Who's Next review

[i.j.burn@reading.ac.uk (ian burn)]

The November issue of Record Collector has a review of the forthcoming
reissue of 'Who's Next'. Some thought has gone into it; not your usual
magazine bland review:

Pete Townshend doesn't explain 'Lifehouse' in his notes to this reissue -
maybe nobody could - but he does offer fresh evidence as to why his first
epic project of the early 70s came to grief. Something to do with lack of
managerial support, apparently. Not that the average Who fan minded: out of
the chaos of public reversals and private soul-searching came one of the
the new decade's classic rock albums, the first (and some say the last)
masterpiece by the newly adult, post 'Tommy' Who.

As the recording details in the booklet reveal, 'Who's Next' was assembled
from three sources: Pete Townshend's original demos (as usual Pete arrived
at the sessions with every last drum roll mapped out for his band to
follow), some abortive sessions in New York, and a more productive spell at
Olympic Studios in London. Pete's synths were retained on 'Baba O'Riley'
and 'Won't Get Fooled Again', but none of the New York cuts were used on
the finished record, the band choosing to start from scratch back in
London.

Besides the brilliant original album, this CD version features seven bonus
tracks, extending but not completing the list of songs which Townshend had
set aside for 'Lighthouse' ('Join Together', 'Let's See Action', Relay',
and 'Put The Money Down' were the other refugees). Several of these extra
tracks have already surfaced on the naughty bootleg, 'From Lifehouse To
Leeds', the master tapes for which - stolen in the first place - were
negotiated back from the pirates for this release by co-compiler Chris
Charlesworth.

They include a stirring 'Pure and Easy', which outclasses the more familiar
'Odds And Sods' cut, and the New York recording of 'Behind Blue Eyes', with
Al Kooper on organ. The single B-side 'I Don't Even Know Myself' is an
other welcome addition, though 'Naked Eye' and 'Water' remain two of the
Who's more tiresome pieces, even if they were apparently intrinsic to the
'Lifehouse' extravaganza. Rounding out the package are 'Too Much Of
Anything' (from 'Odds And Sods') and the strangest 'Lifehouse' contender of
all, Marvin Gaye's hit 'Baby Don't You Do It' - this version coming from
the studio, not the stage, like the B-side of 'Join Together'.
'Who's Next' remains a formidable record, extending the band's range at the
same time as it stripped away all the remnants of 60s psychedelia and
Swinging London. But 'Lifehouse' remains as nebulous as ever, despite
Pete's notes and the bonus tracks. Maybe it will take the legal release of
his original demos to explain the full significance of an adventure of one
of rock's finest bands for the first few years of the 70s.


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Ian Burn                                        e-mail: vlsburia@reading.ac.uk
The Library, The University of Reading,            Tel: +44 0734 318775
Whiteknights, Reading RG6 2AE, Great Britain.      Fax: +44 0734 316636
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