# Jethro Tull's "Locomotive Breath" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 15, 2005, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780 "2005-09-15T14:17:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780/21 "2005-09-15T18:58:58Z")
Now I have a bunch of Tull songs running through my head. Thanks, guys. > [@Maeglin](#): > > If you like flute work, listen to Hymn 43, also on Aqualung. The riffs are intense. What’s really cool is that he’s self taught. I heard an interview with Anderson many, many years ago. It seems his young (at the time) daughter’s music teacher didn’t want him to play the flute around her anymore, because his fingering was completely wrong. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780/22 "2005-09-15T19:04:57Z")
To go a bit more modern, just about everything on Roots to Branches is good. Dangerous Veils rocks like crazy. Another Harry’s Bar is great too. J-Tull Dot Com is hit and miss, but a few songs are among my favorites. El Nino is probably the best track. Spiral is, in some ways, wholly unremarkable, but is such a template for all that is Tull it is worth checking out. From the fist note there is no doubt about what band it is. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780/23 "2005-09-15T21:21:04Z")
> [@Maus Magill](#): > > Now I have a bunch of Tull songs running through my head. > > Thanks, guys. > What’s really cool is that he’s self taught. I heard an interview with Anderson many, many years ago. It seems his young (at the time) daughter’s music teacher didn’t want him to play the flute around her anymore, because his fingering was completely wrong. Yep, I read that interview in Rolling Stone. It was not easy to tell from context, but he might have been kidding. ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780/24 "2005-09-15T21:44:49Z")
> [@Maeglin](#): > > Yep, I read that interview in Rolling Stone. It was not easy to tell from context, but he might have been kidding. I always wondered about that, too. Ian Anderson seems to be a fairly self-deprecating guy. I met him years ago and he was quite pleasant, and kind to my then 3 year old son. Fave albums are **Stand Up** (still have the original pop-up vinyl album), **Benefit** and **Aqualung** in that order. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780/25 "2005-09-15T23:08:03Z")
A Tull thread! First things first: [http://www.jethrotull.com](http://www.jethrotull.com) What Tull songs? Depends on your taste, but they have a HUGE repetoire of material, and appeal (or not, depending) to almost everybody. I just mentioned in another thread that they have a few dvds out, which (if you’ve got the budget) I can recommend: [A New Day Yesterday: The 25th Anniversary Collection](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000AYK0J/qid=1126825109/sr=8-10/ref=pd_bbs_10/104-7107777-8163948?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846): Good retrospective collection of their work from beginning to 1993. [Living with the Past](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000067G11/ref=pd_bxgy_text_1/104-7107777-8163948?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846&st=*): Pretty close to what you would see now, if you went to a show (although they are going to start touring with [this person](http://www.luciamicarelli.com/), which I would like to see/hear). They are also planning to release a LIVE version of the “Aqualung” album in the coming months. [Nothing is Easy: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970.](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00067HPFK/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_f/104-7107777-8163948) I don’t have this one yet, but it’s on order. Some of my personal favorite albums: Benefit Aqualung Minstrel in the Gallery Songs from the Wood Heavy Horses Stormwatch Broadsword and the Beast Crest of a Knave Rock Island Catfish Rising [Christmas Album](http://www.jethrotull.com/news/christmasalbum.cfm) Songs: you’re on your own, here. That’s too subjective, I’m thinking. I could give you a list as long as my arm, but they would be songs that _I_ like. Explore. Youl won’t regret it. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780/26 "2005-09-16T00:57:31Z")
IIRC, the MU Jethro Tull album had a remixed version of Locomotive Breath which I preferred over the original from Aqualung. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780/27 "2005-09-16T01:18:40Z")
"_He hears a silent howling catches angels as they fall and the all-time winner has got him by the balls"_ – **Locomotive Breath** I’ve loved Tull since I first saw them in 1975. One of my favorites is **To Cry You a Song.** , which includes the classic line: _Thought I saw angels, but I could’ve been wrong._ ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780/28 "2005-09-16T02:49:36Z")
I also vouch for the entire albums- Heavy Horses, Songs from the Wood, and Broadsword and the Beast. For some reason, I haven’t cared for anything I’ve heard from JT since B&TB. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780/29 "2005-09-16T02:59:53Z")
On the superb **Benefit** album, _Michael Collins, Jeffrey, and Me_ is a stand out. As an aside, one of the best concerts I ever went to was during Tull’s Thick as a Brick tour. A highlight of my youth. ---
**Author:** ![Mal\_Adroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mal\_Adroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mal_Adroit)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780/30 "2005-09-16T03:07:12Z")
All great ones listed here, folks. Some other favorites of mine- Broadford Bazzar Orion Lick Your Fingers Clean (early, nastier version of “Two Fingers” from _Warchild_) Look Into the Sun Broadsword Paradise Steakhouse Cold Wind to Valhalla And The Cappucino Song from Anderson’s most recent album is startlingly good! ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780/31 "2005-09-16T03:22:32Z")
