LIVING IN THE PAST

This large compilation is made up of singles and songs that were left off the official albums of Jethro Tull's beginnings. Though it doesn't hold together as consistently as their official albums, it gives a nice run-through of the evolution in their first 4 years.

Though it is an entirely strong and enjoyable album, it shows a gradual slide from superb 1968 and 1969 singles towards more generic and less involved songwriting in the year 1971. For me it's another sign that their Aqualung period wasn't the peak of their beginnings but rather its nadir.

The best songs of this album feature on the 2001 re-issues of This Was, Stand Up and Benefit. This makes the 1971 songs the only remaining reason to purchase this album for. But as a collection of early Tull material this is still a sure 4 stars.