Jethro Tull: Live - Bursting Out - The Inflated Edition

There can be little doubt that the recent, comprehensive Jethro Tull reissue series has been a complete triumph, with expanded sets bringing together new/old recordings with previously available rarities and the original albums themselves presented in the best forms we’ve ever heard them. With copious live shows also ladled on top and extensive essays, articles and interviews in the books, they have been a joy for Tull-ites and by modern standards, also reasonably affordable. With the studio albums now having been covered from the band’s 1968 debut This Was through to 1982’s The Broadsword And The Beast, questions were asked whether the campaign would continue on into the less celebrated years and releases. The answer we’ve just received ever so slightly blurs the picture, with not 1984’s often unloved Under Wraps being plumped up for reappraisal, but 1978’s Live - Bursting Out, the first full official live offering that Jethro Tull set free.

Great though it always has been, the original release felt like something of a compromise, the time limitations of vinyl seeing key tracks edited down to fit the format, and as such leaving fans feeling like what they had been served up was somehow incomplete - because I guess it was. Here, a spanking and rather marvellous Steven Wilson remix rights those wrongs, “Heavy Horses�, “Living In The Past� and “Songs From The Wood� resplendent in their completeness - and bloody marvellous they are too. The band, consisting Ian Anderson (vocals, flute and guitar), Martin Barre (guitars), John Evan (keyboards), Barriemore Barlow (drums), Dee Palmer (also on keys) and John Glascock (bass) it has to be said, are absolutely on fire. The potency and urgency in their performance is something that can’t be overstated and it’s an aspect of Tull that has maybe become lost as the years have gone by, and much though their are many different configurations of this outfit, there’s no doubt in my mind that the sextet assembled here are pretty near the Jethro Tull pinnacle. The newly (re)extended tracks are all magnificent, but then so is “Skating Away (On The Ice Of A New Day)�, “Minstrel In The Gallery� and “Thick As A Brick�, while the closing quartet of “Quatrain�, “Aqualung�, “Locomotive Breath� into “The Dambusters March� really is something to behold, such is the verve with which these songs are precisely crashed through. What else is underrated is the general musical virtuosity within the group at this stage, Martin Barre a rocking bluesman with the precision and intricacy of a progressive professor, while the keyboard pairing of Evan and Palmer add huge amounts of colour and fun. Add in a potent rhythm section in Barlow and Glascock and this iteration of Tull is mighty indeed.

As you would expect, there are extras added, with 8 soundcheck recordings taking in favourites such as “Heavy Horses�, songs in construction, such as “4WD (Low Ratio)� and more. All are excellent, but with 5 slotting in at the end of CD 1 and 3 at the end of CD 2, they do break up the flow of the live show and while it is nit-picking, the more I play these discs the more it niggles. CD 3 then presents Live At The Madison Square Garden (CDs 1 and 2 were recorded ‘across Europe’ during 1978, but mainly in Germany and Switzerland), with a 16 song set that was used, in part, for a live broadcast back to the BBC’s Old Grey Whistle Test - a first for a live show and Anderson states, very nerve wracking indeed - which is absolutely fabulous, odd and a triumph all at once - more of which later.

With a lot of live material added to the expanded studio deluxe editions that have already arrived over recent years, I did wonder what might be left for this set and in truth, compared to those earlier releases, I suppose the answer is not quite as much. Hence, while in all manner of different audio forms - 96/24 PCM stereo, DD, DTS 5.1 surround and a flat transfer of the original album in 96/24 PCM stereo - DVDs 1 and 2 offer the exact same content as CDs 1 and 2. It’s almost the same story for DVD 3, with the only completely bespoke material being a couple of fun but forgettable TV adverts for Bursting Out’s original release. That said, you do also get the full Madison Square Garden show here as well, with the audio of the tracks not included in the original live broadcast both before and after record was pressed on the visuals included as an audio only experience with rotating visuals from the show, which do get a bit repetitive after a while. Now, I know that camera film was scarce back in the day, but come on BBC, really?? Hence what we are left with is the audio for the opening three songs before visuals suddenly kick into gear as “Heavy Horses� comes to a conclusion. The band then leave the stage and, having warmed up their own audience, pretend to start again with “Thick As A Brick� before giving superb performances of the likes of “No Lullaby�, “Aqualung� and “Locomotive Breath�. The show is then ‘closed’ as the visual footage cuts out before the rouse continues as things then hurtle into “Too Old To Tock ’N’ Roll: Too Young To Die!�, “My God� and “Cross Eyed Mary�, again only in audio form, and while the track list doesn’t show it, we also seem to get second run throughs of “Aqualung� and “Locomotive Breath�. All very odd but bloody well brilliant at the same time, because even with the frustration of missing nearly half the show’s visuals and the odd stop-start nature of things, the results are good enough to take your breath away - Anderson, a great singer and the ultimate showman at this point red top-hat and all, the authoritative guitar work of Barre, manic clowning and expert keyboard work from Evan, wonderful addition of Palmer, masterful drumming from Barlow and a fantastic display from bassist Tony Williams who stepped in at the last minute for the unwell Glascock, all utterly mesmerising. However, it is worth pointing out that all of this material has been previously available on 2009’s Live At Madison Square Garden 1978 DVD, although not with the same Steven Wilson remix and sound options laid out here.

