Jethro Tull Stand Up Deluxe (11/18/16 release date)*

Any blemish on Reasons For Waiting is NOT okay....

 

No doubt man. Was hoping it wouldn't be audible, but it was unfortunately

 

Never mind, I was confused. For some reason I thought I am in the "Songs from the Woods " thread.

 

Received my LP and played it today. This is my favorite Tull album. Wow - quite impressive from all standpoints:

Sound - Love the remix by Steve Wilson. He fixed the hard panning issue where it was most annoying previously. The sound is full and clear, a great improvement over the original. Just as much of an improvement as Aqualung was. Guitars, vocals, bass, drums - it all sounds fantastic!

Packaging - Audiophile quality all around on both the cover and the LP itself. The price is not the usual $35 rip from other labels, but around $22. 180 gram LP with a replica of the original pink label. Pressed in the EU - I believe Germany as it states "GEMA/MCPS". The 24 page book included is very well done with interesting narrative, pictures and excellent paper quality.

Thanks to all who worked on this remix/reissue. Great job!

 

It's now streaming for anybody interested. Another muddy Tull mix saved by Steve Wilson. He did a fantastic job.

Totally agree with teag on the Aqualung thing.

 

I preordered from SRC vinyl here in Niagara Falls. They told me 2 weeks and that was a week ago. Also I think you can preorder from Northern Volume. I have also dealt with them and they are good.

 

Picked up the vinyl a few days ago, really excited to hear this Wilson release. But I'm in some ways underwhelmed. Maybe it's my ears, but it seems the high end was dropped down just a bit too much?

My comparison I used to A/B this disk was a first pressing UK, which I think sounds really good. The UK has a nice overall feel to it but perhaps has a bit more brightness, but it sounds good and raw. My US two-tone Reprise is very muddy sounding and never gets payed.

Switching between the UK and Wilsons mix, it's very obvious how bright sounding theUK is but the UK packs a punch.

I then A/B'd Wilson and a 1997 EMI 100 series pressing. To my ears, the EMI Series is the winner in this comparison. It has the high end that I feel is lacking in the Wilson version as well as a very good bottom end (kick drum and bass) along with great clarity.

The Wilson release has good separation and a heavy low end which, being a bass player, is really enjoyable, but where did that high end go?

Anyone else?

 

I don't have the EMI 100 issue (aren't these all direct metal masters?) but I have UK and US originals and the new S. Wilson beats both of those on my system. I found the high end to be just fine on the Wilson.

Of course we all hear different things.

I highly recommend the new Wilson LP for those that have either the US or UK originals, or don't have this on vinyl. Besides great sonics, you also get an improved mix that makes the album more enjoyable than ever IMO.

 

I have an early US Chrysalis and the EMI 100, and I like the SW remix more than both. I'm not hearing the roll off you're talking about, it's clean, crisp with just the right amount of warmth. The Chrysalis sounds pretty bad to be honest, and the EMI 100 kind of sounds like what it is to me, an early digital pressing. Not bad sounding at all, but seems to lack some resolution compared to an analog or a high resolution digital pressing.

The all analog EMI 100 TAAB sounds a lot better to me than the SW remix on vinyl though...

 

OK, I'll have to revisit the Wilson. Again, I'm not saying it's bad, but I just feel, for me, that it could use a bit of the higher end to mix with the lush low end that Wilson is know for.

 

My answers are:
1) I don't know but I wish. As things stand though, there is not enough text and material to fill one of the booksets.
2) No plans. Many of the LITP tracks have already been remixed on each corresponding album bookset.

Steven Wilson is not really interested in remixing live recordings -we have done it once as a bonus for Octopus by Gentle Giant, because some album multitracks were missing.

 

There's talk of a Wilson remix of "This Was." If that appears, then at least we can compile our own Living in the Past, adding bonus tracks from the first four albums. I'd go all the way back to the Derek Lawrence tracks, and include the entire Carnegie Hall show as it appeared on the 2010 Stand Up. (For now, I've got that show in a jewel case with cover art adapted from the Record Store Day vinyl release.)

 

This was has its own thread here

Jethro Tull "This Was" and Mr. Steven Wilson

 

I seem to like 'Benefit' a little more that 'Stand Up' and was going to hold off buying the release from a few years(non book packaging), as thought maybe like 'Aqualung' there would be a 2nd edition(adding SW doing a Remaster to go with his Remix), but sounds like I should not wait for something that might never get released(especially since Anderson does not seem to like 'Benefit' that much himself). I did not realize getting enough text for the actual book would be a problem, since it was done for the other albums.

