Led by the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ian Anderson for almost six decades, Jethro Tull is one of the most influential Progressive Rock bands of all time. Especially with the albums released in the early 70s, the band really inspired countless groups that appeared later after hearing their albums like “Aqualung” (1971) and “Thick as a Brick” (1972).
Over the decades, Anderson was often asked about other bands within the same genre, and he once mentioned two albums that, in his opinion, truly showcased what Progressive Rock was, paving the way for others to follow.
The 2 albums Ian Anderson said that showed what Progressive Rock was
The Beatles “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
Ian Anderson mentioned those two albums in an interview with Classic Rock in 2020 and both were released in 1967. The first one he mentioned was The Beatles‘ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. “There were two seminal albums in 1967 that carved a path for people like me in the progressive pop context. One was The Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’, of course,” Ian Anderson said.
Although the Jethro Tull frontman praised the Fab Four, he was never a really big fan of them. In an interview with Indeflagration in 2017, he was asked which was his favorite Beatles album. He then revealed he was never really a big fan of them. “Wow, you got me there because I was never really a Beatles fan. I suppose it would be ‘Sgt Pepper’s’. Because of the landmark it represented in pop music (…)”.
“They were the life-changing musical moments for a generation. Although I wasn’t a Beatles fan, I guess I learnt something from Sgt. Pepper’s in terms of variety, of the rather surreal nature of it, that was quite laudable. George Martin was a friend of mine (I didn’t know the Beatles at all). His role in all of that is very important,” Ian Anderson said.
Praised from start to finish, “Sgt. Pepper’s” is The Beatles’ best-selling album. Besides two title-tracks, the record also has songs like “With a Little Help From My Friends”, “Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds” and “A Day in Life”.
Pink Floyd “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn”
The second album mentioned by Anderson was Pink Floyd‘s debut album “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn”. At the time, the band still had their original guitarist, singer and main songwriter Syd Barrett. Curiously, the band recorded this album at the Abbey Road studios, when The Beatles were also recording “Sgt. Pepper”.
Comparing the two albums in the interview with Classic Rock in 2020, Anderson said: “The other (Piper) was an altogether more surreal and proggy affair, Pink Floyd’s ‘Piper at the Gates of Dawn’. Both albums took elements from lots of different sources and used them in colorful, creative ways.”
“For me, the Pink Floyd album had more meaning. The Beatles were a pop group. So I thought their stuff was a bit contrived, a bit twee. I liked the singer-songwriter element to Floyd more. Syd Barrett’s songs were strange and funny. They perfectly complemented the radical, druggy instrumental stuff the band did. You saw pictures and presented them with words and sound, rather than as paintings.,” Ian Anderson said.
Although it would still take six years for Pink Floyd to be commercially successful with the release of “Dark Side of The Moon”, the debut album was really important as a start. It has praised tracks like “Interstellar Overdrive” and “Lucifer Sam”.