The album that really broke Jethro Tull out of the prog rock underground and into the mainstream – and a set that showed that the group weren't just a combo with creative use of flute, but a band that could really rock off their ass when they wanted to! Previous records were all pretty great, but there's definitely something special in the air with this one – an extra-amped version of the group that even seems to have Ian Anderson's flute blowing out all stops, and his vocals sounding even more menacing than before! Martin Barre's maybe the real master, though – searing on guitar, and punctuating all of Anderson's efforts with his own mad energy – on titles that include the classic "Aqualung", plus "Wondering Aloud", "Cheap Day Return", "Cross Eyed Mary", "My God", "Slipstream", "Locomotive Breath", "Wind Up", and "Mother Goose". LP, Vinyl record album

An early gem from Jethro Tull – and a set that has the group really reaching forth with some of their more complicated, jazz-based musical impulses – while still holding onto some of the rawer power of the early days too! The album's lesser-known than some of the group's earlier hits – which may well make it even fresher all these many years later – a really stunning set of sounds that showcases the newly lyrical sensibility of Ian Anderson – both vocally and on flute – as well as the searing guitar of Martin Barre, which was really becoming a core element of the group at this point. Titles include "For Michael Collins Jefferey & Me", "Inside", "Play In Time", "Sossity You're A Woman", "With You There To Help Me", and "Nothing To Say". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Old Brown Mouse", "Weathercock", "Journeyman", "Moths", "No Lullaby", and "And The Mouse Police Never Stops". LP, Vinyl record album

A bit of old, and a bit of new – and includes some great live material on the second half, including the extended "By Kind Permission Of" and "Dharma For One" – and the great "Christmas Song". Other titles include "Bouree", "Song For Jeffrey", "Love Story", "Wondering Again", "Up The Pool", "From Later", and "Nursie". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful early work from Jethro Tull – a formative set that really has the group deepening both their themes and their music! There's still a bit of blues rock at the core – but also some richer, more lyrical modes too – and Ian Anderson does a perfect job of bridging both worlds with his sublime work on flute – an instrument that must have seemed like an odd lead for a rock group at the time, but which is no surprise in the same generation that artists like Herbie Mann and Roland Kirk were making their own hip records – not to mention the great Harold McNair, who was a UK contemporary of Andreson. The whole thing's great – a record that's ripe for rediscovery, and which really gives back year after year – and titles include "A New Day Yesterday", "Back To The Family", "Fat Man", "Reasons For Waiting", "Nothing Is Easy", and the classic instrumental "Bouree". LP, Vinyl record album

Jethro Tull's classic prog album–or is it a parody of a prog album? The LP-length "song", filled with dense lyrics, alternates between hard rock, English folk, and classical. LP, Vinyl record album

Funky bluesy flutey magic from The Tull – includes a wonderful version of Roland Kirk's "Serenade To A Cuckoo" – plus "My Sunday Feeling", "Dharma For One", "It's Breaking Me Up", and "Song For Jeffrey". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Taxi Grab", "Pied Piper", "Chequered Flag", "Big Dipper", "Bad Eyed & Loveless", "Quizz Kid", and "From A Dead Beat To An Old Greaser". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the classics "Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of A New Day" and "Bungle In The Jungle". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Crossfire", "Working John Working Joe", "Uniform", "The Pine Marten's Jug", "Batteries Not Included", "Prtect & Survive", and "Black Sunday". LP, Vinyl record album

The album that really broke Jethro Tull out of the prog rock underground and into the mainstream – and a set that showed that the group weren't just a combo with creative use of flute, but a band that could really rock off their ass when they wanted to! Previous records were all pretty great, but there's definitely something special in the air with this one – an extra-amped version of the group that even seems to have Ian Anderson's flute blowing out all stops, and his vocals sounding even more menacing than before! Martin Barre's maybe the real master, though – searing on guitar, and punctuating all of Anderson's efforts with his own mad energy – on titles that include the classic "Aqualung", plus "Wondering Aloud", "Cheap Day Return", "Cross Eyed Mary", "My God", "Slipstream", "Locomotive Breath", "Wind Up", and "Mother Goose". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Crossfire", "Working John Working Joe", "Uniform", "The Pine Marten's Jug", "Batteries Not Included", "Prtect & Survive", and "Black Sunday". LP, Vinyl record album

The fantastic debut of Jade Warrior – a group who were one of the most unique prog acts to record for the Vertigo label in the 70s! Jade Warrior is just a trio – and unlike some of the harder-rocking power trios of the time, the group have a way of balancing softness and intensity, acoustic modes and electric ones – all with a unique style that also offers up some of the exoticism promised by their name! Yet don't worry about that last aspect – as things here are never too heavy-handed, as the group are Brit to their core – maybe balancing some of the lighter Mel Collins moments of King Crimson and the more personal Ian Anderson songs of Jethro Tull – in a line up that features percussion and flute from Jon Field, guitar from Tony Duhig, and bass and these great raspy vocals from Glyn Havard. Titles include "Masami Morning", "Windweaver", "Petunia", "Telephone Girl", "Psychiatric Sergeant", "Slow Ride", and "A Prenormal Day At Brighton". CD features bonus track – "Telephone Girl (unreleased first version)". CD

