Jethro Tull Was

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.

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.

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…

Jethro Tull - Bursting Out (Live!) (1978) [2CD] {Japan Mini LP Edition 2004}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 627 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 225 Mb | Artwork (web)
© 2004 Toshiba-EMI / Chrysalis | TOCP-67367/68
Rock / Prog Rock / Art Rock

Throughout the '70s, Jethro Tull was one of the world's premier live acts, regularly playing to sold-out audiences in huge arenas all over the world. With his inimitable theatrics and manic flute improvisations, Ian Anderson was always the consummate showman, and he peppers these performances with the relaxed, cheeky stage patter of a seasoned veteran. Recorded live in Europe in 1978.

Listen to this collection, put together to capitalize on the explosive growth in the group's audience after Aqualung, and it's easy to understand just how fine a group Jethro Tull was in the early '70s. Most of the songs, apart from a few heavily played album tracks ("Song for Jeffrey," etc.) and a pair of live tracks from a 1970 Carnegie Hall show, came off of singles and EPs that, apart from the title song, were scarcely known in America, and it's all so solid that it needs no apology or explanation. Not only was Ian Anderson writing solid songs every time out, but the group's rhythm section was about the best in progressive rock's pop division. Along with any of the group's first five albums, this collection is seminal and essential to any Tull collection, and the only compilation by the group that is a must-own disc.

Jethro Tull - The Broadsword And The Beast (1982) {Japan Mini LP Edition 2005, TOCP-67680}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 440 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 163 Mb | Artwork (web)
© 2005 Toshiba-EMI / Chrysalis | TOCP-67680
Rock / Prog Rock / Art Rock

In the '80s, Jethro Tull was no longer the dominant force on the rock scene they had been throughout much of the previous decade, but the indomitable Ian Anderson continued to make ambitious records based on themes of ages past, even in an era of skinny ties and drum machines. BROADSWORD AND THE BEAST has a marked swords-and-sorcery motif; Anderson is depicted as a winged elfin creature on the cover. Despite such leanings, producer Paul Samwell-Smith–original bassist for the Yardbirds–gives the record a modern gloss, weaving the synthesizer playing of Peter-John Vettesse and the out-sized guitars of Tull stalwart Martin Barre through BROADSWORD's vaguely medieval-sounding romps.

Jethro Tull - Minstrel In The Gallery (1975) {Japan Mini LP Edition 2003}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 371 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 138 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 24 Mb
© 2003 Toshiba-EMI / Chrysalis | TOCP-67183
Rock / Prog Rock / Art Rock

Jethro Tull was at the height of its fame in the mid-'70s. Although critics sometimes found their songs overly ornate and the lyrics too arty, the fans didn't mind, and Tull was one of the most successful live acts in the world. MINSTREL IN THE GALLERY showcases Ian Anderson's idiosyncratic vision of progressive rock, one in which he married hard-rock chords and thunderous rave-ups with gentle balladry and the earthy sounds of his flute and acoustic guitar.