Search - Jethro Tull :: 3 for 1

Not the deal I hoped for

doug | North Bay, Ontario Canada | 04/21/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I saw this 3 cd collection of Tull's first 3 releases and issued in 2000 I thought I had found a really good deal. Unfortunately these are not remasters although the sound is not bad. I am not disappointed with the albums and nor should you., the first is bluesy and the following two are more like the Tull we have all grown to love"

Buy the remasters separately

Arvind Kher | Pune, MH India | 03/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For those who love Tull, this review is superfluous because you already own all three albums. But for those who are only familiar with Aqualung, Thick As A Brick, or compilations, this set will put it all in perspective, revealing why people are so fanatical about Jethro Tull.These are three superb albums, in which you can hear, feel, and even see the transformation of Tull from egalitarian jazz-blues-rock band to Anderson & Flunkies. Some may argue that Mick Abrahams' departure was detrimental in that Anderson lost his counterpoint. But the absence of a creative threat resulted in Anderson allowing much more freedom to successor Martin Barre.It is impossible to review 30 songs in 1000 words, so let's cover the albums briefly, in order of appearance.
1. This Was: Very unstructured and ostensibly undisciplined arrangements. Production values variable, sometimes tinny, occasionally boxy. In spite of all this, an absolutely brilliant debut. Compares favorably with The Doors (debut) and Sgt. Pepper's, both of which came out about the same time, but is poles apart from either of those two. Very obvious jazz influence. Writing credits evenly distributed. Each song is different from the other, but the entire album must be heard in one sitting. Twice.
2. Stand Up: Excellent follow-up effort. Less jazz, less blues, but still not Classic Rock as we know it today. Exit Abrahams, enter Barre. Not a very impressive debut for Martin; no sign of the heights he would later scale. High level of musicianship all around. Lyrics still irreverent, but getting a bit serious sometimes. More oriented to individual songs.
3. Benefit: The first signs of acknowledging the importance of moving some merchandise. Tighter arrangements, superior production, even some pretty low-brow riffs from Martin. But balanced by really brilliant guitar work, especially behind Ian's singing. As if to make up for the commercial sound, most of the lyrics are cleverly cynical, not in-your-face obvious.You will be hard-pressed to find a better one-two-three effort from any band. Each of the three discs is a must-buy in it's own right. But when they're available at $10.99 a piece (and remastered, to boot), total $32.97, why would you pay $37.49 for the set? Just for the slip case? I don't think so.
(Well, prices are subject to change without notice, so the cost comparison is as of date. Get whatever's cheapest; you're buying the music, not the packaging.)"