Still Thick.

JETHRO TULL: Even Thicker, 40 Years Later

Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson returned this week to the band's chart-topping 1972 concept album Thick as a Brick with a sequel called Thick as a Brick Two. Anderson says that for many years he shunned the character of "Gerald Bostock" and as recently as 2007 turned down a label's pitch to do it. But two years ago, another record executive -- Derek Shulman of the progressive band Gentle Giant -- convinced him to come at it from a new angle. Anderson says, "I didn't really have to go back to 1972 and do a follow on sequel -- I could take a 40-year leap into the future."