Record Reviews

JETHRO TULL ~ SONGS FROM THE WOOD CHRYSALIS 583517 (Barcode: 724358351729) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1977 Released: 2003 10th album and surely the most `loved` Jethro TullFind albums by this artist album of all. Ian AndersonFind albums by this artist reaches perfection here in his ballance between rock and folk music, digging deeply into ancient traditions of the early English folk and spicing them with modern arrangements. The melodies are simple on the surface, but quite complex when lisened to attentively. The singing and playing are just perfect - an absolute treasure!

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

JETHRO TULL ~ SONGS FROM THE WOOD (THE COUNTRY SET) CHRYSALIS 190295847876 (Barcode: 190295847876) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1976 - 1977 Released: 2017 This is a 40th Anniversary Edition reissue of the tenth 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 (except the debut as of now) early Jethro Tull releases. The reissue consists of three CDs and two DVDs. The first CD contains the new stereo mix of the original album (nine tracks) and seven "associate recordings", two of which are previously unreleased. Also included is a stereo version of the A side of a US single, which is left untouched. The second and third CDs include live performances recorded in the US, with four tracks originating from the Boston concert in December 1977 and the rest (eighteen tracks) from the Landover, MD concert in November 1977. These tracks were reconstructed and remixed to stereo by Jakko JakszykFind albums by this artist. The first DVD contains the album and five of the "associate recordings" remixed in two High-Resolution formats (5.1 DTS, AC3 Dolby Digital Surround Sound and in High Resolution stereo format 96/24 LPCM). Also included are the two additional "associate recordings" in High Resolution stereo format 96/24 LPCM and quad mixes of four tracks in DTS 4.0 and Dolby Digital AC3 4.0 surround sound. The second DVD includes the audio and video of the Landover, MD concert. 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 the original stereo mix of the album in a CD form, but you get almost two hours of a live concert on DVD, remixed versions of the album, and a few bonus tracks, which honestly contribute very little, if anything at all. 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. The group´s lineup on this album is expanded with the addition of the second keyboardist David PalmerFind albums by this artist, which turns Jethro Tull into a sextet. Ian AndersonFind albums by this artist as usual handles most of the vocals and plays the flute parts and acoustic guitar / mandolin. The lead guitar is magnificently handled by Martin BarreFind albums by this artist, the keyboards by John EvanFind albums by this artist, the bass by John GlascockFind albums by this artist and the drums by Barriemore BarlowFind albums by this artist. Anderson gets credit for all the music and lyrics, but Palmer and Barre get credit for contributing some of the instrumental themes. Musically the album marks a significant change in the overall stylistic approach, emphasizing the Folk-Rock direction and British Folkloristic references. It is also considered the first album in the trinity of albums formed by this and the two forthcoming albums: "Heavy HorsesFind albums with this title" and "StormwatchFind albums with this title". Of course the album still firmly and consistently continues the Progressive Rock elements, which the band masterly develops regardless of the current stylistic aesthetic the specific albums deal with. For many Jethro Tull fans this albums marks one the definitive highlights of the group´s long and flourishing career, but personally I believe everything the group created over the years was top notch and it was the listeners following fads and fashions who could not always follow the intricacies and complexity of the music Anderson whimsically weaved. A classic by any standard! 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: 15/03/2020Posted: 25/05/2018

3CD+2DVD 5 Digibook Box Set Oversampling DVD-A Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend