Benefit (album)

{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2016}} {{Infobox album | name = Benefit | type = studio | artist = [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]] | cover = JethroTull-albums-benefit.jpg | alt = | released = 24 April 1970<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Jethro+Tull&titel=Benefit&cat=a|title=Jethro Tull albums|website=Dutchcharts.nl}}</ref> | recorded = 3 September 1969 – 25 February 1970 | studio = [[Morgan Studios]], London | genre = *[[Hard rock]] *[[folk rock]] | length = 42:00 | label = [[Chrysalis Records|Chrysalis]]/[[Island Records|Island]] (Europe)<br>[[Reprise Records|Reprise]] (America, Japan and Oceania) | producer = [[Ian Anderson]], [[Terry Ellis (record producer)|Terry Ellis]] (exec.) | prev_title = [[Stand Up (Jethro Tull album)|Stand Up]] | prev_year = 1969 | next_title = [[Aqualung (album)|Aqualung]] | next_year = 1971 | misc = {{Singles | name = Benefit | type = studio | single1 = Inside | single1date = 24 April 1970<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Jethro+Tull&titel=Inside&cat=s|title=Jethro Tull singles|website=Dutchcharts.nl}}</ref> }} }}

'''''Benefit''''' is the third studio album by the British [[Rock music|rock]] band [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]], released in April 1970. It was the first Tull album to include pianist and organist [[John Evan]] and the last to include bass guitarist [[Glenn Cornick]], who was fired from the band upon completion of touring for the album. It was recorded at [[Morgan Studios]], the same studio where the band recorded its previous album ''[[Stand Up (Jethro Tull album)|Stand Up]]''; however, they experimented with more advanced recording techniques.<ref name="jethrotull1">{{cite web |url=http://jethrotull.com/?portfolio=benefit |title=Jethro Tull - ''Benefit'' (May 1, 1970) |website=JethroTull.com |access-date=27 March 2016}}</ref>

Frontman [[Ian Anderson]] said that he considers ''Benefit'' to be a much darker album than ''Stand Up'', owing to the pressures of an extensive U.S. tour and frustration with the music business.<ref>{{cite web |last=Morton |first=Tom |author-link=Tom Morton |title=BBC Radio Scotland: Old Wild Men |url=http://www.tullpress.com/scot27aug01.htm |url-status=dead |publisher=Tull Press.com |date=27 August 2001 |access-date=12 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070102043131/http://www.tullpress.com/scot27aug01.htm |archive-date=2 January 2007}}</ref>

==Production== Guitarist [[Martin Barre]] noted that ''Benefit'' was much easier to create than the band's earlier albums, as the success of ''Stand Up'' gave the musicians greater artistic freedom.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/show_interview.php?id=116 |title=Forty Years Of Aqualung: An Interview With Jethro Tull's Martin Barre |last=Wright |first=Jeb |publisher=Classic Rock Revisited.com |access-date=27 March 2016}}</ref>

Bassist [[Glenn Cornick]] explained that the band aimed to capture a more "live" feel with the album, remarking, "I felt the last one sounded like a group of session musicians performing various songs. It was pretty cold."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Logan |first=Nick |author-link=Nick Logan |title=Jethro Go For Live Feel On Their Next Album |journal=[[NME|New Musical Express]] |url=http://www.tullpress.com/nme21feb70.htm |url-status=dead |date=21 February 1970 |access-date=27 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092321/http://www.tullpress.com/nme21feb70.htm |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> ''Benefit'' incorporated studio techniques such as reverse recording (flute and piano tracks on "With You There to Help Me"), and manipulating the tape speed (guitar on "Play in Time"). In a 1970 interview Anderson noted that the addition of keyboardist [[John Evan]] had changed the band's style: "John has added a new dimension musically and I can write more freely now. In fact anything is possible with him at the keyboard".<ref>{{cite magazine |title=A Tull Story |journal=[[Down Beat]] |date=25 June 1970 |url=http://www.tullpress.com/db25jun70.htm |access-date=27 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304062541/http://www.tullpress.com/db25jun70.htm |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Musical style== Ian Anderson said that ''Benefit'' was a "guitar [[riff]]" album, recorded at a time when the riff-oriented music of artists like [[Cream (band)|Cream]], [[Jimi Hendrix]] and [[Led Zeppelin]] was much in evidence. Anderson also noted that ''Benefit'' is "a rather dark and stark album and, although it has a few songs on it that are rather okay, I don't think it has the breadth, variety or detail that ''Stand Up'' has. But it was an evolution in terms of the band playing as 'a band.'" Overall, Anderson considered the album "a natural part of the group's evolution".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Scapelliti |first=Christopher |title=Tull Tales |url=http://www.tullpress.com/gwsept99.htm |url-status=dead |journal=[[Guitar World]] |date=September 1999 |access-date=28 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303193125/http://www.tullpress.com/gwsept99.htm |archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref>

According to Martin Barre "To Cry You a Song" was a response to [[Blind Faith]]'s "Had to Cry Today", "although you couldn't compare the two; nothing was stolen ... The riff crossed over the bar in a couple of places and Ian and I each played guitars on the backing tracks. It was more or less live in the studio with a couple of overdubs and a solo. Ian played my [[Gibson SG]] and I played a [[Les Paul (guitar)|Les Paul]] on it."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Rabey |first=Brian |title=Tull Tales |url=http://www.tullpress.com/gljun97.htm |url-status=dead |journal=Guitar Legends |issue=22 |date=May 1997 |access-date=28 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311065125/http://www.tullpress.com/gljun97.htm |archive-date=11 March 2012}}</ref>

==Releases== The UK and the US release are different. The US version (with flute) of "[[Teacher (Jethro Tull song)|Teacher]]" was placed on side two of the album, and the track "Alive and Well and Living In" was excluded. In the UK, "Teacher" was the [[B-side]] of the non-album single "[[The Witch's Promise]]", and was without a flute.<ref name="jethrotull1" />

In 2013, the Collector's Edition of ''Benefit'' was released. It contains bonus tracks mixed by [[Steven Wilson]], a disc with mono and stereo mixes of rare and previously unreleased versions of tracks and singles and an audio-only DVD that includes a surround sound mix of the original album. The Collector's Edition also includes a booklet featuring an 8,000-word essay written by Martin Webb, as well as interviews with band members and a selection of photos, some previously unseen.<ref>{{cite web |title=Steven Wilson remixes Jethro Tull's 'Benefit' |url=http://stevenwilsonhq.com/sw/sw-remixes-jethro-tulls-benefit/ |publisher=Steven Wilson Official Website |date=4 September 2013 |access-date=1 May 2015}}</ref>

For the 50th anniversary of the album, an enhanced edition was released in 2021, consisting of four CDs and two DVDs.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jethro Tull Benefit 50th anniversary|url=https://store.rhino.com/benefit-the-50th-anniversary-enhanced-edition.html}}</ref>

==Critical reception== {{Music ratings |rev1 = [[AllMusic]] |rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="AllMusic" >{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/benefit-mw0000190472 |title=Jethro Tull - Benefit review |last=Eder |first=Bruce |work=[[AllMusic]] |publisher=[[All Media Network]] |access-date=24 March 2016 }}</ref> |rev2 = ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|Christgau's Record Guide]]'' |rev2Score = B−<ref name="CG">{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]|publisher=[[Ticknor & Fields]]|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: J|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=J&bk=70|access-date=27 February 2019|via=robertchristgau.com}}</ref> | rev4 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]'' | rev4Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|year=2007|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|edition=4th|isbn=978-0195313734|title-link=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music}}</ref> |rev5 = ''[[Record Collector]]'' |rev5score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="collector">{{cite magazine |url=http://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/benefit |title=Jethro Tull - ''Benefit'' (1970/2013 Collector's Edition, mixed by Steven Wilson, 2CD+DVD/LP). |last=Rathbone |first=Oregano |magazine=[[Record Collector]] |date=December 2013 |access-date=28 March 2016 }}</ref> | rev3 = The Daily Vault | rev3Score = B+<ref name=vault>{{cite web |url= http://dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=3058 |title=The Daily Vault Music Reviews : Benefit |first=Benjamin |last=Ray |work=dailyvault.com |year=2019 |access-date=29 January 2019}}</ref> }} Critics were generally unimpressed with ''Benefit'' upon its release. ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' called the album "lame and dumb".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/benefit-19700806 |title= Jethro Tull - Benefit |last=Shadoian |first=Jack |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=6 August 1970 |access-date=28 March 2016 }}</ref> ''[[Disc (magazine)|Disc and Music Echo]]'' was also unimpressed but recognized the band's quality: "This album doesn't advance by such a drastic leap as ''Stand Up'' did from ''This Was''. It's more like the Jethro Tull we've seen and heard for the past year. It seems to be a remarkably long album, and shows what an exciting group this is. Exciting because they can have quite long guitar breaks and still retain a very tight and together sound".<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Jethro Leaps - But Not Quite So High: Jethro Tull - ''Benefit'' (1970) album review |journal=[[Disc (magazine)|Disc and Music Echo]] |date=18 April 1970 |url=http://www.tullpress.com/d18apr70.htm |access-date=28 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304044032/http://www.tullpress.com/d18apr70.htm |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''[[The Village Voice]]'' critic [[Robert Christgau]] appreciated the riffs around which all the songs were constructed, but wasn't impressed by the lyrics that he judged hard to recall.<ref name="CG"/>

