Jethro Tull
Living With the Past
(Eagle Rock)

This DVD/CD set chronicles Jethro Tull's 2001 tour, which, as usual, mixes older hits with deep album tracks and newer music from Ian Anderson and his crew. Anderson jokes during his typically clunky between-song banter that through the decades Jethro Tull's sound has been described as blues-rock, folk-rock, metal, prog and classic rock, all of which are on display in this act's complex pace.

Interestingly, although the discs share a handful of selections, the track listings are substantially different on the video and audio portions. Both start with "My Sunday Feeling," the opening track on the band's 1968 debut, but then take very different paths.

A much touted reunion of the original quartet featuring founding members Mick Abrahams on guitar, bassist Glen Cornick and drummer Clive Bunker sadly appears for only two tunes, one on the CD and one on the DVD extras, the former a spry run through Jethro Tull's bluesiest tune, "Some Day the Sun Won't Shine For You." The DVD disconcertingly inserts interview clips with band members, shifts from grainy black and white to color and splices diverse video performances in the middle of songs, weakening the flow. Perhaps the director felt that multiple cuts made it more palatable to a younger generation weaned on MTV and YouTube edits.

Musically it's an invigorating performance, and between the two discs there are enough Jethro Tull hits and obscurities to satisfy any fan while perhaps attracting new ones to the veteran UK band's eclectic offerings.—Hal Horowitz