Record Reviews

JETHRO TULL ~ TOO OLD TO ROCK`N`ROLL: TOO YOUNG TO DIE! (THE TV SPECIAL EDITION) CHRYSALIS 825646035519 (Barcode: 825646035519) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1975 - 1976 Released: 2015 This is a reissue of the ninth 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 previously unreleased version of the album that was re-recorded for a TV special and a bunch of outtakes and alternate versions. The second CD contains a new stereo mix of a bunch of "associated recordings" and the flat transfer of the original album mix. The first DVD contains the video of the TV special with DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and Dolby Digital stereo. The TV special audio is also present in High-Resolution 96/24 stereo PCM in addition to the outtakes also in High Resolution formats. The second DVD contains the "associated recordings" in two High-Resolution formats, a flat transfer of the original Quadraphonic version and the stereo version of the album, both in High-Resolution formats. If you are confused by all these technical terms, don´t be – it is all complete bullshit piece of hype! Basically you get the original album, a remixed version of a second version of the album, a video of a TV appearance 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. This album marks the first lineup change for Jethro Tull in four years, which for many other bands was more than a lifetime. It features the new bassist John GlascockFind albums by this artist, who replaced Jeffrey Hammond-HammondFind albums by this artist, and who already earned quite a reputation on the Prog scene before joining the group. It was also the group´s last concept album, although the very "concept" behind it was pretty vague. The album was quite savagely criticized at the time of its release, but in retrospect is defeats short-sighted critics and proves to be definitely as good as all other Jethro Tull albums. 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 and drummer Barriemore BarlowFind albums by this artist. As to Anderson´s concept of music travelling on the time scale in circles, with fashions and fads returning after a while, sadly his prophesy turned out to be a false one, since music has been constantly going down the drain since this album was recorded. 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: 15/01/2016

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