SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JETHRO TULL – THE JETHRO TULL CHRISTMAS ALBUM – FRESH SNOW AT CHRISTMAS

JETHRO TULL
THE JETHRO TULL CHRISTMAS ALBUM – FRESH SNOW AT CHRISTMAS
CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS/INSIDE OUT MUSIC

Originally titled The Jethro Tull Christmas Album when it was released in 2003, this was Jethro Tull’s 21st studio album and the last to feature guitarist Martin Barre, who left  the band in 2011.

This new deluxe edition of the album is pretty much a complete collection of the various incarnations. The original mix can be found on CD one, the second CD features a new 2024 remix/remaster of the album by Bruce Soord (The Pineapple Thief), while CDs three and four are live recordings. The bonus concert from the 2008 release, Christmas at St Bride’s 2008 is included as is an Ian Anderson band concert from 2006, also recorded at St. Bride. The Blu-ray includes 5.1 Dolby Atmos Surround Sound mixes.

The original album is not entirely a Christmas album, in fact seven of the 16 tracks are new versions of older Jethro Tull songs, and the rest are more related to Christmas. This is a mixture of prog, rock, and folk, and it is a great album. New songs were written for the album, and they are the highlights. “First Snow In Brooklyn” and the opening track, “Birthday Card at Christmas” were written for the album and are brilliant. Anderson delivers the songs with moving vocals and the musicianship from the band is perfect. Barre’s instrumental “A Winter Snowscape” is also a welcomed addition to the album and is a beautiful song, with Anderson and Barre exchanging guitar and flute riffs in a stunning fashion.

The new recordings of classic Jethro Tull songs are fine, but “Ring Out, Solstice Bells” is not as powerful as the original.  “Jack Frost and the Hooded Crow” benefits from the re-recording and is much stronger than the original. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, always a Jethro Tull concert favourite, is also quite brilliant with this collection. The remix of the album is great, bringing out the original beauty and spirit of the original album while creating some space in the mix to hear all contributions from the members of the band. Anderson’s flute is sharp, and Barre’s contributions become more noticeable.

Of course, fans of the album will be most interested in the two live discs. The Jethro Tull live disc has been released before, but is a highly sought after collector’s item, while the Ian Anderson Band disc is previously unreleased. They are both excellent live representations of the respective bands at the time and sound great.

The Jethro Tull Christmas Album – Fresh Snow At Christmas is a fresh look at an album that has been criminally overlooked for the past 20-plus years. There is a lot in this new deluxe version of this classic album. No doubt fans will welcome this version of the incredible album. It is an interesting release from Jethro Tull and is the bridge to Anderson and Barre’s solo albums right up to Anderson’s reboot of Jethro Tull.

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