Jethro Tull - Living with the Past

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A veritable feast awaits fans of Ian Anderson's Jethro Tull on this elaborate DVD package, which boasts extensive concert footage and a load of extras. The focal point is nearly two hours of performances, filmed in late 2001 (primarily in London, with additional material from several other locations) and featuring material from the band's entire lengthy career, including such staples as "Aqualung" and "Bouree." The current Tull incarnation (featuring, as always, Anderson on vocals, flute, and sundry other instruments) takes center stage; there are also a couple of numbers with a string quartet, and even a small-club reunion of the lineup that made the group's very first album back in 1968. Interviews with band members, testimonials from rabid fans, photos, and even an option for viewing a Tull performance from three different audience points of view are among the generous helping of extra features. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews:

Very Polished Performances.......2007-09-10

Definitely in my top 5 DVD list as soon as I played it once. All musicians in Jethro Tull are top notch, and Ian Anderson is in a class by himself, having written all the songs they perform. Nice mix of music and interviews/commentary. If you ever liked JT, you will like this DVD

so pooly done.......2005-09-03

what a waste... not the music but the video production. aviod this one, it will distroy your fond memories of Tull from our youth.

Close, but..........2005-08-30

This DVD needs to be reviewed in three separate categories. For musicianship, this is a 5 star plus production. The musicians form a cohesive group playing the wide range of Tull literature with freshness and fidelity to the originals. The musical virtuosity of Ian Anderson is impeccable. It's great to see and hear Martin Barre as facile as ever on his guitars, preserving the classic collaboration with Anderson that produces the signature Tull sound. Fresh arrangements of classic works will please the die hard Jethro Tull fan.

The quality of the audio tracks also deserves 5 stars. The sound is crisp and clean throughout. Admitedly, I did not play it on a sophisticated home theater, but the sound was incredibly clean through my television set. Jonathan Noyce's bass seemed to get lost a bit, though this may have been due to my inferior audio capability. Overall, the audio ranks as one of the better live recordings I've heard in a long time.

The video editing rates a disasterous 1 star or less. Classic rock meets MTV resulting in a visual trainwreck. The constant shifting of scenes and venues along with slow motion and other visual effects distract painfully from the music. The interruptions of Bouree and Aqualung are nothing short of a felony assault. In our younger days, we paid good money to listen to bands like Jethro Tull and did not have to be visually entertained as our MTV-fed successors do.

Overall, I give this DVD a fairly enthusiastic 4-stars. It's a great addition to the Jethro Tull canon. As a fan from the beginning, I am pleased to have this retrospective. I appreciate Ian Anderson's obvious gratitude to his career fans. If the video had been nothing more than straight concert footage with interviews intermixed that did not interrupt the music, this could have been a 5-star DVD. Maybe next time.

A "Must Have" for Fans.......2004-11-16

This is a superb DVD. No corners were cut in the making of this DVD... as songs are seen in their entirety and there are no oddball interuptions as I have seen on countless other music DVD's. If you are a fan (even a casual one) of Jethro Tull, you will enjoy this DVD over and over again. The choice of songs is well-balanced.

MUSICALLY, Still One of the Greatest Live Bands Ever..........2004-09-03

Three important points: A) The songs are not shortened by interviews a la the 1994 'New Day Yesterday' VHS release (however there are a few seconds of talk-over); B) Anderson's voice is better than at any time since mid-eighties throat surgery; and C) I could've done without the almost constant fiddling with the video images. That said, I think that MUSICALLY, after all these years and personnel changes, this group is still unsurpassed. The sound is fine (though volume is a little soft), and "Cross Eyed Mary", with its tension and dueling flute/guitar scale climbs, reminds this reviewer once again how worthy a song it was to follow the incredibly unique title track on the 'Aqualung' album. Also, "Budapest" is a tour-de-force...Thanks for reading, Ant...(also, please see my reviews of Sabbath's 'Last Supper' DVD and classic CD's by Tull, Crimson & Sabbath.)

Average customer rating:

Jethro Tull: Living with the Past
Starring: Ian Anderson (IV) , and Martin Barre
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

( J ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000067AA8

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