Jethro Tull celebrates 50th Anniversary with new collections

[Yellow Jester]

Life Is a Long Song: Jethro Tull Celebrates 50 Years with Two New Collections

Jethro Tull, led by founding member Ian Anderson, is currently out on tour with a 50th anniversary show, and now, Parlophone is getting into the act with a pair of suitably celebratory collections.
On May 25, the label will release 50 for 50, a career-spanning, 3-CD anthology featuring 50 songs hand-picked by Ian Anderson from all 21 of Jethro Tull’s studio albums – eleven of which have been certified gold and five of which have gone platinum. Though the track listing provided doesn’t appear to reflect that, the press release states that the set will be arranged chronologically, tracing the band’s journey from blues-rockers to prog-rock heroes incorporating jazz and folk influences. The collection features three songs from the 1987 Grammy-winning Crest of a Knave and concludes with a pair of tracks from The Jethro Tull Christmas Album, the 2003 release that remains the band’s last new album.
For those looking for a slimmer introduction to the Tull oeuvre, Parlophone will release 50th Anniversary Hits on the same day. This single-disc overview culls 15 songs from the larger package including “Living in the Past,” “Bungle in the Jungle,” “Life is a Long Song,” and “Locomotive Breath.” On August 31, 50th Anniversary Hits will be issued on vinyl in a resequenced, 10-track edition that drops six tracks and adds “The Whistler” from 1977’s Songs from the Wood.
The current tour hits American shores on May 30 in Phoenix, Arizona, and wraps up September 12 in Wallingford, Connecticut. Look for the track listings and pre-order links for both titles due May 25 at the links below!

CD 1
1. “Nothing Is Easy” – Stand Up (1969)
2. “Love Story” – This Was (1968)
3. “Beggars Farm” – This Was (1968)
4. “Living In The Past” – Living In The Past (1972)
5. “A Song For Jeffrey” – This Was (1968)
6. “A New Day Yesterday” – Stand Up (1969)
7. “The Witch’s Promise” – Benefit (1970)
8. “Mother Goose” – Aqualung (1971)
9. “With You There To Help Me” – Benefit (1970)
10. “Teacher” – Benefit (1970)
11. “Life Is A Long Song” – Living In The Past (1972)
12. “Sweet Dream” (Studio) – Stand Up (1969)
13. “Aqualung” – Aqualung (1971)
14. “Minstrel In The Gallery” – Minstrel In The Gallery (1975)
15. “Critique Oblique” (Steven Wilson Remix) – A Passion Play (1973)
16. “Weathercock” – Heavy Horses (1978)
17. “Cross-Eyed Mary” – Aqualung (1971)


CD 2
18. “Bouree” – Stand Up (1969)
19. “Dun Ringill” – Stormwatch (1979)
20. “Heavy Horses” – Heavy Horses (1978)
21. “Hunting Girl” – Songs From The Wood (1977)
22. “Bungle In The Jungle” – War Child (1974)
23. “Salamander” – Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young To Die! (1976)
24. “Pussy Willow” – The Broadsword And The Beast (1982)
25. “Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young To Die” – Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young To Die! (1976)
26. “Songs From The Wood” – Songs From The Wood (1977)
27. “The Whistler” – Songs From The Wood (1977)
28. “Really Don’t Mind/See There A Son Is Born” – Thick As A Brick (1972)
29. “Moths” – Heavy Horses (1978)
30. “One White Duck / Nothing At All” – Minstrel In The Gallery (1975)
31. “Cup Of Wonder” – Songs From The Wood (1977)
32. “Ring Out Solstice Bells” – The Jethro Tull Christmas Album (2003)
33. “Skating Away” – War Child (1974)
34. “A Christmas Song” – The Jethro Tull Christmas Album (2003)


CD 3
35. “One Brown Mouse” – Heavy Horses (1978)
36. “Rare And Precious Chain” – Roots To Branches (1995)
37. “Kissing Willie” – Rock Island (1989)
38. “Rocks On The Road” – Catfish Rising (1991)
39. “Fylingdale Flyer” – A (1980)
40. “Paparazzi” – Under Wraps (1984)
41. “North Sea Oil” – Stormwatch (1979)
42. “Steel Monkey” – Crest Of A Knave (1987)
43. “Black Sunday” – A (1980)
44. “European Legacy” – Under Wraps (1984)
45. “Budapest” – Crest Of A Knave (1987)
46. “Broadsword” – The Broadsword And The Beast (1982)
47. “Dot Com” – J-Tull Dot Com (1999)
48. “Farm On The Freeway” – Crest Of A Knave (1987)
49. “This Is Not Love” – Catfish Rising (1991)
50. “Locomotive Breath” – Aqualung (1971)

Amazon USA
https://amzn.to/2GhNPII
Amazon UK
https://amzn.to/2GBTv41

Jethro Tull, 50th Anniversary Hits (Parlophone, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
CD:
1. “Love Story”
2. “Living In The Past” (*)
3. “Life Is A Long Song” (*)
4. “Sweet Dream” (*)
5. “The Witch’s Promise” (*)
6. “Aqualung” (*)
7. “Dun Ringhill”
8. “Cross-Eyed Mary” (*)
9. “Bouree” (*)
10. “Bungle In The Jungle” (*)
11. “Steel Monkey”
12. “Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll”
13. “Ring Out Solstice Bells”
14. “Farm On The Freeway”
15. “Locomotive Breath” (*)
(*) denotes track also appears on vinyl release

Amazon USA
https://amzn.to/2pJ9gwh
Amazon UK
https://amzn.to/2pJojGe

[JKL2000]

Not very inspired cover art, but that's often the case for compilation albums:

[arturs]

Tull was never a band that anthologized well IMHO. Each album has its own gestalt, its own personality. Mixing songs like this doesn't seem satisfying. But then I guess we are not the target audience here.

