Jethro Tull - A New Day Yesterday: The 25th Anniversary Collection, 1969-1994 (1994) Review

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(More customer reviews)After reading all the reviews of the DVD I still bought it because there was really no other choice. But putting it all into perspective I have to agree with most of the reviews except that I was left "not satisfied". Why you ask...because there is never a complete performance! What was the producer thinking? Why cut off the second half of every concert performance just to here the bands comments about the reunion? Couldn't the producer find a way to put the commentary AFTER the performance? Great "glimpses" of Tull, but any real fan or anyone else for that matter will feel unsatisfied at the end. I just want to lay back and see Tull in a complete concert perforance!

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TRACK LISTING: • Introduction/Living In The Past (live) – Brussels ‘93 • Nothing Is Easy (live) – Isle of Wight ‘70 • 25th Anniversary Reunion • Teacher (live) French TV ‘70 • Witch’s Promise (live) – BBC Top Of The Pops ‘70 • Story Of The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles • Minstrel In The Gallery (live) – Paris ‘75 • Aqualung (live) – BBC Sight & Sound ‘77 • Thick As A Brick Rehearsal/ Thick As . . . (live) – Madison Square Garden ‘78 • Songs From The Wood (live) – London ‘80 • Too Old To Rock N Roll . . . – Promo Video Clip ‘80 • Kissing Willie – Promo Video Clip ‘89 • 25th Anniversary Tour Rehearsals/ My god • Rocks On The Road – Promo Video ‘91 • A New Day Yesterday (live) – Promo Video • Teacher (live) – French TV ’70 complete performance • Witch’s Promise 9live) – BBC Top Of The Pops ’70 complete performance • Story Of The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles – Passion Play Tour ‘73 • Aqualung (live) – BBC Sight & Sound ’70 complete performance • Kissing Willie – full promo video ‘89 • Rocks On The Road – full promo video ‘91 • Living In The Past (live) – Brussels ’93 complete performance

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Under Wraps Review

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(More customer reviews)Many Tull fans unjustly shun this work as an aberration in the Tull catalog, a divergent work not really worthy of "Tulldom". I have a different view. First, I will tell you that this is the last album the band made before Ian's voice literally collapsed in the mid 80's, leaving his fans in serious doubt for many years to come as to the veracity of it's ever returning. So, when I think back on that concert tour, I recall with fond memories the final time I saw Ian sing with that wonderful full vocal range so prevalent in the highs of SONGS FROM THE WOODS and the sonorous lows of BAKER STREET MUSE. It was also really the end of an era of 'big shows' where staging and drama came as part of the Jethro Tull package. Ballooning budgetary concerns mandated a less ostentatious approach to putting on a show. Gone forever were arena venues featuring string quartets and the elaborate Viking ship stage sets.

Be it known, however, that this is really quite an amazing album that harkens back to a concept album format. Apparently at the time, Ian had read a lot of John Le Carre and Martin Cruz novels; the album absolutely drips with cold war rhetoric, international espionage and intrigue. The progression of the songs reads like chapters in book GORKY PARK. All the characters are there, from the saboteur, the sexy seductress, the double agent, and the turncoat general selling out his country to the other side. We, the listener play the role of the guileless common man helplessly swept along with the story.
The music is rich and complex. Electronic in places - yes, largely due to the keyboard influences of Peter Vettese, but also full of the signature sounds distinctive to Jethro Tull. Present are Martin Barre's soaring guitar solos, Ian's flute work, and the bass lines distinctive to our old friend, Dave Pegg. The album also serves as our introduction to the man who has played percussion for the band longer than any other, the amazing Doane Perry.
My favorite songs include EUROPEAN LEGACY, LATER THAT SAME EVENING, and UNDER WRAPS #2. The CD contains four songs not originally included on the vinyl, and they break up the flow a bit. Unfortunatly, they dropped AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING and GENERAL CROSSING at the end of the disc, rather than before the song APOGEE which worked perfectly as a closing chapter to the novel on the record. I was hoping that with this new remaster, the order of songs would be rectified, but alas...no. This new release really offers nothing new musically, though the sound may be slightly cleaner if you are fortunate to own a really amazing stereo system, but for most of us, the difference is negligable. The LAP OF LUXURY video is a nice inclusion, but probably not worth the $$ if you already own this CD.
Martin Barre has referred to this as the Tull album he listens to when he wants to listen to a Tull album. He absolutely smokes on HEAT, a song which I think could sit comfortably on any 'Best of Jethro Tull' disc. While not a perfect album, in my opinion it is still a great album.


