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15 bands that Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson likes
One of the most important Progressive Rock musicians of all time, Ian Anderson has been the leader and main songwriter of Jethro Tull for almost six decades. Although his career has been focused mainly on Prog Rock, he has a broad musical taste and has praised many musicians from various genres over the decades.
Rock and Roll Garage selected 15 bands and artists he likes, along with what he has said about them throughout his career.
15 bands that Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson likes
Motörhead and Ramones
The first two ones are quite surprising for many fans, since most people would expect Ian Anderson to be a bigger fan of Progressive Rock and Classical Music. However, he actually likes groups like Motörhead and The Ramones. He revealed that in an interview with Classic Rock, when asked which were his “guilty pleasures” in music. “I have a soft spot for the brutal, simplistic music of Motörhead and the Ramones.”
Curiously, Ian Anderson and Lemmy Kilmister owned the same electric guitar before both of them were famous. He recalled that incredible story in an interview with John Robb in 2021 (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage). “I did meet Lemmy (In the early days in Blackpool, England). I always remember, the last time I saw Lemmy. Many, many years ago, I did remind him that he still owes me a pound.”
“Because when he was absolutely…. He was always broke. Lemmy never had any money. We’d always be trying to tap people of a pint of beer, a bus fare or something. I had no money either. But I lent him a pound and never got it back, of course.”
Ian Anderson continued:
“But what I did get, because Lemmy was actually the rhythm guitarist in Rev Black and the Rockin’ Vicars. When he had really fallen on hard times he was forced to sell his 1960’s vintage white Fender Strat back to the music store where we all went. I ended up taking on that Strat in sort of kind of hire purchase terms for a year or so. Until I gave up playing guitar and part exchanged the Strat for a Shure Unidyne III microphone and for no particularly good reason a shiny flute.”
“So the collective total was many 60 quid worth of flute and microphone against the guitar that today would probably be worth 40 or 50 thousand dollars. Even if you didn’t know that both Ian Anderson and Lemmy had both owned it. It seemed like a pretty bad financial arrangement. But in fact it was probably one of the best deals I ever made (laughs),” Ian Anderson said.
Long before forming Motörhead in 1975, Lemmy Kilmister was a member of The Rockin’ Vickers from 1965 to 1967 and then would still play with Sam Gopal, Hawkwind and Robert Calvert.
The Smiths and Morrissey
Another unexpected band that Ian Anderson likes is The Smiths and he also enjoy the solo career of Morrissey, the band’s vocalist. It was in an interview with Rock Cellar Magazine in 2023 that he praised the band and the singer. He only discovered their music a few years ago but became a huge fan of their work.
“I know that I do radically change my views. If you asked me this time last week, ‘What do you think about Morrissey,’ my opinion would have been entirely negative. Not only have I been listening to the music of Morrissey and the Smiths during the last three days intensively and reading Morrissey’s autobiography.
Ian Anderson continued:
“But completely coming around to the idea that he is one of the more important singers of popular music in the period of time that I’ve been engaged with it. So even at this point in my life I can completely reverse my views and think, ‘Wow, this has a lot of merit. A lot of stuff that is very worthy of my spending hours listening to and thinking about.’ I’ve done that a few times in my life. It just happens to be now I’m a huge Morrissey fan, whereas a week ago I definitely wasn’t (laughs),” Ian Anderson said.
During a conversation with Spin in 2023, Anderson revealed which were 5 albums that he couldn’t live without. One of them was The Best of Morrissey. The Jethro Tull leader often says that he first buys compilation albums by other artists to hear their best material, and then digs into their discography.
“I didn’t know Morrissey at all until very recently when I read some controversial comments reported in the media. Having then listened to some early songs, I bought his autobiography in which he reveals the traumas and tribulations of childhood. (Also) his early days with The Smiths through to the recent past.”
Ian Anderson continued:
“But his songs have a real elegance. They are built around economical and minimalist melodies. Poetic, insightful lyrics and not half as miserable as people make him out to be! A bit of a humorist, actually. Works with great musicians of that genre and seems to be having a good time on stage. I am a buyer of compilations, generally. They serve as a good introduction to artists of all times and musical styles,” Ian Anderson said.
Formed in Manchester, England back in 1982, The Smiths became one of the most influential bands from that era. The band’s classic line-up had: Morrissey (Vocals), Johnny Marr (Guitar), Andy Rourke (Bass) and Mike Joyce (Drums). They were active 1987 and released four studio albums. Some of their biggest hits are “There is A Light That Never Goes Out” and “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now”.