===Legacy=== [[AllMusic]] and ''[[Record Collector]]'''s much-later reviews were more positive in accepting the album's style. Bruce Eder stated that: "Most of the songs on ''Benefit'' display pleasant, delectably folk-like melodies attached to downbeat, slightly gloomy, but dazzlingly complex lyrics, with Barre's guitar adding enough wattage to keep the hard rock listeners very interested. 'To Cry You a Song', 'Son', and 'For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me' all defined Tull's future sound: Barre's amp cranked up to ten (especially on 'Son'), coming in above Anderson's acoustic strumming, a few unexpected changes in tempo, and Anderson spouting lyrics filled with dense, seemingly profound imagery and statements."<ref name="AllMusic" /> ''Record Collector'' reviewer, analysing the Collector's Edition of 2013, praised the Steven Wilson remix and wrote: "''Benefit'' forms the perfect bridge between the rolling, tumbling Tull of old and the tightly braided riffs and prickly lyrics presented by ''[[Aqualung (Jethro Tull album)|Aqualung]]''."<ref name="collector" /> Paul Stump, in his ''History of Progressive Rock'', said that ''Benefit'' "maintained the invention (and sales) of its predecessor, once again teasing unexpected emotional reflexes from time-honoured voicings and rhythms to signpost something that, if not a wholly new kind of pop song, at least offered the listener new bearings in his or her search."<ref>{{cite book |last=Stump |first=Paul |title=The Music's All that Matters: A History of Progressive Rock |date=1997 |publisher=Quartet Books Limited |isbn=0-7043-8036-6 |page=51}}</ref>

==Track listing== ===1970 UK release=== {{track listing | headline = Side one | all_music = Ian Anderson | title1 = With You There to Help Me | length1 = 6:20 | title2 = Nothing to Say | length2 = 5:10 | title3 = Alive and Well and Living In | length3 = 2:47 | title4 = Son | length4 = 2:52 | title5 = For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me | length5 = 3:59 }} {{track listing | headline = Side two | title6 = To Cry You a Song | length6 = 6:09 | title7 = A Time for Everything? | length7 = 2:43 | title8 = Inside | length8 = 3:40 | title9 = Play in Time | length9 = 3:45 | title10 = Sossity; You're a Woman | length10 = 4:35 }} {{track listing | headline = 2001 CD bonus tracks | title11 = Singing All Day | length11 = 3:07 | title12 = [[The_Witch's Promise|Witch's Promise]] | length12 = 3:52 | title13 = Just Trying to Be | length13 = 1:37 | title14 = [[Teacher (Jethro Tull song)|Teacher]] | note14 = Labelled Original UK Mix, but actually US version{{fact|date=April 2024}} | length14 = 3:49 }}

===1970 US release=== {{track listing | headline = Side one | title1 = With You There to Help Me | length1 = 6:15 | title2 = Nothing to Say | length2 = 5:10 | title3 = Inside | length3 = 3:46 | title4 = Son | length4 = 2:48 | title5 = For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me | length5 = 3:47 }} {{track listing | headline = Side two | title6 = To Cry You a Song | length6 = 6:09 | title7 = A Time for Everything? | length7 = 2:42 | title8 = Teacher | length8 = 3:57 | title9 = Play in Time | length9 = 3:44 | title10 = Sossity; You're a Woman | length10 = 4:31 }}

