10-8-12 Jethro Tull
On 10-6-73 Slade “Sladest” (‘best of’) LP was No. 1 in England. On 10-5-74 Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells” LP re-charted at No. 1 in England; on 10-8-78 The Stranglers 2nd album “No More Heroes” charts at No. 2 in England; on 10-6-79 The Stranglers “The Raven” charts at No. 4 in England.
I regularly look at my Flicker page’s “Recent Activity” section: Jethro Tull seems to come up all the time! The earlier the release, the better – it seems.
I got started with Jethro Tull after hearing them on a Warner / Reprise “loss leader” double LP in about 1969 or so. I remained with them until 1972, and the release of “Thick As A Brick”. In the intervening years, I have gone back and filled in my collection, so now have everything up to about ’80 or so. Here’s the decent stuff:
CDx3 20 YEARS OF JETHRO TULL (Collection) (3CD boxed set) CHRYSALIS US V3K 41653
1988 65 TRKS (70’s / 80’s recordings) boxed set
CD 25th ANNIVERSARY BOX Disc #2 (Collection) CHRYSALIS US CDCHR 60042
1970 10 TRKS Live ’70 (’93 issue)
LP AQUALUNG ISLAND/CHR UK ILPS 9145
1971 11 TRKS original UK issue
CD AQUALUNG (CD + DVD + LP Boxed Set) 5.1 CHRYSALIS US AQUA 1
1971 / 2011 25 TRKS + DVD 5.1 + LP (new mix) Boxed set
CD AQUALUNG (Kami) TOSHIBA JPN TOCP-65882
1971 17 TRKS (6 x bonus tracks) (’01 issue) Kami sleeve
LP AQUALUNG (QUAD remix LP) test pressing CHRYSALIS US CH4 1044
1971 11 TRKS Quad test pressing, remixed
LP BENEFIT ISLAND/CHR UK ILPS 9123
1970 10 TRKS UK original
CD BENEFIT re CHRYSALIS US 535457.2
1970 14 TRKS (’01 issue) (4 x bonus tracks)
7″ LIFE IS A LONG SONG (EP) (PS) ISLAND/CHR UK WIP 6106
1971 5 TRK EP with pic sleeve
LPx2 LIVING IN THE PAST (Collection) ISLAND/CHR UK CJT 1/2
1972 21 TRK Collection, UK original; large booklet
CDx2 LIVING IN THE PAST (Collection) (Kami) TOSHIBA JPN TOCP-67369/70
1972 21 TRKS (’04 issue) kami sleeve
LP MY GOD! pirate ATHAPASCAN 20.5
1970? 8 TRKS pirate, blue vinyl; Live + studio
CD NOTHING IS EASY – LIVE, ISLE OF WIGHT 1970 EAGLE US ER 20067.2
1970 8 TRKS Live ’70 (’04 issue)
LP STAND UP ISLAND UK ILPS 9103
1969 10 TRKS UK original issue, pop-up
CD STAND UP (Kami) TOSHIBA JPN TOCP-65880
1969 14 TRKS (’01 issue) (kami sleeve) (4 x bonus tracks)
7″ SWEET DREAM / 17 ISLAND/CHR UK WIP 6070
1969 2 TRKS no pic sleeve, long vers. of “17”
LP THICK AS A BRICK CHRYSALIS UK CHR 1003
1972 2 TRKS orig. UK issue
CD THICK AS A BRICK (Kami) TOSHIBA JPN TOCP-65883
1972 4 TRKS (2 x bonus tracks) kami sleeve (’01 issue)
LP THIS WAS ISLAND UK ILPS 9085
1968 10 TRKS UK original issue
CDx2 THIS WAS (Deluxe Edition) CHRYSALIS US 206497.2
1968 35 TRKS (’08 issue) 40th annv. Edition
Ronkanefiles's Blog 
Funny you should mention Ian Anderson/Tull. He was just in town on the “Thick As A Brick 2” tour billed as Ian Anderson instead of Tull. His reasoning? “It keeps the riffraff at home,” he says. “The beer-drinking buddies stay home instead of coming drunk to my concerts, whistling, shouting and hooting at all the quiet moments. That’s something I can’t abide.”
Boy howdy, you can say that again! the one time I saw Tull in the late 80s [“Rock Island” tour? – I just had to look that up since the last Tull album I am slightly conversant with is 1980’s “A”] Anderson set aside much time in the performance to upbraid the hooligan element in his audience! Methinks Anderson shouldn’t have been a “rock star” then! It sort of comes with the territory. Join Mr. Fripp at the queue on the left!
I saw them (J.T.) once in San Francisco, with It Bites as an opening act – late 80’s, early 90’s? Neither act turned in a truly memorable show. J.T. had some sort of large machine on stage, Anderson turned the crank?
Hey, It Bites were the opener when I saw them too! It must have been the same tour we saw. 1989? Don’t remember any huge props for Tull’s set. It was a show I went to because a friend asked if I wanted to go. I was a dozen years past any caring by that point. Not that I ever cared too much to begin with! I think “Stormwatch” was the only Tull album ever in my Record Cell! 33 years later, I can only recall “Dun Ringhill” from that album. Tull was always a group my friends were into much, much more than I was.
Summer of 1969… a fellow band member vacationed in ENGLAND. He brought home 3 albums that would CHANGE MY LIFE (… yes, back then albums HAD that power!). One was FREE “Free” (their 2nd album)… TASTE “On The Boards”… and JETHRO TULL “This Was”. My life has not been the same SINCE Thank you Warren Vivian (who is in the hospital tonight undergoing double-hernia surgery and also battling Alzheimers…). I will NEVER forget you changing my life FOREVER !!!
I hear ya, Big D!