Morrissey started his solo career immediately after the group disbanded, releasing his solo debut “Viva Hate” in 1988. So far he has released 12 studio albums, the most recent one being “Without Music The World Dies” in 2023.
Foreigner
Yes, Ian Anderson is also a huge fan of Foreigner and praised the band many times, especially because of their original vocalist Lou Gramm. He even told Classic Rock in 2024 that in his opinion he was the greatest Rock singer of all time. “Head and shoulders above all rock singers for me is Lou Gramm. Incredible precision and diction. You can hear every word he sings, unlike the majority of singers before and since. He had decorative elements in his delivery that weren’t overdone. Mainly he sang on the beat, in tune and with great emotion,” Ian Anderson said.
One of his favorite albums by the American/British group is “Head Games”, released in 1979. He revealed that in an interview with The Quietus in 2013, saying: “Foreigner was a band that had an anthemic sophistication about their musical approach. It was educated, well-formed, well turned-out British-American music. The primary songwriter and leader of the band (Mick Jones) was a Brit. The vocal talents of probably rock’s finest ever tenor, Lou Gramm, fitted perfectly with their sound.”
“I still have a soft spot for Lou because of his incredible vocal ability and the wonderful controlled quality of his voice. I do believe he is rock’s finest tenor. His diction was good, his articulation and rhythm was great, he was a truly great singer. It doesn’t mean he’s rock’s best singer or best-known singer.”
Ian Anderson continued:
“Because the usually out of tune Rod Stewart and gymnastic Robert Plant were probably more charismatic. Lou was more mainstream, but it was nevertheless a joy to listen to someone, rather like Alfie Boe, who is in complete control of their vocal ability as the result of hard work and a huge amount of natural talent. He may not be the most exciting pop singer, but for me he is the best,” Ian Anderson said.
Lou Gramm was born in Rochester, New York in 1950 and was part of all the most successful Foreigner albums. He was in the band from 1976 until 2003 when he decided to leave the grupo. He performed with them as a guest in 2017, 2018 and is currently on tour with the group in 2025, but only singing a few songs live.
Born in Rochester, New York back in 1950, Lou Gramm was one of the Americans of Foreigner, since it was a British-American band. He is the group’s original vocalist and was part of all their successful albums. He fronted Foreigner from 1976 to 1990, 1992 to 2003 and was a special guest in 2017 and 2018.
“Head Games” was their third studio album and had songs like “Dirty White Boy”, “Love On the Telephone” and “Women”.
The Kinks
![The Kinks - Victoria 1969 [HD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SvOiXjRqk0Y/hqdefault.jpg)
One of the most influential British bands of all time, The Kinks is also one of Anderson’s favorites. He already praised them back in 1969, in an interview with Melody Maker magazine. They used to promote a ‘blind date with music’ by playing songs to famous musicians without telling them which band the songs were from.
After the interviewer played The Kinks “Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)” (1969). His reply was: “It’s something with life in it. It’s like breathing again, I really like this one. It’s not the Kinks is it? Great! Let me listen to a bit more.”
“The first thing that hits me about it is it’s alive. They’re real people musically. It’s music at last and they’re in control of what they are doing,” The Jethro Tull frontman said. As a songwriter, he admires the band’s vocalist, guitarist and main songwriter Ray Davies. He praised him in an interview with Classic Album Review. “(…) Lyrically and in terms of setting the mood melodically, he’s been a brilliant contributor to the annals of British pop music history. He is right up there with the very best of anybody, including The Beatles,” Ian Anderson said.
That Kinks album had famous tracks like “Victoria”, “Drivin”, “Australia” and “Shangri-la”. Besides the Davies brothers, the band at that time was also formed by Mick Avory (Drums) and John Dalton (Bass). Their original bassist Pete Quaife was also featured in a few tracks from that album. The group has sold an estimated amount of more than 50 million records worldwide.
Roy Harper
Ian Anderson also likes Folk music and the legendary British artist Roy Harper is also one of his favorites. He was the one mentioned by the Jethro Tull leader when Classic Rock in 2023 asked him which was the greatest songwriter of all time. “From 1968 to 1970 I bought his records. He stood apart from other songwriters of the era, because he covered a lot of range. From political and social issues through to plain and simple, stoned love songs.”
