Both Ian Anderson and Ray Thomas were the two biggest influences when I learned to play the flute in grade school! I learned all their songs in highschool and could play them all by ear. Their methods of playing and flute artistry are what drew me in; I was hooked! Where would rock and roll be without some of these flute tooting magicians? JT and the Moodies are my favorite bands. ❤
For a man of Ian's talents he is very modest.......he always give a credit where credit is due.....his acoustic guitar skills are way underrated......he is a great musician an incredible songwriter and performer etc. Etc.......
Surely both are good; great even. Are you ANOTHER of the countless multitudes that soured on Layla because of over-playing on the radio? I don't understand how such a monumentally great song has got so many distractors. It is a great, emotional, and pure work of genius. I will always give credit where it's due-- and Layla deserves any and all accolades it does get.
My fave as well. He put the flute and 5:4 meter into prog rock and no one has tried to replicate it. "Living in the Past" as far as I'm concerned is Ian Anderson's magnum opus.
Ian has come into his own. I've always been a huge fan even from his earliest days, but back then he was just this gangly kid with that crazed insane look in his eyes, but now age has mellowed him and he's like the old godfather of folk rock. Like a fine wine, he just keeps getting better and better.
Freddy the Freeloader: Thank you for your revelations Freddy! Unfortunately he doesn't keep getting better and better. Arthritis means his playing has vastly deteriorated. And his voice has been shot away for the past 2 decades!
To answer some questions here. Personally I think they shot their wad with Thick as a Brick but that doesn't mean that Ian never wrote another good song or they put out another good lp. The two exceptions(for myself)are Songs From the Wood and Crest of a Knave. Ian's voice changed as a result of a bad bacterial infection(strep throat)he got in 1986. It left scare tissue on his vocal chords that caused his voice to sound like that.
Ian is always a great listen! Honest, and sincere without falsely being humble. There is always thought behind his answers in interviews. A most intelligent and interesting legend! Thanks for the post!
y'know a lot of people go on and on about ian's flute work, but as much as i love that, i've always been more impressed his way of playing acoustic guitar. he has a very good instinct towards strum patterns.
What a humble classy interview. My most memorable concert was Jethro Tull in 1980 at the St. Paul Civic Center (Minnesota). During Bungle in the Jungle my best friend and I ran to the very front of the stage. Ian playing 3-6 feet away. That was awesome.
My brother listened to JT in the 70's when were in middle school. That was me first introduction to them. I loved many bands and solo artists. Ian didn't need to worry about not having guitar be the lead instrument in a band and I'm glad he chucked the idea of getting rid of it; had he chosen guitar to be like everyone else we couldn't have all those great songs playing his flute. He was meant to play the flute. Look at all the songs he did that we wouldn't have if he hadn't picked up that magical musical wand creating alot of masterpieces that no one else could do. I love the Moody Blues too for a little over 45 years. Both groups incredibly gifted bands that created some of the best music of my era. Aren't you glad they chose to be musicians and not lawyers or car salesmen? I am!!!
Ian Anderson is such a wonderful, beautiful, thoughtful, intelligent person, and a real gentleman. I wonder what he thinks of the french horn in Lucifer's Friend?
I was at the Fillmore West SF, in 69 Jethro Tull Concert and watching Ian Anderson playing the flute standing and dancing around on one leg, a good Trip it was.
He mentions, but only in passing, the Dutch band Focus. Thijs van Leer and new Focus line ups are still going in 2018. Brilliant usage of flute in rock. Ian seems to have ignored their greatness.
He mentioned them, therefore he did not ignore them. Focus were around at the same time as Jethro Tull and probably Focus were not a big influence on Ian.
yeah, Focus was not that popular or big, but they had a lot of albums and a lot of the music was pretty good. I think it was a little too European for an American audience ... except for the wildly uncharacteristic Hocus Pocus by Focus with the flute, whistling and yodeling. I had several of their albums and always loved them.
I was glad to hear that he did not claim to 'invent' using the vocalizations with playing flute, & acknowledge that it was already being done in jazz & in particular Roland Kirk, who I had heard in the past was supposedly an influence on Ian.
Anderson is very humble. The music he created in the early 70's is as wonderful as anything recorded in that era. Benefit, Thick as a Brick, and Aqualung are among the best albums ever released.
Jethro tull and gentle giant..1972...the greatest show on earth.. Seeing over 200 bands throughout the years..still a concert stamped in my memory..awesome
To answer Ian - Why no player has used the flute as a lead instrument in rock - They would always be compared to you! BTW, I'm a big Jethro Tull fan (mostly the early stuff).
I think Ian plays a 'nice' flute, as well. Just check out his flute in the performance with J. Hayward in 'Nights'. Or Reason for Waiting. So elegant and wistful.
The flute was Ray Thomas' signature and was essentially to so many of the Moody Blues' compositions; but when I first heard Jethro Tull's "Living in the Past" I was just floored -- not just the flute as an integral lead instrument in a rock song but a flute in a rock song with a 5:4 time signature. Just sheer genius and I still think it was Jethro Tull's best work -- maybe not their magnum opus but without question their most imaginative and magnificent composition, arrangement and performance.
@@handebarlas6248 True that; I'm always reminded of the old staples, though -- Agualung, Thick as a Brick, Bouree, etc. Even "Bungle in the Jungle," which was really JT's only venture into pop music at the time -- but you're right, just like ELP and Yes et al, theirs is a treasure trove of multi-faceted talent and genius.
@@briane173 I feel more than disappointed when people are not ready to appreciate the complete work of an artist. People will have different favourites of course-that is just normal. However Tull continued to make incredibly great music for decades. How can somebody like you-who clearly likes LITP and the others you mention here- which are very close to my heart as well- not appreciate Songs from the Wood or Budapest or Dark Ages to give just a few examples?? I am afraid that sounds a bit too restricted to me with all due respect.
