jethro tull / albums

The 2004 two-disc version of this 1978 double album totals only 15 minutes longer than what can fit on a single CD. Therefore, each platter is about 20 minutes short of its potential playing time. So why not unearth more or different performances from the tour to flesh out the extra space? This is especially annoying because most other Jethro Tull remasters from 2001 onward have done exactly that. Although the sound is sharper and Ian Anderson writes the (rather unnecessary) liner notes, this remains a frustrating release, more for what it could have been than for what it is. Recorded on the tour supporting 1978's Heavy Horses, Tull successfully mix tracks dating back as far as "Sweet Dream" and an abbreviated "New Day Yesterday" with tunes from their less popular material from the bucolic, British folk-based Horses and its similarly themed predecessor, Songs From the Wood. It's a tight, energetic performance showing a terrific band at its best as it shifts from arena-filling hard rock to tricky prog and more sedate fare. Anderson's between-song banter is a little too self-consciously wry, yet it seems like he is at least enjoying himself as he leads this classic version of Tull through its paces like a pro. It's an excellent overview of the band's work through the late '70s, but the 2004 reissue misses the chance to be an even better, more definitive portrait of the group in its prime. ~ Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide