I’m going back to the ones that I know / With whom I can be what I want to be… This is the opening number of Jethro Tull’s 1970 album Benefit. I don’t know if it’s absolutely the album’s highlight, but it’s a fine song.
I suppose most few readers are young enough to have known about Tull in their prime. They really were the complete package: Great songs, polished musicianship, and they put on a hell of a show. There were a lot of different members over the years, but the sound was always built around the charisma and throaty singing of Ian Anderson and the tasteful and forceful guitar of Martin Barre. Also, while this matters to few, their songs usually had something to say, something worth listening to; they were humanists.
This is part of the Song of the Day series (background).
Links · Spotify playlist. This tune on Amazon, iTunes, Spotify. As for live video, this one has eccentric — well, let’s be honest, druggy — camera work, but it’s a clean, sharp performance. This one has better visuals (and if you haven’t seen Tull footage before, you should take a look) but lousy sound.
