Jethro Tull
"The Very Best Of"
(Crysalis Records)

A band seemingly in existence since the dawn of time. or at least since the Baroque period (see Anderson's brief but informative liner notes), these long winded, long lasting Rock minstrels turn up by way of the necessary "Best Of" commemoration covering some twenty five years in the business-amazing but true-without benefit of. anything close to a hit in the last maybe fifteen or twenty? I'm not qualified to pass judgment in that regard but there's certainly something to be said of durability where the many age old classics as a Tull or Yes, we might add, maybe ELP, while none may receive quite the notoriety on the level with a Who, Zeppelin or Floyd, surely have carved their own impressive niche in the annals of Rock & Roll and remembered for past bouts with greatness, Tull's "Aqualung" quite likely enjoying its placement as one of the all-time great releases ever. Ian Anderson, the mainstay vocalist/flutist, chief strummer, scriptor and all encompassing wit, does well to sum up this collection as more than just a poorly conceived cash-in attempt by a once popular but forgotten rank that no longer matters, and amongst the 70-plus minute twenty-song career span found within this forest of folklore, he's proven more than just the random act of bargain pricing that many contemporary credibility seekers have lost merit for doing much less. Expectedly, such age-old classics as "Living in the Past," "Aqualung," "Bungle in the Jungle," "Locomotive Breath," and "Thick as a Brick" were not to fall wayward amongst any such notion of a hit-think back to the seventies and even today, true Rock radio never lets you forget. There are considerably more available however that many might find a touch obscure, certainly not an average stroll through everyday Pop-dom as most are wont to do, Anderson himself admitting as much-"A few spectacular duds"-which is to say, their long leaning Prog-Rock intentions, swaying brilliantly as a tall tree in a cloudy breeze, offer something more than expectancy. Interestingly enough, while there are no real surprises or re-recordings though considering the twenty something figure of membership cardholders, no one could deny them that spin should they have sought to do so. Time constraints however figure into the set as a few were given the necessary quick snip in favor of extra titles that reach as far North as 1995, "Roots to Branches" specifically, which pleasantly enough finds little lost in the process of aging!


More Ear Busters

More from the Online Metal Journal