Jethro Tull questions...

I've always thought that it's extremely hard to find great recording on Chrysalis ever.

I agree with Notec on reissues.

e

Tull is still a great band!!

Agree with Rwwear - Heavy Horses (vinyl) is the best sounding Tull I've heard. The re-release of Aqualung from Classic Records is not as good as the original release from Chrysalis even tho it's from the original pressing from Chrysalis and pressed at RTI! Go figure.

I've bought (read wasted my money) on so many vinyl re-issues in the hopes they'd be as good if not better pressing, and come to the conclusion - they don't sound better than the original pressings in most if not all cases.

Save your money that you'd waste on re-issues and buy a Loricraft record cleaning machine instead and seek out used copies for $5. Seriously.

As for CD, why bother?

Tull were a great band in their day. Teacher is still one of my all-time favorites....

They played at the Red Light Cafe in Atl. It's a small dinner club/bar with tables. You can order your food and drink and stay at the table and watch the show.

I would travel to Atlanta if they came back. I doubt they will return to Charlotte, although they did get a warm reception at the little hall they played. I was disappointed they were coming acoustic at first, knowing they had played electric up north. But the show was a gem just as it was and now feel lucky to have seen them acoustic.

I'm going to see Jethro Tull on Tuesday in Boston.

I hope they return to Atl.

Blkadr, Agree totally with you about The Strawbs. I have all their recordings on vinyl, and like the earlier ones best. A huge amount of talent has passed through that band, and Cousins' lyrics are truly excellent.Witchwood, Grave New World, and Bursting at the Seams are my faves, and Best of Strawbs 2-LP set is very good.--Mrmitch

The Acoustic Strawbs are touring the US (northeast) this September.

I saw the Acoustic Strawbs twice in Atlanta a few years ago. They were two of my favorite shows.

Looking for decent (earlier) Tull recordings on CD, here I find myself having read all these posts. I have been a fan of the band since I was a teenager, saw them play the Aqualung tour. I consider Aqualung one of the great rock albums of all time. My favorite Tull albums are definitely Stand Up, Benefit, Aqualung and Thick as a Brick.

The discussion here leading to Fairport Convention and Sandy Denny reminded me of David Cousins and a band I already had in mind- The Strawbs. Denny was once a member of the Strawbs. I know Cousins was a close friend, he wrote 'Ringing Down the Years' after Denny's death.
The Stawbs started as an English folk-rock band and evolved to kind of glam and then prog rock. Rick Wakeman was an early member, left for Yes, lots of other interesting connections.
I saw the Strawbs in the 70s, the Hero and Heroine tour. Again just a few years ago as the Acoustic Strawbs. Both shows were wonderful.
My Faves are From the Witchwood, Grave New World, Bursting at the Seams , Hero and Heroine, and Ghosts. Just as with Tull, their later music was not as much to my liking.
I especially enjoyed the lyrics on many cuts, poetic with a flair for the dramatic, sometimes very dark. Some songs are pure pop rock. A very interesting mix of musical styles over the years. I consider The Strawbs greatly overlooked band.

The Sunlight filtered softly
Through the pale and watery sky
To catch the mirrored salmon
As it rose to take the fly
The flowers on the riverbank
Were left alone to die

I have a original release of Stand Up and it has moments of greatness.Benefit is somewhat compressed but again, has moments.

My favorites are Benefit and Stand Up. Unfortunately I've never heard an excellent version of either album.

In the case of Benefit, maybe Tull should have listened to their company/producer more, since I believe that is their best album. Explains why they don't play Benefit songs live.

after a quick listen to the cd with bonus tracks copyrighted in 1998 versus original vinyl copy, one of the first rock albums i ever bought, i'd say the cd ranges from ok to quite good fromtrack to track. the acoustic guitar as a whole is done quite well. dynamics of drums and bass in some tracks including the title track leaves a lot to be desired but other than dynamics is not done badly. the cd is not overly loud either. some decisions were apparently made during the mastering to go for a tighter cleaner sound overall compared to my vinyl copy. the vinyl was murkier sounding overall but thetitle track had abit more meat tothe bones that added something.

i forget what a fine work aqualung is overall when i donot hear it for awhile.

i have a copy of one of the later cd issues i believe. i will rip it to music server give a fresh listen and report back.

It is the shame one can't return a disc because it is unplayable because of poor sound quality. That would be the only way that the record companies would get the message to not produce junk.
I agree about Springsteen too. There are artists whose music I will never purchase again because, "Once bitten twice shy"!
A couple of reviews of the Japanese mini LP version of Aqualung on Amazon warn would be purchasers to save their money too.
I will look into the "live" version of Aqualung.
Strangely enough a friend owns s CD I believe is called 'Original Masters' sounds great. I see it was remastered by Steve Hoffman. That's why it sounds so good.
However this shows there was nothing the matter with the original master tapes, but just a crappy remastering/transfering to CD job done by Chrysalis.
What a shame!

The DR databas site is very interesting, but I suspect the summary level measurements being done to quantify dynamic range alone are insufficient to determine the overall sound quality.

Have "Benefit" on vinyl and "Stand Up" on CD...haven't heard the alternative format for either but enjoy the music on each of these very much. To my mind these two (followed by "Aqualung") are the best of the Tull releases. I remember when Aqualung first came out and how popular it was. I especially enjoy the reverb-heavy flute intro to "Cross Eyed Mary". Personally, I found subsequent Tull releases kind of boring (don't mean to offend). A bit off-topic but I'm posting mainly to ask if anyone else had ever read a comment by Ian Anderson that he (the band?) despised "Benefit". My recollection is it wasn't the recording they wanted to do; they were forced into it by the producer/record company. Might have the details a bit confused. Anyone else read that opinion by Anderson? Regardless, I find it a very magical recording.

Sgr:

The same can be said of Springsteen. I love the music, I just can't listen to it on anything other than a automotive system and even then.......

By the way I agree w/ you on the Aqualung remaster. Also when I checked the dr database pointed to by Mapman's link, it appears that CD is rated as acceptable. That certainly doesn't agree with what I've heard.

There is a live cd version of Aqualung for a benefit. It is in a white cover. They are alternative versions with only Ian Anderson and Martin Barre from the original group (They have been the group for over 20 years). It is much better than the original/remastered cd. Also a budget EXTENDED PLAY from Jethro Tull is available at Wal mart with songs from Aqualung with very good sound. Usaually you can get it for $5 or 6 bucks.

take a look at this FWIW:

http://www.dr.loudness-war.info/index.php?search_artist=tull&sort=dr&order=desc

I have now purchased the original CD for Aqualung and the new "remastered CD" and I've never been so disappointed. While I really enjoy the music, (it is one of my favorite albums) these recordings are abominations! I've rarely heard such a compressed, nasty sounding piece of crap. It is hard to believe the master tapes were recorded so poorly. If I were the producer, I'd be ashamed to put my name on it! You wonder if Ian Anderson ever listened to the recording himself? I also own the LP from long ago, but don't remember if it sounded any better.
Is there a version that is actually reoorded well?
How about the Japanese versions?

This CD should be played for all prospective record producers as one of the worst examples of the recording art.
Very disappointed. I'd be afraid to waste my money again on any of Anderson's stuff.

The Jethro Tull Christmas album marks a return to the sound of the acoustic folk idiom that was popular from 1975-1979 (Songs from the Wood thru Stormwatch). Although Ian has lost his vocal range of 30 years ago, JT was never a vocal band IMO.

I have been a huge fan for a long time.Aqualung is my least favorite,probably because it is the most played on the radio.
I love Stand Up and Benefit(phase 1).I like War Child and Aqua Lung,but Thick as a Brick(phase 2)best.Passion Play is just strange (but I still like it).Minstrel in the Gallery is superb playing a the beginning of phase 3.Too Old to Rock and Roll was one of the best concerts I have ever seen and is in many ways a complete departure from Minstrel and the soon after coming "English folk" records with Songs from the Wood,Heavy Horses.Storm Watch was still more brilliance.

Tull's brilliance has continued on and on for years and seems to be continuing.

sorry for being so long winded.

e

FWIW:

My favorites are "Stand Up", "Thick as a Brick", "Songs From the Wood" and "Aqualung".

"Minstrel in the Gallery" is OK.

"Passion Play" never held my interest.

Vinyl still tends to best CD with Tull in general in my collection.

Try www.progarchives.com for all the info you'll ever need on Tull or any other acts related to Progressive Rock Music.

Agree with most of you about vinyl bettering CD and how good Stand Up and Benefit are, but you need to hear Songs From the Wood on Chrysalis.--Mrmitch

BTW, I very much enjoy Tull's live 1992 release entitled A Little Light Music. Stripped down (mostly acoustic) arrangements with the Fairport rhythm section of Dave Pegg (bass/mandolin) and Dave Mattacks (drums). A high quality recording with a somewhat distant perspective.

Yes. I have lots of Fairport.

I really enjoy the last five Fairport studio releases starting with 1997's appropriately named Who Knows where the Time Goes through 2007's Sense of Occasion. These are all exceptionally well recorded with production values and arrangements that are light years beyond Liege and Lief. L&L is no doubt a groudbreaking work which charted the course for almost 40 years now. I had the good fortune of seeing the entire album performed live with that version of Fairport (included Richard Thompson with singer Chris While standing in for the late Sandy Denny) at the band's annual summer festival in 2007 (Fairport's Cropredy Convention). Coincidentally, Jethro Tull performed later on the same evening.

Agreed.

Liege and Lief is terrific.

Yes, i have about 6 Fairport Convention remasters that i picked up last year along with some Richard Thompson and Sandy Denny.
Lieg and Lief is a fantastic Fairport album to start with in my opinion if you have never heard them before.

I'm not all that familiar with Fairport Convention music, but I do like Richard Thompson, and find many similarities b/w him and Anderson, as composers

Are any Tull enthusiasts also fans of Faiport Convention? Lots of cross pollination between these two musical organizations. FC members who have recorded with Tull include Dave Pegg (bass/mandolin), Martin Allcock (keys), Dave Mattacks (drums), Gerry Conway (drums and Ric Sanders (violin).

I have the Gold and the Chrysalis 25th or 30th Anniversary Remastered CD's.
I listened to them both yesterday.
They both sound pretty good to me.
Hmmmn...I may sell one on Ebay...

>>Mr. Barre also says in an interview on his website that Tull don't play anything from "Passion Play" because it's one of the least favourite albums amongst Tull fans.<<

I have most of the albums (including the first 8), saw them 4 times between 1970-1973, and think "Passion Play" is a terribly disjointed uninteresting album.

YMMV

This band has been through so many phases that it is hard to pick. But i must agree that i have an affinity for the earliest 5 albums. I own every Tull album available. I have found something to really enjoy on every one and then some.
Regarding Martin Barre's comment about Passion Play...that guy has a strange sense of humor as well and i would never take anything at face value with these guys. I've seen recent DVD interviews with Barre where he seemed so reserved and polite and then just recently (two years ago) saw them here in Reading, PA just before they recorded the Live Aqualung album. Let me tell ya that guy was possesed and a different chap altogether then you see in those DVD interviews. I was at the front of the stage an he was awesome. What a great concert that was at this rather small place and hearing them play songs from Aqualung that they have NEVER ever played live since it was recorded. I was in heaven. BUY em all! ; ) I did get the new remastered CD's since my turntable days are behind me. Some are better then others but the early stuff is pretty good. I always loved Minstrel in the Gallery for instance and War Child as some of the post Benefit offerings that were good to these ears. And then even much further down the road is Dot Com and Roots to Branches. Also i really have enjoyed Nightcap!
Anyway you have much Tull to get caught up on if you like the sound of this band : ) ENJOY .... i have for 33 years now.

"A" may not be the best but that tour on DVD is awesome! Not sound quality wise...but the band as a whole was great. Not the Mr. Anderson ever had anything BUT great players with him. The newer DVD is VERY well recorded...it's just too bad Ian's voice is about gone.

Markphd,
I agree with you on Anderson's creativity and his versatility. I don't think "A" and "Under Wraps" are inferior musically, it's just not my taste now.
Back when they just came out, I did like them both. Now, that 80s sound is a thing of the past for me.
I love his solo stuff, especially "Rupi's Dance".

It's funny how many Tull fans say that "A" and "Under Wraps" are not among their favourites.

If you're familiar with "jazz" Tull and "blues" Tull and "rock" Tull and "folk" Tull, then "electronic" Tull is a bit unexpected and wasn't welcome by many fans. It reminds me of Neil Young when he came out with "Tron". However, in my view, the ability to pull off many different styles of music is an indication of creativity that goes beyond those who simply keep putting out "more of the same" with each album. And since I mentioned him, Neil Young is like Jethro Tull in having put out music in many different styles.

And on the topic of "Under Wraps", I saw an interview with Martin Barre where he said that "Under Wraps" is his favourite Tull album. Go figure. If anybody would have been able to preduct that, I'd like to borrow that person's insight to help me pick some winning lottery numbers!

Mr. Barre also says in an interview on his website that Tull don't play anything from "Passion Play" because it's one of the least favourite albums amongst Tull fans.

Late again,
And that's my favorite band. I've been to pretty much every show in Phila. area since the early 90s, his solo with an orchestra included.
The last year's 40th Anniversary Tour show was the best by far.
As to their recordings- I can't name a bad album, maybe with the exclusion of "A" and "Under Wraps".
They are all different musically, and even the "weakest ones" are so much superior to other bands best output.
I consider Anderson one of the greatest contemporary musicians. Can't even put him squarely into the rock category. He's so much more, than that.
Sound wise- I feel "Christmas Album" is one of the best.
One strange thing- every time I see good vinyl copy of "Living in the Past", I can hardly stop myself from buying it, just like Bruce Willis in "Conspiracy Theory".

That's better.

OK, OK. Up to (and including).

What you mean up to PP? Passion Play is great.

Up to Passion Play, all great. "Best" 3 are first 3. Ian can't sing anymore. All his vocals are "clipped" and no longer fluid. It's tragic. He was so darn great. Still has a wicked sense of humour though.

Crest of a Knave is great musically, Ian's singing was purposely dumbed down so that he could get through the live performances after having gone through some vocal problems in the mid-80's. Sonically the best studio album IMO is The Jethro Tull Christmas Album. If you liked Songs from the Wood, you are sure to enjoy this.

First off,

I agree with those who commented that the first 5 records are all really good and after that....

But it's funny to see all these comments about Tull live without any mention of the sheer volume. I saw the Thick As A Brick tour when it hit Nassau, NY and, to this day, my main memory is that IA's flute at that spl was actually painful.

Marty

the aqualung mini lp cd from japan is about as good as its gonna get.

i would have to agree about aqualung evaluations; this was a poorly recorded piece of music so the remastering can only accomplish so much. I do have a remastered, do not know the year, it has an interview track along with a version of lick your fingers clean.