THE WHO

A QUICK ONE (1966)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Boris The Spider, So Sad About Us, Whiskey Man. LOW POINTS: See My Way, Don't Look Away.

The Who's sophomore effort is definitely an anomaly in their catalog for reasons you undoubtedly know - the record company basically forced all four members of the band to contribute songs to the album, despite the fact Pete Townshend was the only real songwriter in the band at the time. Predictably, this resulted in a rather noticeable falloff from the debut, especially since even Townshend's numbers, for the most part, aren't really up to his usual quality. But still, it could have been a lot worse - the end result is actually a somewhat diverse and rather interesting album, as all the Who members take a different approach to their material. Plus, there's also a very revolutionary aspect to this effort which I'll get to later. So yeah, while this is perhaps the weakest album the band would put out in the Keith Moon era, and very few of the songs rank up there with the best of the classics, there's quite a bit to like about the album.

Of course, there's also a bad side to this in that Roger Daltrey's tune here, "See My Way", ranks right down there with the absolute worst of The Who output, as it boasts one of the most idiotic melodies I've heard in awhile, plus really weak harmonies. Oh well, at least it's mercifully short, and it's more than compensated by the first two songs John Entwistle ever wrote for the band, both of them dealing with dark humour, and both also highlighting things. The most famous, of course, is the long enduring stage favorite "Boris The Spider", a very catchy bass-driven ditty about the poor creature which comes to a sticky end. Very memorable and amusing, especially with the little 'spider' voice he uses in the chorus. His other composition, "Whiskey Man", is also somewhat good, especially since the lyrics about mental patients are so over the top engaging, and I also really love the horn solo in the middle of the song.

Keith Moon's songs, while nothing really that great, are at least somewhat interesting. "I Need You" is a nice pop tune featuring a sample of talking Beatles (George and Ringo), marred only a bit by overly loud drums in the chorus, and "Cobwebs And Strange" is really bizarre, almost carnivalesque, as its' neat atmosphere is achieved by the band members walking by the mike playing different instruments (orchestral cymbals, pennywhistle, trombone, horn). There's also a short cover of "Heatwave", which is excitingly played, but badly produced, and it's little more than a nice piece of filler. And finally, that leaves the four contributions of Pete Townshend, one of which probably ranks as one of the most non-descript songs he ever wrote - the countryish "Don't Look Away" is highly unmemorable, but that doesn't really matter, since it's dull while it's on anyway. Bleh.

Thankfully, the other three Townshend songs are just fine. The R&B influenced "Run, Run, Run" is perhaps the most aggressive and entertaining of the bunch, making it a very good choice for the album opener, and "So Sad About Us" is a gorgeous pop song, with great chiming guitars and awesome 'la la la la la la la...' harmonies. And finally, the closing 9 minute epic "A Quick One While He's Away" is highly influential in the development of rock opera (a predecessor to Tommy, no doubt). While it's extremely awkward compared to the monster it would become onstage - here, the performance is a bit lifeless, the harmonies are strained, and the flow between parts is iffy - the musical substance of it remains the same, even if the execution isn't that good. In a way, it symbolizes the album as a whole - it's nice to listen to, with very little in the way of weak points, but there's also very little in the way of material that really takes my breath away and makes me want to listen again, so a low 7 seems most accurate for this one.

OVERALL RATING: 7

This one's kind of weird. You see, the record company advanced money to each member of the band to write songs, even though Pete Townshend was obviously the only person writing songs. As a result, 6 of these 10 tracks are not Townshend compositions. Roger wrote "See My Way", which really sucks. Bad, out of tune harmonies, lame lyrics, and a dumb melody run it straight into the ground. Oh well, at least it's short. Keith wrote 2 (so he says) - the ok-ish rocker "I Need You" (with really loud drums, but not much of an interesting melody) and the freaky as hell "Cobwebs And Strange", which isn't a rock song at all - it's a bunch of weird instruments bashing and playing out of tune, giving the song a neat atmosphere, even if the song isn't that spectacular. Although the song was credited to Moon, Entwistle claims to have written the entire thing (except for Moon's solo), so I don't really know.

What I do know is that the two songs John was credited with rule. The first is the bass heavy, quirky "Boris The Spider", which features an amazingly groovy, heavy bass line and dark lyrics about killing spiders. The other is the not quite as good "Whiskey Man", which is about an insane man who talks to his imaginary friend until he's institutionalized. The melody is only pretty good, but the hilarious lyrics put it over the top. The other non-Townshend composition is a short cover of "Heat Wave", which is decent, but nothing special.

That leaves the 4 Townshend numbers. The first, the opening rocker "Run Run Run", is superb. The melody is kind of generic, but it's so catchy, fast, and exciting that it's hard not to like it. The second, the country-ish "Don't Look Away", is a throwaway. It has a couple of nice moments, but it never really gets going. The third is the decent rocker "So Sad About Us", which is fast and catchy with some decent harmony vocals, but it still isn't anything too great. The album closer, "A Quick One While He's Away", was made famous as a great stage number, so it's interesting to see how the song got its start. It's good - not as good as stage versions, but still quite good. It seems to be a little lacking in energy, and a few of the harmonies don't work, but all six parts of the song are catchy, and the last part, where everyone keeps chanting 'You Are Forgiven', is beautiful (though not as hypnotic as it would be on stage). The song manages to remain interesting for all 9 minutes.

The CD edition comes with 10 bonus tracks, which are nice, but not really essential. The first 5 are a UK-only ep called Ready, Steady, Who!, which consists of 2 goofy surf songs, a cover of the Batman theme song, a lame Entwistle number called "Doctor, Doctor", and the awesome Townshend original "Disguises", which should have been on the original instead of, say, "So Sad About Us". There are a couple more OK Entwistle songs, an Everly brothers cover, an acoustic "Happy Jack" (it's pretty hard to mess up that song at all, and this version is no exception), and a medley of "My Generation" and "Land Of Hope And Glory", which is basically a novelty, but it's a cute one. All in all, this album is kind of fun, but the lack of truly excellent material keeps it from getting my full recommendation. If you really get into the Who, pick this one up eventually, but albums like The Who Sell Out and Live At Leeds would be a better place to get started.

(A few months later) - OK, this one grew on me a little, enough to pull that rating up by one point from the original 6 to a 7. I can't believe I actually dissed "So Sad About Us", which, featuring some awesome harmonies and loud guitar, is actually my second favorite tune here now (next to the title track, of course). "See My Way" isn't that bad, either. The unusual beats finally got to me. "Boris" actually grew off me a bit, as it's started to strike me as a bit novelty-ish. Still, there's lots of fun stuff to be found here, and you'll probably like it at least a little bit. I've grown to like it quite a bit. I don't quite agree with my sister, who claims that it's one of the greatest albums ever made, but nice, regardless.

OVERALL RATING: 7

THE WHO SELL OUT (1967)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Tattoo, I Can See For Miles, Armenia City In The Sky, Our Love Was, Mary Ann With The Shaky Hand. LOW POINTS: Sunrise.

On their third album, The Who attempted a rather curious concept - radio advertisements and jingles are placed in between the songs to really give the impression of the band 'selling out'. They are undoubtedly a little dated, but mostly charming and fairly essential to the flow of the album, with the exception of that ridiculous minute long band-performed segments on baked beans and Medac cream, which are about the only places where the 'commercials' annoy me. For some reason, though, whatever concept the album had going for it breaks down somewhere around the second half, and the songs don't really have a strong theme as they would on their later 'rock operas' Tommy and Quadrophenia. But that doesn't matter, though, since the actual melodies here are awesome. In fact, that only means this is definitely their peak as a pop band.

The material goes far beyond just 'pop', though - like the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper opus released the same year, the material is impressively varied, and a remarkable progression from the early days of the band. Its' starting point is the hard rocking excellent backward psychedelia of "Armenia City In The Sky", where Roger Daltrey takes on a really bizarre, almost hilarious vocal tone, and the chorus melody is just incredibly majestic ('aaaaaaaarrrrrrrmenia.... city in the skyyyyyyy') - I love it. "Mary Ann With The Shaky Hand" is another really really good gem that reminds me of a more subtle version of rival masturbation anthem "Pictures Of Lily", as the lyrics are definitely not as obvious. The hook is very, very catchy, and I love the 'shaking' vocals at the end of it.

After a short little advertisement for some deoderant called "Odorono" (great repeating guitar line, and it's a real infectious tune), my personal highlight comes in "Tattoo", which is one of the prime examples you want to go to for just how great a songwriter Pete Townshend is. It has a gorgeous, flowing guitar line and an exceptionally catchy melody to go along with some of the most clever youth inspired lyrics he'd ever write. A pure delicate pop masterpiece. And then there's an awesome transition from the short jingle 'Radio London reminds you to go to the church of your choice...' to another great, great ballad in "Our Love Was", which has an extremely moving majesty to the guitar line and melody.

But Townshend ballads, as great as they may be, don't exactly define The Who - the side closing "I Can See For Miles" anthem really defines what they're all about. It's simply a phenomenal showcase of the band's trademarks, with the instrumentation at its' most hard hitting and energetic (coming through even in this subpar production), and the vocal melody is complex, but extremely catchy. Then there's that stunning chorus, a perfect ending to a really really awesome stretch of music. But perhaps it's a bit too awesome, as the second half pales quite a lot in comparison. Don't get me wrong - all the songs are very good to decent, but "I Can't Reach You" and "Relax", despite what cool features they may have (a fantastic piano part in the former's chorus and a cool organ in the latter's acid rocking state) are really pretty ordinary.

The ballad on this half, "Sunrise", is really overrated in my mind - it has a beautiful and passionate tone, but there's not too much that striking about it in the melody, and it always passes me by. John Entwistle's novelty tune "Silas Stingy" is a very enjoyable song at the core, but the melody is so naggingly repetitive and catchy that I can see how it would grate on people. And the closing war march "Rael" may have a really great guitar part in its' second half that was reused in "Sparks" on the next album, but the war march portion at the beginning is only decent. No matter, though, as this album overall is an essential Who release that flows a lot better than people give it credit for, filled with all the strengths of their pop era, with only a comparatively weaker (though still good) second half keeping it from a 9.5 or 10.

OVERALL RATING: 9

An unreal improvement on A Quick One. The former was quite cute and fun, but nothing was really excellent. This album is also cute and fun, but the material almost always rules! The album is packed with fake commercials and such, so many people think it's a concept album - let me tell you, this isn't a concept album - outside of the goofy commercials, this album is no different than A Quick One (except, of course, that the songs are much better). Also, this album has a couple of experiments (backwards guitars on "Armenia, City In The Sky", psychedelic tracks, and so on). But basically, at heart, this is a simple pop album.

But WHAT a pop album! Nearly every song is great! The opener, "Armenia, City In The Sky", has a great, catchy hook and psychedelic vibe. "Odorono", though it's a fake commercial, has a really catchy guitar line and humorous lyrics. The gentle "Mary Ann With The Shaky Hand" is a soothing, catchy song about hand jobs. The last track on here, the mini-opera "Rael", features the famous guitar line that would later become "Sparks" on Tommy. While it can wear a little bit there, it sure doesn't here, with catchy lyrics on top of it and interesting flourishes. I'm sorry if I've used the word 'Catchy' too many times, but dang it, that's the only way to describe this! the unquestionable best track, however, was the semi-hit "I Can See For Miles", which has a great double guitar attack, creepy mood, and unbelievably good vocal melodies. It's hard to believe that this is the same band that put out some of the lame harmonies of A Quick One learned to harmonize this well - there is no way I can describe how great that song is. It may be my favorite Who song. Who knows, though? They did a bunch of great songs.

This album doesn't get a 10, however, beacuse a couple of songs, while still very good, aren't great enough to push this album over the edge. Particularly, "Relax" and "Silas Stingy" let the album down a little bit - both are good, but they don't really sustain the heat. This is still a great record, though. Oh, and the bonus tracks on this record are great (and plentiful). My favorites are an electric, superior take of "Mary Ann With The Shaky Hand", a freaky cover of "Hall Of The Mountain King", Daltrey's surprisingly great "Early Morning, Cold Taxi" (boy, he's come a long way from "See My Way"), and the plane crash ditty "Glow Girl" that was reworked into Tommy. My favorite, though, is "Melancholia", which is really dark and depressing, but still amazingly, well... CATCHY! A highly recommended recording.

OVERALL RATING: 9

COMMENTS

[email protected] (Joe H)

a little overated, high 7 or low 8. The commercials really bug the hell out of me. Also, how could you call "I can see for miles" a minor hit? It hit the top 10! it cant be semi!

