A Minstrel In The World Of Rock, by Patrick Lydon
Seldom does a group come along that defies categorization, a
group that slips through the confines of a given genre to form an
unexplainable musical phenomena. When this does happen, however, most
surely it will be so far departed from the stream of media-friendly music
that it would cease to make it's way into the lives (and cd-players) of
the music loving community at large. The one exception to this musical and
cultural rule seems to stem from the musicianship and leadership of one
individual. That person is Ian Anderson, commonly known as
"Jethro" to the casual listeners of his music, which comes to
market as a product of the band "Jethro Tull". For over thirty
years Mr. Anderson has lead the group "Jethro Tull" to
superstardom, selling in excess of 60 million albums, and playing over
2,500 concerts in forty different countries, and still, neither Ian nor
the group show any signs of slowing down, Indeed, Ian has proven himself a
true pioneer of music today.
With so many styles of music out there these days, many forms of this
art are indeed overlooked. Nevertheless, you can most always brand a type
of music as "rap" or "pop", or something along those
lines. These, along with the many other major genres that make up our
musical world, are the basis for defining what type of music listener, and
ultimately, "in today's stereotypical world," what type of
person you are. Still, what would you say to someone who tells you,
"I listen to a mixture of folk-rock, classical, and
heavy-metal." Indeed, this would seem to be a very confused
individual, and you may no sooner offer him a "Backstreet Boys"
CD if you were so inclined as to straighten him out, or kick some musical
sense into him.
Ian Anderson, through his years as the front man of Jethro Tull has
indeed traversed all three of the aforementioned genres, and continues
still to travel the rough paths that no musician has dared to take. The
fact is, there is not a convenient label to stick on this band. It would
be nearly impossible to say that Jethro Tull were any one of those sorts
of bands. They have won a Hard Rock / Heavy Metal Grammy, they have been
featured in many a rock and roll magazine, and are most heavily played on
classic rock radio stations, and still, there is what may seem like an
unexpected twist to the story of Ian's. He has also taken a solo path,
most notably with the production of an album titled
"Divinities", which is comprised of twelve compositions for
flute and orchestra. With Ian's venture into classical music, we see yet
another change in the genre. Although Anderson was not classically trained
on flute, or any other instrument for that argument, he manages to pull
off a polished new sound. Bringing many of today's contemporary composers
to stop and wonder where this guy came from. This album topped the
classical genre charts for months after it's release. Quite a feat from a
50-year-old rock star!
Today It seems that all music is about commercializing. Simplistic
lyrics and chord progressions that are soothing to the masses, and
especially the media are commonplace. Nowadays, Ian and Jethro Tull are
much overlooked by the press and general public. So if your best fruits
were given out to the public, only to be dismissed as "not fresh
enough" then why not quit? And so, many people have asked why Ian
keeps going despite the decline in popularity over the past 10 years. When
Jethro Tull were topping the charts, putting out platinum records, it was
not hard for them to accept the fame that came along with it, but the
rancid commercialism of mainstream music had gotten to them all too soon.
That is the main reason why Tull tours are played in small halls nowadays,
why they are not advertised with the media. This allows the so called
"die-hard" fans can come out and see them. Sure, there may be
quite a few people in a given area whom are unable to get tickets, and
many more who never knew about the concert, but there are now 2,000 who
are there, and in a more intimate setting.
From all of these sellout concerts, comes the inevitable influx of
large amounts of money. This lead Ian to be one of the wealthiest people
in Great Britain, and also one of the richest rock-stars of all time, but
it is not all due to his musical prowess. Ian has taken a liking to fish,
and so it has become more than a hobby in these last few years. According
to CNN, Mr. Anderson now owns and runs the largest independent fish
hatchery in all of Great Britain. A multi-million dollar investment that
has put him up there with some very well to do businessmen, it is just
another illustration of Ian's many talents, not only as a musician, but a
businessman.
Jethro Tull grew up alongside the likes of the Rolling Stones and Pink
Floyd, and with those genres conquered by their respective bands, where
did Tull fit in? Ian explains, in this 1978 interview with Creem Magazine,
just what piece of the puzzle Jethro Tull is. "Stylistically, I've
always said that we can't be a heavy riff group because Led Zeppelin are
the best in the world. We can't be a blues-influenced r&b rock and
roll group because the Stones are the best in the world. We can't be a
slightly sort of airy-fairy mystical sci-fi synthesizing abstract
freak-out group because Pink Floyd are the best-in the world. And so
what's left? And that's what we've always done. We've filled the
gap."
"Filling the gap" meant two things for Ian: First, the fact
that Jethro Tull could not best the groups that had already made
themselves fixtures in their musical fields made it a given that they
would end up doing "something else", and this they did. So now
comes the Second point. This "something else" actually turned
out to be more likable than the sort of music that was going on at the
time, and so launched the flute toting Ian and his band into the top of
the charts.
In influencing the world of rock music, Ian took other parts of the
world by storm as well. In his touring of over forty countries, Ian has
brought his music to many lands that have not been exposed to the likes of
any type of pop or rock music. Now with a steady fan base in many regions
of Africa and India, Ian continues to bring influences from the Middle and
Far East into his music. One recent album Roots to Branches (1996),
took many instruments native to the middle and far eastern lands and
integrated them into a new style of "progressive rock". Although
most critics either ignored or had mixed feelings of this album, many fans
believe it to be one of Ian's greatest works of late. The swiftly changing
keys and meters provide for a very thrilling ride as the solid backing
from his band members offers a great wave of searing energy that just
invigorates you. Indeed, the world has never heard a pop band that
provides this kind of musical and lyrical excitement in their music.
Ian Anderson's musical ideas have been known to effectively take the
roots of one genre and uplift them, transplanting them into fertile soil
that proves perfect for a steady and still growing fan base. Throughout
the years of the groups existence, the hand and mind of Ian Anderson has
created many new avenues of which many groups today follow in, and with
the release of a new Jethro Tull album last September, as well as an Ian
Anderson acoustic solo album The Secret Language of Birds released
just this month (March, 2000), it is doubtful that Ian Anderson will stop
there.
Patrick Lydon,
March 2000
Please feel free to e-mail me at patrick@tullworld.com
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