Jethro Tull - The Originals (1998) [3CD Box Set]

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Jethro Tull - The Originals (1998) [3CD Box Set]

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While audiophile editions of Thick as a Brick, Aqualung, Living in the Past, and A Passion Play are easily obtainable, Tull's very earliest albums have languished in substandard editions on CD for ten years. This triple-CD box from England, part of EMI's 100th Anniversary reissue series, rectifies the problem, featuring newly remastered versions of This Was, Stand Up, and Benefit, each packaged in a miniature re-creation of the original LP sleeve (including the pop-up figures in Stand Up), and all priced at around $11 a disc. That's not a bad deal when one takes into account that nobody inthe U.S. even thinks of remastering This Was, the group's least pretentious and bluesiest album, and the one least dominated by Ian Anderson. These reissues are first-rate, quieter, smoother, and richer in sound. Mick Abrahams' guitar on "Serenade to a Cuckoo" glistens, while Clive Bunker's percussion on "Dharma for One" (containing maybe the only non-boring drum solo in progressive rock that wasn't played by Bill Bruford) is startling in its bright closeness, and Glenn Cornick's bass is sharp and rich throughout. "Cat's Squirrel" is an even better showcase for Abrahams now than it was originally – his guitar is so loud, crisp and up front that he's really in Eric Clapton territory here, and the new mastering enhances the crispness. Stand Up, where Anderson takes control of the band's sound and turns it toward a less formulaic mix of blues, rock, and folk (with mandolin added to the band's sound), is comparable to the old Mobile Fidelity Ultradisc – Mobile Fidelity's may have a very, very slightly weightier sound, but the new EMI's is better balanced and, as a result, had greater clarity. Benefit, where the folk influence in the group's sound becomes more pronounced along with the progressive elements inherent in extended solos, is the equal to the others, rich-toned, high-volume and very, very crisp – Martin Barre's guitar, in particular, on "With You There to Help Me" and "Nothing to Say" has an almost palpably crunchy texture, yet neither the details of Anderson's swirling, psychedelic flute accompaniment on the former, nor the overall lyricism of the latter, is sacrificed. The only drawback to be found, ironically enough, is in the artwork on This Was – in re-creating the original jackets as a miniature gatefold sleeve, the reduction of size in the lettering of credits and song titles has resulted in a lack of clarity that is sure to annoy some people. Some new notes on the recording of each album and the band's history during this era would also have been nice, especially since these three albums comprise the development of the Jethro Tull sound as it became known to millions of listeners. But short of yet a newer 20-bit remastering, this set is the best way to hear these early Tull sides.

by Bruce Eder, AMG

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Jethro Tull - The Originals (1998) [3CD Box Set]

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Jethro Tull - The Originals (1998) [3CD Box Set]

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Jethro Tull was very much a blues band on their debut album, vaguely reminiscent of the Graham Bond Organization only more cohesive, and with greater commercial sense. The revelations about the group's roots on This Was – which was recorded during the summer of 1968 – can be astonishing, even 30 years after the fact. Original lead guitarist Mick Abrahams contributed to the songwriting and the singing, and his presence as a serious bluesman is felt throughout, often for the better: "Some Day the Sun Won't Shine for You," an Ian Anderson original that could just as easily be credited to Big Bill Broonzy or Robert Johnson; "Cat's Squirrel," Abrahams' big showcase, where he ventures into Eric Clapton territory; and "It's Breaking Me Up," which also features some pretty hot guitar from Abrahams. Roland Kirk's "Serenade to a Cuckoo" (the first song Anderson learned to play on flute), their jazziest track ever, is one of the best parts of the album. The drum solo on "Dharma for One" now seems like a mistake, but is understandable in the context of the time in which it was done. The one number here that everybody knows, "A Song for Jeffrey," almost pales amid these surroundings, but at the time it was a superb example of commercial psychedelic blues. This would be the last album of its kind by the group, as Abrahams' departure and the lure of more fertile inspiration tugged them toward English folk music. Curiously, the audio mix here is better than that on their second album, with a much stronger, harder group sound overall. In late 2001, This Was was reissued in a remastered edition with much crisper sound and three bonus tracks. The jazzy improvisation "One for John Gee" (a reference to the manager of the Marquee Club), the folky "Love Story" (which marked the end of Mick Abrahams' tenure with the group), and the novelty piece "Christmas Song" have all been heard before but, more to the point, they're worth hearing again, especially in the fidelity they have here.