[several months later:]

Forget what I said, this is at least a high 8, probably even a nine. It's the closest the Who ever got to the Kinks, and it's the most straight foward pop the 'Oo ever made.

Man if it wasnt for Tommy id definatly give this a 10. These songs are fuckin' amazing! From the gorgeous balladry of "Tattoo", "Our Love Was" (God DAMN what a great song), "I Cant Reach You", and "Sunrise" to awesome psychadelic stuff like "I Can See For Miles", "Armania City In The Sky" and "Rael", this album just blows me away. Definatly one of my favorites. Even "Odorono" (with that really great guitar line) and "Medac" (with hilarious lyrics 'bout acne), both novelty songs are awesome too! Best damn novelty songs ive ever heard. I've always found "Heinz Baked Beans" amazingly hilarious too, no one mentions it! Definate 9. Ohh, and out of the bonus tracks "Rael 2", "Glittering Girl" and "Someones Coming" are outstanding songs, the rest you can take or leave though.

TOMMY (1969)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Go To The Mirror!, Overture, We're Not Gonna Take It, Pinball Wizard, Amazing Journey, Christmas, I'm Free. LOW POINTS: Underture, Welcome, and most of the short fillers.

The Who's first attempt at a rock opera is one of the most notorious albums ever made, as it's either revered as a God-like musical achievement or a load of pretentious garbage with way too much filler and a really, really dumb story. If that's allowed, I stand somewhere in the middle here. I'm not that crazy about what goes on in the plot - the idea of a deaf, blind and dumb pinball wizard who can only see through the mirror shut off from the rest of society is not my idea of deep philosophical genius. And there's a lot of filler here, from obviously space filling instrumentals and interlude tracks that move the plot forward but just come off as short, corny and insubstantial drivel ("Tommy Can You Hear Me?", "Miracle Cure", "Fiddle About", "Tommy's Holiday Camp").

However, there are several melodies and riffs on this album that rule mercilessly in their overall simple but extremely effective ways, and when they are used in the proper conceptual context, they can create a powerful effect to the point where they really sound timeless. This is immediately shown in the opening "Overture", which basically contains many of the most mindblowing melodies on the entire album in instrumental form, and it's possibly the most seamlessly flowing collection of its' kind I can think of, with a great energetic and uplifting sound. The point where it suddenly makes the transition into the "It's A Boy" portion where Tommy is born is also a really gorgeous moment, too, and really gets the album off to a great start.

Side one is a very fulfilling trip as a whole, though. Although the lyrics of "1921" that chronicle when Tommy goes deaf, dumb and blind are really cryptic, it's fully compensated for the fact that the music and melody here is simply gorgeous. The latter half of the "Amazing Journey/ Sparks" suite may not be all that good, as it's pretty much background music that chases its' tail for awhile on repetitive guitar parts, but the "Amazing Journey" part just rules - the song really takes you on that same thrilling trip Tommy goes through in his mind within the exciting melody and arrangement, with crashing drum work in the background. The blues cover "Eyesight To The Blind" also fits into the concept a lot better than you'd expect, and then there's "Christmas", which is really notable for the really weird and hilarious harmonies as much as it is for the first appearance of the gripping 'See Me Feel Me' melody, which you all probably know.

However, it's in the next few tracks where I start to have a few problems. John Entwistle's "Cousin Kevin" (about Tommy's relative who harasses him) has a good melody but obnoxiously annoying vocals, and while I definitely wouldn't say "The Acid Queen" sucks, it's just a normal rock song with not too much noteworthy or really memorable about it. And then there's the 10 minute instrumental "Underture", which is the major point of controversy here, and for good reason - it nearly kills the entire flow of the album by repeating the guitar parts that were already explored in "Sparks" over and over again, and it's such an annoying filler of space. Then there's a couple dumb interlude tracks (one of them dealing with a sick character called Uncle Ernie in "Fiddle About")...

But then, thankfully, we hit one of the most amazing tracks here in "Pinball Wizard", without a doubt one of the most convincing rockers in their catalog. Not only is the acoustic and electric guitar work seamless, the bass playing in the verses phenomenal, and the chorus a pure anthemic bliss, but it's just amazingly full-sounding production wise, far more so than anything they did up to this point. It's really hard to believe this song was a quickly written number just to add the 'pinball' aspect to the story - a key turning point to the concept for sure. And even better is "Go To The Mirror!" (my favorite track here), which boasts the most uplifting and awesome vocal melody on the whole dang album, a simply fantastic riff, appropriately dramatic lyrics for this point in the story, and another perfectly appropriate appearance of 'See Me, Feel Me' again. Simply awesome.

Then we get another really grating chant "Tommy Can You Hear Me?" (another dumb short filler) before Tommy finally regains sight when his mother tries to "Smash The Mirror" and then it's 'extra extra, read all about it... pinball wizard in a "Miracle Cure"'. And afterwards we get the highly entertaining "Sally Simpson", a song centered around Tommy's little cult, and musically and melodically, it boasts an awesome good time feel different from anything else on the album. And when "I'm Free" comes around, the listener has again been sent to 'where is Pete finding these riffs from?' paradise. Man, I love the guitar part in this one a lot. And not to mention the vocal melody is awesome!

Finally, coming down the last 12 minute stretch of the album is the second worst tune here, a melodyless bore called "Welcome", which was quickly dropped from the band's live performances of the album for a reason - nothing really happens here at all. And after another dumb interlude (sung by Keith Moon called "Tommy's Holiday Camp") comes the closer "We're Not Gonna Take It" where Tommy slips back into his former state after his cult turns on him. While that might make little sense, at least the vocal melodies here are breathtaking (especially the chants of the title, the slower version of 'see me feel me' and the really cathartic ending 'listening to you... I get the music' to end the album). Basically, this is an extremely exhausting listen that I'm rarely able to sit all the way through because of the annoying filler, but the sheer greatness of Tommy's many highlights, plus its' revolutionary aspect, ensures that it is an essential, if flawed and inconsistent, rock opera.

OVERALL RATING: 8.5

In my opinion, this is really underrated by some people (calling it pretentious and overbearing and boring) and overrated by others (calling it the best album ever, brilliant, revolutionary, etc.). My opinion falls somewhere in the middle - while this isn't the absolute best album the Who ever did, it's still a very good one. First, I'll discuss the problems. The biggest one is probably "Underture", which takes a decent theme on the guitar and proceeds to pound you with it for over 10 minutes. Sure, the theme is really good (it was "Rael" from Sell Out), but 10 minutes is too much. Plus, it was already pounded out earlier on in the album (in "Sparks"). A few of the tunes, like "Welcome" and "Eyesight To The Blind", are decent, but nothing more - certainly not great. Finally, the plot about a deaf, dumb, and blind pinball wizard who becomes Jesus or something like that, is kinda dumb. I'd enjoy a few of the tunes, like "Go To The Mirror!" a little bit more if they were freed of that subject matter.

The rest of this album is almost completely great, however. The opening "Overture" does what it intends to, flashing some of the best musical moments of the album at you - it rules! The hit "Pinball Wizard" has one hell of a great acoustic guitar line and a catchy bridge. "Go To The Mirror!" features an unbelievably good verse melody and concludes with the famous beyond famous "Listening To You/I Get The Music" lyrics. "Christmas" is a catchy little ditty that introduces the also famous beyond famous "See me, feel me, touch me, heal me" lyrics. I could go on and on - this stuff is great! The best part, though, has to be the concluding "We're Not Gonna Take It", which has an excellent melody before turning into "See Me Feel Me" again before the final amazing chanting of the "Listening To You" part. That musical theme may just be the best one in the Who catalogue - it sounded better live for sure, but it's still harrowingly beautiful. I wish I could give this album a higher rating, but the filler really prevents me from doing so. Still a recommendation, though - this is one of the most important recordings of the sixties, possibly ever. Just remember, it's ok to skip "Underture".

OVERALL RATING: 8

[email protected] (Yuriy Mamed-Zade)

COMMENTS

TOMMY is an incredible album that has been severely under-rated by some of your reviewers. TOMMY has a deep and profound storyline, the fact that he plays pinball has little to noe bearing to the meaning of the album. The album is about how people took advantage of poor Tommy, like when he was raped by his uncle and tortured by his cousin, and how Tommy could only absorb this abuse. Most people think that Tommy is completely blind and deaf, when in all reality he could see and hear the whole time, it was just that he could not respond to anything. TOMMY is brilliant because almost every song on the album is brilliant. With few exceptions, the whole album is brilliant. Even the Underture, which many people do not like because of the length, is a brilliant song. Originally, the Underture was supposed to represent one of Tommy's dreams. The album is overall brilliant. If no one noticed, Tommy is actually supposed to be a Jesus figure who, in the end, invites all his followers to abandon their lives and run away with him. It is a much more deep and profound album than most people give it credit.

LIVE AT LEEDS (1970)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Young Man Blues, A Quick One While He's Away, Tattoo, Amazing Journey/Sparks, Summertime Blues, Substitute, Happy Jack. LOW POINTS: None.

I originally listened to what is regarded as the greatest live rock album ever made in its' original 6 song form on vinyl and gave it a 9 (which is saying a whole hell of a lot about that version's quality considering I normally don't care too much for live efforts). Since then, though, I've picked up the expanded double length reissue (I could never figure out why they didn't release it in this form in the first place) with no crackling noises, expanded liner notes, and a stunning performance all around. Since I wrote this review originally, it's actually been expanded again to include the full performance of Tommy the band played that night, and maybe I'll pick it up someday. But then again, maybe not, since I'm already more than content with what's here - this is, by far, the greatest live album I've ever heard (not that I'm much on live efforts, but this is one is damn near perfect).

This particular show amptly demonstrates in significant enough proof the band's talents as a first rate pop band, enjoyably indulgent and overblown rock opera creators, masters of tackling R&B covers, and most importantly, they were probably the most amazing (not to mention one of the loudest and most explosive) live band ever. As phenomenal as the original was, it could hardly capture all these sides so effectively in all its' glory as the reissue, and it becomes a completely different album. And personally, I also think this is their quintessential effort for these reasons. I can really see Leeds as the missing link between their early years and the bombast of Who's Next a year later in the growing power of Roger Daltrey's vocals. No synth loops or "Goin' Mobile" yet, though.

The opener, appropriately enough, is a John Entwistle number called "Heaven And Hell" that was actually written to be played on stage, and it really works in this setting - his exceptional bass playing to go along with the power riffing and thunderous drums is truly a spectacle. "I Can't Explain" is performed a little unenergetically for my liking here, but even so, it still actually has a better sound than the original pop classic. Then the cover version "Fortune Teller" works on a slow, pummeling groove, which really works in building up to the faster-paced ending. And the way that ending flows into the beautiful captivating chords of "Tattoo" is genius, and I really love how one of their more delicate pop masterpieces gets a louder treatment here. Maybe not an improvement on the studio version or anything, but still very impressive sounding

The opener on the original record, "Young Man Blues", is, simply put, the most deafening song here. The pauses between verses give Roger Daltrey an opportunity for show stopping vocal work, the Keith Moon kit bashing is loud as hell, and the blazing soloing and riffing is just as powerful a force as Led Zeppelin's debut a year earlier, which is the only comparison I can make here. Even a triptych of short pop classics ("Substitute", "Happy Jack", "I'm A Boy") get the same kind of power treatment, and as a result, they're far more convincing than the poorly produced and strained studio originals, particularly "Happy Jack", with its' thunderous lead drums.

The obligatory 'rock opera' representative (besides the Tommy songs, anyway) comes in "A Quick One While He's Away", which the studio version simply has nothing on. The six part twisted tale of love, lust, forgiveness and Ivor the Engine Driver is done with a heck of a lot more force and vocal power than before, particularly the ending 'you are forgiven....' portion, which is about a hundred times more glorious and anthemic than ever before, plus the flow between parts and characterizations are just so much better. And the actual Tommy 'song' present on this version I far prefer to the original as well - "Amazing Journey/Sparks" just has so much more conviction and power on stage, complete with that massive drum explosion, than it ever had before.

The last four tracks on the reissue were also the final four on the original version, and they include a hard-hitting and youthful riff rocking R&B classic "Summertime Blues", highlighted by pure energy and a funny 'boss voice' from Entwistle, and another phenomenal groove-dominated cover "Shakin' All Over", on which Daltrey absolutely steals the show in the chorus with his moans of 'shaaakin all ooooover'. Then there's the real expansion of the smash "My Generation" (still arguably their best known song after all these years), which after Entwistle's bass solo goes into a really really long Townshend-led jam during its' almost 15 minute length, as he reprises the "See Me Feel Me" and "Sparks" themes (this one isn't inviting in itself, per se, but the energy and volume is so great here it doesn't matter) from Tommy, and also leads the band with a couple explosive rehearsal riffs and false endings before it finally ends.

