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Editorial Reviews
Digitally remastered and expanded two CD commemorative Collector's Edition of the classic 1971 album, released to coincide with the classic LP's 40th Anniversary. Disc One features a NEW, previously unreleased stereo mix of the album. Disc Two contains additional recordings from 1970-71 and includes unheard stereo mixes. EMI. 2011.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
134 of 138 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
*** THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE 2CD VERSION ***
Little will prepare Tull fans for this. The sonic improvement and clarity on this 2CD remix/remaster is off-the-charts good - a truly fantastic improvement.
A little history is needed to explain this - the CD reissues of this acknowledge gem have been fraught with so-so versions - a duffer bare-bones 1st outing in 1987, a 25th Anniversary attempt in 1996 (which to my ears is one of the worst remasters I've ever heard) and a much better shot at it by the audiophile company DCC in the States a year later. Good rather than great. We'll at last - for it's 40th anniversary in 2011 - EMI UK finally gets it right.
Here are the details first - UK released Monday 31 Oct 2011, "Aqualung 40th Anniversary Special Edition" is a 2CD set on EMI/Chrysalis AQUAS 1 (5099908799920) and breaks down as follows:
Disc 1 (43:25 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 11 are their 4th album "Aqualung" - released 19 March 1971 in the UK on Chrysalis ILPS 9145 and 3 May 1971 in the USA on Reprise MS 2035. It reached number 4 and 7 on the UK and US LP charts. No 45's were released to support the album in the UK, but "Hymn 43" was put out as a 7" single in the USA with "Mother Goose" as its B-side on Reprise 1024.
Disc 2 (44:51 minutes):
Track 1 is "Lick Your Fingers Clean" - an album outtake that first appeared on the 1996 25th Anniversary reissue - this is a 2011 'New Mix'. It was supposed to be released as a single in 1971 on Chrysalis WIP 6098 in the UK, but was withdrawn
Track 2 is "Just Trying To Be" - first appeared as the last track on Side 2 of the July 1972 double album "Living In The Past". This is a 2011 'New Mix' at 1:37 minutes
Track 3 is "My God (Early Version)" - a 9:42 minute outtake complete with studio dialogue at the beginning
Track 4 is "Wond'ring Aloud" - a 1:51 minute outtake recorded 13 Dec 1970
Track 5 is "Wind Up" - an 'Early Version' at 5:21 minutes with Ian Anderson on piano. This is a 2011 'New Mix'
Track 6 is "Slipstream (Take 2)" - a 54-second outtake
Track 7 is "Up The 'Pool" - an 'Early Version' at 1:12 minutes (released version is Track 10)
Track 8 is "Wond'ring Aloud, Again" - a 7:07 minute 'Full Morgan Version' with the band and extra verses
Tracks 9 to 13 are "Life Is A Long Song", "Up The Pool", "Dr Bogenbroom", "From Later" and "Nursie". 11 to 13 are new 2011 remasters. All 5 tracks were recorded in May 1971 and made up the "Life Is A Long Song" 7" EP released September 1971 on Chrysalis WIP 6106 in the UK (the picture sleeve is featured in the booklet). They reappeared as Tracks 3 to 7 on Side 4 of the "Living In The Past" double LP in 1972.
Track 14 is a 52-second "US Radio Spot" featuring Ian Anderson talking about the album and God with music snippets from several tracks
Note: Tracks 3, 4, 6 7 and 8 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
The 2CDs are housed in a 3-way foldout card digipak with a 32-page booklet. Nice touches include the painting-artwork of Burton Silverman reproduced beneath the 2 see-through trays (the inner gatefold of the original vinyl LP), the CDs are green in colour as per the original Chrysalis labels and the booklet numbers the pages in Roman numerals in keeping with the original album artwork. There are knowledgeable and detailed liner notes by DOM WILSON featuring new interviews with principal songwriter and lead vocalist IAN ANDERSON. The booklet is peppered with new colour photos from the period and a nice collage shot of trade adverts, foreign pictures sleeves and promo-related stuff. But the really big news is the NEW SOUND...
Pages 26 and 27 give a detailed description by STEVEN WILSON on the lengths he went to in the remixing and remastering process to get the best possible sound out of the 8 and 16-track master tapes without compromising the integrity of the original recordings. Multi-Track Transfers were done by KRIS BURTON and Mastering carried out by PETER MEW at Abbey Road (a name long associated with quality reissues - see Listmania and tags). The results are amazing.
