Jethro Tull

It's easy to rationalize away Jethro Tull's huge success in the early '70s, when listeners craved prog ramblings, mystic folk, and swells of self-righteous social indignation. Then again, you can't say that flautist-vocal-ringmaster Ian Anderson and crew half-assed it. The 1972 album Thick As A Brick may have comprised one long, bazillion-part track, but it still holds up as a ballsy sprawl of British folk melody, hard rock, and (of course) flute solos. Tull also had a sense of humor: Critic Lester Bangs recalled once seeing the band deliver a mid-song weather report.

Updated 06/01/2010