In celebration of Jethro Tull’s 50th anniversary—they played their first show at the Marquee Club London on February 2, 1968—Parlophone will release two different collections. 50 for 50, a career-spanning 3-CD set that features 50 songs. The tracks selected by leader Ian Anderson and come from all 21 of the band’s studio albums. The set will be released on May 25. In addition, 50th Anniversary Hits is a single-disc compilation that spotlights essential tracks from the three-disc set. It will be available on the same day. 50th Anniversary Hits will also be released on vinyl on August 31.
The Jethro Tull 50th Anniversary Tour begins in April with concerts in Europe. (Tickets available here.) (See North American itinerary below.)
50 for 50 provides an overview of Jethro Tull‘s catalog, which includes 11 gold and five platinum records. Arranged chronologically, the three-disc set highlights the band’s continuous musical evolution with blues-influenced early tracks (“Beggar’s Farm” and “A New Day Yesterday”), heavy rockers (“Aqualung” and “Locomotive Breath”) prog classics (“Skating Away” and “Critique Oblique”); and folk tunes (“Songs from Tte Wood” and “Heavy Horses”).
The compilation also features “Steel Monkey,” “Farm on the Freeway” and “Budapest” – three songs from the band’s Grammy-winning 1987 album Crest of a Knave. The collection ends with “A Christmas Song” and “Ring Out Solstice Bells,” a pair of tracks that originally appeared on The Jethro Tull Christmas Album (2003). (See complete track listing below.)
Related: Our interview with Ian Anderson
50 For 50 Track Listing
1. “Nothing Is Easy” – Stand Up (1969)
2. “Love Story” – This Was (1968)
3. “Beggars Farm” – This Was (1968)
4. “Living In The Past” – Living In The Past (1972)
5. “A Song For Jeffrey” – This Was (1968)
6. “A New Day Yesterday” – Stand Up (1969)
7. “The Witch’s Promise” – Benefit (1970)
8. “Mother Goose” – Aqualung (1971)
9. “With You There To Help Me” – Benefit (1970)
10. “Teacher” – Benefit (1970)
11. “Life Is A Long Song” – Living In The Past (1972)
12. “Sweet Dream” (Studio) – Stand Up (1969)
13. “Aqualung” – Aqualung (1971)
14. “Minstrel In The Gallery” – Minstrel In The Gallery (1975)
15. “Critique Oblique” (Steven Wilson Remix) – A Passion Play (1973)
16. “Weathercock” – Heavy Horses (1978)
17. “Cross-Eyed Mary” – Aqualung (1971)
18. “Bouree” – Stand Up (1969)
19. “Dun Ringill” – Stormwatch (1979)
20. “Heavy Horses” – Heavy Horses (1978)
21. “Hunting Girl” – Songs From The Wood (1977)
22. “Bungle In The Jungle” – War Child (1974)
23. “Salamander” – Songs From The Wood (1977)
24. “Pussy Willow” – The Broadsword And The Beast (1982)
25. “Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young To Die” – Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young To Die! (1976)
26. “Songs From The Wood” – Songs From The Wood (1977)
27. “The Whistler” – Songs From The Wood (1977)
28. “Really Don’t Mind/See There A Son Is Born” – Thick As A Brick (1972)
29. “Moths” – Heavy Horses (1978)
30. “One White Duck / Nothing At All” – Minstrel In The Gallery (1975)
31. “Cup Of Wonder” – Songs From The Wood (1977)
32. “Ring Out Solstice Bells” – The Jethro Tull Christmas Album (2003)
33. “Skating Away” – War Child (1974)
34. “A Christmas Song” – The Jethro Tull Christmas Album (2003)
35. “One Brown Mouse” – Heavy Horses (1978)
36. “Rare And Precious Chain” – Roots To Branches (1995)
37. “Kissing Willie” – Rock Island (1989)
38. “Rocks On The Road” – Catfish Rising (1991)
39. “Fylingdale Flyer” – A (1980)
40. “Paparazzi” – Under Wraps (1984)
41. “North Sea Oil” – Stormwatch (1979)
42. “Steel Monkey” – Crest Of A Knave (1987)
43. “Black Sunday” – A (1980)
44. “European Legacy” – Under Wraps (1984)
45. “Budapest” – Crest Of A Knave (1987)
46. “Broadsword” – The Broadsword And The Beast (1982)
47. “Dot Com” – J-Tull Dot Com (1999)
48. “Farm On The Freeway” – Crest Of A Knave (1987)
49. “This Is Not Love” – Catfish Rising (1991)
50. “Locomotive Breath” – Aqualung (1971)
50th Anniversary Hits Track Listing
1. “Love Story”
2. “Living In The Past”
3. “Life Is A Long Song”
4. “Sweet Dream”
5. “The Witch’s Promise”
6. “Aqualung”
7. “Dun Ringhill”
8. “Cross-Eyed Mary”
9. “Bouree”
10. “Bungle In The Jungle”
11. “Steel Monkey”
12. “Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll”
13. “Ring Out Solstice Bells”
14. “Farm On The Freeway”
15. “Locomotive Breath”
Watch a live performance of “Locomotive Breath” from March 2, 2018
Jethro Tull 50th Anniversary North American Dates (Tickets available here and here)
May 30 – Phoenix, AZ – Comerica Theatre
Jun 01 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
Jun 02 – Berkeley, CA – The Greek Theatre
Jun 03 – Paso Robles, CA – Vina Robles Amphitheatre
Jun 05 – Visalia, CA – Visalia Fox Theatre
Jun 06 – Sacramento, CA – Sacramento Community Theater
Jun 08 – Bend, OR – Les Schwab Amphitheater
Jun 09 – Troutdale, OR – Edgefield
Jun 10 – Woodinville, WA – Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery
Jun 29 – St. Louis, MO – Fox Theatre
Jun 30 – New Buffalo, MI – Four Winds Casino Resort
Jul 01 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
Jul 03 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Jul 06 – Ottawa, Canada – Bluesfest
Jul 07 – Montreal, Canada – Festival International de Jazz
Aug 31 – Minneapolis, MN – State Theatre
Sep 01 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre
Sep 03 – Highland Park, IL – Ravinia Festival
Sep 05 – Huber Heights, OH – Rose Music Center at the Heights
Sep 07 – Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap
Sep 08 – Philadelphia, PA – Mann Center for the Perf. Arts
Sep 09 – Boston, MA – Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
Sep 11 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
Sep 12 – Wallingford, CT – Oakdale Theatre
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