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Jethro Tull - Stand Up: The Elevated Edition


by Kevin Wierzbicki

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Fans got a very cool surprise when they opened up the gatefold on their brand new vinyl copy of Stand Up by Jethro Tull back in 1969; the band virtually jumped out to greet listeners via a pop-up affixed to the inside of the cover.

Fans that remember or possibly still have one of those collector's items will be tickled again when they open up their copy of Stand Up: The Elevated Edition as the pop-up is the first thing seen when the 2CD + DVD book-style package is opened.

That neat piece of artistry is just the beginning of all there is to love about the reissue though. Prog rock's go-to man Steven Wilson has remixed the album so listeners will hear things differently on great early Tull cuts like the bluesy groove of "A New Day Yesterday," jaunty instrumental "Bouree," the psych-tinged folk of "Look Into the Sun" and front man Ian Anderson's flute freak-out on "Nothing is Easy."

Appended to the Stand Up disc are a bunch of "associated recordings" that include mono versions of four LP cuts, two versions of non-LP tracks "Living in the Past" and "Driving Song" and an alternate mix of "Bouree."

The second CD features a live show recorded in Sweden in 1969, and after an introduction from Anderson explaining to the crowd that the sound system is borrowed and not up to snuff, the band launches into "My Sunday Feeling" from the This Was album; that record's "Dharma for One" and "A Song for Jeffrey" are also included along with songs from Stand Up and the somewhat obscure and jazzy instrumental "Martin's Tune." Despite the way the audience may have heard the performance, the audio quality here is fine.

The DVD contains audio of the Wilson remixes, audio of the original album mix and about seven minutes of video from the show in Sweden ("To Be Sad is a Mad Way to Be" and "Back to the Family").

The booklet, at over 100-pages, is overflowing with interesting reading including a track-by-track commentary from Anderson, an essay from Martin Webb, song lyrics, notes on the band's 1969 tour from Nick Logan, tributes to late band bassist Glenn Cornick and late Stand Up producer Andy John and of course lots of rare and previously-unseen photographs.

Overall the package is an excellent snapshot of early Tull presented in a modern manner that makes Stand Up: The Elevated Edition a very desirable collectible. Get it here.

Jethro Tull - Stand Up: The Elevated Edition
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