"The Essential"
Greatest hits album by Jethro Tull
Released	24 March 2003 (UK March 31, 2003 (U.S.)
Genre	Progressive rock hard rock
Length	43:41
Label	Chrysalis
Producer	Ian Anderson Terry Ellis
Jethro Tull chronology
Living with the Past (2002) "The Essential" (2003) The Jethro Tull Christmas Album (2003)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[1]

The Essential (2003) is a greatest hits album by Jethro Tull, digitally remastered. The songs included and their order are the same as Tull's first greatest hits album, M.U. – The Best of Jethro Tull. It is not to be confused with the similarly named Jethro Tull compilation "Essential", released in 2011.

Track listing

1. "Teacher" – 4:07
2. "Aqualung" – 6:34
3. "Thick as a Brick (Edit No.1)" – 3:01
4. "Bungle in the Jungle" – 3:34
5. "Locomotive Breath" – 4:23
6. "Fat Man" – 2:50
7. "Living in the Past" – 3:18
8. "A Passion Play Edit #8" – 3:28
9. "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day" – 4:02
10. "Rainbow Blues" – 3:37
11. "Nothing Is Easy" – 4:23

Personnel

• Ian Anderson – flute, vocals, saxophone, acoustic guitar (all tracks)
• Martin Barre – electric guitar (all tracks)
• Glenn Cornick – bass (tracks 1, 7, 11)
• Clive Bunker – drums (tracks 1, 2, 5 – 7, 11)
• John Evan – Hammond organ, piano, synthesizers (tracks 1 – 5, 8 – 10 )
• Jeffrey Hammond – bass (tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10)
• Barriemore Barlow – drums, percussion, glockenspiel (tracks 3, 4, 8 – 10)
• David Palmer – orchestration, orchestra conducting