Record Reviews

JETHRO TULL ~ MINSTREL IN THE GALLERY (40TH ANNIVERSARY: LA GRANDE EDITION) CHRYSALIS 825646157204 (Barcode: 825646157204) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1975 Released: 2015 This is a reissue of the eighth album by the British Prog Masters Jethro TullFind albums by this artist and another chapter in the series of reissues of their seminal albums which are being remixed to new stereo and 5.1 surround sound versions by Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist, who is doing similar projects with classic Rock / Prog albums by other artists as well. It follows a similar treatment that Wilson applied to the reissues of all Jethro Tull albums starting with their third album "BenefitFind albums with this title". The reissue consists of two CDs and two DVDs. The first CD contains the new stereo mix of the original album and seven bonus tracks. The second CD contains a new stereo mix by Jakko JakszykFind albums by this artist of the group´s live performance at the Palais Des Sports, 5th July 1975. The first DVD contains the original album and two bonus tracks remixed in High-Resolution 96/24 LPCM stereo and 5.1 surround sound in High-Resolution DTS 96/24 format and AC3 Dolby Digital format, a flat transfer of the original mix with one bonus track in High-Resolution 96/24 LPCM stereo and a flat transfer of the original Quadraphonic version with one bonus track in two High-Resolution formats. The second DVD contains the live performance at the Palais Des Sports in two surround sound and one stereo High-Resolution formats and a promotional video clip of the album, filmed at this concert, again remixed into two surround sound and one stereo format. If you are confused by all these technical terms, don´t be – it is all complete bullshit piece of hype! Basically you don´t even get a copy of the original album, which you can listen to on conventional hi-fi equipment, but you get seven bonus tracks and a whole live concert. The entire set is lavishly packaged in a digibook format, with great photos of the band, background material, the song lyrics and other goodies, which are all beyond reproach. This album carries the orchestration aspect of its predecessor, scaled down to a string quartet. It returns to the earlier format of mixing English Folk motifs and almost acoustic instrumentation with heavier parts dominated by the guitar. As usually this album was savagely criticized by the critics at the time of its release. In retrospect it defeats short-sighted critics and proves to be definitely as good as all other Jethro Tull albums and perhaps even one of their most coherent, elegant and aesthetically pleasing ventures. In Rock / Prog history Jethro Tull definitely remains as a group that managed to produce consistently excellent output, mainly of course due to the charismatic leadership of Ian AndersonFind albums by this artist. The other members of the group on this album were guitarist Martin BarreFind albums by this artist, keyboardist John EvanFind albums by this artist, bassist Jeffrey Hammond-HammondFind albums by this artist and drummer Barriemore BarlowFind albums by this artist. Incidentally the Paris concert has almost nothing to do with this album, as it was at the time still in the recording stage. Only the title song is performed during the concert and the rest is the usual "best off" collection of the band´s favorites. But of course, Jethro Tull always was a superb live band, so this is a great addition to their recording legacy. Jakszyk´s mix is perfect. Side Note As for the Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist contributions, I´m perplexed time after time why anybody being of sound mind would allow him to butcher the original material and then hype the results as spectacular. These original mixes are untouchable and anybody trying to change them is more or less re-painting Van Gogh, re-sculpturing Michelangelo or re-writing the Bible, all truly barbaric acts of disrespect. Additionally I find his stereo mixes to be dry, artificial and deviant, badly damaging the original ambience of the recordings. Perhaps for people who are not familiar with the original sound this sounds fine, but for me it´s unbearable and sacrilegious. In addition I find the surround sound completely redundant, hoping for years that it will go away as did quad and other industry inventions meant to earn some more money from the suckers following the trends. The whole high resolution hype is so ridiculous; in reality most people are deaf anyway and can´t tell one note from another even if it bites them in the ass and use ridiculously lo-fi equipment. In short Emperor´s new clothes, as usual, and no shame whatsoever.

Updated: 25/05/2018Posted: 16/01/2016

2CD+2DVD 4 Digibook Box Set Oversampling DVD-A Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

JETHRO TULL ~ MINSTREL IN THE GALLERY (EXPANDED EDITION) EMI 541572 (Barcode: 724354157226) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1975 8th album by Jethro TullFind albums by this artist. This beautiful work marks the transition of the group between the epic concept albums back to the song format (It containes one extended composition `Baker St. Muse`). Also the fascination of JT leader Ian AndersonFind albums by this artist with English folk music and themes is becomming more evident and the blues and rock roots are delicately covered. A masterpiece in every respect.

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend