Personnel: Ian Anderson (vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, flute, fife, tin whistle, keyboards); Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond (vocals, acoustic & electric basses); Martin Barre (electric guitar); Dave Pegg (mandolin, bass); John Evan (piano accordion, piano, Hammond B-3 organ, synthesizer); John Bundrick (piano, Hammond B-3 organ); David Palmer, Peter Vettese (keyboards); Matthew Pegg (bass); Doane Perry, Barriemore Barlow, Gerry Conway (drums).

Includes liner notes by Ian Anderson.

Personnel: Ian Anderson (vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, flute, fife, tin whistle, keyboards); Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond (vocals, upright bass); Martin Barre (electric guitar); Dave Pegg (mandolin); John Evan (piano, synthesizer); John "Rabbit" Bundrick (piano); David Palmer , Peter-John Vettese (keyboards); Gerry Conway, Barriemore Barlow, Doane Perry (snare drum).

Liner Note Author: Ian Anderson .

Recording information: Chateau D'Isaster, France (1973).

This double CD is a true gift to hardcore fans, offering previously unseen glimpses of Jethro Tull when the group was at its absolute peak. Anyone else, however, may find the album rough going, for while the group was never tighter or more productive, the material isn't even second-rate. Essentially, Nightcap is Jethro Tull's version of the Beatles' Anthology releases. The first disc consists of tracks that the band started to record during 1973 -- the best parts of this material ended up being rewritten and incorporated into what became A Passion Play. These outtakes are pretty at times, but also unformed and distinctly unfinished -- Anderson takes a gorgeous classical guitar solo on "First Post," but then the song drifts off, and "Tiger Toon" is an early version of the principal theme from "A Passion Play," not altered too much except in tempo. "Critique Oblique" offers material that made up the louder, later sections of "A Passion Play," with some impressive playing from Martin Barre on lead guitar and John Evan on organ -- except that it goes nowhere for nine minutes; "Post Last" is an early version of the "Passion Play" finale. The 1974 outtakes and rare tracks that comprise the second disc are less problematic because they are less fragmentary. "Piece of Cake" is one of the best pieces of straight-ahead rock & roll that the band ever cut, so solid and straightforward that but for the presence of the flute it might not even sound like Jethro Tull. "Crew Nights," "The Curse," and "Hard Rider" aren't far behind, and there are other fine tracks here, more than compensating for the aimless noodling and pointless profundity that rear their heads elsewhere. And "Broadford Bazzar" is about the prettiest folk-style tune Anderson and company ever came up with. [British import.] ~ Bruce Eder

In 1973, Ian Anderson and his Jethro Tull bandmates retired to a Parisian chateau to work on material for a new album. Though the band managed to record hours of material, the project was ultimately abandoned, leaving the music, known in Jethro Tull lore as the "Chateau D'isaster Tapes" to sit unreleased. Two decades later, at the behest of the group's rabid fans, Ian Anderson finally released Chateau D'isaster's 13 most complete tracks, coupling them with a handful of rare and unreleased career-spanning cuts on the double-disc NIGHTCAP.

The primarily instrumental Chateau D'isaster Tapes are largely what one would expect from Jethro Tull material of this vintage, with a few pleasant surprises. Anderson's proclivity toward writing songs about wildlife is given full flower on "Look at the Animals," a track in which the power-flautist casts an ant as the protagonist in a hostile world of crows, cats, and kangaroos. Another highlight is the somewhat anomalous "Left Right," in which the swarming, electrified gurgling, cooing, and laughing of infants gives way to an anthemic guitar workout. The unreleased cuts on the set's second disc are uniformly strong, with highlights including the technically indomitable "Paradise Steakhouse" and "Crew Nights."