I am not really a fan of greatest hits compilations, much like how I am not really a fan of soundtracks. Obviously, it depends on how the compilation was put together, but for the large part, I find that greatest hits albums actually work better for mediocre artists. For example, I'm not sure you really need more Madonna than her Immaculate Collection. But for a band with grander ambitions like Jethro Tull, an 11-song greatest hits compilation doesn't fully do them justice. After all, if you're into Tull, you really need to pick up Thick as a Brick, their 'one-song' conceptual masterpiece, or Aqualung. And if an early 70s progressive/hard rock album with lots of flute solos sounds abysmal to you, you probably don't need their greatest hits collection.
Still, I would be hard-pressed to deny that there is a lot of good music on this album. Tull's mix of gruff hard rock riffs, progressive song structures, flute, and the kindly old hermit voice of Ian Anderson are nothing if not unique. Undoubtedly, the mixture sounds a bit dated today, if only because progressive rock was deemed uncool, so not a lot of modern bands have attempted to follow in Tull's footsteps. But though I wouldn't go so far as to worship Jethro Tull, and they indeed have some horrid misfires in their discography (I unfortunately own their truly awful mid 80s monster Under Wraps), their best albums feature excellent songwriting from Anderson and guitar from Martin Barre while providing a sound that is rather unique to Tull. So until I pick up Aqualung and Stand Up on LP, I will keep this record. But really, you should get the albums.
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