Customer Reviews

This Was (Collectors Edition) (2CD)

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Two discs. 71,55 min. each. Remastered sound. I must first make a confession-this is still my favorite album in Jethro Tull's catalogue. So with that in mind,here we go. Recorded rather quickly and on the cheap,this contains a lot of why British "rock" music was so interesting. Take a bit of blues,some Roland Kirk-style flute,including singing into the flute while playing,a slight bit of folk music,and some good old rock and roll-English style- and there you have it.

In 1968 I can remember purchasing this as an "import" from Tower Records. On first listen,I thought,what in the world is this? At the time very few people seemed to like it,thinking it a curiosity. Now we have the 40 year anniversary release,and if you liked the original,you'll like this. The new stereo mix lets the various instruments breathe a bit and the overall sound is cleaner than previous releases. There is a curious overall "lightness" in the sound,not in a negative way,but the combined force of the music is not as immediate when compared to the mono version. Being of an age when mono was the only way you heard most music,maybe that's a predjudice that can't be overcome. However,it's nice to have both in one handy package,along with other tracks from the period.

The BBC session,while sounding a bit flat,is certainly nice to have. The first track,So Much Trouble,has the Tull slide guitar-harmonica sound which we all know. It's interesting but not truly essential. My Sunday Feeling and Serenade to a Cuckoo both follow the originals. That could also be said for the rest of this session. Not until we get to Stormy Monday do we hear a track not from the album,but a song Tull had in their live repertoire at the time. This track demonstrates why this album has always been a favorite of mine. Here they take a blues tune,add some jazz drumming and flute and Ian Anderson's best blues vocal,and come out at the end with that "This Was" sound. The two final tracks pretty much follow the originals,but as I said,for anyone who likes this era of Tull,thats just fine.

As for the new stereo mixes of Love Story and Christmas Song on the second disc,they too have a much more "open" feel than previous recordings. Unlike the majority of this album,Christmas Story looks ahead to the Tull sound that went on to capture the imaginations of Americans everywhere. The vocal is pushed forward and the sound is leaning towards the minstral-folk sound Tull would make famous. The four mono tracks,all period singles, that conclude this set are typical Tull at that time,though I must say that One For John Gee is a personal favorite-what with the flute,bass and drums all pushing into jazz territory.

So,like I said,if you liked this album and found so much to listen for throughout the original album,you will like this. Included is a booklet with period photographs,the original liner notes,and input from the band members looking back all those years. This is an album,that,while dated, will never go out of style,as long as people are interested in something,as Ian Anderson says,that is a bit off.

I have just A/B'd the stereo disc of this new 2CD version of "This Was" with two previously issued CD versions (the Chrysalis and Hollywood versions). This one is the big winner BUT some will have good counter-arguments because the mix presented here is not the original mix. The listener of the new set will notice the heavy reverb that was applied to Anderson's voice is nearly entirely gone. Both previous issues had heavy reverb on his voice. With the reverb gone, the mix sounds so much cleaner. The voice and instruments are still in their general stereo positions (voice on the right, lead guitar on the left, etc...). The EQ is significantly different than what we hear on the Chrysalis version, and not so different from the Hollywood label version. The old Chrysalis CD clearly used a tape mastered for lp with the heavy bottom sucked out to keep the consumer's stylus from jumping the groove. This new double CD issue is a great improvement on the original mix. The original mix can only be preferred for sentimental reasons.

It doesn't seem so long ago that the first three Jethro Tull albums were remastered and reissued with bonus tracks. So why buy this Collector's Edition of This Was? Well, unless you are a huge fan of the earliest incarnation of Jethro Tull, there is no good reason to particularly if you already own the previous edition. But, if you began your Tull experience when This Was was originally released, then you certainly will want to add this to your collection.
Admittedly, the This Was Collector's Edition is massive overkill. Not only do you get the ten songs (in mono) from the original release, nine additional songs from a pair of John Peel sessions are tacked onto the first CD. The second CD features the entire original album remixed in stereo, four remastered mono recordings of songs related to but not included on the original release, and stereo mixes of two of the bonus tracks. To sum it up, there is an astounding amount of music provided for what is currently a very fair price.
To me, My Sunday Feeling and Serenade To A Cuckoo are two of the early Tull pieces which, though utterly different in style, helped bring the band attention from a much wider range of listeners than it might have received if it were not so eclectic. They certainly got my attention and remain favorites to this day. I also favor Beggar's Farm, Move On Alone, and It's Breaking Me Up. Among the cuts from the Peel Sessions, I most enjoy My Sunday Feeling, Serenade to a Cuckoo and Beggar's Farm.
On the bonus disc, I most enjoyed the stereo mixes of the ones I like best on the mono version as well as One For John Gee which is kind of a poor relation to Serenade To A Cuckoo. One I don't like is Sunshine Day which is very unTull-like. Indeed, overall the extras don't match the quality of the songs ultimately selected for inclusion on the original album.
The double gatefold style presentation includes a small booklet containing pictures, commentary and album notes. So to reiterate, if you are a Tull fan with no particular attachment to the early years then you might be better off buying the single-disc remaster of This Was issued several years ago. But if you are one like me who still thinks that the first few Tull albums are his best, then This Was (Collector's Edition) is a keeper that will give you pleasure for the rest of your life.

