Aqualung Live by Jethro Tull

On this portal, Jethro Tull hold a prominent place with several in-depth features ranging from the classics to the most recent releases, starting with the Artist Profile "Rock, Folk, Blues and Anderson’s Magic Flute", a complete biographical profile that retraces the key stages of their career, analyzing the evolution of their sound from early blues to mature progressive folk, up to today’s productions.

Aqualung Live by Jethro Tull, released in September 2005 and recorded in 2004 for Sirius XM’s radio series “Then Again Live” in front of a small audience, reprises the entire 1971 album Aqualung in an intimate setting, almost as if it were a studio live.

At first, the album was given away during the 2005 US tour, but then the money earned was donated to charity to help the homeless. 

The band playing on Aqualung Live is very different from the one that recorded the original album in 1971. In more than thirty years, Jethro Tull changed line-ups several times, and the only two who play on both albums are Ian Anderson and Martin Barre.

On the 1971 record, there were Clive Bunker on drums, Jeffrey Hammond on bass and John Evan on keyboards. They were young, full of energy, with a spontaneous sound. Instead, in 2005, there were Doane Perry on drums (in the group since 1984), Jonathan Noyce on bass and Andrew Giddings on keyboards, the line-up that played with Anderson for much of the ’90s and early 2000s.

The result is a more mature performance and technically more polished, even if different in spirit. The biggest difference is Ian Anderson’s voice, which in 2005 was thinner and less powerful than when he was younger.

Listening to this 2005 version is a different experience from the ’71 masterpiece, but just as fascinating.  The band, made up of musicians who had been playing together for more than ten years, delivers a technically flawless and more refined performance.  

While the original record was full of creative tension, typical of a young band, this version has a more relaxed approach. Jonathan Noyce’s bass and Doane Perry’s drums bring a modern solidity, less wild than the ’70s, but super precise. Andrew Giddings on keyboards does a fantastic job recreating John Evan’s atmospheres, while adding new shades to the songs thanks to more modern instruments. Even if the tracklist follows the original, there are surprises. For example, Hymn 43 is completely reinvented in the first part with a folk touch, using mandolin and bodhran, then it bursts into classic rock halfway through. Locomotive Breath also has a longer introduction, becoming even more epic.

In November 2025 a remastered version was released, issued by InsideOut Music, and for the first time it’s also available on vinyl. This special edition (with the codes IOM761 from Inside Out Music and 19802962141 from Sony Music) is a 180-gram LP vinyl with a gatefold sleeve, and inside there’s also a 4-page booklet with notes written by Ian Anderson specifically for this 2025 release. 

Audio quality was improved thanks to a new remaster by Patrick Engels, who worked on the mix to make it more balanced than the original 2005 CD, highlighting acoustic instruments like flute and folk guitars without losing the bite of Martin Barre’s electric riffs.  And then, thanks to the clean sound, you can really feel the intimate atmosphere of the XM Studios, as if the band were playing in the living room at home.

These are the differences I noticed compared to the studio version:

In “Aqualung”, Martin Barre’s riff is even more powerful than the original, and Doane Perry’s drumming is incredibly precise, keeping a more relaxed tempo than Clive Bunker. This gives the track a more majestic, controlled feel.

In “Cross-Eyed Mary” Ian Anderson’s flute is center stage, with an engaging rhythm. Jonathan Noyce’s bass line is well defined and weaves perfectly with Andrew Giddings’ keyboards, creating a richer, more modern sound.

In “Cheap Day Return” there’s a truly delicate acoustic sound. Anderson’s contribution on acoustic guitar is perfect, and the 2025 remaster lets you hear the touch of fingers on the strings, as if we were at a private concert.

In “Mother Goose” you can hear the great chemistry among the musicians. Giddings’ keyboards add colors that recall medieval moods, while Barre has fun with acoustic phrases that make the track lively and cheerful.

“Wond’ring Aloud” is marked by an elegant, simple performance. Anderson’s voice, while having less range than in 1971, is used with great sensitivity, conveying a deeper melancholy.

In “Up To Me” the band plays brilliantly; the Noyce-Perry rhythm section gives an almost jazz-rock “groove” that the original lacked, making the piece more dynamic.

“My God” is the most theatrical moment. Andrew Giddings does a fantastic job on piano, worthily replacing John Evan but with a cleaner touch. Anderson’s central flute solo is a real show, proving how much his mastery of the instrument has grown over the years.

“Hymn 43” in the live version is a real surprise. It starts with an unexpected folk intro, with mandolin and percussion creating a truly distinctive atmosphere. The musicians outdid themselves here: they didn’t just play the song as we’ve always heard it, they reinterpreted it with an almost Celtic spirit, before bursting into a sweeping rock finale led by Barre.

“Slipstream” is an intense, energy-filled track. The remaster did a fantastic job, enhancing the reverb and the clean sound of the acoustic guitar and flute.

In “Locomotive Breath” the band shows all its power. Giddings’ piano and Barre’s riff build an imposing wall of sound, while Doane Perry keeps the beat with incredible energy, turning the song into a triumphant gallop that ideally closes the concert.

Wind-Up is a perfect blend of acoustic and electric, highlighting the band’s ability to move from hushed, delicate moments to explosive hard-rock peaks.  It’s a track that shows the cohesion of a group that, in 2005, had been playing together for over fifteen years, creating a very engaging atmosphere.

While Aqualung in its original version remains an absolute masterpiece and a crucial turning point for the band, among the works that defined the canons of progressive rock, the 2025 vinyl gives back the image of a band that, live, doesn’t imitate the past, but celebrates it with the wisdom of those who have lived those songs for thousands of nights on stage.  

A must for lovers like me of this immense band. Excellent!

My Version

Label: Inside Out Music – IOM761, Sony Music – 19802962141
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered
Country: Europe
Released: 21 Nov 2025

Tracklist

A1        Aqualung
A2        Cross-Eyed Mary
A3        Cheap Day Return
A4        Mother Goose
A5        Wond'ring Aloud
A6        Up To Me
B1        My God
B2        Hymn 43
B3        Slipstream
B4        Locomotive Breath
B5        Wind-Up

LineUp

Bass – Jonathan Noyce
Drums – Doane Perry
Electric guitar – Martin Barre
Flute, vocals, acoustic guitar – Ian Anderson
Piano, Organ, Keyboards – Andrew Giddings

Listening links on the main streaming platforms at the following links:

Spotify: The full album is available to stream on Spotify.

Apple Music: You can listen to the 2005 live version on Apple Music.

Amazon Music: Available both for streaming and for purchase in MP3 format on Amazon.it.

YouTube: Several tracks and playlists are available, including the 2025 remastered version on YouTube.

Bandcamp: You can listen to and buy the album, including the 2025 Remaster in high definition (24-bit HD), directly on Bandcamp (InsideOutMusic).

Qobuz: For hi-fi lovers, the Hi-Res version is available on Qobuz.

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