Ian Anderson
Thick As A Brick 2

1972: Thick As A Brick. Last minute rumpus: judges disqualify little Milton. The judges disqualify the "young Milton," one Gerald Bostock, because his parents lied about his age. The phantom child prodigy, 8 years old, had written the work in this, thick as a brick.

Thus headlined the St. Cleve Chronicle newspaper, a fictitious British provincial newspaper, which served as the original cover of a true and solid cornerstone of world progressive rock. Inside the magazine-newspaper, a series of impossible and brilliant news filled with British humour, irony, sarcasm, and a fine social indictment of the petty-bourgeois society among the subjects of Elizabeth II; all written jointly by Ian Anderson, the great mastermind of this concept album, along with contributions from Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond (bass) and John Evans (keyboards). Needless to say, the whole world believed it, Gerald Bostock, the enfant-prodige... never existed! The Jethro Tull lineup in 1972 was at the height of its peak, already reaching maturity (only 5 years after the debut with This Was). The original concept, released 40 years ago, was at number 1 in the charts, a single 45-minute suite divided into two out of necessity of "vinyl." A daring, spectacular, moving, captivating, wonderful work: one of those albums that never tire.

2012 Forty years pass in an eclectic, original, and highly successful career, with inevitable highs (many) and lows (few) until the stagnation of the 2000s. What happens then? Ian Anderson himself explains: "A few years ago, the heads of R&M Records pressured me to compose a sequel to Thick As A Brick. At the time, after careful consideration, I categorically said no. But in 2010, with my renewed interest in progressive rock, thanks also to the enthusiasm of record executive and former Gentle Giant Derek Shulman, I found myself changing my mind: in 2011, the idea of the sequel was born."

The mystery is revealed. After the disappointing attempt of "The Jethro Tull Christmas Album" in 2003 and the decent solo "Rupi's Dance," Ian Anderson produces "Thick As A Brick 2." The subtitle of the work is "Whatever happened to Gerald Bostock." Surprise: the record is released as a solo album by Ian Anderson, not as Jethro Tull, instead as Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson. A spontaneous question arises: where is Martin Barre? Where the hell is Martin Barre? Anderson's trusted music companion for over 40 years was simply not included in Mr. Anderson's projects. End.

The album narrates the possible destinies of the aforementioned Gerald Bostock: in the first part (Divergence) it analyzes Gerald the banker, homeless, soldier, preacher, ordinary man; in the second (Convergence) it sums up how it could have been, how it would have gone, what Gerald Bostock has become today, hypothetically fifty years old. And even the album cover follows the concept idea in keeping with the times: the Saint Cleve Chronicle becomes an online newspaper, www.stcleve.com, with similar fake news on the front and back.

How is this record that purports to be a sequel to the unattainable 1972 album? Well, first of all, pretentious, too pretentious. The musicians are all first-rate, excellent session men, two of whom are now members of Jethro Tull: David Goodier (bass) and John O'Hara (keyboards). The German guitarist Florian Ophlale had already previously participated live with Ian Anderson and there is a new and good drummer and sessionist Scott Hammond. But it's not enough: for the first time, even a die-hard fan, like the one writing, is not completely enthusiastic. The album doesn't hit, it gets lost, too many weak moments.

In short, calling it Thick As A Brick 2 is forced, pompous, and therefore also inappropriate. It's another decent solo album by Ian Anderson, but more successful in intent than in result. Of course, there are also some great pieces: From a Pebble Thrown, the instrumental Pebbles Instrumental, above all the grandiose Banker Bets, Banker Wins, Drift And Dumfounded, are really something remarkable, out of the ordinary compared to today's poor music scene. Old School Song is a reprise of the old Thick As a Brick, modified, spectacular. But all this is counterbalanced by pieces that sound already heard such as A Change Of Horses, which resembles Another Moon from Secret Language of Birds (2000, Ian's solo), Upper Sixth Loan Shark, or weak pieces like Swing It Far, Wootton Bassett Town, where anonymity prevails. The narrated parts are horrible, Might-have-beens and Cosy Corner, totally out of place, read by Ian without a shred of passion. The prog of this album is rather jazzy, nuanced, albeit well played: thumbs down for David Goodier, the bassist-session man who leaves no mark and plays in a soft, subdued manner, like a (poor) jazz musician and therefore not well-suited to Ian's sound, who, however, seems to appreciate him a lot. The ending is nice: What-Ifs, Maybes, Might-Have-Beens, where Ian once again: "So you ride yourselves over the fields, and you make all your animal deals, and you wise men don't know how it feels to be thick as a brick... two!"

In short, very little materializes: Ian Anderson's voice is irretrievably what it is, but it's the aggression that's missing, which is somewhat understandable at 65 years of age. Thick As A Brick 2 is not exactly the album we were waiting for.