Book Review: An A-Z of Jethro Tull by Richard Taylor

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Off the back of my review of Martin Barre’s autobiography, I got an email from author and Jethro Tull fan Richard Taylor asking me if I wanted to review his new book about Jethro Tull, and of course I said yes! 

There are a lot of types of books dedicated to just one band: coffee table books full of photos with some biographical information to accompany them, autobiographies and biographies giving the history of the band through the perspective of one of the band members, track by track and album by album books, and general reference books. This book falls into the latter category easily and these types of books are great for avid listeners, superfans, nerdy fans, and completionist fans. Basically those who want to know everything about Jethro Tull.

This book was written by longtime fan of the band Richard Taylor and the A-Z really does cover a lot with the word count clocking in at over 93,000 words! So not an easy breezy read, unless you’re a really nerdy fan, but an excellent work of reference. In this book you’ll get mini bios of each of the band members, important people in Jethro Tull history, information on the instruments played by the band, important places in Jethro Tull history, Jethro Tull albums, solo albums, lyrics, tribute bands, and fanzines.

What I really like about this well-researched book is that Richard has a conversational tone and is happy to share his opinions and his stories of following the band since he was a teenager in the 70s with the reader. I’m a casual listener and more of a general classic rock fan so I really appreciated his suggestions on what songs to listen to, so it really expanded my knowledge of Jethro Tull. At points the information shared can get a little repetitive, but this is easily explained by the fact that it’s more of a reference book and not a book with chapters and a narrative. I also really like how he makes connections with other bands, contemporaries, influences, and those influenced by Tull. Part of what makes the book so long is that there’s an ever-changing lineup and there are a lot of people who contributed to Jethro Tull and I appreciate that they get credit, that’s something that true fans will appreciate! And yes, there’s information on their latest albums as well like Curious Ruminant (released just this year), yes they’re still recording and touring, really incredible! That’s something that I really appreciate about the classic rock era, the insane work ethic of the musicians! I also got even more of an appreciation for Ian Anderson, he’s more than just the frontman and flute player, he can play a lot of other instruments!

One opinion I’ll share is my favourite Jethro Tull cover and it wasn’t mentioned in the book was Rabbitt’s version of “Locomotive Breath”. They were kind of a teenybopper group in 1970s South Africa, but they could play, they were great musicians! Rabbitt was the band Trevor Rabin was in before he became the guitarist for Yes. Not only is he a great guitarist, he can sing, great rock and pop voice! I kinda see Trevor Rabin as like a South African Paul McCartney.

Overall, I think this is a really good book and an excellent reference for Jethro Tull fans. Definitely one that I’d say is an essential read if you want a one-stop shop where you can find out all things Jethro Tull. With the holidays around the corner, this would make a great stocking stuffer or gift for the Jethro Tull fans in your life. If you like the approach I take on this blog The Diversity of Classic Rock, comprehensive blog posts with lots of information and a bit of personality and opinion, you’ll like Richard’s writing style and this book.

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