Thick As A Brick (40th Anniversary Special Edition) [Original recording remastered, Special Edition]

Jethro Tull | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 6, 2012)
• Original Release Date: 2012
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered, Special Edition
• Label: Chrysalis Records
• ASIN: B008S6B480
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,658 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Thick As A Brick (Part 1) (2012 Remix) 22:45

2. Thick As A Brick (Part 2) (2012 Remix) 21:07

Disc: 2

1. Thick As A Brick (Part 1) (5.1 Mix DTS & Dolby Digital) 22:45

2. Thick As A Brick (Part 2) (5.1 Mix DTS & Dolby Digital) 21:07

3. Thick As A Brick (Part 1) (2012 Remix) 22:45

4. Thick As A Brick (Part 2) (2012 Remix) 21:07

5. Thick As A Brick (Part 1) 22:45

6. Thick As A Brick (Part 2) 21:07

7. Radio Ad (2012 Remaster) 0:59

Editorial Reviews

In 1972, Ian Anderson wrote and recorded the Jethro Tull Progressive Rock classic album Thick As A Brick . The lyrics were credited at the time to the fictitious child character, Gerald Bostock, whose parents supposedly lied about his age. The record instantly became a number one Billboard Chart album and enjoyed considerable success in many countries of the world.

The 40th Anniversary Edition features a new 5.1 stereo mix, mixed by Steven Wilson, plus a DVD containing DTS & Dolby Digital 5.1 surround mix, high quality stereos 96/24 (new mix and 1972 flat transfer), the original newspaper over 40 pages, an article by Classic Rock s Dom Lawson, rare photos from photographers Didi Zill and Robert Ellis, recording and touring mementos and much more, all contained in 104 page 7 ½ x 5 ½ hardback book.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 63 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars IT'S FIXED!!!!! November 7, 2012

By George Springer

Format:Audio CD

I just received my replacement copy though I have not listened to it yet. If there is anything wrong I will repost. I bought mine through BurningShed.com so I am unaware if Amazon received replacement copies. I would assume contact their customer service to see. I have now changed my rating to five stars but will leave the previous post below for reference. Thank You Steven Wilson, Ian Anderson, EMI and Burning Shed, you are all Top Notch!

*Old Post* There is a production defect with the 5.1 DVD. At times 2:32, 2:48 & 3:03 of "Side 1" there is audio defect that is heard. I confirmed this with my brother, on HIS equipment, with HIS copy. The CD however is good to go! I agree with the previous reviewers that it sounds excellent, not as good as the Aqualung 40th but still sounds excellent. But to pay the money for the 5.1 mix and have this issue, I would wait until it is fixed!

46 of 51 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars 1-19-13 ~ A sorry to say update for my original title: "The packaging is nice." November 6, 2012

By Ozzy

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This was just delivered to my door. Got 2 of them: one's to be a Christmas present. The packaging looks great. The original newspaper is reproduced and there's tons of good new stuff in the "Colour Supplement". Should make for a nice fun gift for the TAAB/Jethro Tull fan. I've only given it a quick listen to parts here and there. So far I've noticed a few differences from the original in the Steven Wilson 2012 re-mix. Whether I end up liking the tampering with my favorite Tull album remains to be seen. (5 Stars just because it's Thick as a Brick!). I'll try to update the review eventually. I didn't notice any strong indications of the nasty loudness war super compression yet.
I did notice that at the very end of the album, the "Yeah" that Ian Anderson quietly says, after the final "to be thick as a brick" is sung, IS MISSING! I mean c'mon. With such a big deal re-mix 40th Anniversary Deluxe Package of this classic, done I would assume, for the rabid fan (who would notice these things), and not the casual listener, you'd think all possible homework would have been done. It makes me wonder what else is missing or drastically changed. Does anyone remember the earliest releases of Aqualung on CD which faded out Wind-up after the hard rocking part, forgetting that the song hadn't quite ended yet. There's almost a half minute left with the song finishing up with a quiet acoustic verse! At least Chrysalis Records did the right thing back then by fixing the error for future discs and replacing existing copies with the new one free of charge.
Ah well. I'll probably enjoy hearing something new in this anyway, but in the end, continue to listen to my old versions.
P.S. I hope no one gives this a lower rating because the DVD is not a video.... It's for audio and says so on the package.
--Update 11/24/12: Some good news regarding the audio glitches on the DVD 5.1 mix. I haven't listened to mine yet, but according to other reviewers, there are definitely audible problems there. Well I just noticed (as others already have, in the comments), the official Jethro Tull website [...] acknowledges an error occurred during the final stage of mastering. With apologies from EMI music, Ian Anderson and Steven Wilson, plans are to ship corrected versions to stores and replace defective discs for fans who have already made the purchase. Good for them! Thanks for doing the right thing. Check the Tull site for more information to follow.

