LIVE - BURSTING OUT

In the mid-Seventies I discovered prog and I remember that Jethro Tull was one of the last Classic Prog bands that became part of my progrock collection. I was disappointed about the spare use of keyboards in comparison with the other Classic prog bands and in fact the only studio-album that kept my attention is Aqualung, generally considered as their highlight. I also bought this live double album but for some reason I sold it soon after and my attention for Jethro Tull slowly faded away. Until Eddie Jobson joined the band on their album A and I even decided to witness the A-tour in 1980, an unforgettable experience (Jobson with his transparent electric violin and huge Yamaha CS80 synthesizer) and I was blown away by Jethro Tull their dynamic and powerful stage performance. Since then I have seen Jethro Tull 3 times in the Eighties and Nineties, humor and prog, an unusual combination! A few weeks ago I stumbled upon the remastered 2-CD version of this live album, I paid only 9 euros, even cheaper than the original 2-LP version.

Listening to the 2 CD's I am impressed by the captivating blend of folk, blues, rock and classical. A very special element adds Ian Anderson with his very distinctive voice, his swirling work on flute traverse and his funny words in the poshy 'upper-stiff lip' language. But let's not forget the great Martin Barre, what a powerful, often harder-edged guitar sound, a captivating contrast with the often classical sounding flute traverse and tasteful vintage keyboards (like Hammond organ, Grand piano and harpsichord). Songs like Thick As A Brick, Cross-eyed Mary, Aqualung and Locomotive Breath are performed very well and in my opinion sound better and more powerful than on the studio albums. And that's perhaps the reason why I have seen Jethro Tull more times on stage than I own their studio-albums!