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by Michael J. Ryan 
Friday, April 11, 2003

The Who - Who's next Deluxe Edition (MCA Universal
Chronicles): By any standards, The Who's 1971 "Who's
next" is one of the greatest rock albums ever made.

By the early 1970s, The Who -- Roger Daltrey (vocals);
John Entwistle (bass, piano, vocals); Keith Moon
(percussion); and Pete Townshend -- were trying to
follow up the stunning success of the rock opera
"Tommy." Townshend was working on his "Lifehouse"
science-fiction film project and had cobbled together
what he felt were several solid demos. After the
"Lifehouse" effort broke apart, due to Townshend's
lack of a consistent vision, the band was left with a
batch of great new tunes for the next album. As a
result, nearly every contribution on "Who's next" is
by Townshend. The lone exception being Entwistle's "My
Wife." "Who's next" contains no filler: "Baba
O'Riley," "Bargain," "Love Ain't For Keeping," "My
Wife," "The Song Is Over," "Getting In Tune," "Going
Mobile," "Behind Blue Eyes" and "Won't Get Fooled
Again" are now pumped up and fattened, thanks to a
superb remastering job by Jon Astley.

While the original album is magnificent, it is the
bonus material that makes this package invigorating.

There are six newly remixed tracks (following the
original nine tunes) on the first disc. All were
recorded at the New York Record Plant in March, 1971.

Marvin Gaye's "Baby Don't You Do It," features Leslie
West on lead guitar. The R&B track, which goes on for
eight-and-one-half minutes, is intriguing because the
sound is Motown but the performance is unmistakably
The Who.

Alternative versions of "Getting In Tune" and "Love
Ain't For Keeping" 

boast different mixes. An early barebones take on
"Won't Get Fooled Again," features a surrogate
synthesizer arrangement. "Pure And Easy," is charming
while "Behind Blue Eyes," with Al Kooper on organ, is
slightly different from the eventual album take.

The second disc features material recorded at the
Young Vic Theater in South London on April 26, 1971.
By this point The Who's live output was downright
Paleolithic. The combination of Entwistle's bass and
Moon's drums gave the band a fat, muscular sound that
was enhanced by Townsend's deft guitar work. In
addition, Daltrey's fiery vocals were perfect foil in
a concert setting. The songs, which -- sonically --
sound similar to "Live At Leeds," have been remixed.
Only two of the 14 tracks have been released before;
"Water" a B-side, and "Naked Eye" on 1974's "Odds and
Sods."

The set list, which draws heavily from the "Who's
next" material, runs as follows: "Love Ain't For
Keeping," "Pure And Easy," "Young Man Blues," "Time Is
Passing," "Behind Blue Eyes," "I Don't Even Know
Myself," "Too Much Of Anything," "Getting In Tune,"
"Bargain," "Water," "My Generation," "Road Runner,"
"Naked Eye," and "Won't Get Fooled Again." Only "Road
Runner" is stagnant and unfocused; the 13 other cuts
are sensational, filled with wild riffs and thunderous
jams.

"Who's next Deluxe Edition" contains an invaluable
28-page booklet filled with photos, new liner notes
(by Townshend), recording information and personnel
contributions.

This is the likely standard by which all "Deluxe
Edition" projects will be measured.

Fans of The Who or classic rock will adore the music
contained therein.

GRADE: 10

For more information on The Who, please go to
www.thewho.com.


=====
-Brian in Atlanta
The Who This Month!
http://www.thewhothismonth.com
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