The Long Play with Al Neff" is a continuing Sunday evening Feature on The
GOAT. This year, Every Sunday Evening, Album Rock WXYG, The GOAT will
feature a full album at 8:00 PM from the halcyon musical days of 1972.
1972 was another amazing year in Album Rock history. Another year of tough
choices every week. So many great ones to choose from.
We hope you’ll tune in next Sunday evening, June 26, 2022 at 8:00 PM for
Jethro Tull’s “Living In The Past”.
Living in the Past is a double album quasi-compilation collection by
Jethro Tull, which contains album tracks, out-takes, the "Life Is a Long
Song" EP, and all of their non-LP singles except for "Sunshine Day"/"Aeroplane"
(1968), "One for John Gee" (b-side of "A Song for Jeffrey", 1968), "17"
(b-side of "Sweet Dream", 1969) and the original version of "Teacher" that
appeared in the UK as the b-side of "The Witch's Promise" in 1969 (the
re-recorded 1970 take that was released on the American version of Benefit
was included instead). Also included are two live recordings taken from a
performance at New York City's Carnegie Hall in November 1970.
The
album was named after the single released in May 1969 and was released in
an elaborate gate-fold packaging that contained a large color photo
booklet with over 50 photos of the band.
Two songs, "By Kind Permission Of" and "Dharma for One", were recorded
live at Carnegie Hall in New York City, United States. The former would be
extended to include "With You There To Help Me" and would be included in
complete form, along with "Dharma For One", on the separate LP release
Live At Carnegie Hall 1970.
"Love Story", "Christmas Song", "Living in the Past", "Driving Song",
"Sweet Dream" and "The Witch's Promise", some of which had only appeared
on mono versions before, were given new stereo remixes for inclusion on
the album. Additionally, "A Song for Jeffrey" and "Teacher" were also
remixed. Many of the tracks only appeared as British releases before being
compiled on Living in the Past for the first time in the American market.
Spurred on by radio airplay of the single, "Living in the Past", US rock
fans who bought the album were treated to three years of UK hits.
In the United States, Living in the Past was the first Jethro Tull album
to appear on the Chrysalis Records label; while each of the band's
previous albums were marked as "a Chrysalis Production", the albums were
released by Warner Bros. Records' Reprise Records subsidiary. Early U.S.
editions of Living in the Past bore both a Chrysalis catalogue number (2CH
1035) and a Reprise catalogue number (2TS 2106), suggesting that the album
was scheduled to appear on Reprise Records but that Chrysalis gained
control of the band's USA releases in late 1972.
AllMusic review the collection positively, stating that: "Not only was Ian
Anderson writing solid songs every time out, but the group's rhythm
section was about the best in progressive rock's pop division. Along with
any of the group's first five albums, this collection is seminal and
essential to any Tull collection, and the only compilation by the group
that is a must-own disc."
The album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 charts and went gold not
long after its release. The title track from the album became Tull's first
top-40 hit in the United States, reaching No. 11, a full three years after
it performed well in Britain. In UK, the album reached No. 13. In
Norwegian charts, the album hit No. 5.
The US vinyl version has "Hymn 43" in place of "Locomotive Breath" and
omits "Inside" in favor of "Alive and Well and Living in", previously
unreleased in the US. Additionally, "Witch's Promise" and "Teacher"
swapped places.
Tune In and Turn On next Sunday Evening, June 26th, and every Sunday
evening at 8:00 PM for The GOAT'S "The Long Play with Al Neff.”
Don’t forget, right after the “Long Play”, we do a “Replay” of this week’s
GOAT GUEST DJ SHOW.
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