The band that showed Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull “the way”
Woodstock in the 1960s was one of the biggest moments in music history. A group of music lovers and love enthusiasts gathered to celebrate music and indulge in a weekend of drugs, love, and happiness. It was the perfect weekend for many, but it was akin to hell for others. One band who was incredibly put off by the idea was Jethro Tull.
“I knew it was going to be a big deal. The reason I didn’t want to play Woodstock is because I asked our manager, Terry Ellis, ‘Well, who else is going to be there?’ And he listed a large number of groups who were reputedly going to play and that it was going to be a hippie festival,” Ian Anderson noted. “I don’t like hippies, and I’m usually rather put off by naked ladies unless the time is right.”
Anderson might be one of the world’s only rockstars who doesn’t subscribe to two of the fundamental pillars of rock ‘n’ roll, those being sex and drugs. Anderson was only ever keen on making music, and when it came to touring and hitting the road, he didn’t often subscribe to some of the most common aspects of rock music that tend to be the downfall of various other bands.
While this might seem like a healthy mindset, it also sounds like an impossible one to keep up, given some of the bands Jethro Tull toured with. For instance, while they might not have attended Woodstock, they did go on tour with Led Zeppelin, who were renowned for being a band with a perversion for parties, sex and drugs.
Anderson admits that there was a lot of this on their tour, but Jethro Tull was happy to exist “outside the orbit of their nightly shenanigans.” He admitted that there is no escaping the fact Led Zeppelin was frequently partying and engaging in those quintessential pillars of rock ‘n’ roll; he was happy to hear about stories the day after and continue simply focusing on playing music.
While he might not have shared Led Zeppelin’s views on partying and living life on the road, he was a big fan of the music they made, admitting that their attitude to embracing multiple genres of music inspired Jethro Tull a great deal. When you go through Jethro Tull’s discography, you can hear a range of different genres at play, and it was Led Zeppelin who showed rock bands that they didn’t have to keep operating within the confines of a few chords and distortion.
“I think what they showed to all their peer group as musicians was that there was, first of all, a very powerful and dramatic way to perform simple, direct rock music and also to introduce elements of more eclectic music,” said Anderson. “Because Zeppelin, near the beginning, there were a lot of elements of folk music, and Asian music, and African music that crept into their stuff.”
Anderson concluded, “Jethro Tull and Led Zeppelin did share that same interest, even passion, for music that was not the normal stuff of rock and roll. And perhaps they, too, were influenced in some ways by what influenced me: Indian music, Mediterranean music, and British folk music.”
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Led Zeppelin Newsletter
All the latest stories about Led Zeppelin from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.