Jethro Tull ‘Thick As A Brick’ Turns 50 - Noise11.com
Jethro Tull Thick As A Brick

Jethro Tull ‘Thick As A Brick’ Turns 50

by Paul Cashmere on March 9, 2022

in News

The Jethro Tull classic ‘Thick As A Brick’ has turned 50 years old.

‘Thick As A Brick’ was the fifth Jethro Tull album. The album was a continuous piece of music spread over two sides telling the story of a fictitious eight-year old named Gerald Bostock. Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull credited the songwriting to Bostock. In 2012, Anderson created a sequel album focused on the adult Bostock.

Anderson claimed that ‘Thick As A Brick’ was part satire, a send-up of Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer records, but regardless, it became a massive hit. The band members were Monty Python fans and the Python humour influenced the lyrics.

In Australia and the USA, ‘Thick As A Brick’ was a number one album for Jethro Tull. It reached no 5 in the UK.

The original artwork for the album featured a lavish full-sized 12 page newspaper called The St. Cleve Chronicle and Linwell Advertiser. It even had articles, competitions and advertisements.

‘Thick As A Brick’ was released March 3, 1972 in the UK and March 10, 1972 in the USA.

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