Friday, May 20, 2011

Thin As A Pen (Part II)






JETHRO TULL


THICK AS A BRICK


Really don't mind if you sit this one out.
My words but a whisper your deafness a SHOUT.
I may make you feel but I can't make you think.
Your sperm's in the gutter your love's in the sink.


So you ride yourselves over the fields and
you make all your animal deals and
your wise men don't know how it feels 

to be thick as a brick.

And the sand-castle virtues are all swept away
in the tidal destruction the moral melee.
The elastic retreat rings the close of play
as the last wave uncovers the newfangled way.


But your new shoes are worn at the heels
and your suntan does rapidly peel
and your wise men don't know how it feels
to be thick as a brick.






Cover Art and Controversy
 
 
Original 1972 album cover

The original LP cover was a spoof of a twelve-by-sixteen inch multipage local newspaper, entitled The St. Cleve Chronicle and Linwell Advertiser, with articles, competitions, advertisments, etc., lampooning the parochial and amateurish local journalism that still exists in many places today, as well as certain classical album covers. Jethro Tull's official website states about the mock-newspaper, "There are a lot of inside puns, cleverly hidden continuing jokes (such as the experimental non-rabbit), a surprisingly frank review of the album itself, and even a little naughty connect-the-dots children's activity." The "newspaper", dated 7 January 1972, also includes the entire lyrics to the poem "Thick as a Brick" (and, thus, to the album of the same name) as written by a fictional 8-year-old literary prodigy, Gerald "Little Milton" Bostock, whose disqualification from a poetry contest is the focus of the front page story. This article claims that although Bostock initially won the contest with "Thick as a Brick", the judges' decision was repealed after a multitude of protests and threats concerning the offensive nature of the poem, furthered by allegations of the boy's psychological instability. Subtly scattered throughout the articles are references to the lyrics, to Bostock and Jethro Tull, and to other peculiar parts of the newspaper itself. The spoof newspaper had to be heavily abridged for conventional CD covers, but the 25th Anniversary Special Edition CD includes a partial facsimile; some content is missing, such as a part of the "front page;" however, the picture was restored to its full size including the entire image of "Gerald's chum", 14-year-old Julia Fealey, who in the article below the main one blames her recent pregnancy on Bostock.
 
 
 
 




  
The original lp-cover, which opens up as a 12-page newspaper.   


Anderson is arguably one of the great musical geniuses of rock and roll. He is incredibly talented with a variety of instruments, guitars, mandolin, keyboards, brass, percussion and his beloved iconic, flute.

Ian Anderson in his famous one legged flute stance





 

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