Search - Jethro Tull :: This Was (Collectors Edition) (2CD)

This Was (Collectors Edition)

Stuart Jefferson | San Diego,Ca | 06/12/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Two discs. 71,55 min. each. Remastered sound. I must first make a confession-this is still my favorite album in Jethro Tull's catalogue. So with that in mind,here we go. Recorded rather quickly and on the cheap,this contains a lot of why British "rock" music was so interesting. Take a bit of blues,some Roland Kirk-style flute,including singing into the flute while playing,a slight bit of folk music,and some good old rock and roll-English style- and there you have it.



In 1968 I can remember purchasing this as an "import" from Tower Records. On first listen,I thought,what in the world is this? At the time very few people seemed to like it,thinking it a curiosity. Now we have the 40 year anniversary release,and if you liked the original,you'll like this. The new stereo mix lets the various instruments breathe a bit and the overall sound is cleaner than previous releases. There is a curious overall "lightness" in the sound,not in a negative way,but the combined force of the music is not as immediate when compared to the mono version. Being of an age when mono was the only way you heard most music,maybe that's a predjudice that can't be overcome. However,it's nice to have both in one handy package,along with other tracks from the period.



The BBC session,while sounding a bit flat,is certainly nice to have. The first track,So Much Trouble,has the Tull slide guitar-harmonica sound which we all know. It's interesting but not truly essential. My Sunday Feeling and Serenade to a Cuckoo both follow the originals. That could also be said for the rest of this session. Not until we get to Stormy Monday do we hear a track not from the album,but a song Tull had in their live repertoire at the time. This track demonstrates why this album has always been a favorite of mine. Here they take a blues tune,add some jazz drumming and flute and Ian Anderson's best blues vocal,and come out at the end with that "This Was" sound. The two final tracks pretty much follow the originals,but as I said,for anyone who likes this era of Tull,thats just fine.



As for the new stereo mixes of Love Story and Christmas Song on the second disc,they too have a much more "open" feel than previous recordings. Unlike the majority of this album,Christmas Story looks ahead to the Tull sound that went on to capture the imaginations of Americans everywhere. The vocal is pushed forward and the sound is leaning towards the minstral-folk sound Tull would make famous. The four mono tracks,all period singles, that conclude this set are typical Tull at that time,though I must say that One For John Gee is a personal favorite-what with the flute,bass and drums all pushing into jazz territory.



So,like I said,if you liked this album and found so much to listen for throughout the original album,you will like this. Included is a booklet with period photographs,the original liner notes,and input from the band members looking back all those years. This is an album,that,while dated, will never go out of style,as long as people are interested in something,as Ian Anderson says,that is a bit off."

Excellent sound on a great classic album!

Stereo Fan | Southern CA United States | 06/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have just A/B'd the stereo disc of this new 2CD version of "This Was" with two previously issued CD versions (the Chrysalis and Hollywood versions). This one is the big winner BUT some will have good counter-arguments because the mix presented here is not the original mix. The listener of the new set will notice the heavy reverb that was applied to Anderson's voice is nearly entirely gone. Both previous issues had heavy reverb on his voice. With the reverb gone, the mix sounds so much cleaner. The voice and instruments are still in their general stereo positions (voice on the right, lead guitar on the left, etc...). The EQ is significantly different than what we hear on the Chrysalis version, and not so different from the Hollywood label version. The old Chrysalis CD clearly used a tape mastered for lp with the heavy bottom sucked out to keep the consumer's stylus from jumping the groove. This new double CD issue is a great improvement on the original mix. The original mix can only be preferred for sentimental reasons."

Someday the Sun Will Shine

silly narwhal | Portland, OR United States | 07/07/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"And it's today~ this release is everything it could be, including the complete recordings of this quartet (the 2001 remaster left off Sunshine Day) and complete BBC sessions; I'd heard rumors of Serenade to a Cuckoo & Cat's Squirrel BBC performances, but had never seen them even on bootleg till now. This stuff is gold. BBC So Much Trouble, Beggar's Farm, and Dharma For One had never seen official release before, and Song For Jeffrey & Stormy Monday were interrupted by the radio announcer on previous releases. These are all uninterrupted. I understand the previous comment of them sounding a little flat, production-wise. But the performances--though some are characteristically shorter for BBC--certainly lack none of this lineup's energy or musicianship...I'm loving the newfound instrumentals in particular. At first, I thought the My Sunday Feeling was one of those studio-live hybrids (perhaps with live guitar only), but after very careful comparison I'm convinced the BBC is a different performance; drums, guitar, and vocal are different (Ian sings the "don't nobody ask me" line rather than the studio "won't somebody tell me"), and I think drums tell the tale--maybe it's the vocal effect on Ian's voice that makes it sound like the studio. One does hear simultaneous vocal & flute on Beggar's Farm and a bit of Sunday Feeling, but minor overdubs happened on BBC (Cream, for example). Love Story is the only one my jury's still out on, sounds like there could possibly be some importing of studio tracks~ but not definitively. Anyone else care to listen & weigh in?



Oh yeah, and This Was itself. Rolling Stone once wrote that Tull was never again so ferocious musically, and it's true (though New Day Yesterday & Nothing is Easy on Stand Up, and Teacher's instrumental break are throwbacks). The rhythm section of Cornick and Bunker just couldn't, and still can't, be beat~ they're each about the most underrated players on their instruments that I can think of. And Abrahams' playing is so distinctive; the BBC stuff just underscores that. Too bad One For John Gee didn't close the original album, it's one of my very favorites, too~ kind of a two-minute compression of this Tull in a nutshell. They only include it on disc 2 here, but it's here.



Only Song For Jeffrey (not counting Love Story) really points to where they're headed, the album title is incredibly prescient. But by all means, stop here and soak in this original version of Jethro Tull. These guys smoke, and I really wish I could jump in a time machine and watch them cook the Marquee club in 1968.



I do wish a critical essay of the album's significance was included, but there are liner notes from each band member, so can't really complain. Ian's are mostly repeated from 2001 and are the longest by far, but glad everyone was acknowledged. They really were a band with the voices of every single member creating the sound.



I hope deluxes happen for Stand Up, Benefit, and Aqualung as well.



*ADDED COMMENTS~ After more listens, the BBC Cat's Squirrel surpasses the studio version hands down for me; it's a minute shorter, but Abrahams is doing more interesting stuff, and it's great on the final return to the riff where he catches Bunker during a drum roll and Bunker continues rolling it all the way through to re-entry. This performance is a must-own, given the dearth of recordings by this lineup.



Also, the studio remixes of Christmas Song & Love Story--especially the latter--really are different, and wonderful. The string instruments on the latter are separated for the first time so you can really here what's being played. Flip right back to the mono mix and you'll here how muddled it all is in the middle~ classic sound, sure, but it's sweet to have the alternative. So sweet, in fact, that now I want one for One For John Gee; my only, ONLY complaint.







"