775 жыл бұрын
This is an awesome video, thanks! I will say, I don’t hear the F as the I in the “verse” part-I hear that final F as wanting really badly to bring us back to the G. I love that it’s so ambiguous though. God this song is cool
@12tone5 жыл бұрын
Yeah, I think those sections are really about bouncing back and forth between F and Gmi, and from a harmonic perspective deciding which one is the root is kinda pointless. I do hear the melody as a resolution, though, so I went with F as the root, but it's ambiguous for sure.
@mickeyrube66235 жыл бұрын
OMG, thank you! Okay, it's music, so it's all subjective, but to me the whole song is in Gm. The first single note bit is a blues/metal lick. Think Iron Man or Smoke on the Water. 5-1-m3-4-b5-4. All in the blues scale. I can make a case for the whole song, but who would read it?
@aaronclift5 жыл бұрын
The second section of the song is G dorian, not F major.
@aaronclift5 жыл бұрын
@@mickeyrube6623 I agree. The song is in G minor. The whole first section of the song is built around a G minor blues scale.
@gabmerli5 жыл бұрын
Jams Vogt, I was going to comment that, but I am glad to see that you already did. And just to add something to what you said, that C to Cm is a very common harmonic transition to happen on the IV chord, so that would indeed make G (or some mode of G) the I chord.
@DrCatacus5 жыл бұрын
I’m glad I found your channel. I remember sitting around with friends, and trying to figure out just what “Aqualung” was about. This album had just been released. This takes me back, Thank You.
@gustavgnoettgen5 жыл бұрын
At the age of 14 I finally listened to my mother's old records. This LP was one of the first ones... This track the first... Blew my mind
@notoriouswhitemoth5 жыл бұрын
Bookending the song, looping back to the beginning - two things come to my mind: one is Waiting for Godot, a high-concept absurdist play about waiting for answers that never seem to come. The other is Pink Floyd's "The Wall", the begins with the end of a question and ends with the beginning of that question, because it's not ultimately about a sequence of events, it's about a cycle of feelings and attitudes.
@englebertmagentaschweiger14475 жыл бұрын
I gotta say, I laughed out loud when I read "Waiting for Godot. It's weird to see someone else who knows of its existence.
@doktorholz58675 жыл бұрын
Tull, before they became prog, was a blues-rock band. That's why the major riff is simply G-blues-scale. The root in the "verse" is not F but Gmi, which is indicated through the Cmaj - Cmi change which, as we know, is common in pop music on the IV, not on V. F is not the root but substitutes the dominant, as in many blues-rock songs. edit: I see Aaron Clift beat me to this.
@markd91304 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the great analysis. I came away with a real appreciation of how this song was built. The 70's were a strange time when quirky and ambitious songs could still be commercially successful.
@marcusatiusvirilis77234 жыл бұрын
Yeah especially the early 70s. Hopefully we'll get more daring music in the 2020s
@aaronclift5 жыл бұрын
I love your channel and all your videos, but this time, I completely disagree with your harmonic analysis. The first section of "Aqualung" is not atonal - it's modal with chromatic features. The riff, harmony, and vocal line are built around a G minor blues scale (G, Bb, C, Db, Eb, F), as are the vocal lines. Chords like Gb major and B major and weird chord movement like Db major, Eb major, and F major are non-functional harmony that adds color and chromatic movement to the section. That doesn't change the fact that for the most part, the harmony is built around the G minor blues scale. Calling this section atonal implies that there's no tonal center of gravity at all, which doesn't make sense. The second part of the song ("feeling alone . . .") is in G dorian, not F major. Listen to the vocal melody in that section, and you'll hear that all of them are centered around the G minor tonality, and the presence of the C major chords and the constant movement from the Gm to F chords indicates dorian harmony.
@leftaroundabout5 жыл бұрын
Strongly agree, to me all sections of the piece point strongly to G as the tonal center. With the Dorian and Blues excurses etc. it's quite similar to other standard pieces of the time, such as Stairway To Heaven.
@alexlapuente60795 жыл бұрын
Aaron Clift 100%. While the video is great, the progression after the tempo change should definitely be i-bVII, not ii-I.
