Testing, Testing ! As an old fart and an old fan of Jethro Tull, I have gathered all of the book sets as they have come out, so far, including the first (smaller sized ) Stand Up and Benefit and the first 12 x 12 Aqualung which did include DVD and Blu-Ray. The original Stand Up Deluxe set did not include the album mixed in 5.1 but did include the 1970 Carnegie Hall concert in 5.1. The Broadsword Box is fantastic, great review. The only thing I could add is that one element of true treasure in here are the Demos which the band created to show Paul-Samwell Smith what they were shooting for. These takes can stand on there own and Martin's guitar work is stellar, The tracks included that didn't make the final cut are pretty outstanding. Usually bonus material in box sets are one time listens and you understand why it was left on the shelf but, with Tull, you rarely feel that way about shelved material. I'm grateful this stuff find it's way into the light. I hope the series continues.

@lifeinsurround

10 ай бұрын

Thank you for your perspective! I found the demo tracks to be "ok", but I appreciate them more, knowing the context in which they were created. Very cool!

Yes, the hobby is expensive but I do hope SDE, Rhino, Pure Audio, Wilson and the other Surround enthusiasts keep the hobby going, because I love it SO! Keep up the good work Mike.

I have every SW 5.1 version of JT. This one is fantastic also. Broadsword and the Beast was the album that got me into them so I was excited to hear the 5.1 and it has been a blast hearing all the instruments in 5.1. I am enjoying it more than ever as I hear more nuances and Layers of sound. I think I have already listened to it 20 times. My Favorite JT 5.1 mixes are Broadsword and the Beast, Thick as a Brick and Songs from the Wood. The book is great. Have not listened to anything else yet that came in the book as can’t stop listening to the 5.1 as it has reopened my ears to this album hearing new things and loving the isolation of instruments, harmonies etc.

@lifeinsurround

10 ай бұрын

Songs from the Wood FOR THE WIN. Love it, so much!!!

The Deluxe editions of Jethro Tull albums are truly exceptional in terms of content, and efficiency in packaging, even if this latest iteration is really more expensive than the previous ones.... For me there will be no upgrade to the atmos rereleases 🤗.

@lifeinsurround

10 ай бұрын

I think worldwide inflation might be affecting prices, but yeah... the price of this one gave me pause, too. Hopefully markets will correct soon. For me, upgrading to Atmos versions will be on a case-by-case basis. Does it actually sound better?

My surround system was built for Steve Wilson surround mixes. My favorite bands in high school happened to be the very bands he’s targeted. I missed out on the original quad period because I didn’t have the money and because the quad artists in the late 70s were rarely anything I wanted to hear anyway. I’m glad I made it this far to be able to listen to his faithful renditions of these works in multichannel. Really, another round in BluRay? I dunno, I have all the Tull books, I doubt I’m going to do these again. Yes in Atmos? I might do that… sigh.

@lifeinsurround

10 ай бұрын

TYA in Atmos truly does sound fricken awesome in Atmos. And yes, "better", to my ears than the preceding 5.1 mix. I truly wish I could report otherwise. store.rhino.com/en/rhino-store/artists/yes/the-yes-album-super-deluxe-edition/603497831715.html

Hi there love your work. Love Ian Anderson and the Tull. I would pay to listen to Ian speak. I always loved JT. Never owned all of their cds... except now. These magnificent reissues have given me the opportunity to reappraise them. I am ON this reissue campaign big time. Will have all of them once the Thick box and this BEASTIE arrive. I have the Aqualung one in the big 12 by 12 box but would have preferred the book version. Now it costs 300 Canadian dollars in the wild. I would stand on Everest and scream on the top of my lungs to show how much I love Ian and Parlaphone's work in curating this marvelous band. Marillion are a close second. Most value for the money. Anywhere. I would not reacquire if they reissue these albums. I only have so much leeway financially. Oh I watch your channel and I own no 5.1 equipment thats how much i like what you do. Love music PERIOD. Thank you.

@lifeinsurround

10 ай бұрын

OMG... thank you for the huge compliment. I enjoy a LOT of music in mono and stereo, but my focus is obviously Quad and beyond. I really appreciate that you find enjoyment, regardless.

