VIA PRESS RELEASE | Songs From The Wood is often referred to as one of the most commercially appealing Jethro Tull albums, containing elements of rock, prog and folk-rock. Although media reaction at the time divided opinion, the album has certainly developed a nostalgic rapport with fans through the years and it is perceived today as one of the band’s most popular albums.
Drummer Barrie Barlow comments that it sounds “Fresh, unique, great textures, interesting and dynamic!,” while guitarist Martin Barre remembers that, “It was a very tight band, one of the strongest line-ups Tull ever had… I think that Songs From The Wood and Heavy Horses [the follow-up album] as a pair of albums are near the top of the tree.”
The first disc of the set contains the Steven Wilson remix of the original studio album, accompanied by associated recordings. This includes the tracks “Old Aces Die Hard” and “Working John, Working Joe,” which are being released here for the first time on any format. “Old Aces Die Hard,” a title Ian Anderson recently gave the track in a subtle nod to Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister, is, according to Ian “an extraordinary find, because it’s a long piece, and quite evolved, and one that sounds like it is pretty much complete—it doesn’t sound as if it was waiting for me or anyone else in the band to go back and redo vocals or guitars or whatever.”
Discs 2 and 3 form 22 live tracks recorded on the Songs From The Wood Tour across two dates: Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, USA on December 6, 1977 and Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland, USA on November 21, 1977. These tracks have been reconstructed as a complete set and then remixed to stereo by Jakko Jakszyk and are completely unheard.
DVD 1 contains 5.1 DTS, AC3 Dolby Digital Stereo Surround and 96/24 LPCM stereo versions of the original album mixed by Steven Wilson, along with selected associated tracks and various quad mixes and flat transfers.
The final disc in the package is the video footage taken live at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland on November 21, 1977 mixed to 16/48 stereo LPCM and 5.1 DTS, AC3 Dolby Digital surround by Jakko Jakszyk. This footage has never been publicly seen before. The concert venue was the home for Washington Wizards basketball team, then known as Washington Bullets—so the video footage comes directly from the film that was played to the big screens in the venue during the show and has since been seen nowhere else.
Completing the set is a beautiful 96 page book which contains extensive writing on the history of the album and how it came to be. Martin Webb reflects on the writing, recording, and touring of the album while Ian Anderson gives a track by track annotation of the album and associated recordings. Alongside lyrics, there’s an interview with assistant engineer Trevor White, relevant photos and imagery and a full recording and touring chronology.
