BENEFIT

I made an unofficial research and discovered that Jethro Tull had their work released in Brazil before other giants like Pink Floyd, King Crimson and even Moody Blues... probably they were the first prog-band heard in this part of the World!

Reasons, well, I listed 2: first, their association with Rolling Stones through the Rock and Roll Circus - since Beatles were disbanded, the Stones were in the crest of the wave; second, they were considered initially a hard-rock or acid-rock band in the same line of Sabbath, Led or Deep Purple and these guys were a kind of fever here by 1970/1971.

The fact is that JT really benefited from these events and got an extreme popularity in Terra Brasilis that I guess that in the prog-scene they lose only for Pink Floyd and the difference is tiny. Ian Anderson is a usual visitor alone or with the band and he is an easy figure on our TV even going to talk-shows and similar stuffs. Also JT had a good start because while "Benefit" was their third work was truly their first prog piece and the first to be released here; new fans received more than they asked for!

And the album itself? A good one, well above the average. For a listener back in the 70s some sounds should have seem quaint, also the flute, the guitar riffs, the arrangements, certain tunes and passages, the singing act; the progressive ears were being educated.

Songs flow smoothly and even the weaker tracks run accordingly; opening track, 'With you there to help me' is one of the album highest points but there's that marvelous flute in the best track 'Inside' or the pleasant 'Sossity', 'Nothing to say' and 'Son'. A landmark and an excellent addition for a music collection. Total: 4.