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Batteries Not Included: Rhino, Chrysalis Reissue Jethro Tull's "A" in 40th Anniversary Box

February 17, 2021 By Joe Marchese 7 Comments

Jethro Tull A A La Mode

BUY NOW FROM AMAZON.COM

1979's Stormwatch could have been the final Jethro Tull record.  The culmination of the band's "folk-rock trilogy" that began with Songs from the Wood in 1977, Stormwatch was the final album to feature Tull's classic line-up.  Barriemore Barlow, John Evan, and Dee Palmer all departed the group after the April 1980 conclusion of the Stormwatch tour, and John Glascock died during the tour.  With the band seemingly dissolved, Ian regrouped with guitarist Martin Barre to record a solo album.  But upon its completion, Chrysalis Records sensed the potential of releasing the LP under the Jethro Tull name.  And so, a "new" Jethro Tull was born in 1980.  On April 16, Rhino and Chrysalis will reissue A (A La Mode): The 40th Anniversary Edition, a 3-CD/3-DVD set in the ongoing Tull reissue series.

The new box set will include:

  • The original album and associated recordings newly remixed by Steven Wilson;
  • The original album and five associated recordings mixed in DTS and Dolby AC 3, 5.1 Surround, and 96/24 LPCM Stereo;
  • A full concert from the L.A. Sports Arena recorded in August 1980;
  • The full L.A. Sports Arena concert mixed by Steven Wilson in DTS and Dolby AC 3, 5.1 Surround, and 96/24 LPCM Stereo;
  • A Flat transfer of the original LP master in 96/24 LPCM Stereo; and
  • A DVD of the Slipstream video remixed by Steven Wilson in DTS and Dolby AC 3, 5.1 Surround, and 96/24 LPCM Stereo.

As with past titles in this series, A will be presented in a casebound book including comprehensive liner notes, track-by-track annotations from Ian Anderson, rare photos, and more.

The title of the album was derived from the first letter of the vocalist-flautist-guitarist's surname which is how the original master tapes were marked.  Anderson and Barre were joined for the London sessions, held in the summer of 1980, by Dave Pegg on bass and mandolin and Mark Craney on drums, as well as Eddie Jobson, late of Roxy Music, on keyboard, synthesizer, and electric violin.  Anderson and Robin Black produced the sessions.

Five previously unreleased tracks make their debuts including an alternate take of the single "Working John, Working Joe," the outtake "Coruisk," and an extended version of "Crossfire."  The live show (presented in full on two CDs) was captured in November 1980 at the now-demolished L.A. Sports Arena, today the site of soccer venue Banc of California Stadium.  Some of its performances were first released on the 1981 VHS and Laserdisc release Slipstream.  While Slipstream was issued on DVD in 2004 as part of a remastered edition of A, its audio has been newly remixed by Steven Wilson for inclusion here.

This deluxe anniversary set arrives on April 16.  You'll find pre-order links and the track listing below!

Jethro Tull, A (A La Mode): The 40th Anniversary Edition (Rhino/Chrysalis, 2021) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: Original Album (Chrysalis CDL 1301, 1980) and Associated Tracks

Steven Wilson Stereo Remix

  1. "Crossfire"
  2. "Fylingdale Flyer"
  3. "Working John, Working Joe"
  4. "Black Sunday"
  5. "Protect And Survive"
  6. "Batteries Not Included"
  7. "Uniform"
  8. "4.W.D. (Low Ratio)"
  9. "The Pine Marten's Jig"
  10. "And Further On"

Associated Tracks

  1. "Crossfire" (Extended Version)
  2. "Working John, Working Joe" (Take 4)
  3. "Cheerio" (Early Version)
  4. "Coruisk"
  5. "Slipstream Intro"

CD 2: Live at the LA Sports Arena 1980 (Part 1)

Steven Wilson Stereo Mix

  1. "Slipstream Intro"
  2. "Black Sunday"
  3. "Crossfire"
  4. "Songs From The Wood"
  5. "Hunting Girl"
  6. "The Pine Marten's Jig"
  7. "Working John, Working Joe"
  8. "Heavy Horses"
  9. Band Instrumental Intro
  10. "Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of The New Day"
  11. "Instrumental" (including flute solo)

