A

Sometimes I think that simple marketing tools (like album covers or names) can influence our opinion of the music inside, either positively or negatively: 1) Compared to the fairy tale covers of early Genesis ("Nursery Cryme", "Foxtrot", etc.), the black and white cover to "Lamb" was modern and sterile - yet contained some of Genesis's most extraordinary music. 2) The naked man standing in front of the geometric shapes and buildings of "Going For The One" was clearly different from the dreamy Roger Dean covers of the early Yes albums - yet most fans would rightly place "GFTO" as one of Yes's top albums.

Similarly here - the sterile space suits and 80's neon colors on the cover of "A" do little to conjure up the English countryside that the covers of "Heavy Horses" or "Songs From The Wood" do; and there's no clever or artsy title to the album - just a similarly sterile "A".

But don't pre-judge the music. Shunning this album for years because of my own personal biases as well as the errant reviews of others, I was recently ASTOUNDED at the rich variety of melodies and sonorities that I found on this album. Give this album its due!

First thing you have to do: clear the slate of your Jethro Tull biases. If you love progressive rock, there is some great music here. I mean, imagine a vocalist as great as Ian Anderson fronting a prog band that features Eddie Jobson on keys and violin! (Great electric violin on the song "Uniform", by the way.) Anderson's flute is all over this album. Barre's guitar has a cleaner, proggier sound (a la Steve Howe). And there is excellent melodic bass playing.

Yes, the lyrics are more modern and political, but still very good. And the production on this remaster is very bright.

Let's be honest, folks: few Tull albums ever resembled another one. "Aqualung" was great in a much heavier and rockier way than, say, "Thick as a Brick" (with its prog/classical stylings), or the folkier material of later Tull. They changed a lot. That's good. And so is "A". It was a change from the previous output. But taken on its own merits, there is a lot to like here.

Throw in an hour-long "Slipstream" DVD and...are you thinking what I'm thinking? Stop thinking so much, and just buy the damn thing! This is a classic no-brainer. I know you'll silently thank me as the final strains of "And Further On" fade away over your headphones...;-)