BENEFIT

'Benefit' is the third studio album of Jethro Tull and was released in 1970. There are two versions of the album, the UK edition and the US edition. Both editions have ten tracks. However, the order of the tracks is different on both editions. But, the main difference is that the US version has the track 'Teacher' instead of the track 'Alive And Well And Living In'. 'Benefit' was the album where Jethro Tull solidified their sound around the folk and rock music, abandoning their more blues sound. The album is more hard and rock than their predecessor 'Stand Up'. This is also the album where the band uses tape-manipulation techniques in several tracks, which was unusual on their earlier two studio albums.

'Benefit' represents the second change on the line up of the group. It was the first album of the band including a keyboardist, John Evan. However, he wasn't yet a regular band's member. It was also the last album to include bassist Glenn Cornick, which would be replaced by Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond on their next fourth studio album 'Aqualung'.

So, the line up of the album is Ian Anderson (vocals, guitar and flute), Martin Barre (electric guitar), Glenn Cornick (bass guitar) and Clive Bunker (drums). As I wrote before, John Evans (piano and organ) appears as a guest musician. And as happened on the two previous studio albums, David Palmer made all the orchestral arrangements in 'Benefit', too.

'Benefit' has ten tracks. All songs were written and composed by Ian Anderson. My review is based on the UK version. The first track 'With You There To Help Me' is a very interesting song to open the album, which is at the same time soft and dark. It's also at the same time hard and melodic, making of it a great counterpoint. This is, without any doubt, one of the highest points on the album with many changes in tempo and atmosphere. The second track 'Nothing To Say' is a harmonious, calm and beautiful Jethro Tull's song with a mellow style and with a nice floating singing style by Ian Anderson. It has also a strong backing support of the bass and the drums. The final result is a very cool and enjoyable song to hear. The third track 'Alive And Well And Living In' is one of the three smallest songs on the album. It's a calm and well balanced song where the general instrumental performance is very good. This is a song with a superb tune that we could later hear on the more folk oriented albums of them. The fourth track 'Son' is the second smallest song on the album. It's a very interesting song that switches the tone from hard rock to a soft acoustic guitar tone. This happens because this song represents a sarcastic conversation between father and son. It's a very unconventional song, but we learn to like it after some time. The fifth track 'For Michael Collins, Jeffrey And Me' is really an amazing song. It's a song with great piano, nice acoustic guitar, good bass, beautiful chorus and great singing. This is a song that starts as a mellow folk song, but that suddenly, it rocks. So, this is a song that is balanced between the folk and the rock, which is probably, the main characteristic of the entire album. The sixth track 'To Cry You A Song' is one the best known songs from this musical period and that became a classic on Jethro Tull's live shows. It's an excellent rock song with a great guitar work. This is a must for those who love the harder side of the band. This was also the song who gave its name to the tribute album released by Magna Carta. If you are interested on it, you can read my review on this site, in Various Artists. The seventh track 'A Time For Everything?' is the third smallest song on the album and is a song that brings the flute back into the music and where Martin Barre's guitar dominates the music. This is another great folk tune, totally in the vein of what would be their future on their more folk oriented albums 'Songs From The Wood', 'Heavy Horses' and 'Stormwatch'. The eighth track 'Inside' is an intimate and soft song with some intricate rhythms, a sweet flute playing and a nice and warm voice. It's really a cool, very relaxing and a truly pleasant nice song to hear. The ninth track 'Play In Time' is the weirdest, the most strange and experimental song on the album. It's a song with lots of changes and a great aggressive musical atmosphere. It's a very energetic song with excellent singing and great guitar riffs. This is, in reality, a unique song on the entire album. The tenth and last track 'Sossity; You're A Woman' finishes the album with a beautiful and mellow tune. It's a song with great acoustic guitar playing, good rhythm section and a beautiful voice line. The flute provides also great inserts all over the song. This is a perfect closing to the album.

Conclusion: 'Benefit' is another excellent Jethro Tull's studio album. It's probably less considered because it was released between 'Stand Up' and 'Aqualung' and before the great masterpiece of the group, 'Thick As A Brick'. However, despite isn't as good as 'Stand Up' and 'Aqualung' are, and especially, it isn't as good as 'Thick As A Brick' is, 'Benefit' represents an excellent musical effort of Jethro Tull and is a very solid album. As happened with 'Stand Up', 'Benefit' is also a landmark for the band, because it confirms definitely and firmly the changing of the music direction of the band. It remains a classic Jethro Tull's album and an excellent addition to all decent musical collection.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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