Missy and Timbaland (and the usual cast of guest stars) are back and hotter than ever before on Missy's fourth full length, much more of a hip hop record this time, with tons of old school party shouts and new school neo-electro production! Under Construction is kind of a concept album (don't worry, not in the Jethro Tull kind of way) with a theme that celebrates the hip hop golden age of the mid-to-late 80s but with a modern, probably timeless flavor. The status quo R&B that Missy can't seem to get out of her system is here only at a minimum – this is a hip hop record! Past guests like Method Man (turning in a great remake of "Bring The Pain"), Ludacris, and Jay Z show up as well as 50 Cent, Ms. Jade, Beyonce Knowles, and TLC – but as usual, no one steals the show from Mis and Tim. No one would claim Missy is the most scholarly of lyricists, but as a conduit for attitude and a spicy groove she can't be beat, plus her topical and scatological rhymes and choruses fit these hip hop party bumpers like a Kangol & a gold chain. Tons of shout outs to and samples of the old schoolers that are just way too true to be nostalgic, plus strong production from Timbaland that isn't afraid to risk his reputation as an innovator by referencing his influences. The duo may have produced more astoundingly great singles in the recent past, but this is Missy and Timbaland's magnum opus, as far as full lengths go. 13 tracks including "Work It", "Go To The Floor", "Bring The Pain" featuring Method Man, "Funky Fresh Dressed" featuring Ms Jade, "Slide", "Play That Beat", "Ain't That Funny", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic little set that heralds the beginning of a whole new generation in music – post-psych sounds from the year of 1969 – a time when the revolution had cooled a bit, but new waves of creative activity were really bubbling underground in the UK scene – as all these many groups and singers were striding forth to make their own sorts of sounds, after borrowing bits from others in previous years! The music here is more compact than later prog, but equally jamming – and some of the artists were born from blues and R&B inspirations, but are really moving into their own territory here – helping forge styles that would set the pace for so much more music to come in the 70s! The groups aren't completely obscure – most were recording for the hipper sides of bigger labels – but the tracks here often mark a point when they were just leaping off, a bit before hitting bigger fame – mixed with a few others that never hit the heights later on. As always with these boxes from Cherry Red/Esoteric, the presentation, set list, and notes are great – supporting 52 tracks from groups that include Colosseum, High Tide, Bloodwyn Pig, Jack Bruce, Pete Brown & Piblokto, Free, Jethro Tull, Genesis, East Of Eden, Man, Fat Mattress, Locomotive, Eyes Of Blue, Fairport Convention, The Deviants, Sunforest, Taste, Ten Years After, Mighty Baby, Michael Chapman, and many more! CD

About as classic as you can get for a Warner Brothers compilation! A few rare bits here – including the mono "When I Turn Out The Living Room Light" by The Kinks, and a mono mix of "Oh Well (parts 1 & 2)" by Fleetwood Mac – plus work by Neil Young, Tim Buckley, Randy Newman, Family, The Everly Brothers, Jethro Tull, Small Faces, Pentangle, Savage Grace, Van Morrison, Pearls Before Swine, Wild Man Fischer, The GTOs, Mothers Of Invention, and Grateful Dead! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest Warner compilations from the 70s – with a striking cover, too! A really great range of music that shows the full depth of the label's genius at the time – tracks by T Rex, Captain Beefheart, Halfnelson, Jethro Tull, Malo, Faces, Alice Cooper, Allen Toussaint, Arthur Alexander, Jerry Garcia, Daddy Cool, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

The fantastic debut of Jade Warrior – a group who were one of the most unique prog acts to record for the Vertigo label in the 70s! Jade Warrior is just a trio – and unlike some of the harder-rocking power trios of the time, the group have a way of balancing softness and intensity, acoustic modes and electric ones – all with a unique style that also offers up some of the exoticism promised by their name! Yet don't worry about that last aspect – as things here are never too heavy-handed, as the group are Brit to their core – maybe balancing some of the lighter Mel Collins moments of King Crimson and the more personal Ian Anderson songs of Jethro Tull – in a line up that features percussion and flute from Jon Field, guitar from Tony Duhig, and bass and these great raspy vocals from Glyn Havard. Titles include "Masami Morning", "Windweaver", "Petunia", "Telephone Girl", "Psychiatric Sergeant", "Slow Ride", and "A Prenormal Day At Brighton". LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous debut from this overlooked late 60s group from the UK – a powerhouse that would later go onto fuel bigger groups like Jethro Tull, Emerson Lake & Palmer, and Uriah Heep! This initial outing has a surprisingly soulful feel at times – still very rockish in the presentation, but with a style that's still tipping out of the Brit beat group years too – so that even when things are freewheeling and almost progressive, you can still feel some bluesy undercurrents in the vocals and keyboards! John Glascock handles bass, Ken Kensley keyboards – and both sing as well, along with guitarist Joe Konas. Drummer Lee Kerslake completes the group – and titles include "Radio Show", "Farthing Man", "I Never Knew", "Towards The Skies", "Looking Glass", and "Candles Getting Shorter". Includes 4 bonus tracks. CD

