"Thick as a Brick" by Jethro Tull

Who ever thought of a flute player in a rock a roll band? Jethro Tull did! Granted, not every song includes the great Ian Anderson on flute, but "Thick as a Brick" does. The thing I like most about this music is the juxtaposition. Guitar, drums, keyboard, flute? Awesome! America felt so to. The album released with the same name hit #1 in the charts in the 1970's.
The flute and acoustic guitar give this piece a air-like, sprightly feel. In the beginning, the guitar and flute alternate the melody. The use of the flute gives Jethro Tull a distinctive sound, which is especially prevelant. All at once this band seems to emcompass Rock/Jazz/Irish. Although there are many cadences, most of them obvious, there is no termination function. The piece doesn't end for 40 mins! It was the first album to run continously and not have seperate distinct tracks. Unless you listen to the entire CD, one gets a feeling of incompletion.
The lyrics, telling their fantatistic story, use lots of metaphores and even reference the great Monty Python. Again this piece is strophic, but less so than most songs. One doesn't really get the feeling of, verse chorus verse chorus. Instead this piece is a little more seemless, letting the guitar and flute make transitions. One last tidbit. The lyrics were written by an 8 year old. Man, that makes me feel dumb...or thick as a brick if you will...