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Jethro Tull / “Warchild” 40th Anniversary Theatre Edition

By Paul Sinclair

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Parlophone will reissue Jethro Tull‘s 1974 album WarChild this November as a limited edition 2CD+2DVD set that includes a 5.1 remix by Steven Wilson and a wealth of additional material, much of it previously unreleased.

The album originally formed part of a broader project that was to encompass a feature-length film and a soundtrack album but the latter two elements never materialised. This new edition of WarChild is dubbed the 40th Anniversary Theatre Edition and includes on a second CD many orchestral pieces written for the film’s soundtrack, most of which are unissued until now. Alongside the orchestral pieces on the second disc set some ‘associated recordings’ from the original sessions.

The orchestral pieces have also been remixed by Steven Wilson into hi-res stereo and 5.1 surround sound. These mixes can be found on the one of two DVDs within this package. Joining that material are a further six additional orchestral recordings mixed by Robin Black in 1974. These are all 96/24 PCM stereo.

Another DVD combines audio and video; the audio element includes flat transfers of the original LP mix at 96/24 along with the quadrophonic version (with two bonus tracks) in 4.0. In terms of video we are offered ‘The Third Hoorah’ promo footage as well as film from a a January 1974 photo session and press conference when the whole WarChild project was announced.

An 80-page booklet comes with the ‘bookset’ packaging and includes new writings on the preparation and recording of the album, a film script synopsis, track-by-track annotations by Ian Anderson and rare and unseen photographs.

WarChild 40th Anniversary Theatre Edition will be issued on 24 November 2014. The full track listing is below.

Burning Shed: 

Amazon: 

WARCHILD: THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY THEATRE EDITION

Disc One (CD)

1. WarChild
2. Queen and Country
3. Ladies
4. Back-door Angels
5. SeaLion
6. Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day
7. Bungle in the Jungle
8. Only Solitaire
9. The Third Hoorah
10. Two Fingers

Disc Two (CD) – The Second Act: Associated Recordings:

1. Paradise Steakhouse
2. Saturation
3. Good Godmother*
4. SeaLion II
5. Quartet
6. WarChild II*
7. Tomorrow Was Today*
8. Glory Row
9. March, The Mad Scientist
10. Rainbow Blues
11. Pan Dance

WarChild Orchestral Recordings:

12. The Orchestral WarChild Theme*
13. The Third Hoorah (Orchestral Version)*
14. Mime Sequence*
15. Field Dance (Conway Hall Version)*
16. Waltz Of The Angels (Conway Hall Version)
17. The Beach (Part I) (Morgan Master Recording)*
18. The Beach (Part II) (Morgan Master Recording)*
19. Waltz Of The Angels (Morgan Demo Recording)*
20. The Beach (Morgan Demo Recording)*
21. Field Dance (Morgan Demo Recording)*

* Previously Unreleased

DVD 1 (Audio & Video):

Contains:
* WarChild remixed to 5.1 DTS and AC3 Dolby Digital surround sound and 96/24 PCM stereo.
* A flat transfer from the original 1974 LP master at 96/24 PCM stereo.
* A flat transfer of the original 1974 Quad LP (with additionally Glory Row & March, The Mad Scientist) at 5.1 (4.0) DTS and AC3 Dolby Digital surround sound.
* Video clips of a Montreux photosession and press conference on 11th January 1974 and The Third Hoorah promo footage with remixed stereo audio.

DVD 2 (Audio):

Contains:
* An additional eleven group recordings from the WarChild sessions and later, including 3 previously unreleased tracks, and 4 orchestral recordings from the WarChild sessions mixed to 5.1 DTS and AC3 Dolby Digital surround sound and 96/24 PCM stereo.
* Six additional orchestral recordings (five previously unreleased) mixed by Robin Black in 1974, now in 96/24 PCM stereo.

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22 Comments

22 thoughts on “Jethro Tull / “Warchild” 40th Anniversary Theatre Edition”

  1. Worth buying for Ian’s commentary on the DVD extra alone! Or is it the art critic Matthew Collings? Funniest thing I’ve heard all year — and if Anderson needs a new career, professional voice over work is the way to go.

    That video also enables you to play the age old Jethro Tull Parlour Game. Martin Barre: cold or drunk?