I did not realize that there were tracks from LITP added to the other Deluxe Book Sets. I saw that 'Stand Up' added songs from a Stockholm concert, but not sure if LITP included songs from that concert and if some of the LITP songs are on the Bonus Discs on the 'Aqualung' & 'A Passion Play' Deluxe Book Box Sets.

Thanks for the reply though.

 

So were some of the songs from the Carnegie Hall concert what was released on LITP Live Album(is LITP a mix of songs from a few concerts?). The Carnegie Hall Concert was what I read on here from some posters, who thought could be added to a 'Benefit' Hard Back Book Deluxe Set. Got to admit in exploring the music of JT, that the first album does not appeal to me being Blues Rock(as I do not care much for the 1st song, 'A New Day Yesterday' on 'Stand Up' that seems to have a sound I assume is similar to 'This Was', but I will check that album out on YouTube).

I also found 'A Passion Play' hard to get into, but heard the 2nd CD of Bonus Songs/Concert is good in that Book Set. I do not care for Folk-Rock, so have no interest in a few albums that came after 'Minstrel in the Gallery'(like that album a lot) as if I understand correctly, 'Songs from the Wood' and a few other albums around that time period was when JT ventured into Folk-Rock.

I still need to check out 'Thick as a Brick', but wonder if that album also ever gets updated for a Book Box Deluxe Version, especially since the first SW Reissue seems to be hard to find now and assume goes for a lot of money.

Thanks for the reply and the visual on the Carnegie Hall Concert Release. I need to look up that track listing.

 

Yes, the Carnegie Hall concert is where the two live tracks from LitP come from (side 3 of the LP). "Dharma For One" is heavily edited, though (even if that version is etched in my mind forever ). And the other piece, the piano solo, is actually the second half of "With You There To Help Me."

All the LitP songs, and more, have now been released elsewhere -- though not all remixed by Steve Wilson. Wilson's Benefit includes "Sweet Dream"/"Singing All Day"/"Just Trying to Be." Aqualung includes "Wond'ring Aloud/Again" which is the full-length (incredible) version of "Wond'ring Again" from LitP. That also has the '71 EP tracks "Life's a Long Song"/"Dr Bogenbroom"/"For Later"/"Up the 'Pool"/"Nursie." Stand Up includes "Living In the Past" & "Driving Song."

The non-Wilson reissues of the first three albums have the rest. This Was: "Love Story"/"A Christmas Song." Stand Up Deluxe: the Carnegie Hall show. Benefit remaster: "Witches Promise" (master tape now missing, so Wilson couldn't remix it).

You're pretty perceptive on "A New Day Yesterday." That and "Nothing Is Easy" are the throwbacks to the style of This Was. But apart from blues, there are some other great This Was tunes like "A Song For Jeffrey" (which looks forward to Stand Up), "Dharma For One" (instrumental), and the bonus tracks -- which also include a jazzy instrumental called "One for John Gee," and a psychedelic folk tune, "Sunshine Day." I'll say this ~ they never jammed harder than on This Was. But definitely a bluesier sound overall.

I agree about Passion Play ~ I prefer the bonus disc "Chateau D'Isaster" hands down. The War Child book edition has some great bonus stuff, too. LOVE Songs From the Wood, though ~ beg to differ with you on that one

 

Thanks for listing where all the LITP Track come from. I really like the song 'Sweet Dream' which I have on the 2-CD Anniversary Set that I found recently used in perfect condition(and good DR #s), and it has that song on it along with a few of the songs from 'This Was'. I did not get to the 2nd CD yet to check out their later music. After several Youtube listens, I got the Book Deluxe Sets for 'Aqualung', 'Minstrel in the Gallery' & 'Stand Up'(was a little light on total number of songs from Stockholm concert though as wish it had 5-8 more songs. I need to get 'Benefit'(2-CD-DVD) version, but too bad it has not been remade to align with the other Book Deluxe Versions. I need to listen to 'Warchild' before deciding on that one(especially the songs on the Bonus CD). Seems like 'Too Old for Rock & Roll' is not considered as good compared to their other earlier albums.

I will give 'Songs from the Wood' a listen. Who knows, maybe I will like it, but was just going on what I read that JT were doing Folk-Rock by that album(just not my type of music). Prog-Rock for my own taste just depends on the Music Artist and not the entire genre(love Gabriel/Hackett Genesis, but find YES a little tough to enjoy and still checking out king Crimson, since SW also Remixed their earlier albums. I do like 'In the Court of KC' though, as discovered it because DOVES-one of my favorite Music Artists from 2000-2009, covered 'Moonchild' but retitled that song as 'M62 Song' on their 'Last Broadcast' album).