Even as the opening riff of "Aqualung" rattles around your speakers accompanied by the sleazy "...sitting on a park bench..." lyrics - the audio quality is in your face, but not in a forced way. Suddenly the track has real muscle and the details leap out at you. It's breathing for the first time. "Cross-Eyed Mary" has superlative bass end now and the treated guitar 'so' good. But for me the real fireworks start with the double combo of the acoustic "Cheap Day Return" with the acoustic/rock of "Mother Goose". The improvement is GLORIOUS - and when the guitar kicked in half way through "Mother Goose" - I'll confess to blubbing out a little proggy tear. "Up To Me" is fantastically good too. The improvement continues on Side 2 - but even more so. The riff in "Hymn 43" is just huge now and the quiet lead into "Locomotive Breath" is not drenched in hiss - but clean and powerful. The album ends with "Wind Up" which has the best lyrics Anderson ever wrote about personal beliefs and it sounds just wonderful (lyrics above).
I had thought after the blast of the album that Disc 2 would be throwaway - not so. A truly lovely gem tucked away on the "Living In The Past" 1972 double is "Just Trying To Be" which I had on a 1999 Mobile Fidelity remaster (see review) - well here the sound quality is beautiful and far better. I was also taken aback by the full 7-minute band version of "Wond'ring Aloud, Again" which properly stretches out - it's a superb bonus. It takes the "Wond'ring Aloud" album track from "Aqualung" at 1:53 minutes length and adds on the "Wond'ring Again" outtake at 4:15 minutes length that turned up on the 1972 "Living In The Past" double and segues way them together with an extra bridge in the song and more lyrics (hence its new title here is a make up of both song titles - Morgan being the studio it was recorded in). It's very cleverly done and because there's new bits in it - it's been called 'Previously Unreleased'. The roughest sounding outtake here is the 'Early Version' of "My God", but again his passion in the vocals is the reason for inclusion. And again the clarity on the 5-track "Life Is A Long Song" EP is far better than that on the MF release. Great stuff...
Niggles - the original album had an inner sleeve with lyrics - no show. This is a sloppy exclusion especially given the importance of words on this album.
I bought "Aqualung" when it came out in March 1971 as a spotty 12-year old and have loved it ever since. Finally this reissue does it justice. And the "Super Deluxe" box set has further 5.1 mixes that have received rave reviews too.
I suspect that Steven Wilson, Kris Burton and Peter Mew will be up for awards for their mastering skills on this reissue - a top job done and one of 'the' reissues of 2011.
Roll on "Living In The Past" the 1972 Double Album - it deserves the same lavish treatment...
Little will prepare Tull fans for this. The sonic improvement and clarity on this 2CD remix/remaster is off-the-charts good - a truly fantastic improvement.
A little history is needed to explain this - the CD reissues of this acknowledge gem have been fraught with so-so versions - a duffer bare-bones 1st outing in 1987, a 25th Anniversary attempt in 1996 (which to my ears is one of the worst remasters I've ever heard) and a much better shot at it by the audiophile company DCC in the States a year later. Good rather than great. We'll at last - for it's 40th anniversary in 2011 - EMI UK finally gets it right.
Here are the details first - UK released Monday 31 Oct 2011, "Aqualung 40th Anniversary Special Edition" is a 2CD set on EMI/Chrysalis AQUAS 1 (5099908799920) and breaks down as follows:
Disc 1 (43:25 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 11 are their 4th album "Aqualung" - released 19 March 1971 in the UK on Chrysalis ILPS 9145 and 3 May 1971 in the USA on Reprise MS 2035. It reached number 4 and 7 on the UK and US LP charts. No 45's were released to support the album in the UK, but "Hymn 43" was put out as a 7" single in the USA with "Mother Goose" as its B-side on Reprise 1024.
