This Was by Jethro Tull

These are the origins, the starting point, and I must say they did it brilliantly. In my opinion, this debut album is excellent, at times spectacular.

- "My Sunday Feeling," a splendid blues piece featuring Ian's flute playing at the level we know and love. A beautiful, absolutely captivating song.

- "Some Day the Sun Won't Shine for You," a blues piece with magnificent choruses and a great opening with harmonica and acoustic guitar. A British blues piece that has nothing to envy from the American blues.

- "Beggar's Farm," here the sound of the future Tull is already more evident, thanks to the flute and Ian's narrative and interpretive voice. A beautiful folk piece with a truly spectacular guitar riff, a discreet but very effective flute solo, and a very beautiful jazzy middle section. An exceptional piece, in my opinion.

- Move On Alone reminds me of a 1950s song, tainted by the band's folk-inspired sound, but with truly cheerful and captivating melodies and moods.

- Serenade to a Cuckoo, with its soft flute and blues with jazz influences, sounds like a hit jingle. Really smooth and sweet. The flute once again dominates the scene, but here the guitar and drums are truly magnificent.

- Dharma for One is also beautiful, a fast instrumental that approaches the typical Tull sound with beautiful interludes and short drum solos, the second of which is truly delightful. Sounds that seem to come from all over the world... Very beautiful.

- It's Breaking Me Up, pure blues, splendid guitar and harmonica, beautiful voice that embodies the passion and irony of the 1970s, and the backing vocals. A magnificent 5-minute piece that feels like 10 in intensity.

- "Cat's Squirrel" is rock and roll that the electric guitar transforms into a much more decisive and intense rock, with a great solo that dominates the dark drum roll and then picks up speed with a chaotic riff, then slows down, returning to the guitar solo... and then, "let's rock," the solo continues but the song accelerates more and more. Fantastic.

- "A Song for Jeffrey" is a beautiful piece that starts with a beautiful bass and flute line, pure folk, with a rhythm that quickly becomes compelling and the irreverent narrative voice takes center stage. Here too, there are moments that we'll hear in the sound later, but the underlying plot is folk rock, not yet prog, it simply makes you jump on your feet and play a nonexistent guitar like an idiot. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

- Round, with its jazzy mood that creates a foundation for the flute and light guitar... 49 seconds, but very beautiful.

Before listening to it, you think it's not one of the best, but then you listen to it and every time you completely change your mind. It gives us a glimpse of what the band's sound will be in many moments, but taken on its own, it's definitely a great album. If you don't think about the future and just listen to it, it's a wonderful present, a magnificent beginning. Furthermore, it's an album where Ian is just part of the band, in my opinion. His ever-increasing and constant leadership certainly gave the band its great success later on. But here he seems more integrated with the group, and the dynamics within the band seem more balanced. I think it's a must-have for any collection.

I forgot, there's a great Clive Bunker throughout the album.

Beautiful!

Tracks
1. My Sunday Feeling (3:42)
2. Some Day the Sun Won't Shine for You (2:49)
3. Beggar's Farm (4:20)
4. Move On Alone (1:59)
5. Serenade to a Cuckoo (6:11)
6. Dharma for One (4:16)
7. It's Breaking Me Up (5:05)
8. Cat's Squirrel (5:44)
9. A Song for Jeffrey (3:23)
10. Round (0:49)
Duration 38:18

The Lineup
- Ian Anderson - vocals, flute, harmonica, claghorn (6), piano (10)
- Mick Abrahams - guitar, 9-string guitar (4), lead vocals (4), and backing vocals
- Glenn Cornick - bass
- Clive Bunker - drums, melodica, charm bracelet
With:
- David Palmer / brass (4), arranger and conductor