THE BEST OF JETHRO TULL: THE ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION

How do you make a 'best of' for Jethro Tull when the masterful "Thick As A Brick", the best work Ian Anderson and Co. have done, with its two tracks of 22+ minutes & 21+ minutes each is represented on this compilation for a little over three minutes? And a similar fate befalls another fine Jethro Tull album of two epic tracks, "A Passion Play". It is because of the epic proportions of many prog works that they do not lend themselves well to any form of 'best of' treatment, as evidenced here.

So, "Thick As A Brick" and "A Passion Play" aside, how does this album stack up? Surprisingly it works quite well. It has a lot of the JT classic tracks such as "Bourée", "Aqualung", "To Cry You A Song", "Cross=Eyed Mary", "Locomotive Breath", "Heavy Horses" and "Songs From The Wood", plus plenty of others in its 36-track play list to keep the listener interested.

Sadly, the booklet that came with this CD set (Australian manufactured) is very light on for information; it has just the track listing with the album and year in which the track originated, plus a single list of the musicians for the complete compilation without mention of their part in making of the music. (You can use ProgArchives to fill that gap, though.)

Recommended for those looking to ease their way into the works of Jethro Tull (but do not ease too slowly into the full albums of "Thick As A Brick" and "A Passion Play" as these are essential recordings), or for those just wanting a bit of JT diversity close at hand.

A good mix of tracks, although not essential in this compilation form, especially with two major works represented only by short excerpts. 3 out of 5 stars for me.

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