> [@Caprese](#): > > I always wondered about that, too. Ian Anderson seems to be a fairly self-deprecating guy. I met him years ago and he was quite pleasant, and kind to my then 3 year old son. > Fave albums are **Stand Up** (still have the original pop-up vinyl album), **Benefit** and **Aqualung** in that order. He **might** have been kidding, but probably not. Anderson’s technique is all wrong, from a standard flute teacher’s point of view. Sure, it sounds great to me, but one of the things flute teachers usually drill into students’ heads is “Don’t use your tongue!!!” Ian Anderson was almost completely self-taught, and his primary influence on flute was Rahsaan Roland Kirke, who used his tongue constantly. So, while many kids have probably taken up the flute over the years due to Jethro Tull’s influence, flute teachers are forever telling them, “STOP DOING IT LIKE TULL!” ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780/32 "2005-09-16T11:58:42Z")
> [@Maeglin](#): > > Yep, I read that interview in Rolling Stone. It was not easy to tell from context, but he might have been kidding. I don’t remember the _Rolling Stones_ interview. I was remembering a radio interview with Steve Reynolds and Kevin Silva on WRDU back in 1986. He didn’t sound like he was kidding, but he was certainly laughing about it. He was also dismayed by the fact is daughter liked Madonna better than Jethro Tull. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780/33 "2005-09-16T13:05:51Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > On the superb **Benefit** album, _Michael Collins, Jeffrey, and Me_ is a stand out. I’ll second that. It’s from when Ian Anderson had a fine voice. Lyrics refer to the astronaut that waited in the space vehicle that orbited the moon while the other two walked on the moon. Someone asked about Anderson’s technically faulty flute playing. To his credit, he decided to take formal flute lessons a few years ago, and now plays better than ever (though not so edgy). ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780/34 "2005-09-16T13:39:50Z")
> [@Maus Magill](#): > > I don’t remember the _Rolling Stones_ interview. I was remembering a radio interview with Steve Reynolds and Kevin Silva on WRDU back in 1986. He didn’t sound like he was kidding, but he was certainly laughing about it. > > He was also dismayed by the fact is daughter liked Madonna better than Jethro Tull. He was only dismayed? If I had a daughter who preferred Madonna to Tull, I’d probably put her up for adoption. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780/35 "2005-09-16T13:59:37Z")
Oooh! I loves me some Tull! I’ve always liked the album **A Little Light Music** , which has more melodic versions of lots of classic songs, including Locomotive Breath, performed live. It also has the best versions (IMO) of Christmas Song and Bouree. ---
**Author:** ![LateComer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5ac83/32.png) [@LateComer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LateComer)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780/36 "2005-09-16T14:12:04Z")
The real question is “What Tull songs shouldn’t I listen to?” and the answer is none, they’re all worth a listen. [If you’re interested, a picture of my most prized posession.](http://www.people.iup.edu/donspade/tull/minstrel.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780/37 "2005-09-16T15:39:35Z")
Love the Tull - some of my favourites are the pseudo-luddite and medievaloid ones : Heavy Horses, Farm on the Freeway, Living in the Past, Songs from the Woods, Witch’s Promise, Minstrel, Whistler, Hunting Girl…aah, the list is endless. Having said that, my absolute favourite two are more lovesongs (with Anderson’s usual cynical wit) “Under Wraps” is just beautiful, and “Moths” makes me tear up it’s so pretty : “Oh the leaded window opened, to move the dancing candle flame…”, all with the great guitar work. Oh, and I’ve just recently aquired the Ian Anderson solo work “Divinities - twelve dances with God” - man, it’s wonderful. To think I first heard “In maternal grace” on a light-listening compilation along with Enya and Enigma… ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780/38 "2005-09-16T15:40:15Z")
I have to chime in with “Beggar’s Farm” off “This Was.” ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780/39 "2005-09-16T15:47:54Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Having said that, my absolute favourite two are more lovesongs (with Anderson’s usual cynical wit) “Under Wraps” is just beautiful, and “Moths” makes me tear up it’s so pretty : “Oh the leaded window opened, to move the dancing candle flame…”, all with **the great guitar work**. Slight hijack: Why does [Martin Barre](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=155100) get so little popular acclaim? I trust that musicians have quite a bit of respect for his work. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780/40 "2005-09-16T16:40:39Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Oh, and I’ve just recently aquired the Ian Anderson solo work “Divinities - twelve dances with God” - man, it’s wonderful. Amen! Hear, hear! And, yes! Is is possible to play a CD through to the other side? Next to John Rebourn’s sacred “Lady and the Unicorn,” that might be my very favorite all instrumental CD. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jethro-tulls-locomotive-breath/321780.md?page=3)