Inside Tracks #22: Ian Anderson, "Locomotive Breath"🚂Jethro Tull w/Covers by Rabbitt, Styx, Helloween, Tempest, Axxis + 5 More!
The 1972 Tull classic has seen genre-spanning covers over the decades: Metal, prog, and even country! Apparently no Irish cloggers or Appalachian washboarders have given it a try...yet!
This Playlist is constructed more-or-less chronologically, and is neither a best-of ranking nor a sales chart.
#1. Jethro Tull, “Locomotive Breath,” March 1971
In a 2013 interview with Songfacts’ Carl Wiser, Jethro Tull founder/lead singer/flautist/songwriter, Ian Anderson, spoke about the song: “When I wrote it [for the Aqualung album], I wasn't deliberately setting out to write a piece of music on a particular subject.
“But, it evolved during the writing process into being not terribly specific, but about the issues of overcrowding - the rather claustrophobic feel of a lot of people in a limited space. And, the idea of the incessant, unstoppable locomotive being a metaphor for seemingly the unstoppable population expansion on planet Earth.
”When I look at it today, it does, for me, become very crystallized in being a song about unmanageable population expansion. It's something that concerns me even more today than it did back when I wrote it, when the population of planet Earth was only about two thirds of what it is today. So in my lifetime alone, we've seen an enormous increase in population, and an enormous increase in the degree to which we devour our limited resources.
“So, the idea of population planning and management is something that I think we ought to be thinking about a lot more than we do. Does that mean I think we should sterilize everybody after the age of 30? No, of course not. The size of the family you want to have is going to be your choice. But, you should make that choice knowingly, wisely, and responsibly.”
According to Anderson, “Old Charlie,” who appears in the chorus to the song, represents God. Anderson says that when He “stole the handle,” He left the train running out of control. This symbolized everyone facing injustice in life and feeling powerless to do anything about it - you just have to make the best of it.
It took a few attempts to record this song, as Anderson had to impress on the band that musically, it was supposed to feel like a train on the tracks, not one that goes off and explodes. He uses the analogy of a boiler building up pressure to describe the song musically. Restraining the drummer was always a challenge when performing this song.
As Anderson told LouderSound.com in 2020: “Train songs have been with us ever since the blues began, and I have written my fair share of these. I keep being drawn back to the subject, because public transport is part of my life. I don’t drive, so I rely on buses, trains and the like. But here it is about a serious social issue”:
#2. Rabbitt, 1972
The first artist to cover “Locomotive Breath” had members who went on to greater glory in bands as disparate as the Bay City Rollers and Yes! Rabbitt, a decidedly pop-leaning rock band, came from South Africa, and it wasn’t until 1975 that Capricorn Records (distributed by Warner Bros. in the U.S.) released their re-recording of “LB” and placed it on their Boys Will Be Boys! LP.
In 1972, Trevor Rabin (above, who would take his talents to Yes in 1982) reunited with his Johannesburg teen/pop bandmates, Conglomeration, to form Rabbitt with drummer Neil Cloud, bassist Ronnie Robot, and singer/keyboardist/guitarist Duncan Faure, who would find a home in the Bay City Rollers in 1979 (as the band shortened their name to The Rollers).
Faure announced on Facebook last year that a re-constituted Rabbitt (sans Rabin) was set to tour the UK and South Africa on a ROCK RABBITT tour.
#3. The Square Hippies, 2008
From Germany, The Square Hippies’ 2008 cover comes from their self-titled album as a bonus track.
#4. Tempest with Robert Berry, 2008
Another bonus track, this time from the 2008 compilation album, Prime Cuts, released in the U.S. on the Magna Carta label. Many prog fans are familiar with Tempest, a Bay Area Celtic folk-rock band led by Norwegian-American Lief Sorbye (mandolin and vocals).
Tempest have similarities to Fairport Convention (longtime friends of Ian Anderson), but are heavier, draw more on Celtic material, and benefit from production courtesy of Robert Berry (pictured above) that gives them a bigger, “proggier” sound.
