M.U. The Best Of Jethro Tull (Spirit of '76) (Half Speed Master)
Jethro Tull
LPA
- Teacher (Alternative Mix)
- Aqualung (Alternative Mix)
- Thick As A Brick Edit #1
- Bungle In The Jungle
- Locomotive Breath (Alternative Mix)
LPB
- Fat Man
- Living In The Past
- A Passion Play Edit #8
- Skating Away (On The Thin Ice Of The New Day)
- Rainbow Blues
- Nothing Is Easy
M.U. – The Best of Jethro Tull was the band’s first “greatest hits” album, originally issued in 1976. Featuring recordings made between 1969 and 1975, it’s now reissued on vinyl to celebrate the album’s 50th Anniversary as part of the “Spirit of ‘76” campaign, celebrating the best music released that year. Featuring “Teacher”, “Aqualung”, “Locomotive Breath” and “Living In The Past”, it also includes the non-album song “Rainbow Blues”. This special edition has been cut as a half-speed by Miles Showell at Abbey Road; the source master and cutting lathe run at half-speed, allowing for greater precision and sonically a better high-frequency response. The album has subsequently been certified gold in the UK and platinum in the United States.
Fifty years ago, as the nation marked its Bicentennial, a legendary soundtrack was hitting turntables across the country. Now, as America prepares to celebrate its Semiquincentennial, Rhino announces its Spirit of ’76 summer vinyl reissue campaign.
Launching July 17, the campaign will roll out in weekly waves available exclusively at Rhino and through select independent retailers. The 23-album lineup spans the 1976 musical landscape, bringing together everything from Bootsy Collins and Black Sabbath to ZZ Top and Linda Ronstadt.
The campaign touches on studio albums like Bad Company’s Run with the Pack and Chicago’s X, alongside essential hits collections from Jethro Tull and the Monkees. The list also highlights multiple concert recordings, including the Grateful Dead’s Steal Your Face (50th Anniversary Edition), the double albums Live at the Roxy, 1976 by the Ramones and Blow Your Face Out by The J. Geils Band, as well as Yes’s 3LP Live at Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, NJ (6/17/76).
The Spirit of ’76 also features releases from the Rhino Reserve premium vinyl series, including Todd Rundgren’s Faithful, Gordon Lightfoot’s Summertime Dream, and Faces’ Snakes and Ladders / The Best of Faces. These versions are cut from the original analog masters by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Fidelity Record Pressing in Oxnard, California.
Spirit of ’76
Album Release Schedule
July 17
Al Stewart – Year of the Cat (Rhino Reserve)
Bad Company – Run with the Pack
Black Sabbath – Technical Ecstasy
Bootsy Collins – Stretchin’ Out in Bootsy’s Rubber Band (Rhino Reserve)
Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen – We’ve Got A Live One Here! (2LP)
Faces – Snakes and Ladders / The Best of Faces (Rhino Reserve)
Flamin’ Groovies – Shake Some Action (50th Anniversary Edition) (2LP)
Ramones – Ramones
Yes – Live at Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, NJ (6/17/76) (3LP)
July 24
Chicago – X
Gordon Lightfoot – Summertime Dream (Rhino Reserve)
Grateful Dead – Steal Your Face (50th Anniversary Edition)
Kingfish – Kingfish
Linda Ronstadt – Hasten Down the Wind
Rod Stewart – A Night on the Town (Rhino Reserve)
The J. Geils Band – Blow Your Face Out (2LP)
The Monkees – Greatest Hits
Todd Rundgren – Faithful (Rhino Reserve)
July 31
Jethro Tull – M.U. – The Best Of Jethro Tull
John Prine – Prime Prine (Rhino Reserve)
Ramones – Live at the Roxy, 1976 (2LP)
War – Greatest Hits
ZZ Top – World Wide Texas Tour
