>>If you are a real Jethro Tull fan, I think you will enjoy reading this as much I would have if I had found it when I first started listening to the band. I was 20 years old when I discovered Jethro Tull, but after a while I found myself getting a little tired of listening to the official Jethro Tull releases and almost forgot about Tull's wonderful music until I happened upon a non-official disc in a marketplace.
I didn't know exactly why, but I really enjoyed listening to it. At first, I thought It was an unique case but then I discovered web sites with extensive lists. I discovered the world of ROIOs in the year 2000 and that one unique live disc evolved into a list of over 300 audio CD shows and over 100 DVDs. I think I really like Jethro Tull…!

>>In spite of everything I don't consider my self a collector. I'm just a "listener" of their music, live music!. Live music means new versions, variations and improvisations. My favourite songs are old ones played nowaways. The force and energy of old songs still inspire him new versions and new different force to come new life. Since here: Thank you for his music and thank you for playing so many years!

There are some 'lost' songs from live shows that have only been played occasionally, for example, 'Teacher', 'Witches's Promise', 'We Used to Know' and 'Hymn 43' - this is the main reason for my humble site. I've made a link named "When did they play…?" in which one you can see when the old songs have been played over the last 15 years, in which bootleg they can be found and the quality of the sound. I consider these versions even better than the original ones - most of them with more flute. Ian's voice is not the same but still persists. Sound is the main problem and what I always look for is the best sound of every year and every tour.

TRADE AND SOUND

Of course, unofficial discs can not be sold because they have been recorded illegally and often with poor sound quality. It is said that Tull knows about bootlegging, but like many other groups, they accept it as long as we don't sell the items we collect. So, all the recordings you'll find in my lists are for trade and not for sale under any circumstances. In all my experience, I have only ever met one collector who wanted to 'sell his boots' !

The usual rules are trade on a swapping basis, so you should offer the same quantity of items in exchange for those that you receive. Sometimes a trade will include an extra or bonus CDs and occasionally they may offer a title for free. I've done that myself - a Tull fan is a Tullfriend! I very much appreciated this myself, when I first started trading.

And onto the sound quality. Ahem! sadly, for technical reasons the sound quality of early bootled material is usually poor. Many shows were recorded on tapes and then more recently transferred into CDs.

Nowaways, it is easy and inexpensive to make relatively high quality recordings. If you have seats in the first or second row of a show with a good tape recorder, you tape the show, you design a cover and offer the result to the trading world and send it off on it's new life around the world.

At first, it's difficult to know where to trade, but the best place I've found is the "Yahoo groups" (tulltrades, tullpassionplayers and so on). The trading rules above always apply.

My hobby has always been listening to music. So I have always searched for the best recorded show of every tour. Discs are usually rates like this...

"A+" (excellent, almost official),
"A" (excellent),
"A-" (excellent, but not as good as we liked),
"B+", (you can condiser to listen to it)
"B", (in my opinion on to keep them on your shelf)
"B-"(in my opinion on to keep them on your shelf)

It's often really difficult to rate the sound quality and "A" is not the same for all collectors. Sometimes you might trade for an "A" disc, but when you hear it you'd only rate it "A-", so you have to trade again until you find the best available. Luckily, in some countries they might broadcast a Jethro Tull show on Radio or TV and then you have excellent sound quality which you'll never find in a record shop.

Jethro Tull fans are a dying breed and the number of fans trading is fewer than ever. I have no idea how you found my site, but I do hope that you enjoy visiting it - if you do why not email me! The site represents my appreciation of Jethro Tull and is just for fun and is run in my free time. I'd be happy to exchange links with you if you wish. I've tried to not repeat what already exists and to add comments and details for CDs and DVDs where possible.

Hopefully you will find what you are looking for in my site. In the “Last ones” or "Last received" section you will find updates on the latest discs received. In the "Word list" you can see and print all lists in Microsoft Word, in "DVD cover" you'll see DVD covers ready to print and of course, in "Bootleg Lists" you'll find all the titles I have listed year by year.

Cheers.

JVS

>>back to top