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Jethro Tull A+ (w/ Bonus DVD)

Jethro Tull - Jethro Tull A+ (w/ Bonus DVD) Audio CD

A fair review of the Jethro Tull "Jethro Tull A+ (w/ Bonus DVD)" 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.

Band: Jethro Tull
Title: Jethro Tull A+ (w/ Bonus DVD)
Rating:

Release Date: 2004-04-20
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Crossfire 2: Flyingdale Flyer 3: Working John, Working Joe 4: Black Sunday 5: Protect And Survive 6: Batteries Not Included 7: Uniform 8: 4.W.D. (Low Ratio) 9: The Pine Marten's Jig 10: And Further On 11: Introduction (DVD) 12: Black Sunday (DVD) 13: Dun Ringill (DVD) 14: Flyingdale Flyer (DVD) 15: Songs From The Wood (DVD) 16: Heavy Horses (DVD) 17: Sweet Dream (DVD) 18: Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll Too Young To Die (DVD) 19: Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of The New Day (DVD) 20: Aqualung (DVD) 21: Locomotive Breath (DVD)

CD and DVD, what a concept
Good to see it on CD. Had this CD in my old Record collection. The DVD addition was quite a find as well. Great stuff.

This is the one....
This was the beginning of the "new" Tull. This is the album that divides Tull fans more than even Under Wraps . Barrie Barlow, John Evans, and David Palmer were gone, and story has it, this started life as an Ian Anderson solo album. Well, it was the beginning of a new decade, and the beloved Tull of the mid to late seventies had dissolved for one reason or another. It didn't seem to matter to the fans that Tull had never had a stable line up, and that even the "Songs from the Wood, Heavy Horses" line up was different than those that came before. From what I've read, after Eddie Jobson had departed the door was open for Evans and Palmer to return, but passed on the opportunity. So, it seems Anderson was in the position to continue with new players. Of course the sound was a bit different (the 80's had that effect on a lot of bands), but Ian Anderson was never one to sit still, so he took up the reins and carried on.
There are several good things about "A". "The Pine Marten's Jig", "And Further On", and "Flyingdale Flyer" are exceptional tunes. To my way of thinking, these alone are worth the price of admission. Jobson's keyboards and fiddle playing add new textures and dimensions to the entire collection of songs. Mark Craney is an excellent drummer. It's a shame he couldn't continue on with the band, but "A" is a good testament to his talent. Anderson is in excellent voice, and Dave Pegg and Martin Barre are still there, playing thier instruments with the precision and exceptional ability they are known for. Overall ,"A" is a good album. I, for one, am glad it became a Tull album, and not just an Ian Anderson album.

Excellent Musicianship By Guest Players
Guest drummer Mark Craney was excellent on the "A" album, and stand-in keyboard player/violinist Eddie Jobson was superb! I really enjoyed the violin solos on the "Slipstream" dvd! It added a whole new dimension to Jethro Tull music when applied. I know "Stormwatch" was the end of the "classic" Jethro Tull period, but it wasn't the swan song for some fantastic Tull music. The new bass player Dave Pegg demonstrated his versatility on this album. To me, the "funky" bass line was the most noticeable variation on "A," completely unlike Tull music of the past. No, it is not disco! It was a style of playing that was very popular in 1980. It is not the easiest way of playing the bass guitar either. Pegg's versatility would become obvious on the next Jethro Tull album "The Broadsword and the Beast," where his bass playing would become more straight-forward. Anyway, the addition of Craney and Jobson to the mix on "A" made it a spectacular cd, in my opinion. The dvd, "Slipstream," was a pleasurable, yet dated, addition. I wish there had been bonus tracks from the "A" sessions for the cd, especially because of the exceptional guest musicianship! But, the dvd, dating back to 1980, was a glance at the band in concert and/or in conceptual video. It was a visual bonus for anybody who has never seen Tull live, including a lot of younger fans who will never have the opportunity.

Making the Grade

With the assistance of keyboardist/violinist Eddie Jobson and new band members Dave Pegg (b) and Mark Craney (d) - the only holdover was guitarist Martin Barre - the innovative sound was a huge step forward into uncharted territory, which was probably one of the reasons that the record label, Chrysalis, wanted the name Jethro Tull on the album cover. What was slated by Ian Anderson to be a solo effort, the September 1980 release for Jethro Tull found the band riding the new wave that was sweeping the music industry of synthesizer-driven material.

The standouts are Flyingdale Flyer, Black Sunday, Batteries Not Included and And Further On, as the classic folk-influence was not forgotten with the inclusion of The Pine Marten's Jig.

The A+ remastered edition includes the DVD, Slipstream, which features the band recorded live during the A tour. This is the only authorized release of the cutting-edge video on DVD.

An underrated release due to the direction of the music, it shows Anderson as ambitious as ever to expand the vision of a mainstay on the arena rock circuit.

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A decent release, but there are so many better ones from Tull
My standards were so high, considering U. Yes, as a longtime Jethro Tull fan, I was disappointed with this album. K. and Frank Zappa's keyboardist and electric violinist Eddie Jobson and Fairport Convention's bassist Dave Pegg became members. I am a huge Zappa, U. K. and Fairport fan, but importantly, a Tull fan.

But Tull at 70% is better than 80% of progressive rock. This record has lots of moments, most notably 'Uniform,' 'Crossfire,' 'Black Sunday' and the minor hit 'Flyingdale Flyer. ' Ian's vocals and flute combined with Eddie's jazzy electric violin make for a great listen.

If you want to hear evidence of the two playing well together, check out
'Uniform' and the Irish jig-like 'The Pine Marten's Jig. ' The two play very well together and on the latter jam.

As other reviewers have pointed out, this was going to be an Ian Anderson solo album. But since Martin Barre, Jethro Tull's other longtime member, played guitar on every song, Chrysalis Records thought it was necessary to just classify this as simply a Tull record.

It was also the end of the seventies Tull. The sound is much more progresssive pop-influenced than progressive rock.

This would pave the way for records like 'Under Wraps' and even 'Broadsword And The Beast,' which remains Tull's bestselling record in Germany.

Overall, this is highly recommended for the Tull fan. But casual fans and new fans who only know Tull because they heard 'Locomotive Breath' on the radio beware: This is not the '70s Tull.

Recommended for the Tull die-hard or collector.

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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.