A cool classic from the early years of Vertigo Records – and a wonderful mixture of hard rock energy and jazzy flute – but all at a level that's very different than Jethro Tull or other flute-based groups of the time! Norman Barratt handles the guitar with lots of fuzzy depth – and JD Hughes is on flute, and works the instrument in all these sharp-edged, overblown ways – as the space of the album allows for plenty of solos from both musicians! Norman also handles lead vocals, with a raw edgey style – and titles include "Coast Road", "The New One", "Dedication To Sid", "Think Of Life", and "Earl Of Pocket Nook". LP, Vinyl record album

A cool classic from the early years of Vertigo Records – and a wonderful mixture of hard rock energy and jazzy flute – but all at a level that's very different than Jethro Tull or other flute-based groups of the time! Norman Barratt handles the guitar with lots of fuzzy depth – and JD Hughes is on flute, and works the instrument in all these sharp-edged, overblown ways – as the space of the album allows for plenty of solos from both musicians! Norman also handles lead vocals, with a raw edgey style – and titles include "Coast Road", "The New One", "Dedication To Sid", "Think Of Life", and "Earl Of Pocket Nook". LP, Vinyl record album

A great audio documentary of a really mindblowing film – one that captures the Rolling Stones at that key late 60s point when they were stepping into really sinister territory – playing in a very vivid setting, along with some of their key up-and-coming contemporaries on the scene! The whole thing builds up with the energy of a circus – the Stones are last, and there's a growing mix of performers introduced by various members of the band – really presented in a carnivalesque array, before the lead act comes in and knocks it out of the park. The set features a killer early version of "A Quick One While He's Away" by The Who – maybe one of the high points of the set – plus "Song For Jeffrey" by Jethro Tull, Whole Lotta Yoko" by Yoko Ono & The Dirty Mac (John Lennon), "Ain't That A Lot Of Love" by Taj Mahal, and "Something Better" by Marianne Faithfull. The Rolling Stones round things out with performances of "Sympathy For The Devil", "Parachute Woman", "Jumpin Jack Flash", "Salt Of The Earth", "No Expectations", and "You Can't Always Get What You Want". CD

Mindblowing sounds from the morning after the Summer Of Love – a time when the UK scene really woke up to some vast musical changes – a good number of which are represented in this overstuffed set! The package does a great job of catching that special shift in modes from groups who might have been straighter mod, rock, folk, or R&B just a year or two before – and who now are really letting their hair down (and probably growing it too!) – finding confidence to work out loads of new ideas of their own, and really set the scene for musical modes that would shape the world for the next decade or so! A few of these artists cracked the charts at the time, some might hit fame in the 70s, but most of the acts are those who were part of an underground hip scene from the moment they first recorded – and still stayed that way for many decades to come. The mix of modes here is great – and as always with Cherry Red/Esoteric, there's a nice booklet of notes that really illuminates the music. 52 tracks in all – with work by The Moles, Tomorrow, Caravan, Ten Years After, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Fleetwood Mac, Van Der Graaf Generator, Second Hand, Eyes Of Blue, Eclection, John Martyn, Love Sculpture, Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, Jethro Tull, Giles Giles & Fripp, Pretty Thinbs, Dave Mason, Barclay James Harvest, The Aquarian Age, The Move, Gun, Deep Purple, The Bystanders, Dantalian's Chariot, Blonde On Blonde, Eyes Of Blue, and many more. CD

Mindblowing sounds from the morning after the Summer Of Love – a time when the UK scene really woke up to some vast musical changes – a good number of which are represented in this overstuffed set! The package does a great job of catching that special shift in modes from groups who might have been straighter mod, rock, folk, or R&B just a year or two before – and who now are really letting their hair down (and probably growing it too!) – finding confidence to work out loads of new ideas of their own, and really set the scene for musical modes that would shape the world for the next decade or so! A few of these artists cracked the charts at the time, some might hit fame in the 70s, but most of the acts are those who were part of an underground hip scene from the moment they first recorded – and still stayed that way for many decades to come. The mix of modes here is great – and as always with Cherry Red/Esoteric, there's a nice booklet of notes that really illuminates the music. 52 tracks in all – with work by The Moles, Tomorrow, Caravan, Ten Years After, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Fleetwood Mac, Van Der Graaf Generator, Second Hand, Eyes Of Blue, Eclection, John Martyn, Love Sculpture, Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, Jethro Tull, Giles Giles & Fripp, Pretty Thinbs, Dave Mason, Barclay James Harvest, The Aquarian Age, The Move, Gun, Deep Purple, The Bystanders, Dantalian's Chariot, Blonde On Blonde, Eyes Of Blue, and many more. CD

Compilation with members of Rainbow, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Yes, Jethro Tull, Kiss, Great White, Frank Zappa, Deep Purple and the Doobie Brothers. CD