===2013 A Collector's Edition (3 Discs)=== {{track listing | headline = CD 1: Steven Wilson stereo remix of the album and associated recordings | title1 = With You There to Help Me | length1 = 6:20 | title2 = Nothing to Say | length2 = 5:13 | title3 = Alive and Well and Living In | length3 = 2:48 | title4 = Son | length4 = 2:53 | title5 = For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me | length5 = 3:49 | title6 = To Cry You a Song | length6 = 6:16 | title7 = A Time for Everything? | length7 = 2:45 | title8 = Inside | length8 = 3:38 | title9 = Play in Time | length9 = 3:49 | title10 = Sossity; You're a Woman | length10 = 4:37 | title11 = Singing All Day | length11 = 3:07 | title12 = [[Sweet Dream (Jethro Tull song)|Sweet Dream]] | length12 = 4:03 | title13 = 17 | length13 = 6:20 | title14 = Teacher (UK Single Version) | note14 = | length14 = 4:58 | title15 = Teacher (US Album Version) | note15 = | length15 = 4:03 }} {{track listing | headline = CD 2: Associated Recordings 1969-1970 | title1 = Singing All Day | note1 = mono | length1 = 3:08 | title2 = Sweet Dream | note2 = mono | length2 = 4:04 | title3 = 17 | note3 = mono | length3 = 6:11 | title4 = Sweet Dream | note4 = stereo | length4 = 4:04 | title5 = 17 | note5 = stereo | length5 = 5:32 | title6 = Witch's Promise | note6 = mono | length6 = 4:01 | title7 = Teacher | note7 = U.K single version - mono | length7 = 4:51 | title8 = Teacher | note8 = U.S album version - mono | length8 = 4:00 | title9 = Witch's Promise | note9 = stereo | length9 = 3:51 | title10 = Teacher | note10 = U.K single version - stereo | length10 = 4:51 | title11 = Teacher | note11 = U.S album version - stereo | length11 = 4:00 | title12 = Inside | note12 = single edit - mono | length12 = 2:43 | title13 = Alive and Well and Living In | note13 = mono | length13 = 2:48 | title14 = A Time for Everything | note14 = mono | length14 = 2:46 | title15 = Reprise AM Radio Spot 1 | note15 = mono | length15 = 1:05 | title16 = Reprise FM Radio Spot 2 | note16 = stereo | length16 = 1:05 }} {{track listing | headline = DVD: Steven Wilson 5.1 surround remix of the album and associated recordings | title1 = With You There to Help Me | length1 = 6:20 | title2 = Nothing to Say | length2 = 5:13 | title3 = Alive and Well and Living In | length3 = 2:48 | title4 = Son | length4 = 2:53 | title5 = For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me | length5 = 3:49 | title6 = To Cry You a Song | length6 = 6:16 | title7 = A Time for Everything? | length7 = 2:45 | title8 = Inside | length8 = 3:38 | title9 = Play in Time | length9 = 3:49 | title10 = Sossity; You're a Woman | length10 = 4:37 | title11 = Singing All Day | length11 = 3:07 | title12 = Sweet Dream | length12 = 4:03 | title13 = 17 | length13 = 6:20 | title14 = Teacher (UK Single Version) | note14 = | length14 = 4:58 | title15 = Teacher (US Album Version) | note15 = | length15 = 4:03 }}

==Personnel== ;Jethro Tull * [[Ian Anderson]] – [[vocals]], [[acoustic guitar]], [[electric guitar]] (uncredited), [[flute]], [[balalaika]], [[Keyboard instrument|keyboards]], production * [[Martin Barre]] – electric guitar * [[Glenn Cornick]] – [[bass guitar]], [[Hammond organ]] (uncredited) * [[Clive Bunker]] – [[drums]], [[percussion]]

;Additional musicians * [[Dee Palmer]] – orchestral arrangements * [[John Evan]] – [[piano]], [[organ (music)|organ]]

;Production * Robin Black – engineer * [[Terry Ellis (record producer)|Terry Ellis]] – cover design, executive producer * Ruan O'Lochlainn – cover design, photography