This 2008 40th Anniversary 2CD COLLECTOR'S EDITION of Jethro Tull's explosive debut album has been a long time coming - but the wait has been so worth it.

Soundwise - this peach is simply off the charts good - and as a reissue - has breathed new life into a long forgotten and largely dismissed album. I suspect that even people who don't like Tull (and they are derided in certain circles) will enjoy this and be duly impressed...

There's a lot on here, so here's a detailed breakdown first...

DISC 1 (71:28 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 10 are the MONO VERSION of the album "This Was" released 25 October 1968 in the UK on Island ILP 985
(February 1969 saw the album released in the USA on Reprise RS 6336 but in Stereo only - the Stereo mix is on Disc 2)

Tracks 11 to 15 are live-in-the-studio recordings made for John Peel's "Top Gear" Radio program on BBC 1, recorded 23 July 1968 in London (broadcast August & September 1968)
Tracks 16 to 19 are more live-in-the-studio recordings as per 11 to 15...recorded 5 November 1968 in London (broadcast December 1968)

DISC 2 (55:18 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 10 are the STEREO VERSION of the album "This Was" released 25 October 1968 on Island ILPS 9085 [credited here as a "New Stereo Mix"]

Tracks 11 and 12 are ADDITIONAL NEW STEREO MIXES of "Love Story" and "Christmas Song" [New to this set]

Tracks 13 to 16 are ORIGINAL MONO RECORDINGS (UK Singles)
13 is "Sunshine Day", their debut UK 7" single issued 16 February 1968 on MGM Records 1348 [miscredited as Jethro Toe]
14 is "One For John Gee", non-album B-side to "A Song For Jeffrey", 2nd UK 7" single issued September 1968 on Island WIP 6043
15 is "Love Story", November 1968, Non-Album Track, A-side of their 3rd UK 7" single on Island WIP 6048
16 is "Christmas Song", also a non-album track on release, B-side to 15

PETER MEW at Abbey Road has expertly remastered the 1st generation original masters tapes and the results are stupendous - the clarity is now unbelievable on both the old MONO MIX and the newly constructed STEREO MIX. Getting your hands on an original UK MONO vinyl copy of this album has always been an expensive and difficult affair - the STEREO version a little less so. So it's great to finally have both on a good CD. The 12-page booklet is a little crammed (pictures of 45's you can barely make out due to their tiny size), but it does features new notes from both Ian Anderson and Mick Abrahams.

Highlights - the opening track "My Sunday Feeling" (lyrics above) is classic Tull - rock with a flute jazz tint. Speaking of which - the track "Serenade To A Cuckoo" first appeared on Rahsaah Roland Kirk's 1964 album "I Talk With The Spirits". Kirk's flute technique of humming and mouthing as you play the instrument clearly blew away the young Ian Anderson, because he's been aping that style ever since (it's also the only time a cover version has appeared on a Jethro Tull album).

The bluesy "Beggar's Farm" is so clear now as are Clive Bunker's drums on "Dharma For One". The Stereo Mix of "Some Day The Sun Won't Shine" absolutely leaps out of the speakers, while the harmonica and guitar duo intro on "It's Breaking Me Up" perfectly compliments the slinky bass line by Glenn Cornick. "Cat's Squirrel" just rocks like a monster too.

The additional BBC stuff is very good (the band was still fresh) as are the properly remastered versions of the early Tull singles (most of which were non-album until the 2LP set "Living In The Past" in 1972).

I'd have preferred a far more expanded booklet, but it's the great remaster that makes me come back to this reissue time and time again... Onwards from here to Mick Abraham's Blodwyn Pig and their stunning 1969 debut "Ahead Rings Out" (see separate review).

EMI are to be praised for this - an absolute winner - recommended big time.

