How Jethro Tull’s Flute Became a ‘Heavy Metal Instrument’

Chrysalis Data’ commercial congratulating Jethro Tull on profitable a 1989 Grammy contained an in-joke, as their label impishly famous that the flute performed by frontman Ian Anderson is “a (heavy) metallic instrument.”

Tull had simply unexpectedly claimed an award within the newly established Finest Arduous Rock/Heavy Metallic Recording class for 1987’s Crest of a Knave. The opposite nominees included AC/DC, Iggy Pop, Jane’s Habit and the closely favored Metallica.

Lars Ulrich would later admit that Metallica assumed the trophy was theirs. Even members of Jethro Tull and their report label figured this final result was inevitable, so everybody concerned was surprised.

Anderson joined UCR through Zoom on the eve of the discharge of Jethro Tull’s latest album, RokFlote, to debate his recollections of the Grammy fiasco.

Jethro Tull profitable the Finest Arduous Rock/Heavy Metallic Recording award on the Grammys in 1989 is known. I recognize the humorousness your report label had once they positioned an advert after the very fact calling the flute a heavy metallic instrument.
It wanted to have a humorousness as a result of proper in the beginning of the Grammy process the place we have been supplied up with many different bands as potential nominees, we have been chosen as one of many 5 nominees within the new class, Finest Arduous Rock/Heavy Metallic Recording. At that time, it simply appeared ridiculous. Nobody took it significantly, as a result of they thought, “Jethro Tull? No, no. However Metallica? Yeah.” Perhaps Jane’s Habit or Iggy Pop, however all the cash was on Metallica who had simply had an enormous album [with] immediate success and have been the large new band. So nobody griped or moaned about Jethro Tull being nominated as a result of they thought we [didn’t] have a cat in hell’s probability. The report firm believed that too.

After I mentioned, “Nicely, do now we have to go to Los Angeles to this factor?” They mentioned, “No, don’t trouble. It’s not price you guys coming over, as a result of that’s simply losing airfares and resorts. You’re not going to win. Metallica goes to win.” I mentioned, “Okay, positive.” I bought a telephone name on the evening from our PR man on the report firm saying, “Oh, guess what, you received the Grammy!” and we have been in the course of a recording session at that time late at evening within the U.Ok. I mentioned, “Oh yeah? Nicely, that’s good!” That was it. I advised the opposite guys, “Nicely, apparently we received the Grammy on this unlikely class.” It wasn’t actually till the subsequent day or the day after when the furor of unpleasantness hit the media and I noticed that it was one thing that had actually upset folks. Not solely the followers of Metallica, however they felt that someway the Grammy system had been devalued by us profitable in a class that we actually shouldn’t be in.

I believed, “Nicely, you’ve bought to be upbeat about it.” I mentioned to folks on the time, “In the event that they give you a brand new class subsequent 12 months known as Finest One-Legged Flute Participant, then hell, I’m going to win yearly!” I used to be not attempting to make enjoyable of it, however make mild of it. Metallica subsequently did too. Chris Wright, the founding companion of Chrysalis Data, is the one who got here up with the thought for the advert, “The flute is a heavy metallic instrument.” That’s what went in Billboard and it was only a little bit of enjoyable. However anyway, Metallica appeared fairly okay about it. They didn’t get too bent out of form. As I mentioned on the time, “Don’t fear, guys, you’re going to win the Grammy subsequent 12 months!” And so they did! So every little thing was positive.

Hearken to Metallica Focus on Jethro Tull’s Grammy Victory

The Metallica guys are music followers too.
Apparently one among them … [Metallica guitarist] Kirk Hammett, he didn’t change into a Jethro Tull fan till comparatively just lately when he got here to have a look at Jethro Tull’s music after which determined, “Wow, I actually like this.” However I don’t suppose they have been on the time. That’s nice as a result of I too have completed that with folks I had little interest in. You understand, I’d vaguely heard [the music] and thought, “No, this isn’t for me.” A few years, a long time later, one thing prompts me to hearken to their music. I uncover some actually optimistic issues about it and I get actually immersed in it. Weeks in the past, I immersed myself in Morrissey’s music. I’m an enormous fan now. I feel it’s a great factor that you could notice afterward that one thing has some nice benefit that you just simply didn’t recognize on the time. Someway, with the passing of the years, it distills into a real appreciation for anyone’s artistic and efficiency expertise.

It’s not the primary time it’s occurred to me. It’s occurred a couple of occasions with plenty of different artists, significantly from an period the place I wasn’t listening to music anymore. Actually, from the mid-’70s onwards, I discover myself catching up a lot, a lot afterward with Foreigner, significantly Lou Gramm’s sensible vocals. I didn’t actually begin listening to Foreigner till about 4 or 5 years in the past. Marc Almond from Smooth Cell, I actually didn’t know him in any respect after which I did get to know his music and him, and we’ve been taking part in collectively in live shows for a number of years now and we’re massive buddies. I feel it’s good when that occurs, while you discover stuff that you could actually construct a powerful appreciation for, despite your maybe slightly cavalier dismissal of it at some extent when it had its heyday.

I suppose it’s a bit like that with Kirk Hammett and Jethro Tull. You come to it late in life, but it surely truly means extra, as a result of you will have that objectivity of getting all of it laid out earlier than you in a catalog, the discography, you’ll be able to take all of it in. It’s like that with classical music, for goodness sake. We weren’t round when Beethoven was composing his symphonies. [Laughs] We’re all catching up late within the day, whether or not we’re outdated guys or younger guys. We compensate for that nice custom of classical music lengthy after the composer is useless and gone.

Hearken to Jethro Tull’s ‘Cross-Eyed Mary’

The subsequent 12 months after the Jethro Tull Grammy win, the group break up the award into two separate classes, Arduous Rock and Heavy Metallic, ostensibly to maintain it from ever taking place once more. Taking a look at these two classes, it does really feel like Jethro Tull might have been categorized as arduous rock early on.
I feel very a lot so. I feel there was a level of arduous rock happening fairly early on in Jethro Tull’s actions. On the Aqualung album, “Cross-Eyed Mary,” for instance, is one thing that’s positively on the arduous facet of rock. Nicely, it should have been, as a result of Iron Maiden coated it. Bruce Dickinson was enamored with that music, in order that they gave it in all probability extra of a heavy metallic therapy. However sure, I feel Jethro Tull has had a component of arduous rock right here and there alongside the way in which pretty persistently. However there are additionally albums which can be targeted extra on acoustic music or folks music.

Mainly, the one class that Jethro Tull ought to win in is the Bunch of Good Guys Who Haven’t Received a Grammy Earlier than class. In the event that they give you that one, we’ll have an opportunity, since I don’t suppose the One-Legged Flute Participant thought will attraction to the powers that be. At this stage within the sport, I’ve to say, the Grammy factor in America, a bit just like the [Rock & Roll] Corridor of Fame, these are American establishments about Americana. I don’t suppose, in all honesty, that Jethro Tull belongs in that kind of a world.

I don’t really feel like I’m a product in any manner of Americana. You understand, folks say, “You haven’t been inducted into the Corridor of Fame.” I’d should say, “We don’t belong within the Corridor of Fame.” The Corridor of Fame must be inducting numerous American artists who’ve but been unnoticed – unsung and unrepresented – earlier than you begin digging round in what’s left to try to discover some U.Ok. wacko band like Jethro Tull. [Laughs] I imply, we don’t belong in there in any respect.