A

Definitely my favorite Jethro Tull album, although it appears few share my enthusiasm. As far as I'm concerned, "A" is the perfect Tull progressive experiment; it has enough of the older elements which made the band great in the '70's while also introducing much of the new sounds and innovations of the '80's. Tull tries out some electronics on "A"; sure, much of it seems tentative at times, but when they went full-force on this side of their experimentation on "Under Wraps" many (not I) thought they went too far. And the interim album ("Broadsword") seemed all too much like a step backwards, so in retrospect "A" found the perfect balance between the old and new. There weren't any hits off of "A"- in fact I can't recall ever hearing a single track played on the radio, so many casual fans may not even be aware it exists, while serious prog fans may not bother due to the album's less than stellar reputation. It's a shame in both cases, for "A" is a magnificent disc, one of the '80's greatest and (in my opinion) the finest album to ever bear the Jethro Tull name.