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  | JETHRO TULL ~ THE BROADSWORD AND THE BEAST (THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY MONSTER EDITION)
CHRYSALIS 190296436079 (Barcode: 190296436079) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1981 - 1982 Released: 2023
This is a 40th Anniversary Edition reissue of the 14th studio 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 five CDs and three DVDs. The first CD contains the new stereo remix of the original album (ten tracks) and seven “associated recordings", all of which are previously unreleased. The second CD contains new stereo remix of further twenty-one “associated recordings", party previously unreleased. The third CD contains new stereo remix of yet further nineteen “associated recordings", party previously unreleased. The fourth and fifth CDs present live recordings in Germany in April 1982, also with new stereo remix, all previously unreleased. The first DVD contains the album 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 further "associate recordings" in High-Resolution formats. The third DVD includes the audio only of the live recordings in Germany 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 over two hours of live concerts 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.
The group´s lineup on this album consists of Ian AndersonFind albums by this artist, who as usual handles most of the vocals and plays the flute parts and acoustic guitar / mandolin and the lead guitar is magnificently handled by Martin BarreFind albums by this artist, the keyboards are handled by Peter-John VetteseFind albums by this artist and rhythm section features bassist Dave PeggFind albums by this artist and new drummer Gerry ConwayFind albums by this artist.
Musically the album leaves behind the Folk-Rock direction and British Folkloristic references and moves more into Rock mainstream, but of course it still firmly and consistently continues the Progressive Rock elements, which the band masterly develops regardless of the current stylistic aesthetic the specific albums deal with.
With the end of the 1970s decade Progressive Rock was steadily losing its steam and the artistic / aesthetic end of the genre was imminent, and yet Jethro Tull were going ahead as if they were living on a different planet, which in retrospect might have just been right. They were still at their artistic peak, which continued for years, without any signs of getting worn-out. Perhaps they were, after all, a class of their own.
For many Jethro Tull fans this albums marks perhaps the last days of the group´s long and flourishing career, but personally 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: 05/11/2023Posted: 05/11/2023 | 5CD+3DVD 8 Digibook Box Set Oversampling DVD-A Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | JETHRO TULL ~ UNDER WRAPS (EXPANDED EDITION)
CHRYSALIS 473415 (Barcode: 724347341502) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1984 Released: 2005
16th album recorded following the release of Ian AndersonFind albums by this artist’s solo project Walk Into LightFind albums with this title, which he recorded in cooperation with keyboards player Peter-John VetteseFind albums by this artist. The solo album was an attempt to embrace the then contemporary synthesizer drenched sound (New Wave at all) and the same format was kept for this JT album. Basically a trio (Anderson, Vettese and Martin BarreFind albums by this artist) they recorded this album using electronic drums and a plethora of synthesized sounds, with Anderson’s flute and Barre’s guitar kept in the background most of the time. No wonder most JT fans (especially in the US) hated the album at the time of its release, seeing it as a “sell out”, judging of course by the sound alone and ignoring the music, which was as JT as ever. Different package, true, but still quite extraordinary. Anderson sums it all up very nicely: “But, hey, you have to push the boundaries a little in the pursuit of musical adventures. No point in staying forever in the clutches of 70’s sounds and analogue keys, valves, steam flutes and tree-gobbling guitars. Gotta move on. And then move back again…” I feel exactly the same way about this – no pain - no gain! An artist should be free to experiment and if he is a great artist, whatever he does will come out right. Some of us just won’t be ready for it. In retrospect, as weird as it sounds, this album is still an integral part of the wonderful JT legacy. The expanded edition adds a video clip and bonus tracks not present on the original LP release (but added later on the CD release).
| | | CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
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