The show closes with an overblown epic rendition of the previously short hit single "Magic Bus", in which Townshend and Daltrey battle for the rights to the 'magic bus' while Entwistle is locked in a mesmerizing, repetitive bass groove and Moon is clomping away on blocks. The song then explodes into a riff-heavy fury of jamming and provides a euphoric ending to close the album, which, in all, has to be considered an absolute essential for any rock collection, even for those who aren't into the idea of live albums at all (like myself) on account of its' sheer power and the fact that the band reinvents many of these songs into totally different animals on stage (especially the covers and the pop-oriented tunes). Now it's not quite the greatest album ever made, as it is a live effort and I wouldn't put it on the same plane as, for instance, Revolver or Physical Graffiti, but it is an absolute classic, and most likely the best live album ever - probably the only one I'd actually feel compelled to listen to again without forcing myself to.

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

Generally considered to be the best live album ever, it's hard not to go along with that assessment. The Who were famous for being a better live band than studio band, and considering how good their studio albums can be, well, these guys rule all over the place live. I've never heard the original 6 song release (well, I have, but it's buried in my expanded version), but I would probably give that a low 8 - the songs all rock, but there weren't enough of them (only 6) and one of them, "Magic Bus", is probably the worst on the album. The album still rocked, but it wasn't really deserving of its amazing reputation. To put it lightly, that is NOT a problem here. The best songs, in fact, weren't unearthed until the new release came out!

The dark opener, "Heaven And Hell", is one of the heaviest songs in the Who catalogue. It was never recorded in the studio well enough for it to be released as an album track or A-side to a single, but live, it's one of the Who's best songs ever. It has dark lyrics about death and the afterlife with a killer riff and even more killer Townshend solo. It boggles my mind that it wasn't on the original - it may be the best song here! It's followed by "I Can't Explain", which isn't the best version, but it still rules. It's hard to ruin "I Can't Explain". Then comes the decent cover of "Fortune Teller", which segues into "Tattoo", which rules. It has lots of neat arpeggios and such, plus funny lyrics! I like it as least as much as the original on Sell Out. "Young Man Blues" was on the original release, and though it doesn't make as good an opener as "Heaven And Hell", it still rocks. It's a choppy blues song with lots of great solos and riffs. Then comes a trio of old singles - "Substitute", "I'm A Boy", and "Happy Jack", all of which are great. They're all quite a bit heavier than the originals, and are at least as good (which says a lot, since all of the originals are classics).

The next track, however, is my personal favorite on the album - an AMAZING rendition of "A Quick One While He's Away". I first heard this song in the movie Rushmore, so I picked up the soundtrack (which is really good, by the way). I liked the song enough to seek out the source, so I picked up this album. And let me tell you, this may be the greatest track the Who ever did. every part rocks hard with 50 times the energy of the decent studio version. The conclusion in particular strikes me as perfect - the harmony voices chanting 'You Are Forgiven' over and over again. It rules in ways that I can't even describe with words. Oh god, it rules! Even if the rest of the album sucked, it would be worth it just for that song.

The rest of the album doesn't suck, however. You get a powerful rock version of the previously gentle "Amazing Journey"/"Sparks" suite from Tommy, which blows the original away. If "Underture" on Tommy had rocked like this, I would have boosted the rating quite a bit. Then you get 2 rockin' covers in "Summertime Blues" and "Shakin' All Over", which rock like the originals never could. John's deep vocals in "Summertime Blues" are a partiular highlight. The 15 minute "My Generation" suite starts off like the original, but quickly turns into a marathon, incorporating snippets of "Listening To You", "Naked Eye", and a lot of other hard rock riffs that seem to come out of nowhere. The album ends with a 9 minute "Magic Bus", which actually starts out kind of slow. It would probably come across better on stage. It does end in some awesome jamming, though. Basically, if you're into hard rock at all, this is an essential purchase. This album sounds as vital, energetic, and hard as it did 30 years ago.

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

[email protected] (John Gaudino)

COMMENTS

I agree wholeheartedly with the reviews. Easily the best live album ever made.

Leeds is definitly a ten. I used to think Ya-Ya's was the best live album ever, now I'm leaning towards this one. The problem is, imo, the length. I actually think My Generation and Magic Bus are the two worst songs on the album, the last five minutes of My Generation, while ok, are pretty much not needed. Maybe I just get tired after their first twelve songs, then I have to sit through the longest song on here? Well anyway, that's minor. By the way, the reason that the original was a six song album was because back then the tapes that recorded them had to many errors to correct and only modern technology could do it. That's what I have read at least.

WHO'S NEXT (1971)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Won't Get Fooled Again, Baba O' Riley, Behind Blue Eyes, Song Is Over, Bargain. LOW POINTS: Gettin' In Tune.

The Who's long awaited follow up to the huge rock opera Tommy was meant to be yet another double length effort (not to mention a huge overblown film that would tie in with concert footage) in Lifehouse, but when plans for that album's release were shelved, the band decided to collect an albums worth of the best of what other songs they had, and Who's Next was the result. At this point, Pete Townshend decided to integrate synthesizers into the band's sound as a way to give the songs a little more depth without ever obscuring the intense performances of the remaining band members. There are also quite a few bombastic moments on here, too, no doubt helped by the big arrangement and Roger Daltrey's growing vocal power (which is damn near at its' peak), and plus some of this stuff was left over from the concept.

The impact of the synths and bombast appears immediately in the classic opening anthem "Baba O' Riley", which combines one of the best and most distinctive simple riffs in rock history with a mesmerizing synth loop that runs throughout most of the song and 'teenage wasteland' lyrics for a mindblowing, glorious anthem that only this band could pull off so well. And the way it changes near the end to some sort of weird synth/violin jig with drum backing somehow works perfectly. The next song, "Bargain", answers back as a full-throttle melodic rocker that really shows how much Roger Daltrey's yells had advanced by that point to go along with simply amazing, energetic drumming. The relaxing and subdued synths during the acoustic breaks and the quiet bridge sung by Pete is another awesome touch for the song, too - it's great.

"Love Ain't For Keeping" is normally regarded as a way too short acoustic tune, and while there definitely is some truth to that, how can I complain about how laid back and nice it is in the vocals, melody, and upfront sound while it's on? The John Enwistle contribution "My Wife" used to annoy me a little, but I'm not sure what I was thinking (probably the vocal tone he uses here was a turnoff, maybe) - it's really a great, highly complex, driving riff-rocker, with the attractive features being paranoid lyrics about his fear over how his wife might kill him, plus the neat uptempo horns in the middle. The song most influenced by Lifehouse, the epic ballad "Song Is Over", is yet another controversial number. Yes, the music and subject matter may be overblown, but I don't care, especially when it's structured so beautifully, from the gorgeous piano-laden nature in the verses to the powerfully majestic chorus, and utilizing multiple melodies and the synths during its' quieter, more reflective buildups - and don't forget that gorgeous piano line during the fadeout.

Unfortunately, the album stumbles a bit on its' next two tracks, as "Gettin' In Tune" tries to follow in the same ballad style as "Song Is Over", but the lyrics are way overdramatic ('I'm singing this note cause it fits in well with the chords I'm playing...'), nearly obscuring a great verse melody, and the chorus hardly fits in with the rest of the song, choosing instead to move in a more grating and repetitive direction. Good bass playing, though. "Goin' Mobile" isn't much better - it's a nice, engaging (although slightly generic sounding) folky song about mobile homes and the like but the overall feel of the melody and lyrics is just a little too corny for my tastes, even if it is nice to have a funny song coming after two really serious ones.

The introspective emotional ballad "Behind Blue Eyes" more than makes up for these minor weak points, though, with amazing passion coming through in the vocals and gutwrenching lyrics ('no one knows what it's like, to be the bad man, to be the sad man, behind blue eyes...'), and it's especially enjoyable when it gets harder, exhibiting Daltrey's vocal range. One case where Pete Townshend's introspectiveness definitely doesn't get in the way of the rest of the band's ass-kicking power. Though for real ass-kicking power, there's no better place to turn to here than the notoriously epic-length (8-1/2 minutes) anthem "Won't Get Fooled Again", which is just a showstopper in many, many ways. Is there any better bookend combination than this and "Baba O' Riley" on another album? I honestly can't think of any...

There are a lot of aspects here that make this closer so great. The mysterious-sounding synth loop at the beginning (just as distinct as "Baba O' Riley") gels together with a great hard hitting crunch, anti-establishment riffs and perhaps the most powerful vocalist of the early 70's to sing behind it all. Plus, the vocal melodies are exceptional on this song (the chorus in particular has phenomenal rumbling bass work behind it). A couple guitar solos and dramatically building, hard-hitting drums lead the tune into its' crowning moment - an ear-splitting Daltrey yell, that counts as one of the greatest screams on a rock record. It's placed right before the song's end, capping a fantastic effort that isn't quite perfect due to its' two weaker tracks, but it's still a near-classic in showcasing the defining Who style of the 70's, which would hit its' peak on the next album.

OVERALL RATING: 9.5

This is considered the finest work of The Who by most classic rock buffs, and it's certainly hard to deny the worth of this album. Some of its nine tracks are easily among the best tracks to ever come out of rock and roll. The opener, "Baba O'Riley" (which you probably know as "Teenage Wasteland" takes a complex synth background and adds a simple melody on top with powerful, heartfelt vocals by Roger (who by now was probably the best singer in rock) before the song turns itself inside out into a violin solo. "Bargain" (which you probably know as "The Best I Ever Had") rocks hard. The main melody is tops, and there are some really pretty parts in the middle with some gentle synths and Pete's soothing voice.

Entwistle's contribution, "My Wife", is one of his best - the main verse melody is complicated as hell and irresistibly catchy. The funny lyrics about John's wife trying to kill him are the icing on the cake. "Getting In Tune", despite some corny lyrics, has a beautiful melody with some really great bass work by Entwistle in the background. "Behind Blue Eyes" starts out as a beautiful acoustic ballad before turning into a menacing hard rocker. Both parts are equally effective and segue seemlessly. The album closer, "Won't Get Fooled Again", has some of the best vocals of any rock track ever (Roger really lets loose - those screams are really powerful) along with great bass work, great guitar, and great drums. It lasts for 9 minutes and I wouldn't want it a minute shorter. Of course, you already know the song, so you know what I'm talking about.

The rest of the material, though still good, isn't nearly as great as the 6 songs I mentioned above and drag the album down to a good, solid 9 (which is nothing to scoff at). "Love Ain't For Keeping" is cute, but not really memorable and powerful, and at 2 minutes, it just screams "filler". The long ballad "Song Is Over" is kinda pretty, but not nearly as nice as the similar "Getting In Tune". It is good, but seems a little too long. "Goin' Mobile", which was a semi hit, is catchy enough, but it seems kind of dumb - as those shouts of "beep beep!" and such put it really out of place on this album. Still, it's hard to hurt the album too much, and it's still highly recommended.

The new release comes with a bunch of bonus tracks, which aren't as good as the actual album material, but are still nice. My favorite is the R&B cover of "Baby Don't You Do It", which is a really driving, riff-driven crunch machine. "Water" isn't anything to scoff at either, though this 6 minute version isn't as good as the 9 minute one on Isle Of Wight. These tracks just make an already smart buy even smarter.

OVERALL RATING: 9

(John Sieber's review)

Damnit, I love "Baba O'Riley". There, I'm done. I give this album an overall-

What? Oh yeah, the rest of the album.

Love it. Love it. Driving music, drinking music, famous music, making-out music. Obvious peaks are, of course, the opening track (as previously mentioned), "Song Is Over" (which, incidentally, not only do I agree with the other two fellows reviewing this album, I just might love the tune even more than them - Great piano work meets big Broadway arranging and a super-duper coda. How can anyone NOT love this one?), "Behind Blue Eyes" (I didn't even know it was a Who tune until about a year or so ago. I was a jaded child.), and "Won't Get Fooled Again", the loooooooong version. "Gettin' in Tune" and "Love Ain't for Keeping" are good songs, solid, and on another album could be the highlights, but they seem suffocated with the surrounding music. But they do deserve their 15 minutes, I suppose. I think the beginning of "Gettin' in Tune" is pretty lame, both the piano part and inane lyrics, but its picks up from there, thank Christ. Especially the way the coda goes crazy, damn a good tune we gots here. "Love Ain't For Keeping" is also good in it's own way, a great song to chill with a few brews in the cooler listening to. "My Wife" would be a great song for a country artist to cover. But not Garth Brooks. I love the brass chords in this tune, too - they are cheesy and thats why they appeal to me!