#5. Helloween, 1999
Hamburg, Germany power metal band, Helloween (born in 1984), scared up their cover album, Metal Jukebox, in 1999, from whence their “Locomotive Breath” chugs:
#6. Bjørn Berge, 2002
Born in 1968, Bjørn Berge is a Norwegian guitarist and blues artist. In 1998, he was named “Best Musician of the Year” by Norway’s leading tabloid, Dagbladet. His Tull cover appears on his 2002 Illustrated Man CD on Norway’s Farmen Records.
#7. Styx, 2005
Another cover-album premise yields the rationale to do a Tull song. So says Styx circa 2005 and their Big Bang Theory on New Door/UMG Records. It’s rumored that Tommy Shaw (no relation to Artie) was stunned when first presented with the cover-song premise memo, as the proposed title was unfortunately misspelled to read, Big Band Theory.
For a moment, I’m guessing, Tommy (now 71) was wondering just how quickly he could learn the trombone and any Tommy Dorsey number. Thankfully, cooler heads (and a more accurate typist) prevailed, and a track list that looked like a 1978 FM rocker’s standard one-hour playlist was the result. Why, they even cover “Blue Collar Man” by a band called Styx! Wacky!
James “J.Y.” Young handles the vocal chores on “Locomotive Breath,” while Chuck Panazzo plays bass, Lawrence Gowan plays keyboards, with former Spinal Tap-per Todd Sucherman on drums.
#8. Axxis, 2012
Clumsy and not just a little pretentious, the album title is ReDiscover(ed). It also screams “cover album”! Fine, Axxis; I surrender. So many of these seasoned bands, over the years, wanna regress, and become Holiday Inn lounge acts, festooning their setlists with covers, and turning them into albums. I haven’t the heart to tell them that hotel live entertainment went out a quarter of a century ago!
Many of these acts cut their teeth on such shenanigans, aching for their shot at playing arenas and getting a recording contract to play originals! At any rate, Axxis is yet another German heavy metal band, made up, apparently, of just two guys, singer Bernhard Weiß and guitarist Stefan Weber.
#9. Emma Nobbe, 2019 (Live)
Called, in 2020, an “up and coming progressive rock artist” by Guitargirlmag.com, Emma Nobbe “is a guitarist whose unique style blends 1970’s progressive rock and classic rock with modern influences.”
In fact, “when she first began playing guitar,” Guitargirlmag continues, “Emma was inspired by Rush’s use of odd time signatures and modes, and Iron Maiden and Megadeth’s fast, melodic playing.
“As her guitar skills developed, she took influence from modern progressive rock bands such as Opeth and Plini while sticking to her classic rock/progressive rock roots.” “Locomotive Breath,” then, makes perfect sense for her.
#10. Garrett T. Capps, 2021
Garrett T. Capps is a San Antonio, TX native. In fact, he calls himself the “Space Cowguy from San Antone,” and with phrasing and timbre that are reminiscent of Leon Russell, he looks like Kinky Friedman’s uptown cousin. His “Locomotive Breath” comes from the 2021 Garrett T. Capps and NASA Country album, I Love San Antone.
#11. Easter🥚, 2017: Jethro Tull, The String Quartet
I was introduced to Tull by my college roommate, who had all their albums, but played this one the most. I was already fan of Focus at the time, so the flute sounded natural to me--I've seen some people comment that it was a stretch for them. But I have to say, it would not have occurred to me that this was covered by anyone, let alone this many! I like the countrified version, among others. I rarely like covers that try to emulate the original--I like it when they bring a new twist. Great piece Brad!
Fantastic analysis, as always! Aqualung is one of my dad's all-time favourite albums (I would dare say his absolute favourite), so anything about that album brings me fond memories of my childhood. I listened to this song more closely now (I mean, I must have heard it a million times being played on the small family stereo, but I was so young I don't have any specific recollection of it... I do remember the iconic album cover, though... how could I not!). Now, back to the song, I loooove the bluesy progression in the intro, and what a poignant message the lyrics convey. I wasn't familiar with any of the covers but I really liked Bjorn's modern take on it. Gave me Gary Clark Jr vibes. Once again, thanks a lot for this deep dive and helping me discover (or re-discover) this gem!