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The band that Ian Anderson said is the most underrated of all time
Ian Anderson is one of the most influential Progressive Rock musicians that ever existed and is in the music business since the early 60s. He helped to form Jethro Tull in 1967 and since then he has been the band’s only constant member. that appeared on all the albums recorded for almost six decades.
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The band released 23 studio albums and have sold an estimated amount of more than 60 million records worldwide. Although Anderson is famous for his compositions that mix classical music with Rock and Roll, he has a very broad taste. He had the chance to see the evolution of music up-close over the decades. Even revealed which is, in his opinion, the most underrated band of all time.
The band that Ian Anderson said is the most underrated of all time
It’s not easy to become a very successful band and stay on top for decades, like Ian Anderson was lucky enough to do with Jethro Tull. Many times the talent is not enough to achieve success. The bands also need good promotion and to be in the right time at the right place.
So there are many groups that many people don’t understand how they couldn’t achieve a huge commercial success even though they have a praised discography and end up becoming “cult-following” bands.
In an interview with Classic Rock in 2023, Anderson was asked to mention which was the most underrated band of all time. He mentioned the American group “The Six and Violence” that was active from 1984 to 2005.
“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.
The group was formed in Queens, New York and released two full-length albums, besides several EPs and singles over the years. They were frequently labeled as a band that mixed Punk, Thrash Metal and Heavy Metal music.
When Anderson recorded with the band
As Anderson mentioned to Classic Rock, he contributed to the track “Bursting Bladder” of The Six and Violence debut album “Lettuce Prey” released in 1990. Back in 2017, the Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones said that he would love to record something with Anderson someday. In an interview with Switch Mag MX back in 2017, Anderson was asked to talk about what the guitarist said. The Tull leader gave his opinion about the Pistols and also mentioned The Six and Violence contribution.
“When I bought the first Sex Pistols album back in 77 I often wondered what it would have been like to be in the studio with those guys. (Because of) all the excitement and trepidation in entering the whacky world of showbiz. Because, in the hands of Malcolm McLaren, that’s what it was.”
Anderson continued:
“Not traditional showbiz but showbiz nonetheless. Anyway – they definitely didn’t need a flute in their band! I did play flute with a thrash-punk band later. The Six And Violence. NYC manic crazy guys who took my fancy. They asked me to contribute to their album ‘Lettuce Prey’ with a track called Bursting Bladder. Check it out. Steve Jones – play this one!” Ian Anderson said.
Curiously, Anderson recorded with the Trash-Punk band in 1990. Which was one year after the polemic Grammy Awards ceremony that Jethro Tull won the prize at the “Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance” category. Metallica was the favorite one to win the award that year.