“I’m always drawn back to Come Out Fighting Ghengis Smith [’68]. I’d just moved to London myself. It resonated with me. So hats off to Roy Harper, as Led Zeppelin once said,” Ian Anderson said.
As he said, Led Zeppelin released a song called “Hats Off to (Roy) Harper on their album “Led Zeppelin III” (1970). A very prolific musician, Harper released 22 studio albums and some of his most famous songs are “Goldfish”, “Forever” and “Francesca”. Anderson’s favorite album of Roy’s discography is “Come Out Fighting Ghengis Smith” (1968). Anderson and Harper have known each other for a few decades already. He played the flute on Harper’s 20th studio album “The Dream Society”.
Curiously, Harper is the vocalist of Pink Floyd‘s classic song “Have a Cigar”. The Progressive Rock band invited him to record the vocals for the track since he was also recording an album in the same studio.
Mountain
Formed in Long Island, New York in 1969, Mountain is another group that Anderson is a fan of. He had the chance to meet them back in 1969 when they were Jethro Tull’s opening act. One of his favorite songs by them is “Nantucket Sleighride”, the title track of their second studio album, released in 1971.
(Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage) “Mountain were another band that we encountered in 1969. They took part in a number of Jethro Tull shows (As opening act for Tull). Felix Pappalardi, the bass player had produced from Cream and they had written some pieces like “Theme for an Imaginary Western”. So there is a big connection between Mountain and Cream. In many ways, I suppose musically speaking there was a similarity. Except for the fact that they had a keyboard player and Cream didn’t. They had two great singers in the shape of Felix and Leslie West.”
Ian Anderson continued:
“Quite different voices and different approaches. But they were a great band to work with, lovely guys. So we began our career really on the northeast of USA, around Boston, New York and New England areas. So “Nantucket Sleighride” being the title suggesting that the days of whaling, when you were in small long boats, flat bottom thing on the Atlantic. you were harpooning a whale, which would then take off pulling you and five or six intrepid sailors to finally slaughter this poor creature.”
“It was called “Nantucket Sleighride”, meant you were being pulled by a whale. So this was something that they had a certain romantic nature, which was very American. It fueled my sort of interest in the geography and the culture of New England. Of course as references as a child reading ‘Moby Dick’,” Ian Anderson said in an interview with Planet Rock.
The American Hard Rock band was formed in Long Island, New York back in 1969 by Leslie West, Felix Pappalardi, Steve Knight and N. D. Smart. Their most famous song is “Mississippi Queen” that has one of the most famous guitar riffs in Rock and Roll history.
Muddy Waters
Ian Anderson also likes Blues music and the late legendary Muddy Waters is one of his favorite artists from the music genre. He mentioned the song “Hoochie Coochie Man”, released by the musician in 1954, as one of the songs that changed his life. “This is one of the first songs of Muddy Waters that had a big impact. Not only on me but on a whole generation of wannabe R&B and blues artists in Britain. It’s one of his best-ever pieces. Before his death, Muddy even re-recorded it with Johnny Winter and turned in another great version of the tune.”
“This was my introduction to the genuine article – Chicago blues. I had heard stuff that was derived from the genre and had various shadings of it. Like some of the three-chord swing music I had listened to. But when you hear the real thing, you know it, and Muddy Waters’ Hoochie Coochie Man was inarguably the real thing.”
In the same interview, Anderson said that the British people loved the American Blues music. However, they were not aware of the background of the music genre, they saw it as a “heroic form of Folk music”.
Waters was a professional musician from 1941 until his death in 1983. He sadly passed away at the age of 70 and had recorded 13 studio albums and more than 60 singles.
Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf is also another unexpected musician that Ian Anderson is a fan of. Best known for the album “Bat out of Hell” (1977), but curiously, his favorite album by the American musician is “Bat out of Hell II”, the sequel, released in 1993. He praised the album in an interview with The Quietus in 2013.
“Ever since I’d been aware of Mr Meat I’d not been a fan at all. I thought he was bombastic, loud, churlish, arrogant. There was nothing about him that appealed to me, including his overtly showbizzy operatic voice. I’d never been a fan, until I was desperate for a track for some radio show I was doing. I needed to find an example of storytelling.”
