Re: Who's Next Deluxe review

[Ken in MD <seahawkman2001@xxxxxxxxx>]

I picked it up at Best Buy last night and listened to
half of the live disc in the car and then selections
from disc one on the phones at home.

>>the original album. Sounds fantastic<<
Agreed.  It has a more open and warm feeling.  Really
nice sound on the piano and John's bass. Same with the
New York tracks.

>>Overall not as good as live Who can get, but still
live Who and what's wrong with that?<<
Amazing to think that this show is only a little over
a year after Leeds. The interesting banter between
songs belies the gig's uneasy vibe as the band tries
out new songs on audience that's never heard them:
Pete asks a couple guys to stop dancing because they
are distracting the band!  He says the new songs are
"a bit lame," and while that's harsh they do stumble
here and there.  Roger goes off key here and there
(and they didn't re-record it last year!)and the
run-through is halting on certain tracks. Let it be
said that John nails his parts everywhere! Standouts
to me include Pure and Easy, Time is Passing, YMB,
Roadrunner.  The sound quality is mixed, good for the
msot part, but IDEKM is harsh sounding. 

>>The packaging is interesting.<<  Uh, yeah.  While
the gatefold/digipack is nice, why did they merely
reprint the essays by Pete and John Atkins from the
'95 remaster?!  after making such a big deal in ICE
and elsewhere about having "finally" located the
"real" stereo master for the "first" time, you'd think
they would have at least talked a little bit about the
source material in the notes.  I for one would like to
know more details about the creation and provenance of
the Young Vic tapes.  And would it kill them to have
reproduced the Decca label on disc 2 in the original
color?

Overall thoughts.  Essential to completists and those
for whom WN and Lifehouse are critical.  A very good
document of the project as it evolved, but I agree
with Mark that it is odd that its done in reverse
chronological order.  I would have liked the addition
of half a dozen or more WN live tracks after the album
release and when the band is firing on all four
cylinders - SF '71 would be nice.  Yeah, a triple CD:
New York sessions and Young Vic on disc 1; original
album and singles b-sides on disc 2; San Francisco '71
and/or a '72 concert on disc 3. :-)

Well, what are you waiting for?  

cheers,
Ken



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I SUPPORT PETE TOWNSHEND.
NO 'What Ifs' NECESSARY. 
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