History Music / ThickAsABrick

''Thick as a Brick'' is the fifth studio album by ProgressiveRock band Music/JethroTull, released in 1972. Surprised that critics called ''[[Music/AqualungJethroTullAlbum Aqualung]]'' a {{concept album}}, bandleader Ian Anderson sought out to create "the mother of all concept albums" with ''Thick as a Brick''. The album is supposedly an adaptation of an epic poem by a child prodigy named Gerald Bostock, who was disqualified from a poetry competition due to the offensive nature of the poem; in reality, all of the lyrics were written by Ian Anderson. Original copies were packaged with a parody newspaper giving more detail to the concept.

* StealthParody: Of ProgressiveRock and {{Concept Album}}s, born out of critics mislabeling Music/AqualungJethroTullAlbum as one.
** SpringtimeForHitler: It's still praised as one of Progressive Rock's greatest achievements and for some even Jethro Tull's masterpiece. Unlike other examples of this trope, Ian Anderson doesn't mind this at all.
* TitleTrack: The ''only'' track, in fact. [[note]]Except for possibly an interview and a radio ad, depending on what version you have.[[/note]]

''Thick as a Brick'' is the fifth studio album by ProgressiveRock band Music/JethroTull, released in 1972. Surprised that critics called ''[[Music/AqualungJethroTullAlbum Aqualung]]'' a concept album, bandleader Ian Anderson sought out to create "the mother of all concept albums" with ''Thick as a Brick''. The album is supposedly an adaptation of an epic poem by a child prodigy named Gerald Bostock, who was disqualified from a poetry competition due to the offensive nature of the poem; in reality, all of the lyrics were written by Ian Anderson. Original copies were packaged with a parody newspaper giving more detail to the concept.

!!Tracklist

[[AC: Side One]]

[[AC: Side Two]]

!!!25th Anniversary Edition bonus tracks

!!40th Anniversary Special Edition (Streaming Version) tracklist

# What Do You Do When The Old Man's Gone / From The Upper Class (5:25)

# Thick as a Brick, Part I (5.1 Surround Mix) (22:44)

* LongestSongGoesFirst: The album is usually considered a single, 44-minute song, but it had to be split in two for the vinyl pressing, and as a result the first half technically counts, at 22:40.

* StealthParody: Of ProgressiveRock and [[ConceptAlbum Concept Albums]], born out of critics mislabeling Music/AqualungJethroTullAlbum as one.

''Thick as a Brick'' is the fifth studio album by ProgressiveRock band Music/JethroTull, released in 1972. Surprised that critics called [[Music/AqualungJethroTullAlbum Aqualung]] a concept album, bandleader Ian Anderson sought out to create "the mother of all concept albums" with ''Thick as a Brick''. The album is supposedly an adaptation of an epic poem by a child prodigy named Gerald Bostock, who was disqualified from a poetry competition due to the offensive nature of the poem; in reality, all of the lyrics were written by Ian Anderson. Original copies were packaged with a parody newspaper giving more detail to the concept.

# Really Don't Mind / See There A Son Is Born (5:00)

# See There a Man Is Born / Clear White Circles (5:58)

!!Thick As A Brick contains examples of:

[[caption-width-right:350:''And your wise men don't know how it feels'']]

* AsiansEatPets: One of the fake stories in the newspaper replicates the urban legend of a couple vacationing in Hong Kong who asks for their dog to be fed, but due to the LanguageBarrier, the waiter has the dog cooked the served to them.[[note]]Check page 4 [[https://rockronologia.blogspot.com/2016/10/1972-thick-as-brick-jethro-tull.html here.]][[/note]]

* WordSaladLyrics: [[ParodiedTrope Parodied]]

* StealthParody: Of ProgressiveRock and [[ConceptAlbum Concept Albums]], born out of critics mislabeling Music/{{Aqualung}} as one.

* StealthParody: Of ProgressiveRocks and [[ConceptAlbum Concept Albums]], born out of critics mislabeling Music/{{Aqualung}} as one.

Prog rock group [[Music/JethroTull Jethro Tull’s]] fifth studio album, created after band leader Ian Anderson got tired of telling people that their previous album [[Music/AqualungJethroTullAlbum Aqualung]] wasn’t a concept album and decided to create the mother of all concept albums.

* ConceptAlbum: written to mock this sort of album.

——

* WordSaladLyrics: parodied.

Prog rock group [[Music/JethroTull Jethro Tull’s]] fifth studio album, created after Ian Anderson got tired of telling people that their previous album [[Music/AqualungJethroTullAlbum Aqualung]] wasn’t a concept album and decided to create the mother of all concept albums.

Prog rock group Jethro Tull’s fifth studio album, created after Ian Anderson got tired of telling people that their previous album [[Music/AqualungJethroTullAlbum Aqualung]] wasn’t a concept album and decided to create the mother of all concept albums.

*
* EpicRocking: 43 minutes from start to finish, with an interval in the middle to let the listener flip over the record.