Ian Anderson Discusses Jethro Tull's Broadsword And The Beast

Ian Anderson discusses Jethro Tull's 1982 album Broadsword And The Beast in this exclusive clip for Prog.

It comes ahead of the release of 50 For 50, a career-spanning three-disc set featuring, as the title implies fifty tracks form the 50 years the band have been in existence. Over which time they've sold 60 million albums, featured 36 different band members and released 21 studio albums.

Says Anderson: “From the age of 14 or 15 I had this idea at the back of my mind that as soon as you had made it then that was it, it was all over. I still thought that when we had our first degree of success…. But after a couple of years had gone by and we were still doing well it was a staggering revelation that you could actually still be around, that it could possibly be a career. Even then I thought it could only be for five years, or ten at the outside. I thought it impossible to think that you might be 40 and still doing something - that would be outrageous!”

50 For 50 will be released on June 1 as three-CD set or digital download. A single disc Jethro Tull 50th Anniversary Collection will also be released on the same day. And a vinyl version of the single disc collection will, be released on August 31.

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.