Living in the Past

Apparently ade to promote the band in the USA, this compilation album draws together a strong selection of the band's early work, illustrating the blues and folk roots that informed their later 'mature' style. Only 4 stars because the two long live tracks are poor, and feel like a filler to make up the 4 sides of the original double LP. But that still leaves 17 good songs including a number of stand-outs; I particularly love Life's a Long Song and Witches Promise.Enjoy some refreshing music from a less formulaic and corporate musical era.

Jethro Tull are a fantastic and unique band who have constantly evolved, defied genre expectations and classifications constantly and created some truly wonderful and interesting music. If you are thinking about getting into the band I would strongly recommend that you do.If you are new to the band though, either picking up a greatest hits compilation (of which there are many) to get a broad overview of the band, or diving straight in to one of their classic albums like Aqualung, Thick As A Brick, Songs From The Wood or Broadsword' may serve you as a better starting point than Living In The Past.Jethro Tull's early career before Aqualung, doesn't sit as neatly for easy pick up as a prospective fan may want. While they released albums as normal for today's artists, this was as well as singles that weren't off the albums, an EP and even a separate single accidentally under the name 'Jethro Toe,' and so if you wanted to collect it all it would likely come in eight or nine individual purchases at a great expense.If you are a fan or prospective fan today, the best way to acquire most of the non-album tracks in one simple solution is to get a hold of Living In The Past, which for today's Tull buyers can serve as a compilation of all the rare pre-Aqualung material and that is so good it sounds almost like a fifth Jethro Tull studio album.Sometimes this album is a bit of a headache to talk about, explain and file because the name 'Living In The Past, with this artwork has actually been released many times, in different versions to serve slightly different purposes; be it in 19 track single disc rarities album form as it is on this particular version, or in 20, 21 and 23 track versions in different countries on cd or vinyl that sometimes they feature studio-album tracks to give it a more 'greatest hits feel.'Ignoring the history of the set and the various editions, Living In The Past is a very good album to listen to, containing a lot of varied and interesting Jethro Tull material in a range of styles, speeds and even band line ups. There are acoustic moments, hard rocking moments and live solo filled numbers with all the virtuosic musicianship you'd expect.While the album has its share of rockers, laid back numbers and classic singles. There are also tracks like the odd and whimsical ode to British Seaside Resort, Black Pool, Lanashire, called `Up The `Pool,', as well as `Wond'ring Again,' which finds a full song in the style of the very brief Aqualung track `Wond'ring Aloud,' that offer a different side to the band.Popular and enduring tracks such as 'Life Is A Long Song,' 'The Witch's Promise,' and 'Sweet Dream,' can be found here, the sort of songs that will be found on greatest hits shows and live albums and that the majority of Tull fans will love. They are also available as bonus tracks on certain editions of regular Tull studio-albums, so you may not want to buy the set only for their inclusion if you are considering taking your listening experience further.If you are undecided as to whether or not this set is for you, take a quick look a the track listing, and see if there are enough tracks you don't already own to justify buying it, all the songs are of a good quality and are all worth your time so its really down to if you already have most of them on other Tull cds.Overall, This is a great collection of top quality music. It may not be the best starting point for new fans, and it may not be necessary for those who will buy all the remasters, but for everyone in between it is certainly a good purchase, one that people will often describe as their favourite Tull album as though it were an actual studio release, which is a pretty strong recommendation.

I liked most of this CD, but will have to get a stylus for my Hi fi, so I can hear the original record. Still like Jethro Tull after all these years. I am only sorry the last track on Cd is not playable. But when is life perfect?

Although there have been several Jethro Tull compilations in the forty-odd years since 'Living In The Past' was released, it remains one of their finest. I lost my way a bit with JT after their third album, 'Benefit', dipping in and out of their catalogue from time to time. This album - I bought it as a vinyl reissue, of course - contains some tracks that existed only on singles, some live recordings, the odd out-take - but if this sounds like a bit of a grab-bag of odds and ends, then guess again. It's a remarkably consistent and nicely-programmed set that serves to illustrate well the many aspects of the Jethro Tull 'thing'. There's touches of jazz ('Bouree'), the unlikely hit single ('Living In The Past' - which sounds utterly fabulous here) and excerpts from the conceptual 'Aqualung' and so on. It may make you want to delve deeper, but I think you'll end up coming back to this set many times over. The new vinyl pressing, with a vintage Green Chrysalis label, is fabulous - never sounded better, and the packaging is likewise nicely rendered. Heartily recommended.

This album was an odds and sods album of singles, live performances and odd album tracks that was released in 1972. Some of my favourite Jethro Tull music is on this album, but the real bonus of buying the original 1972 vinyl is the sleeve. The album came in a gatefold hardback style cover with a colour booklet inside - there have been many versions of this album in vinyl, cassette and cd over the years, but this is the best package. For an album that is over 40 years old the product that I was sent played like it was pressed yesterday and the sleeve was in immaculate condition; the packaging that it was posted in was sturdy and the delivery time was rapid. I am really pleased with this purchase

This is a 'double LP' collection of early Jethro Tull tracks with a few live performances thrown in. If you've bought the 'triple album collection' there's a fair bit of overlap.There was a tendency in those days to include lengthy live tracks, especially on double LPs, and an endearing feature of the CD (compared to the vinyl) is that you can just click through these long tracks. That said, there are also some great JT tracks from the late 60s / early 70s on this CD. For a taste of a typical 'Island label' quirky and slighty off-mainstream signing, this is well worth a listen.

It has some good tracks but some boring ones toooooo!

great album from a great band covering the early years,i had not seen it for years when i seen it on offer had to have it