Search - Jethro Tull :: Very Best of Jethro Tull

Gail S. (Goldie) from SCOTTSVILLE, NY
Reviewed on 1/12/2007...

*****

Are you kidding me?

Johnny Boy | Hockessin, DE | 03/10/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Jethro Tull. They are a legendary progressive group whose music has made an impact on many generations. Led by Ian Anderson, the legendary flute player and singer and Martin Barre, Tull has made some of the finest music ever put out.



'The Very Best of Jethro Tull,' unfortunately doesn't document it. There are so many songs missing. And, 'Thick As A Brick' and 'Heavy Horses' are both edited. 'Thick As A Brick' is chopped down from 40+ minutes to just 3:03, and 'Heavy Horses' from 8+ to 3:20.



And, if you're going to issue 'The Very Best of Jethro Tull' AT LEAST MAKE IT TWO DISCS!!! Where is 'Teacher,' 'Crossfire,' 'A Song For Jeffrey,' 'Warchild' and 'Dharma For One'? These are key tracks to Jethro Tull's legacy, and yet, they are all not on here!



This disc does fill 78 of the 80 minutes that can be held on a disc, so it's not skimpy, but it could be a lot better. If you want a Jethro Tull collection of songs in their full-length versions, check out 'Classic Masters' or 'Through The Years.' It doesn't matter, considering they are identical.



The bottom line is Chrysalis could have done A LOT better."

A unique sounding band...easy listening, soft rock. 7/10

dfle3 | Australia | 01/05/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"
Occasionally I will roam outside of my comfort zone if I come across an album by a band I've heard of, and the price is right. This title fitted the bill...I got this as part of a '3 cds for $25' deal at a chain store near where I live. So, I'm reviewing this album as someone who's only heard one Tull song on the radio, and I wouldn't have been able to name that song to you, before I'd heard this album, seeing as how rarely you hear that song, here in Australia.



Anyway, this compilation has one out and out classic: "Living in the past". I'd call that song "easy listening" in style. If that term has negeative connotations for you, well, it doesn't for me, and you'd be missing something great by avoiding it. The song features the lead singer, Ian Anderson, on flute. Many of the songs on this album feature the flute. It is one of the defining characteristics of this band...like The Doors' and Deep Purple's use of the organ in their music. The song itself has a jazzy, sophisticated, cocktail lounge kind of sound. It features the bass, it swings, it's smooth, it's great.



Listening to this compilation, I can't really see why this band is classed as rock. I'd heard this cd a while after reading somewhere that Jethro Tull has beaten Metallica to a Grammy in some hard rock category. Maybe those heavier tracks aren't included here...I don't know. They don't seem very hard rock to me in any case.



There are one or two songs that remind me of some of Iron Maiden's mellower songs. Iron Maiden are a very famous British heavy metal band. Perhaps the songs that brought Maiden to mind include "Broadsword" and "Roots to branches". My second favourite Maiden song, after "Run to the hills" (which is a heavy metal classic, in my view), is "The clansman", which is a very nice and mellow (for the most part) song. "Roots to branches" is perhaps most in that style. It may be possible that a band like Iron Maiden took on some influence from Jethro Tull, though this is mere speculation on my part.



Apart from "Living in the past", there are a couple of songs that rise above being merely 'listenable' for me. Namely:



"Roots to branches": has a "The Clansman" style electric guitar, flute, and an interesting drum performance.



"A song for Jeffrey": features the flute, bass, a cool sounding slide guitar and a very nice sounding harmonica element. The song sounds American, lyrically and vocals wise.



Overall, you can listen to the album in its entirety, easily. That for me is a plus, which is why I'm giving it 7/10. So many bands release a greatest hits compilation and you really only choose to listen to a few songs and actively avoid the rest.



There is much to be said for the variety of sounds and instruments in this cd. The inclusion of the flute works...it's not just some eccentricity which has to be borne in good grace. Some tracks are the kind of thing you'd hear from heavy metal groups..."Roots to branches", which I've already mentioned, and "Sweet dream", which has a touch of Black Sabbath to it. Orchestral instruments feature occasionally. Sometimes the music may sound bluesy, or Native American, or jazzy. Lots of variety, in any case.



Without really being that familiar with the traditions that Jethro Tull draws on, I'd say that it's my impression that their music has tinges of Celtic music, traditional folk music and maybe even mediaeval sounds. These are all genres that I'm not familiar with, but they are impressions that I get.



The cd liner notes are a pleasure to read...written by Ian Anderson himself. He starts off bemoaning people who buy only compilations themselves. Then he...(no, I'll let you read that for yourself!). In any case, Anderson can thank people like me for paying money they otherwise wouldn't have spent on for something by him.



All in all, this is has been a worthwhile experimental purchase. Now that I know that that song I really liked on the radio by them was "Living in the past", I don't think I'll forget that easily. Great song, and otherwise an interesting collection of songs."