PS: for Peter Mew's work see also Dr. Feelgood's "Down By The Jetty" DELUXE EDITION (reviewed), Deep Purple's "Burn" EXPANDED EDITION and Kevin Ayers' "The Confessions Of Dr. Dream And Other Stories" (reviewed)

And it's today~ this release is everything it could be, including the complete recordings of this quartet (the 2001 remaster left off Sunshine Day) and complete BBC sessions; I'd heard rumors of Serenade to a Cuckoo & Cat's Squirrel BBC performances, but had never seen them even on bootleg till now. This stuff is gold. BBC So Much Trouble, Beggar's Farm, and Dharma For One had never seen official release before, and Song For Jeffrey & Stormy Monday were interrupted by the radio announcer on previous releases. These are all uninterrupted. I understand the previous comment of them sounding a little flat, production-wise. But the performances--though some are characteristically shorter for BBC--certainly lack none of this lineup's energy or musicianship...I'm loving the newfound instrumentals in particular. At first, I thought the My Sunday Feeling was one of those studio-live hybrids (perhaps with live guitar only), but after very careful comparison I'm convinced the BBC is a different performance; drums, guitar, and vocal are different (Ian sings the "don't nobody ask me" line rather than the studio "won't somebody tell me"), and I think drums tell the tale--maybe it's the vocal effect on Ian's voice that makes it sound like the studio. One does hear simultaneous vocal & flute on Beggar's Farm and a bit of Sunday Feeling, but minor overdubs happened on BBC (Cream, for example). Love Story is the only one my jury's still out on, sounds like there could possibly be some importing of studio tracks~ but not definitively. Anyone else care to listen & weigh in?

Oh yeah, and This Was itself. Rolling Stone once wrote that Tull was never again so ferocious musically, and it's true (though New Day Yesterday & Nothing is Easy on Stand Up, and Teacher's instrumental break are throwbacks). The rhythm section of Cornick and Bunker just couldn't, and still can't, be beat~ they're each about the most underrated players on their instruments that I can think of. And Abrahams' playing is so distinctive; the BBC stuff just underscores that. Too bad One For John Gee didn't close the original album, it's one of my very favorites, too~ kind of a two-minute compression of this Tull in a nutshell. They only include it on disc 2 here, but it's here.

Only Song For Jeffrey (not counting Love Story) really points to where they're headed, the album title is incredibly prescient. But by all means, stop here and soak in this original version of Jethro Tull. These guys smoke, and I really wish I could jump in a time machine and watch them cook the Marquee club in 1968.

I do wish a critical essay of the album's significance was included, but there are liner notes from each band member, so can't really complain. Ian's are mostly repeated from 2001 and are the longest by far, but glad everyone was acknowledged. They really were a band with the voices of every single member creating the sound.

I hope deluxes happen for Stand Up, Benefit, and Aqualung as well.

*ADDED COMMENTS~ After more listens, the BBC Cat's Squirrel surpasses the studio version hands down for me; it's a minute shorter, but Abrahams is doing more interesting stuff, and it's great on the final return to the riff where he catches Bunker during a drum roll and Bunker continues rolling it all the way through to re-entry. This performance is a must-own, given the dearth of recordings by this lineup.

Also, the studio remixes of Christmas Song & Love Story--especially the latter--really are different, and wonderful. The string instruments on the latter are separated for the first time so you can really here what's being played. Flip right back to the mono mix and you'll here how muddled it all is in the middle~ classic sound, sure, but it's sweet to have the alternative. So sweet, in fact, that now I want one for One For John Gee; my only, ONLY complaint.

This is without doubt the definitive version of this album. The quality of the remastering work is stunning and a credit to the guys 'twiddling the knobs' to make this one of the better remastering efforts that I know of. The technology for recording this album must seem archaic to what can be done today.

I was a bit doubtful when it was first released as the last thing I needed was the mono and stereo versions of the same tracks. But both are of such high quality that it was like listening to the album for the first time. The mono version stands equal to the stereo mix in my opinion.

I will not review the album tracks as they have been around for 40 years and most Tull fans would/should/could have heard them by now. There was guitarist in the band before Martin Barre and I think Mick Abrahams can be proud of his effort.

I would have bought this album irrespective of the bonus tracks but they are just the 'icing on the cake'. A few new pictures are included along with some kind words by all the musicians - unexpected bonuses.

Tull fans should rush out and buy it but the thought of the 40th Anniversary version of DotCom has me worried if I'll still be around. Any fans of 1960's English blues should all included this album as it is a great blues album and captures the sound of this period.

Enjoy.

Russell

This was the only tull album I'd never heard, I was hesitant to pick up the collectors issue because of that fact,$20.00+ too. But as often I've discovered that I really enjoy the first albums put out by artists, they're always playing from the heart and soul, not quite stars yet and hungry for the limelight, fortune and fame. This album simply blew me away, I never realized they started out playing bluesy,jazzy,tunes.It is absolutely great music, So glad i purchased it you will too..You can't go wrong.

