To Be ‘Thick As A Brick 2’

Released in 1972, Thick As A Brick was one of those rare albums that hinted at a conspiracy right out of the box. The album’s packaging seemed to indicate the title track that included lines like “Your sperm’s in the gutter, your love’s in the sink,” was actually written by a very young British school boy named Gerald Bostock.

Of course, the rumored Bostock connection was all part of Jethro Tull’s early ’70s charm. With Anderson often striking that now-classic pose featuring him standing on one leg while playing the flute, Tull led fans through evenings that combined rock with classical music, jazz with folk and even, dare we say, progressive with pop.

To commemorate the album’s 40th anniversary, Anderson has created a sequel. Set for an April 2 release (April 3 in the U.S.), Thick As A Brick 2 will examine what might have happened to the fictitious Bostock.

“As we baby-boomers look back on our own lives, we must often feel an occasional ‘what-if’ moment. Might we, like Gerald, have become instead preacher, soldier, down-and-out, shopkeeper or finance tycoon?” Anderson writes. “And those of more tender years – the social media and Internet generation – may choose to ponder well the myriad of chance possibilities ahead of them at every turn.”

Anderson’s band, consisting of keyboardist John O’Hara, David Goodier on bass, guitarist Florian Opahle and drummer Scott Hammond along with some guest performers, will embark on a tour featuring an entire start-to-finish performance of Thick As A Brick followed by a rendition of Thick As A Brick 2.

The U.K. tour launches at Liverpool’s Philharmonic Kingdom April 18. Other stops include Sheffield (April 19); London (April 27); Oxford (May 2), Reading (May 3), Cardiff (May 5) and Southampton (May 6).