by Bruce Eder, AMG

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Jethro Tull - The Originals (1998) [3CD Box Set]

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The group's second album, with Ian Anderson (vocals, flute, acoustic guitars, keyboards, balalaika), Martin Barre (electric guitar, flute), Clive Bunker (drums), and Glenn Cornick (bass), solidified their sound. There are still elements of blues present in their music, but except for the opening track, "A New Day Yesterday," it is far more muted than on their first album – new lead guitarist Martin Barre had few of the blues stylings that characterized Mick Abrahams' playing. Rather, the influence of English folk music manifests itself on several cuts, including "Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square" and "Look into the Sun." The instrumental "Bouree," which could've passed for an early Blood, Sweat & Tears track, became a favorite concert number, with an excellent solo bit featuring Cornick's bass, although at this point Anderson's flute playing on-stage needed a lot of work. As a story-song with opaque lyrics, jarring tempo changes, and loud electric passages juxtaposed with soft acoustic-textured sections, "Back to the Family" is an early forerunner to Thick as a Brick. Similarly, "Reasons for Waiting," with its mix of closely miked acoustic guitar and string orchestra, all hung around a hauntingly beautiful folk-based melody, pointed in the direction of that conceptual piece and its follow-up, A Passion Play. The only major flaw in this album is the mix, which divides the electric and acoustic instruments and fails to find a solid center, but even that has been fixed on recent CD editions. The original LP had a gatefold jacket that included a pop-up representation of the band that has been lost on all subsequent CD versions, except for the Mobile Fidelity audiophile release. In late 2001, Stand Up was re-released in a remastered edition with bonus tracks that boasted seriously improved sound. Anderson's singing comes off richer throughout, and the electric guitars on "Look into the Sun" are very well-delineated in the mix, without any loss in the lyricism of the acoustic backing; the rhythm section on "Nothing Is Easy" has more presence, Bunker's drums and hi-hat playing sounding much closer and sharper; the mandolin on "Fat Man" is practically in your lap; you can hear the action on the acoustic guitar on "Reasons for Waiting," even in the orchestrated passages; and the band sounds like it's in the room with you pounding away on "For a Thousand Mothers." Among the bonus tracks, recorded at around the same time, "Living in the Past," "Driving Song," and "Sweet Dreams" all have a richness and resonance that was implied but never heard before.

by Bruce Eder, AMG

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Jethro Tull - The Originals (1998) [3CD Box Set]

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Benefit was the album on which the Jethro Tull sound solidified around folk music, abandoning blues entirely. Beginning with the opening number, "With You There to Help Me," Anderson adopts his now-familiar, slightly mournful folksinger/sage persona, with a rather sardonic outlook on life and the world; his acoustic guitar carries the melody, joined by Martin Barre's electric instrument for the crescendos. This would be the model for much of the material on Aqualung and especially Thick as a Brick, although the acoustic/electric pairing would be executed more effectively on those albums. Here the acoustic and electric instruments are merged somewhat better than they were on Stand Up (on which it sometimes seemed like Barre's solos were being played in a wholly different venue), and as needed, the electric guitars carry the melodies better than on previous albums. Most of the songs on Benefit display pleasant, delectably folk-like melodies attached to downbeat, slightly gloomy, but dazzlingly complex lyrics, with Barre's guitar adding enough wattage to keep the hard rock listeners very interested. "To Cry You a Song," "Son," and "For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me" all defined Tull's future sound: Barre's amp cranked up to ten (especially on "Son"), coming in above Anderson's acoustic strumming, a few unexpected changes in tempo, and Anderson spouting lyrics filled with dense, seemingly profound imagery and statements. As on Stand Up, the group was still officially a quartet, with future member John Evan (whose John Evan Band had become the nucleus of Jethro Tull two years before) appearing as a guest on keyboards; his classical training proved essential to the expanding of the group's sound on the three albums to come. Benefit was reissued in a remastered edition with bonus tracks at the end of 2001, which greatly improved the clarity of the playing and the richness of the sound; the four additional tracks are "Singing All Day," "Witch's Promise," the elegant, gossamer-textured "Just Trying to Be," and the original U.K. mix of "Teacher." Written and recorded prior to Benefit, they're all lighter in mood than the material from the original album, adding some greater variety but fitting in perfectly on a stylistic level.

by Bruce Eder , AMG

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Jethro Tull - The Originals (1998) [3CD Box Set]

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