Locomotive Breath

1971 single by Jethro Tull

"Locomotive Breath"

Single by Jethro Tull
from the album  Aqualung
B-side| "Wind Up" (1971)
"Fat Man" (1976)
Released| 30 March 1971 (Europe)

* December 1971 (US) [1]

Recorded| December 1970 – February 1971
Studio| Island, London
Genre|

* Progressive rock
* hard rock[2][3]
* blues rock[4][5]

Length| 4:23
3:05 (single)
Label|

* Reprise (original US)
* Chrysalis/Capitol (US re-issue)

Songwriter(s)| Ian Anderson
Producer(s)|

* Ian Anderson
* Terry Ellis

Jethro Tull singles chronology
| "Hymn 43"
(1971)  | "Locomotive Breath"
(1971)  | "Life Is a Long Song"
(1971)

|
|

Jethro Tull singles chronology
| "Minstrel in the Gallery"
(1975)  | "Locomotive Breath"
(1976)  | "Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die"
(1976)

|
|

"Locomotive Breath" is a song by British progressive rock band Jethro Tull from their 1971 album, Aqualung.

Written as a comment on population growth, "Locomotive Breath" was meant to replicate the chugging rhythm of a train. In addition to its release on Aqualung, "Locomotive Breath" saw two different single releases and has been a live favourite. It is one of Jethro Tull's best-known songs.

## Background

[edit]

Lyrically, "Locomotive Breath" was inspired by Anderson's concern regarding overpopulation.[6] He explained, "It was my first song that was perhaps on a topic that would be a little more appropriate to today's world. It was about the runaway train of population growth and capitalism, it was based on those sorts of unstoppable ideas. We're on this crazy train, we can't get off it. Where is it going? Bearing in mind, of course, when I was born in 1947, the population of planet earth was slightly less than a third of what it is today, so it should be a sobering thought that in one man's lifetime, our planetary population has more than tripled. You'd think population growth would have brought prosperity, happiness, food and a reasonable spread of wealth, but quite the opposite has happened. And is happening even more to this day. Without putting it into too much literal detail, that was what lay behind that song."[7]

The song additionally features a train motif that Anderson has employed on many songs. Anderson later said, "Train songs have been with us ever since the blues began, and I have written my fair share of these. I keep being drawn back to the subject, because public transport is part of my life. I don't drive, so rely on buses, trains and the like."[6]

## Composition

[edit]

"Locomotive Breath" was recorded in an unusual manner for the time: the track was pieced together from overdubs, as most of the parts of the song were recorded separately. Ian Anderson did his normal flute and vocal parts in addition to bass drum, hi-hat, acoustic guitar and some electric guitar parts. John Evan's piano parts were then recorded; Clive Bunker added the rest of the drums and Martin Barre finished the electric guitar parts. All of these recordings were then overdubbed onto each other because Anderson was finding it difficult to communicate his musical ideas about the song to the other band members. The song was designed to replicate the chugging of a train in its rhythm.

Anderson explained the recording process of the song in an interview, saying "'Locomotive Breath' was actually an utter failure when we tried to play it all together. It didn't gel. We didn't get the groove. I think John Evan recorded the piano intro, then I went out into the studio with two drum sticks and clicked them together because this was in the days before click tracks, and then I went out and played to [that] with a hi-hat and bass drum. Then Clive [Bunker] went out and added the tom-toms and the cymbals. And then I played the electric-guitar rhythm part all the way through. And then we had something that was beginning to sound a bit like a song and it had that kind of metronomic feel, which I wanted it to have, because it's about a railway train running on the tracks. So it should click-clack in time."[7]

The song has been Jethro Tull's live encore during concerts since 1972. During some live concerts, the song would segue into the finale of Pomp and Circumstance, usually to end the concert, or an encore.

## Release

[edit]

"Locomotive Breath" was released on Jethro Tull's 1971 album Aqualung in 1971. An edit of the song was released in the US as a single in 1971, backed with "Wind-Up", though it did not chart. A 1976 single release of the song, backed with "Fat Man", was more successful, reaching number 59 on the Billboard charts[8] and number 85 in Canada.[9] The song was also released as the B-side to "Hymn 43". Since its initial releases, the song has appeared on multiple compilation and live albums, including Living in the Past, M.U. - The Best of Jethro Tull, and Bursting Out. The song receives frequent airplay on classic rock radio stations.