@batukurnaz5 жыл бұрын
Exactly! I was looking for this reply! I think when you analyze the song through a piano/keyboard players perspective you can get to his conclusion (which is not a valid conclusion) but the song is a strong Gm, with blues elements and some G dorian parts. Thank you for pointing that out in your comment.
@aaronclift5 жыл бұрын
Batu Kurnaz My observation is that classical music theorists (especially those who are coming from a pianist perspective) seem to have a really hard time understanding how a lot of rock music is written and composed and thus tend to over-analyze rock music or miss the mark entirely like this video did. Rock guitarists don’t write music the same way that classical pianists do. Rock guitarists tend to “think in shapes,” which is to say that they slide around the fingerboard a lot when writing riffs. As a result, they tend to use a lot of parallel motion and unprepared chromatic leaps, which can help shed a lot of light on why songs like “Aqualung” can have non-functional chords (like Gb major and B major) but still be strongly rooted in a key center. Any rock guitarist who learns this song will instantly recognize the opening riff as a G minor blues lick and feel the rest of that section in G minor even if the harmonic isn’t always “correct” according to classical theory. I’ve never heard anyone describe Jethro Tull’s music as “atonal” (definitely the wrong terminology for this style of music). If you want real examples of atonality in rock music, listen to something like “43% Burnt” by The Dillinger Escape Plan, anything by Throbbing Gristle, or some of the more out-there experimental prog music by groups like King Crimson (“Thrakattak”).
@batukurnaz5 жыл бұрын
@@aaronclift Exactly my point. Glad you pointed out in such a detailed manner. Have a great day :)
@Ejosii5 жыл бұрын
Happy New Year, do you still remember the December's foggy freeze?
@JohnBrooking45 жыл бұрын
How could I not, with all that ice clinging onto my beard with screaming agony? 🧔🏻
@LOSTONITALL5 жыл бұрын
I forgot the rest of the words and was too lazy to google them.
@workingmansdead44-ug8hl5 жыл бұрын
I don't miss the ice clinging to my beard.But I do miss skating away on the thin ice of a new day.And I don't want be fat man,people would think I was just good fun.
@bonecanoe865 жыл бұрын
More prog rock analysis! I'd love to see a video dissecting a Yes or Genesis song!
@NicholasMonks5 жыл бұрын
I need to get on Patreon. South Side of the Sky by Yes would be brilliant.
@ReoTheYokel5 жыл бұрын
It's not 12tone, but Rick Beato is another great musician-youtuber with interesting videos, and he did a dissection of Roundabout: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/iayZprKFqeCrpXk.html I absolutely love that track, so I was really excited to see it. And, naturally, I noticed mmmmmany new details!
@DARisse-ji1yw5 жыл бұрын
Genesis .. The Cinema Show.
@gregoryvanderpas41765 жыл бұрын
Yes, but if he did Genesis's Supper's Ready if would be a three hour video.
@johnlattarulo25785 жыл бұрын
ELP.... Karn Evil 9
@dintelignt5 жыл бұрын
Aqualung has been one of my favorite albums for a long time. The way it plays off the ideas of God and religion and the tones it uses are phenomenal. The religious (anti-religion?) theme makes sense considering it was recorded in an old church. Great work for a future salmon farmer.
@THE_ODOUR75 жыл бұрын
Hi! Usually I don't comment but I guess critics like to be heard. Great video as always but I'd look at some things a little differently. The gm section I feel is much more modal; implying a Dorian mode with an emphasis on b7 to 1. I know you said that you could see how it's a m1 to b7 but I think the reason it's so rocking and the guitar solo sounds so good are Dorian note choices. The other thing is just an interpretation thing. Aqualung could be slang for pneumonia and lyrics like "feeling like a dead duck" and "spitting up pieces of his broken luck" could imply early symptoms of pneumonia! I like to imagine the first riff being the hand of death creeping up on aqualungs shoulder (like a cough). An actual aqualung is a breathing apparatus for divers which could mean he's almost drowning? Awesome video on an awesome song :)
@woofspider3305 жыл бұрын
I do wish he had gone into the lyrics more. But pneumonia/sickness definitely sounds right. And what is with “eying little girls with bad intent?” Is that the correct lyrics. Are we talking about a sick pervert?
