One of the greatest songwriters in the history of Rock music, Ian Anderson has been leading Jethro Tull for almost six decades and during his time in the business, he had the chance to see a huge number of bands perform live. But like any music fan, he also discovered many other groups and admired their songwriting after they were already gone. Over the years, he has talked about many American groups he is a fan of, including some that most people wouldn’t expect. Rock and Roll Garage selected three of them, highlighting what he had to say about each one.
3 American bands Ian Anderson is a big fan of
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 for 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.
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.
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, 2018 and during the past years. “Head Games” was their third studio album and had songs like “Dirty White Boy”, “Love On the Telephone” and “Women”.
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.
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