ORIGINAL MASTERS

This was my introduction to Tull. Not long after I got this I borrowed somebody's copy of TAAB. This compilation did not prepare me for that album. I don't know how to compare this with other compilations; others have songs not here and vice versa. In retrospect, it does contain four of my favourite Tull tunes: the title tracks of Aqualung and Minstrel In The Gallery, as well as the singles "Living In The Past" and "Sweet Dream".

I never liked every song here, still don't. The 3-minute version of "Thick As A Brick" is pointless. Before I got this, I heard a 10-minute edit of the TAAB album on the radio. I was hoping it would be here. I still don't know who did that edited version or where it came from. This still has some of Tull's better and more popular songs like "Locomotive Breath" and "Bungle In The Jungle". It would have been great if "Teacher" and "Cross-Eyed Mary" were included; I never got to hear either song till much later.

Overall a nice introduction but nothing special. At least it showed me some of the folkier side of Jethro Tull which I was never a big fan of. I liked them when they rocked, mostly. Some of the other compilations might be better, but this was the only one I could find at the time. 2 stars.