Ian Anderson’s four favourite prog rock albums: “The most life-changing piece of music”
When you listen to the discography of Jethro Tull, it’s hard to deny the fact that they’re a band who were continuously pushing the boundaries of what kind of music they could make. Sonic restrictions didn’t exist within that band, as any kind of genre or style has always been welcomed with open arms.
That willingness to experiment became one of Jethro Tull’s defining characteristics. Whether drawing from folk traditions, hard rock, classical music or jazz influences, the group consistently refused to be boxed into a single category, preferring to follow their curiosity wherever it happened to lead.
Ian Anderson, one of the crucial components of the band, naturally has a range of tastes that have steadily been implemented into the band throughout the decades. He has never stopped constantly trying to find music that inspires him and that alters the way he sees the creative process.
“When you’re talking about records that are ‘life-changing’, to use that term, you’re usually talking about pieces of music that you heard in your youth,” he said, “But I’m one of those people who never stops listening to new things, so happily there are some recordings that have had a dramatic impact on me in later years.”
That mindset perhaps explains Jethro Tull’s longevity. Rather than repeating successful formulas, Anderson has continually sought out new ideas and influences, allowing the band to evolve naturally across decades while avoiding the creative stagnation that often affects veteran artists.
He said that there is no telling where inspiration can come from, and so the idea of limiting yourself to one genre or one type of music seems counterintuitive. “You never know when something is going to hit you and strike that chord, so to speak,” he said, “It’s always a wonderful surprise when it happens”.
However, despite Anderson’s complete openness when it comes to talking about the style of music he listens to and Jethro Tull’s extensive back-catalogue that is only consistent with its inconsistency, there is no denying that the best possible label to give them would be a prog rock band.
There are a number of prog-rock and pop albums that Anderson identifies with, which have helped him become the artist he is today. He has spoken at length about some of his favourite records that emphasise the importance of concept and build-up, and so these have been put in a complete list.
Two albums he speaks particularly postiviely about are offerings from The Beatles and Pink Floyd. “There were two seminal albums in 1967 that carved a path for people like me in the progressive pop context,” he said, “One was The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper, of course, and the other was an altogether more surreal and proggy affair, Pink Floyd’s Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Both albums took elements from lots of different sources and used them in colourful, creative ways.”
Of the two albums, Anderson said Piper at the Gates of Dawn had a bigger impact on him as a writer, as he preferred the different elements of Pink Floyd over The Beatles. “I liked the singer-songwriter element to Floyd more. Syd Barrett’s songs were strange and funny, and they perfectly complemented the radical, druggy instrumental stuff the band did,” he said, “You saw pictures and presented them with words and sound, rather than as paintings.”
Barrett’s approach to songwriting resonated deeply with Anderson because it blurred the lines between music and visual art. His surreal imagery encouraged listeners to build worlds in their imagination, something Anderson would later strive to achieve in his own compositions.
There are a number of albums he lists as his favourites, including one of his own, Jethro Tull’s Aqualung. “It was the most life-changing piece of music for me personally,” he said, “It afforded me the opportunity to release even more adventurous albums.”
Ian Anderson’s favourite prog rock albums:
- Pink Floyd – Piper at the Gates of Dawn
- Jethro Tull – Aqualung
- Värttinä – Aitara
- Frank Zappa – Overnite Sensation