@eyeeye005 жыл бұрын
They are expressing the weight of the world on the man's shoulder's through the increasing tempo in this song.
@armata65305 жыл бұрын
This album is underrated. Glad you covered it
@tixximmi14 жыл бұрын
It's not underrated. This pushed the US into liking Tull. Passion Play would be more underrated.
@samus885 жыл бұрын
I prefer Thick as a Brick for obvious reasons (a Prog masterpiece, imo), but damn if I don't love that opening riff on Aqualung.
@bacicinvatteneaca5 жыл бұрын
> sees profile pic Ahh, I see you are also a man of culture
@ChrisBrengel4 жыл бұрын
Classic guitar riff for sure!
@dominicriver21125 жыл бұрын
I’ve been waiting to see an actual theoretical analysis video about jethro Tull on KZfaq for years. I was actually thinking of doing on myself at this point. Glad someone beat me to it though!
@joephillips80985 жыл бұрын
That was completely & totally awesome! I first saw Jethro Tull perform live in June 1972, about a week after I graduated high school. They were touring in support of Thick as a Brick but they played nearly all of the Aqualung album as well. They were frightfully good. They won a prog rock fan for life.
@xtian15 жыл бұрын
The key of the verse (and the whole song for that matter) IS in fact Gm. However, though it is never played in the verse, it might be better to think of it as the relative major - Bb. Thinking of it this way immediately makes the F much more relatable as the V chord, explaining why it feels solid yet unresolved. And allowing ourselves to be in the relative major and minor keys simultaneously also presents a much easier explanation of the C-Cm progression in that it is IV to IVm - a tried and true pop chord change device and far more common and user friendly than your suggested V to Vm. Also, I must agree with others on this thread that the song is not atonal, per se, but for different reasons than previously presented. If you've ever played this song on guitar you quickly discover that it is not about the seemingly unrelated chords and all about the hand movement - running up and back the neck in whole steps while skipping from A string power chords to E string power chords and back again. It's really about shapes. While your video is cool and WAY fun, it is FAR too over analyzed, which I guess is the point of it. Ian Anderson loves himself an angular chord change and is firmly in touch with deeper theory. But at the beginning and end of the day he is rooted in the blues, and this song is just a wacky blues tune in Gm cum Bb. Thanks.
@itaydur15 жыл бұрын
Thank YOU!!! This Guy in the video has no idea what he is talking about and it's pissing me off!!!
@Lunarmemory5 жыл бұрын
@@itaydur1 I think "no idea what he is talking about" is some unnecessary hyperbole. He obviously knows what he is talking about、and analyses frequently have controversy.
@benzell43 жыл бұрын
Absolutely, amazing; video, analysis, presentation, augmented with the visual arts (drawing sequences),; et , everything!😊 I had to keep re-starting because, I was trying to follow your drawings, and would lose the narrative, restart, lose the visuals, restart...! Your depth is such, that I still feel I have yet to ‘consume’ your production!😉.....and...nearing the end..,; Yes! Listening, and learning by ear, helps; thank you for the post! I originally thought you were reviewing the whole album; great post!
@macronencer5 жыл бұрын
What do you call a band of condemned serial killers, one of whom is carrying a dangerous metal instrument? Deathrow Tull. Sorry.
@VreyIsGrey5 жыл бұрын
_long groan_
@jasonnstegall5 жыл бұрын
Da duh duh da DUH DUH! (Again.)
@chadnewton73695 жыл бұрын
Great dad joke!
@MortuusMachina3 жыл бұрын
Producer: "So Ian, how many chords do you want?" Ian Anderson: "Yes."
@kingsizedmidget72945 жыл бұрын
Wow, I always just played the bass part and enjoyed listening. I never really knew how intricate this song is, thanks :)
@mrkengeneral36795 жыл бұрын
I absolutely LOVE Jethro Tull. I saw them in concert a number of times in the 1970's - including the Aqualung tour in the summer of 1971. However; PINK FLOYD - Dark Side of the Moon blows Aqualung away in terms of a 'Best Album' contest - in my mind. Ian Anderson is/was the most energetic and an extremely entertaining 'Front Man' for any band - bar none.