“I was looking for examples of people who told authentic observational tales, and I was stuck. Then my wife called to me from the other side of the office saying, ‘life is a lemon and I want my money back’. I said I was terribly sorry to hear this. She said, ‘no, the Meat Loaf song, ‘Life Is A Lemon (And I Want My Money Back)’, although Jim Steinman actually wrote the song.”
Ian Anderson continued:
“So I found the song and became, if not a Meat Loaf addict, at least someone who had established a degree of reverence for both Meat Loaf at his best and the lyrical and musical writing of Jim Steinman. I think it’s a great song, and it just happens to be on this album. I’m not saying I enjoy the whole album or most of Meat Loaf’s work, but that is a very good track.”
“As soon as I heard it I told my wife, ‘damn, I wish I’d written that,’ which is probably the biggest compliment anyone in my position can pay to somebody else. In fact, I think that should be the epitaph on my gravestone,” Ian Anderson said.
Like the first album, the second one was also written by Jim Steinman and was successful. Some of the most famous tracks were “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)” and “Life Is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back”. That record sold an estimated amount of more than 14 million records worldwide, a great number, but much less than the first, which sold “43 million copies.
The Six and Violence
Another unexpected group that Anderson likes is The Six and Violence, a less known American group that was active from 1984 to 2005. He mentioned them in an interview with Classic Rock in 2023, naming them the most underrated band of all time.
“The Six And Violence were a bunch of guys from New York who played Thrash Metal. They were violent on stage. But absolute pussycats off it. I played on (1990 debut) Lettuce Prey. They struggled on manfully for a few years but never got the breaks. I always thought they deserved better,” Ian Anderson said.
He curiously recorded with them, playing on the track “Bursting Bladder” from their debut album “Lettuce Prey”, released in 1990. They were formed in Queens, New York and released two full-length albums, besides several EPs and singles. Their music mixed Punk, Thrash Metal and Heavy Metal music.
The Nice
Besides all those artists from other music genres, Anderson, of course, is also a huge fan of Progressive Rock music. The first band from that music genre that Rock and Roll Garage selected is The Nice.
He mentioned their version for the song “America” in an interview with Planet Rock in 2020 as one of his favorites of all time. “The Nice were contemporaries of ours at the Marquee Club when we first got a residency there. They were quite well established at that point.”
“Indeed I was quite captivated not only by the showmanship of Keith Emerson, who obviously had some considerable chops as a Jazz and Classical pianist. But the band as a whole: Blinky Davison, the drummer and Brian, singer and bass player. He was a bit of an unsung hero of The Nice. I always thought he had a certain charm. Plus he was the only one that really communicated anything. The others were pretty much silent,” Ian Anderson said.
Anderson has always been a fan of Keith Emerson’s playing and Emerson, Lake & Palmer even toured with Jethro Tull back in the 90s. Emerson tragically decided to take his own life at the age of 71 in 2016.
King Crimson
One of the most influential Progressive Rock groups in the history of music, Anderson had the chance to see King Crimson’s evolution as a band up-close. Talking to Planet Rock in 2020, he chose their biggest hit “21st Century Schizoid Man” as one of his favorites songs of all time.
(Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage) “It sits very well next to The Nice. Because at that time at the Marquee Club, King Crimson also began to play that year, 1969, and released an album, which had that track on it.”
“These were poignant times.’21st Century Schizoid Man’ was one of those things that erupted at the stage of the Marquee Club and of the grooves of your vinyl LP. In a way that it had an angry, impassioned outpouring lyrically. In terms of guitar playing too. So it’s a great track and remains one to this day,” Ian Anderson said.
The group was formed by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald and lyricist Peter Sinfield, King Crimson back in 1968.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Yes
The two final bands Rock and Roll Garage selected are Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Yes. Anderson loves both bands and praised them in an interview with Something Else! in 2014. “I personally think the world is a better place for having Emerson Lake and Palmer and Yes, because their music was quite elevated. Great tunes and some innovative playing.”
“But, of course, it was to many people a bit excessive. I think some writers and some musicians found it pompous. Because they were displaying their technical skills as musicians sometimes in a way that made them seem like party showoffs,” Ian Anderson said.
One of the first supergroups in the history of Rock and Roll, ELP was formed in 1970 by the keyboardist Keith Emerson, singer and bassist Greg Lake and drummer Carl Palmer.
Yes was formed two years before, in 1968, and some of their classic members were Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Trevor Rabin, Bill Bruford, Alan White and Rick Wakeman.