Disc 2 (44:51 minutes):
Track 1 is "Lick Your Fingers Clean" - an album outtake that first appeared on the 1996 25th Anniversary reissue - this is a 2011 'New Mix'. It was supposed to be released as a single in 1971 on Chrysalis WIP 6098 in the UK, but was withdrawn
Track 2 is "Just Trying To Be" - first appeared as the last track on Side 2 of the July 1972 double album "Living In The Past". This is a 2011 'New Mix' at 1:37 minutes
Track 3 is "My God (Early Version)" - a 9:42 minute outtake complete with studio dialogue at the beginning
Track 4 is "Wond'ring Aloud" - a 1:51 minute outtake recorded 13 Dec 1970
Track 5 is "Wind Up" - an 'Early Version' at 5:21 minutes with Ian Anderson on piano. This is a 2011 'New Mix'
Track 6 is "Slipstream (Take 2)" - a 54-second outtake
Track 7 is "Up The 'Pool" - an 'Early Version' at 1:12 minutes (released version is Track 10)
Track 8 is "Wond'ring Aloud, Again" - a 7:07 minute 'Full Morgan Version' with the band and extra verses
Tracks 9 to 13 are "Life Is A Long Song", "Up The Pool", "Dr Bogenbroom", "From Later" and "Nursie". 11 to 13 are new 2011 remasters. All 5 tracks were recorded in May 1971 and made up the "Life Is A Long Song" 7" EP released September 1971 on Chrysalis WIP 6106 in the UK (the picture sleeve is featured in the booklet). They reappeared as Tracks 3 to 7 on Side 4 of the "Living In The Past" double LP in 1972.
Track 14 is a 52-second "US Radio Spot" featuring Ian Anderson talking about the album and God with music snippets from several tracks
Note: Tracks 3, 4, 6 7 and 8 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
The 2CDs are housed in a 3-way foldout card digipak with a 32-page booklet. Nice touches include the painting-artwork of Burton Silverman reproduced beneath the 2 see-through trays (the inner gatefold of the original vinyl LP), the CDs are green in colour as per the original Chrysalis labels and the booklet numbers the pages in Roman numerals in keeping with the original album artwork. There are knowledgeable and detailed liner notes by DOM WILSON featuring new interviews with principal songwriter and lead vocalist IAN ANDERSON. The booklet is peppered with new colour photos from the period and a nice collage shot of trade adverts, foreign pictures sleeves and promo-related stuff. But the really big news is the NEW SOUND...
Pages 26 and 27 give a detailed description by STEVEN WILSON on the lengths he went to in the remixing and remastering process to get the best possible sound out of the 8 and 16-track master tapes without compromising the integrity of the original recordings. Multi-Track Transfers were done by KRIS BURTON and Mastering carried out by PETER MEW at Abbey Road (a name long associated with quality reissues - see Listmania and tags). The results are amazing.
Even as the opening riff of "Aqualung" rattles around your speakers accompanied by the sleazy "...sitting on a park bench..." lyrics - the audio quality is in your face, but not in a forced way. Suddenly the track has real muscle and the details leap out at you. It's breathing for the first time. "Cross-Eyed Mary" has superlative bass end now and the treated guitar 'so' good. But for me the real fireworks start with the double combo of the acoustic "Cheap Day Return" with the acoustic/rock of "Mother Goose". The improvement is GLORIOUS - and when the guitar kicked in half way through "Mother Goose" - I'll confess to blubbing out a little proggy tear. "Up To Me" is fantastically good too. The improvement continues on Side 2 - but even more so. The riff in "Hymn 43" is just huge now and the quiet lead into "Locomotive Breath" is not drenched in hiss - but clean and powerful. The album ends with "Wind Up" which has the best lyrics Anderson ever wrote about personal beliefs and it sounds just wonderful (lyrics above).
I had thought after the blast of the album that Disc 2 would be throwaway - not so. A truly lovely gem tucked away on the "Living In The Past" 1972 double is "Just Trying To Be" which I had on a 1999 Mobile Fidelity remaster (see review) - well here the sound quality is beautiful and far better. I was also taken aback by the full 7-minute band version of "Wond'ring Aloud, Again" which properly stretches out - it's a superb bonus. It takes the "Wond'ring Aloud" album track from "Aqualung" at 1:53 minutes length and adds on the "Wond'ring Again" outtake at 4:15 minutes length that turned up on the 1972 "Living In The Past" double and segues way them together with an extra bridge in the song and more lyrics (hence its new title here is a make up of both song titles - Morgan being the studio it was recorded in). It's very cleverly done and because there's new bits in it - it's been called 'Previously Unreleased'. The roughest sounding outtake here is the 'Early Version' of "My God", but again his passion in the vocals is the reason for inclusion. And again the clarity on the 5-track "Life Is A Long Song" EP is far better than that on the MF release. Great stuff...
Niggles - the original album had an inner sleeve with lyrics - no show. This is a sloppy exclusion especially given the importance of words on this album.
I bought "Aqualung" when it came out in March 1971 as a spotty 12-year old and have loved it ever since. Finally this reissue does it justice. And the "Super Deluxe" box set has further 5.1 mixes that have received rave reviews too.
I suspect that Steven Wilson, Kris Burton and Peter Mew will be up for awards for their mastering skills on this reissue - a top job done and one of 'the' reissues of 2011.