Ian Anderson ranked "Locomotive Breath" as one of his top 10 Jethro Tull songs. Billboard regarded the song to be Jethro Tull's best purely rock song in some time, saying that it had a similar theme and feel to "Aqualung."[10] Cash Box praised the "incredible flute work from Ian Anderson."[11] Ultimate Classic Rock named the song Jethro Tull's third best, saying, "This tune covers the length and breadth of Anderson’s songwriting talents, beginning with a bluesy John Evan piano intro so discreet one can barely hear it at times, before crashing into some of the most bombastic hard rock display of the band’s career."[12] The song was ranked the fourth best Jethro Tull song by Rock – Das Gesamtwerk der größten Rock-Acts im Check.[13]

## Personnel

[edit]

* Ian Anderson – flute, lead vocals, bass drum, hi-hat, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
* John Evan – piano
* Martin Barre – electric guitar
* Jeffrey Hammond – bass guitar
* Clive Bunker – drums

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Jethro Tull - Locomotive Breath". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
2. ^ Schick, Elizabeth A. (1998). Current Biography Yearbook, 1998. H.W. Wilson. p. 26. ISBN 9780824209575. "Two other songs on Aqualung, 'Cross-Eyed Mary' and 'Locomotive Breath,' have also become hard-rock classics."
3. ^ Blistein, Jon (27 March 2018). "Jethro Tull Detail Massive 50th Anniversary Compilation". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
4. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo (27 July 2013). "Top 10 Jethro Tull Songs". Retrieved 18 July 2019.
5. ^ Will Romano (1 November 2014). Prog Rock FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Rock's Most Progressive Music. Backbeat Books. p. 84\. ISBN 978-1-61713-620-7.
6. ^ a b Dome, Malcolm (21 July 2015). "Ian Anderson's Top 10 Jethro Tull Songs". Loudersound.com. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
7. ^ a b Grow, Kory (27 June 2018). "Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson: My Life in 10 Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
8. ^ "Jethro Tull: Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
9. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles – April 17, 1976" (PDF). Collectionscanada.gc.ca.
10. ^ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. 24 January 1976. p. 78. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
11. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 17 January 1976. p. 28. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
12. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo (27 July 2013). "Top 10 Jethro Tull Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Townsquare Media. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
13. ^ Rehe, Christoph (2013). Rock – Das Gesamtwerk der größten Rock-Acts im Check: alle Alben, alle Songs. Ein eclipsed-Buch [Rock – The complete works of the greatest rock acts in check] (in German). Sysyphus Sysyphus Verlags GmbH. ISBN 978-3868526462.

* v
* t
* e

Jethro Tull

* Ian Anderson
* David Goodier
* John O'Hara
* Scott Hammond
* Jack Clark

* Mick Abrahams
* Clive Bunker
* Glenn Cornick
* Tony Iommi
* Martin Barre
* John Evan
* Jeffrey Hammond
* Barriemore Barlow
* John Glascock
* Dee Palmer
* Dave Pegg
* Mark Craney
* Eddie Jobson
* Gerry Conway
* Peter-John Vettese
* Paul Burgess
* Doane Perry
* Don Airey
* Maartin Allcock
* Andrew Giddings
* Dave Mattacks
* Jonathan Noyce
* Florian Opahle
* Joe Parrish

Studio albums|

* This Was
* Stand Up
* Benefit
* Aqualung
* Thick as a Brick
* A Passion Play
* War Child
* Minstrel in the Gallery
* Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die!
* Songs from the Wood
* Heavy Horses
* Stormwatch
* A
* The Broadsword and the Beast
* Under Wraps
* Crest of a Knave
* Rock Island
* Catfish Rising
* Roots to Branches
* J-Tull Dot Com
* The Jethro Tull Christmas Album
* The Zealot Gene
* RökFlöte
* Curious Ruminant

Live albums|

* Bursting Out
* Live at Hammersmith '84
* A Little Light Music
* Jethro Tull in Concert
* Living with the Past
* Nothing Is Easy: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970
* Aqualung Live
* Live at Montreux 2003
* Live at Madison Square Garden 1978
* Live at Carnegie Hall 1970

Compilations|

* Living in the Past
* M.U. – The Best of Jethro Tull
* Repeat – The Best of Jethro Tull – Vol II
* Original Masters
* 20 Years of Jethro Tull: Highlights
* Nightcap
* The Best of Jethro Tull – The Anniversary Collection
* Through the Years
* The Very Best Of
* The Best of Acoustic Jethro Tull
* The Essential
* 50 for 50

Boxed sets|

* 20 Years of Jethro Tull
* 25th Anniversary Box Set

Videos|

* Slipstream
* 20 Years of Jethro Tull
* 25th Anniversary Video
* Living with the Past
* A New Day Yesterday
* Nothing Is Easy: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970
* Live at Montreux 2003
* Jack in the Green
* Live at Madison Square Garden 1978
* Live at AVO Session Basel
* Around the World Live

Songs|

* "Sunshine Day"
* "A Song for Jeffrey"
* "Love Story"
* "Living in the Past"
* "Bourée"
* "Sweet Dream"
* "The Witch's Promise"
* "Teacher"
* "Aqualung"
* "Cross-Eyed Mary"
* "Mother Goose"
* "Hymn 43"
* "Locomotive Breath"
* "Life Is a Long Song"
* "Bungle in the Jungle"
* "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day"
* "Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die"
* "The Whistler"
* "Songs from the Wood"
* "Heavy Horses"
* "Dun Ringill"

Related|

* Discography
* Members
* A Billion Hands Concert
* The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
* A Classic Case
* Thick as a Brick 2
* Jethro Tull – The String Quartets

Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work

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