Jethro Tull Announce ‘Benefit’ 50th-Anniversary ‘Enhanced Edition’
Jethro Tull will release a 50th-anniversary "enhanced edition” of their 1970 LP, Benefit, on Nov. 5.
The four-CD, two-DVD set includes Steven Wilson’s 2013 remix of the original album and associated tracks, along with a variety of previously unreleased recordings. It comes packaged in a deluxe, 100-page book featuring commentary from various contributors (including front man Ian Anderson, guitarist Martin Barre, bassist Glenn Cornick and drummer Clive Bunker) and various studio and live images.
This latest edition expands upon the 2013 reissue: The third disc includes Wilson’s previously unreleased remix of the concert performance Live at Tanglewood 1970, and the second DVD features film footage of that same show; the fourth CD boasts a newly remastered mono version of the previously unissued gig Live at the Aragon Ballroom, Chicago 1970.
Benefit, their third album, found the band in a transitional phase: Keyboardist John Evan, still an unofficial member, made his first appearance on a Jethro Tull project, while Cornick made his final studio contribution to the group.
Jethro Tull recently confirmed they will release a new studio album, The Zealot Gene, in early 2022 through new label InsideOutMusic/Sony Music. They’ve yet to detail a track listing or firm date for the project, which Anderson previously teased in March.
The band’s current lineup features the front man (vocals, flute, acoustic guitar, harmonica) alongside guitarist Joe Parrish-James, keyboardist John O'Hara, bassist David Goodier and drummer Scott Hammond. (Guitarist Florian Opahle is credited in a press release as "album only.")