This Lp represents the sole effort by the band which had only recently become Jethro Tull. At the time, it boasted two stars: vocalist/flautist/songwriter Ian Anderson and guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Mick Abrahams. I call it the only real Jethro Tull album because all of the subsequent recordings by the band known as Jethro Tull are actually recordings by the Ian Anderson Band (it's ironic that Abrahams' replacement, Martin Barre, is the only other permanent member of a band that periodically reinvents itself but remains firmly identified with Ian Anderson).
Though Anderson is among the most creative and innovative musicians working in this genre in the past 40 years, his stranglehold on the Jethro Tull brand name has artificially prolonged the life of a band that has passed its sell-by date. Beginning in 1980 with the "accidental" attribution to the band of the Anderson solo LP "A", Tull lost its roots; this began a long period of decline characterized by an endless search for a new identity amid a series of revolving sidemen. The final stroke should have fallen with the loss of Anderson's voice and the resultant vocal disaster of "Crest of a Knave" in 1987.
Anderson needed the strong personality of Mick Abrahams to balance his own ego. "This Was" features very distinctive guitar--Barre is a fine guitarist but changes styles to accommodate Anderson's latest phase--and it's the only Tull album to feature vocals by someone other than Anderson (I don't count the occasional monologs by Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond). Abrahams's "Move on Alone" is a clever blues-derived song fully the equal of the kind of songs Anderson was then writing; the two voices blended well, as demonstrated on "Some Day the Sun Won't Shine"; and as the bonus cut "Sunshine Day" proves, Abrahams could also write songs with commercial appeal, though the era of the hit single was soon to be eclipsed by album-based radio.
With its mix of blues, pop and jazz, "This Was" was refreshingly different from both the standard British "Blooze" of Ten Years After, Fleetwood Mac and Cream, and from the left-over psychedelia that was soon to produce such bloated and pretentious "progressive" bands as Emerson, Lake and Palmer and King Crimson.
The mono mix included in this 40th anniversary package may seem redundant or mere padding, but, for those too young to remember 40 years ago, this was a time when many of us were still in possession of mono record players, and though the record companies were beginning to release only stereo LPs, there were still a few like this one that were issued in both formats. Therefore, this is a chance to explore the way engineers had to create a viable mix for only one speaker; the mono mix featured here is punchier than the stereo, with its wide channel separation, and while there are no real revelations, it's instructive to be able to compare the two. The bonus cuts are all familiar, but the mono mixes are again a historically accurate representation of the originals. The BBC recordings, mostly previously unreleased tracks, give a taste of the live band as well.
Finally, it was a nice touch to include liner notes from each of the original band members instead of Anderson's alone. Altogether, this release shows the kind of care and attention to detail that is worthy of the designation "collector's edition".

Jethro Tull are a fantastic band who were never content to stay in ne musical territory for too long, over the years their sound completely transformed time and time again with member changes, technological advancements and age all altering the feel and direction of the music and lyrics primarily written by flute wielding frontman Ian Anderson.

The band's debut album `This Was,' sounds perhaps the most different of all, as a large portion of the album was written by then guitarist Mick Abrahams (later of Blodwyn Pig) and is more rooted in the blues and jazz than in rock or folk like their more famous material.

The album features the tracks "My Sunday Feeling," "Some Day the Sun Won't Shine For You," and "A Song For Jeffrey" which owners of Tull DVDs or remasters will likely already be familiar with. As well as, in addition to these, the fabulous original studio version of their superb `Dharma For One,' instrumental/drum solo.

Also on the album is the Roland Kirkland jazz cover `Serenade Of The Cuckoo,' and the traditional `Cat's Squirrel,' as made famous by Cream, both here in a unique Tull flavour.

Obviously, as this was the band's first ever record and recorded on the cheap, it won't sound the absolute best, either in terms of production or just plain old professionalism, but it does have an undeniable charm derived from a time when music was handled in a very different way to how it is now.

This version comes in a neat dual digi-pak case, and comes with a whole host of bonus material, including rare studio bonus tracks like `Love Story,' `Christmas Song,' `Sunshine Day,' and `One For John McGee,' which all make a nice addition to the album; as well as two brief live sets taken from BBC's Top Gear programme, both in 1968, which contains the non-album tracks `Stormy Monday,' (a T-Bone Walker cover) and `So Much Trouble.'

In addition to all of this bonus material, you get the choice between the album's original mono and new stereo editions, which are mixed slightly differently as well as just the difference in number of channels.

At 35 tracks, this is certainly excellent value for money and a must-have for any Tull fan who wants to see just where the band came from. If you are a new Jethro Tull fan enticed in by promises of either rock or prog, start with albums like `Aqualung,' `Thick As A Brick,' or `Heavy Horses,' but everyone should eventually pick up a copy of This Was, and this 40th Anniversary edition is a fine way to do so.

Having bought the original LP, when it was new: Jethro Tull has always be one of the top groups you could rely on. "Dharma For One" used to be a favorite as are any songs that Ian Anderson shines. "Stand-up" also comes to mind as a classic as well as the overplayed "Aqualung".The stereo version of "This Was" is excellent. The vendor I bought it from, in Scotland delivered it promptly.