The punk band Ian Anderson said made “a pile of shit”
Regardless of your taste in music, the main thing that any listener wants when they put on an album is a sound that makes it clear the band playing has put their all into every song on there. There are a lot of bands that have a few singles and then plump up a record with filler (a lot of modern pop artists are criticised for this), but then there are other artists who put their all into every single track.
One band that constantly puts its all into every single song is Jethro Tull. Though prog-rock remains a relatively acquired taste, Tull remains a household name regardless of somebody’s interest in music. Their sound has resonated and transcended the genre, and while many factors contribute to their success, Ian Anderson remains at the forefront of the band’s notoriety.
Their inclusion of the flute likely makes it so that Jethro Tull can penetrate through the prog-rock layer and land themselves in the mainstream. This is the result of Ian Anderson, who has been a flautist for years and is responsible for the unique nature of one of the world’s most loved bands.
Of course, it’s one thing to have an aspect of the band that stands out, but much more is required for success. The intricate nature of Tull’s songs means that each track on an album stands out. They don’t try to create a couple of hits and then pad out a record; instead, every song is given care and attention, and the result is linear albums that are consistent in tone and timelessly exciting.
Anderson made it clear that this is intentional in his critique of other bands, specifically in the punk world. While praising some of the tracks that bands might make, he admitted that when it comes to listening to some punk outfits, he prefers buying a band’s greatest hits as he only likes a minority of their releases, stating eight out of ten tracks on the majority of their albums don’t hit the mark.
“I speak as one whose recent purchases include sort of Stranglers’ best of and box set, and things from those, the Ramones,” he said, “Cause I go for that, you know, I’m not gonna go and buy all their bloody records cause the chances are that eight out of ten songs are a pile of shit.”
It’s not surprising that Anderson might not be able to identify with some of the bands that are prominent forces in punk. When you consider the cinematic approach the Tull take towards their music, adding various sounds, sections and themes to individual tracks, the idea of listening to a genre where songs are short, straight to the point, and heavy wouldn’t appeal to those who make more in-depth and atmospheric tracks. Labelling bands such as Stranglers and he Ramones as a pile of shit might seem to some to be a bit harsh, but the differences in their style of playing are clear.
