improv style

[Gerald Andrew namechanged <gaf12@columbia.edu>]

I've noticed something listening to the bootlegs I have of live Who
material ranging from c. '68 to "Live at Leeds".  (Unfortunately the
pitifully few legitimately released live albums don't show this.)  
The group's style of jamming changed quite a bit just in these few years.
On this one boot I have, recorded at the Filmore East in NYC, April 6,
1968, they do a lot of very free-form sounding jamming, but it's not like
LAL.  The '68 style is usually centered basically around one chord.  (Moon
isn't that different-- He goes nuts as usual.)  But Townshend and
Entwistle seem to be really pushing the limit of how much they can get
out of one central chord.  Townshend especially...  He doesn't do much in
the way of single note (blues-style) solos.  He picks around on full
chords changing one note or a couple notes at a time (sort of like the
intro to Pinball Wizard).  I'm not familiar with any other band that was
jamming in this style at this time (or ever really).  

By the time of LAL their sound is much more typical in my opinion.  Maybe
due to the influence of Hendrix, Zepplin, and others.  Don't get me wrong,
LAL is my favorite album.  But I don't think it is quite as distinctive
sounding as the 1968 bootleg I have.  

This relates to what Andrew Thompson was saying yesterday I think.

Has anyone else noticed this?  Any thoughts?

I really wish they would issue more of their old live material, or make
it easily and legally available somehow.

- -Jerry F.