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Jethro Tull - M.U.: The Best of Jethro Tull Audio CD

A fair review of the Jethro Tull "M.U.: The Best of Jethro Tull" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Jethro Tull reviews here, or go back to the Jethro Tull tabs.

Jethro Tull Band: Jethro Tull
Title: M.U.: The Best of Jethro Tull
Rating:
Release Date: 1990-10-25
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Teacher 2: Aqualung 3: Thick as a Brick [Edit No. 1] 4: Bungle in the Jungle 5: Locomotive Breath 6: Fat Man 7: Living in the Past 8: Passion Play [Edit No. 8] 9: Skating Away (On the Thin Ice of a New Day) 10: Rainbow Blues 11: Nothing Is Easy

M.U. The Best of Jethro Tull
This is a good representation for an introduction into Jethro Tull's music. Sometimes it's difficult to rate "greatest hits" albums, especially when a band has as many different greatest hits albums as Jethro Tull. It covers the standards from the 1970s with a previously unreleased song as well. Critics question why edited versions of songs are included, but most people do not want to hear 20 minute songs (unless they are true fans of the band). I've always thought those who purchase "best of" collections are more or less casual fans at best. The other problem is Jethro Tull really never put out that many quality songs. One or two here and there is about as best as this band could muster. Album sales will confirm the public's satisfaction with any musician's efforts, and most Tull albums only found their way into Tull fans collections.


Excellent Assortment; Sound Quality Lacking on Aqualung Songs, However
U. M. :The Best of Jethro Tull is a compilation I purchased after obtaining the remastered version of Aqualung, as well as the 24K gold version of Original Masters. I was happy with the latter two items, but I wanted more of the J. T. catalogue that these particular releases did not contain, including the studio version of the pre-Aqualung songs Teacher, Fat Man, Rainbow Blues, and Nothing Is Easy.

While I am happy to now have access to these four songs, let me issue a word of advice. If you are primarily interested in the songs from the Aqualung album and are concerned about the sound quality, especially the title track, then purchase a different CD.

The "tinny" sound that J. T. front man, Ian Anderson, has lamented for decades regarding those particular tunes is quite apparent in M. U. As for the other tracks, everything is A-OK, especially if you prefer the edited versions of Thick as a Brick and A Passion Play.

All in all, this is an adequate sampler of the early Jethro Tull. But it pales in comparison to the aforementioned Original Masters and remastered Aqualung as a CD you want to listen to, especially if you are on the road. .


A fairly good early Jethro Tull sampler
And like all "best of" compilations, numerous qualified songs from the era it encompasses, such as Bouree, are omitted altogether. Considering that Jethro Tull's career spans several decades, this early collection from the 70s is necessarily incomplete. Consequently, this is not a collection for the avid fan, who would opt for multiple CDs instead. However, M. U. does provide a decent sampling of Tull classics for the more casual fan, as well as an entree to their body of work for those who would simply like to buy one CD to check out the band.

To me, the one downside of the CD is that the great classic "Aqualung" has been remixed so that the vocal effects in the section "Sun streaking cold / An old man wandering lonely. . . " have been removed--and with it, to my musical taste, some of the song's magic. Some other listeners may not notice and may not even care. But for those who enjoy the old standby in its familiar format, don't expect to hear the original mix here, which is found on the "Aqualung" album.

On the other hand, it's nice to have short edits of "A Passion Play" and "Thick As A Brick" gathered here, as well as classics such as the rocking "Locomotive Breath" and other great songs like "Teacher" and "Living in the Past. "

I recommend this CD to the casual fan as a Tull sampler or starter. More avid fans should and probably will look elsewhere.

.


...shuffeling madness...
this review is primarily meant for 'finulanu'. . please, do not take this the wrong way, but. . . how old are you?. . . .

when this came out on vinyl, it was the best collection we could possibly ask for. . .

and we knew another one would be around the block shortly, that's how things worked in those days (when there were groups who actually deserved greatest hits packages. . . )

nowadays, they release 3 bad albums and come out with a 17-track hits collection. . .

and yes, tull was always a band to listen to 'in full'. . . their l. p. 's were always like books, and to remove a chapter from each may not be the 'ideal' way to listen to tull, but it certainly gives you a flavor for all their adventures. . .

and remember. . . vinyl wasn't that long. . . but it was sure better.


Nowadays, only for collectors
For its time, it was a pretty good sampler, drawing from tracks ranging from 1970's "Benefit" to 1974's "WarChild", with a track that was then brand new, "Rainbow Blues". This is Jethro Tull's very first compliation album, released in 1976. If you're strictly reviewing the music, no problems.

However, the sound quality on this 1990 CD is, at best, only average, probably taken straight from the LP master. Since then, "Rainbow Blues" has been released on the remastered 2001 "WarChild" CD, and you get the other songs on various compliations with much better, remastered sound. Really hardcore Tull fans will know that the version of "Aqualung" here is a remix, with the distortion removed from Ian Anderson's voice on the brief acoustic section. As far as I know, this mix has never been released elsewhere.

Unless you're a hopeless completist, you probably won't care about that. If you're introducing yourself to Tull, get a collection like 1993's "The Best of Jethro Tull" instead. Spend a little more and get most of these same tracks (and more) in much better sound. It'll be worth it.


You can see a complete list of all Jethro Tull discography, or go back to the Jethro Tull tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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