HAPPY JACK/TKAA QUESTION

[msecero@attmail.com (Martin J Secero)]

Good Morning, Everyone!!!!!!!


With all the debate surrounding the source of the live "Happy Jack" from
TKAA, I thought I'd add my own two cents.

I'm very very sure that the live Happy Jack is NOT from Leeds 2/14/70. In fact
I believe it is actually from Swedish TV circa 1967. I have a double vinyl
boot called The WHO - ARCHIVES, which came out around 1980-1981. The cover has
a full color pic of Pete with a Gibson Les Paul from probably late 1979. The
majority of this bootleg collection is made up of Townshend demos from the
Quick One/Sell Out era (Rael, Disguises, Don't Look Away, Kill My Appetite,
Glittering Girl, etc.). The last side of this vinyl boot has the WHO live from
Swedish TV 1967 or 1968 (I have to re-examine the track list to reconfirm).
The Who performed 3 songs one right after the other: I Can't Explain, Happy
Jack, and I'm A Boy. Hardly a break for air between Happy Jack and I'm A Boy.
The Happy Jack on this boot is EXACTLY the same performance as the TKAA live
version (although the TKAA version was remixed). The Lifehouse TO Leeds Happy
Jack and I'm A Boy are EXACTLY the same performances as well. I would not put
much faith in the Lifehouse To Leeds source list. Bootleggers are notorious
for misrepresenting audio sources. The worst offender has to be the company
who made the boot "The WHO: Cobo Hall, Detroit 1972". Worst bootleg CD EVER.
Period. These guys took poor quality audio from the TKAA soundtrack, Bargain
from Who's Missing, and the Baby Don't Ya Do It from the Join Together 1972
single. Then they added MORE crowd noise, and passed the boot off as an
audience source tape. TERRIBLE!!!!!!

In Summary: I'm pretty sure that the live Happy Jack is from Swedish TV
1967-68. Remember that their live repertoire was evolving constantly at the
time, and they did a segment where they performed "Three Select Hit
Singles"---particularly Substitute, Happy Jack, and I'm A Boy, in that
order---at most of their concerts from this period 1967-1970. I'd be willing
to place a wager on this. But then, maybe all the bootleggers and fans are
wrong and the source IS Leeds 2/14/70. Then again, maybe the source is
Swedish TV, but will be included on the Feb. 28 Live at Leeds reissue and
"passed off" as being performed at Leeds. WHO KNOWS? Exactly.........

Marty Secero

"How Many Friends Have I Really Got?"