Jethro Tull - Rock Island (1989) (Remaster Editi 2006)

Remastered edition of this 1989 album. Following the success of Crest Of A Knave, which won a Grammy in the hard-rock category, group leader Ian Anderson responded two years later with Rock Island, a record that re-imagined Jethro Tull as a modern-rock act. Features ''Another Christmas Song'', ''Rattlesnake Trail'' and more.

"Rock Island" is an album for those Jethro Tull fans who are more inclined toward the heavy rock side of Tull over their folkier, accoustic side. It opens with the fast paced rocking "Kissing Willie" and is followed by the riffy "The Rattlesnake Trail" complete with Martin Barre's searing guitar fills.

Then comes my personal favorite from the album "Ears of Tin." It's one of those 'stop-go' songs. The verses are melodic, featuring mandolin and flute while the refrains contain pulsating hard rock. Next is "Undressed to kill," a slow, steady rocking song. Then comes the title song, which is fairly subdued until the fast paced instrumental break.

"Heavy Water" is another moderate to slow paced rocker, which is followed by the subdued and melodic "Another Christmas Song." Then comes the another of my personal favorites: the slow, brooding "The Whaler's Dues." Between Martin Barre's jagged electric guitar fills and Ian Anderson's wheezing flute, the song just gets under your skin and stays there.

The last two songs from the original release, "Big Riff and Mando" and "Strange Avenues" are lackluster, in my opinion. But overall, "Rock Island" is a consistently enjoyable album. The song quality might not be as high as on their previous release, "Crest of a Knave," but it has the advantage (or disadvantage, depending on taste) of containing far fewer ballads than 'Crest.'

There are many who believe that the quality of Jethro Tull's music began a permanent decline following "Aqualung" in 1971 or "A Passion Play" in 1973. However, the music on "Crest of a Knave," "Rock Island" and "Catfish Rising," Tull's 1987, 1989 and 1991 releases, convinces me that Ian Anderson's songwriting has, if anything, improved over time.

As with most Tull albums, you'll need to give this one a half dozen spins in your CD player before familiarity breeds enjoyment...M. Denver

320 @

137 MB
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

01 Kissing Willie 3:33
02 The Rattlesnake Trail 4:01
03 Ears of Tin 4:55
04 Undressed to Kill 5:23
05 Rock Island 6:54
06 Heavy Water 4:12
07 Another Christmas Song 3:31
08 The Whaler's Dues 7:53
09 Big Riff and Mando 5:59
10 Strange Avenues 4:13
11 Christmas Song Live / Bonus 3:06
12 Cheap Day Return/Mother Goose Live / Bonus 3:09
13 Locomotive Breath Live / Bonus 3:38

Jethro Tull - Rock Island (1989) (Remaster Editi 2006)

Jethro Tull - Rock Island (1989) (Remaster Editi 2006)

Remastered edition of this 1989 album. Following the success of Crest Of A Knave, which won a Grammy in the hard-rock category, group leader Ian Anderson responded two years later with Rock Island, a record that re-imagined Jethro Tull as a modern-rock act. Features ''Another Christmas Song'', ''Rattlesnake Trail'' and more.

"Rock Island" is an album for those Jethro Tull fans who are more inclined toward the heavy rock side of Tull over their folkier, accoustic side. It opens with the fast paced rocking "Kissing Willie" and is followed by the riffy "The Rattlesnake Trail" complete with Martin Barre's searing guitar fills.
Then comes my personal favorite from the album "Ears of Tin." It's one of those 'stop-go' songs. The verses are melodic, featuring mandolin and flute while the refrains contain pulsating hard rock. Next is "Undressed to kill," a slow, steady rocking song. Then comes the title song, which is fairly subdued until the fast paced instrumental break.
"Heavy Water" is another moderate to slow paced rocker, which is followed by the subdued and melodic "Another Christmas Song." Then comes the another of my personal favorites: the slow, brooding "The Whaler's Dues." Between Martin Barre's jagged electric guitar fills and Ian Anderson's wheezing flute, the song just gets under your skin and stays there.
The last two songs from the original release, "Big Riff and Mando" and "Strange Avenues" are lackluster, in my opinion. But overall, "Rock Island" is a consistently enjoyable album. The song quality might not be as high as on their previous release, "Crest of a Knave," but it has the advantage (or disadvantage, depending on taste) of containing far fewer ballads than 'Crest.'
There are many who believe that the quality of Jethro Tull's music began a permanent decline following "Aqualung" in 1971 or "A Passion Play" in 1973. However, the music on "Crest of a Knave," "Rock Island" and "Catfish Rising," Tull's 1987, 1989 and 1991 releases, convinces me that Ian Anderson's songwriting has, if anything, improved over time.

