A REISSUE WORTH HAVING: WHO'S NEXT

I've been listening to The Who a lot lately, I'm excited for their Super Bowl performance tomorrow. A have a lot of "bonus reissues" and while I am a big fan of the "dexlue edition" format, oftentimes the added tracks are more of a curiousity than essential stuff. In the LP era, decisions had to be made as to what did and didn't make a record, and I would say that The Who generally choose well.

I love the original version of the 1971 album Who's Next. Some don't like it: at this point, they were no longer a "mod" or even a "garage rock" band. It kind of transformed music: they added lots of synths and loops and keyboard stuff, but without losing their muscle or thier hearts. It was very widescreen.  It kind of changed the course of FM radio, and also helped to create stadium rock. It wasn't the short, sharp "Can't Explain" type songs.  Which was appropriate: Pete Townshend was developing very quickly as a songwriter and producer and this album reflects that. 

Anyway, the reissue: The Who has released and re-released lots of their albums, and sometimes I really do end up skipping through some of the extras. Not here. Disc one includes the entire original album, along with sessions from New York's Record Plant recorded in March of 1971. There's a great cover of Marvin Gaye's "Baby Don't You Do It" which featured Leslie West of Mountain on lead guitar, a weird alternate not-totally-finished sounding version of "Won't Get Fooled Again" and my favorite, a totally different version of "Love Ain't For Keeping." This is an electric version (the album version is played mainly on acoustic guitars) and features Pete singing (Roger Daltrey sings on the album version). You can also get this version on the 1998 re-release of Odds and Sods.

Disc two is a live concert recorded at the Young Vic in London on April 26, 1971, and it's the band in top form. It opens with an electric "Love Ain't For Keeping," this version with Roger singing. It also has their incredible version of Mose Allison's "Young Man Blues," Bo Diddley's "Roadrunner" and some rare Who tracks, "Time Is Passing" (sung by Roger, but Pete later recorded his own version for his solo debut, 1972's Who Came First), "I Don't Even Know Myself," "Too Much Of Anything," "Water" and "Naked Eye."

I'm often a bit suspicious of re-issues, but this one really hits the spot. It has enough alternate versions of songs to give some context to the "official" versions, cool rare songs and some really powerful live performances.  It's a great portrait of a band at a huge point in their collective evolution, but more than that, it's a great collection to listen to on a long drive (or run).

...AND THE GODFATHERS

I've heard about an upcoming documentary on The Who that's coming out soon called Amazing Journey. The Who aren't short on DVDs, and of course The Kids Are Alright is a pretty cool film, but I'm looking forward to this one. Basically, it tells the story of the relationship between Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, and it has footage of The Who back when they were called The High Numbers, and it finishes with a performance of "Tea And Theatre" from their latest album, Endless Wire.

Lots of people have been cynical about every Who reunion since they originally split in 1982 or 1983, whenever it was. I saw them for the first time on their first reunion tour in 1989. In retrospect, I realize that the real reason for the tour wasn't just the anniversary of their classic album Tommy, but that John Entwistle needed the money. And, in retropspect, the whole idea of them touring with a horn section and backing singers seems a bit over the top - Pete even called it "The Who On Ice" at the time, if I remember correctly. All I knew at the time was that I was getting to see The Who, a band I never thought I'd have the opportunity to see. I loved it. All the same, I didn't go to the next tour, which celebrated the anniversary of Quadrophenia, an album I wasn't a huge fan of. (That was also probably for John, too.)

But a few years later, a friend who worked at their label offered me a pair of tickets to see the band at The House Of Blues in Chicago. The Who in a club! And, if that wasn't enough, Eddie Vedder was opening! Financially, I had no business going, but I went anyway. It was unbelievable. Actually the most moving part of the night was when they performed Roger's solo hit, written for him by Pete, "After The Fire." But the whole thing was great. They still had it. But one of the reasons why they are still so great, it must be said, is drummer Zak Starkey.

I've seen them once since then - the summer that John Entwistle passed away. They were way better than I hoped they'd be. It was really exciting that they finally released a new album last year, even though I didn't love it, and I haven't seen them on tour for it. But, they're still The Who, and to paraphrase Neil Young, long may they run.