Roll on "Living In The Past" the 1972 Double Album - it deserves the same lavish treatment...
50 of 58 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
After realizing they pulled the Facebook link this morning, I went to Amazon and downloaded the 2 discs (25 songs!) for 9.49. The quality of the mix and separations are like those fantastic Beatles releases of a couple years ago. That they've restored the original album to it's former glory prior to the addition of those "bonus tracks" that to my mind only served to break up the continuity is exa...ctly the right move. Then the other disc is an additional 14 tracks of wonder including an early alternate of "My God" including the more controversial lyrics and so much more. I'm sitting here this morning listening to an incredible early version of "Wind Up" with tears in my eyes it's so clean and beautiful. It's like a time machine taking us back to 1971 to hear some of the best music ever made as it was originally meant to be heard along with additional material held back for all these years to comfort me in my old age. I cannot stress how wonderful this is to be listening on my headphones like this, "new" vintage Aqualung material here in 2011. Of course I will order the CD's for the kaboodle to go with the kit (what's another $17.51 for such treasure!?) but if all I get for my money is these 25 songs downloaded to my pc where I can listen to them on stereo headphones to my heart's content, this release has just made my year, perhaps my decade!
34 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This 40th anniversary remastered edition of Aqualung is easily the most difference making remaster I've ever heard. The sound just jumps out at you and because of this, there is a freshness to this version that almost makes it sound brand new. Already a classic album, the sound on Aqualung now takes us back to those days when we listened to these on vinyl in all their rich analog glory! Ian Anderson and the rest of the band sound great. There are sounds brought in from the ends of the spectrum that as I said before, making listening to this album a brand new experience. Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree did the remastering. His efforts on this and the King Crimson catalog have sort of made him the caretaker of these progressive rock classics. I'm going to go grab myself a beer, sit back and listen to this again and once again relive the music from this by-gone era.
One other note: The 2nd disc in this edition is also a must have, but if you already own the last release of Aqualung (the one with bonus tracks), you will want to keep it. There are some differences in the bonus material.
One other note: The 2nd disc in this edition is also a must have, but if you already own the last release of Aqualung (the one with bonus tracks), you will want to keep it. There are some differences in the bonus material.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Rediscovered!
My adoration of Steve Wilson brought me back to this album of my ill spent youth. It was always superb, I had just forgotten how good. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Thomas E. Stazer
Jethro Tull's masterpiece gets deluxe treatment on 40th birthday
Progressive rockers Jethro Tull released their fourth album Aqualung in April of 1971.
By 1971, Jethro Tull were a modestly successful blues rock band spearheaded by lead... Read more
By 1971, Jethro Tull were a modestly successful blues rock band spearheaded by lead... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Terrence J. Reardon
Better Sounding
I too am tired of buying the same album over and over but at least this version of Aqualung sounds better than the previous versions.
Published 1 month ago by Ron Shiflet
Better audio quality sure, but to what end?
It's wonderful that the CD has been given a much better re-mix, and it's nice to have all the extras (not that most of them weren't in Tull fans' collections already in various... Read more
Published 1 month ago by psychedelephant
Oh... My God
So my first rock album was Thick as a Brick at age 9 or so. I bought it due to its cool packaging. I made my way backwards through the
Golden Tull years ( although I do like... Read more
Golden Tull years ( although I do like... Read more
Published 1 month ago by A. Lane
Breathtaking
The boxed set release of Aqualung includes a vinyl LP, two CD's, a DVD and a Blu-Ray. No video on any (tough to do on the vinyl of course) just the music. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Christopher Williams
Great Gift
I bought this for a gift for my husband. He loved it. He didn't expect it at all.
He loves Rock n' Roll and I knew this was one of the box sets for him.
He loves Rock n' Roll and I knew this was one of the box sets for him.
Published 2 months ago by Jamesina Boone-delauro
Ian, you're prostituting yourself
I absolutely love Tull and thought their Aqualung 40th Anniversary concert was one of the highlights of my concert career. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Robert Renfro
WOW!!!!!
Hello, my name is Martin and I am a Jethro Tull addict. Yup, like so many others here I found this music in high school, latched firmly onto it, bought all the vinyl albums, went... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Martin
Yet ANOTHER Re-Re-Re-Re-Re-master??? UGH!
I have been a devoted fan of this Band since their inception, but COME ON GUYS! I have bought so many "re-masters" of this album - all supposedly INFERIOR to this one and ALL... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Music Fan
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