Living In The Past

This double-album offers a chronological retrospective of Jethro Tull's career to date, compiling non-album singles and recordings from 1968-1971. However, with only four tracks from the previous studio albums, many (myself included) consider it an album of nearly all-new material. So given the bulky proposition of Thick As A Brick, released earlier in the year, many also found Living In The Past much easier to digest. In fact, the album did break into the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic. The title track, a UK hit for the band in mid-1969, made it back into the US charts shortly before the album's release. The packaging also rivaled that of TAAB, with its thick cardboard cover resembling a hardcover book than a record jacket. But all of that aside, the compilation remains one of the most satisfying Tull records, due in part to the era it encompasses: their best. Much like the previous Benefit in composition and feel, the album focuses on Ian Anderson as singer-songwriter. The album contains some of his most delicate tunes: in particular, the primarily acoustic numbers on the fourth side, including "Life Is a Long Song," "Up The ‘Pool" and "Dr. Bogenbroom." The instrumental "For Later" is the sleeper track, however, speaking volumes about prog rock in its brief two minutes and eight seconds. The third side of the album contains part of a live concert recorded in late 1970 at Carnegie Hall; but (unfortunately) it's just a lot of soloing from John Evan and Clive Bunker. The remaining—and far more interesting—portions of that concert were released in 1992 as part of Jethro Tull's 25th Anniversary Box Set.