I've been a fan of Jethro Tull since discovering an abandoned cassette copy of Benefit at my grandfather's house (No, Grandpa wasn't so hip -- I think it belonged to one of his step kids or something). Sure, I had heard the standard radio tracks -- Aqualung, Locomotive Breath, Thick as a Brick, etc., but most of Benefit was new to me. I thought the album was fantastic from beginning to end and it made me a fan.
Eventually, I would go on to collect everything Jethro Tull had ever recorded and a few years later, when I was managing a record store in Atlanta, I scored some passes for one of those "meet and greets" backstage with the band at the Fox Theatre. My Rock Island poster and original gatefold vinyl pressing of Living in the Past, autographed by both Ian Anderson and Martin Barre, adorn the walls of my home office to this day (almost twenty years later).
They've been around for over 40 years now and some 24 musicians have passed through their ranks, but they're still recording and performing to this day.
Though I must say that both Ian Anderson and I have a lot less hair than we did back in the '70s. :)
Though I must say that both Ian Anderson and I have a lot less hair than we did back in the '70s. :)
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