Record Reviews

JETHRO TULL ~ AQUALUNG (40TH ANNIVERSARY ADAPTED EDITION) CHRYSALIS 825646487080 (Barcode: 825646487080) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1970 - 1971 Released: 2016 This is a 40th Anniversary Edition (actually a 45th Anniversary Edition as it is almost identical to the "Deluxe Edition" of the album from 2011, in repackaged form) reissue of the fourth album by the British Prog Masters Jethro TullFind albums by this artist and another chapter in the series of reissues of their seminal albums which are being remixed to new stereo and 5.1 surround sound versions by Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist, who is doing similar projects with classic Rock / Prog albums by other artists as well. It follows a similar treatment that Wilson applied to the reissues of all (except the debut as of now) early Jethro Tull releases. The reissue consists of two CDs and two DVDs. The first CD contains the new stereo mix of the original album (eleven tracks). The second CD contains the new stereo remix of "Associated 1970 And 1971 Recordings" (ten tracks) and a flat transfer of the "Life Is A Long Song" EP (five tracks) and a radio advert. The first DVD contains the album and seven of the "associated recordings" remixed in two High-Resolution formats (5.1 DTS, AC3 Dolby Digital Surround Sound and in High Resolution stereo format 96/24 LPCM). Also included are the ten "associated recordings" in High Resolution stereo format 96/24 LPCM. The second DVD includes the flat transfer of the original stereo master of the album in 96/24 LPCM stereo and the quad mix as 4.1 on AC3 Dolby Digital Surround, and finally the EP in 96/24 LPCM stereo. Also included is a "Life Is A Long Song" promotional video. If you are confused by all these technical terms, don´t be – it is all complete bullshit piece of hype! Basically you don´t even get the original stereo mix of the album in a CD form or any previously unreleased material, but you get remixed versions of the album, and a few bonus tracks, which honestly contribute very little, if anything at all. The entire set is lavishly packaged in a digibook format, with great photos of the band, background material, the song lyrics and other goodies, which are all beyond reproach. The group´s lineup on this album is similar to the one on its predecessor "BenefitFind albums with this title"; Ian AndersonFind albums by this artist as usual handles the vocals and plays the flute parts and acoustic guitar. The lead guitar is magnificently handled by Martin BarreFind albums by this artist, the keyboards by John EvanFind albums by this artist (now listed as a full member of the group), the bass by Jeffrey Hammond-HammondFind albums by this artist, who replaced Glenn CornickFind albums by this artist, and the drums by Clive BunkerFind albums by this artist. Anderson gets credit for all the music and lyrics, except "Aqualung" lyrics being credited to Jennie AndersonFind albums by this artist. This album transformed the group and their leader from the status of underground heroes to the status of modern heralds and leaders of what was exploding and emerging as the Art Rock / Progressive Rock phenomenon. Combining incredible talents with complete disregard towards commercialism and slaughtering "holy cows" by the herd, Anderson and his crew of minstrels created a masterpiece, which has never been surpassed by any other Prog outfit and with very few selected albums achieving perhaps the same level of perfection and potency. A "concept" album, as appropriate for the times, this is a musical journey, which when taken once changes the traveler forever. If it was up to me, this would have been a compulsory listening to any human being at least once during their lifetime (preferably at a young age) and perhaps this world would be a better place to live? Beyond essential! Side Note As for the Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist contributions, I´m perplexed time after time why anybody being of sound mind would allow him to butcher the original material and then hype the results as spectacular. These original mixes are untouchable and anybody trying to change them is more or less re-painting Van Gogh, re-sculpturing Michelangelo or re-writing the Bible, all truly barbaric acts of disrespect. Additionally I find his stereo mixes to be dry, artificial and deviant, badly damaging the original ambience of the recordings. Perhaps for people who are not familiar with the original sound this sounds fine, but for me it´s unbearable and sacrilegious. In addition I find the surround sound completely redundant, hoping for years that it will go away as did quad and other industry inventions meant to earn some more money from the suckers following the trends. The whole high resolution hype is so ridiculous; in reality most people are deaf anyway and can´t tell one note from another even if it bites them in the ass and use ridiculously lo-fi equipment. In short Emperor´s new clothes, as usual, and no shame whatsoever.