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Broadsword & Beast Review

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(More customer reviews)Finally, after many years of waiting, my favorite band has released the remastered B&B and I can complete my Jethro Tull collection! Now you might say "wait a tick, Broadsword and the Beast has been out on CD for years." That's true, but the original CD release was nearly unlistenable, and certainly the weakest disc in the collection. It sounded a bit like it was recorded with a hand held microphone inside a wet felt sack - muddy and of inconsistent quality.
This release is much superior to the original! Broadsword & the Beast was a moderate success in the United States, but in Germany and other European countries - this was "THE" Jethro Tull album to have, eclipsing Aqualung, Thick as a Brick and all the rest in sales and chart ranking. With perhaps the best artwork on any album cover, ever - this disc became quite popular and the menacing pixie like image of Ian still adorns concert tee shirts.
While the tone of the album took the guise of Scandinavian or Celtic themes, this album was definitely a stinging commentary of contemporary times. Among the several notable songs on this collection, THE CLASP and FALLEN 0N HARD TIMES both got a respectable amount of radio play in 1982. Both songs referred to the troubled times in which we were living, both economically and politically. An ailing Leonid Brezhnev was the General Secretary of the still thriving Soviet Union, only to be replaced by an equally threatening Yuri Andropov later that year. Reagan and Thatcher had formed a powerful, yet decidedly unsettling alliance in the west. These were scary times folks, and Ian's lyrics reflected the uncertainty we were all feeling!
Other great songs on the disc include BROADSWORD, a song that harkens back to ancient times, and speaks of protecting home and family from external threats. PUSSYWILLOW became a favorite on the touring scene for a while, though I haven't seen it performed in years. The last song on the original release was the peaceful, almost comforting CHEERIO, in which Ian and the lads wished us all "the best of luck till we meet again, mate." This song has been used as the closer for almost every concert appearance since.
I would be remiss not to mention the wonderful stage set used on this concert tour. This was the final bombastic, over the top stage presentation Tull would ever mount, and it was wonderful! The stage was a full blown Viking ship with the dragon masthead shown on the cover painting - complete with smoking nostrils and glowing eyes. Other memorable moments from the show included an actual "BEASTIE" sitting on Ian's shoulders as he sang that song, and a huge BROADSWORD he flailed about that had to be as tall as Ian himself. During WATCHING ME WATCHING YOU, the stage was completely dark while Ian scanned the audience, pointing a powerful hand held spotlight out to look at us watching him! It was a great show!
I will wrap up with a mention of the bonus tracks, all of which have been available on other releases. These are a nice collection of songs all recorded around the time of this album. The most notable of these are JACK FROST AND THE HOODED CROW, a tune that most recently reappeared on the Christmas Album, and JACK A LYNN, a touching and lovely song Ian wrote in tribute to his wife Shona (it's her middle name.) MAYHEM MAYBE is a fun little ditty, and OVERHANG is a riffy, enjoyable piece as well. Enjoy this disc, it is a treasure!


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Another Tull Remaster Replete with Original and Restored Sonic Detail and featuring Eight Brilliant Bonus Tracks Recorded at the Same Time as the Original Album Release, but Left Out Due to the Limitations of Vinyl. The Broadsword Tour in 1982 Saw Tull Out on a Full Production Tour for the Final Time, Although Smaller Tours have Since Taken Place, They have Not Featured the Elaborate Stage Set that Went with this One! this Album Featured the Usual Tull Sounds of Drums, Bass, and Guitar and of Course Flute, Mandolin and Other Acoustic Instruments Complete with Vocoder and Sequencer on the Clasp, and Others. Broadsword Saw Former Cat Stevens Drummer Gerry Conway Join Tull for a Couple of Years and Dave Pegg (Ex-fairport Convention) Join them for a Second Time. Much of the Songs were Written Using the New-fangled Electronic Instruments which Gives an Interesting Twist to the Woodsy and Folksy Elements in the Songs.

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Stormwatch Review

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(More customer reviews)It was late autumn of 1979 and Tull was on tour again. I was sitting in some nondescript seats in the nosebleed section of the Pittsburgh Civic Arena (owing to my meager student's living wages) waiting to see my favorite band in the world. The stage was a setpiece of ship's rigging cast in blue and green lights -very dark and oppressive. The band was on a low note, as John Glascock had recently died and they were touring with a substitute bass player. As if that wasn't bad enough, an announcer came on stage to introduce the band, stating that J.T. had cancelled their last three shows because some idiot had thrown a glass bottle on the stage and a piece of glass had gotten into Ian Anderson's eye. Be warned!, this was their first night back and they weren't going to put up with any nonsense. The band took the stage to thunderous applause, and a bespectacled Ian came forward playing a flute intro. Not two minutes into the show, another moron threw a bottle onto this stage, and quick as a flash - Ian stopped the show! He clearly was pissed, and threatened to leave right away unless somebody pointed out who threw the bottle and had them expelled. Obviously, the jerk was quicky ushered out and the band was ready to start again, but not before David Palmer gave a proper dressing down to the audience, telling us all we'de better f***ing well sit in our seats and listen! What a start to the night!
Well, the show went on very nicely from there, a great set that closely matched the "BURSTING OUT" album with some of the new songs scattered throughout. The band, consumate professionals all, played flawlessly, and the left the crowd satisfied, but it is no wonder Ian and Martin look back at this album and tour as a kind of dark period in their history.
The album itself has a darker mood; the last album of the 70's, and the last Tull album for Barlow, Evans and Palmer. Moving subtley away from the folkish and dealing with more worldly and political themes, the album is an examination of the troubled times in which we were all living. But don't be put off by this darker mood, there are some GREAT tunes on this disc. The highlight for me was the evocotive DUN RINGILL, but other absolutely stunning tunes include SOMETHING ON THE MOVE, ORION, FLYING DUTCHMAN, and NORTH SEA OIL. The original album ended with David Palmer's sad but beautiful ELEGY, a song fittingly marking the end of an era.
The bonus tracks on this edition include CROSSWORD, with some rocking guitar licks by Martin Barre; KELPIE, a more folkish tune with a rollicking flute passage that frequently finds it's way into Ian's solos even to this day; and KING HENRY'S MADRIGAL, another David (Dee) Palmer instrumental piece that really showcases the band's impressive playing abilities.
As I said, a dark album, but satisfying nonetheless and worth every penny.

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Limited Edition Japanese "Mini Vinyl" CD, faithfully reproduced using original LP artwork including the inner sleeve. Features most recently mastered audio including bonus tracks where applicable.--This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

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