

Editors’ Notes While Jethro Tull’s 1971 album is peppered with acoustic turns—bowing to jazz-folk heroes like Roy Harper—it’s the sweltering power chords and frontman Ian Anderson’s tough vocals that make it a rock ’n’ roll Goliath. The chugging “Locomotive Breath” and the dirty thump of “Hymn 43” provide metallic KOs, and the rifftastic title tune is a full-on mini-rock opera with gentle breakdowns and tempo shifts. Central themes challenge organized religions, yet there’s a Dickensian quality to many of the lyrics, especially on the grimy “Cross-Eyed Mary,” which details London street urchins.
Aqualung
1
6:36
Cross-Eyed Mary
2
4:10
Cheap Day Return
3
1:20
Mother Goose
4
3:52
Wond'ring Aloud
5
1:53
Up to Me
6
3:14
My God
7
7:11
Hymn 43
8
3:16
Slipstream
9
1:11
Locomotive Breath
10
4:26
Wind-Up
11
6:00
Lick Your Fingers Clean
12
2:46
Wind-Up (Quad Version)
13
5:23
Ian Anderson Interview
14
13:58