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Biography
Unreferenced|date=December 2008Infobox single| Name = Locomotive Breath| Cover =| Caption =| Artist = Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull | A-side = "Hymn 43"| Released = 1971| Format =| Recorded = December 1970 - February 1971 at Island Studios , London | Genre = Progressive rock , hard rock | Length = 4:23| Label = Reprise Records|Reprise (original US) Chrysalis Records|Chrysalis / Capitol Records|Capitol (US re-issue)| Writer = Ian Anderson (singer and musician)|Ian Anderson | Producer = Ian Anderson Terry Ellis (manager)|Terry Ellis | Certification =| Last single = "Life is a Long Song" (1970)| This single = "Hymn 43" / " Locomotive Breath " (1971)| Next single = "Living in the Past" (1973)| Misc = Extra track listing| Album = Aqualung (Jethro Tull album)|Aqualung | Type = song| prev_track = "Slipstream"| prev_no = 9| this_track = " Locomotive Breath "| track_no = 10| next_track = "Wind Up"| next_no = 11 "Locomotive Breath" is a song by the England|English progressive rock band Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull from their 1971 in music|1971 album, Aqualung (Jethro Tull album)|Aqualung . It is notable for a long bluesy piano introduction (particularly during live performances) and its flute solo by rock flute virtuoso Ian Anderson . The lyrics use the imagery of an impending and unavoidable train wreck as an allegorical portrayal of a man's life falling apart. The song receives frequent airplay on classic rock radio station s. It was covered by Rabbitt on their 1975 album Boys_Will_Be_Boys_(Rabbitt_album)|Boys Will Be Boys , by W.A.S.P. on the reissue of their 1989 album The Headless Children (as a bonus track), Styx (band)|Styx on their 2005 album Big Bang Theory (Styx album)|Big Bang Theory , and Helloween on their 1999 album Metal Jukebox . A Swedish rock band, formed in 1995 by Janne Stark , takes its name from the song.
The term "locomotive breath" ostensibly refers to the steam ejected from a steam locomotive 's piston s, which provided a characteristic foggy atmosphere and metallic odor to 19th-century train station platforms. It also implies that the protagonist of the song is a chain smoker.
Production
"Locomotive Breath" was recorded in a rather unusual manner: The entire track was pieced together from overdub s; most of the parts of the song were recorded separately. Ian Anderson did his normal flute and vocal parts in addition to bass drum , hi-hat , acoustic guitar and some electric guitar parts. Then John Evan 's piano parts were recorded; Clive Bunker added the rest of the drums and Martin Barre finished the electric guitar parts. All of these recordings were then overdubbed onto each other because Anderson was finding it difficult to communicate his musical ideas about the song to the other band members.
Personnel
Ian Anderson - Flute , Lead Vocals , Bass Drum , Cymbals|Hi-Hat , Acoustic Guitar , Electric Guitar
