Rating: 
Summary: Tull solid as always
Review: I've waited and waited for something/anything to come out on DVD by Jethro Tull. I've seen them only a handful of times live and never been disappointed by them. In fact, I've been impressed by just how solid and polished they've sounded and performed each time. I picked up their 'Living With The Past' DVD today. Their professionalism comes through again with shining stars! This disc is a concert and interview program laced together as a tastefully done ongoing commentary but, unlike most commentary type concert DVDs, they don't cut into or miss any of the music throughout! Camera angles are excellent, no person is favored over others in the band camera wise (although, Ian Anderson remains the obvious front man), and the song selections cross the entire history of this versatile band. If you need to see a refreshingly professionally done concert DVD, buy this! Solid, interesting, musical, and pure Jethro Tull from beginning to end. You even get to glimpse a reunion of the four original band members in an intimate present day performance of some vintage Tull. The only reason I gave this DVD four stars out of five was that toward the beginning of the disc they get a little carried away with switching scenes between concert settings. The musical track is steady and uninterrupted but the scenery changes get a little tiresome while one is trying to focus on the concert at hand. Still, absolutely worth it!
Rating: 
Summary: Too Old To Rock And Roll? NO WAY!!!
Review: I've been a major Tull fan since I first saw them in concert back in 1973 and I'm happy to say that this DVD is all that I could hope for. Where do I begin? The majority of the disc is devoted to a fabulous live performance taped at the Hammersmith Odeon in 2001. Fantastic sound, editing, and a great selection of songs intercut with fascinating interviews with the current band members make for fascinating viewing. It would not be unfair to compare this favorably to The Band's "The Last Waltz" (high praise indeed!) in terms of its structure and feel. Ian Anderson's voice is sounding better than it has in years and the current Tull lineup are sensational musicians. Along with this is an almost surreal reunion of the original 1968 members of the band who have a great time revisiting their early work. Also included are 2 beautiful acoustic pieces recorded with a sting quartet in Ian's home. There are also some fantastic extras on the disc including Ian's on-stage collaborations with Uriah Heep and Fairport Convention. My only complaint is that each clip is only about 30 seconds long. In any case, I can't rate this highly enough for all Tull fans.I think what I like best about this disc though is that it is not just a retrospective of a band in it's twilight but that it is an affirmation of their commitment to the music and to their loyal fans. They have been entertaining us for nearly 35 years now and Ian states that he has no intention of hanging up his flute anytime soon. Hopefully, this release will garner some new fans and critical respect and that Ian and the boys will someday take their rightful place in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. In the meantime, they continue to inspire me and I look forward to seeing them perform in my town this summer. Too Old to Rock and Roll? NOT EVEN CLOSE!
Rating:
Summary: A truely excellent collection of songs.
Review: Unlike some other reviewers, I enjoyed the commentary from the musicians between songs although I agree that the cuts to commentary during "Bouree" and "New Jig" were a little annoying. However the special effects on the songs by the original band members was, I think, appropriate and effective. On the other hand, the bonus tracks with "Uriah Heep" and "Fairport Convention" should have been full tracks rather than one minute snippets. I didn't notice the key changes (so Ian can reach the notes) or the castrated drum sound mentioned by another reviewer. Perhaps he was imagining it. Having got that out of the way, I have to say that the DVD is truely amazing. The muscianship on display is extraordinary especially considering they must all be in their fifties. So what if people lose hair and put on a bit of weight as they get older? That's life. I'm just amazed that after all these years they are obviously still enjoying their concerts tremendously and still playing so damn well. And, yes, they are a bit less athletic than they were in their twenties (wonders never cease) but I really didn't expect to see, again, the weird facial grimacing and the frantic leapings into the air as on the twenty-fifth anniversary DVD The best song on "Living With The Past" is, without doubt, "Budapest" and it is worth getting the DVD just for this. It is absolutely fantastic. But really I cannot fault any song in the collection. I have watched "Living With The Past" at least ten times since getting from my wife at christmas this year. She is also a Tull fan but, alas, is trying to keep current with our teenage kids taste in music (did I say music?).
Rating:
Summary: Get 'Songs From The Hippodrome'. You'll be glad you did!