@ElrohirGuitar5 жыл бұрын
I was just listening to the album a couple a week ago, so this was timely. It was one of my favorite albums way back when it first came out. I even recommended it two a couple of my younger friends after listening to it again - timeless.
@idhott5 жыл бұрын
I love when songs use that intro-at-the-end thing. One of my favorite uses of it is the second movement of Dvorak’s 9th symphony. It’s a beautiful way to end the the movement by reprising the opening chorale.
@toonhaoBR5 жыл бұрын
Good reference to "in a nutshell"
@jackd.ripper76135 жыл бұрын
Came in to say that...
@matthewjamestaylor5 жыл бұрын
New Characters!! I love the ant farm, the bowling pins, the cannon, and the sandwich. I saw Tull in concert in the 70s. Ian Anderson was amazing, you couldn't take your eyes off him. I have been a fan of their music since I was quite young. Great video and thanks for doing this. Cheers.
@LSA20135 жыл бұрын
You finally gave a name to two of my favorite songs' best parts. Starship Trooper's Wurm section and La Villa Strangiato's main solo both make great use of progressive layering and it makes the payoff of each of those parts so much better.
@alexanderbennett14825 жыл бұрын
I’d love to see you do an analysis of Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush
@iLikeTheUDK5 жыл бұрын
Oh, same! I keep bringing it up too and I thought I was the only one interested in that. (BTW 1978>>>>1986. Also The Dreaming is superior to Hounds of Love)
@mizutoryu2425 жыл бұрын
I love this album, I was in a convolute time of my life when I discovered it, and stirred me like a cocktail while giving me the feeling that everything fit like a puzzle. ''Be Yourself'' was the conclusion i found, you can have traditional folk roots and rock like a storm, you can shred with a flute.
@masoncamera2735 жыл бұрын
Great video!!!! I love this song and I've been curious about the theory behind that atonal riff for a long while now, and it's definitely one of my fav prog rock albums too.
@Cdgaming4U5 жыл бұрын
Love this. Hope you have some more prog analyses in the future, would love to see some King Crimson or Yes
@NicholasMonks5 жыл бұрын
LOVED this episode. Progressive rock is misunderstood and underrated. It encompasses so much, but I don't think most people can appreciate it fully without some level of musical training or at least exercise (playing) - even when prog musicians don't know what they're doing, they're (hopefully) pushing at the boundaries of their knowledge and ability to *explore* music, rather than merely playing whatever comes easy. And let me tell you, nothing is easy...
@mccannesanford1455 жыл бұрын
Freaking love this, this is the album my dad showed me on vinyl when I was 8 and we saw them in 2003
@supernauta85935 жыл бұрын
One of my favourite bands of ALL time! Aqualung is great song/album, but Benefit is definetly my favourite one
@scabby27095 жыл бұрын
Absolutely fascinating, creative and incredibly instructive. Thank you
@muhammadfauzanakbar11895 жыл бұрын
Nice video, man. One thumb up was added ;). A brief question here though : did Ian Anderson create this knowing all of this stuff?
@PogueMahone15 жыл бұрын
I would say he knew enough for his work to be studied, admired, and enjoyed 50 years later. He came into his 20s with mega-chops and he still kicks ass in his 70s. The more one follows Ian Anderson, the more one comes to appreciate the man's rare, multi-dimensional genius.
@JamesMcLeod4635 жыл бұрын
This made my day. Thank you!
@fil_chc94205 жыл бұрын
well done, great video I've subscribed with a lot of pleasure, Ian Anderson is a great storyteller and you got the "musical story" that lies underneath this piece of music extremely well! super!
@mdschm15 жыл бұрын
This always humbles me by making me realize that no matter how much I think I know, or how good I sound, I am truly an infant
@sazarod5 жыл бұрын
MORE PROG ROCK PLEASE!!!!! Thanks dude
@ScarabKovaire5 жыл бұрын
I'm glad I found this. Not just because Jethro Tull is my favorite band, but also because I'm taking music theory next year and I think your channel will be helpful to me getting a good grade in it as you explain it really well.
