Jethro Tull release Christmas song Pass The Bottle

Ian Anderson’s Jethro Tull have released their new track, Pass The Bottle (A Christmas Song).

It’s lifted from their forthcoming String Quartets album, a full-length of reworked classic tracks with the Carducci Quartet which launches next March. Listen to the song below.

Anderson said of the record: “A couple of years ago I came up with the idea of recording a dedicated string quartet album in a contemporary but classical setting, with brief appearances from myself.

“John came up with a few suggestions of his own which presented challenges. All had an intimacy and presence which I looked forward to recapturing in the cosy and very personal space of my office desk where I did the overdubs.”

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Longtime bandmate John O’Hara added: “There seemed little point in transcribing the band parts and distributing them to the players. I felt a responsibility to delve deeper and offer a new imagining of each piece.

“I also felt a responsibility to the Jethro Tull listeners who cherish this material, and may not welcome a radical rendition of a beloved song. My ambition was to create a thought-provoking album that remains true to Ian’s compositions.”

A PledgeMusic campaign has launched offering fans the chance to pre-order the album on signed CD and double-vinyl with pictorial printed art on the fourth side. Digital pre-ordering is also available via iTunes.

Jethro Tull: The String Quartets tracklist

1. In The Past (Living In The Past)
2. Sossity Waiting (Sossity: You’re a Woman / Reasons For Waiting)
3. Bungle (Bungle In The Jungle)
4. We Used To Bach (We Used To Know / Bach Prelude C Maj)
5. Farm, The Freeway (Farm On The Freeway)
6. Songs And Horses (Songs From The Wood / Heavy Horses)
7. Only The Giving (Wond’ring Aloud)
8. Loco (Locomotive Breath)
9. Pass The Bottle (A Christmas Song)
10. Velvet Green (Velvet Green)
11. Ring Out These Bells (Ring Out, Solstice Bells)
12. Aquafugue (Aqualung)

The Jethro Tull Quiz: how well do you know Aqualung?