Jethro Tull: Ian Anderson (vocals, flute, clag horn, mouth organ, piano); Mick Abrahams (guitar, background vocals); Glenn Cornick (bass); Clive Bunker (drums).
Producers: Terry Ellis, Jethro Tull.
Reissue producers: Jo Brooks, Nigel Reeve.
Recorded at Sound Techniques Studio, London, England between June 13 and August 23, 1968. Includes liner notes by Ian Anderson.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
Jethro Tull's first album, THIS WAS, recorded and released in 1968, shows a band that is a far cry from their better-known incarnation as a prog rock outfit in the late 1970s. Instead, Tull come across here as a solid and talented blues band with elements of jazz, folk, and psychedelia thrown in. The band's sound was heavily influenced by guitarist, singer, and songwriter Mick Abrahams, whose bluesy singing and leads distinguish this disc in Tull's discography. Frontman Ian Anderson also shines with tunes like "Some Day the Sun Won't Shine for You" and the excellent cover of Rashaan Roland Kirk's "Serenade to a Cuckoo." A collector's edition, released in 2008, features a new stereo mix of the album and four early singles added as bonus tracks.
- Genre: Rock
- Format: Vinyl