With such enthusiasm shown above, you may wonder why this luxurious set that features a Q&A with Ian Anderson, articles on the album’s making, members of the road crew reliving their time with the band, and much more in the beautifully presented book, I’ve only scored this set 4/5. Well, fair or not, I have to compare it against the Tull deluxe reissues that have preceded it and standing against those gold standard releases, Bursting Out The Inflated Edition feels, mainly down to the odd sequencing of the CDs and lack of completely new content, like an ever so slightly lesser cousin. That said, it is still essential for Tull fans, it still captures the band right at their very best and still entertains and enthrals from start to finish. In all honesty, who can really ask for more?

Track Listing
CD 1

1. Claude Nobs - Introduction by Claude Nobs (Live) [2024 Remaster] 
2. No Lullaby (Live) [2024 Remaster] 
3. Sweet Dream (Live) [2024 Remaster] 
4. Skating Away (On the Thin Ice of the New Day) [Live] [2024 Remaster] 
5. Jack-in-the-Green (Live) [2024 Remaster] 
6. One Brown Mouse (Live) [2024 Remaster] 
7. Heavy Horses (Live) [2024 Remaster] 
8. A New Day Yesterday (Live) [2024 Remaster] 
9. Flute Solo Improvisation / God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / Bouree (Medley) [Live] [2024 Remaster] 
10. Living in the Past (Live) 
11. Songs from the Wood (Live) [2024 Remaster] 
12. No Lullaby (Live) 
13. Sweet Dream (Live) 
14. Heavy Horses (Live) 
15. Botanic Man (Live) 
16. 4.W.D (Low Ratio) [Live]

CD 2

1. Thick As a Brick (Live) [2024 Remaster] 
2. Hunting Girl (Live) [2024 Remaster] 
3. Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young to Die! (Live) [2024 Remaster] 
4. Conundrum (Live) [2024 Remaster] 
5. Minstrel In The Gallery (Live) [2024 Remaster] 
6. Cross-Eyed Mary (Live) [2024 Remaster] 
7. Quatrain (Live) [2024 Remaster] 
8. Aqualung (Live) [2024 Remaster] 
9. Locomotive Breath (Live) [2024 Remaster] 
10. The Dambusters March (Live) [2024 Remaster] 
11. Conundrum (Live) 
12. Quatrain (Live) 
13. The Dambusters March (Live)

CD 3

1. Sweet Dream Fanfare (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) 
2. Sweet Dream (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) 
3. One Brown Mouse (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) 
4. Heavy Horses (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) 
5. Thick As a Brick (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) 
6. No Lullaby (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) 
F7. lute Solo Improvisation (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) 
8. Songs From the Wood (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) 
9. Quatrain (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) 
10. Aqualung (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) 
11. Locomotive Breath (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) 
12. The Dambusters March (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) 
13. A Single Man (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) 
14. Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Old to Die! (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) 
15. My God (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) 
16. Cross-Eyed Mary (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978)

