[none]

[Chaim Singer-Frankes <Chaim@vhf.org>]

Whosters,
I have been listeining intently to the re-release of Who Are You. This
has 
always been one of my favorite albums. It displays virtuosity, maturity
and 
material which is overall musically satisfying.  I am not of the opinion
that 
it needed as much re-mastering as was done, aside from "cleaning up" the
actual tape. It sounds pristine, but the decision to rework some guitar
leads 
and horn crescendos was probably not necessary. The liner notes are 
wonderfully informative (as are those for the re-release of Who's Next).
 

With particular regard to the bonus tracks, I am intrigued by the Pete
demo 
"No Road Romance." It has a timid, self effacing quality which is
distinctly 
Townshend. I have a question about a lyric. "He's held some beautiful
girls 
in his arms but now he touches his punk? bunk?" Which is it? And if
either, 
is it referring to his male anatomy? If anyone can answer this, I'll be
most 
appreciative. 

The Who augmented demo of Empty Glass (Choir Boy) is fascinating. All in
all, 
this is like having a gift of insight with the same significance as
Scoop or 
Another Scoop. Good stuff. 

Lastly I have grown to believe that Guitar and Pen is somewhat of a
mini-
opera. Yes, Pete typically goes from one manic voice to another. In
Guitar 
and Pen however it is one voice with the music that prominently shifts
from 
one mode to the next. I can't really describe what I mean here but I
suggest 
giving it another listen with an ear for the operatic quality; if for no
other reasons than the sheer length and thematic approach to the piece.

Pete makes me cry. I cried during the first third of the House of Blues
show 
in April and I often cry when listening to the albums.

- -C

P.S. Face Dances and It's Hard have very redeeming material. They are
the
band at that time and thus serves the albums serve as documents. That's
it. 
I don't listen to those tracks with the same freqency that I did ten
years 
ago, but when I do I still get that same "feeling." Pete is a versatile 
writer. Warhol went in many directions too. It's called life.
Development. 
Creativity. Maturity. Regression. Hello?!?!? In retrospect, it's more 
important that as artists they produced SOMETHING." I'm not apologizing
for 
them however because Pete's not out there at bat for me.