Ring Out, Solstice Bells: Steven Wilson Remixes Jethro Tull’s “Songs From the Wood” for New Reissue

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The very successful and long-running Jethro Tull reissue series–complete with new mixes from master mixer Steven Wilson–continues apace with the 40th anniversary of 1977’s Songs From the Wood, celebrated in a new 3CD/2DVD edition due out this May.

The group’s ninth album was the first in a loose trilogy of progressive folk albums that found the group trading in its hard rock sound for a more lush and experimental arrangement, in turn celebrating its medieval roots and heritage (“a reaffirmation of our Britishness,” frontman Ian Anderson told Guitar World). It was the group’s last Top 10 album in America (at No. 8, five slots higher than the band’s U.K. chart placement) and has since become one of the most beloved and quintessential Tull albums.

And like albums past, it’s stocked with bonus material. Wilson produced new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes heard in this set on CD and DVD, featuring not only the album but bonus material like rare and unreleased tracks “Old Aces Die Hard,” “Working John, Working Joe” and “Magic Bells” (the latter first released on an EP for Record Store Day Black Friday) and the single mix of “The Whistler” and its B-side, “Strip Cartoon.” As always, there’s a flat transfer of the original stereo album master on DVD, as well as four of the original quadrophonic mixes, too.

Also included in the set is a healthy offering of live material. Two CDs, culled from shows in Boston and Maryland, showcase the band on its Songs From the Wood tour, with a DVD featuring the Maryland show in full. This unseen video footage, featuring 16/48 stereo LPCM and 5.1 DTS, AC3 Dolby Digital surround sound mixed by King Crimson’s Jakko Jakszyk (himself a mixer of bonus material for Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Tull’s Minstrel In the Gallery reissue), is sourced from the video feed shown to audiences from The Capital Centre as the concert took place.

As always, the book-style package is rounded out with extensive liner notes (96 pages total!), including track-by-track commentary by Ian Anderson, interviews with Jakszyk and studio engineer Trevor White, and essays and notes from writers Martin Webb and Steve Jeal.

This deluxe set is due out May 19, with standalone CD and vinyl breakouts to follow this summer.

Songs From the Wood: The 40th Anniversary Edition – The Country Set (Parlophone, 2017)

Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K.

Disc 1: Steven Wilson stereo remix of original album and bonus material

  1. Songs From the Wood
  2. Jack-in-the-Green
  3. Cup of Wonder
  4. Hunting Girl
  5. Ring Out, Solstice Bells
  6. Velvet Green
  7. The Whistler
  8. Pibroch (Cup In Hand)
  9. Fire At Midnight
  10. Old Aces Die Hard *
  11. Working John, Working Joe *
  12. Magic Bells (Ring Out, Solstice Bells)
  13. Songs From the Wood (Unedited Master)
  14. Fire At Midnight (Unedited Master) *
  15. One Brown Mouse (Early Version)
  16. Strip Cartoon
  17. The Whistler (U.S. Stereo Single Mix)

Disc 1, Tracks 1-9 released as Chrysalis CHR 1132, 1977
Disc 1, Tracks 10, 11 and 14 previously unreleased
Disc 1, Track 12 from Chrysalis single CX 40, 2016
Disc 1, Track 15 from Too Old to Rock ‘N’ Roll: Too Young to Die (The TV Special Edition) – Chrysalis 0825646035519, 2016
Disc 1, Tracks 16-17 released as Chrysalis single CHS-2135, 1977

Discs 2-3: Live in Concert, 1977

  1. Wond’ring Aloud
  2. Skating Away On the Thin Ice of the New Day
  3. Jack-in-the-Green
  4. Thick As a Brick
  5. Songs From the Wood
  6. Instrumental
  7. Drum Solo Improvisation
  8. To Cry You a Song
  9. A New Day Yesterday
  10. Flute Solo Improvisation interpolating – God Rest Ye Gentlemen/Bourée
  11. Living In the Past/A New Day Yesterday (Reprise)
  1. Velvet Green
  2. Hunting Girl
  3. Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young to Die
  4. Minstrel In the Gallery
  5. Cross-Eyed Mary
  6. Aqualung
  7. Instrumental Improvisation
  8. Wind-Up
  9. Back Door Angels/Guitar Improvisation/Wind Up (Reprise)
  10. Locomotive Breath
  11. Land of Hope and Glory/Improvisation/Back Door Angels (Reprise)

Recorded live at The Capital Centre, Landover, MD – 11/21/1977 and Boston Garden, Boston, MA – 12/6/1977 – previously unreleased

DVD 1: Mixes

  • 96/24 LPCM stereo Steven Wilson remix of Disc 1, Tracks 1-16
  • DD/DTS 5.1 surround sound Steven Wilson remix of Disc 1, Tracks 1-12 and 15-16
  • 96/24 LPCM flat transfer of original stereo album master (Disc 1, Tracks 1-9)
  • DD/DTS 4.0 surround sound flat transfer of original quad mixes of Disc 1, Tracks 1-2 and 6-7

DVD 2: Live At The Capital Theatre, Landover, MD – 11/21/1977

  1. Wond’ring Aloud
  2. Skating Away On the Thin Ice of the New Day
  3. Jack-In-the-Green
  4. Thick As a Brick
  5. Songs From the Wood
  6. Instrumental/Drum Solo Improvisation
  7. To Cry You a Song
  8. A New Day Yesterday
  9. Flute Solo Improvisation interpolating – God Rest Ye Gentlemen/Bouree/A New Day Yesterday
  10. Living In the Past/A New Day Yesterday (reprise)
  11. Second half of concert – Introduction
  12. Velvet Green
  13. Hunting Girl
  14. Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young to Die
  15. Minstrel In the Gallery
  16. Cross-Eyed Mary
  17. Aqualung
  18. Instrumental Improvisation
  19. Wind-Up
  20. Back Door Angels/Guitar Improvisation/Wind Up (reprise)
  21. Locomotive Breath
  22. Land of Hope and Glory/Improvisation/Back Door Angels (reprise)
  23. Beethoven’s Ninth (with original audio)
  24. The Whistler (promo footage) (mono)
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Mike Duquette
Mike Duquette

Mike Duquette (Founder) was fascinated with catalog music ever since he was a teenager. A 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in journalism, Mike paired his profession with his passion through The Second Disc, one of the first sites to focus on all reissue labels great and small. His passion for reissues turned into a career, having written at and worked for all three major catalogue music labels and contributing to Allmusic, Billboard, Discogs, City Pages and Ultimate Classic Rock. He's penned liner notes for Verve, Chess, Mondo and Soul Music Records.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike lives in Astoria, Queens with his wife, a cat named Ravioli, twin daughters and a large yet tasteful collection of music.

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4 thoughts on “Ring Out, Solstice Bells: Steven Wilson Remixes Jethro Tull’s “Songs From the Wood” for New Reissue”

  1. It’s too bad they don’t use a single region-free blu-ray instead of the DVDs so there wouldn’t be NTSC/PAL concerns. Plus that would eliminate the need for two discs.

  2. I’ve been very happy and impressed with the Steven Wilson Tull reissues. And a week after “Songs from the Wood,” we get the expanded “Sgt. Pepper”! May is going to be a great month for box set aficionados.

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