Thanks for that. Got the Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd 1970 Devi/Ation and IQ Ever 25th box sets for £53.12, equating to approx. £17.70 each.
When I look at the current pricing this is one of the first cases where prebuying wasn’t the least expensive route
No some if of those early boxset ones went for peanuts after a few weeks on Amazon, I picked up new Warchild for £12.99 and Passion Play £14.10 admittedly, they had a lower starting price then and none had hone out of print. I think SFTW was the last of the low starting prices on Amazon and Bricks and Mortar stores? Heavy Horses never really dropped and secondary selling prices are on the rise, so don't delay if you haven't committed?
I have all of them, the last few were pre-orders. This Was was in the low £20 range from Amazon UK after VAT removal, which worked out to the mid $40’s CDN
This turned out to be the case with the Dylan and Beatles sets also. I don’t remember that happen before with box sets.
justforkicks.de sent me a 10% coupon, so their price beats several other sellers, hence me ordering it.
I ordered from them but after a couple of weeks they told me they were unable to source it so I got it from Amazon UK in the end.
When this set arrives I will have all of them up to, and including, Heavy Horses. Am I right in thinking that the only thing I will be missing will be the Carnegie Hall concert from the earlier version of Stand Up? Also, what else do I need to get (live CDs, DVDs etc) to have everything that has been officially released on CD/DVD up to Heavy Horses?
S So sorry to hear that, mine arrived. Very well cardboard packed for future reference. Nobody has got close to their Kate Bush remastered box one price either so they are still worth looking out for in the future.
Live at the Isle of Wight DVD/CD Maybe the Living In The Past comp in some form if you're a completist.
I got my set as part of that deal, ordered two other items for the same/similar price, so that this set was under 20 Euros shipped. I am just ripping it, haven't listened to it yet.
Some of the live material on Heavy Horses previously appeared on Bursting Out, with some overdubs (sorry, "sweetening"). The Berne set on Heavy Horses includes all the same songs as Bursting Out, plus a couple more that were cut for time (most notably "Heavy Horses"). Madison Square Garden treads much of the same musical ground, but it's fun to have most of the concert on video, and the (presumably pre-taped) intro to "Sweet Dream" is a nice addition to the collection. Also, if one wanted to have everything from 1968-1978, you'd also need two more DVD collections. Jack in the Green compiles German TV appearances, mostly in the 1980s but also including one and a half songs taped for Beat Club in 1970. (There's a full performance of "With You There To Help Me," including John Evan's piano solo "By Kind Permission Of," and two attempts at "Nothing Is Easy" which break down, apparently because Ian has a cramp or a pulled muscle.) The Around the World Live DVD set includes an hour of the 1976 Tampa concert, including the only released live version of "Crazed Institution." The DVDs also come in a book set that matches the Wilson remix sets.
Almost forgot - the 20th and 25th anniversary box sets have some material from the period, most notably a couple of tracks from the 1977 Hippodrome show broadcast on BBC radio and TV. That set was supposed to be included on Songs from the Wood, but the Beeb wanted too much money. The Landover show is a wonderful consolation prize, including the same songs (and more) in both audio and video. And the 25th anniversary video, later repackaged on DVD as A New Day Yesterday, has some unique footage, like "Aqualung" from the 1977 BBC show and 1970 promos for "Witch's Promise" and "Teacher" (flute-less UK version).
The only studio material that comes to mind consists of alternate mixes. The Living in the Past album included alternate mixes of some of the singles, most notably "A Song for Jeffrey"; most of the other mixes reappeared on various compilations. The Nightcap album included 50 minutes of the Chateau tapes, including a lot of flute overdubs that Ian added in 1988 and 1993 to flesh out the unfinished passages. Steven Wilson's remix of A Passion Play omitted those overdubs because they weren't part of the original sessions. (The 1988 overdubs first appeared on the 20th anniversary box set.) The 20th anniversary box included a remix of "Moths," very different from the album version (more stripped-down). I'm not sure when it was prepared. The same box set purported to include a BBC version of "Grace," but it's just the standard master recording with an otherwise unavailable count-in. The 25th anniversary box set featured a whole disc of remixed studio tracks from 1968 to 1982. The drums tend to be much louder and reverb-y, and there are other differences too. The biggest one I can think of is on "Sweet Dream" - Martin's guitar has been over-treated with a phasing effect, to the point where it doesn't really sound like an electric guitar anymore. It sounds like Martin's amp was full of cicadas and marshmallows. The consensus appears to be that these remixes, intended to update the sound, have not aged well (perhaps because it's not 1993 anymore). The remix of "Bungle in the Jungle" accidentally appeared on early pressings of a 25th anniversary "best of" compilation, which also featured a unique six-minute digital edit of "Minstrel in the Gallery," which has the introductory acoustic section segue straight into the final rock & roll part of the song, omitting the guitar solo in the middle.
I just remembered one more piece of live footage! The Classic Artists DVD documentary includes, as a bonus, a very grainy, black and white, 1969 film called Swing In, Rock In, which includes four poorly recorded songs: "Nothing Is Easy," "Bouree" (which opens with a flute duet by Ian and Martin), "Sweet Dream" (which sounds very rough, and was apparently dropped quickly from the set list, as Clive didn't remember playing it live) and "For a Thousand Mothers." It may be the group's oldest surviving concert footage with audio. (The Rock and Roll Circus performance was mimed except the vocal mic was live, and the 1968 Hyde Park footage is silent.) It's a good documentary, well worth seeking out. There are interviews with all the then-living classic-era members, except Jeffrey, who contributed extensive liner notes instead. Speaking of the Rock and Roll Circus, the half-mimed performance of "A Song for Jeffrey" is included on the Isle of Wight video so you don't have to seek it out separately.
Thanks for that comprehensive reply. I have to say that none of those seem particularly attractive so money saved there. I hate that whole "modernising" of vintage recordings...are you listening Giles Martin? (with particular reference to Sgt Pepper.). I also remember a Free compilation - I think, though I'm not 100 per cent certain, that Bob Clearmountain was responsible for that one - that made them sound like an 80s band with a particular drum sound that was incomprehensibly popular in that decade.
I've brought this up elsewhere recently, but... does anyone know why Isle of Wight doesn't have a Blu-ray release yet? Several other bands' performances have been released in HD, why not this one?
This Was 50th - OMG, I think this is the greatest improvement in the remix series. It highlights how well the original multi-tracks were recorded (it sounds far better than either Benefit or Aqualung). The remix has me moving this album up in the Jethro Tull canon. Better bottom end, reduction in the upper midrange (cymbals sounded a little tinny on original CD releases). The rhythm section sounds so much better, it's nearly incredible. Full marks to Steven Wilson for allowing the splendour of the original recording out. Also, the book is chock full of facts and photos. This is how a remix/remaster series should be done.
Ian doesn't seem to be really gung-ho about Blu-rays. The only Tull Blu-ray I can think of was in the super deluxe Aqualung in 2011.
If they ever did re-release Benefit as a book, this would be prime for DVD inclusion, just before Evan (re-) joined. I love this footage, especially Sweet Dream ~ wish there was more.
