Music / Thick as a Brick

And your wise men don't know how it feels

Thick as a Brick is the fifth studio album by Progressive Rock band Jethro Tull, released in 1972. Surprised that critics called 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

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Side One

1. Thick as a Brick, Part I (22:40)

Side Two

1. Thick as a Brick, Part II (21:06)

25th Anniversary Edition bonus tracks

1. Thick as a Brick (1978 live version at Madison Square Garden) (11:50)
2. Interview with Jethro Tull (16:30)

40th Anniversary Special Edition (Streaming Version) tracklist

1. Really Don't Mind / See There A Son Is Born (5:00)
2. The Poet and the Painter (5:29)
3. What Do You Do When The Old Man's Gone / From The Upper Class (5:25)
4. You Curl Your Toes in Fun / Childhood Heroes / Stabs Instrumental (6:48)
5. See There a Man Is Born / Clear White Circles (5:58)
6. Legends and Believe in the Day (6:34)
7. Tales of Your Life (5:24)
8. Childhood Heroes Reprise (2:56)

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Bonus Disc (40th Anniversary Release):

1. Thick as a Brick, Part I (5.1 Surround Mix) (22:44)
2. Thick as a Brick, Part II (5.1 Surround Mix) (20:54)
3. Thick as a Brick, Part I (2012 Stereo Mix) (22:44)
4. Thick as a Brick, Part II (2012 Stereo Mix) (20:54)
5. Thick as a Brick, Part I (Original Stereo Mix) (22:44)
6. Thick as a Brick, Part II (Original Stereo Mix) (20:54)
7. 1972 Radio Ad (1:02)

Thick As A Brick contains examples of:

• All There in the Manual: The fake newspaper packaged with the original album, which provides an in-universe background to the album and effectively serves as the liner notes.
  • The "Poem" of much controversy is presented in full within the newspaper and acts as the lyric sheet for the piece.
• Concept Album: A parody of the genre.
• Epic Rocking: 43 minutes from start to finish, with an interval in the middle to let the listener flip over the record.
• Packaged as Other Medium: The album cover is an elaborate Affectionate Parody of a rural British newspaper called The St. Cleve Chronicle and Linwell Advertiser.
• Stealth Parody: Of Progressive Rock and Concept Albums, born out of critics mislabeling Aqualung as one.
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  • Springtime for Hitler: 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.
• Title Track: The only track, in fact. ^note Except for possibly an interview and a radio ad, depending on what version you have.
  • Subverted on the streaming version of the 40th Anniversary Special Edition, which includes 8 tracks, none of which are title tracks.
• Word Salad Lyrics: Parodied Trope.

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