Thick as a Brick
ARTIST: Jethro Tull
RELEASE: 1972
INTERVIEWEE: Ian Anderson
One of the most remarkable works in the field of concept albums was actually created as a reaction to the form. Popular notions held that Jethro Tull's hit LP Aqualung was a concept album -- it wasn't -- so band leader Ian Anderson decided that next time 'round, he'd give the people what they wanted. It was a success: Thick as a Brick has long since taken its place at the forefront of conceptual works.
With a mischievous glint in his eye, Anderson says that his thinking went like this: "If they want a concept album, I'll give them the mother of all concept albums, something that's so overblown and ridiculous that it couldn't be mistaken for a bunch of songs."