Day 13: Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick

Dear Nathaniel,

Hello again my son. You got to meet your grandmother today, it was very nice that she was able to see you. Knowing that soon I won't be able to see you again is just pulling my world apart, but I know that we can't leave it like this forever. I love being able to kiss your little forehead and nose and see you all snuggled up as you are. It's just such a help for everything that we have been given this gift of being able to still see you when we want. Your great granddad has decided to come from Norway to be at the funeral too which is very nice. I have decided the two passages that I want to read for you, but I have yet to find the perfect words to say from my own heart.

I know that I will be able to find the words that I need, and I just hope that they will be as beautiful as you. I love you, and I always will my sweet beautiful little angel. I hope you like what I have decided to read, I am reading a poem of unknown origin and a verse from the Norwegian national anthem so that you may know of the country of my birth. And I had always wanted you to be able to speak Norwegian too.

Today I just knew I wanted to listen to Thick as a Brick to further your progressive rock listening experience. This is a truly seminal album of the genre as it represents not only the humour and lightheartedness which I love about prog but also the pretentious element that has caused it much disdain. The latter is mostly tongue in cheek. It all started with Aqualung, the album Jethro Tull released before Thick as a Brick.

Many critics and fans speculated that Aqualung was a concept album, based on two songs being similar in theme, however it was only those two songs in which any story was interlinked so as such wasn't a true concept album and was never intended as such. Especially considering the musical theme shifts throughout the album as well. When Jethro Tull learned of aqualung being considered a concept album they decided to show them what a concept album really looked like.

The result was Thick as a Brick, which has only one song (divided into two parts because of the limitation of vinyl) a true concept album in every sense of the word. And that is the tongue in cheek look at what it means to make pretentious music. Of course Thick as a Brick, and most good progressive rock is as far away from pretentious as possible, but it will still be labelled as such.

I love Jethro Tull, even their questionable 80's period, although I haven't actually listened to anything released after Crest of a Knave due to poor reviews, they most certainly managed to make great music for a significant amount of time. Starting as a blues band with a twist and ending up as a hard prog band in the 80's after being one of the defining progressive rock bands of the 70's.

There's something so enticing and unique about Ian Anderson's flute and vocals that just separate Jethro Tull away from other progressive rock bands. Accompany that with a very strong and dominating guitar performance by Martin Barre and you have a great sound for all of Tull's albums. We'll get loads of time to listen to more Jethro Tull in the future as well, so this won't be the last time you'll hear them.

I enjoy this album so much ever time I listen to it, it's just really good. Like all good albums it just ends so quickly that there doesn't seem to have ever been any time for reflection about the music during the album itself. It feels like all the albums I play you are over in a short second and I'm left to think about you in silence. I think more people should embrace music as a way to mourn, it's really helping me to be able to do this.

Also today we were delivered a huge basket of flowers, well they were for your mam from my uncle and aunties and they were absolutely beautiful, the flower delivery man said he hadn't seen anything so nice and big. It's really nice to know that there are so many people out there that love all three of us and that care so much.

We're seeing the Vicar Gareth tomorrow, he is the one that will be handling your service and he's just a great and kind man that will do everything he can to make it as special and beautiful as possible. It feels very nice to have that being done by someone we know. You'll have the most lovely service, I know it my son. In a way it will be nice when it's done, it might help ease the pain, and give us even more to remember you by.

I love you my angel Nathaniel, my beautiful baby boy. Goodnight my lovely son, may your dreams be filled with warmth, love and lots of cuddly things.

Love from Dad.