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Who's Next Deluxe review



Let me begin by saying I'm a demanding perfectionist sort of fellow when it comes to my favorite band. I've never been of the "Who's Next is the best Who album" school, because after the first listen I knew Quad won that contest hands down. However WN is still a damned fine album and the best of the year in 1971 (not to quote the Chairman of the Board, but it was a very good year).

So...I'll take it in three sections.

A) the original album. Sounds fantastic, which is to say they've fixed the problems (the static in the opening piano during Baba and they used the remixed WGFA previously only found on My Generation-The Best Of)

B) NYC sessions. Sounds fantastic, it's all remixed and although Leslie West is often where Pete should be, mix-wise, no complaints here. Great perspective piece.

C) Young Vic. Not the BEST 1971 concert, by a long shot, because the band wasn't yet familiar with the songs (this is the earliest material here, it's a strange thing but this release is set up in reverse chronological order). But the new remix fixes or covers a lot of the problems, leaving Getting In Tune and Bargain the weakest tracks here. On the plus side, they include a good 30 minutes of material not on the Young Vic bootleg, and it's ALL great! A damned fine live version (finally!) of Pure And Easy (my all-time favorite Who track) is very welcome. Time Is Passing is also very nice to get. A forshortened Young Man Blues is nonetheless very powerful. However, Bonie Moronie is missing...although available on the 30 Years boxed set. Overall not as good as live Who can get, but still live Who and what's wrong with that? I'll probably listen to this one most of the two discs.

The packaging is interesting. The first CD has the Track label, undoubtedly the way it was released in the UK. The second has a Decca label, and I can attest to it being the US release EXCEPT instead of a color band on the right, it's grey and white. The cover has the usual (for Deluxe editions) plastic cover, the artwork you might have a passing familiarity with. The book has the same material (plus a bit about Young Vic) but a different setup and photos.

Minor complaints: I would have had a different `71 show, maybe not instead of but in addition to (am I asking too much?). I would have also had another disc of Lifehouse material (like Join Together and The Relay, the studio version of Time Is Passing) and outtakes. To make it a complete Lifehouse set. However, this material HAS been released so I suppose I could just make myself a companion disc...perhaps I will.

So...get off your ass and buy it! Support your band! You won't be sorry.


"There is no way to peace. Peace is the way."
                               A.J. Muste

                 Cheers             ML
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