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Rhino is continuing its High Fidelity series with a new box set celebrating prog rock titans Jethro Tull.  Available today exclusively from Rhino.com, Jethro Tull 1968-1972 presents the band’s groundbreaking first five albums in one limited-edition box set:

• This Was (1968),
• Stand Up (1969),
• Benefit (1970),
• Aqualung (1971),
• and Thick as a Brick.

All five titles have been cut AAA from the original U.K. analog master tapes by Kevin Gray and pressed on heavyweight 180-gram vinyl at Optimal in Germany.  The albums are each housed in a glossy gatefold jacket within the leatherette slipcase.  In addition, new liner notes are included with commentary by Ian Anderson.  The set is limited to just 3,000 copies internationally, with select copies released to WMG storefronts worldwide.

The vinyl box set arrives alongside a new entry to Rhino High Fidelity’s reel-to-reel series.  Aqualung (Rhino High Fidelity R2R) was duplicated in real time from a 1:1 copy of the original U.K. analog master tape, promising to deliver – per the press release – “a master-quality listening experience that captures the full dynamics of the recording. The 15 IPS half-track 1/4′ tape is produced to the IEC equalization standard on premium RTM LPR90 tape stock and stored on a 10.5’ metal reel. The Reel-to-Reel edition is limited to 350 copies worldwide.”  It, too, is exclusive to Rhino.com.

Collectively, these five albums chronicle the transformation of Jethro Tull from blues-rockers on the club circuit to headlining prog-rock legends.  1968’s This Was found Ian Anderson (on lead vocals, flute, harmonica, and piano) joined by bassist Glenn Cornick, drummer Clive Bunker, and guitarist Mick Abrahams.  Blending Anderson’s jazz fusion influences and Abrahams’ blues leanings, This Was remains a formative album in the Tull discography.  1969’s Stand Up introduced guitarist Martin Barre to the line-up; he would remain in the band until 2011.  With Stand Up, the familiar sound began to take shape as Anderson incorporated more folk-rock textures into the band’s intricate style.  The LP made significant inroads in both the U.K. and U.S., reaching No. 1 and No. 20, respectively.

1970’s Benefit welcomed keyboardist John Evan to the lineup in a guest capacity and proved the last Tull album for Glenn Cornick. The blues/jazz fusion of This Was had already ceded to a more eclectic style on Stand Up; Benefit would edge Tull towards riff-rock while still maintaining the folk and jazz touchstones that set the group apart.  Benefit ultimately became a best-seller (No. 3 U.K./No. 11 U.S.), setting the stage for 1971’s Aqualung.

Aqualung was one of the first albums recorded at the fledgling Island Studios in Basing Street, and marked a departure for Jethro Tull in that its songs are primarily acoustic yet very much in a hard rock vein. Ian Anderson was at his most inspired, dividing the album into two suites entitled Aqualung and My God, one to each side of the LP.  The album also marked a number of personnel changes.  It was keyboardist John Evan’s first as a full-fledged member of Jethro Tull, first with new bassist Jeffrey Hammond, and last with Clive Bunker playing drums.  Upon its release, it went to the top ten in both the U.K. and U.S., hitting No. 4 and No. 7, respectively.  “Locomotive Breath,” “Aqualung,” and “Hymn 43” all became radio staples still in rotation on classic rock stations today.

Ian Anderson and co. weren’t content to rest on their laurels, however.  Introducing Barriemore Barlow on drums, 1972’s Thick as a Brick was Tull’s experimental masterwork, featuring just one extended, 44-minute track over two sides of the original LP and a witty, satirical “concept album” framework.  It was famously designed like a newspaper, claiming to be an adaptation of a child’s epic poem, when in fact, the lyrics were written by Anderson. It was Tull’s most ambitious work to date, and one that rewarded the band with its first No. 1 album in the United States.  (It reached No. 5 in the band’s native United Kingdom.)  The band’s streak of imaginative, inventive, and highly conceptual albums would continue to flourish.

Both Jethro Tull 1968-1972 and the reel-to-reel edition of Aqualung are out now from Rhino.com.  You’ll find the track listing and pre-order links below.

Jethro Tull, 1968-1972(opens in new tab) (Rhino, 2026)

LP 1: This Was (Island ILPS 9085, 1968)

Side One

1. “My Sunday Feeling”
2. “Some Day The Sun Won’t Shine”
3. “Beggar’s Farm”
4. “Move On Alone”
5. “Serenade To A Cuckoo”

Side Two

1. “Dharma For One”
2. “It’s Breaking Me Up”
3. “Cat’s Squirrel”
4. “A Song For Jeffrey”
5. “Round”

LP 2: Stand Up (Island ILPS 9103, 1969)

Side One

1. “A New Day Yesterday”
2. “Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square”
3. “Bourée”
4. “Back To The Family”
5. “Look Into The Sun”

Side Two

1. “Nothing Is Easy”
2. “Fat Man”
3. “We Used To Know”
4. “Reasons For Waiting”
5. “For A Thousand Mothers”

LP 3: Benefit (Chrysalis ILPS 9123, 1970)

Side One

1. “With You There To Help Me”
2. “Nothing To Say”
3. “Alive And Well And Living In”
4. “Son”
5. “For Michael Collins, Jeffrey And Me”

Side Two

1. “To Cry You A Song”
2. “A Time For Everything?”
3. “Inside”
4. “Play In Time”
5. “Sossity; You’re A Woman”

LP 4: Aqualung (Chrysalis ILPS 9145, 1971)

Side One

1. “Aqualung”
2. “Cross-Eyed Mary”
3. “Cheap Day Return”
4. “Mother Goose”
5. “Wond’ring Aloud”
6. “Up To Me”

Side Two

1. “My God”
2. “Hymn 43”
3. “Slipstream”
4. “Locomotive Breath”
5. “Wind-Up”

LP 5: Thick as a Brick (Chrysalis CHR 1003, 1972)

Side One: Thick as a Brick

1. “Really Don’t Mind/See There A Son Is Born”
2. “The Poet And The Painter”
3. “What Do You Do When The Old Man’s Gone?/From The Upper Class”
4. “You Curl Your Toes In Fun/Childhood Heroes/Stabs Instrumental”

Side Two: Thick as a Brick

1. “See There A Man Is Born/Clear White Circles”
2. “Legends And Believe In The Day”
3. “Tales Of Your Life”
4. “Childhood Heroes Reprise”

Aqualung: Reel-to-Reel(opens in new tab) (Chrysalis ILPS 9145, 1971)

1. “Aqualung”
2. “Cross-Eyed Mary”
3. “Cheap Day Return”
4. “Mother Goose”
5. “Wond’ring Aloud”
6. “Up To Me”
7. “My God”
8. “Hymn 43”
9. “Slipstream”
10. “Locomotive Breath”
11. “Wind-Up”