Review: I had to add this to my previous review: I just saw the Brazilian import Jethro Tull - Songs From The Hippodrome (recorded by the BBC in 1977). This is an official release DVD licensed in Brazil, not a boot DVD-R. It is EXCELLENT!! Easily the best Tull performance I've seen on video. It's Tull as I remember them from my youth. It is much better than Living with the Past or Slipstream. In it, the band performs Jack in the Green, Thick as a Brick, Songs From the Woods, Velvet Green, Hunting Girl, Aqualung, Wind Up, and Locomotive Breath. The video and sound quality are very good (quite acceptable considering it was shot 26 years ago)... Get it, you'll be glad you did! And now back to the Living with the Past review: First let's get one thing straight...There are two kinds of people - those who don't mind having a documentary with their concert and those that do. I'm one of those that do mind. Let me say up front that the music & performance are great. But, what's up with the constant switching back and forth from daylight and nighttime shows (during songs). And then, why all the jerky stop frame 'isn't that special' effects. And interrupting the bass solo in Bouree for some comments - shame on you! These are great musicians. The concert would easily stand on it's own without all the extra STUFF!
Rating:
Summary: Fan or not, you'll enjoy the complexity of Tull music
Review: Yes, they're getting older, yes, this isn't the high budget of some more recents group, but, yes, yes, yes, this is quality music present with a quality format and even if you don't watch it, it's worth getting just for the updates given to older hits as well as a few good songs you've never heard before. I highly recommend it if you like Tull at all.
Rating: 
Summary: This one's a Mixed Bag
Review: I'm still "living in the past", I suppose...but why do I want to see a fat, apparently balding Ian Anderson who is straining to hit some of the notes ( in spite of several key changes on standard fare hits ), when the Powers That Be are sitting on vintage performances from 1977 ( BBC Sight & Sound show, London ) and 1978 ( Madison Square Garden show, NYC ). This is the current Tull lineup---and sonic quality never ceases to get better---but the energy level is just not the same, folks! Also, what happened to the drums in the mix?! Did they let Ian mix again? You couldn't effectively castrate a drum sound more if you tried! No punch or definition whatsoever...
Last but not least: When are they going to learn that it's okay to release a straight-ahead, two hour concert with unedited, unadorned stage footage...and we won't get bored! I'm tired of this stupid MTV trending of footage interspersed with grainy and/or black and white footage, imagery slowed down, interview snippets, etc ( put interviews under the "extras" section, duh ).
It's a pretty good DVD overall, but only for hard core fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Too much MTV mentality,show concert not the video effects
Review: I sold this dvd a few days after I bought it. I love Jethro Tull but somehow Ian Anderson thinks we want to see video effects. The small club shots are in chunky slow motion, whats the deal? What are people thinking? Are they trying to be artsy?
Frustration! It is alot like what the someone did with the Cream Farewell concert at the Royal Albert Hall... video effects completely obscure seeing the band.
Rent this one...don't buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Feeling like a dead duck?
Review: Spit out pieces of your broken luck and enjoy this DVD. This is a solid representation of Tull material from the point of view of today. For those expecting to see blasts from the past with Anderson in tights and codpiece, forget it. Ian Anderson is a forward and broad thinking person and often seems to more than suggest feeling too anchored to the past that made him and his ever changing lineup of musicians (except for Martin Barre) famous. However, he is accepting and accommodating of the fact that these old tunes are what IS for most people, Jethro Tull. He delivers energetically, and always at the top of his musical form, with a few new unexpected twists to keep it interesting. My kids saw him with me recently at a large venue. They think he's a loony and laughed at his onstage antics. YES! I find that solid testimony to the man and his distinctiveness in a world of pretenders and one hit wonders with ripped off sample loops. It was further testimony to my generation's music compared to theirs. Let's not argue better...just different. It would have been infinitely more satisfying if Ian had included in the extras menu some old concert snippets from his earlier days. I have a video copy of a performance (lip synched...)of a very young JT and Ian on Top of the Pops singing Witches Promise (not quite an easy tune to dance to but that didn't matter to the go-go booted female dancers in the background...). It was so gratifying and fullfilling to be able to see Ian in his musical infancy looking like the very Aqualung he sung about. That would have gone a long way as an extra in the DVD, if only for comparison to the "then" versus "now". The DVD belongs in your collection if you are a JT fan at any level. Remember: We ran the race, the race was won, by running slowly...
Rating:
Summary: The worst music DVD ever?
Review: What was Ian Anderson thinking.
Great songs are ruined by the chatting between songs and banter in the middle of songs. A great dissapointment, Tull Fan
Rating:
Summary: A little Bit of Rock
Review: this is a nice dvd of one of rock underrated bands I must say that the mix could have been better and I would like to skip the talking till the end of the concert but this is Tull we do not see them much! so if your a fan this is a cool dvd,...
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