03 February 2011

Jethro Tull "Benefit" (1970)

Benefit
release date: Apr. 1970
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5]
producer: Ian Anderson
label: Chrysalis - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "With You There to Help Me" (3,5 / 5) - 5. "For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me" (3,5 / 5) - 6. "To Cry You a Song" (3,5 / 5)

3rd studio album by Jethro Tull shows how the band quickly was lead by Ian Anderson who has written all compositions and also produced the album. The credit list reflects that the members list remain unchanged but keyboardist John Evan, who is credited as additional personnel, would soon become a fifth official member of the band. The music has taken a distinct turn to their trademark of progressive rock blended with hard rock and folk, and no longer shares bonds to blues rock, r&b, or psychedelic rock for that matter. Although, my older brother had the album back in the '70s, I didn't really know the album until around the 1990s, and although, I find it an anachronism, I also understand the popularity the band gained with this their first major album. It went as high as to number #3 on the UK albums chart list.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]