@ScarabKovaire5 жыл бұрын
The Music theory class I was going to take was canceled.
@languidraptor21105 жыл бұрын
I've always thought that Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day is a perfect song.
@Benji2N5 жыл бұрын
Locomotive Breath is my favorite track on that album, but its a tough decision
@mellissadalby14024 жыл бұрын
Wicked good presentation and analysis for folks like me who are marginally musically literate. I did not recognize all of the plot twists in the score until you pointed them out so effectively.
@Jesses0015 жыл бұрын
This is the first video you made that made my head spin. I had to take a pause half way though, ha. It is not surprising why this album, especially this song is one you love. It is like Tull went out of the way to make something nuts to analyze.
@AnimusInvidious5 жыл бұрын
This video inspired me to bust out my guitar along to the song and see whether "the key" feels more like G or F. F feels more like the "home base" resolution to me, especially at the ending, so gonna have to go with that.
@ssravp5 жыл бұрын
Nice Kurzgesagt reference. :-)
@luisarmando10094 жыл бұрын
Where? I didnt catch it (love Kurzgesagt btw)
@abcdefg17295 жыл бұрын
This one really caught me off guard; I've heard every studio album and every unreleased track I could get from Jethro Tull. My dad's a huge fan and even when I was a little kid I remember him playing Tull in the car. Lol but I never knew through high school or college anyone who really liked them (if they even knew about em) and then you say Aqualungs your favorite album. I commend you sir!....lol I clicked on this with the quickness...
@ianson35 жыл бұрын
I saw "Ian Anderson Presents Jethro Tull" this summer. Aqualung was the climax of the show. I won't spoil what they did with it; suffice to say the narrative was chilling. Ian was in great form and it was wonderful to see him again almost 50 years since I attended the infamous "tear gas" concert at Red Rocks, Denver, during the original Aqualung tour. Thanks very much for posting, I think you're really on to something with presentations like this.
@richardlevy86995 жыл бұрын
I realized this just the other day. Before seeing this video. I play by ear but do understand theory. I decided for the first time ever to play along with Aqualung, learn the song. I quickly realized that there's no root note and memorizing this one by ear ain't going to be too easy. I'll get it figured out.
@leewarren2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for your analysis. I’ve always loved JT, and this album in particular, and still find it both satisfying and perplexing, musically.
@pigcatapult5 жыл бұрын
I don't really know anything about music theory and a lot of the stuff you're saying went over my head but I'd never thought about note progression as a story before and I want to thank you for introducing me to that concept.
@gregorybrian5 жыл бұрын
Excellent analysis. Jethro Tull is one of the few progressive rock bands from the 70s that I like. Reason is, I feel more connected emotionally to their output. Another such band is King Crimson.
@sihplak5 жыл бұрын
The thing I love about this track is the fact that it does so much with just major chords in its opening. It's one of my favorite things to do in my own music because it allows you to have this shifting lydian/whole tone sound while retaining internal consonance because of having everything as a major chord. There are so many cool ideas you can do with this, like the Spanish or Arabic sounding I bII bIII bII progression, or, as this song goes, planing major chords by whole steps for that very triumphant sound.
@GlaceonStudios5 жыл бұрын
The Arabic progression is called "Phrygian," actually. For example, E phrygian contains the notes E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. E minor has E, F#, G, A, B, C, and D.
@sihplak5 жыл бұрын
@@GlaceonStudios It's more of a mix of Phrygian and Phrygian dominant; the chords in C would be C major, Db major, Eb major, which means C-E-G, Db-F-Ab, Eb-G-Bb. This results in having both E and Eb in the "scale", so it isn't really modal. If it began with a minor i instead of major I then you could call it Phrygian, but with the major I it implies Phrygian dominant with a borrowed chord from Phrygian.
