Back in the 1970‘s Friedemann Witecka, who was born in Freiburg in south-western Germany, slung his guitar over his shoulder and set off for London, England in search of creative inspiration. The 1980‘s took him to Stuttgart where he made a name for himself as head of the Biber label and as a talent scout and producer, and above all with his own music: harmony-intensive and multicoloured instrumental works between the poles of folk, chamber music and jazz. With his impeccably beautiful sound sketches Friedemann swam persistently against the (pop) main stream and in doing so created original and high-quality accents on the German scene.
Jethro Tull's first album, THIS WAS, recorded and released in 1968, shows a band that is a far cry from their better-known incarnation as a prog rock outfit in the late 1970s. Instead, Tull come across here as a solid and talented blues band with elements of jazz, folk, and psychedelia thrown in. The band's sound was heavily influenced by guitarist, singer, and songwriter Mick Abrahams, whose bluesy singing and leads distinguish this disc in Tull's discography. Frontman Ian Anderson also shines with tunes like "Some Day the Sun Won't Shine for You" and the excellent cover of Rashaan Roland Kirk's "Serenade to a Cuckoo."