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So as a diehard Who fan, this CD came out and I HAD to get it. Even though I already had the Who’s Next extended edition they released a few years back. Is it worth it though buying this version? In a word: Yes. I will explain more fully in a few moments.
The original version was released in 1971 with only 9 tracks. It was basically the amalgamation of Who tracks that were culled from Pete Townshend’s failed Lifehouse project. (For more on Lifehouse, you can read the liner notes or check out Pete’s website at http://www.eelpie.com.) The album was thrown together and the songs were in no particular order, meaning that any sort of lineage they would’ve had on Lifehouse was not evident here. With such a seemingly thrown together record it was doomed to fail right? Wrong. This became what many call the Who’s best CD ever. The original featured classics like “Bargain,” “Behind Blue Eyes”, “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, and “Baba O’Riley.” The disc went to #1 in England and #4 in America. The other 5 tracks that rounded out the record were: “Love Ain’t for Keeping,” “My Wife” (John Entwistle’s only contribution to the record), “The Song is Over,” “Getting in Tune” and “Going Mobile.”
With the Who regaining popularity in the early to mid 90’s many Who CD’s were re-released with bonus tracks. Almost the whole catalog would contain more songs than the original album version. Live at Leeds would swell from 6 tracks to 14, then a few years later a Deluxe Edition of THAT would come out with the whole show. My Generation went from the original 14 to a double disc deluxe edition and Who’s Next went from the original 9 songs to 15. Included in the newer version were some Who demos for the Lifehouse sessions and two songs from the Young Vic shows they played in preparation for the Liefhouse concerts they wanted to play.
The mid 90’s edition would be bolstered by the following songs: Pure and Easy, Baby Don’t you Do It, Naked Eye, Water, Too Much of Anything, I don’t know Myself and Behind Blue Eyes. Naked Eye and Water were the two songs from the Young Vic concert. Behind Blue Eyes and Pure and Easy and were early demo versions of the songs. Baby Don’t You Do It was just an unreleased song, and the other two I believe were songs not currently available at the time as Odds and Sods had not been released yet.
The additions of these 7 songs made Who’s Next even better if you can believe it. Well, the Who would not be done yet. About 8 years later, Who’s Next again would be reissued, this time as a double disc set. The first CD would contain almost all the same songs. Instead of the two Young Vic songs, the first CD would contain two very early versions of Getting in Tune and Won’t Get Fooled Again. It’s very interesting to hear the early versions of these songs, especially Won’t Get Fooled Again. The backing track is noticeably different and the lyrics have not yet been finalized. Getting in Tune also featured a different arrangement though the elements that made the issued track so memorable. Also, since Too Much of Anything and I Don’t Know Myself were now available elsewhere, they were axed from this CD. In it’s place would be a heavier version of Love Ain’t For Keeping. The real reason to buy this CD though is the second disc.
The second CD presents a full concert from the Young Vic. The Who played three consecutive Mondays in a row there in April of 1971 and this is from April 26th. A full concert of the Who. 14 songs! Some of these songs have never been released on CD live. Any Who fan knows the Who’s real charm is their live shows. They are probably the greatest live band ever assembled. This is from probably their greatest period too. Tommy had come out two years before and they spent much of that time touring (and with it came Live at Leeds, the best live CD EVER) and so they were on their game. This would also be one of the first times they ever performed some of the Who’s Next songs Live.
The show starts off with a heavier version of Love Ain’t For Keeping. Next is Pure and Easy which actually includes an extra verse. The Who continue into a rocking version of Young Man Blues where Pete must’ve broken a string on his guitar so John and Keith jam away while Pete gets a new guitar, tunes it for a second then jumps right back into the action. Just Awesome.
The Who proceed onto the new material now starting with Time is Passing which features a Daltrey harmonica solo or sorts, followed by Behind Blue Eyes. The Who go right on with the newbies delivering spectacular performances of I Don’t Know Myself, Too Much of Anything, Getting In Tune (which sounded really neat without the familiar piano part instead being arpeggioed on guitar) Bargain and Water.
The Who head for familiar ground with a relative brief version of My Generation and then (I’m A) Road Runner which has an interesting story behind this performance. Apparantly some kids were harrassing older women in the audience for this song and one happened to be Daltrey’s ex girlfriend so they weren’t concentrating too hard on this song.
The final two songs they played tonight were Naked Eye and Won’t Get Fooled Again. Overall, it was an excellent concert. Not as good as Leeds or anything but I’d say it’s on par with their Isle of Wight performance. Townshend’s guitar playing here is excellent and a great reminder of what an underrated player he is. Entwistle as always is solid with unbelievable bass lines. Moon is crazy too. His drumming is always incredible. If you want to hear a real drummer, listen to this disc. Daltrey’s voice sounds great too.
Overall, if you don’t have Who’s Next, you must buy it. Extended version or not. If you’re new to the Who, I don’t know how much the second disc will add to the value for you. For better Who concerts you can buy Live At Leeds. If you’re a modest to big Who fan, this is definitely recommended. It features the only version (I know of at least) the classic Won’t Get Fooled Again with the original 4 members of the band. That alone makes it worth it. In the end, easily a ***** double- disc set.
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