Jethro Tull (Classic Artists)

From being one of the hottest blues-rock bands of the late-60s to touring with Led Zep to holding the record for the number of consecutive nights at the LA Forum to the first live concert broadcast worldwide to nearly bringing down the Grammys, the life and times of legendary, indefinable rock band Jethro Tull has rarely been dull. Forty years, 2,000 gigs, 19 albums, 25 members, 20 million sales and a sex-change since a ramshackle group of spotty youths armed with nothing but a bunch of great tunes and a flute launched themselves onto an unsuspecting public at the Marquee in 1968, the key players in their long and illustrious history give, for the first time, their side of a complex and intriguing story.

Packed with rare archive and never before seen photos and footage, this is the fourth episode in the successful Classic Artists Series and the best yet. This is a portrait of how Ian Anderson became one of the most astute businessmen and hardest task-masters in rock. And then there?s the music. From the early blues of Mick Abrahams-era This Was to ripping up the Isle of Wight festival, through their controversial prog pastiches to the minstrel bringing early English folk to a 20th century audience, from the electronic 80s to the Best Hard Rock act of 1989 to an Ivor Novello Award, Classic Artists Series: Jethro Tull is an overdue chance to reassess one of the finest, controversial and most eclectic catalogues in British popular music.