Jethro Tull questions...

after a quick listen to the cd with bonus tracks copyrighted in 1998 versus original vinyl copy, one of the first rock albums i ever bought, i'd say the cd ranges from ok to quite good fromtrack to track. the acoustic guitar as a whole is done quite well. dynamics of drums and bass in some tracks including the title track leaves a lot to be desired but other than dynamics is not done badly. the cd is not overly loud either. some decisions were apparently made during the mastering to go for a tighter cleaner sound overall compared to my vinyl copy. the vinyl was murkier sounding overall but thetitle track had abit more meat tothe bones that added something.

i forget what a fine work aqualung is overall when i donot hear it for awhile.

In the case of Benefit, maybe Tull should have listened to their company/producer more, since I believe that is their best album. Explains why they don't play Benefit songs live.

My favorites are Benefit and Stand Up. Unfortunately I've never heard an excellent version of either album.

I have a original release of Stand Up and it has moments of greatness.Benefit is somewhat compressed but again, has moments.

Looking for decent (earlier) Tull recordings on CD, here I find myself having read all these posts. I have been a fan of the band since I was a teenager, saw them play the Aqualung tour. I consider Aqualung one of the great rock albums of all time. My favorite Tull albums are definitely Stand Up, Benefit, Aqualung and Thick as a Brick.

The discussion here leading to Fairport Convention and Sandy Denny reminded me of David Cousins and a band I already had in mind- The Strawbs. Denny was once a member of the Strawbs. I know Cousins was a close friend, he wrote 'Ringing Down the Years' after Denny's death.
The Stawbs started as an English folk-rock band and evolved to kind of glam and then prog rock. Rick Wakeman was an early member, left for Yes, lots of other interesting connections.
I saw the Strawbs in the 70s, the Hero and Heroine tour. Again just a few years ago as the Acoustic Strawbs. Both shows were wonderful.
My Faves are From the Witchwood, Grave New World, Bursting at the Seams , Hero and Heroine, and Ghosts. Just as with Tull, their later music was not as much to my liking.
I especially enjoyed the lyrics on many cuts, poetic with a flair for the dramatic, sometimes very dark. Some songs are pure pop rock. A very interesting mix of musical styles over the years. I consider The Strawbs greatly overlooked band.

The Sunlight filtered softly
Through the pale and watery sky
To catch the mirrored salmon
As it rose to take the fly
The flowers on the riverbank
Were left alone to die