Tull turns J.S. Bach’s Bouree in E Minor into a minor hit in Europe.
Kronomyth 2.1: The critic falling over to tell himself he’s bouree-ing.
Although credited to Ian Anderson, Bourée is an adaptation of J.S. Bach’s Bourée in E Minor. Anderson, ripping the “f” from his shirt, replaces the lute with flute and gives it a jazzy treatment. It’s a cute idea, and stands as the only Jethro Tull instrumental I can recall that was released as a single. The single featured different B sides depending on the country of origin, and it appears to have been released first in the Netherlands.
In my opinion, “A New Day Yesterday” and “Nothing Is Easy” are the logical singles from Stand Up, and the fact that both songs lead off their respective sides suggests someone else felt the same. Instead, like so many second albums, Stand Up didn’t have a proper single. It’s still a very good album, as the various B sides (Fat Man, Reasons for Waiting, Look Into the Sun) attest.
Original 7-inch single version
A1. Bourée (Ian Anderson) (3:43)
B1. Fat Man (Ian Anderson) (2:47)
Original 7-inch single version (Italy)
A1. Bouree (Ian Anderson) (3:40)
B1. Reasons for Waiting (Ian Anderson) (4:00)
Original 7-inch single version (Netherlands)
A1. Bouree (Ian Anderson)
B1. Look into the Sun (Ian Anderson)
Back-to-back hits 7-inch single version (1970)
A1. Bourée (Ian Anderson) (3:37)
B1. Living in the Past (Ian Anderson) (3:13)
Back-to-back hits 7-inch single version
A1. Locomotive Breath (Ian Anderson) (4:22)
B1. Bouree (Ian Anderson) (3:43)
The Plastic
Released on 7-inch single on October 13, 1969 in the Netherlands (Island, 388 859 UF), in 1969 in Belgium and France (Island, WIP 6068) and Italy (Island, SIR-IL 20-107) and in 1970 in Germany (Island, 6014 013) and Japan (Reprise, JET-1939) with regional picture sleeve.
- Re-released with “Living in the Past” on back-to-back hits 7-inch single in 1970 in Italy (Island, 6014 029) with picture sleeve.
- Re-released with “Locomotive Breath” on back-to-back hits 7-inch single (Chrysalis, 103 012) with picture sleeve.