Following the recent announcement of a 19-date tour to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Jethro Tull's Thick As A Brick, Ian Anderson will release a sequel to the original album.
In 1972, Anderson wrote and recorded Thick As A Brick. At the time, the lyrics were credited to the fictitious child character, Gerald Bostock. So, 40 years later, what would Bostock -– who'd be 50-ish in 2012 -– be doing today?
The new album will examine the different paths Bostock might have taken later in life through alter-ego characters with song-section identities illustrating the varied potential twists and turns of fate and opportunity.
Says Anderson of the new album:
“As we baby-boomers look back on our own lives, we must often feel an occasional ‘what-if’ moment. Might we, like Gerald, have become instead preacher, soldier, down-and-out, shopkeeper or finance tycoon? And those of more tender years -- the social media and internet generation -- may choose to ponder well the myriad of chance possibilities ahead of them at every turn ... .”
For the first time since 1972, Anderson, with John O’Hara (keyboards), David Goodier (bass), Florian Opahle (guitar) and Scott Hammond (drums), will hit the road to perform the album in its entirety. There will be a second part to the show during which Anderson and the band will perform the sequel.
Thick As A Brick 2 tracklisting:
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1. From A Pebble Thrown
2. Pebbles Instrumental
3. Might-have-beens
4. Upper Sixth Loan Shark
5. Banker Bets, Banker Wins
6. Swing It Far
7. Adrift And Dumfounded
8. Old School Song
9. Wootton Bassett Town
10. Power And Spirit
11. Give Till It Hurts
12. Cosy Corner
13. Shunt And Shuffle
14. A Change Of Horses
15. Confessional
16. Kismet In Suburbia
17. What-ifs, Maybes And Might-have-beens
Thick As A Brick 2 will be released as a standard jewel case CD and download and in a 2-disc package with DVD featuring 5.1 stereo mixes, 24-bit stereo mix, video of the making of the album, interviews with the musicians and Anderson reading the lyrics in various locations.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