But the songs only make part of the reason I love this song, especially when there are tunes like "Goin' Mobile" that I just don't like. The band plays superbly, also, but that's only a little chunk. Do you know why I love this album? Three words: ROGER DALTREY'S VOICE. Soaring, tender, corny, growling, but always in good taste and, in every way, he fills the role of "rock vocalist" absoluterly PERFECTLY on this album. Don't get me wrong, I am one of those uppity folk that loves Jon Anderson's voice, but his function in Yes is not Daltrey's in the Who. And If we were to switch the two, both bands would sound like utter shit. But Rog fits perfectly where he is, guiding us through this album vocally (except for "My Wife", of course. I can't remember who actually sings that one but it ain't Roger), and I could ask for no more powerful a voice, from his chanting of "Teenage Wasteland" to his "YEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!" capping off "Won't Get Fooled Again". Same as the old boss, my ass! I command you - Love this album!

OVERALL RATING: 9

[email protected] (John Gaudino)

COMMENTS

This one is a bit overrated, but still great. The opener is a classic, same with "Won't Get Fooled Again" and the other two songs that get a lot of radio play from this record. My favorite track is probably "My Wife" (I love that melody) and Keith's drumming is amazing. The cons of this album are few, but still worth mentioning. The production on this album is way overblown (for a record that is just 9 relatively unrelated songs) also the playing sounds somewhat stale and noticably less inspired than the previous two studio records. Also, this is unrelated to the music itself, but you have to love that cover art. Overall I give this one an 8.

At least a nine, if you count the bonus tracks it's a definite 10. By the way, what's woith John Gaudino (above) saying the production is weak? It's the best you can find on a Who record. Moon never sounded this good on a studio record.

QUADROPHENIA (1973)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: The Punk And The Godfather, Quadrophenia, Love Reign O'er Me, 5:15, Doctor Jimmy, The Real Me, Bell Boy, The Dirty Jobs, I've Had Enough. LOW POINTS: None.

After Who's Next, Pete Townshend made a second attempt to overshadow Tommy in rock opera form, and apparently, he learned a few lessons since that album. Basically, the story deals with a young nod named Jimmy that has four distinct personalities, and any of them could come out at a given time (hence the album title). And in an interesting twist, each one of these personalities actually represents the individual members of The Who, and they are each given their own musical 'theme' whose individual melodies make occasional appearances throughout the album. Perhaps the story is a bit too inaccessible, which is probably why this album hasn't gotten as much acclaim in the public eye as Tommy had, but who cares? I consider Quadrophenia a far better album not only in the rock opera sphere, but also in the musical sense.

Why is this? First off, the stupid short interlude songs have all disappeared, and everything here works as a full-length number able to stand out on its' own. Each theme is also repeated tastefully in just the right amounts, as opposed to Pete hitting us over the head with the same riff for an endless ten minutes in "Underture". The actual melodies and riffs here are actually just as good as anything the band had put to record, and the rhythm section is at its' absolute peak here - this record has not been called one of the greatest bass albums ever for nothing, and John Entwistle's bass lines are both technically amazing and absolutely essential to the flow of the songs. And Keith Moon's drumming may have taken a drastic decline after this to the point where he's sometimes almost unnoticeable, but that doesn't take away from his astonishing playing here.

And finally, there's the matter of the lyrics, where Pete really got things right. Quadrophenia is perhaps the ultimate statement on teen angst, and in the context of the story and music here, the somewhat thoughtful and introspective lyrics hit incredibly hard. Of course, it also doesn't hurt that I can really relate to the subject matter personally, but the lyrics give the songs fantastic resonance in any case, regardless. With all these strengths, and so much great music spread out over 80 minutes, it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone reading this that this is perhaps my favorite album of all time, though the list up there is a bit crowded as of now. At least half these songs have to rank up there as some of my favorite songs by anyone, and even the lesser tracks contribute greatly to the overall flow of the album.

Take an introductory bit like "I Am The Sea" for instance. It begins the album with the sound of waves and the vocal melodies from each of the 'themes' coming out of them, but as Rich pointed out in the comment below, this track might sound like filler, but the way the next song "The Real Me" flows out of it sounds completely natural. That tune also immediately hits you with perhaps the best example of John Entwistle's playing on this album, with fast fretwork all over the place to go along with the simple hard-hitting rff, Roger's howling and the fantastic horn-filled chorus. The title track then hits us with pure instrumental bliss, as its' a six minute overture combining the four utterly memorable melodic themes together in a seamless, amazingly gripping suite. It's one of my favorite instrumentals of all time - even better than "Overture" on Tommy, and that says a lot.

"Cut My Hair", meanwhile, is quite an effective plot setter that works at putting the listener in the place of Jimmy, in a catchy piano ballad turned rocker with awesome synth embellishments at the end. And then we hit the greatest moment here, "The Punk And The Godfather", a track which I feel is the best Who song of all time. That's no small compliment, in case you didn't notice. The main riff just smashes the listener into the ground, the rhythm section is at its' most amazing, and the biting lyrical battle between the Punk and the Godfather is sung in a positively convicing fashion. The powerful mellow instrumental break between the verses (with that bass playing and vocal/synth interplay) and the crowd noises push the song forward is stunning beyond what I could possibly express. And this is only side one, by the way...

Side two is certainly no slouch either, as "I'm One" manages to continue the momentum as a gentle acoustic song turned into an expressive rocker. Maybe it's not spectacular or anything, but it's certainly preferable to a dumb interlude, and stands on its' own very well. "The Dirty Jobs" is probably considered filler by many, as its' a song that would feel right at home in a musical, but I don't care, regardless of how overblown it might be. It rules, as Roger puts on his most passionate vocal performance over an extremely catchy melody that gets stuck in my head on a constant basis. The synth part could be considered corny, but in a context like this, it's simply mesmerizing.

Then comes "Helpless Dancer", the first of the four themes, this one being Roger's, has even more show-stopping vocals singing profound lyrics that keep moving from speaker to speaker with every line over stripped down piano, horns and acoustic guitar as one of the album's most extraordinarily gripping moments. Even "Is It In My Head", one of the less striking songs here, has a very, very beautiful verse melody and strong chorus that works well in this introspective part of the album. And finally, "I've Had Enough" is emotionally riveting tune to close out disc one, a three part mini epic combining a dramatic hard rocker rocker, the appearance of the majestic "Love Reign O'er Me" theme, and a fantastic 'I've had enough...' plea sung over banjos. The flow between these three parts is a little questionable, but when they all rule so much, how could I possibly complain?

Side three is only slightly weaker than the others, but really only because the midtempo rock mode of the first three songs as a whole is a little unvaried, but that doesn't mean they aren't still solid tunes by any means. The uptempo "5:15" (which begins on a beautiful piano-led plea of 'why should I care...') may seem overblown with its' sleazy horns and cock rock groove, but it's extremely exciting and catchy, especially if you can picture Jimmy starting to lose his mind on the train while you're listening to it. And even though the riffing during the chorus of "Sea And Sand" may be slightly generic (even if still engaging), the acoustic portions of the verses are among the most gorgeous and moving moments of the whole album. Heck, even the weakest song on the album ("Drowned") still manages to be quite exciting, since it has a good piano part and a reprise of "5:15" flowing seamlessly into the rest of it.

Finally, the last four song stretch of the album is among the most breathtaking in the entire Who catalog. Appropriately enough, it starts off with the most clever touch of humor on here in Keith Moon's theme "Bell Boy" (surprised?). It certainly has a compelling main riff, vocal melody and lyrics (the 'a beach is a place where a man can feel...' opening line in particular), but once the chorus shifts over in charming awkwardness to the somewhat pasted-on 'Bell boy!' chant and Keith's hilarious portrayal of the character that has to be heard to be believed. As does the longest epic here, the 8 minute climax "Dr. Jimmy", by which time Jimmy's instability is clear to the listener, and the bombastic, tense arrangement really brings that home, as does the operatic arrangement (and chorus).

And of course, don't forget about John Entwistle's theme in the middle ('Is It Me?') which is, fittingly enough, the most subtle and quiet moment of the album, and that only makes its' appearance more effective in the context of the bombast its' surrounded by. It could even arguably boast the most beautiful and memorable vocal melody on the whole album. Then as we get ever closer to the end, the lead-in to grand finale ("The Rock") comes. On the surface, it might seem like nothing more than a runthrough of the title track, but it really takes a unique approach to it in its' arrangement, with a rare glimpse of melodic bluesy soloing from Pete, and besides, another reprise of those terrific themes is just fine by me.

That 'grand finale' just happens to be the most celebrated song on this album, Pete's theme "Love Reign O'er Me". An ultra-majestic synth part carries the tune following the Yes-ish light piano bits (designed to resemble falling rain) in the intro, and it's a powerful declaration of who Jimmy really is, with that extraordinary, not-so-subtle chorus yell, a great bridge and the heavy-hitting closing section of the song with hard-hitting pounding all over the place. Phew - I've written quite a lot for this album, but it deserves it, since, like I said before, this could be my all time favorite. I can understand the overblown accusations against it, but I certainly can't share them. This is an emotionally shattering masterpiece, the best Who album ever, and it's made all the more amazing by the fact that Pete Townshend wrote the entire thing himself, though the contributions of the others are vital - without Entwistle, Daltrey and Moon's individual talents, Quadrophenia might still be great, but with their undeniable presence here, it's pushed into the God-like sphere. Maybe art rock's most shattering statement.

* OVERALL RATING: 10+ *

(Robert Grazer's review)

Often considered either the Who's magnum opus or their nadir of artistic pretentiousness, few records in rock split opinions quite like Quadrophenia. I fall in the middle, but only slightly. I lean more towards the masterpiece side, and certainly like it more than Tommy, but I think that it has too many problems to quite be an absolute masterpiece. First of all, lets talk about all that's good on this album (and there's lots of it). The playing is absolutely immaculate. Keith Moon and John Entwisle are both at the absolute top of their games here, with the former bashing along in very creative ways, while the latter adds some of the best bass lines ever to appear on a rock record (listen to "5:15" and you'll see what I mean). Roger never sounded better, either - his over the top screaming fits the music perfectly.

Most of the songs here are very, very good as well. "The Real Me" is a standout opener, combining some of the most ferocious playing and singing the Who ever mustered with a top rate melody. "5:15", the second disc opener, might be the best song the Who ever recorded. Fantastic rhythms and cool lyrics help propel the number into the stratosphere. "Love Reign O'er Me" is absolutely gorgeous as a closer. I could go on about songs like that. Most of them are just fantastic. And finally, Pete had learned how to keep a rock opera more interesting. The endless instrumentals and pointless short fillers from Tommy are gone. The 4 main repeated themes in this record ("Helpless Dancer", "Bell Boy", "Is It Me", and "Love Reign O'er Me") all show up at appropriate times and help keep the record interesting. The story has also improved - it still doesn't quite make sense in parts, but it usually does, and it's quite good. It's all about teen angst and alienation, which is what Pete writes about best. It's very resonant, too - it can get your emotions flowing VERY well at times.

Still, Pete had to include a few flaws to keep this from being an utter masterpiece. First of all, some of the music is WAY too synth-happy. I like synths, but these don't sound innovative and fresh like those on Who's Next. They actually sound quite dated nowadays. And secondly, there are a few tracks on here that just don't quite cut it for me. Namely, the synth-polluted "The Dirty Jobs" and the kinda boring "Is It In My Head?" spoil the picture somewhat. And the two instrumentals here, while pretty, are VERY similar to each other, comprising of the main 4 themes repeated in intriguing, yet still wearying ways. One would have been fine - one should have been cut, though. Still, these flaws are minor in the long run. Major enough to pull the rating down one point, but not nearly enough to spoil this overall excellent effort.

OVERALL RATING: 9

(Marco Ursi's review)

For a long time, I thought this was the greatest album of all time. I loved every second of it; from the opening sounds of crashing waves in "I Am The Sea" to the final scream of "Love Reign O'er Me", this was rock music at its best. But after 3 years of listening to this album, I've come to the realization that while this is still a gorgeous album, it has its faults. The main problem of this record is the production. Pete Townshend was still very interested in using synthesisers as much as he possible could at the time and occasionally, the synths are overdone. "Dr. Jimmy (Is It Me?)" would be a classic if it were stripped down to guitar, bass, drums and piano and "The Dirty Jobs" is often called "Hollywoodish" because of the dominant synthesiser part. It's not only the synthesisers that murk up some of the songs, Entwistle's unbelievable bass lines are buried in both "5:15" and "Drowned" by horns in the former and piano and walls of guitars in the latter. I don't know why the Who decided they would produce this one on their own, especially after Glyn Johns did such a wonderful job on Who's Next.

