Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson shared a charming unboxing video of sorts in which he previews a new illustrated history of the band, The Ballad of Jethro Tull.
The clip finds rock’s most famous flautist enthusiastically admiring the tome — “Hot off the presses,” he exclaims, shaking his hand as if the book just burned him. Anderson also flips through the book, happening upon a photo of him and the British dance troupe Pan’s People without all their clothes on (“Goodness me, what’s all that about!”), as well as a poster from one of Tull’s earliest gigs at the Marquee Club in London. “Hope you enjoy it as much as I do,” Anderson says at the end. “Whoopee, at last!”
The Ballad of Jethro Tull was written by Mark Blake and features contributions from past and present members of Jethro Tull. While a “signature edition” of the book is sold out, the classic version is still available to pre-order and will start shipping in Europe in mid-November.
Jethro Tull spent much of last year on the road celebrating their 50th anniversary with a massive tour that stretched into 2019. In October, they celebrated the 40th anniversary of their 1979 album Stormwatch with a reissue featuring unreleased songs, a recording of a 1980 concert and a new remix of the original album.