As with all of these Tull Mediabooks ever since they started with Thick As A Brick back in 2012 I am on the ball with them and pre-order them months in advance hence why I have them all. However, the disappointing thing about this latest edition of Broadsword is the price and the only real Monster is the record company charging you well over the odds for it. I did manage to pick it up for £65 which in my honest opinion is at least 35% higher than what it should have retailed for. I have always given praise to these Mediabooks in the past and have always seen them as a Boxset that comes at an honest price point but I honestly cannot say that this one did. The cheaper way they have even stored the discs with the flimsy plastic they have used I also consider an insult to injury and surely it would have been better to stick with the original hard plastic and make extra slip pockets to store the other 2 discs. Trying to get the discs to sit back in place is a bloody nightmare and whoever designed this package wants putting up a wall and shot LOL... I even noticed how Ian Anderson never removed the discs when he unboxed it, had he done it would have most likely taken him a good 10 minutes to get them back in properly. The one guy I did see unbox it properly, removed the discs and broke one of the flimsy plastic clips trying to get them to slot back in place and he never showed you him getting them all back in place either and if he did his video would have went on ten minutes longer LOL.... Like Stormwatch and A, Broadsword has never been one of my favourite Tull albums and I consider them to be mediocre albums. However, I do find the array of alternative recordings you get with these a genuine bonus and enjoy them more so than the actual albums. By the way, the live concert that was stitched together from 4 different venues they played in Germany was recorded on a 10-track reel to reel which is why Wilson decided to do a 4.1 mix with it. I have to say it's without doubt a very good mix he has done as well. The Stand Up Mediabook that was released in 2016 is the thinnest package and was the very first package I paid over £20 for as the biggest majority of them I got for less than £20 right up when Songs From The Wood was released. The most I have ever paid before now for the others that came after is around £31 and for the life of me, I cannot see this latest package being worth any more than £40. I also cannot see this package going out of print either due to its extortionate price tag.

@lifeinsurround

10 ай бұрын

Your perspective is always appreciated. Personally, I have situated the 3 DVDs for easy access in the book set, probably never to listen to the CDs again (though I did once). Yes, the plastic clip system they use here is super frustrating and problematic, to say the least. I'm glad the set exists, though!

Well done, as is usual Mike. 👌 I have spoke in some length about what I think the music companies are doing, but I do understand your take on completely lossless too though. Physical music discs will always rule in my opinion.... and LEAVE both formats available. A choice. ' A little bit weird' Aren't we all? 😅

@lifeinsurround

10 ай бұрын

Totes. I understand that DVD is more accessible to many listeners. At least author for DVD-A, though, right? It's weird that DVD-A has essentially died. It's one of my favorite formats.

Thanks Mike!

@lifeinsurround

10 ай бұрын

No... thank YOU!!! hahaha

I've got 'em all, but then again I've been a Tull fanatic since my mid-teens in the 70s. You're missing some classic ones, Mike -- besides Stand Up, it appears you don't have Aqualung, Minstrel In The Gallery and Songs From The Wood, which are all wonderful -- hope you're right about new Blu-ray Atmos editions in the future, mainly so everyone who missed out on some of them can get another chance. I don't have an Atmos system so I probably wouldn't jump in to repurchasing them, even though it would be nice to get lossless 5.1 mixes, but as you said, the lossy DTS DVDs sound pretty fantastic as-is. However, I disagree that the 50th anniversary mark is what might trigger another round of new editions -- after all, that milestone has passed for the first six albums, which would seem the most likely to get reworked, especially Aqualung and Thick As A Brick. My guess is that once the current series of 5.1 DVD book sets are wrapped up, then they will start over... but maybe just cherry-pick from the most commercially successful albums. But when might that be? Steven Wilson has said that Broadsword is the last DVD he will do for Tull, and other than Crest Of A Knave, is the world really clamoring for the other 80s and beyond albums? I hope Broadsword sells well, because Ian indicated in some of his interviews that the label went out on a limb a bit on this one, since it's the largest so far, and by far the most expensive, for an album that was a commercial flop in the U.S. (at least by Tull standards) -- so its success might determine how far the series continues, if at all. At the time it came out, I was disappointed by the album and its 80s sound and style, but the surround mix, and especially the huge quantity of excellent outtakes and demos, have made this new set well worth having for me. And if they release more books sets, I'm sure I'll end up buying them and enjoying them, to one degree or another. At that point though, I'm probably off the Tull train, and not re-buying the same albums yet again.

@lifeinsurround

10 ай бұрын

I have Aqualung, Minstrel, and Songs! I think they're in my Quad collection somewhere, because them included Quad mixes? Forgot to grab them! I think I'm only missing Too Old and Stand Up. Good point about the 50th anniversary passing for many titles. WTH do I know?! haha Maybe random dates, henceforth, or maybe 60th anniversary?

Good one, Mike... Yeah, I love all these sets but it drives me nuts that they're put out on DVD ! The Marillion sets are even a grade higher for me because they"re on Bluray and come with a "making of" film. I'm Lucky : I have all the sets.... of course they're all just fantastic so my favourites are more about personal taste : Heavy Horses, Thick as a Brick, Minstrel in the Gallery and obviously Aqualung (which I even have on Bluray !! and yes, it does sounds clearer !). So, yes, I agree, these sets are great and such a gift for lovers of surround like us and also for lovers of this amazing band !!

@lifeinsurround

10 ай бұрын

Someone recently suggested, on the Life in Surround Facebook group maybe, that the intent of DVD is to include the most listeners possible, as some don't have BD players. Fair enough, though I wish authoring for DVD-A was still a thing. In that case, we'd have lossless and lossy choices, depending on our players. But DVD-A seems dead.

@nicholasbeecroft2231

10 ай бұрын

@@lifeinsurround indeed, that's a fair comment but bluray players are fairly inexpensive these days. I totally agree about the DVD-A authoring; such a shame !