The BBC Sessions

Performer: The Who
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: The Who: Pete Townsend (vocals, guitar, keyboards); John Entwistle (vocals, bass); Roger Daltrey (vocals); Keith Moon (drums). Producers include: Paul Williams, Jimmy Grant, Brian Willey, Bill Bebb, Michael Appleton. Recorded at De Lane Studio, Aeolian Hall Stuido 2, The Playhouse, IBC Stuidos, and Presentation Studio B Television Centre, London, England between 1965 and 1973. Includes liner notes by Andy Neill. Digitally remastered by John Astley. Personnel: Pete Townshend (vocals, baritone guitar, keyboards); John Entwistle (vocals, bass guitar); Roger Daltrey (vocals); Keith Moon (snare drum). Recording information: De Lane Lea Studio, Kingsway, l Ain Bou Kellal (05/24/1965-01/30/1973). Photographers: David Wedgbury; Chris Walter. On the 30th anniversary of LIVE AT LEEDS, the Who released this 25-track collection of material recorded between 1965 and 1973. This fascinating aural document provides insight the development of this seminal band from R&B-crazed mods into technically brilliant purveyors of original material. Although the sound quality of the earlier recordings varies a bit, the Who's tight playing and musical nuances (like the group's often-overlooked harmonies) point to greater triumphs in the future. This quartet of soul fans mixes in familiar hits by the Olympics ("Good Lovin'") and Martha and the Vandellas ("Dancing in the Streets") with more obscure material by Eddie Holland ("Leaving Here") and James Brown ("Just You and Me, Darling"). The last of these nuggets is given a Beatlesque treatment, with Roger Daltrey's impressive begs, screams, and shouts. Toward the latter part of BBC SESSIONS, Pete Townshend's songwriting talents and guitar playing shine, especially on a distorted take on the obscure "Run, Run, Run" and a raw and psychedelic version of "Disguises." Explosive versions of "Relay" and "Long Live Rock" pre-recorded for a January 1973 appearance on the Old Grey Whistle Test wrap up this solid collection.

Rolling Stone (3/16/00, p.73) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...highlights how mad, bad and dangerous the Who were in 1965....delineating how the band resolved social and musical anxieties of the age..." Q (3/00, pp.114-5) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...they sound like The New World wrestling with the Old....the sound of a culture clash is unmistakable....BBC SESSIONS proves that it was the high point of pop radio that allowed their message to be perfectly suited to the medium..." Alternative Press (5/00, p.94) - "...the energy levels are high throughout....the disc's worth buying for Pete Townshend's searing solo on 'Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere' alone..." Mojo (Publisher) (3/00, p.116) - "...a whole lot of fun, an alternative early greatest hits, and the nearest approximation you'll get to the MY GENERATION album on CD....making you realise how great The Who were..." NME (Magazine) (2/14/00, p.41) - 8 out of 10 - "...captures their kinetic energy, arrogant brilliance and ferocious interplay at its peak, a direct challenge and assault on the venerable institution where it was broadcast..."

From the youthful arrogance of their early 1960s recordings to their ambitious rock operas and the more introspective FM rock staples of their mid-1970s albums, the Who raged like a rock & roll inferno. Pete Townshend's guitar fireworks and Keith Moon's larger-than-life drumming combined with the busy basslines of John Entwistle and Roger Daltrey's vocal roar to create one of rock's mightiest noises. The band reconvened numerous times following the hard-living Moon's death in 1978, and even continued to play for several years following the death of Entwistle in 2002.

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