Flute-playing eccentric and bona fide prog legend Ian Anderson has announced he will hit the road in April 2012 for a 19-date UK tour commemorating the 40^th Anniversary of Jethro Tull’s seminal album ‘Thick As A Brick’.  

The band’s chart-topping record will be played in its entirety – as initially recorded – for the first time since its original tour in 1972.

Anderson explains: “I never thought I would do this music again in its entirety but, over the last couple of years, I have grown to rather like the idea and the prospect of a Prog moment of profound excess. Question is: will I now become filled with some dark and nefarious need to take this murky, anal business further? You never know….. ”

‘Thick as a Brick’ was a concept album based on a poem written by a fictitious 10 year old boy Gerald Bostock – in reality Anderson himself, who wrote both music and lyrics.

It only featured one seamless 45 minutes long track, although it was split to accommodate the album on vinyl and cassette. It reached number 5 in the UK charts and number 1 in the US.

Tickets for the 2012 tour go on sale from September 7th. For full details of dates, venues and prices visit http://www.j-tull.com/tourdates/index.html