Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The early sound of a band who went on to better things, 27 Sep 2001
Everybody knows that Tull started off as a blues band. This wasn't exactly an original thing to be in 1968 and, indeed, by the time of the album's release the band's sound had moved on, hence the title 'This Was'. As a blues band, Jethro Tull were OK - a sight better than the dreary likes of Chicken Shack, Ten Years After or Savoy Brown. 'Beggar's Farm' is a most effective song and the opening track 'My Sunday Feeling' even had a spate as a Northern Soul dance floor filler after I played it to a DJ friend. Despite the incomprehensible lyrics, 'Song For Jeffrey' is also excellent and notable for some tasty slide work by Mick Abrahams. Other songs are standard blues fare or overlong instrumentals; not bad overall but far from great. The additional tracks are welcome. 'One For John Gee' isn't very good but sure is hard to come by. 'Love Story', the band's last recording with Mick Abrahams, is already in a very different style to 'This Was' while 'Christmas Song', a more-or-less solo performance from Ian Anderson was indicative of a new folkier direction. I have to say something about the packaging of these new remasters: 4/10 to Chrysalis for a total lack of effort. Sure, they're not as bad as the old CDs (which were simply shabby beyond belief) but they're still not good - indifferent front artwork, no photos, press cuttings or lyrics and only skeletal notes (though penned by Ian Anderson which is good).
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Back in the mists of time..., 28 Aug 2001
By A Customer
So here it is, the place where the 30 year+andstill going journey began, and if the group decided to re shoot the album cover today, it'd look much the same without the make up! 'This Was' is Jethro Tulls first album, but even here their distinctive sound is apparent. The album is note-worthy also for being the only one in Tulls' vast back catalogue not featuring Martin Barre on guitar, he only joined for the second album,(Stand Up), and here his space is filled by Mick Abrahams, who left the band shortly after this album to form Blodwyn Pig and has seldom been seen since! The album is more Blues tinged than any Tull album since,(Abrahams influence?), Tracks like 'Someday the sun won't shine for you' and 'my sunday feeling' being the more obvious cases. Also missing from most tracks is Andersons trademark flute playing, here largely replaced by the more blues appropriate harmonica. The most 'Tull-like' track here is 'Song for Jeffrey', which still remains a Tull classic, and was the shape of things to come.Anderson also shares song writing duties on this album, which he has seldom done since. All in all a good album, which launched my favourite band into world before I was born, but 33 years on they're still at it, so something must be right eh?
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2 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A GEM, 29 Dec 2006
This is the source of it all bluesy, swinging, edgy, great stuff. My mum bought this for me for Christmas the year it came out, long ago.I virtually did not listen to the rest of my then, small collection seriously again.The sheer cold anger of Beggar's Farm is great:
"When you run to me, going to turn away.
Won't even listen when you try to say
that you were only fooling around --
`Cos I know what you feel.
But if you ask me nicely, woman --
I'll wake up early one day soon and
I'll visit you down on Beggar's Farm."
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