NOTHING IS EASY: LIVE AT THE ISLE OF WIGHT 1970

This is really a fabulous document. What I donot understand though is why it took more than thirty years to release the live performance of the Tull at the Isle of Whight. A mystery. How happy would have been the million of fans to get this in those ancient days. At the time, the Tull was already well established. "Stand Up" has been number 1 in the UK so the Tull will be at the high in the hierarchy of bands to play there.

Actually they will play the last day of the festival (on Sunday, August 30th). After Donovan and before Jimi (Hendrix).

As usual, the band sounds very hard on stage. The opener "My Sunday Feeling" is absolutely fabulous. The band explodes really from the first seconds of their set. Really great and already a highlight.

The best moment of this live set is IMO the track "My God" (almost a year BEFORE its release). This complex Aqualung track is superbly rendered (no choir of course but a superb flute solo).

Some songs though will not please that much in this Wight festival : "Bouree" for instance with a useless bass soloing in the middle. Even this track is as "hardened" as it can be (but it shouldn't be).

Another one is "With You there to Help Me" : there is a long piano improv which is completely out of tune here. The fanstastic studio version from "Benefit" is definitely better.

"To Cry You a Song" on the contrary pleases me better than the "Benefit" version : Ian's voice has not been "doctored" here. That was exactly what I was hoping to hear in the studio version. So, I can only be pleased. It is another highlight.

"Dharma For One" is a classic of the Tull's performances in those days but this track has never been a fave of mine. Quite extended, it will be the pretext of a drum solo which is better appreciated when you can SEE it. Rather average (the track, not the solo although we do not reach the levels of Ian Paice or John Bonham's ones).

"Nothing Is Easy" was already a good rocking song on "Stand Up" so you can imagine how strong it can be in this live version. Gorgeous. This is music history and is really representative of a (golden) era.

The sound is really great. Four stars.