CD 3: Live at the LA Sports Arena 1980 (Part 2)

Steven Wilson Stereo Remix

  1. Trio Instrumental
  2. Keyboard solo
  3. "Batteries Not Included"
  4. "Uniform" (including drum solo instrumental)
  5. "Protect and Survive" (including violin solo)
  6. "Bungle In The Jungle"
  7. Guitar Solo/Bass solo intro to encore
  8. "Aqualung"
  9. "Locomotive Breath"/Instrumental/"Black Sunday" (reprise)

DVD 1: Original Album and Associated Tracks

  • Contains Steven Wilson's 2020 remix of the album and 5 associated tracks in DTS and Dolby AC 3, 5.1 Surround, and 96/24 LPCM Stereo. Flat transfer of the original LP master in 96/24 LPCM Stereo.

DVD 2: Live at the LA Sports Arena November 1980 (Audio Only)

  • Contains Steven Wilson's 2020 mix of the concert in DTS and Dolby AC 3, 5.1 surround and stereo 96/24 LPCM

DVD 3: Slipstream (video)

  • With audio tracks remixed by Steven Wilson in DTS and Dolby AC 3, 5.1 Surround and 96/24 LPCM Stereo

Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD, DVD Genre: Classic Rock Tags: Jethro Tull

Avatar photo

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

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Comments

  1. David B says

    February 17, 2021 at 3:36 pm

    wow ..sounds incredible and costing less than £40 .., an excellent buy ... have pre-ordered thanks. Worth it for the live tracks alone .. now why don't others provide sets as good as this for that price ???

    Reply
  2. Greg says

    February 17, 2021 at 3:43 pm

    I own all the sets and looking forward to this one for the price they can't be beat

    Reply
  3. Charles Olver says

    February 17, 2021 at 5:24 pm

    I own all of these sets as well, though this will likely be the last one for me. I didn't much care for the "A" album (this is more or less where I disembarked the Tull bus), but I did enjoy the tour.

    A brief clarification about the personnel shift: Barrie Barlow left the band of his own accord; John Evan and Dee Palmer were unceremoniously dismissed by mail once the Ian Anderson solo album had been re-branded a Jethro Tull album (although Palmer has said that she was on her way out anyway). Dave Pegg had substituted for the ailing John Glascock on the Stormwatch tour, then was made a member when Glascock died. Eddie Jobson, who was trying to get his solo career off the ground, was billed as a "Special Guest" on both the "A" album and the subsequent tour.

    Reply
  4. zally says

    February 18, 2021 at 9:29 am

    i dont think that there has any one being so controlling as a band leader than ian anderson. he acts like these other players are mere puppets in his hands. i jumped the tull ride after stand up.can any one really like passion play ,thick as a brick. both so self indulgent that the huge fan base that was gathered from aqualung was gone by these 2 releases. only the die hard ( and they are many) continued to follow the band .

    Reply
    • Charles Olver says

      February 18, 2021 at 12:19 pm

      Thick As A Brick and A Passion Play both went to #1 in the US, and were at least Top 5 throughout Europe. (This fan loves them both.) Their subsequent albums tended to make the Top 20 throughout the decade, and they continued to be one of the top concert draws. I've no doubt that they did shake off some of their early fans, but they seemed to accumulate a lot more.

      Reply
  5. Robert Debbie Luciani says

    February 20, 2021 at 11:25 am

    DVD 3: Slipstream (video)

    With audio tracks remixed by Steven Wilson in DTS and Dolby AC 3, 5.1 Surround and 96/24 LPCM Stereo.

    On Amazon.ca the picture of the set shown indicates 48/24 LPCM Stereo. Can anyone verify which one it is?
    I assume the video for Slipstream is for all regions including North America. Can anyone verify? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Avatar photoJoe Marchese says

      February 20, 2021 at 9:50 pm

      The press release from Rhino specifies 96/24, but we'll try to confirm.

      Reply

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