http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/yb/152042716
JETHRO TULL "Stand Up: 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition" 3 discs (Chrysalis, 4 stars)
"Stand Up," Jethro Tull's 1969 breakout, stands up. If "Thick as a Brick" or "Aqualung" annoys, this deserved, celebratory 40th (really, 41st)-anniversary box reminds that Tull was once a hungry, jamming four-piece ensemble, with Ian Anderson pouring out brilliant originals. Disc 1 is "Stand Up" remastered: Tull investigates classical, Celtic, jazz, folk, from "New Day Yesterday," a clever blues-riffer, to "Bouree," the Bach takeoff that made the band famous, to "Reasons for Waiting," proof Anderson can write pretty ballads. "Living in the Past" is here, too, in stereo and glorious mono. It might be Tull's best-written collection. Martin Barre had just joined as guitarist, which he's been ever since. He transformed the band's sound and arrangements, and original drummer Clive Bunker and bass man Glenn Cornick were madly propulsive. Extra tunes are here, plus a four-set BBC fling, complete with tape hiss and in-your-living-room vibe. Discs 2 and 3 offer a wild, thrashing, November 1970 concert at Carnegie Hall (by which time pianist John Evan had joined), with eight tracks not released before. Skip the MP3 of Disc 2, get headphones, and listen to the DVD/DTS of Disc 3 _ far superior sound. Too bad there's no video; half the fun of Tull was/is the stage show. A 45-minute chat with Anderson is informative and piquant. This box, redolent with 1969-1970, gives a long, vivid look at Ian A. and mates in leaping-gnome troubadour white heat. Best of all, it's got that cool cutout that stands up when you open the front flap!
_John Timpane