When Jethro Tull fired bassist Glenn Cornick in 1970 after a three-year stint, the band grew to become to an previous buddy to take over. Jeffrey Hammond would quickly turn out to be referred to as Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond – a reference, he mentioned, to the truth that his oldsters had the similar surname earlier than they’d met, and his mom refused to surrender her maiden title.
That roughly quirkiness could be an indicator of his 5 years in Tull, all the way through which era the band would liberate Aqualung, Thick As A Brick, A Interest Play, Conflict Kid and Minstrel In The Gallery – organising Ian Anderson and co a number of the leading edge of revolutionary song.
“John Evan, Ian and I have been in school collectively and performed at early life golf equipment and seedy running males’s golf equipment,” Hammond advised Prog in 2011. “After a few years of the transit van lifestyles the preliminary pleasure wore off, and I abandoned to start a basis route in artwork. I then was hoping to do a postgraduate one on the Royal Academy Colleges. However I wasn’t introduced a spot, and inside a couple of months Ian introduced me a place in Tull, making Aqualung.”
He had no qualms about admitting his inventive enter to Aqualung – his first-ever recording enjoy – was once minimum. “Any affect from me would had been obtuse or oblique at best possible. I used to be all the time the bottom not unusual denominator. The Locomotive Breath and the Aqualung riffs could be examples of that elementary simplicity, and once in a while much less can also be extra. “
He recalled enduring further demanding situations: “It most definitely felt tougher than for the others, being thrust in on the deep finish, having now not performed in any respect whilst at artwork faculty – to not point out the extensive gulf in musical talent between the remainder of the band and myself. And now not the entire preliminary recordings have been precisely to Ian’s liking.”
However he described the enjoy as “very particular,” including: “It was once sink or swim, and I guess I wanted an Aqualung greater than maximum! I believed it could be my first and remaining recording, so I did have a way of reduction and success.”
Watch On
In 2012 Hammond advised Prog he’d recognized not anything about Thick As A Brick’s introduction as a comical riposte to those that’d referred to as Aqualung an idea album. “Being at the very edge of all issues musically and lyrically inventive may provide an explanation for a few of that philistinism and false impression,” he mirrored. “In fact, I will now in reality admire how Thick As A Brick suits well into the idea that album field, and as such merits to be repackaged and reappraised.”
Whilst he gleefully contributed to the spoof newspaper that accompanied TAAB, he mentioned the undertaking have been solely Anderson’s and not a “band visualisation,” however famous: “The completed article is a homogenous entire – despite the fact that how a lot that displays the unique large concept, one hesitates to take a position.”
A pantomime zebra pooed out tennis balls, and Jeffrey used to juggle with them
Martin Barre
He argued that the recording paintings was once more uncomplicated than many have assumed over time. “Most likely a continuing flowing piece of song is more uncomplicated to reach than a three-minute music which, via definition, has the entire constraints that point brings to endure upon it.
“In all probability there may be extra freedom to manoeuvre on a bigger level, a larger canvas. Even though Thick As A Brick could have been recorded over various days or perhaps weeks, it keeps the sense of a linear adventure relatively than kind of mortared-together brickwork.”
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Some other key part was once the coming of drummer Barriemore Barlow – which, Hammond mentioned, ended in “start pangs” across the album classes fading out in favour of a a lot more amusing surroundings. “A undeniable stage of togetherness [reflected] the camaraderie and really shut friendships that have been shaped all the way through heady embryonic teenage days in Blackpool,” the bassist mentioned. “None of this was once contrived or synthetic – relatively the other, it being a herbal and incessantly spontaneous outpouring of the power and pleasure of the instant.”
Guitarist Martin Barre fondly recalled a few of that camaraderie, telling Prog. “The Minstrel In The Gallery excursion marked the top of Jeffrey’s time within the band. Nonetheless, he bowed out with a flourish, dressed in a placing black-and-white striped swimsuit, with matching zebra-striped bass.”
Jeffrey leaving made me assume, ‘Possibly I want to do that with out depending on others such a lot.’ I set to work extra alone
Ian Anderson
He added: “The theme persisted within the type of a pantomime horse-style zebra that wandered onstage all the way through the display. It was once two roadies. The zebra pooed out tennis balls, and Jeffrey used to juggle with them. Completely silly – however it was once us being self- deprecating and announcing, ‘We’re stood onstage in entrance of 20,000 folks for beautiful neatly no explanation why, however we’re going to entertain you.’”
The spirit of brotherhood served Tull neatly all the way through that generation. They may not have survived the crisis that was once their 1972 travel to France to document at Chateau D’Herouville – a misadventure that led to sickness, malnutrition and the leaving behind of an entire album’s value of subject matter in favour of what would turn out to be A Interest Play. It’s been mentioned it was once Hammond who renamed the site “Chateau D’Isaster.”
Watch On
After 5 years of prog stardom, he may just not forget about the decision of his different inventive ambitions. “He returned to his past love, portray, and put down his bass guitar, by no means to play once more,” Anderson wrote within the sleeve notes of Minstrel’s 2002 reissue.
The band chief has written a couple of music about Hammond over the a long time, in all probability essentially the most notable of which is A Track For Jeffrey, launched as a unmarried two years earlier than the bassist joined the band. Additionally memorable are Jeffrey Is going To Leicester Sq. from Stand Up; and For Michael Collins, Jeffrey And Me from Receive advantages.
In 2017 the band chief advised Prog of Minstrel: “It’s the remaining one who Jeffrey performed on, so it has this detrimental undertow to it as we knew he was once going. So with Jeffrey leaving, it made me assume, ‘Possibly I want to do that with out depending on others such a lot.’ I set to work extra alone within the studio, writing and recording, taking part in to a click on monitor, so numerous it was once a little extra ‘them and me’ – a little extra insular, musically talking, which wasn’t nice within the spirit of running collectively.”
I’ve to invite myself: ‘Was once that in reality me?’
Jeffrey Hammond
Hammond – whose personality abounds in his narration of A Interest Play’s The Hare Who Misplaced His Spectacles – has incessantly named TAAB as the most efficient album he labored on. “I in finding it tough to hear it with out right away being chase away on level and full of many heat recollections,” he advised Prog in 2012. “On the similar time I’ve to invite myself: ‘Was once that in reality me?’ It’s a work of song one so strongly mates with a undeniable time and feeling.”
And in 2017 he mentioned the most efficient a part of his time in Tull have been “having the great fortune and privilege to play a small phase of their adventure. However definitely the camaraderie between us at the moment was once what I price essentially the most.”
