Although the album’s cynical lyrics—verbal tartness being a constant of Anderson’s career—and acerbic view of bourgeois values are not what one normally associates with prog rock, there is a tradition in prog of such writing, including among big-time figures such as Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, King Crimson, and Procol Harum. So even in the lyrics department Thick As a Brick is hardly an outlier.
The notable musical elements of TAAB, as is well-known among devotees of prog and classic rock, are, one, the clever and appealing alternation between acoustic-instrument and electric-instrument passages, and, two, the connecting of all of the songs into an album-length suite of forty-plus minutes in which musical themes repeat and intertwine. This, too, is fairly common in progressive rock (though it was rather groundbreaking at the time), but Anderson’s gift of melody and distinctive, expressive singing voice made Thick As a Brick stand out from the crowd. The album has been widely admired ever since its release four decades ago.
One could be forgiven, then, for expecting a sequel composed and recorded in the present day to be a bit of a letdown, especially with none of the original band members other than Anderson on hand for the recording. No need to worry, however, as Thick As a Brick 2 is a worthy follow-up to that classic album.
As with Thick As a Brick, there is a concept to the album, as the lyrics to TAAB2 deal with a character named Gerald Bostock, who has aged forty years since the first album, when he was ten years old, and they look at the man’s daily life and a search for meaning in it, while characterizing the people around him as less than sterling on average. Rather like in Thick As a Brick.
It’s the music, however, that really impresses me. As with its esteemed predecessor, Thick As a Brick 2 has a host of appealing melodies, an interesting variety of instrumentation, and Anderson’s still-strong singing. In sum: it’s well worth adding to your collection.
I’ll conclude with a track-by track description:
1. “From a Pebble Thrown.” Jaunty beat and energetic vocals, sounds as if it could be from Thick As a Brick.
2. “Pebbles Instrumental.” Instrumental led by flute, includes what appears to be an accordion or harmonium in the mix for an interesting touch, has a quick tempo and undistinguished melody but some flashy flute soloing by Anderson. In all: quite listenable.
3. “Might Have Beens.” A recitation by Anderson, no music
4. “Upper Sixth Loan Shark.” A brief song in which Anderson sings his usual morality-laced lyrics, with acoustic-instruments background. Likable.
5. “Banker Bets, Banker Wins.” Driving beat, War Child-style instrumentation and melody, uses fuzzy vocals effect on some verses, stands out musically as a good (not great) song on its own.
6. “Swing It Far.” Begins with a brief recitation by Anderson, then moves into vocal backed by acoustic guitar, adding instruments after a couple of sung verses, then alternating between deliberately paced acoustic-backed sections and quick-tempo, hard rock passages with distorted voice as in “Banker Bets, Banker Wins.”
7. “Adrift and Dumbfounded.” Mid-tempo, medieval-style broken rhythm, emphasis on Anderson’s vocals throughout as song alternates between acoustic and electric sections. Nice.
8. “Old School Song.” Driving beat, with Anderson singing more cynical, morality-laced lyrics in a nasal voice, sounds very like it could be from TAAB.
9. “Wootton Bassett Town.” A quieter song, with a sparse but rather ominous arrangement including orchestral background and electric instrumentation, with flute and Anderson’s voice given prominence. The lyrics appear to be meant to convey some desperation on the part of the character singing them, and the music contributes to that effect.
10. “Power and Spirit.” Alternates between sections with, first, a sort of fairy-tale sound, with acoustic piano and guitar, plus what sounds like a celeste and a recorder, behind Anderson’s vocal, and second, hard-rock passages with Hammond organ chords and distorted vocals. Very Thick As a Brick-y.
11. “Give Till It Hurts.” Folk-style song with an anti-clerical lyric theme—a constant throughout Anderson’s career—and spoken-word conclusion.
12. “Cosy Corner.” The title says it all: Anderson’s arch vocals and cynical lyrics lead the way, backed by an understated brass band.
13. “Shunt and Shuffle.” Another midtempo song with TAAB-style arrangement and moralizing Anderson lyrics given his trademark sardonic vocal treatment.
14. “A Change of Horses.” Begins with engaging, placid, folk -style arrangement with flute and accordion or harmonium prominent, then moves into vocal section with raga-like instrumental backing. Accordion/harmonium is given a nice solo outing, as are flute and electric guitar in a long instrumental coda. Appealing in its mild eccentricity.
15. “Confessional.” Another song that alternates between quieter and louder passages while giving prominence to Anderson’s vocals. Thus reminiscent of TAAB and other early-’70s Tull recordings.
16. “Kismet in Suburbia.” A hard-shuffle beat that would, like many other songs on the album, not be at all out of place on one of the band’s ’70s records. Really sounds like vintage Tull, but without striking me as old hat in any way. It’s a good sound, after all.
17. “What-Ifs, Maybes and Might-Have-Beens.”Alternates between acoustic and electric passages (no surprise) and has another of those interesting medieval-style sprung rhythms. Hammond organ and electric guitar play prominent roles here, as do Anderson’s worldly vocals and moralistic lyrics. Closes with a passage repeating the end of TAAB, with Anderson’s vocal backed only by acoustic guitar in the same melody and very similar guitar backing. A bit of a pun at the end as Anderson sings, “And your wise men don’t know how it feels to be thick as a brick . . . too.” Or is it “two,” as in the album’s title? I don’t know or care, since it sounds appealing and I think I get the main idea of the album’s lyrics: most people are boring hypocrites.