ike many rock bands that initially emerged from the free-flowing nether-reaches of the 1960s, Jethro Tull had a decision to make upon entering the 1980s—namely, stick with their signature sound, or embrace the emerging technology of the new decade? Tull mastermind Ian Anderson chose the latter, initially going all-in on the electronic-tinged aural front with August 1980’s . While was certainly an eclectic and challenging jumping-off point, its follow-up, April 1982’s was a much better marriage of classic neo-Tull with the more modernized electro-Tull. Two new 40th anniversary box set offerings for—a 5CD/3DVD smorgasbord subtitled the , and a relatively extensive companion 4LP collection—tell the album’s expanded sonic-swashbuckling tale quite well in their respective ways.