==Charts== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |- ! Chart (1970–1971) ! Peak<br/>position |- ! scope="row"| Australian Albums ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}</ref> | align="center"| 12 |- {{Album chart|Canada|22|chartid=3832|artist=Jethro Tull|album= Benefit |rowheader=true|accessdate=June 20, 2024}} |- !scope="row"|Danish Albums ([[Hitlisten]]) <ref>{{cite web |url=http://danskehitlister.dk/?song_id=6290|title=Danish Albums Chart: Jethro Tull - Benefity |website=danskehitlister.dk |access-date=June 20, 2024}}</ref> |align="center"|6 |- {{Album chart|Netherlands|6|artist=Jethro Tull|album= Benefit |rowheader=true|accessdate=June 20, 2024}} |- ! scope="row"| Finnish Albums ([[The Official Finnish Charts]])<ref name=FINI>{{cite book|last=Pennanen|first=Timo|title=Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972|edition=1st|publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava|location=Helsinki|year=2006|isbn=978-951-1-21053-5| language= fi}}</ref> | align="center"| 7 |- {{Album chart|Germany|5|id=33940|artist=Jethro Tull|album= Benefit |rowheader=true|accessdate=June 20, 2024}} |- ! scope="row"|Italian Albums (''[[Musica e Dischi]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php|title=Classifiche|work=[[Musica e Dischi]]|language=it|access-date=June 20, 2024}} Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Jethro Tull".</ref> | align="center"| 18 |- {{Album chart|Norway|2|artist=Jethro Tull|album= Benefit |rowheader=true|accessdate=June 20, 2024}} |- {{Album chart|UK2|3|date=19700510|refname=UK albums|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 20, 2024}} |- {{Album chart|Billboard200|11|artist=Jethro Tull|refname=Billboard 200|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 20, 2024}} |}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |- ! Chart (2013) ! Peak<br/>position |- {{Album chart|Italy|97|artist=Jethro Tull|album= Benefit |rowheader=true|accessdate=June 20, 2024}} |}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |- ! Chart (2021) ! Peak<br/>position |- {{album chart|Hungary|32|artist=Jethro Tull|album=Benefit|year=2021|week=47|rowheader=true|access-date=June 20, 2024}} |- {{Album chart|Scotland|14|date=20211112|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 20, 2024}} |- {{Album chart|UK2|44|date=20211112|refname=UKA1|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 20, 2024}} |- {{album chart|UKProgressive|2|date=2021-12-31|rowheader=true|access-date=April 20, 2026}} |- {{Album chart|UKRock|2|date=20211112|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 20, 2024}} |}

== Certifications == {{Certification Table Top}} {{Certification Table Entry |region=United States |artist=Jethro Tull|title=Benefit |award=Gold|type=album |relyear=1970}} {{Certification Table Bottom |nosales=true}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/benefit-bonus-tracks-mr0001236157 Jethro Tull - ''Benefit'' (1970/2001 Version with Bonus Tracks) album review by Bruce Eder, credits & releases] at [[AllMusic.com]] * [https://www.discogs.com/Jethro-Tull-Benefit/release/1429440 Jethro Tull - ''Benefit'' (1970) album releases & credits] at [[Discogs|Discogs.com]] * [https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/6874/Jethro-Tull-Benefit/ Jethro Tull - ''Benefit'' (1970) album review by BludgeonySteve] at SputnikMusic.com * [https://play.spotify.com/album/1meW8yyx76RPZebO32VwrB Jethro Tull - ''Benefit'' (1970/2001 Remastered Version) album to be listened] as stream at [[Spotify|Play.Spotify.com]] * [https://play.spotify.com/album/4tlwBXtwyrHrVhc9pgP3B3 Jethro Tull - ''Benefit'' (1970/2013 Steven Wilson Remix & Remaster) album to be listened] as stream at [[Spotify|Play.Spotify.com]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benefit (Album)}} [[Category:Jethro Tull (band) albums]] [[Category:1970 albums]] [[Category:Chrysalis Records albums]] [[Category:Reprise Records albums]] [[Category:Albums produced by Ian Anderson]] [[Category:Albums recorded at Morgan Sound Studios]]