This might upset some JT fans, but I do find too much Flute annoying, and wish it was used about 50% less, but do not want it to deter me from enjoying the actual songs as I explore their catalog(thanks to SW's Remixing their albums to get me curious). How did that work when Anderson approached Music Labels to get signed to a contract?

Music Label President-"So you have a Rock Band, what instrument do you play?"
Anderson-"I play the Flute"
Would have loved to have seen the look on the Music Label President's face.

Although, it seemed to have worked out well for JT, and it is too bad they have not been inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame, as they seem deserving to me just on the early albums I have checked out or bought, but then again a lot of my favorite Artists(The CURE, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Smiths, Joy Division, Magazine, Siouxsie & the Banshees, XTC, NIN, etc. and expect most '90s UK Artists will get overlooked when they are eligible) are not in there so it is 'A' Rock Hall of Fame' and not 'The' Rock Hall of Fame.

Did Anderson ever go 'all Pete Townshend' and break/smash his Flute after a concert by snapping it in half over his thigh?

 

Funny bit of trivia, but IA started as a guitar/harmonica player. The one legged flute thing was, according to him, something he did while playing harmonica and the press mixed it up when he started playing flute, so he figured he may as well add that to his flute performances since it sounded interesting.

I believe they were signed before he really took to the flute though. There's not a ton of it on that first album.

 

Actually, Chrysalis Records was founded by Tull's managers, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis (hence the name, a pun on "Chris / Ellis"). So they probably didn't need much persuading. The band was unexpectedly a huge hit at the Sunbury Jazz and Blues Festival, which probably piqued the interest of various companies who distributed Tull's records before Chrysalis became a full-fledged label of its own.

Also, keep in mind that the Moody Blues had only very recently had a huge hit with the Days of Future Passed album and its single "Nights in White Satin," which featured prominent flute playing by Ray Thomas. So the commercial viability of rock music with flute solos was already established.

 

True, a number of songs on This Was have little or no flute (generally the straightforward blues numbers), but about half the tracks feature it prominently. There's a lot of flute on "My Sunday Feeling," "Dharma for One" and "A Song for Jeffrey," which are the only songs from This Was that remained in heavy rotation on the set list after Mick Abrahams left the band. "A Song for Jeffrey" was the single off the album; its B-side, "One for John Gee," is also quite flutatious. And of course the album's longest track, "Serenade to a Cuckoo," is a flute showcase.

 

The world was different in 1968. Bands with flute (Tull) or horn sections (BS&T) or violin (It's A Beautiful Day) were all the rage.

 

That is interesting on how The Managers of JT founded Chrysalis Records. Takes a way from my joke-haha.
The flute does work well on 'Nights in White Satin' that is one of my top 5 Songs from the 1960s.
I only ever heard the Flute before when buying a bunch CDs in the 1990s by the R & B//FUNK Band-Brick, and that instrument seems to work well with that style of music, but glad not all other FUNK Bands were using the Flute and just used Horns as extra instruments.

 

All interesting replies on how the Flute became such a prominent instrument for Anderson. I do not dislike it, but just would prefer a little less of it throughout some of the songs, as I get into their music. I guess Anderson would not let SW Remix the albums by de-emphasizing his Flute, but some songs I try to imagine how they would sound without it(or less of it). Although the Flute sounds good to me on 'Bouree'.

Despite not being much of a Blues-Rock person, I will check out 'This Was' and as mentioned heard a few of the songs from it on the 2-CD Anniversary set.

Now if I can just figure out how to like 'A Passion Play'.

There is a lot diversity in JT Songs/Albums, so to me it is a case of finding which songs I like a lot, like 'Sweet Dream', 'We Used to Know', and the 2 well known songs, 'Aqualung' & 'Locomotive Breath'(heard a few times on Classic Rock Radio in the past).

 

In the band's 20-year documentary, Chris Wright said something like: "Chrysalis came into existence because MGM spelled the band's name wrong and wouldn't pay 5o pounds advance for them."

The spelling error in question (blamed on a bad telephone connection):

 

Tull could have been a great blues rock band, right up there with Mac and TYA. Mick was a great blues guitarist and singer, as B Pig later proved. But it was not to be. Ian is right, though that the blues were bound to be a dead end.