Jethro Tull Celebrates 40th Anniversary of ‘A’ With Box Reissue

Jethro Tull is celebrating the 40th anniversary of their landmark album A with a three-CD, three-DVD box set, out April 16th, 2021. The reissue is available for preorder now.

Originally intended as a solo record for the band’s founder Ian Anderson, the album title A refers to Anderson and his new lineup’s studio tapes, which were marked “A” for Anderson. When the album was finished, the group’s label Chrysalis insisted that it be credited to Jethro Tull, even though only two members from the band’s previous incarnation — Anderson and guitarist Martin Barre — were featured.

The anniversary reissue will include the original album and associated recordings newly remixed by Steven Wilson, and a flat transfer of the original LP master at 96/24 LPCM stereo. Five unreleased tracks from the recording sessions — including a different take of the single “Working John, Working Joe,” an extended version of “Crossfire,” and the outtake “Coruisk” — are also included.

The box set will also feature a full live recording of the band’s August 1980 concert at L.A. Sports Arena, and a DVD of the “Slipstream” video. The entire reissue will be presented in a case-bound DVD book filled with an extensive history of the album, track-by-track annotations by Anderson, rare photographs, and more.