As with most Tull albums, you'll need to give this one a half dozen spins in your CD player before familiarity breeds enjoyment...M. Denver

320 @
137 MB

Tracklist:

01 Kissing Willie 3:33
02 The Rattlesnake Trail 4:01
03 Ears of Tin 4:55
04 Undressed to Kill 5:23
05 Rock Island 6:54
06 Heavy Water 4:12
07 Another Christmas Song 3:31
08 The Whaler's Dues 7:53
09 Big Riff and Mando 5:59
10 Strange Avenues 4:13
11 Christmas Song Live / Bonus 3:06
12 Cheap Day Return/Mother Goose Live / Bonus 3:09
13 Locomotive Breath Live / Bonus 3:38

Jethro Tull - Thick Is A Brick (1972) (Remaster Edit 1999)

Jethro Tull - Thick Is A Brick (1972) (Remaster Edit 1999)

Jethro Tull's first LP-length epic is a masterpiece in the annals of progressive rock, and one of the few works of its kind that still holds up decades later. Mixing hard rock and English folk music with classical influences, set to stream-of-consciousness lyrics so dense with imagery that one might spend weeks pondering their meaning -- assuming one feels the need to do so -- the group created a dazzling tour de force, at once playful, profound, and challenging, without overwhelming the listener. The original LP was the best-sounding, best-engineered record Tull had ever released, easily capturing the shifting dynamics between the soft all-acoustic passages and the electric rock crescendos surrounding them...Bruce Eder

320 @
166 MB

Tracklist:

01. Thick as a Brick (part one) 22:45
02. Thick as a Brick (part two) 21:05
03. Thick as a Brick (live at Madison Square Garden, 1978) 11:50
04. Interview with Jethro Tull 16:28

Jethro Tull - Songs From The Wood (1977) (2003 Remaster Edit)

Jethro Tull - Songs From The Wood (1977) (2003 Remaster Edit)

Tull was a controversial band back in the 70's. Were they a rock band at all? Were they even a prog. rock band like Yes and Floyd? Or were they something totally unclassifiable? With an enigmatic leader, Ian Anderson, they have some of the biggest hits ever, Aqualung and Locomotive Breath, both with plenty of radio play, and followed up that success with two albums that had only one song each (Thick as a Brick and A Passion Play, both which strangely became #1 albums- how is that possible?). Then in 1977, after a couple of other very successful albums, they popped out Songs From the Woodmore…. This album rocks in a real woodsy sort of way. The title track sounds great on the remastered version, especially the vocals. Hunting Girl is a real standout too. This album stands as a musical work that will never go out of style. It is timeless and a keeper in your collection...Robert Hoffnung

320 @
121 MB

Tracklist:

01. Songs From The Wood (4:56)
02. Jack-in-the-Green (2:31)
03. Cup Of Wonder (4:34)
04. Hunting Girl (5:13)
05. Ring Out, Solstice Bells (3:47)
06. Velvet Green (6:05)
07. The Whistler (3:31)
08. Pibroch (Cap In Hand) (8:36)
09. Fire At Midnight (2:34)
10. Beltane (5:19) (Bonus)
11. Velvet Green (Live) (5:54) (Bonus)

Jethro Tull - A (1980) (Remaster Edit 2004)

Jethro Tull - A (1980) (Remaster Edit 2004)

By now everyone probably knows the old story of "A." It was supposed to be Mr. Anderson's first solo recording (Anderson: Alert!), but the recording company heard it and suggested this should be the new Tull sound of the eighties instead, and well...The rest, as they sAy, is history. While It certainly tends to lean a greater distance away from previous Tull recordings, the fact that it is Mr. Anderson still writing, singing and playing, and that Martin Barre is still along for the ride playing guitar, it isn't surprising that "A" still works as a Jethro Tull album, for the most part anyway. Theremore… is one place in particular where it may have ventured too far off the Jethro map for many Tull fans of the day, but even then I confess that I still have a bit of a soft spot for Batteries Not Included.
"A" is a keyboard heavy album that Aims for A more progressive rock stance, taken Amid more topical subjects of the dAy. Crossfire starts off the album, sans flute, in a song frantic with electronic noises, keyboards and guitars. It's a great album opener that accurately reflects the turmoil of the song's description of a hostage crisis. Flyingdale Flyer takes another topic of the day event, an almost missile crisis spurned by a technical glitch in a missile tracking station, and plays the drama out in typical Tull lyrical fashion, but fashioned again with a heavier emphasis on the keyboards. Working John, Working Joe is one of the more Jethro Tull-like moments on the record: acoustic riffing, switching with electric. However the subject matter is grounded more firmly in the present tense than perhaps it would have otherwise been. Black Sunday is progressive rock done with Pink Floyd-ian grandiosity, and it is easily one of the album's highlights. If you've never heard this track you should buy the album for this song alone. Protect and Survive is fast paced Tull, rocking out like a radiation device's needle at Chernobyl, with lyrics that mock the absurd guidelines provided by the British government on how to survive a nuclear attack. Another favorite of mine on "A." Uniforms sounds appropriately dissonant, while 4WD traverses the back roads of rock's grittier outlands. Pine Marten's Jig is a fast paced instrumental showcasing the talents of all, especially the guest musician: Eddie Jobson and his glass violin. And Further On is more progressive drama, and one of the finest album endings to have graced a Tull record.

320 @
100 MB

Tracklist:

01. Crossfire (3:55)
02. Fylingdale Flyer (4:36)
03. Working John - Working Joe (5:05)
04. Black Sunday (6:39)
05. Protect and Survive (3:37)
06. Batteries Not Included (3:53)
07. Uniform (3:34)
08. 4.W.D. (Low Ratio) (3:43)
09. The Pine Marten's Jig (3:28)
10. And Further On (4:21)