Nonetheless, if you can look past the occasional production errors, you'll find a masterpiece. Entwistle and Moon prove once again why they are rock's strongest rhythm section and Daltrey gives his strongest vocal performance ever. You'll occasionally here people call Quadrophenia a Pete Townshend solo project but tell me, would "The Real Me" or "The Punk Meets the Godfather" rock as much as they do with studio musicians and Pete singing? Not even close. This record is loaded with great songs, "I'm One", "I've Had Enough", "Helpless Dancer", the title instrumental track, and the aforementioned "Love Reign O'er Me".

Oh did I forget to mention this was a rock opera? Well it is but I didn't really even notice until I read it on the internet. The story here is secondary to the individual songs and lyrics. Yes, the lyrics are fantastic. If they had been written by say, David Bowie, well I wouldn't really give a shit about them because they would have no meaning. But because I know that it Pete Townsend always wrote from the soul, these lyrics hit me hard. These lyrics convey the emotions every teenager feels at one time or another: anger, lust, loneliness, depression. It's unfortunate that the Who were never able to tour Quadrophenia until 1996 because it was one of the main reasons behind Keith Moon's self-destruction and the beginnings of Pete Townshend's alchoholism. Fortunately, we can all still go out and purchase a CD copy or Quadrophenia and feel happy and depressed at the same time.

OVERALL RATING: 9

While not one of the albums that it is absolutely criminal to bash in any way (like Who’s Next, IV, Abbey Road, and Dark Side Of The Moon), this here is still a very acclaimed album, to an extent I cannot agree with since the level of filler is incredibly high. “I Am The Sea,” “Cut My Hair,” “I’m One,” “5:15,” “Sea and Sand.” Five out of seventeen songs on this album have no purpose being there! None of them are really songs, just little bits to take up space so Pete could put out another big old album. In my opinion this one is overall far inferior to Tommy. The horns hurt badly in several places, even though they help out in other spots. And the ending, “Love Reign O’er Me,” is a very good song, but far too anti-climactic. A huge eighty plus minute epic, especially when a good deal of it is so great, deserves something huge to finish it. Instead when we sink down to the short instrumental passage and I’m waiting for this big climax I get a single scream of “Love.” Yuck. Even looking at it from a different perspective the song itself doesn’t even work as a whole for a climax to the album. It leaves me with this feeling of “what next?”

These complaints don’t make Quadrophenia a bad album at all though. Despite the fact I prefer Tommy generally, the best here is better than anything on Tommy. I’ve thought long and hard and I’m having a hard time thinking of a Who song better than “Doctor Jimmy.” I don’t know maybe there isn’t one. In fact, despite my little problem with “Love Reign O’er Me,” I can very much enjoy side four. In fact, all of the songs past “Sea and Sand” are excellent. The opening side also has a few highlights like “The Real Me” and “The Punk Meets the Godfather.” The rest of the album has its moments here and there. John and Keith shine in various places, and Daltrey’s singing is excellent. This is a very good album, but due to some serious flaws I cannot call it any more than that.

Update: I've decided that this album is worth more than a 7. Most of it has to do with the final side. The original way I figured out the grade of seven was adding all of the sides up and dividing by four (in order 8+6+7+9=30, 30/4 = 7.5, I didn't round up because it's an overrated album). Now I'll raise side four a point and that means the entire thing goes up another point (8+6+7+10 = 31, 31/4 = 7.75, and I sort of have to round up there since side one is really an 8.5). Most of this is due to the fact that I've grown to enjoy "Love Reign O'er Me" quite a bit more over the past month or so. I still believe it to be an anti-climax, expecially with the "great epiphany" thing worked in, but damn it's a great song. And "The Rock" now feels classic to me, and I like "Doctor Jimmy" even more. So Quadrophenia gets an 8.

OVERALL RATING: 8

(Caleb Smith's review)

I've had a harder time forming an opinion about this album than I do with most others. Why? Well, for one, there's a lot of music to absorb here. It must be listened to all the way through, and that must be done more than once. Now don't let me scare you off, it's not as serious as I'm likely making it out to be. I'm just saying that this a *big* album. Big in both length and sound. Anyway, I've finally come to the conclusion that Pete almost had it. He almost had the perfect album. Unfortunately a couple flaws here and there keep it from reaching that honor. At the very least, Quadrophenia is at least the best rock opera ever.

What stands out most about this album is that this is The Who at the top of their game. If you want to hear Keith Moon's best drumming, John Entwistle's best bass playing, Roger Daltrey's best singing, and Pete Townshend's best guitar playing, this is the place to look. Listen to that bass on "The Real Me," or those drums on "5:15." Amazing! Or how about Daltrey's vocals on "Love, Reign O'er Me." They tug at your heart like not much else can. This album also contains Pete's best synth work, even better than that of Who's Next. Of course, these exceptional performances would be all for naught if the material they were playing wasn't good, which leads us to the next best thing about Quadrophenia, the songwriting. This album contains some of Pete's best songs, the most heartfelt and moving, and the most well constructed. As far as I'm concerned, songs like "Dr. Jimmy" and the aforementioned "Love, Reign O'er Me" are just as good as anything Beethoven or Bach ever did. That's a slight exaggeration, of course, but you get my point. Finally, there's the four themes that Townshend has composed, and beautiful they all are. They are worked into the music quite well, and are not overused.

So what's the problem? Well, as is common with rock operas, there is a little filler. Mainly "Is It In My Head?". Lyrically, the song isn't filler, in fact it's very important. Yet the music sounds like it's just there to take up space and the chorus seems awfully contrived. I may be wrong as to the original intent of the song, but I kind of wish it wasn't there. It's not a major problem however, and the song is actually fairly catchy. The second flaw I find is that the second half of this album becomes a bit more overblown and therefore less immediately enjoyable. In no way is it bad, in some ways the second half is actually the highlight of the album. Yet you may have to get used to the whole 'epic' feel of it. Trust me, once you do, you'll find some incredibly rewarding music.

So, should you buy Quadrophenia? Hell yes! It's expensive, but "Dr. Jimmy" is worth the price of a double album alone. Also note that this 9 I'm giving it is a tentative one, it may very well become a 10 in the future. Now, before I finish, let me dispel that horrible rumor about "The Dirty Jobs" being filler. It's only filler if by filler you mean "really awesome song."

Update: Okay, after a few more listens, I've decided I can't give this any less than a 10. I still think there are a few problems here and there, but I now consider disc 2 to be perfect, despite what I thought initially.

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

COMMENTS

[email protected] (Rich Bunnell)

Okay, I agree with Robert that 'Love Reign O'er Me' is anticlimactic and they could have chose a better ending but outside of that he is so wrong! 'Cut My Hair' and '5:15' are great songs, check out the keyboards and drums on the latter, they are fantastic. Further more 'Sea And Sand' is on of the most beautiful and honest love songs out there and its not often we find honesty in love songs. Another problem that people tend to have with this album is the song 'The Dirty Jobs' because it sounds like it belongs in a Disney Musical, but that was the first song I grabbed onto and it is still one of my favorites. The only flaw I find here is the above mentioned 'Love Reign O'er Me' being anticlimactic but even that does not stop me from feeling it should be a perfect 10.

I really don't get Robert's review. It's fine and dandy to consider the album overrated, but to say that nearly universally-hailed songs like "5:15" have no purpose being on the album just doesn't sit well with me. If you don't like the song, that's fine, but it serves a very clear purpose in the storyline's progression and is very much a fully fleshed-out song. And sure, "I Am The Sea" is filler if you're a soulless robot, but "The Real Me" would not sound NEARLY as powerful if it began the album on a cold start without jumping out of the mist. So you're listening to two minutes of sea noises. Boohoo, you were probably just going to waste them anyway. That said, you didn't really slam the album too heavily, and I have no problem with your rating. I'd give it a 10, myself, but it's a simple disagreement.

a 10, not as good as who's next but this has one of the best "overall album effects" ever. "Love Reign O'er Me" is ANTI-CLAMATIC? I've seen people bash this album but not to that effect.

It does my heart good to read reviews from people who love this album as much as I do. This is such an emotionally powerful piece of work that I have to actually prepare myself before I put it on. Don't have to do that with any other album.

Quadrophenia is an album that must be heard in its entirety, and its impact is greatly enhanced by an understanding of the storyline. Read Pete's brilliant synopsis in the booklet. "Schizophrenic? I'm bleeding quadrophenic."

Every member of The Who comes through on this, Pete Townshend's most ambitious, fully realized work of art. The musicianship and singing are absolutely phenomenal throughout, and the production problems of earlier editions of this album are corrected on the 1996 reissue. Vastly improved sonically.

I can't recommend this album highly enough, but steer clear if you're just looking for some easy listening or simple, good-time rock 'n' roll. This album aims a lot higher, and scores a dead-on bulls-eye.

Tim Eimiller

YES. This is the high point of art rock. To enjoy it, you have to take it as a whole, not a song-by-song basis. Some filler on here, especially on side two (Is it in My Head, Helpless Dancer, Sea and Sand) but all the rest are gem after gem after gem. And the concluding trio of "Dr. Jimmy", "The Rock", and "Love Reign o'er My Bony Mod Ass" is just as thrilling and bombastic as anything you will find in 1970's rock and roll.

Who needs punk rock, anyway? Screw you all, Sex Pistol fanatics!!

A 10.

ODDS AND SODS (1974)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Naked Eye, Faith In Something Bigger, Little Billy, Time Is Passing. LOW POINTS: Postcard, We Close Tonight.

When bands have all these songs in the can that they never released on album, it's inevitable that they're going to be heavily bootlegged by the hardcore fans. The very existence of this album is due to just that factor, as John Entwistle had heard bootleg copies of unreleased stuff from the band and was distressed at how poor the sound quality was on them. So the plan was precisely to release an album of some of those celebrated songs, with the 11 track Odds And Sods collection appearing in 1974. Of course, there was also enough material in the vaults for a second LP, but for whatever reason, it never saw release. That has since been remedied with the expanded 1998 reissue, which adds 12 additional tracks and resequences the entire package in chronological order. Now, normally when I review stuff, I don't consider the bonus tracks towards the rating, but like the expanded Live At Leeds, it's just about necessary this time.

Which means that the original version of the album is pretty obsolete now - the tracks that were here originally just didn't have any sense of logical cohesion, and opening with Entwistle's "Postcard" was a mistake in particular. Not coincidentally, it was also around this time his songwriting abilities were declining, and it shows in the average repetitive chorus melody with bothersome horns in the background, not to mention the novelty-ish lyrics. But don't get me wrong - this is not to imply the original was bad. In fact, it had the three best songs on here as a whole, including one of the band's best pop tunes ever in "Faith In Something Bigger", with some fabulous harmonizing, a beautifully charming melody that maintains some real majesty and power. And how about "Little Billy", a song that really shows the incredibly infectious potential of commercial jingles (this one being an anti-smoking one)?

But the real attraction to the entire set, however, is the epic styled "Naked Eye", a song that boasts one of the most exciting song structures in the entire Who catalog, with a haunting organ buildup, some really kickass fast riffing, and a really dramatic ending that just keeps building until it quiets down. It's also the last song here chronologically (which means it closes the reissue), and it shows just how far the band had come from their very first single in 1964 as The High Numbers, a very average R&B workout called "I'm The Face", which is just "Got Love If You Want It" with new lyrics. And in between those, there are other curiousities, like the dumb but catchy groove "Now I'm A Farmer" (which has an extremely fun 'and I'm digging digging digging....' hook and Keith Moon's hilarious farmer impersonation near the end), and the nice pop tune "Glow Girl" reveals that Tommy actually wasn't originally intended to be a boy (as evidenced by the 'it's a girl, Mrs. Walker... it's a girl...' chants at the end).

Elsewhere, there's some good balladry in "Too Much Of Anything" and "Put The Money Down", with the former being particularly striking to me because of the emotional way the verse melody gets broken up, and the famous Lifehouse outtake "Pure And Easy", an anthem that's a bit preachy and extremely overblown, but still has a couple very moving melodies and a great declaration at the end ('there once was a note... LISTEN!!') And there's also the 'pure' rocker "Long Live Rock", which borrows a little too heavily from "Won't Get Fooled Again", but nevertheless has a neat lyrical perspective and a catchy chorus of its' own. As a whole, this version of the album I would probably give a strong 7, maybe a 7.5 on a particularly good day, but then there's the matter of the 'previously unreleased' tracks....