I have to hand it to Ian, during my musically formative years ... teenage to young adult that man was out there putting out consistently great albums with all good songs at a rate of more than 1 per year for over a decade. I loved going to the record store ... yes, vinyl records, and seeing a new Jethro Tull album cover that I had never seen before and snatching it right up. There was no internet, or magazines for me anyway, that is how I found out about a new album, or occasionally I would hear a song on the radio and know it was something off the new Jethro Tull. Something different and interesting all the time.
Forty-Seven years ago I got into two groups. A to Z. Anderson and Zappa. Get to see Dweezil next week in Dallas and hopefully Ian again sometime this year. The two greatest composers of last century. And Ian's guitar playing is alright to me.
Heh--"dinky-donky music" Peter Gabriel did indeed play the damn thing (flute) when he was in Genesis. By the 80s, it was gone (seemingly he hung it up after moving from playing for audiences who did nothing but clap politely to those who cheered as well), but in the early days of Genesis in the 60s and early 70s, he certainly played it...
Beyond Wrong !!!!!He took his style from THE ABSOLUTE GREATEST.....RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK !!!!!! Anderson couldn't play in the same zip code. Check it out !!!
@@brucemassey260Mate, I think you missed the part about best ROCK flute player. Roland Kirk was insanely gifted and unquestionably far more technically skilled than Ian Anderson. I'm sure Anderson himself would agree with that. However, a rock player he was not.
My sister was awesome with the flute; I have always loved JT and the Moody Blues. I have also come to really appreciate the Native American Flute as Russ Freeman (the Rippingtons, along with the sound of an Eagle) turned me on to. I totally understand what Ian is saying about the lack of the flute in more music...it really adds a new layer to music
Yeah, it is really superhuman how much good, thoughtful, clever and unique music Ian Anderson put out. I remember as a teen seeing more than an album of great stuff every year for over 10 years. First album I got was Aqualung, and then I discovered there were earlier albums. By the time I saved up to get Benefit Thick As A Brick was out, and then I got Stand Up and This Was and poof! Living in the Past ... and Passion Play. and on and on. Amazing that anyone could do that.
I always thought a clarinet in a rock band would be exciting. I was laughed at & I knew some clarinet players who would've given it a shot. But none of the other musicians took it seriously. That is until I heard Italian rock singer Eugenio Finardi inject a clarinet solo into a Chuck Berry subdued type rock song he wrote called "Corinna," back in the mid-'80s. (His all-English LP "Secret Streets"). Wow...it worked, made the song have atmosphere. But only a European artist would think in these musical terms. I did feel somewhat justified. (The song is on RU-vid).
I love Clapton, but he stopped that emotional, aggressive attack a long time ago. Opting instead for beautiful melodies and smooth transitions. But that's why I love Jethro Tull more. Cream will always be Eric's best work.
Thank you very much for posting this. As usual Ian gives clear answers to questions. And he is modest too. Actually perhaps a bit too modest. Then again I am sure he knows better.
It's not a matter of who plays the flute better or who has began first. Nobody plays flute as Anderson does. His approach is extremely expressive. Btw here we are in front of a great music composer, not only a flute player. Btw Clapton ain't so much better than Anderson in playing guitar. Ian'guitar approach is simply unique and amazing.
What I like about flute, or woodwind instruments like a Sax, or a Harmonica is you don't have to lug an amp around with you if you want to play it on the streets. The acoustic guitar is pretty big and bulky and people look at you like you are horrible at it when you are trying to tune it in public.
Just to clarify, Peter Gabriel most certainly did play the flute on record and live (Supper's Ready, I Know What I Like, Battle of Epping Forest, Firth of Fifth).
Great interview.. I've always been very much into both bands. When I saw the Moody Blues many years ago, many young people in the audience were saying: "They did *that?"*
Ian.... Besides those you mention, there was flute used often as a lead instrument in rock bands like Heart, Marshal Tucker, Guess Who, War, Rare Earth, Firefall..... You, were top dog, IMHO, but certainly not a rarity.
Peter Gabriel plays flute on all the albums he recorded with the band. after he left, the flute parts were played either by Steve Hackett or Tony Banks.
Been watching and listening to Ian play with Gary Brooker " A whiter Shade of Pale. I've always loved this song, but with Ian's flute, can't stop listening now😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘
I loved his self-effacing approach to this interview, but I'm surprised he completely overlooked one other of the old boys of flute playing, namely the late great Ian McDonald of King Crimson who made a feature of the flute. Listen to 'I Talk to the WInd' on 'In the Court of the Crimson King'. It's the loveliest and most proficient exemplar of the flute one could hope to hear. Speaking of King Crimson, a slightly later manifestation of the group included Mel Collins on flute.
Kudos for the tribute to the deeply regretted Ray Thomas but... on the other hand, Peter Gabriel really played the flute with Genesis, he definitely was not mimicking and, contrary to Ian, he could (and can) play delicately without having to scat😅
Gabriel was an amateur flautist, but an excellent singer. Ray and Chris Wood were much better, yet Ian Anderson surpassed them all on flute. Yes, it's surprising rock features so few flautists.
Maybe you commercialised the Flute with a strong bass line, as in 'Living in the Past'. Again, I was fifteen in those days, and recall the said, 'Underground' days.
It seems to me a sign of the very high standard that Ian Anderson set for himself that he was comparing himself to the best of the best in Clapton, Page and Beck. And because he couldn't measure up to them he thought he should try another instrument.
I'd love to hoist a pint or two with Mr. Anderson. Life in the rearview mirror has a clarity that looking out the side window at the scenery rushing by does not.
