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Jethro Tull - Benefit CD (album) cover

BENEFIT

Jethro Tull

 

Prog Folk

3.92 | 1214 ratings

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ZowieZiggy
Prog Reviewer
4 stars Benefit is the real start of the Tull's great history (IMO). I could not quite appreciate their first two albums but this one is somewhat different. I remember passing by the same record shop for months around my school in 1973. They still displayed this LP sleeve (as well as most of the Genesis ones of the era) and maybe therefore, this album will always have a special place in my collection.

The opener "With You There to Help Me" is a fabulous song : hard rockind, great flute and wonderful guitar. Somehow complex : it is one of my fave and a highlight. "Nothing to Say" is a harmonious song : strong backing work from the band (bass and drumming) although the master's voice is dominent and noticeably trying (and achieving) to articulate as much as possible to ensure listeners understands what he says. Another great 5'14" piece of music (and the second highlight).

"Alive and Well and Living In" is a short but well balanced song : rocking / fluting / melody-ing (?). Not at all a weak track. The instrumentals here are very good. The band is really coping well together here.

"Son" is a weird song made of two parts (easily noticeable). The first one being somewhat hard rocky is right in tune with the first two songs. The second section, although it started folky, finishes like it started : a good Tull rocking tune. The end of the song though seems to be cut. Strange structure.

"For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me" starts like a mellow folk song. But with "Benefit" it must have been agreed that no song would be totally folk, so the track will balance between folk and rock. Not too bad.

The vocals for "To Cry You a Song" are quite bizarre. I am not really found of the "special" effects added here. The track though is great : hard rocking at times with great musicianship from Barre. I really would have liked to get the normal Ian's voice format to fully appreciate this song. Great bass playing again by Glenn Cornick.

"A Time for Everything" is again a good song. Same singing work from Ian than in "Nothing to Say". Abrupt end like in "Son". As the album flows, one has to acknowlege that there are no weak track on here. Barre's influence is huge : "Inside" could have been a folky/mellow tune but thanks to his input it turned to be a good rocking song. "Play In Time" really shows how powerful the band can be (even in a studio work). "Sossity" is the sole whole acoustic number. Maybe it is good to rest a bit after such a rocking album !

Four bonus tracks on the remastered edition : "Singing All Day" is a great song with very good keys and bass (again). Fluting is quite melodious. "Witch's Promise" is another track which could have easily fit on the album. Rocking but aerial. Tull. These two bonus tracks are also released on their compilation effort "Living In The Past". Absolutely no fillers. It is no the same with "Just Trying To Be" : quite average track (but it is the first one so far...) "Teacher" is almost a heavy track with a slow rythm. Glenn Cornick is again great (but I have mentioned him so much that he too should be credited for this quite rocking / hard sound of this album).

Although none of the tunes will turn into Tull classic it is a very well balanced effort.

IMO "Benefit" will pave the way for lots of Tull albums from ...the eighties. Like "Broadsword", "Crest" and "Rock Island" but I will have the opportunity to discuss these ones a little later). I would highly recommend the remastered version of "Benefit" to anyone willing to enter their catalogue because :

1. It is a very good album

2. It is really representative of several Tull albums (or individual tracks on later albums)

Four stars.

ZowieZiggy | 4/5 |

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