Which are good and interesting enough for me to raise the rating to an 8. A few of them aren't that necessary (the studio versions of "Summertime Blues" and "Young Man Blues" prove that the potential of these songs was only reached in a live setting, the Quadrophenia outtake "We Close Tonight" is pretty much a third-rate "Bell Boy" in execution, and their cover of the Stones' "Under My Thumb" just shows how much power that song actually loses without the marimbas, even if the melody guarantees that it's still good), but for the most part, they're very worthwhile. The gem here is the ballad "Time Is Passing", a fantastic ballad driven by Floyd-ian organ, acoustic and electric guitar interplay, a beautiful vocal melody and some of Roger Daltrey's most passionate singing.

As far as the other unreleased entries go, some of them are even more interesting for curiousity value than on the original. The funny Entwistle sung horn-driven "Cousin Kevin Model Child" (which has a great melody) really should have been one of the interlude tracks on Tommy, and the longer version of "Love Ain't For Keeping", featuring powerful guitar soloing from Leslie West of Mountain fame (and Pete Townshend singing lead vocals), should have made it to Who's Next. Rockers such as "Leaving Here" and "Baby Don't You Do It" are also fine demonstrations of the band's early mid 60's sound, the live staple "Water" sounds like an exciting prototype for the epic it would later become on stage, there's a fun slower version of "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand" with Al Kooper on organ, and they even cover "My Way"! Maybe this isn't as essential as their best studio stuff, but there's enough variety, interesting approaches and fine power in this collection to make it a worthwhile buy for any Who listener. Try to get the reissue, though.

OVERALL RATING: 8

A collection of outtakes and alternate cuts assembled by John Entwistle in 1974 and reissued and remastered in 1998 with a grand total of 12 (!) new bonus cuts. Most outtakes collections are a bit spotty, and this one is no exception - a few tunes on here aren't exactly great (studio versions of their famous live tunes like "Young Man Blues" and "Summertime Blues" aren't that interesting for anyone outside of the hardcore; ditto to their debut single, which is just Slim Harpo's "Got Love If You Want It" with new lyrics; some of the later outtakes are a bit on the dumb side), but a lot of them definately are. The only really famous song here, the parody on the rock and roll lifestyle "Long Live Rock", is an excellent rocker, with an insanely memorable chorus.

Some of the others are just as good, though. The original B-side version of "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand" is much slower, but still pretty awesome, with great background vocals and organ. An electric version of "Love Ain't For Keeping" (with Leslie West on guitar) absolutely SMASHES the shorter, country-ish version on Who's Next. It sounds like a fully developed song here, not merely short filler. The Lifehouse tune "Time Is Passing" is simply gorgeous, too. Like a lot of the others. My pick, however, is "Water", a stupid but oh-so-exciting rocker. Godlike.

This album does sound good to the average fan (for the most part), but for the hardcore, this is a treasure chest of the highest order. In addition to the little tidbits I mentioned above, you get a dumb introduction to "Cousin Kevin", some REALLY goofy outtakes like "Now I'm A Farmer" and "Postcard", and some interesting oddities, like the morbid anti-smoking jingle "Little Billy" (which has an unbelievably catchy melody, believe it or not). This is a GREAT way to hear how the Who developed through the use of their demos and outtakes. It isn't perfect, of course, but it still makes for a pretty solid listen, which is pretty damn good when you consider its origins.

OVERALL RATING: 7

THE WHO BY NUMBERS (1975)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: However Much I Booze, They Are All In Love, Dreaming From The Waist, Imagine A Man. LOW POINTS: In A Hand Or A Face, Squeeze Box.

I wonder what the Who fans must have felt when this was released in 1975 when the band decided to follow a huge overblown double album rock opera with their most stripped down, understated song collection. Indeed, this album strips away much of the earth-shattering power that characterized the previous albums so much, as its' very much aptly titled effort in showcasing the simpler, unpretentious side of the band. The songs are mainly used as a vehicle for Pete Townshend to complain within the lyrics about his depression brought on by a mid-life crisis. Unfortunately, Townshend's personal problems resulted in a dropoff in songwriting, with not only the ambitiousness and power very much absent from the tunes, but also the quality of the melodies suffering a bit in comparison. These problems also contribute to a lack of diversity in the sound, as many of the songs are musically simplistic, especially compared to past efforts - as a result the overall effect can be a pretty tiring one.

That being said, this is actually a fairly consistent and enjoyable effort in spite of its' obvious flaws - throughout all the depression, there's actually a warm feeling conveyed through the songs that seems to be helped immensely by Roger Daltrey's vocal performance here, which might not be over the top, but brings through the idea that there somehow exists a light at the end of the tunnel. For instance, the otherwise pretty mopey "How Many Friends" is brought to life by powerful intonations in the chorus (although the verses are a little awkward lyrically and melodically). It also works wonders with the wonderfully poignant acoustic tune "Imagine A Man", which somehow manages to evoke real beauty in the chorus line of 'and who will see the end...', and the really pretty "They Are All In Love", whose lyrical jealousy is (thankfully!) almost obscured by the warm and moving vocal melody.

The down-to-earth charm of this album also makes my favorite song here, "However Much I Booze", all the more fascinating. On the surface, it's just Pete Townshend complaining about how his midlife crisis sucks, but the eminently uplifting melody and really neat bluegrass musical backing is strangely uptempo and entertaining. And although the melodies are generally not as impressive as before, they certainly aren't neglected totally - Townshend's other vocal spot, the ukelele-driven ballad "Blue Red And Grey" is about as memorable as it is beautiful and introspective, the opening "Slip Kid" is a rather fun song to listen to thanks mainly to its' catchy chorus and piano part in the verses, and "Dreaming From The Waist" has a very immaculate opening acoustic bit to go along with its' complex melody and rocking arrangement.

The album is far from perfect, of course. John Entwistle's number here ("Success Story") might be pretty good in actually fitting the 'going through the motions' mood rather well - lyrically, it goes as far as mocking the hardships rock and roll lifestyle (and actually seems to be a thinly disguised attack on Townshend himself), but the other two tracks... ehh. The lead single "Squeeze Box" might be an amusing detour from the rest of the album's mood, but for some reason, the overall sound and melody just grates on me. Likewise, the closing "In A Hand Or A Face" is a thoroughly unremarkable number, as its' melody deprived verses build up to a stupid chorus ('I am going round and round...') In all, even though the previous masterpieces (Tommy included) make any song here seem a little silly by comparison in all their superior songwriting glory, The Who By Numbers is still quite good by any other standard - just a major disappointment by the Who one.

OVERALL RATING: 7.5

The follow up to Quadrophenia was very back-to-basics, featuring no synths, no long suites, some country-ish guitar licks, and very personal, deep lyrics from Townshend. So personal, in fact, that Daltrey didn't really want to sing some of it (he REFUSED to sing "However Much I Booze", Townshend's confessional about alcoholism and depression). The result is an album that sounds less overblown than any other Who album. It all sounds basic, rockin', and catchy. Opinion on the record is split, but personally, I find it to be quite nice.

The single here, "Squeeze Box", is misleading. With its jovial atmosphere and double-entendre laden lyrics, it makes the album sound like its gonna be a lot of fun. Upon purchasing the album, "Slip Kid" continues this illusion, being a hard, catchy rocker and all. As soon as Townshend opens his mouth in "However Much I Booze", however, the album comes down. A long (well, longer than the rest of these songs), country-ish rocker with lots of tasty guitar licks, Townshend procedes to whine his way through all of his problems, making it clear how unhappy he is. Great tune, still. The little guitar runs in between the verses will stick in your head forever. At least it does mine.

The equally mopey "They Are All In Love" and "How Many Friends" are also equally nice, the former having an EXTREMELY pretty verse melody in particular. Even John's song, "Success Story", seems a bit sad, albeit in a mocking way. It tears the whole rock-and-roll lifestyle apart, throwing in some jabs at musicians who become preachers and vice versa (*cough* PETE! *cough*). The album does have a couple of problems, of course. Sometimes, Pete got so wrapped up in whining that he forgot that the music mattered. Hence, "In A Hand Or A Face" is boring, "Imagine A Man" never really gets going, and a couple of the songs, although pretty, are kinda lightweight. Still, you should get plenty of enjoyment out of this record. It certainly isn't a masterpiece like many of the records that came before it, but it's still relentlessly solid and makes a good listen.

OVERALL RATING: 8

WHO ARE YOU (1978)

(reviewed by Nick Karn)

HIGH POINTS: Who Are You, New Song. LOW POINTS: Guitar And Pen.

This is the final album The Who would release before drummer Keith Moon's death (which is predated on the album cover with him sitting in a chair labeled 'not to be taken away'), and Moon doesn't exactly make much of an impression to the overall sound of this one - Who Are You features Pete Townshend's synths in a more prominent role than ever, which wouldn't be such a bad thing if they were used a tasteful, effective counterpoint to the rest of the music, like on Quadrophenia and Who's Next. Throughout this album, however, the synth sounds often get in the way of the songs, and give the record a slightly dated feel to it. Plus, Roger Daltrey's vocals were clearly on a decline, as his voice here doesn't always have the same power it once had, sometimes sounding strained and weak when he really tries to go all out.

Quite a few of the songs also have very noticeable flaws here and there that prevent them from being truly great as well. The anthem "Music Must Change", despite a great melody with convincing lyrics and vocals, has sort of an awkward 'synth blues' feel to it, especially with the corny 'horn-like' instrumentation in the chorus. John Entwistle's "Trick Of The Light", while being impressively foreboding and bombastic, has a slightly primitive riff and is mostly unmemorable outside of its' chorus, while "905" is another throwaway from him, as it has an embarassing sci-fi aura about it in the synths and lyrics. "Sister Disco" and "Guitar And Pen" are also overly novelty-ish, the former fairly unconvincing with its' orchestrated synths and iffy lyrics, and the latter a stupid Broadway-ish number that's almost impossible to listen to without the horrid image of Daltrey jumping around on a stage in overdramatic fashion singing this stuff.

Regardless of those faults, though, this album is far from a mediocre disaster like some have suggested, since it certainly does have it's share of highlights. The first of these is the opening "New Song", which is one of the few times where the synths really drive the song, and the main melody throughout is excellent, also helped out by wonderful lyrics dealing with the difficulty of writing original music just as it seems it's all been done before. The best of Entwistle's three songs, "Had Enough", despite its' borrowing of the title and lyrical themes from Quadrophenia's "I've Had Enough" and orchestration that's possibly unnecessary, has a fine, fine melody and is quite enjoyable as well. "Love Is Coming Down", even if it's a little on the dull side, is definitely a pleasant ballad.

Then, of course, there's the excellent title track which ends the album, and it's unquestionably the record's highlight and the most representative song of its' strong points, featuring venomous lyrics toward the 'punks' of around that time and a very appropriate vocal delivery of them, plus a heavy-hitting riff with decent synth backing to it and a meandering, but effective, middle instrumental break that leads the song to its' ending verses. A very worthy final number to a flawed album from The Who, as it would have made a perfect career closer for them - though Townshend had to have different ideas. Oh well.

OVERALL RATING: 7

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT (1979)

(reviewed by Nick Karn)

HIGH POINTS: Young Man Blues, Won't Get Fooled Again, Join Together/Roadrunner/My Generation Blues. LOW POINTS: the overlaps with previously released stuff.

This soundtrack to what many regard as the greatest rockumentary of all time - unfortunately, I haven't actually seen The Kids Are Alright, but rest assured, I will certainly get around to it in the not so distant future as of this writing. But anyway, the core of this album focuses on live performances from the band dating as far back as 1965 and as recent as 1978, and not surprisingly, as is the case with live Who, there's some extremely revelatory and powerful stuff here. Unfortunately, there are some serious annoyances here that ensure this album isn't all that could have been - not that any of the actual performances are bad as a whole (though a couple border on overly sloppy and don't showcase the band at their best), it's just the inclusion of several tracks that are already available elsewhere that really bugs me. "Long Live Rock"? That's already on Odds And Sods! "Magic Bus"? On any decent singles compilation! "Happy Jack"? Directly from the Leeds reissue! "I Can See For Miles"? The Sell Out studio version with slightly altered vocals! "Tommy Can You Hear Me"? The most irritating filler on Tommy!

And, plus some of the actual unreleased performances aren't that great either. Early live versions of "I Can't Explain" and "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" definitely have good energy, but not surprisingly, it's very hard to appreciate them when the sound quality is so unbearably muddy and crappy, and they're not substantially different than before (though the former is at least faster than the Leeds version). Elsewhere, the 1977 performance of "My Wife" is extremely sloppy, with Moon almost randomly bashing all over the place and the chaotic noise level at a sometimes uncomfortable level, though at least the melody and the beast that is the Who live sound is intact. And speaking of Moon's troubles, even if "Baba O' Riley" is given an interesting dimension due to the harmonica towards the end and guitar soloing throughout (plus the energy level is again at a high), the rhythm just plods along in a totally unconvincing way.