Updated: 17/06/2018Posted: 17/06/2018

2CD+2DVD 4 Digibook Box Set Oversampling DVD-A Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

JETHRO TULL ~ BENEFIT (THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY ENHANCED EDITION) CHRYSALIS 190295201616 (Barcode: 190295201616) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1969 - 1970 Released: 2021 This is a 50th Anniversary Edition reissue of the third album by the British Prog Masters Jethro TullFind albums by this artist and another chapter in the series of reissues of their seminal albums which are being remixed to new stereo and 5.1 surround sound versions by Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist, who is doing similar projects with classic Rock / Prog albums by other artists as well. It follows a similar treatment that Wilson applied to the reissues of all early Jethro Tull releases. The reissue consists of four CDs and two DVDs. The first CD contains the new stereo remix of the original album (ten tracks) and seven “associated recordings", also newly remixed. The second CD contains another twenty-one “associated recordings", original mono and stereo singles mixes and new remixes of four tracks later included on the “Living In The PastFind albums with this title” compilation album and finally two radio spots. The third CD contains the “Live At Tanglewood” concert from 1970. The fourth CD contains the “Live In Chicago” concert, also from 1970. The first DVD contains the album and eight of the "associate recordings" remixed in two High-Resolution formats (5.1 DTS, AC3 Dolby Digital Surround Sound and in High Resolution stereo format 96/24 LPCM). Also included are the original stereo mixes of the album in High Resolution stereo format 96/24 LPCM. The second DVD includes the “Live At Tanglewood” video with audio tracks in High-Resolution formats. If you are confused by all these technical terms, don´t be – it is all complete bullshit piece of hype! Basically you don´t even get the original stereo mix of the album in a CD form, but you get almost two hours of a live concert on CD, remixed versions of the album, and a bunch of bonus tracks, which honestly contribute very little, if anything at all. The entire set is lavishly packaged in a digibook format, with great photos of the band, background material, the song lyrics and other goodies, which are all beyond reproach. It arrives ten years too late, as it should have been done already in sequence with the other reissues, but better late than never? It’s worth to mention that Wilson already produced a remix of this album in 2013, released as “Collector’s Edition”, which includes almost all the audio material included here, but not the concert audio and video material, and was released in normal digipak format and not in the new digibook format. The group´s lineup on this album adds a keyboardist for the first time, namely John EvanFind albums by this artist, although he is not yet considered formally as a member of the group, and is the last one to include bassist Glenn CornickFind albums by this artist. Ian AndersonFind albums by this artist as usual handles the vocals and plays the flute parts and acoustic guitar and the lead guitar is magnificently handled by Martin BarreFind albums by this artist, with drummer Clive BunkerFind albums by this artist steadily in charge of the rhythmic pulse. Musically the album offers a natural development of the group’s style, moving even more away from the early Blues influences into Rock riffs and Prog complexity, with a somewhat darker sound, and remains a classic of the early period of the group. For many Jethro Tull fans this album marks the end of the early phase of the group standing on the verge of becoming a Prog icon. I believe everything the group created over the years was top notch and it was the listeners following fads and fashions who could not always follow the intricacies and complexity of the music Anderson whimsically weaved. A classic by any standard! Side Note As for the Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist contributions, I´m perplexed time after time why anybody being of sound mind would allow him to butcher the original material and then hype the results as spectacular. These original mixes are untouchable and anybody trying to change them is more or less re-painting Van Gogh, re-sculpturing Michelangelo or re-writing the Bible, all truly barbaric acts of disrespect. Additionally I find his stereo mixes to be dry, artificial and deviant, badly damaging the original ambience of the recordings. Perhaps for people who are not familiar with the original sound this sounds fine, but for me it´s unbearable and sacrilegious. In addition I find the surround sound completely redundant, hoping for years that it will go away as did quad and other industry inventions meant to earn some more money from the suckers following the trends. The whole high resolution hype is so ridiculous; in reality most people are deaf anyway and can´t tell one note from another even if it bites them in the ass and use ridiculously lo-fi equipment. In short Emperor´s new clothes, as usual, and no shame whatsoever.

