Jethro Tull

Following the end of the Stormwatch tour in early 1980, Jethro Tull would undergo its largest line-up shuffle to date, resulting in Barriemore Barlow, John Evan and Dee Palmer all leaving the band. Jethro Tull was left with Anderson (the only original member), Martin Barre and Dave Pegg.

There are numerous "best of Jethro Tull" albums on the market, and too many of them feature virtually the same songs that have been endlessly played on the radio for the last thirty years. Jethro Tull are a group that are so much more multi-faceted and unique than many of those "hits" would suggest. Kudos then, to those who assembled this collection, which delves deeper into Tull's enormous catalogue of compositions and comes up with a greater, more accurate perspective of the band's history.

A 21-track distillation of the three-disc Jethro Tull box set 20 Years of Jethro Tull, this collection has a few rarities, yet its focus is on the songs every casual fan knows – album rock hits and rarities, all assembled on one hits compilation. The more selective listener – and there are those among the casual listener (such is the character of art rock fans) – may find that this focuses too much on the accessible material, but anybody that learned to love the Tull through AM radio will find this a very good compilation overall, even if it's heavy on macho attitudes.

J-Tull Dot Com (1999) is the 20th studio album by the British band Jethro Tull, and their latest studio album consisting of all-original material. It was released four years after their 1995 album Roots to Branches and continues in the same vein, marrying hard-rock and art-rock with Eastern music influences…

Far and away the prettiest record Jethro Tull released at least since Thick as a Brick and a special treat for anyone with a fondness for the group's more folk-oriented material. Ian Anderson had moved to the countryside sometime earlier, and it showed in his choice of source material…

As the lead guitarist for Jethro Tull, Martin Barre has been joined at the hip to Ian Anderson since 1969, when he replaced Mick Abrahams in the group's lineup. His playing has provided much of the energy that allows the band to soar on record and in concert amid the beauty of Anderson's melodies and the complexity of his lyrics. 50 Years Of Jethro Tull, originally released in 2019 on UK's Garage Records is a wonderful showcase for the great Martin Barre. Barre does 28 classic Tull cuts and more than successfully recreates them as his own. Martin Barre is one of the best guitarists in Rock and this album is a tribute to both his skills and Jethro Tull as well.

With five decades behind them, there are certainly plenty of career overviews and compilations to be had for listeners looking to indulge in the choicest bits of the stalwart British progressive folk-rock band's career. The aptly named 50 for 50 sees Jethro Tull's longtime director of operations, Ian Anderson, deliver his picks, which range from instantly familiar classic rock radio staples "Aqualung" "Locomotive Breath," and "Cross-Eyed Mary" to later, more stylistically diverse offerings like "Steel Monkey" (from 1989's Grammy Award-winning Crest of a Knave) and the Middle Eastern-tinged "Rare and Precious Change" (from 1995's Roots to Branches)…