Fortunately, most of the other stuff is worthy. The whole thing begins with funny interview bits from each member of the band on the Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour before they go into "My Generation", and even though the song's mostly the same as before, you have to admit the chaotic, feedback heavy ending that precedes an explosion from the drumkit is awesome. Plus, there's "A Quick One While He's Away" on here, and while that may be redundant for those who own The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus (as it comes from that performance), it's still a friggin' live "A Quick One" (though shorter than before) and that alone makes it worthy. Also included are a couple of Tommy era performances - although "See Me, Feel Me" repeats said coda way too many times over the course of 5 minutes to keep it from truly catching fire, the live "Sparks" is really cool, as it sounds like Pete's actually going wild on two guitars, and the mostly faithful rendition of "Pinball Wizard" unsurprisingly goes down well.

As good as those performances are, though, most of them just aren't up to the level of the prime Leeds-quality kind of stuff that I love. The remaining three, on the other hand, are. "Young Man Blues" in particular isn't any worse than the version on that album, and actually might be even better - it's a little longer than before (which gives me even more time to enjoy it), Daltrey's vocals are every bit as menacing, and the guitar tone here rules! Plus, the last two tracks that make up nearly a quarter of the album are phenomenal - you get to hear some intense near-chaotic energy ("Join Together"), a tight rock and roll powerhouse ("Roadrunner"), and "My Generation" rearranged as a slow blues song that has even more bite than you might think, all of these together in a medley.

And finally, ending that stretch comes the closing "Won't Get Fooled Again", which is taken from a 1978 show filmed specifically for the movie, and it's just as tight as the original, as they play this like it's their last performance ever (that's not far from the truth, either, considering Moon would die just over three months later). My advice to the listener is to gradually turn up the volume as it approaches 'the scream' towards the end (which is probably even more powerful than before), and you'll achieve a pretty damn cathartic effect there. This is why the album is frustrating - were it stocked with enough great performances anywhere near the quality of those highlights instead of padded out with easily available stuff and relatively subpar material, I could have easily given the album a strong 9 or maybe even a 10, but I'm gonna have to punish The Kids Are Alright somewhat, simply because it doesn't live up to its' potential. Even if live Who is never a bad thing.

OVERALL RATING: 8

FACE DANCES (1981)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: You Better You Bet, Another Tricky Day. LOW POINTS: Don't Let Go The Coat, Cache Cache.

To put it simply, an album like this should never have happened. You wouldn't think losing a drummer would make that much of an impact in the sound for most bands, but Keith Moon, love him or hate him, was one of the most distinctive players at his instrument ever, and gave so much power to many songs by his band, even more so than Led Zeppelin, who had the sense to break up after their drummer died. Not that replacement Kenney Jones was anywhere near bad (in fact, he was quite good), but still, that gap is the sound suddenly becomes extremely noticeable. What's more noticeable, though, is how little Pete Townshend actually cared about making this material good (and this is especially so considering that his solo effort Empty Glass released the year before is so much more inspired and powerful than this). Much of this stuff, on the other hand, is pretty generic pop music that anyone at the time could have pulled off.

Not that it's bad pop music, though, as the opening lead single "You Better You Bet" is a great synth pop number that has what's probably the last classic vocal melody ever written by him. Excellent band harmonizing, and you'll probably never forget that radio-friendly chorus. There's also one other minor classic in the closing "Another Tricky Day", an infectious slice of anthemic rock with an excellent bassline, proving that John Entwistle certainly hadn't lost it in that department (it's his songwriting I'm worried about - more on that later). There are also a couple other pleasurable ditties in the engaging little funk tune "How Can You Do It Alone", with another quirky bassline and addictive rhythm (even though the actual melody to it isn't that special, and that line '...but by then, I was past caring' uncomfortably sums up Townshend's Who philosophy at this point), and the almost grating but strangely catchy "Did You Steal My Money" (or more like 'DID you STEAL MY money...' - nice backing vocals there, Pete).

Unfortunately, this album has two of the most irritating songs in my Who listening experience in "Don't Let Go The Coat" and "Cache Cache". Let's see - the first one's a crappy soft rock song where Daltrey takes on this bothersomely weird and ugly vocal tone, and it goes without saying the title used as the chorus would be really awkward sung in harmony. And the latter track is generic 'fast' hard rock with an incredibly dumb 'there ain't no bears in there' chorus, with annoying whispering and entirely unsubtle singing. There's some more great bass work at that bridge, though, at least. But speaking of our friend the bassist, his tunes "The Quiet One" and "You" are mildly catchy but pretty slight hard rockers (though the former one has good energy). Sigh - the man has lost his ability to write a really good song. What about that other tune, "Daily Records"? Hmm... it's an okay bouncy one I guess, with a good refrain, but it is, again, generic. I mean, Face Dances is a decent album overall, and certainly tons better than the next one, but apart from the bookend tracks, there's little that holds up to the high standard of the band here.

OVERALL RATING: 6

After Keith Moon died, the group hired Kenney Jones to fill in on skins. After a long break where they did nothing but tour, they finally got together in the studio to record a new album, which was one of the Who's most anticipated albums ever. People were very disappointed. They had been told to expect another Who's Next. Instead, they got eighties pop record. And a generic one at that. Not a BAD one, but a generic one. Actually, it starts out excellently, with the classic "You Better You Bet", which, in my humble opinion, is one of the Who's greatest songs EVER. Great harmony vocals, an energetic Roger performance, and some of the best vocal hooks the band ever recorded. Plus, when it hits the key change at the end, the result is extremely pretty. Great song.

After that, though, it's nice but generic tune after nice but generic tune. None of 'em are bad, and a few of them are even catchy, but there's no reason to listen to any of 'em that much. The songs are laid back and poppy to the point of being insubstantial. The only songs that really sound different are John's two, and, much LIKE the others, are decent, but insubstantial. Basic guitar rock that doesn't rock enough to please rock fans, nor are they poppy enough to please pop fans, nor are they arty enough to please art rock fans. Yeesh. Though, to tell the truth, the last tune on here, "Another Tricky Day", is a good one. It doesn't sound different, but the song actually sounds well written and developed. Plus, the lyrics on it aren't stupid. I didn't mention the dumb lyrics, did I? Some of these lyrics are AWFUL! Points off for "Cache Cache" in particular, for making the chorus the ridiculous repeated chant of "There ain't no bears in there". Yikes!

Basically, you shouldn't be afraid of this album. It's not bad, and there's 1 classic and 1 really good song here. Just don't expect classic Who. If you love eighties synth pop, you might like it more than me, too. And another thing - I wouldn't blame Kenney for this album, like a lot of Who fans do. He was just doing his job, even though his drums are merely decent, rather than fantastic. Townshend was battling drugs, Entwistle was drinking a lot, everyone was depressed by Moon's death, and nobody really cared about making groundbreaking music, and the group admits it now. You'll probably enjoy this record, but it certainly isn't anything you need.

OVERALL RATING: 5

IT'S HARD (1982)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Eminence Front. LOW POINTS: Why Did I Fall For That, Cook's County, I've Known No War.

Yeah, I know, I'm supposed to start off this review by making a really dumb joke about the title and how the album's 'hard to listen to'. But the fact is, It's Hard deserves that fate (why is it that some of the most notoriously bad albums have titles that are incredibly easy to poke fun at?) And it's not even that the songwriting of the band has totally gone down the toilet - out of all these songs, I can't think of any of them in particular that are actually awful. But, and this is a real first for a Who album, there aren't any songs that I could even call really good, either. With maybe two or three exceptions, and some scattered exciting and/or interesting moments, this is one of the most frustrating examples of constant mediocrity on an album I'm aware of, especially an album from a 'classic' band. What the heck happened to the really catchy melodies? The powerful riffs? The vocals? All 'the good's gone'! Ahhh!

Actually, the album does start off pretty good with the single "Athena". I used to hate this song at first before I bought this thing, but it's actually a nice, though somewhat goofy, shuffling tune with effective use of horns and a fine counterpart melody ('just a girl, just a girrrrl'). And there's also the most famous song on here, the side closing rocker "Eminence Front", with a nicely building two minute intro based on a bubbling synth pattern, as well as emotionally troubled vocals and lyrics (actually sung by Pete, and not Roger Rabbit the cartoon character!). The structure and melody does get a bit annoyingly repetitive by the end, but that's no big problem for the standard of this album - this is easily the best song on here. I guess "Cry If You Want", despite basing itself on Townshend's "Communication" from the same year, at least does it in a non-annoying and engaging way as a march to close the album off on.

Ehh... and then there's the other nine tracks, much easier to make fun of than praise, and painful to sit through when taken together. Let's start with John Entwistle's 'contributions'. Two of them are generic synth rockers that are listenable but have nothing resembling catchiness or interest ("It's Your Turn", "Dangerous") and one of em has a melody, but one that steals bits of both "I Can See For Miles" and "Summertime Blues" (the uptempo "One At A Time"). There's also two ballads ("A Man Is A Man", "One Life's Enough") that are pleasant if you lower your expectations, but if you're expecting something melodic with an actual pulse, you can just skip. Especially since the subtlety in Roger Daltrey's voice is long gone by this point. Look no further than the title track - good verse melody, but that chorus is just plain pathetic (the way he sings 'it's hard... so very very very very hard' is enough to make me fall on the floor laughing).

I think I'll just continue making fun of the other songs since it's more enjoyable to do than actually listening to the album. Okay, here goes - "Cook's County" is the musical equivalent of being trapped on a boring carousel for three hours. Why? Because of the keyboard sound and the way the melody keeps going around in circles the whole damn time (with annoying vocals to boot - 'PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING... I'll say it again'). What else - ah, "Why Did I Fall For That" actually rips off "Don't Let Go The Coat" in the verses (come on, a Face Dances melody?!!!) and is pretty lifeless the rest of the way, while "I've Known No War" tries to be melodic and moving, but I remember it just plodding on the same one-note groove for like, a minute in the middle of the song with mild touches of orchestration at the end. Maybe this album objectively deserves a 5 judging by everything taken together, but I'm not going to do that. Or listen to the album again. What a disappointing swan song. Pete, I hope you're happy for this.

OVERALL RATING: 4

The Who's studio swan song is often considered to be one of the worst records in rock history and a complete embarassment to the band. I don't get all of the hatred directed at this release, personally - sure, it isn't Who's Next or The Who Sell Out or Quadrophenia, but I do consider it to be an improvement on the sloppy, inconsistent Face Dances. Bringing back producer Glyn Johns (of Who's Next fame) helped matters a great deal, as the songs no longer seem completely combed for radio play. The sound is rougher overall, and while it still sounds pretty slick in parts, it's generally much better sounding than on Face Dances.

The songwriting isn't bad, either. The biggest hit here was "Eminence Front", which is pretty damn awesome, and in my opinion, is one of the best songs the Who ever did. It builds from a simple synth pattern into a slow, slinky rocker with some great dissaffected, pissed off vocals from Pete. Great tune. Most people like it in fact, even this album's biggest detractors. The other hit was "Athena", an acoustic shuffle with VERY weird lyrics. Most people seem to hate that one, but I like it quite a bit. It's fun, and it gets the album started off on a high note. And while those are the only two songs on this album that vie for the honor of being classics, none of the other 10 songs are bad. Not one. In fact, they're all pretty dang good.

The rocking title track sounds straight out of the sixties (although it was updated with those patended post-1973 Townshend synths), and features a catchy-as-all-get-out chorus. "I've Known No War" builds on a synth loop into a guitar rocker with a powerful performance from Roger Daltrey (who I contend does a great job singing on this album, even though he has said in interviews that he detests this album). "A Man Is A Man" is a ballad that sounds like it was taken straight off of The Who By Numbers, which is fine by me - I liked the ballads there just fine. Even John's three songs aren't bad - they seem to have a lot more melody than his weak contributions to Face Dances, and they even seem pretty energetic. Hell, "Dangerous" is close to being great!

The flaws that inhabit this album are obvious - the band was tired and didn't really care, and with a couple of exceptions, none of the songs are truly exceptional; they're merely good - but that shouldn't stop you from getting this album at some point if you're into the Who. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. And if you pick up the reissue, you get live takes of four of the songs here, all of which have quite a bit of energy (apparently the Who still had some fire left on their quote-unquote "Farewell Tour"). They aren't essential, but they're nice, and they prove that these numbers really aren't that bad at all. If they came mixed in a normal Who performance, I'd wager that they'd sound pretty good.

