Jethro Tull - Stand Up or Aqualung or Thick As A Brick?

Have you decided yet?

 

Thick as a Brick

 

Hmmm

Rolling Stone Record Guide (1979)
Stand Up 4 stars
Aqualung 3 stars
Thick As A Brick 2 stars

Benefit 3 stars
Living In The Past 5 stars

 

Benefit is my favorite Jethro Tull album ever. No contest. Okay, Living in the Past is close.

 

Stand Up - for sure

 

Benefit.

 

The world already has too many pseudo blues bands. Give me the pretense...

"See there a son is born and we pronounce him fit to fight
He's got blackheads on his shoulders and he pees himself in the night."

Yeah. I gotcher blues right here.

Tim

 

THIS WAS from me!

 

Thick As A Brick

A Passion Play is my absolute favorite though. F*@% people who think it's pretentious!

 

While I feel all of these titles are great, I had to cast my vote for Thick as a Brick. IMO, This is where Jethro Tull peeked, not to say great albums haven't followed. The line up in Thick as a Brick was better than any other. Ian was in his vocal prime. This album had a good mix of acoustic guitar and flute. Martin's guitar playing was superb. The arrangements were interesting and exciting. The lyrics are first rate. The recording was very well done and sounds great. Check out Steve's mastering on this one, it's a revelation.

 

I love Passion Play as well. In fact, I just listened to the original Chrysalis CD last night in it's entirety.....at a rather loud volume. It was awesome.

 

He's only done side 1...correct?

 

Yep.

Stand Up

 

BTW...I have to say that before I came to this site, I was what I consider a more "casual" Tull fan. This site (and especially the author of this thread) really renewed my interest in the band. I've collected many of the "preferred" CD pressings and have really found some amazing music I somehow missed in the past. Jethro Tull is now one of my all-time faves. So thanks for that.

 

I haven't listened to Stand Up in a long time, but of the other two I'd probably go with "Aqualung."

 

Stand Up, no contest.

To be sure, Aqualung is a great album, and more "commercial", but the song writing and performance on stand up is stronger, IMO.

I listened to all this stuff on vinyl during my high school years, and it wasn't until years later I came to appreciate the subtlety of Stand Up.

Fact of the matter, both Stand Up and Aqualung are different but fine albums.

 

Aqualung is magnitudes better than any other Jethro Tull in my book.

 

Stand Up
Thick as a Brick
Aqualung

Benefit is one of my least favorite Tull albums. "With You There to Help Me" is one of my favorite Tull songs, but to me it isn't a great album.

 

Benefit for me. This is the first Tull album I bought back in the day. Aqualung is a close second for me. I also bought Thick as a Brick and promptly lost interest in the group afterwards.

 

Stand up first.
Aqualung second.
T.A.A.B third.

Of course I may change my mind tomorrow.

I get to see them next Friday here in Atlanta, hope it's good.

Dave

 

Is it too late to make this a poll?

I would vote for Stand Up. I think it benefits from being theme-free.

Aqualung would be second.

I think I like their recent Christmas album next. I mean this as praise for that effort, not derision of any other.

 

Aqualung

 

I've gotta go with Aqualung. Growing up it was the most familiar to me, and I always loved the questioning of religion side of it. But then again what do I know? I also love ''Rock Island''

 

Stand Up - one of my 'desert island' albums. I LOVE that album.