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THE WHO
Live At Leeds (Deluxe Edition) (MCA)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
About half a dozen years ago I found out that I'd been duped for the entirety of my rock and rollin' life into believing that The Who's performance at Leeds was as short as it was powerful. I know, I know, it's just one of those things you start believing when you're a kid and forget to question when you're older and smarter. Then they came out with the expanded, single disc version in 1995 and I smacked my head so hard I got dain bramage. It was only then that I did some reading and discovered that we were still being denied the entire concert, but I was quite blown away by the new additions so I didn't bitch much.
As we near the end of 2001 it seems MCA has come up with a way to make us buy it again. No complaints from me! They finally gave us the whole damn thing, which means... ya ready?... ANOTHER RECORDING OF TOMMY! That's right, the deaf, dumb and blind pinball messiah made an appearance at Leeds University on February 14th, 1970, which is why there are two CDs instead of one in this incarnation. For some people this is reason to carjack the nearest running vehicle and race to the CD store. For others, there are questions to be asked. Is it a good performance of Tommy? Are they into it? Of course they're into it. You don't play "Young Man Blues," "Substitute," "Happy Jack" and the other songs with so much energy and then just slag off on the musical work that is your current bread and butter, do you? No. They're into it.
I don't care that you've already bought this four times in vinyl and twice in CD format. You have to have it. Sell the other two CDs. Trade them in on something. Give the 1995 one to someone who thinks that Frampton Comes Alive is the greatest live album, like, EVER, dude! And if you yourself have forgotten about the power and chemistry of The Who at their finest, tie a rope around your waist, tie the other end to an anchor, crank this up and get your memory back. As Pete Townshend says with great honesty in the liner notes, that undeniable chemistry remained with The Who "right up until Keith Moon dropped dead." Remember the cover of 1978s Who Are You, with Keith sitting backwards in that chair that said "Not to be taken away" across the back?
Naw, it has nothing to do with this review. I'm just listening to Moonie at the moment, powering the long instrumental segment of "My Generation," thinking about Townshend's comment, and missing the wild little bastard.
At six tracks in length, the original Live At Leeds release was considered a classic. At fourteen tracks, the 1995 reissue beat the crap out of it. This seems to have a more in-your-face sound (if you can imagine that) and, of course, it has Tommy. Perhaps not the best of all known Tommys, but a Tommy, and possibly one of the loudest Tommys. And it has a very interesting 26 page booklet that gives you a pretty good education about the whole event. I think I'm deaf now. It demanded high volume listening, but it was worth it. With my vision fading with age and my IQ suspect, I only wish I could play pinball to save my life.
Track List
Heaven and Hell * I Can't Explain * Fortune Teller * Tattoo * Young Man Blues * Substitute * Happy Jack * I'm a Boy * A Quick One, While He's Away * Summertime Blues * Shakin' All Over * My Generation * Magic Bus
Disc Two
Overture * It's a Boy * 1921 * Amazing Journey * Sparks * Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker) * Christmas * The Acid Queen * Pinball Wizard * Do You Think It's Alright * Fiddle About * Tommy Can You Hear Me * There's a Doctor * Go to the Mirror * Smash the Mirror * Miracle Cure * Sally Simpson * I'm Free * Tommy's Holiday Camp * We're Not Gonna Take It
© 2001 - DJ Johnson