If there are any dedicated Tullies who were wondering whether this may be just another rehash of old material, not really worth investing in, rest assured that it is a must for your collection.
Although this is a re-recording of the original Aqualung album, there is enough originality about this work to justify the outlay, even for those who do not consider themselves to be die-hard fans.
Recording in front of a small but enthusiastic (not to mention damned lucky !) bunch of fans gives it a 'live' feeling but with more intimacy than a full blown concert performance (a bit like an 'unplugged' set maybe ?).
Most of the tracks have a newish feel, especially the superb Mother Goose and Hymn 43, and the only downside is that you will wince as Ian strains sometimes to reach some of the notes with the same power as before, which has also become more noticable in some recent concert performances.
There are several 'bonus' tracks at the end where Ian and Martin muse about riffs and life and so on, and when his tombstone is prepared, it will surely have "Look, it really really wasn't a concept album you know !" chiselled on it in huge letters :-)
The decision to give all royalties to charities for the homeless surely clinches it, as Ian says in the sleeve notes : "To put this recording on general release as a full-price, money-grabbing "new" album would hardly be appropriate". The only downside is that as a Limited Edition release availability might become an issue.
As I haven't now seen the band live for more than a decade, and appearances are getting increasingly rare, hearing this will spur me on to seek them out in ever more obscure venues.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Not a bad review, but more info needed. Read a few others and you'll soon get the hang of it. Scarlett x
mattygroves 16.05.2006 17:38
I LOVE Jethro Tull, and have seen them a few times since 1985 (the first time). I'd still be wary about this album - Anderson's voice was so much stronger and had so much more range in his youth than it does now. He looks like someone's favourite uncle now - it really makes me laugh! Still, any Tull fan is a friend of mine :) Cheers!
mattydalton 16.05.2006 16:56
I have only ever heard one song by them to my knowledge. That was the one on the tv advert
Advantages: thius is the type of album that you can relax to after a hard days work Disadvantages: to be honest I can't think of any disadvantages about this album
Advantages: thius is the type of album that you can relax to after a hard days work Disadvantages: to be honest I can't think of any disadvantages about this album
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