@ericdesmeules81175 жыл бұрын
I must admit that i don't understand anything that you are speaking of but i still enjoy listening to you explain it and your drawings rock. A+ entertaining
@billsmith22124 жыл бұрын
I appreciate your effort . There is another way to look at it . Imagination and talent . I remember once reading " if it sounds good , it is good " . I only have a very limited amount of training . Every time I try to make sense of things , I get more confused and a headache . I am told they borrow the chord from another key . Which brings me back to what I've already stated . If 1 and 1 doesn't always equal two , then I am done with it .
@batya75 жыл бұрын
Thick As A Brick was a concept album. From the album cover being a newspaper with stories about the denizens of a fictitious village, to the interweaving of the music, it was a force majeur.
@montlejohnbojangles89374 жыл бұрын
It's definitely right up there on my desert island discs. Grew up with it on my mum's record collection, still absolutely adore it.
@whistlerwind74225 жыл бұрын
For those asking for "Thick As A Brick", there is a book available - "Thick as a Brick" and "A Passion Play Inside Two Long Songs", written by Tim Smolko. Excellent book for people into musical analysis. This book is not for the average fan of these albums, you have to have (at the very minimum) a basic understanding of music theory, but it's beneficial to have a better understanding.
@Michael-eo8ro5 жыл бұрын
I'm a big Tull fan and this has got to be one of the most amazing videos I've ever seen. It made me fall in love with the song all over again! Liked and subscribed. Thanks for posting this!
@ClaireHoldich3 жыл бұрын
I love that this is (possibly) your favourite album ever! Great video 😃😃👍
@eksboks148 Жыл бұрын
i had the intro to cross eyed mary stuck in my head for years, without knowing what it was. now that ive found it a couple months back, listening to more jethro tull songs, i think ill be sitting on a park bench from now on.
@yieldmotherculture4 жыл бұрын
I understand about 4% of your videos but you still make it so fascinating
@SulfuricDonut5 жыл бұрын
I can't help but hear the 'verse' at 5:00 as pretty solidly G minor, in a [i VII IV, iv i VII] progression, with the major IV chord just temporarily doing that Dorian feel thing that rock often has, and then just dangling the VII chord resolution when it loops. Plus it just feels like there's more tension during the F chords than during the Gminor
@tomt.30895 жыл бұрын
I guess all this analysis proves 1 thing. ******TRUE GENIUS ****** That will last many a lifetime! Probably to the end of time! So unique, so original, So TULL!
@sdownin725 жыл бұрын
The main riff is played in the G minor blues scale (1 b3 4 b5 5 b7 / G Bb C Db D, F), basically the minor pentatonic plus the b5.
@jrpipik5 жыл бұрын
I love the comments about Martin Barre's wonderfully built solo section. He's not thinking "How many notes can I fit in here?" or "What's the coolest guitar trick I know?" He's constructing a melodic line using a series of motifs that he pulls away from and back to leading up to a well-deserved high point. Barre is humble about it, though, saying that all he was doing was trying to get it right on this take or it might turn into a flute solo!
@xnmcguire5 жыл бұрын
I consider it one of the great guitar solos of all time.
@jrpipik5 жыл бұрын
@@xnmcguire Me, too.
@Cpayne305 жыл бұрын
jrpipik - The take used on the album is when Jimmy Page walked by the studio and waved at Barre. Since he was halfway through the solo, he didn’t respond and just finished it. It definitely isn’t a perfect solo, but that’s a part of it’s charm. The version on Bursting Out is probably better though!
@xnmcguire5 жыл бұрын
@@Cpayne30 Yes, I remember watching the interview video of him talking about that.
@Cpayne305 жыл бұрын
Xenia Sandstrom-Mag Uidhir - Imagine being a fly on the wall in that studio. Zep and Tull!
@staytuned2L3373 жыл бұрын
Thank you for bringing back this music into my life
@damageincorporated85585 жыл бұрын
I once opened the tab book,closed it 5 minutes later when I realised that the guitarist wasn't human,made me appreciate tull even more,unique video man,pretty cool👍
@feanenatreides5 жыл бұрын
I'm a huge Jethro Tull fan, have been since I had a 45 minute ride to high school and a CD player in 2004, so seeing you analyze this just makes my day.
@personman11485 жыл бұрын
I sung locomotive breath for choir finals the teacher loved it.
@ryanmcdonald56565 жыл бұрын
If it wasn't for this video I wouldn't have discovered this album and I am so grateful for it because this has quickly become one of my top 10 albums of all time.
@JhohnLenoOfficial5 жыл бұрын
Great video and choice for a favourite album! When I first heard it I was mind blown by how good it was!
@bradt.35555 жыл бұрын
Tull's my absolute favorite band, Aqualung is one of my favorite Tull song's, tho have others I like more. My band does Aqualung and as interesting as this was if I presented it to the guy's they would look dumbfounded. Sometimes I feel breaking a song down like this kinda ruins it. A lot of Tull stuff start's on the two with one being a rest. Throws some people when they try to count it, (like my band). I gotta explain stuff a lot. I have been told we do the song very well, tho I'm never quite satisfied.
@ivandzajic31445 жыл бұрын
I can't help but hearing this song in Gm in all the parts starting from the "verse", justifying C as a simple modal interchange, the oldest trick in the book (but certainly far from bad) giving it an uplifting feeling, later dropping that E to Eb to let you know that it should really be a IVm as well as giving it motion, regularly changing the chord every bar.
@XxMrLimeyxX5 жыл бұрын
Thanks for introducing many to the majesty that is Jethro Tull. Enjoy friends.
@jasongabrielson41794 жыл бұрын
“It’s a huge dramatic shift in tone, breaking up the hard rock vibe with something incredibly folky. It’s Jethro Tull in a nutshell.” Wow. Just incredible, man.
@flutechannel5 жыл бұрын
Ooo I very much approve! Love the video!
@flutechannel5 жыл бұрын
also i'll be sure to email Ian about this I'm sure he'll love it!
@erikkennedy87253 жыл бұрын
Ian Anderson is a level 20 bard. Period. We’re listening to a master here.
@greg32845 жыл бұрын
lol, sounds like me trying to explain humor as a result of logic in my intro science class. Some kids get it.
@trepaning5 жыл бұрын
I just took an interest in Jethro Tull and have watched a couple documentaries online and Ian Anderson states that Auqualung is not a concept album, it is an album of individual songs, just happens one may reference another. They followed it with Thick As A Brick to make an actual concept album because so many were saying Aqualung was one.
@michaelarrowood43153 жыл бұрын
Awesome... It takes a genius to interpret another genius' work. Well done, sir!
@sirgabriel10583 жыл бұрын
"We start on a high note, fall down pretty far, then try to walk back up to where we started but the steps keep getting smaller." It really does tell a story even if you have to delve in this deep.
@novanut19642 жыл бұрын
this explained music to me better than anything i ever have heard, not that i understood it all that fast, good video
@novanut19642 жыл бұрын
i saw the band in concert, always liked this tune.
@MrCbschnell5 жыл бұрын
Pretty cool... I had no idea what was going on with the song. Great viewing - thanks!
@SimGunther5 жыл бұрын
And to think Jethro Tull won best metal song over Metallica in 1988. WOW!!!!
@bonecanoe865 жыл бұрын
"The flute is a heavy, metal instrument." - Ian Anderson
@SimGunther5 жыл бұрын
@@bonecanoe86 **Rimshot**
@georgehill60985 жыл бұрын
Sweet Dream was pretty heavy, despite having mostly clean guitar.
@JJKarpinski5 жыл бұрын
The category was Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal performance. Crest of a Knave may not have been metal but definitely a very good hard rock album.
@majidslyteen62315 жыл бұрын
It's been 30 years.. Get over it
@lucashoss32005 жыл бұрын
Dogs next please man
@jamesvogt76775 жыл бұрын
I feel like that would be a lot of work but I’d be extremely here for it
@lucashoss32005 жыл бұрын
@@jamesvogt7677 well, it would obviously take a lot of work, butvit would be awesome
@randymarsh50885 жыл бұрын
My favourite floyd song off my favourite album ever
@dannahbanana112352 жыл бұрын
It's been entirely too long since I've listened to Jethro Tull, thanks for reminding me how great this album is.