More for the "Jethro Tull? I remember them!" kind of fan.

[JKL2000]

Tull was never a band that anthologized well IMHO.

Agreed.

[Rajaz]

Nice. I would only buy for the cover, music is timeless but a good Rhino records Anthology is still due.

[ronmac]

I don't have a problem with the cover, except for the fact that they used an accent instead of an apostrophe. But that's a super-minor nit-pick from someone who designs for a living and sees that shit from a mile away when most people don't.

I agree that JT doesn't fit well into the anthology scheme.

[Mister Triscuits]

I would not call that cover uninspired. I would call it downright hideous. If they did something about those ugly little gold album icons (I mean, just look at that one for Crest of a Knave!) and that jarring white font at the top and bottom, it might make a passable design for the lid of a shoe polish tin.

[JKL2000]

LOL - it does look like the lid of a shoe-polish tin, or a caviar tin or something. Now if they'd just decided to pack it in an actual tin and go with one of those ideas...

[Halmyre]

It is pretty rank. I was staring at the Crest icon for ages before I worked out what it was.

[bennymania]

Jethro Tull? I remember him!

[Facelift]

[B]Life Is a Long Song: Jethro Tull Celebrates 50 Years with Two New Collections

On May 25, the label will release 50 for 50, a career-spanning, 3-CD anthology featuring 50 songs hand-picked by Ian Anderson from all 21 of Jethro Tull’s studio albums

A multi-CD compilation set being released in 2018? Way to stay on the pulse of things, Ian Anderson! Kids have a different way of learning about new music now - it's called Youtube.
Oh, and how exactly does one "hand pick" songs? Jethro Tull's promotional language has always been incredibly annoying and this just continues the trend.
I hope they aren't manufacturing too many copies of this - it's as useless a product as I can imagine. Make it a limited edition, nice vinyl-only set and they could have at least made a few thousand sales on Record Store Day, and with all the mark-up that entails. They didn't even calibrate the single-disc vinyl edition to coincide with RSD. The triple-CD thing is DOA.

[arturs]

LOL - it does look like the lid of a shoe-polish tin, or a caviar tin or something. Now if they'd just decided to pack it in an actual tin and go with one of those ideas...

They did the cigar box for the 25th anniversary, so why not a snuff tin for the 50th? Would have been a cool idea! And likely to generate a few more sales than this...

[TheH]

Sorry I do treasure their 20th and 25th anniversary boxes, but just 50 songs I do already own is rather poor.
I hoped for some gems on this release...

[Progatron]

A multi-CD compilation set being released in 2018? Way to stay on the pulse of things, Ian Anderson!

Yeah, I'm sure it was his idea.

[Facelift]

Yeah, I'm sure it was his idea.

Of course it was.

[ronmac]

You guys act as though you're the audience for this release.

[Facelift]

You guys act as though you're the audience for this release.

Sadly, we probably are - age-wise, anyway.

Nobody under 40 is buying it. So I guess it's for the 50 year-old classic rock/prog fan who always kind of liked Jethro Tull but in the last 40 years just never did get around to buying any of their albums - and who still buys physical media, and who prefers CDs.

[Halmyre]

What is this track "The Witch's Promise" from 'Benefit'?

[The Dark Elf]

What is this track "The Witch's Promise" from 'Benefit'?

I can tell by the emoticon you're kidding, but the song actually did appear (in both stereo and mono) on the 2013 Collector's Edition of Benefit. It's listed as an "associated song".

What I would prefer from Tull is a remix of Living in the Past on one or two CDs, not songs from the album plopped helter-skelter on remixes of other studio releases. Yes, yes...I know Living in the Past is merely a collection of songs from different sessions and albums, but since it was released in 1972 it has, for me anyway, taken on a life of its own. I listen to it as a wholly independent album, and it is great.
'

[chalkpie]

I listen to it as a wholly independent album, and it is great.
'

One of my fav Tull "albums".

[Mister Triscuits]

One of my fav Tull "albums".

Such a beautiful package, and all the non-LP tracks were completely unknown to me at the time, so it was quite the treasure trove. Definitely worth owning as an album in its own right.

[ronmac]

Sadly, we probably are - age-wise, anyway.

Nobody under 40 is buying it. So I guess it's for the 50 year-old classic rock/prog fan who always kind of liked Jethro Tull but in the last 40 years just never did get around to buying any of their albums - and who still buys physical media, and who prefers CDs.

But, "age-wise" misses my point. A lot of the scoffing here is by people who already have everything. This set is not targeting them.

[Dave (in MA)]

Tull was never a band that anthologized well IMHO.

I thought M.U., Repeat and LITP were good anthologies.

[arturs]

^^^ This is all personal perspective of course but LITP is the only one that did something for me. And, remember, there actually was a point to LITP which was to collect a lot of singles and an EP plus the Carnegie Hall material. Fantastic.

M.U. just pisses me off. That TAAB excerpt is so damn short. Totally ruined side 1. And the other tunes sound better on their original LPs. Ditto with Repeat.

[ronmac]

"20 Years of Jethro Tull" is a great anthology.