  2. Pingback: Deal / Jethro Tull: A Passion Play | superdeluxeedition

  3. Strangely my pre-order with Amazon.co.uk didn’t ship until today. I got an email saying the supplier had changed the release date – so they were shipping a day late.

    I feel aggrieved, while at the same time realizing I’m being completely stupid for feeling this way. LOL

  5. Arrived today. Superb in every respect. Sounds amazing and the booklet – or book really – is excellent. The ‘new’ stuff is well worth having, especially the orchestral pieces, and to finally hear Tomorrow Was Today in studio form.

  6. Nick i am with you with the recent Tull remasters and box sets, i must admit after “Warchild” like the recent Yes remasters will there be plenty more to follow, the way things are going right now, although it’s perhaps
    not a fan fave, would love to see “Broadsword and The Beast” get a similar
    package, let’s hope

  8. I like these reissues in this format. I have TAAB and A Passion Play, and wouldn’t mind them going on this way through Minstrel, Too Old, SFTW and Heavy Horses; I’d get them all.

  9. Thanks for the prompt Dean. I just preordered at that price which feels like a bargain.
    I’ve played the 5:1 mix on the Blu Ray disc in my Aqualung SDE and it sounded fine. I note the comments on here refer to the Quad mix and the 5:1 mix being defective. I’ll listen to the Quad mix tomorrow and check that. I only bought this set earlier this year when Amazon dropped the price to £70 so maybe this is a repressing?

  11. I’m in North America but I ordered my set from Amazon.uk. Is the video NTSC or PAL? Thanks in advance.
    I too would like to add my voice to the list of those disappointed with the Aqualung Box Set(Blu-ray) (DVD) discs to be precise. Yes it would be nice to have them replaced. I don’t play the 5:1 mixes. Makes me sick to listen to them.

  12. Not the greatest Tull album by any stretch, but since the box is going to feature a 5.1 mix of Rainbow Blues (perhaps my favourite Tull song ever)…

    Day one purchase.

  13. I have all the special Tull 40th anniversary editions and will no doubt pick this one up too. It’s not a classic album but it’s a steady one. I wasn’t aware of the issues with Aqualung BD (I don’t think I’ve played that disc to be honest) so I should check that out. Of the albums that have been remixed though only Aqualung had stood out as an improvement for me. Nothing bad about the new mixes of TAAB nor APP – I’m just not sure they were needed. I guess the same is true of Warchild.

  14. For some reason, i must have been a lucky one, in regards to the Jethro Tull’s Aqualung Box set i could not have been more happier, presentation,
    sound quality extras were superb, and even better i bought the super deluxe edition at a great price, must have got there at the right time, i must
    admit there can be at times some problems with some discs but Tull’s
    Aqualung is one of the best in a long time

  17. I would just say “ordered” because I know how much people like such posts, but the truth is I ordered this as soon as it appeared on Spin Cds newsletter. Based purely on how much I liked the Passion Play set. Bundling associated recordings with the original album in high res stereo and/or 5.1 is an excellent way to make it worth purchasing.

    Take note Pink Floyd!

    And, yes, I agree with previous posts re:Aqualung

  18. I wish they would reissue the 5.1 Aqualung in this format because the box was just too expensive, especially as the audio was doubled up on the DVD and Blu-ray and for many the vinyl was a useless addition.

    It would give them a chance to sort the audio glitches on the surround mix too.

    3. I bought the pricey $100 “Aqualung” CD/DVD/Bluray box, and I’m appalled that Chrysalis records never offered replacement Blu-ray discs for the set. Back then,EMI owned Chrysalis, but now Chrysalis is owned by Warner Music.

      The 5.1 mix played fine on my Blu-ray disc, but one of the two presentations of the quadraphonic mix was unplayable(after the first few seconds, only the left rear channel plays), and the presentation of the original 1971 stereo mix is marred(during the song “My God”) by a number of loud digital error noises and ticks. I’m aware that Warner Music isn’t to blame for the defective Blu-ray disc, but PLEASE WARNER MUSIC, please release a corrected, stand-alone Blu-ray audio disc that enables fans like me to “repair” our flawed “Aqualung” boxed sets. I never play the box, out of despair that is a defective product. The set had the potential to be really great, if not for this mastering and/or pressing defect.

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