AMG Review of Best of Jethro Tull

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

Not only are there an awful lot of Jethro Tull compilations, there are a ton of comprehensive multi-disc collections in their catalog, so it's very easy to confuse the individual albums. For instance, the 1993 double-disc set The Best of Jethro Tull is billed as a digitally remastered album, which gives the impression that it is a remastered version of an older set, when it is actually a new collection culled from remastered tapes. Basically, this set is unnecessary for collectors, who will certainly have everything here, and any casual fan who already has a collection -- whether it's the original M.U. or any of the many box sets -- won't need this. But casual fans looking for a comprehensive yet fairly concise anthology should choose this best-of since it does have all the hits and key album tracks among its 36 songs, all presented in good remastered sound. It's not worth replacing an existing compilation in your collection, but if you need a Tull set, this is a good choice.