Given it was splashed all over the cover of issue 117 of Prog Magazine, it's unlikely to have escaped anyone's notice that this year Jethro Tull celebrate the 50th anniversary of their fourth studio album, and arguably best-known album, 1971's Aqualung.
Now the band have released a new animated video to celebrate the album's anniversary. The new rotoscope animated video, directed by Sam Chegini, features many images from the songs lyrics, as well as Ian Anderson performing today and an equally graphic depiction of homelessness.
“At the suggestion of my pal, Jakko Jaksyzk of King Crimson, I contacted a young Iranian videographer/director, Sam Chegini,” Anderson told Rolling Stone. “He delivered a unique rendition of the Aqualung song with abstract and documentary-type footage. A talented young man with a bright future in the music arts.”
At the same time Anderson has revealed that the next Jethro Tull album, which he's still completing, will be titled The Zealot Gene. It's the band's first new album since 2003's The Jethro Tull Christmas Album. Anderson will also release Silent Singing, a career-encompassing lyric book, in June of this year, which will feature his lyrics from 1968's This Was album up to and including the forthcoming The Zealot Gene.
Jethro Tull recently released their 1980 album A as A (A La Mode) 40th Anniversary Edition box set.
Buy issue 117 of Prog Magazine.
