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EXPLAINED: Ian anderson - The Real Truth

“I decided to give up the guitar when I heard Eric Clapton, the way people are put off playing tennis when they watch Roger Federer”: Jethro Tull legend Ian Anderson on why he plays the flute – and why Ritchie Blackmore is ‘definitely not mad’

“I found the flute gave me something very interesting melodically”

MusicRadar

Jethro Tull's M.U. The Best Of... to be reissued as a limited edition half-speed vinyl remaster in July

The new remasrer of M.U. The Best Of Jethro Tull has been overseen by Ian Anderson and cut by Miles Showell at Abbey Road

Louder

Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson is on the cover of the new, gift-packed issue of Prog, on sale now!

Plus Yes, Steve Hogarth, Exploring Birdsong, The Paradox Twin, Franck Carducci. Tarja, Liminal Sky, A.A. Williams, MONO, Burning Shed and loads more...

Louder

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“I suspect they’ve had a lesser impact on the music world due to the complexity of their music”: No-Man’s Tim Bowness on his prog hero, Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson

They collaborated on Bowness’ 2017 album Lost In The Ghost Light, but his appreciation for the rock flute icon goes back to Tull’s early trilogies

Louder

"It was an experiment, and not everyone was ready for that kind of change!" Jethro Tull announce six-disc reissue of 1984 album Under Wraps

Jethro Tull's Under Wraps: The Unwrapped Edition brings together the band's 1984 album and Ian Anderson's 1983 debut solo album, Walk Into Light

Louder

“In the 70s the support band had to blow the main act offstage. I thought it was distasteful. There’s room for everybody”: Jethro Tull ex Martin Barre insists he’s not underrated, and explains why he has no time for egos

Guitarist reveals what he learned from one of his band’s opening acts, names a guitarist who’s a “real yardstick” of brilliance – and touches on what he misses about being in Ian Anderson’s band

Louder

“We could hold our own with any company. It didn’t bother us if we were put on the bill with Crimson or Zeppelin. Nothing phased us”: Remembering the late Mick Abrahams, co-founder of Jethro Tull and purveyor of “good, honest music”

A powerful, lyrical bluesman, the founding Jethro Tull and Blodwyn Pig guitarist always played music his way – even when it hurt his career

Guitar World

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“I said, ‘Just start again. It would be good for you.’ He persuaded me to stay. I never felt good about it”: Martin Barre tried to quit Jethro Tull in 1980, but Ian Anderson wouldn’t have it

Their musical partnership finally ended after 43 years – but the guitarist says he wanted to break it up decades earlier

Louder

“It’s no good saying, ‘I’ll be dead by the time this becomes a crisis.’ We are the generation who created the problem. We owe it to the generations to come to clear it up. If it hasn’t gone too far”: Jethro Tull – a warning from history

Ian Anderson believes he has a duty to tackle global issues, and argues it’s a very folky thing to do

Louder

“If you have a 16-bar guitar solo, please don’t turn into Yngwie Malmsteen orJoe Satriani”: Ian Anderson had some soloing advice for Jethro Tull’s new guitarist

No Arpeggios From Hell!? Denied! What the hopping flautist with the wild-eyed stare told Jack Clark when it came time to track leads for Jethro Tull's latest album, Curious Ruminant

Guitar World

“I wrote it on a piece of paper somewhere on tour, and I thought, ‘That’s an album!’” A glimpse of how Ian Anderson creates Jethro Tull lyrics

He recalled the spark that ignited Thick As A Brick when he decided to publish a lyric book – which he admitted nobody needed, and feared would be a cringe experience

Louder

"If you have a sixteen-bar guitar solo, please don't turn into Yngwie Malmsteen or Joe Satriani": Ian Anderson on Jethro Tull, the right kind of guitarist, and forgetting what he's done

Ian Anderson talks about Jethro Tull’s latest album Curious Ruminant and ponders the itch to make another

Louder

Prog's Tracks Of The Week! Awesome new proggy sounds from Opeth, NMB, Myrkur and more...

There's cool new proggy sounds from Esthesis, worriedaboutsatan, Holosoil, JeGong and more in this week's Tracks Of The week

Louder

"We all had that feeling that nobody had ever heard anything like this before": How Iron Maiden got their man and made the album that sent them stratospheric

An exclusive extract from Iron Maiden – Infinite Dreams: The Official Visual History

Metal Hammer

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Evening Standard

Mick Abrahams dead: Jethro Tull star dies aged 82 as band shares heartbreaking tribute

Abrahams, who was a founding member of Jethro Tull and a guitarist in Blodwyn Pig, died after years of ‘worsening ill health’

BANG Premier

Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson won't retire

Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson, 78, hopes he will still keep performing and recording for at least a few years.

Louder

“He was unable to write something with delight in it. Suffering battle fatigue, he wrote of asking what it’s like back home. It’s epic”: William Shatner’s surprising Christmas album with Jethro Tull, Yes and King Crimson alumni

The Star Trek icon gets silly and serious in turns as he discusses what the season means to him, the secret to living long and prospering, and the presents Kirk and Spock might give each other

Louder

“When we did Top Of The Pops we were introduced as being avant-garde. It would have been closer to call us ‘aven’t-a-clue!” Fired from his own band Blodwyn Pig, Jethro Tull co-founder Mick Abrahams could only regret the wasted potential

Unable to perform towards the end of his life, the singer and guitarist maintained a philosophical viewpoint, and was proud of making “good, honest music without prejudice”

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Louder

Original Jethro Tull guitarist Mick Abrahams dead at 82

Mick Abrahams played on Jethro Tull’s first album, This Was, before launching Blodwyn Pig

Louder

“Cliff Richard was trying to dance along, only to realise the song was in 5/4 time and his left foot was where his right foot should be!”: Jethro Tull’s manager asked Ian Anderson to write a hit. He tried not to, but failed

1969’s Living In The Past reached the Top 10 in both the UK and US, and led to an uncomfortable experience on Top Of The Pops

Louder

“My first boyfriend introduced me to The Wall. It was the only interesting thing about him”: Author and musician Joanne Harris on having the audacity to perform Pink Floyd, Rick Wakeman and Genesis music in her school band

She explains why prog makes her think of Barnsley, lists some of her favourite records and recalls taking her daughter to a Genesis tribute show only to hear her say: “Ah yes, Mastodon!”

Louder

"His performance was so far out of time, out of tune": The shambolic story of The Rolling Stones' star-studded Rock And Roll Circus

With Brian Jones falling apart on set, the Rock And Roll Circus went so badly that the planned film wasn’t released until 28 years later

Louder

“An attitude of jokey sabotage helps them avoid seeming precious – it even reinvents a couple of the tracks”: Jethro Tull’s Aqualung Live demonstrates its power 20 years on

First time on vinyl for 2005’s live take on a bona fide prog classic

Louder

“It was beginning to feel like everyone’s mind wasn’t on the job… a feeling that there should be some hiatus”: Jethro Tull’s saddest, darkest album could have been even darker

Death, dysfunction and ecological disaster surrounded Ian Anderson as his changing world shaped a “forever tainted” record

Louder

“He couldn’t stand up so I hit him over the head with my bass. He fell to the floor. I ran away… I didn’t know if he was still alive”: The bassist who survived Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull and believing he’d murdered his bandmate on stage

Veteran admits he sailed close to the wind as he taught prog giants to drink – but he learned how much it means to play live with a band

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