•
Rating:
Year 1968. In the music firmament, a new star was born, destined to become one of the most luminous.
This was the year when the legendary Jethro Tull released "This Was," their first work. Coming from the John Evan Band, Ian Anderson together with Mick Abrahams (guitar), Clive Bunker (drums), and Glenn Cornick (bass) created this band. To realize this work, the father of manager Terry Ellis secured a loan of 1200 dollars from a bank. Money very well spent!
In some ways, I would dare to call it a slightly "anomalous" record, in the sense that Ian does not have the role he would have later, that is, the dominant leader of the group, and shares the leadership with Abrahams. However, we know two wolves cannot stay in the same den, and thus the guitarist, annoyed by the imposing presence of the flautist, left after this album. He would be replaced, after a very brief period with Tony Iommi, the future guitarist of Black Sabbath, by the excellent Martin Barre, who established a great friendship with Anderson, and would become the only other member of the Tull, aside from the leader, to always be part of the lineup. Another reason for the breakup with Abrahams was Anderson's intention to experiment with new musical genres, while the guitarist was a great lover of blues.
Here, the dominant style is exactly blues, although some traces of other genres already indicate the great versatility that would become a peculiar characteristic of the band. From an instrumental point of view, besides the presence of the flute, a very unusual feature that would forever be one of Tull's trademarks, there is significant use of the harmonica, a fundamental blues component. Practically absent are the acoustic guitar and keyboards, elements that would play a leading role in the future.
The start is entrusted to "My Sunday Feeling," an excellent rock-blues that will become one of the most famous songs in their repertoire. "Some Day The Sun Won't Shine For You" shows us a more laid-back blues, with the harmonica as the protagonist. There are many interesting live versions of this piece. "Beggar's Farm," co-produced with Abrahams, presents an excellent final crescendo, with great flute virtuosity. The following "Move On Alone" is entirely written and sung by Abrahams. It features a trumpet arrangement, performed by David (Dee) Palmer. Here, the atmosphere strongly evokes the '50s. "Serenade To A Cuckoo" is undoubtedly one of the album's key pieces. It's a long and peaceful instrumental, written by jazz musician Roland Kirk. Ian said it was the first thing he learned to play on the flute. "Dharma For One" is another instrumental, but much more intense. It is perhaps the song where the early seeds of progressive most prominently emerge. Quite peculiar is the long drum solo, written by Bunker. I also recommend the live versions of this track, often superior to the original, as in the legendary Isle of Wight concert (1970). After the blues of "It's Breaking Me Up," we arrive at "Cat's Squirrel," a track arranged by Abrahams that decisively leans towards hard-rock. The guitar part is truly remarkable. In a rare occurrence, Anderson is absent! The ninth track, "A Song For Jeffrey," is surely the most well-known song from the work, and it is another blues piece that features a flute-harmonica duo and a unique vocal effect. In conclusion, we find the very short "Round," written by all the group members plus Ellis, which sees Anderson trying his hand for a few moments at the piano.
The remastered CD I own also contains three interesting bonus tracks. The first, "One For John Gee" is a blues instrumental, the second is the rock-infused "Love Story," which marked Abrahams' departure, (Barre would debut with the epic "Living In The Past") and the third is the acoustic "Christmas Song," a song that would be re-evaluated more recently.
All things considered, we can speak of a good debut. For obvious reasons, it lacks a bit of maturity, and so it certainly can't be compared to some of the subsequent masterpieces, but it is still very respectable.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 My Sunday Feeling (03:42)
My Sunday feeling is coming on over me.
My Sunday feeling is coming on over me,
Now that the night is over.
Got to clear my head so I can see.
Till I get to put together,
That old feeling won't let me be.
Won't somebody tell me where I laid my head last night?
Won't somebody tell me where I laid my head last night?
I really don't remember,
But with one more cigarette and I think I might.
Till I get to put together,
Well that old feeling can't get me right.
Need some assistance, have you listened to what I said?
Need some assistance, have you listened to what I said?
Oh, I don't feel so good.
Need someone to help me to my bed.
Till I get to put together,
That old feeling is in my head.
03 Beggar's Farm (04:20)
You're taking chances.
And your reputation's going down.
Going out in the night-time.
You think you make no sound.
But you don't fool me.
'Cos I know what you feel.
If you ignore the things I say --
Someday soon's gonna find you
'way down on Beggar's Farm.
I pay my money for no returns.
I think I need you.
Going to find someone.
Oh, you don't fool me.
'Cos I know what you feel.
When you go out I ask you why.
And I won't worry when I see you lying
Down on Beggar's Farm.
When you run to me, going to turn away.
Won't even listen when you try to say
That you were only fooling around --
'Cos I know what you feel.
But if you ask me nicely, woman --
I'll wake up early one day soon and
I'll visit you down on Beggar's Farm.
04 Move On Alone (01:58)
I feel so sad now that she's gone,
I've been loving that woman too long.
There is no place to go because my friends have all moved,
Got nothing but sit in the sun.
Got tired of crying, guess I'll move on alone.
My bed is so empty and my heart is grown cold,
Guess I'll just die before I grow old.
The place is untidy, that's 'cos I ain't done my dirt,
I just grown tired of thinking.
Got tired of crying, guess I'll move on alone.
06 Dharma for One (04:15)
Dharma, seek and you will find
Truth within your mind, Dharma.
Dharma, each to his own we say,
Together we'll end astray, Dharma.
Truth is like freedom, it doesn't fool me.
Be true to yourself, never think that you're free.
Dharma will come eventually.
07 It's Breaking Me Up (05:04)
So many long days. In so many ways.
I try to get through to what lies deep inside of you.
Oh, baby. I said, you're breaking me up, woman.
Yeah, you're breaking me down.
You're lying in little pieces --
scattered all around.
You're doing your worst to see me get hurt.
You're waiting to see the tears running out of me.
But, oh, baby, I said you're breaking me up, woman.
You're breaking me down.
You're lying in little pieces --
scattered all around.
My teares have run dry and you wonder why.
I've found a new woman who don't do the things you can.
Oh, baby, I said you're breaking me up, woman.
You're breaking me down.
You're lying in little pieces --
scattered all around.
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By Masahiro
"'This Was' is a perfect example of Folk Rock imbued with Blues and Jazz, with glimpses of what would become Hard Rock."
"A great debut. It was in the air that the group was destined for something great."
By fedecure
"'This Was', the debut album of Jethro Tull is pure grace and majesty that every good listener with some intelligence understands from the very first track."
"The real novelty lies in introducing the flute as a perfectly harmonized instrument with everything else... Unique and Extraordinary."
