Aqualung

Jethro Tull, 1971. Solo by Martin Barre.

Barre recorded it while Jimmy Page waved from the control room.

Martin Barre played a 1958 Les Paul Junior straight into a Hiwatt with no pedals, and he spent about an hour in a corner of the studio working out ideas before recording the solo essentially in one take. He avoided stock blues licks in favour of melodies he heard in his head, which is why the solo sounds composed and distinctive. Midway through, Jimmy Page appeared in the control room and waved; Barre kept playing and grinned rather than risk the take. The result is one of the defining British rock leads of the early 1970s. Listen for how the phrases build as melodies rather than licks, rising and resolving like a tune you could whistle.

Aqualung by Jethro Tull is ranked #42 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Martin Barre and the song was released in 1971. It appears on 13 lists, placing as high as #8 (Planet Rock (UK radio) listener poll, reported by laut.de).

The story of Aqualung

The title track of Jethro Tull's fourth album began with photographs. Ian Anderson's then-wife Jennie took pictures of homeless men along the Thames Embankment, and one man's appearance sparked a character sketch the couple developed together; she received a co-writing credit and half the royalties. The resulting figure, Aqualung, is a ragged, wheezing vagrant observed with a mix of disgust and sympathy.

Anderson described the song as an attempt to untangle his own guilt about homeless people, along with fear and insecurity, but also a romantic notion of living outside society's rules. He wrote the chord sequence in a Los Angeles hotel room and deliberately made it a tortured tangle of chords to match the subject. The finished song swings between menace and pity.

The band cut the song in December 1970 at Island Records' newly opened Basing Street studio in London, with Anderson and manager Terry Ellis producing. Anderson disliked the room's cold, echoey sound, and the sessions were not easy. The track is built in contrasting sections, from the famous heavy riff to gentler acoustic passages, and it features no flute on the original recording.

Released on 19 March 1971, the song was never issued as a single because of its length and shifting structure, but the album reached No. 4 in the UK and No. 7 in the US, and the track became a fixture of FM rock radio. After "Locomotive Breath" it is the band's most-performed concert song, and later live versions added the flute that the studio recording lacks.

The solo

Martin Barre's solo is one of the defining British rock leads of the early 1970s. He played a 1958 Gibson Les Paul Junior, bought after touring with Mountain and seeing Leslie West use one, plugged straight into a Hiwatt amplifier with no pedals. The solo was added late in the sessions; Barre spent about an hour in a corner of the studio working out ideas over the chord sequence, then recorded it essentially in one take, avoiding stock blues licks in favour of melodies he heard in his head. Midway through, Jimmy Page, whose band Led Zeppelin were recording nearby, appeared in the control room and waved. Barre knew that stopping to wave back might cost him the solo, which could have been replaced with flute, so he kept playing and simply grinned; that take is the one on the album.

Legacy

The song is one of Jethro Tull's best-known pieces and, after "Locomotive Breath", the one they have played most in concert. Barre's solo was voted No. 25 in a Guitar World readers' poll of the greatest solos, and Guitarist magazine named it one of the 20 greatest guitar solos. The album went on to sell more than seven million copies worldwide, and the track reached new players as downloadable content for Rock Band 2.

Top 10 facts about Aqualung

The song was inspired by photographs of homeless men that Jennie Anderson took on the Thames Embankment; she received a co-writing credit.
Wikipedia: Aqualung (album)
Jennie Anderson received half the song's royalties for her contribution.
Songfacts
Ian Anderson wrote the chords in a Los Angeles hotel room, aiming for a tortured tangle to fit the subject.
Wikipedia
Jimmy Page walked into the control room and waved during Barre's solo; Barre kept playing, and that take was used.
Premier Guitar
Barre played a 1958 Gibson Les Paul Junior through a Hiwatt amp with no pedals.
Guitar World
Barre bought the Les Paul Junior after touring with Mountain and being inspired by Leslie West.
Guitar World
Barre spent about an hour working out the solo over the chord sequence before recording it.
Guitar Player
The original studio recording contains no flute, although later live versions added one.
Songfacts
Early North American Reprise pressings cut the first three seconds of the opening riff, listing the track at 6:31.
Wikipedia: Aqualung (album)
Guitarist magazine placed Barre's solo at No. 20 in its 20 greatest guitar solos of all time.
Wikipedia: Aqualung (album)

Live versions

Bursting Out (1978) An 8:38 version recorded on the European Heavy Horses tour.
Aqualung Live (2005) Whole album replayed for an XM radio audience of about 40; royalties went to homeless charities.
Aqualung 40th anniversary tour (2011) Anderson and Barre performed the album in full to mark its 40th birthday.

Notable covers

Kirk Windstein (2020) Closing track of the Crowbar singer's solo debut, Dream in Motion.
Crowbar Windstein says his band Crowbar used to play it live.

In our lists

See Them Live — #10
Deep Cuts — #12
One and Only — #4
The 25 Greatest Classic Rock Guitar Solos — #16
The 25 Greatest Prog Guitar Solos — #4
The 1970s — #16
Played on a Les Paul — #11

Sources

What guitar was used on the Aqualung solo?

A gibson les paul junior, according to widely reported accounts.

Where does Aqualung rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#42 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 13 of them.

Who played the guitar solo on Aqualung?

Martin Barre, Jethro Tull's longtime guitarist.

What guitar did Martin Barre use on Aqualung?

A 1958 Gibson Les Paul Junior plugged into a Hiwatt amplifier.

What is Aqualung about?

It portrays a homeless man and explores Ian Anderson's guilt and unease about how society treats the homeless.

Did Jimmy Page watch the Aqualung solo being recorded?

Yes. He waved from the control room mid-solo, and Barre kept playing rather than ruin the take.

Who wrote Aqualung by Jethro Tull?

Ian Anderson and his then-wife Jennie Anderson (née Franks).