-- 1-19-13 -- UPDATE WORTHY OF CAPS AND TOO MANY EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!!: As I've previously stated, this is my favorite Tull album. Spin me back down the years and the days of my youth, and you'll see I've known this music better than the back of my hand for too long. Other than the not so important to me glitches on the DVD, which I haven't even listened to yet, I've been listening to the cd in the car on the long commutes. I've found a horrible, non-glitch mistake! (Maybe it will be blamed on an innocent glitch!) A mistake which changes the music as I know and love it. And now that I've discovered it, I really don't care if there are any others on the disc. It doesn't matter because I won't be listening to this remix anymore, other than to use it as a tool with which I'll try to discover previously hidden subtleties in the music for curiosities sake. I KNEW there was something wrong with it! Something about the timing. I knew it, I KNEW IT! This is one reason why I don't like change!
OK, listen to the first couple of minutes of Tr. 2 which was originally side two of the vinyl album. Right after the first Barriemore Barlow drum solo break which starts at approximately 1:32, there's that cheerful, little melody (beginning at 1:41), being played on flute and chimes I believe, whilst Barriemore keeps pounding away at the kit. (Cool thing: Listen to the high hat keeping the constant tst-ts, ts-tst, ts-ts, through all the wild drumming abandon.) You'll notice that the short theme is immediately repeated without a break, beginning at approx. 1:48 and continues until the entire band rejoins the music at approx. 1:54. But they rejoin before the repeated theme is finished. The little flute/chime melody and the return of the whole band playing, don't match up.
I believe that my brain was uncomfortable for the first couple of listens, during the ride to work in rush hour, knowing there was something "off" before I did. Then I started hitting the rewind a little bit to check on something that didn't sound right. "Yes, that's not how it goes. Is it?" Was it possible I missed this and had it wrong all these years??!! My suspicions were confirmed after listening to my earlier cd releases at home: THE WHOLE SECTION WAS WRONG!! On the originals, the little flute melody begins at approx. 1:41, continues to approx. 1:48, pauses, then picks up again at approx. 1:52 with ONLY the first five notes! They don't repeat the whole thing! This allows a split second or so for the drum solo break to just wrap things up on its own, before the band comes back in, leaving the whole piece sounding perfectly timed and placed... Like it's supposed to be... Oy!
Is anybody with me on this? I feel I'm rambling and maybe not making myself clear. Or maybe no one cares. "Is it warmer in the summer than it is in the country?...Or who cares?" : Curly Howard. Or as Ed Norton might say: "Am I coming through out there in television land?"
Well, I would normally be fuming mad, but I'm comforted in knowing that I already have numerous copies of Thick as a Brick in multiple formats, in its previous original state, just the way I like it. Steve Wilson does not have my permission to touch them.
...Alright, I am fuming! Just a little. For the sake of future listeners......and me. I HATE IT!
I regret I must drop the star rating down from 5 to at least 3. I hope Amazon restricts the rating to just this version. Read more ›

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars I hear the glitches on the DVD as well November 9, 2012

By Drebbus

Format:Audio CD

I agree with George Springer- there are audio glitches at times 2:32, 2:48 & 3:03 of "Side 1" on the 5.1 DVD. EMI needs to acknowledge these and fix them. Otherwise, great product.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Compressed, harsh, and glitchy November 14, 2012

By Robobrewer

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I loved the 40th anniversary Aqualung, so my anticipation was very high for this release. Thick as a Brick is one of my favorite Jethro Tull albums and I have played it hundreds of times over the last 30+ years. Sadly, the loudness wars and poor quality control have ruined this work of art.

The DVD has glitches, and when compared to the Mobile Fidelity gold CD, this re-mix's mastering sounds less dynamic with the drums somewhat buried and the cymbals have a harsh, unnatural, irritating quality which I find to be fatiguing. Ian Anderson's vocals have been brought forward and the treble boost that degrades the cymbals has added a bit of an unpleasant sharp edge to his voice. Warmth and deep bass are also nonexistent.

The Aqualung 40th Anniversary CD was a revelation due to the tremendous improvement in clarity, texture, and space added to the sound. None of this is true with this release of Thick as a Brick.

I can't begin to comprehend why Peter Mew, the mastering "engineer," felt such a need to ruin Steve Wilson's mix by squashing the dynamics and boosting the high frequencies to such an extreme level. In my opinion this is a heartbreaking lost opportunity for Jethro Tull fans.

If you have the 1997 25th anniversary remaster maybe this may sound like a small and expensive improvement over that release since it is also compressed and crispy, but when compared to the Mobile Fidelity remaster this 40 Anniversary Edition is significantly inferior.

I have returned this insulting disgrace back to Amazon and EMI.

This release is a perfect example of why I rarely ever buy new CDs. They tend to be poorly mastered and inferior to older or original releases.

UPDATE: It appears that EMI will send out a replacement DVD.... The new DVD will fix the glitches on the 5.1 surround version. This repaired 5.1 surround will also be a flat transfer of Steve Wilson's remix, without Peter Mew's awful alterations to that mix.
Unfortunately, those of us who want Steve Wilson's unaltered stereo remix on the CD or DVD are out of luck. The CD will not be replaced and the only change to the DVD is the revised 5.1 surround version which had the glitches, not the stereo portions. Read more ›

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Glitches on another DVD November 13, 2012

By B Bu

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was listening to 5.1 dvd and could not believe what I heard, freaking glitches at times 2:32, 2:49 & 3:02 of Side one on the DVD. backtrack the Dvd then heard them again. The glitches are on both 5.1 remixes. It's to bad because it sounds great. The remixes Cd has no glitches, EMI another great job. (FIX THE PROBLEM AND SEND ALL OF US NEW FIX VERSION) we your customers buy all these remastered and remix Cds. The most you can do is get it right... This is my third version of Thick As A Brick and my last..