Jethro Tull: Live at Montreux 2003 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.5

Jethro Tull: Live at Montreux 2003 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 19, 2008

Nearly forty years after they started performing on stage, British rockers Jethro Tull, who began their career as The Blades, continue to entice audiences around the world with their unique blend of rock, jazz, folk, and pop music. Led by the enigmatic Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull will forever be remembered as the band that solidified the flute as a "heavy metal" instrument. Now older, wiser, but still as creative and fascinating to behold, Jethro Tull have become legends.

With an illustrious and at times followed by controversy career, Jethro Tull have certainly preserved the image they created in the mid 60s when they first appeared as The Blades. Times changed, the band’s name changed (due to the well publicized misspelling on the announcement for “Sunshine Day”) yet it seems like the Englishmen and their desire to be creative never did. Jethro Tull continue to fascinate with a style no other band has been able to successfully imitate.

And it isn’t difficult to tell why. From classical music (how many rock bands with a flutist do you know) to jazz, folk, pop, and even heavy metal (we’ll get to it later) Jethro Tull have always experimented while remaining true to what made them legends – perfectionism. Not surprisingly, the group has often been a haven for other musicians that went on to leave their mark in the annals of rock music whose names I am certain you will easily recognize: Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), Phil Collins (Genesis), etc.

It was 1989, however, when Jethro Tull really shook things up, though admittedly they had little to do with the paranoia that engulfed their name. During a much anticipated Grammy Award Show, the band won the Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance award and thousands of angry Metallica fans, who rightfully thought that their idols were robbed, switched into a mass hysteria mode. As a result, almost immediately, Jethro Tull became the band many teenagers loved to hate. As fate will have it, however, the following year Metallica did win what they should have secured the first time around, and the Jethro Tull haters found peace.

Still passionate

Live at Montreux was recorded in 2003 and it runs at approximately 117 minutes. Here Jethro Tull are seen performing some well known tunes – Hunting Girl, Fat Man, Beside Myself, Some Day The Sun Won’t Shine For You, etc. Vocalist Ian Anderson, guitarist/flutists Martin Barre, drummer Doane Perry, bassist Jonathan Noyce, and keyboardist Andrew Giddings are certainly in top-notch form as their long instrumental medleys suggest. Not surprisingly, an audience full of Tull Heads is every bit as responsive to the band's terrific, full of energy and splendid music, show.

The second half of Live at Montreux is definitely where things kick into high gear. Long and protracted solos are added to some genuinely surprising performances (Budapest) as well as some forgotten gems (Aqualung). You will certainly notice that Ian Anderson is still the roaring engine this band feeds off of and even though occasionally his voice lets up a bit his energy more than makes up for it. The imaginative Bouree on the other hand adds a strong flavor to what long-time fans of Jethro Tull would argue is a big part of the band's timeless allure - classical improvisation. Indeed, Jethro Tull still sound as impressive and as original as they have always been.

The actual show is captured by numerous strategically positioned cameras following Ian Anderson and the rest of Jethro Tull as they interact with the audience. The stage is rather simple, lacking the flashy pyrotechnics modern rock-bands favor, and very much in sync with what the Montreux Jazz Festival has always championed - good music, not a dazzling spectacle. The cameras switch on and off regularly, offering different points of view while occasionally glancing through the crowd as well.

Full track listing:

1. Some Day The Sun Won't Shine For You
2. Life Is A Long Song
3. Bourée (Version de Noël)
4. With You There To Help Me
5. Pavane
6. Empty Café
7. Hunting Girl
8. Eurology
9. Dot Com
10. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
11. Fat Man
12. Living In The Past
13. Nothing Is Easy
14. Beside Myself
15. My God
16. Budapest
17. New Jig
18. Aqualung
19. Locomotive Breath

Jethro Tull: Live at Montreux 2003 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG4-AVC, and granted a 1080i "live" transfer Jetrho Tull – Live at Montreux arrives on Blu-ray via Eagle Rock Entertainment. And this is a terrifically looking presentation! Detail is very impressive allowing one to truly feel as if Ian Anderson and Co are performing exclusively for one's personal enjoyment. The color-scheme in particular is nothing short of stunning, from the deep blacks behind the spotlights where the leader of Jethro Tull is performing to the splash of color-lights (pink, blue, purple, and red) on the back where the drummer is Live at Montreux is as good of a presentation of a live gig as one could have hoped for. The clarity of the image is very impressive as well considering how often time such "live" transfers end up revealing a great deal of inherited imperfections. I also noticed that when the cameras zoom detail remains consistent, from the opening song all the way until the very end. Finally, the image is exceptionally clean revealing that much desired "popping look" many enthusiasts are after. Indeed, I am enormously pleased to see such a strong effort by Eagle Rock Entertainment.

Jethro Tull: Live at Montreux 2003 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three different tracks on this disc: DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Digital 5.1, and LPCM. Elsewhere I commented on the fact that as of late I find more and more distributors opting for DTS-HD Master as their top choice and there is certainly a reason for it. In Jethro Tull – Live at Montreux I opted for the above mentioned codec as well and to make a long story short I was definitely not disappointed. Much more expansive, deeper, and better defined is the DTS-HD Master treatment here than the other two audio tracks. I listened closely to the Dolby Digital 5.1 track as well and there is certainly more that the DTS-HD Master mix offers. Especially during the numerous improvisational solos in the second half of the show to me it appeared that the rear channels were significantly more potent. Still, the overall treatment on both tracks is superb and depending on which one you choose I don't think that you would be terribly disappointed with your decision (hopefully you are already equipped to take full advantage of DTS-HD Master encodes). Everything is well-balanced for a live gig, crystal clear, and with the type of density few live recordings manage to deliver. Undoubtedly, this is a stellar treatment by Eagle Rock Entertainment and I strongly recommend that you consider this Blu-ray disc if you happen to be a fan of this legendary band.

Jethro Tull: Live at Montreux 2003 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, there aren't any supplemental materials on this disc.

Jethro Tull: Live at Montreux 2003 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I've made my weakness for high-definition music releases well known. I truly believe that those of us who appreciate and enjoy good music regardless of the genre, from classical to jazz, to rock and electronica, finally have a format that could deliver what no other medium ever managed to achieve – supreme quality. Thus, I am incredibly happy to see that Eagle Rock Entertainment are indeed taking full advantage of what Blu-ray is capable of delivering. With this in mind, Jethro Tull – Live at Montreux is nothing short of a treat for the classic-rock lover. To put it simply, if you are a fan of Jethro Tull, this disc should be a mandatory addition to your collection. Highly Recommended