OVERALL RATING: 7

MY GENERATION - THE VERY BEST OF THE WHO (1996)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: putting all the great early singles in one place and including many other classic hits from the albums. LOW POINTS: no live stuff, not enough from Quadrophenia and Sell Out.

Of course, everyone knows that The Who have issued far too many useless greatest hits compilations throughout their career, but every fan should own at least one of them. And what might the reason for that be? Like their peers The Beatles and Stones, many of this band's best tracks were released only as non-album singles, and this, along with the now out of print Meaty. Beaty, Big And Bouncy and their really pricey boxed set (whose material that was unreleased at the time is now available as bonus tracks on the studio album reissues), is the only place to get all of them on CD. Not only does this compilation include them, but it also includes several of their most famous hits that were actually on the albums, like "Won't Get Fooled Again", "I Can See For Miles", "My Generation" and "5:15". So in essence, this is one album that can be useful for both hardcore and casual fans. Imagine that!

Another really neat feature here is that these tracks really illustrate the development of the band effectively, from the feedback heavy, punkish garage rockers of the early days to their gradual development into artsy, conceptual territory to really bombastic arena rock to synth heavy pop compositions, with everything in between. Of course, there is a downside to this - the compilation is a bit of a let down in terms of living up to the 'best' title, since arguably their greatest strength of all, which happens to be playing live (of course), isn't showcased. Only one song each from the tremendous Quadrophenia (5:15) and Who Sell Out (I Can See For Miles) is a little disappointing, too, but oh well. In terms of quality of the songs, the material is still a 10 overall, without a doubt, but I gotta dock it a point on the 'compilation' scale for these reasons.

Oh yeah... I haven't even mentioned these non-album tracks yet, all essential cuts that you need in your collection. "I Can't Explain" was their first single, and while it's certainly a bit too close to the early rockin' Kinks style of 1964, the riff is awesome enough that it's been called the 'ultimate punk riff'. "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere", though, is just as good, a simply awesome feedback extravaganza that holds up extremely well through its' weak production, and the main melody of course rules. "Substitute", meanwhile, is perhaps one of the greatest pop songs ever written, and one of the best examples of the alienation subject Pete Townshend was writing about. The guitar part is simply awesome, the melody unbeatable, and it's also high energy.

A leftover from an early attempt at a rock opera Pete was trying to create, "I'm A Boy" is the story of a boy who grows up in a family who wanted four girls instead, and such feels like an outsider, with the vocal tradeoff between Roger and Pete in the verses particularly standing out - really infectious chorus, too. "Happy Jack" is even a great showcase of Keith Moon's thunderous drums actually carrying the song's main melody, and while it would have a more anthemic presence on stage, it's still quite a powerful number anyway. The masturbation ode, "Pictures Of Lily" is more great early pop in addition to being lyrically intriguing. Moving on, "Magic Bus" is a song that can in a sense be called a transition from Sell Out and Tommy, with a much improved production style and a more bombastic arrangement in addition to having a powerful anchored bass groove by John Entwistle.

As for the 70's non-album tracks, they aren't as immediately striking as the ones from the previous decade, but "The Seeker" is a great bombastic riff tune that sounds like a perfect predecessor to Who's Next (particularly in Daltrey's vocal style). "Let's See Action" is another cool rocking song with really neat use of backing vocals and echoes in particular, and "Join Together", while an acquired taste, has an incredibly cool groove to it and the verse melody is just as powerful as anything else here. The other cuts here (My Generation, Boris The Spider, I Can See For Miles, Pinball Wizard, Baba O' Riley, Won't Get Fooled Again, 5:15, Squeeze Box, Who Are You and You Better You Bet) can all be found on earlier albums, so see above for more information and opinions on those. As for this compilation, it can be summed up in the following three words: GET IT NOW!

OVERALL RATING: 9

Normally I'm not really a "greatest hits" kind of guy, but this album is a major exception. You see, many of the Who's biggest hits and best songs were singles and were never released on official albums. An earlier greatest hits compilation called Meaty, Beaty, Big And Bouncy collected 8 of these hard to find singles and put them with 6 already released but still great album tracks to make one hell of a great listen. Well, subtract 2 songs from that album that were already on the original The Who Sings My Generation album and you have half of this album. You get classic rockers like the Kinks styled "I Can't Explain", the feedback heavy "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere", the quieter, quirkier numbers like "Happy Jack", "Pictures Of Lily", "I'm A Boy", and "Substitute", classic hard rock like "The Seeker", and groovy numbers like "Magic Bus". There is no excuse not to have all of these early songs in your record collection. You also get 2 later period singles, the decent "Let's See Action" and the terrific "Join Together" with a really catchy vocal hook in the verses. All in all, that's 10 songs that aren't available anywhere else besides greatest hits albums or the box set. That's enough to make even hardcore fans buy this album - you NEED these classic singles.

For novices, aside from those 10 great songs, there are also 10 tracks that made it onto albums but still rule enough to remain enjoyable, no matter what context the songs appear in. You can't go wrong with "Baba O'Riley", "Won't Get Fooled Again", "My Generation", "I Can See For Miles", "Squeeze Box", "5.15", "Boris The Spider", "Who Are You", "Pinball Wizard" and "You Better You Bet" (which some people don't like since it comes from a Keith Moon-less version of the band, but it's hard to deny how great the melody is, regardless of the goofy lyrics). Novices need to hear these songs, and experts certainly won't mind hearing them again. Sure, the Who had a lot of great songs that aren't on here, and many of them were huge hits, but hey, there's only so much you can fit on one disc. This is the ideal collection - essential for diehards yet still great throughout for newbies. I normally don't give out super high grades to compilations, but this one can't be denied. Get it.

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

LIVE AT THE ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL (1996)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: We're Not Gonna Take It, Water, Young Man Blues, Shakin' All Over/Spoonful/Twist And Shout, Amazing Journey, I Don't Even Know Myself, Naked Eye. LOW POINTS: None, other than the slight superflousness of the tracks from Leeds.

Twenty six years after Leeds (and a year after its' expanded reissue), we get the release of the other notorious album now thrown into the debate in a discussion of which Who live effort is the best one. Though actually recorded in the same year, it wouldn't have made much sense to release two live albums at the time, so this one stayed in the vaults for awhile. Well thankfully this set from the Isle of Wight outdoor festival (which also saw one of the last stage performances from Jimi Hendrix) is out, because this archive effort rules. And amazingly, it actually rules in a different way for the most part - since the festival saw crowds of like, 200,000 people, the band pretty much had to create a louder and more energetic experience than before. The result is actually quite sloppy at points, too, with a few missed notes and chaotic playing from Pete especially, but amazingly, it manages to work to Wight's advantage.

Granted, this does have a few flaws that prevent it from being quite on the same level as Leeds, but they're not bad or anything. Most noticeably, since Wight was recorded shortly after that concert, several of the songs are identical. But to the band's credit, they're not really much weaker than before, just less definitive, though it can be argued the extra sloppiness adds to the intensity of "Young Man Blues", and "Magic Bus" is much shorter and sounds completely different than either previously available version of the song (plus you can hear the interesting novelty of Pete's guitar starting to give out at the end, preventing the band from playing a longer set). "I Can't Explain" benefits from the extra energy, and "Heaven And Hell" still rocks - great solo there. In addition, I don't get the same comprehensive feeling from here that I get from Leeds, despite this being 2 discs, or the thrill of hearing the live versions destroy some already impressive originals for the first time.

Still, there are a lot of thrills here that can't be found elsewhere. Most notably the ultimate versions of two non-album songs in "I Don't Even Know Myself" and "Water", either one of which would have given Who's Next a 10 replacing weaker tracks. The first one is a typically great high-energy Who rocker in the verses (with vintage riffing and Daltrey vocals) and a funny lightweight rootsy shuffle in the chorus - interesting contrast. The second I already mentioned in my Odds And Sods review, but this version takes the song to its' ultimate potential - the opening guitar line takes on its' own majesty on stage, as does the 'I'm sure there ain't one of us here who'd say NO to somebody's daughter...' chants. But the best part of it is the absolutely chaotic and utterly hypnotizing epic guitar soloing here - this is the stuff that stage Gods are made of. Absolutely wonderful.

Also, this album probably boasts the definitive live version of Tommy, a version that is in a lot of aspects better than the studio one. It's not a complete performance of it, which is good in many ways (the crappy 10 minute bore of "Underture" is gone, as is the crappy 5 minute bore of "Welcome") though a slight letdown in others (overlooked minor gems in "Sensation" and "Sally Simpson" are gone as well). In any case, the idea of Tommy as an acoustic guitar album is gone here - just about every song is given a high-energy treatment, and that treatment works particularly well on "Amazing Journey" (just like on Leeds, it's an unbelievably awesome burst of power on stage) and "We're Not Gonna Take It", perhaps the single best performance on the entire album - the extended 'listening to you....' portion may be Roger Daltrey's most glorious God-like moment as a vocalist, even more so than the "Won't Get Fooled Again" scream. And the rest of the song feels more epic and complete.

What about the short fillers, you ask? Well, I'll be the first to admit they sound a little awkward on stage, and they're all performed almost in a row, but somehow, they aren't quite as distracting as they were before, and "Fiddle About" becomes even more menacing! The only song I actually feel suffers in this context is one of my favorites, the opening "Overture" - it doesn't really work as a loud blast, and the Entwistle horn embellishments are sorely missed (though his bass playing throughout is stunning, as usual). In all, though, this is a thoroughly impressive performance of the famed rock opera - the crowdpleasers like "Pinball Wizard", "The Acid Queen" and "Sparks" still go off great, and the emotion is arguably even higher here (witness "It's A Boy"). While I wouldn't say this performance is necessarily a replacement for Tommy, go here to see a great new dimension of it.

After the Tommy portion of the set, the band doesn't let up one bit in ripping through more of their by now standards. "Summertime Blues" and "Substitute" are still magnificent as usual, "My Generation" might be improved on by cutting down the extended 'jam' portions in half (with a reprise of "Water" thrown in there) and "Shakin' All Over" becomes even more of a rumbling beast with absolutely mindblowing vocal workouts of "Spoonful" and "Twist And Shout" tacked on to it. The already classic "Naked Eye" is a welcome addition to the set, too, moving their sound even closer to the bombast of Who's Next. What a great archive album we have here - an insane amount of energy and rawness, entertaining stage banter from Moon and Townshend, and a fabulous setlist. As pointed out before, there are only a few minor problems, though for whatever reason, several make the sloppiness of the performance to be a lot more distracting than it actually is. Forget that - if you can't get enough of live Who, this is basically priceless.

OVERALL RATING: 9.5

An excellent archival release of the Who's legendary set at the Isle Of Wight in 1970. It was recorded not too long after Live At Leeds, so a lot of the tracks are the same ("Heaven And Hell", "I Can't Explain", "Substitute", "Young Man Blues", "Amazing Journey"/"Sparks", "My Generation", "Summertime Blues", "Shakin' All Over", "Magic Bus"), but most are just as great anyway. They sound pretty similar to the Leeds counterparts (except "My Generation", which is shorter and incorporates elements of "Water", and "Magic Bus", which is shortened to 3 minutes or so; "Shakin All Over" also veers off into "Spoonful" and "Twist And Shout", all of which are quite exciting). Though they're still great, the Leeds versions are almost always slightly better and more polished. Still, if you've never heard Leeds before, these tracks will still blow you away.

The biggest thing on this album is the inclusion of a nearly complete Tommy instead of just the brief snippet found on Leeds. it certainly doesn't sound as polished as the studio version, but it's much more energetic, which makes up for it. This album contains the definitive singing of "Listening To You" at the end of "We're Not Gonna Take It", building up in excitement and energy before finally collapsing back into one of the main riffs of the album. It rules! Most of the songs that were on Tommy still sound great here. Still, the short plot songs that were on the original sound a bit weird in concert, and a lack of some great songs ("Cousin Kevin" and "Sally Simpson" in particular) hurt the performance slightly. Still, there are no major complaints. Tommy enthusiasts definately need to pick this up ASAP.

The rest of the songs are good, too. "I Don't Even Know Myself" is pretty lightweight, but it's still catchy and fun. "Water", despite lyrics that rival some of Jim Morrison's dumbest, is a fantastic rocker with some great guitar work. "Naked Eye" is a very good track as well, featuring one of the musical interludes used in the Leeds version of "My Generation". And... well, that's it. This is a double CD, so it costs more than Leeds, and the performances aren't quite as perfect, but this is still a very good release and highly recommended if you like live Who.

OVERALL RATING: 9