IAN ANDERSON PLAYS THE ORCHESTRAL JETHRO TULL

This beautiful two disc live output stretches from material as old as Bourée from '69, to something as recent as Ian Anderson's last solo release, Rupin's Dance, only two years earlier. The set list varies from acoustic tracks with vocals, with only mere orchestral touches, to the full band pieces where orchestra goes all out, and even songs that have been completely re-written and orchestra makes it its own. Aqualung isn't even recognizable until vocals begin, which is extremely fresh and even veteran, life-long Tull fans will adore this rendition.

As many people have mentioned, Ian Anderson's voice is suffering from 37+ years in the business of singing, though his flute playing has actually improved greatly. But on this specific release, his voice doesn't sound too shabby at all, and flute playing is still five-stars. And, in the fashion of Jethro Tull, there even many laughs on this album. Sometimes the orchestra adds another dimension of energy or substance to the music, and other times it simply complements the melodies, and fortifies the beauty of the music. But it always works perfectly, and it never seems misplaced.

I was very surprised - very surprised at the brilliant production, the excellent sound quality, and the phenomenal re-workings of the old songs. To be honest, I didn't expect a whole lot from this one, which was a big mistake! Any casual Tull fan, or die-hard, should be putting money aside for this one.