Updated: 24/01/2022Posted: 24/01/2022

4CD+2DVD 6 Digibook Box Set Oversampling DVD-A Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

JETHRO TULL ~ STAND UP (THE ELEVATED EDITION) CHRYSALIS 190295932862 (Barcode: 190295932862) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1969 Released: 2016 This is a reissue of the second album by the British Prog Masters Jethro TullFind albums by this artist and another chapter in the series of reissues of their seminal albums which are being remixed to new stereo and 5.1 surround sound versions by Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist, who is doing similar projects with classic Rock / Prog albums by other artists as well. It follows a similar treatment that Wilson applied to the reissues of early Jethro Tull releases up to their ninth album "Too Old To Rock`N`Roll: Too Young To Die!Find albums with this title", except for the debut album (as of now). The reissue consists of two CDs and one DVD. The first CD contains the new stereo mix of the original album and a bunch of "associate recordings", three of which were also given the new remix treatment, including the only previously unreleased track in this set, which is an alternate version of "Bouree". A stereo version of A/B sides of a single and four tracks recorded by the BBC are left untouched. The second CD includes nine tracks originating from a live concert recording by Swedish Radio (eight from the second show and one from the first show), all recorded in mono, a mono version of the A/B sides of a single and a couple of promotional radio spots. The DVD contains the video of two of the tracks from the concert recorded by the Swedish Radio, the album and the "associate recordings" remixed in two High-Resolution formats (5.1 DTS and AC3 Dolby Digital Surround Sound) and in High Resolution stereo format (96/24 LPCM), and a flat transfer of the original stereo mix of the album and stereo and mono mixes of the single. If you are confused by all these technical terms, don´t be – it is all complete bullshit piece of hype! Basically you get the original album, a live concert, remixed versions of the album, a short video from a live concert and a few bonus tracks, which honestly contribute very little, if anything at all, especially since they were all already available on the 2010 "Stand Up (Collector`s Edition)Find albums with this title" reissue of the album. The entire set is lavishly packaged in a digibook format, with great photos of the band, background material, the song lyrics and other goodies, which are all beyond reproach. This album marks the first lineup change for Jethro Tull since their inception. It features the new guitarist Martin BarreFind albums by this artist, who replaced Mick AbrahamsFind albums by this artist. The change allowed Ian AndersonFind albums by this artist to establish the complete leadership of the group and allow some significant stylistic changes, which included the addition of British Folk and Classical elements replacing almost completely the dominance of the Blues elements, which was the trademark of the debut album. The other members of the group on this album were bassist Glenn CornickFind albums by this artist and drummer Clive BunkerFind albums by this artist. For most Jethro Tull fans, this is still one of the best albums the group ever recorded, basically pointing out the direction and forging the mold, which all subsequent albums by the group were about to follow. Side Note As for the Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist contributions, I´m perplexed time after time why anybody being of sound mind would allow him to butcher the original material and then hype the results as spectacular. These original mixes are untouchable and anybody trying to change them is more or less re-painting Van Gogh, re-sculpturing Michelangelo or re-writing the Bible, all truly barbaric acts of disrespect. Additionally I find his stereo mixes to be dry, artificial and deviant, badly damaging the original ambience of the recordings. Perhaps for people who are not familiar with the original sound this sounds fine, but for me it´s unbearable and sacrilegious. In addition I find the surround sound completely redundant, hoping for years that it will go away as did quad and other industry inventions meant to earn some more money from the suckers following the trends. The whole high resolution hype is so ridiculous; in reality most people are deaf anyway and can´t tell one note from another even if it bites them in the ass and use ridiculously lo-fi equipment. In short Emperor´s new clothes, as usual, and no shame whatsoever.

Updated: 25/05/2018Posted: 22/01/2017

2CD+DVD 3 Digibook Box Set Oversampling DVD-A Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