DVD 1

1. Claude Nobs - Introduction by Claude Nobs (Live) [2024 Remaster] [96/24 Stereo] 
2. No Lullaby (Live) [2024 Remaster] [96/24 Stereo] 
3. Sweet Dream (Live) [2024 Remaster] [96/24 Stereo] 
4. Skating Away (On the Thin Ice of the New Day) [Live] [2024 Remaster] [96/24 Stereo] 
5. Jack-in-the-Green (Live) [2024 Remaster] [96/24 Stereo] 
6. One Brown Mouse (Live) [2024 Remaster] [96/24 Stereo] 
7. Heavy Horses (Live) [96/24 Stereo] 
8. A New Day Yesterday (Live) [2024 Remaster] [96/24 Stereo] 
9. Flute Solo Improvisation / God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / Bourée (Medley) [Live] [2024 Remaster] [96/24 Stereo] 
10. Living in the Past (Live) [96/24 Stereo] 
11. Songs from the Wood (Live) [2024 Remaster] [96/24 Stereo] 
12. No lullaby (Live) [96/24 Stereo] 
13. Sweet Dream (Live) [96/24 Stereo] 
14. Heavy Horses (Live) [96/24 Stereo] 
15. Botanic Man (Live) [96/24 Stereo] 
16. 4.W.D (Low Ratio) [Live] [96/24 Stereo] 
17. Claude Nobs �" Introduction by Claude Nobs (Live) [2024 Remaster] [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
18. No Lullaby (Live) [2024 Remaster] [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
19. Sweet Dream (Live) [2024 Remaster] [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
20. Skating Away (On the Thin Ice of the New Day) [Live] [2024 Remaster] [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
21. Jack-in-the-Green (Live) [2024 Remaster] [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
22. One Brown Mouse (Live) [2024 Remaster] [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
23. Heavy Horses (Live) [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
24. A New Day Yesterday (Live) [2024 Remaster] [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
25. Flute Solo Improvisation / God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / Bourée (Medley) [Live] [2024 Remaster] [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround]
26. Living in the Past (Live) [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
27. Songs from the Wood (Live) [2024 Remaster] [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
28. No lullaby (Live) [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
29. Sweet Dream (Live) [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
30. Heavy Horses (Live) [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
31. Botanic Man (Live) [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
32. 4.W.D (Low Ratio) [Live] [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
33. No Lullaby (Live) [Flat Transfer] 
34. Sweet Dream (Live) [Flat Transfer] 
35. Skating Away (On the Thin Ice of the New Day) [Live] [Flat Transfer] 
35. Jack-in-the-Green (Live) [Flat Transfer] 
36. One Brown Mouse (Live) [Flat Transfer] 
37. A New Day Yesterday (Live) [Flat Transfer] 
38. Flute Solo Improvisation / God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / Bourée (Medley) [Live] [Flat Transfer] 
39. Songs from the Wood (Live) [Flat Transfer] 
40. Thick As A Brick (Live) [Flat Transfer]

DVD 2

1. Thick As A Brick (Live) [2024 Remaster] [96/24 Stereo] 
2. Hunting Girl (Live) [2024 Remaster] [96/24 Stereo] 
3. Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young To Die! (Live) [2024 Remaster] [96/24 Stereo] 
4. Conundrum (Live) [2024 Remaster] [96/24 Stereo] 
5. Minstrel In The Gallery (Live) [2024 Remaster] [96/24 Stereo] 
6. Cross-Eyed Mary (Live) [2024 Remaster] [96/24 Stereo] 
7. Quatrain (Live) [2024 Remaster] [96/24 Stereo] 
8. Aqualung (Live) [2024 Remaster] [96/24 Stereo] 
9. Locomotive Breath (Live) [2024 Remaster] [96/24 Stereo] 
10. The Dambusters March (Live) [2024 Remaster] [96/24 Stereo] 
11. Conundrum (Live) [96/24 Stereo] 
12. Quatrain (Live) [96/24 Stereo] 
13. The Dambusters March (Live) [96/24 Stereo] 
14. Thick As A Brick (Live) [2024 Remaster] [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
15. Hunting Girl (Live) [2024 Remaster] [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
16. Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young To Die! (Live) [2024 Remaster] [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
17. Conundrum (Live) [2024 Remaster] [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
18. Minstrel In The Gallery (Live) [2024 Remaster] [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
19. Cross-Eyed Mary (Live) [2024 Remaster] [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
20. Quatrain (Live) [2024 Remaster] [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
21. Aqualung (Live) [2024 Remaster] [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
22. Locomotive Breath (Live) [2024 Remaster] [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
23. The Dambusters March (Live) [2024 Remaster] [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
24. Conundrum (Live) [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
25. Quatrain (Live) [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
26. The Dambusters March (Live) [DD & DTS 5.1 Surround] 
27. Hunting Girl (Live) [Flat Transfer] 
28. Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young To Die! (Live) [Flat Transfer] 
29. Conundrum (Live) [Flat Transfer] 
30. Minstrel In The Gallery (Live) [Flat Transfer] 
31. Cross-Eyed Mary (Live) [Flat Transfer] 
32. Quatrain (Live) [Flat Transfer] 
33. Aqualung (Live) [Flat Transfer] 
34. Locomotive Breath (Live) [Flat Transfer] 
35. The Dambusters March (Live) [Flat Transfer]

DVD 3

1. Sweet Dream Fanfare (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) (Music Video) 
2. Sweet Dream (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) (Music Video) 
3. One Brown Mouse (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) (Music Video) 
4. Heavy Horses (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) (Music Video) 
5. Thick As A Brick (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) (Music Video) 
6. No Lullaby (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) (Music Video) 
7. Songs From The Wood (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) (Music Video) 
8. Quatrain (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) (Music Video) 
9. Aqualung (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) (Music Video) 
10. Locomotive Breath (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) (Music Video) 
11. The Dambusters March (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) (Music Video) 
12. A Single Man (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) (Music Video) 
13. Too Old Too Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Old To Die! (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) (Music Video) 
14. My God (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) (Music Video) 
15. Cross-Eyed Mary (Live at Madison Square Garden October 1978) (Music Video)

Added: June 14th 2024
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Bursting Out - The Inflated Edition @ Rhino St
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Language: english

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