Locomotive Breath
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| “Locomotive Breath” | |||||
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| Song by Jethro Tull | |||||
| Album | Aqualung | ||||
| Released | March 19, 1971 | ||||
| Recorded | December 1970 - February 1971 at Island Studios, London | ||||
| Genre | Progressive Rock | ||||
| Length | 4:23 | ||||
| Label | Reprise(original US) Chrysalis/Capitol (US re-issue) |
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| Writer | Ian Anderson | ||||
| Producer | Ian Anderson and Terry Ellis | ||||
| Aqualung track listing | |||||
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"Locomotive Breath" is a song by the English progressive rock band Jethro Tull from their 1971 album, Aqualung. One of the song's highlights is its flute solo by rock flute master Ian Anderson. The lyrics, although open to interpretation, may be about a train wreck or, alternatively, about a man's life falling apart. The song receives frequent airplay on classic rock radio stations. It was covered by W.A.S.P on the reissue of their 1989 album The Headless Children (as a bonus track) and by Helloween on their 1999 album Metal Jukebox.
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[edit] Production
"Locomotive Breath" was recorded in a rather unusual manner: The entire track was pieced together from overdubs; 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. Then John Evan's piano parts were 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. This occurred because Anderson was finding it difficult to communicate his musical ideas about the song to the other band members.
[edit] Other Than Aqualung
Locomotive Breath has been featured on many albums other than Aqualung:
- Living in the Past
- M.U. - The Best of Jethro Tull
- Bursting Out (Live)
- A Classic Case
- 20 Years of Jethro Tull
- Rock Island (Only as a bonus track on the 2006 remastered edition)
- Live at Hammersmith '84 (Live)
- Original Masters
- Through the Years (Live)
- A Little Light Music (Live)
- Living with the Past (Live)
- 20 Years of Jethro Tull: Highlights
- The Extended Versions
- 36 All-Time Greatest Hits
- The Best of Jethro Tull
- The Very Best of Jethro Tull
- Aqualung Live
It is also on the video Slipstream.
This list only includes non-bootleg Jethro Tull albums.
[edit] Notes
- Many sources record the lyrics to the chorus of the last verse as "old Charlie stole the handle," when it is actually, "I think God, He stole the handle."[citation needed]
[edit] References
Jethro Tull. Aqualung. CD-ROM. 1998. Chrysalis Records. Originally released as an LP 1971; Remastered with more material 1998.