JETHRO TULL ~ THIS WAS (50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION) CHRYSALIS 190295611484 (Barcode: 190295611484) ~ UK ~ Blues-Rock Recorded: 1968 Released: 2018 This is a 50th Anniversary Edition reissue of the debut album by the British Prog Masters Jethro TullFind albums by this artist and another chapter in the series of reissues of their seminal albums which are being remixed to new stereo and surround sound versions by Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist, who is doing similar projects with classic Rock / Prog albums by other artists as well. It follows a similar treatment that Wilson applied to the reissues of the eleven early Jethro Tull releases, which is now completed by the inclusion of the debut album, the last to be given the new treatment and reissued in the digibook format. The reissue consists of three CDs and one DVD-A. The first CD contains the new stereo mix of the original album (ten tracks) and six "associated recordings", four of which are previously unreleased. The second CD includes "further associated recordings", which are mostly BBC sessions, original mixes of singles and radio adverts and one outtake, altogether twenty tracks of which just one is previously unreleased. The third CD includes the original 1968 UK stereo and mono (remastered in 2008) mixes of the album. The DVD-A contains the album remixed in two High-Resolution formats (4.1 DTS and AC3 Dolby Digital Surround Sound), two "associated recordings" in two High-Resolution formats (5.1 DTS and in High Resolution stereo format 96/24 LPCM). Also included is the original 1969 US stereo mix of the album in High Resolution stereo format 96/24 LPCM. If you are confused by all these technical terms, don´t be – it is all complete bullshit piece of hype! The entire set is lavishly packaged in a digibook format, with great photos of the band, background material, the song lyrics and other goodies, which are all beyond reproach. The group´s lineup on this album includes Ian AndersonFind albums by this artist, who handles most of the vocals and plays the flute parts and some piano, with the lead guitar magnificently handled by Mick AbrahamsFind albums by this artist, the bass by Glenn CornickFind albums by this artist and the drums by Clive BunkerFind albums by this artist. Anderson gets credit for most of the music and lyrics, except for the tracks written by Abrahams or co-written by the band´s members and one Jazz and two Blues standards. Musically the album is completely different from the rest of the group´s later output, being deeply rooted in Blues and Blues Rock, one of the leading idioms on the British scene at the time of its recording. The group was not yet dominated by Anderson and Abrahams was definitely the most accomplished musician at hand. Of course the personality conflict between Anderson and Abrahams led to the latter leaving the group after the album was recorded and the musical direction of the group gradually changing towards Progressive Rock and Folk Rock, with Anderson firmly at the helm. Although definitely one of the best white blues guitarists of all time, Abraham´s career did not take off as spectacularly as one might have expected at the time. Today, five decades later, he still plays superbly and releases new albums from time to time, remaining one my favorite guitar players, despite his almost complete anonymity. For many Jethro Tull fans this album, not surprisingly, is often considered as an odd incident, which in many respects it is indeed. Personally it is one of my favorite British Blues Revival recordings and I revisit it from time to time, repeatedly being surprised by its freshness and originality, despite the passing time. The rest of Jethro Tull´s story is of course a completely different chapter in British Rock history. An everlasting gem by any standard! Side Note As for the Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist contributions, I´m perplexed time after time why anybody being of sound mind would allow him to butcher the original material and then hype the results as spectacular. These original mixes are untouchable and anybody trying to change them is more or less re-painting Van Gogh, re-sculpturing Michelangelo or re-writing the Bible, all truly barbaric acts of disrespect. Additionally I find his stereo mixes to be dry, artificial and deviant, badly damaging the original ambience of the recordings. Perhaps for people who are not familiar with the original sound this sounds fine, but for me it´s unbearable and sacrilegious. In addition I find the surround sound completely redundant, hoping for years that it will go away as did quad and other industry inventions meant to earn some more money from the suckers following the trends. The whole high resolution hype is so ridiculous; in reality most people are deaf anyway and can´t tell one note from another even if it bites them in the ass and use ridiculously lo-fi equipment. In short Emperor´s new clothes, as usual, and no shame whatsoever.

Updated: 26/01/2019Posted: 26/01/2019

3CD+DVD 4 Digibook Box Set DVD-A Audiophile Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

JETHRO TULL ~ THIS WAS (COLLECTOR`S EDITION) CHARISMA 064972 (Barcode: 5099920649722) ~ UK ~ Blues-Rock Recorded: 1968 Released: 2008 1st album by the magnificent Jethro TullFind albums by this artist, the only band that survived 40 years of rapidly changing world and still sounds so much better that anything produced today. This debut album is dear to my heart and I remember vividly listening to it for the first time back in 1968 – this was different! Sure, it was based on the Blues tradition and followed the British Blues revival surge, which blessed us all with a plethora of great bands. But these kids (yes they were) had an edge and an attitude, which I liked. Ian AndersonFind albums by this artist had a vice like no one else and his flute playing, although far from being virtuosic, always hit the right note (even if it was the wrong note). Mick AbrahamsFind albums by this artist was a great Blues guitar player, as was evident already then, and would be proved time after time in following years. Glenn CornickFind albums by this artist played some nasty bass lines and Clive BunkerFind albums by this artist beat the hell out of the set. I loved the nonchalance, the obvious "let´s not take it too seriously" approach, and those glimpses of pure genius, which this album is full of. I loved it then and I love it now – absolutely nothing changed, except for the fact that a whole universe of dreadful music was made since, which luckily I was able to escape. This new edition is a true gem and a collector´s dream, with the original mono mixes, new stereo mix, singles and live BBC material, everything one might hope for. I don´t suppose any Tull fan will need to contemplate the decision as to buying this beauty. Grab it!

CD 2 Digipak Slipcase Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend