Jethro Tull – The Best of Anniversary Collection

Description

Opening Line: Lars & Metallica wish they had as deep & broad a catalog as their arch Grammy nemesis.

The Skinny: If you’re a big Tull fan, this isn’t for you. But if you just dig them a little (or have only heard the name) and want a definitive collection that includes the big tracks, as well as some great album cuts, scoop this thing up. This comprehensive collection might’ve been released to capitalize on the interest generated in Tull in the early ’90s following their famous Grammy controversy with Metallica.

Sounds like: Traffic, Genesis, Wishbone Ash, Moody Blues, Stawbs, Marillion, Procol Harum, ELP, (not) Metallica

Deeper Thoughts: The Grammys in 1989 introduced the new category “Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance – Vocal or Instrumental.” It was expected to go to Metallica for And Justice for All…, but instead Jethro Tull won for their Crest of a Knave. Metallica’s celebrated dickhead drummer was predictably still butt-hurt ten years later, bitching “I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I was disappointed. Human nature is that you’d rather win than lose, but Jethro Tull walking away with it makes a huge mockery of the intentions of the event.” (insert eye-roll emoji) Three tracks from Knave appear in this set.

There are 36 total tracks here that represent the full spectrum of Tull. Like many ’70s English bands, they began as a heavy electric blues outfit (“A Song for Jeffrey”). But front man Ian Anderson’s flute and his Renaissance minstrel tendencies, abetted by guitarist Martin Barre, bassist Jeffrey Hammond and drummer Barriemore Barlow, soon took Tull in more experimental directions. Plenty of the ’70s classics here, but great lesser-known cuts like “To Cry You a Song” and “Broadsword” also.

The Sonics: This collection allegedly consists of the “original mixes.” If that’s the case, then Anderson & Co. maybe should have originally rode the 60-250 Hz faders a little harder. I could use a heavier bottom end on many of these tracks. The acoustic sounds are full, round and natural, and the electric guitar is crisp and crunchy throughout. But the whole affair is pretty mid-rangey. The soundstage is great on headphones, but I always thought the lead vocals were too hot in most Tull mixes (still think so). This is not reference-quality sound, but it’s consistent and just fine for this type of retrospective.

Compilation track listing

Disc 1

1. “A Song for Jeffrey” – 3:19
2. “Beggar’s Farm” – 4:19
3. “A Christmas Song” – 3:07
4. “A New Day Yesterday” – 4:09
5. “Bourée” (Instrumental) – 3:46
6. “Nothing Is Easy” – 4:23
7. “Living in the Past” – 3:21
8. “To Cry You a Song” – 6:15
9. “Teacher” – 4:01
10. “Sweet Dream” – 4:02
11. “Cross-Eyed Mary” – 4:09
12. “Mother Goose” – 3:53
13. “Aqualung” – 6:36
14. “Locomotive Breath” – 4:25
15. “Life Is a Long Song” – 3:19
16. “Thick as a Brick” (extract) – 3:02
17. “A Passion Play” (extract) – 3:47 (“Magus Perdé”)
18. “Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day” – 3:52
19. “Bungle in the Jungle” – 3:39

Disc 2

1. “Minstrel in the Gallery” (Edited version) – 6:10
2. “Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young to Die” – 5:40
3. “Songs from the Wood” – 4:54
4. “Jack-in-the-Green” – 2:30
5. “The Whistler” – 3:32
6. “Heavy Horses” – 8:57
7. “Dun Ringill” – 2:41
8. “Fylingdale Flyer” – 4:32
9. “Jack-a-Lynn” – 4:42
10. “Pussy Willow” – 3:53
11. “Broadsword” – 4:59
12. “Under Wraps II” – 2:14
13. “Steel Monkey” – 3:34
14. “Farm on the Freeway” – 6:28
15. “Jump Start” – 4:53
16. “Kissing Willie” – 3:31
17. “This Is Not Love” – 3:54