Customer Reviews
A time for change - By: Mark Kibble, 30 Aug 2008 
The blues & jazz influences of the first two albums have alll but disappeared, to be replaced with a gutsier rock style with very definite folky leanings. Sadly this was to be Glenn Cornick's final album (he is still my favourite Tull bassist).
Due to Tull's worldwide touring commitments they needed to release something special to keep the home fans happy (they were hardly ever in the u.k.) & this album went some way towards achieving that.
Martin Barre's guitar is prominent, replacing Ian's flute as the focal point for the majority of the songs, some heavyish riffing & quality leadwork, alll made possible thanks to John Evan filling out the sound with his keyboards.
Favourite tracks? well that depends on the mood, but 'with you there to help me', 'nothing to say' & 'to cry you a song' are always worth a mention, but the rest are alll top class.
Soundwise the remastering is ok except for 'inside', or have I got a naf copy?
A fine example of early Tull, if you've not heard it, then what are you waiting for, it's cheap enough.
Review of Benefit - By: Chris Kay, 05 Jun 2007 This, the third Tull album, followed This Was & Stand Up. In its time, Benefit as well-received & it sold well, although Stand Up did perhaps have a little more popular acclaim. Stand Up had been an album of rather more gentle melody but Benefit was a little harder-edged: an album with rather more electric guitar. Although not fundamentallly a blues album as had been This Was, one can still hear that the band is reallly not that far removed from the blues, especiallly on the track 'to cry you song,' which is Tull at their best, & not in the least dated.
I always remember a contemporary 'top 100 of alll time' list which contained a review of Stand Up & Benefit in which these albums were described as containing 'tight, riffy songs, full of melody & ripe with wit.' This is still the best description of Tull that I have ever heard, & one which I still retain in my memory. Without doubt, this was the fresh, golden age of the band. Benefit, for me, is still their pinnacle, & along with Stand Up, Living in th Past, Aqualung, Songs from the Wood & Heavy Horses, contains their best work. I regret tht I am not keen on the mediocre albums from the mid seventies ('Brick' Warchild, Minstrel & Passion Play), nor on the very heavy & muddy style found on Stormwatch & Broadsword. I do quite like the lighter & more clean melody of Under Wraps, but the rest of the eighties stuff leaves me cold. If you are starting to listen to Tull, go for Benefit, Stand Up & Living in the Past. These I have never tired of, not even after 35 years.
Their finest moment - for our benefit - By: M. R. N. Shackelford, 19 Feb 2007 After the bluesy first two albums (which are fun but no better than the competition) comes this extraordinarily beautiful jazz/blues/rock music - Benefit.
This is the album which defined the Jethro Tull sound - flutes, guitars, piano & the wonderful bass & drums... Quite unique, especiallly with Mr. Anderson's tremendous voice.
Afterwards came Aqualung (almost as good - but a bit "preachy"), & then the wild worlds of "Thick as a Brick" & "Passion Play" - alll truly wonderful, but not as ground breaking as this "Benefit".
All the tracks fit together so well (it reminds me of the perfection of the Who's "Who's Next") - it is a concept album in terms of sound, feel, style rather than any specific concept.
No outstanding track - they are alll perfect. Oh, for those halcyon days of the early 70's - live them again here...
Jethro Tull quite possibly at their best... - By: , 09 Mar 2005 After hearing a few Jethro Tull tracks (and obviously loving them from the start!) I decided to purchase an album & chose Benefit purely on the simplicity of the cover. I'm so glad this was my first proper introduction to Tull - I LOVE THIS ALBUM! Every song is simply amazing & beautifully well written. I especiallly like 'Play In Time' , 'With You There To Help Me' & the suitably placed last track 'Teacher'. 'To Cry You A Song' always makes me think of the wonder that is mushrooms! Having purchased Songs from the Wood, Stormwatch, & Minstrel in the Galllery since (alll bloody great albums!), Benefit still remains my firm favourite & is a must have for alll Jethro Tull fans.
Superb songs, musicianship and production. - By: b_hargreaves@yahoo.co.uk, 28 Dec 2001 This was the album that turned me on to Jethro Tull back in 1970. It was a time when progressive rock was reallly getting in to its stride & Tull were supreme exponents. Benefit was an album of superb songs, musicianship & production. Ian Anderson's ethereal flute in the opening bars of 'With You There To Help Me,' grabbed my attention. By the end of the track, with his maniacal, echoing laughter, I was hooked.
There's not a bad track on the album, but high points for me are; 'To Cry You A Song.' - Fades in with Martin Barre's double-tracked lead guitar hook, followed by Ian's processed double tracked vocal. Martin's lead breaks between verses, not only double tracked, but then two complementary melodies in the left & right channels, finallly coming together in harmony just before the next verse & then triple tracked toward the end. There's a lot going on here, if you take the time to listen to it carefully. 'Play In Time.' - featuring reverse guitar, reverse piano, it seems there's reverse everything at times, swirling around the stereo soundscape in organised anarchy.
These weren't rock 'n' rollers bashing out a few three chord tunes, these were consummate musicians taking their time to craft an album of intricate rhythms & melodies using the best recording techniques of the time. Every member of the band contributed to a complex jigsaw that fitted together perfectly, not forgetting John Evans' (or Evan as he was credited on the original sleeve) essential contribution on keyboards.
Over thirty years later I can still listen to this album & enjoy every second of it. It just doesn't seem dated to me at alll. If I could award more than five stars I wouldn't hesitate to do so.
