Jethro Tull: Benefit - 1970

 

Ian Anderson said that this, Jethro Tull's third album, from 1970, was a "guitar riff album". 

He was no doubt taking influence from contemporaries like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Cream and Jimi Hendrix and the album is once again more rock than it is prog, and as you know that always gets the thumbs-up from me. By now, Jethro Tull were all sorts of things - folk, rock, glam, prog, acoustic, electric - all led by the charismatic flautist Isn Anderson. They were beginning to plough a definite furrow (sorry, I couldn’t resist that one). 

With You There To Help Me is an appealing mix of ethereal, mysterious folk and powerful, riff-laden rock. I love it. Check out that ghostly flute as it floats around mid-song, the searing guitar interjections and the frantic handclaps too - everything but the kitchen sink is in here. Seriously impressive.

Nothing To Say is a powerful, chugging piece of Tull-rock featuring some grungy guitar riffage that I am sure influenced David Bowie to use on his Diamond Dogs album, when he played guitar himself very much like this, particularly on Sweet Thing. Back to this track - Anderson’s vocal is strong and overall is is a fine composition. I really like the brand of rock the group adopted for this album and struggle to understand why is was not well received at the time.

Alive And Well And Living In sounds like a Cat Stevens song from the same period with some solid fuzzy guitar added. Both the moving Son and For Michael Collins, Jeffrey And Me display guitarist Michael Barre's virtuosity. 

To Cry You A Song and A Time For Everything are pretty typical Tull for the period - robust, uncompromising and flute and drum-driven. I really like both of them. The guitar throughout this album from Martin Barre is outstanding and is featured enough to keep the heavy rock fans happy, if they were feeling it was too folky. 

Inside is a beguiling and interesting mix of folky flute breaks, wistful melodies and rolling rock drumming. Anderson again plays his developing role as a slightly madcap but dourly sage rural troubadour perfectly. Both Teacher and the oddly-titled Sossity; You're A Woman are impressive numbers.

Leaving the blues behind for good, much of the muscular folky rock on this album sets the tone for Tull’s sound on the next few albums. There is a solid rock punch to this album that really does it for me, I have to say, and the latest Steven Wilson mix of it is superb. It many ways it is a transitional album between blues rock Tull rock and prog rock Tull but, for me, it is rock that wins out here. After this came the prog stuff....although the next album could still rock some.

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