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I have all of them. This reissue series made me a bigger fan of JT. Prior to the series, all I had was Benefit and Stand up on CD.
How many of the Tull reissues do you own?
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So, the only Tull album I've ever owned is "Aqualung". I've probably heard a couple others through the years but can't say any of them ever grabbed me. Given that Aqualung is probably the most "classic rock" sounding and most accessible for mainstream rock fans (I assume), and that is the reason I like it, if you were going to recommend another JT album that would appeal to a mainstream rock fan, which would it be?
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I would recommend Stand Up.
Thank you!!!
All of them. Is that not the typical response?
My vote would be for Minstrel in the Gallery.
Given the emphasis you place on the "rock" aspect that you like, maybe their double live album "Bursting Out" from 1978. It has a selection of songs from many of their albums, typically done in a more heavier/rock style than the studio versions. There are also live versions of three "Aqualung" songs (the title track, Cross-Eyed Mary, and Locomotive Breath), but note there have also been various CD releases not all of which were complete (see the Wiki entry about the album). The 2004 double CD release is still going pretty cheap, and although I don't have that particular release myself, it has been reviewed well, e.g.:
"For years, if you wanted this double live CD intact, you had to buy it from Europe. This remaster corrects that situation and pumps up the audio quality to boot. "Bursting Out" captures Tull on their "Heavy Horses" tour and at the height of their success. Songs you'd kill to hear nowadays like "One Brown Mouse" and "No Lullaby" sound brisk and powerful.
The remaster makes the performances shine by and large, though a bit trebly. It also brings to the fore something I'd never noticed much over the years: alot of the vocals are doubled in the studio on this one. To the point of being a bit annoying, to be honest. I don't know if it was Ian Anderson's idea or the record company's at the time. It just should've never happened. That caveat aside, this album has never sounded so good. Pick it up and crank it LOUD! A perfect prog album for parties!"
From: https://jethrotull.proboards.com/thread/854/tull-compact-disc-sound-choice
My first thought as well. Stand Up is not proggy at all, but shows off a wide range of musical styles, all done in the band's unique way, but still quite accessible. Nothing on it is quite as hard-rocky as Aqualung (the song) or Cross-Eyed Mary, but A New Day Yesterday and Nothing Is Easy will get you going, in more of a blues-rock vein.
Benefit is another album you might like; I'd even say it rocks harder overall than the Aqualung album does. The songwriting is a notch below the brilliance of both Stand Up and Aqualung, in my opinion, but still well worth your time.
The extended guitar solos in "Back To The Family" and "We Used To Know" are as hard-rocking as anything they've done
That's probably my favorite Tull album, if I had to pick just one. Not sure if it's the best "gateway" album for someone who hasn't heard most of the others, though. But if you end up liking more than just Aqualung, you should work your way to Minstrel. The title song could be considered classic rock, with a killer riff, but the rest of the album veers from acoustic to near-symphonic, and features the 16-minute-plus epic Baker Street Muse, which is wonderful but might be too proggy for some.
I had the Bursting Out double vinyl recorded to 8-track that I used to rock out to in my dad's Country Squire station wagon, when he would let me drive it as a teenager at the end of the 70s. (As you might have guessed by now, Jethro Tull is embedded in my musical DNA). It's not the highest fidelity recording, and even with some post-production studio tinkering, it's still a little rough around the edges, but it's a lot of fun and as Petr mentions, it emphasizes the rocking-out side of the band. Not a bad choice!
I think THICK AS A BRICK really rocks, myself! Yes, it is tongue-in-cheek proggy, but that's half the fun 
As for the Tull surround books -- all of them!
As for the Tull surround books -- all of them!
I have all of them, as well as practically all the rest of the surround music releases since 2000.
Yeah, Brick would round out my top three Tull bests.I think THICK AS A BRICK really rocks, myself! Yes, it is tongue-in-cheek proggy, but that's half the fun
As for the Tull surround books -- all of them!
Thanks to everyone for their input.
I have ordered "Stand Up", the SW version of course.
I also like the idea of checking out the live "Bursting Out" album. A lot of bands' live albums produce a harder version compared to the original album version
I have ordered "Stand Up", the SW version of course.
I also like the idea of checking out the live "Bursting Out" album. A lot of bands' live albums produce a harder version compared to the original album version
You can hear it on YouTube to decide if it's worth buying:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_TaS3ukydpLyXL9WTfKQgesKkC2jovAV
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I finally purchased Bursting Out on CD not long ago. It IS excellent and rocks! I got an urge to snag the live prog albums missing from my collection on CD. I started with Camel A Live Record, then Kansas Two for the Show, Bursting Out and Focus At the Rainbow. Late have I loved thee! 
Another reason I'm partial to Bursting Out is because the first Tull show I attended was on the tour captured on the album, the Heavy Horses tour. I think I was lucky to catch them at one of their peaks. I also saw the A tour a few years later, which was also great but I missed the classic lineup.
And to add some value to this post beyond my own sentimental reflection, and pulling a bit back towards the original thread topic, I wanted to point out in case anyone's not already aware that the Heavy Horses anniversary book-format reissue includes a complete concert as recorded live to 24-track in Berne, Switzerland, some of which was used on Bursting Out, but this is the undoctored original live recording with no studio fixes... and in addition to the stereo, it's also mixed to 5.1 surround, not very discreetly, but more enveloping than the stereo and quite enjoyable. Being so familiar with Bursting Out, it's fun for me to hear the differences between the two.
I only have Aqualung (SW Mix and Master), Benefit 50th AE and A (A La Mode).
Jethro Tull was never a favourite band of mine, but I am changing my mind now that I bought Benefit 50th AE. I should have purchased Heavy Horses, Stand Up and Songs from the Woods when they were cheaply available on the shelves here at JB Hifi... damn. Now they are not only ridiculously expensive, they are almost impossible to find. The good thing, though, is that the stereo remixes are available for purchase in digital format, or via streaming. But we are here for the 'surround' experience, right?
Jethro Tull was never a favourite band of mine, but I am changing my mind now that I bought Benefit 50th AE. I should have purchased Heavy Horses, Stand Up and Songs from the Woods when they were cheaply available on the shelves here at JB Hifi... damn. Now they are not only ridiculously expensive, they are almost impossible to find
. The good thing, though, is that the stereo remixes are available for purchase in digital format, or via streaming. But we are here for the 'surround' experience, right?
