John Glascock, Jethro Tull's third bass player, was the first member of Jethro Tull to have had a recording career that didn't start with Ian Anderson. He was with the band for only four years (1975-1979), before he died suddenly at the age of twenty eight from complications stemming from a congenital heart defect.
Pleasant, unaffected, and highly competent, John was well liked by the other members of the band; he and Barrie Barlow were particularly close. He enjoyed playing for Jethro Tull, and is remembered fondly by fans for his energetic performances and his flamboyant stage clothes, many of which he sewed himself.
Although known primarily for his work with Jethro Tull, John had already had an impressive career beforehand, playing on a total of eight albums starting at age seventeen, seven of which are available today on CD. His first venture into music, however, was with a single he made with the Juniors, a quintet which included future Rolling Stone Mick Taylor, and his older brother Brian on drums (Brian is best known as the drummer of the Motels). In spite of their brief existence, they were written up in fan magazines, and opened at a pop festival at Wembley Stadium.
John was left handed, but played right handed bass with a pick. He changed his strings daily, to keep his sound precise. His lyrical, melodic style was greatly influenced by Paul McCartney, whom he had to good fortune to meet while in the Juniors. John's earlier work comprised several different styles of music, ranging from progressive rock with Ken Hensley and Lee Kerslake in the Gods, soul and blues with Cliff Bennett in Toe Fat, and more blues in Chicken Shack, a band which remained obscure in the United States but enjoyed a huge following in the U.K. and Europe.
In spite of John's years around the London music scene, it was his detour through Los Angeles that wound up bringing him to Jethro Tull, a band he had long admired. In 1972, John went to visit Brian, who was living in L.A., to check out the avant-garde Flamenco-Rock fusion band his brother was playing in. The band, to be known as Carmen, had excellent credentials and a fresh, unique sound. They didn't fit into any existing rock genre, and were finding it difficult to find a market. Carmen needed a bass player, so John decided to stay, intrigued by the art of Flamenco, and left the success of Chicken Shack for a new venture. It appeared for a while that everything was going to go right for Carmen, They moved to London, recorded two albums with Tony Visconti, David Bowie's producer, appeared with Bowie on the Midnight Special, toured England, and then returned to the United States to open for major rock acts. In January 1975, they landed a 13 week engagement, opening for Jethro Tull on the War Child tour.
It was after the tour with Jethro Tull, where Ian first encountered John, the band found out they were broke, they no longer had a recording contract, and that their upcoming tour opening for the Rolling Stones had fallen through. That, coupled with their drummer's serious injury from a fall off a horse abruptly ended the band in 1975. John found himself suddenly unemployed at the not-yet-famous Long View Farm, in North Brookfield, Massachusetts, where he chose to stay for several months, working on the farm in exchange for the privilege of using the recording studio at the farm. With Jeffrey Hammond's departure at hand, Ian asked John to audition for him, after hearing of Carmen's demise.
John had been with Jethro Tull three years, when he became gravely ill on the Heavy Horses European tour. It was discovered that a tooth infection had spread to his heart, seriously damaging a weak valve, a condition he had inherited from his father. He underwent major heart surgery, to replace the valve, but he never totally recovered. John missed the 1978 Bursting Out tour in the U.S in the fall of 1978, then returned for the second leg the following spring. He played his last gig on May 1, 1979, in San Antonio, Texas, three years to the day of his first gig with Jethro Tull. John's condition deteriorated during the recording of the Stormwatch album, forcing him to leave Jethro Tull.
He was replaced by David Pegg.
On November 17, 1979, after his body ultimately rejected the new valve placed in his heart, John Glascock died. The suddenness of his death, especially at his young age was a terrible and lasting shock to the many people who loved him, and didn't get to say goodbye. To this day he is sadly missed.
JOHN GLASCOCK DISCOGRAPHY:
(not including work with Jethro Tull)
THE JUNIORS
1962 single
There's a Pretty Girl/Pocketsize Decca
THE GODS
1968 GENESIS Columbia SCX 6286 Repertoire CD REP 4418-WY
Baby's Rich/Somewhere in the Street Columbia DB 8486
Hey Bulldog/Real Love Guaranteed Columbia D 8544
1969 TO SAMUEL, A SON Columbia SCX 6372 Repertoire CD REP 4555-WY
Maria/LongTime, Bad Time, Sad Time Columbia DB 8572
TOE FAT
1970 TOE FAT Rare Earth RS 511 Repertoire CD REP 4416-WY
1971 TOE FAT TWO Rare Earth RS 525 Repertoire CD REP 4417-WY
BGO CD 278 UK
...taken from j-tull.com
The Gods - Genesis (1968)
The Gods - To Samuel A Son (1968)
Toe Fat - Toe Fat (1970)
Head Machine - Orgasm (1970)
Chicken Shack - Imagination Lady (1972)
Carmen - Fandangos In Space (1973)
Carmen - Dancing On A Cold Wind (1974)
Carmen - The Gypsies (1975)
The Gods - The Gods Featuring Ken Hensley (1976)
Jethro Tull - Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll, Too Young To Die (1976)
Jethro Tull - Songs From The Wood (1977)
Jethro Tull - Heavy Horses (1978)
Jethro Tull - Live - Bursting Out (1978)
Jethro Tull - Stormwatch (1979)
Maddy Prior - Woman In The Wings (1978)
Richard Digance - Commercial Road (1979)
The History of Carmen
Fandangos in space
Carmen
Carmen ~ Stepping Stone
Carmen ~ Shady Lady
Chicken Shack ~ Cryin' Won't Help You
Jethro Tull ~ The Chequered Flag
Jethro Tull ~ Velvet Green
Jethro Tull ~ Beethoven's Ninth
