Jethro Tull played its first show at the Marquee Club London on February 2, 1968. It was the first step of an epic musical journey as Jethro Tull rose to become one of the world’s most successful and influential progressive rock bands. Today, the group – led by founder Ian Anderson – is still on the road, electrifying audiences with a world tour commemorating its 50th anniversary.

To help Jethro Tull celebrate this historic achievement, Parlophone will release a career-spanning three-disc set that features 50 songs – chosen by Anderson – from all 21 of the band’s studio albums. 50 For 50 will be released on May 25th.

50th Anniversary Hits is a single-disc compilation that spotlights essential tracks from the three-disc set. It will be available on the same day.50th Anniversary Hits will also be released on vinyl on August 31st.

50 For 50 provides a sweeping overview of Jethro Tull’s rich and diverse catalog, which includes 11 gold and five platinum records. Arranged chronologically, the three-disc set highlights the band’s continuous musical evolution with blues-influenced early tracks (“Beggar’s Farm” and “A New Day Yesterday”); heavy rockers (“Aqualung” and “Locomotive Breath”); prog classics (“Skating Away” and “Critique Oblique”); and folk tunes (“Songs From The Wood” and “Heavy Horses.”)

The compilation also features “Steel Monkey,” “Farm On The Freeway,” and “Budapest” – three songs from the band’s Grammy-winning 1987 album Crest Of A Knave. The collection ends with “A Christmas Song” and “Ring Out Solstice Bells” – a pair of tracks that originally appeared on The Jethro Tull Christmas Album (2003).

The Jethro Tull 50th Anniversary Tour is currently underway, with concerts scheduled in Europe and North America. The U.S. shows will begin on May 30th in Phoenix, AZ and end on September 12th in Wallinford, CT.

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