Jethro Tull – Benefit

I wanted the British pressing. But it did not include the song Teacher so I purchased the US version. The sound is not even. Drums are very much subdued. It's like a weak signal

Out of all Tull's albums it is this one 'Benefit' that stays with me as the best of all their albums. I have listened to all their other albums many times over the years, but this album does it for me. Consistently better music all the way through, superb, brilliant and a beautifully crafted LP.

Fortunately most people reading these reviews will already know about the album Benefit, and would have formed their opinion of its standing in the Tull canon years ago, so no real harm done by ace2prime's limited appraisal of said album. A review of this edition really should focus on facts and not misguided personal taste. This issue is actually an extended version of the 2013 3 disc set 'A Collector's Edition' with two live shows added. What you get is Benefit with the Steve Wilson mix in both 16/44 and HD 24/96 and the original album mix in a flat transfer to HD 24/96. Every conceivable mix of the three 45s from this time, including 6 songs in HD 24/96. Concert 1, Tanglewood 1970 in 16/44 audio plus HD 24/96 video of the show. Concert 2, Chicago 1970 in 14/44 audio. That's it. Have fun.

This is incorrect. Chrysalis did not release this with the green label in 1970 in the US.

This is a very good pressing. When I felt the weight of the record in my hands I got suspicious and put it on a weight, and to my suspicion, the record weights 201g (to be exact), though the sticker says 180g. It comes with a printed inner cardboard sleeve for the record, which I think they should abandon completely forever. Would be better to print a single piece of paper with the print, and supply the customers with black polythene inner sleeve like many of the other Jethro Tull reissues.

Side 1 (Matrix / Runout (Side A, variant 1): T1 31051-1 RS-6400-A 1B) has very low volume. Does anyone have the same issue?

This is the 50th anniversary release of Jethro Tull’s Benefit album as a “Book” edition. Compared to Book editions of other Tull albums, this one has quite a bit of content with four CDs and two DVDs.

Unfortunately, the content is not that great as the band stumbled between the highs of the Stand Up and Aqualung albums. Outside of the great song “Teacher,” most of the music on the album is uninspiring, foreshadowing later mediocre 1970s Jethro Tull albums. The live performance at Tanglewood on video almost saves the day. Unfortunately, it is incomplete.

This Book edition is still in print at the time of the writing of this review, so buy it now before the prices skyrocket. Keep it sealed or purchase multiple copies to maximize your investment. The rate of return on out-of-print Book editions is astonishing, even for the most mediocre releases in the Jethro Tull catalog and Benefit is definitely mediocre!

When was the remix for the 1st CD created? Only the DVD says that it is from 2013. Is the remix on the 1st CD the same as on the DVD?

Variant with Matrix / Runout (Side 1): 31051-1A C2-G and Matrix / Runout (Side 2): RS-6400 31052 B-1A [drum symbol]

The sound is very good. Not a big fan of Steven Wilson as a musician, but his remixes are very good.

The packaging is strange. I have the same remix-reissue for Aqualung, Stand Up and Thick as a Brick and they are all Gatefold and have a book with a linernotes and photos etc. But this reissue is just plain.