The Who - The Who: The Ultimate Collection
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Free Music Notes for The Who: The Ultimate Collection
Free Music Review: Best Who Compilation Available
Hit: 5 Stars
An endless number of Who compilation disks are finally supplanted by this new 2 cd compilation. The set contains material from both their MCA and Warner Brothers recordings. The songs run from "I Can't Explain" to "Eminence Front". The set contains radio favorites "My Generation", "Substitute", "Magic Bus", "I Can See For Miles" "Who Are You", and excerpts from "Tommy", "Who's Next", and "Quadrophenia." The other plus is that the set contains all the material form the excellent early compilation "Meaty, Beaty, Big And Bouncy". The "Ultimate Collection" illustrates that Pete Townshend was one of the great rock songwriters and also that the rhythm section of John Entwistle and Keith Moon (listen to "My Generation")may have been rock's best. Rather than just keeping the tempo Entwistle and Moon proved to be complex and adventurous players. Entwistle was also an overlooked songwriter in the group contributing such great numbers as "Boris The Spider" and "My Wife". Roger Daltry also proved to be a versatile vocalist on both quieter numbers like "Love Reign O'er Me" and classic tracks like "Won't Get Fooled Again". The sound is the best ever and as a bonus a four track disk of alternate takes is included. However, I have a few minor quibbles with the set. The first is that neither disk is seventy minutes in length. A number of missing favorites could have been included. Such tracks as "A Quick One While He's Away", "Young Man Blues", "Relay", "Naked Eye", "Slip Kid", "The Acid Queen" "Athena" , or "Another Tricky Day" could have been included. I would have also omitted "Sister Disco" in favor of one of the aforementioned tracks or "Trick of the Light" the other single from the "Who Are You" album. The other drawback is that the material from "Tommy" and "Quadrophenia" is taken out of the context of the original albums. However, this set is still head and shoulders above the past Who compilations and probably will not be bettered. If you are on a tight budget pick this up immediately before it goes out of print. This set proves why the Who are on the top pantheon of great British rock groups and deservedly so!
Free Music Review: A worthy collection of The Who's best
Hit: 5 Stars
Recently, what's left of The Who (Daltrey and Townshend) showed that they could still produce interesting music, with their "Endless Wire." A great album? No, but a solid one. And this collection of 35 cuts in all provides a terrific introduction to The Who's oeuvre. There can be questions about why certain cuts were included and others were excluded, but this is not one of those flawed compendia with idiosyncratic selections. The 2 CD set begins with "I Can't Explain" and ends with "Eminence Front," with a lot of music in between.
A sampler:
"My Generation." An anthem of the 60s generation for many. A certain poignancy in this phrase:
"Talkin' bout my generation,
Hope I die before I get old."
Two of The Who did die before their time (Keith Moon and John Entwistle). The instrumental work is raw and pulsating. Roger Daltrey's vocal work is an exemplar of rock and roll. One of their earliest hits--and it still sounds good today!
"Boris the Spider." Come on, how could I leave this quirky song off this brief description of my reaction to a few cuts! An odd little number (one of the few not written by Townshend--in this case Entwistle did the job). The focus is on Boris the Spider, "crawling up the wall." Nice guitar work and cool singing.
Then, "Pinball Wizard." This is from the rock opera, "Tommy." What a toe tapper! Daltrey's singing is excellent; he shows a lot of growth as a singer from the early days of the group. This is about a character who "sure plays a mean pinball." Didn't Elton John later have a hit with a cover of this song? I recall his version being fine, but this is the real deal.
"Baba O'Riley." I used to think that the name of this song was "Teenage Wasteland," for references to that phrase in the latter part of this 5 minute piece of great music. The sound shows a maturing of The Who as a group. The keyboard in this song adds a delicious element t5o the music. The guitar work is neat, Moon's drumming is great, and Daltrey's singing measures up. Again, a great 5 minutes of rock and roll.
And on it goes. . . . "Won't Get Fooled Again," "The Kids Are Alright," "Happy Jack," "I Can See for Miles," "Summertime Blues," "Long Live Rock," "Squeeze Box," "You Better You Bet," "Who Are You?," and so on.
Who could resist such a plenitude of The Who?
Free Music Review: Pissed Off Critic "Pissed Off Critic"
Hit: 5 Stars
Mr. Pissed! You have been sadly misinformed and before you decide to write anything for anybody, including your pathetic self, I recommend highly you know what you're talking about before even thinking about talking.
You seem to misunderstand where your precious music has come from and it's necessary for you to grow up, get a job, get a life and get knowledge because you are sorely mistaken in something as silly as a music review for an album you obviously know nothing about.
I laughed til I vomit reading your review and it's poeple like you that has made me realize that SOME of the generation today is and remains clueless.
Your references to where you know of The Who's music is testimony that you are obviously stuck in your own timewarp where there is no yesterday and no tomorrow. You just live in front of your TV set and make judegment calls that makes you look as stupid as your review was.
Enjoy your life in a tube. You'll soon be shaken into a world of reality and then the shock will put into further misery you obviously live in now.
As a non-Who fan, I love this collection because it only shows what great legends these guys are. And people like Junior down there with his EXTREMELY misinformed review, have given me a chance to defend a group worthy of it. I defend the Who, even though they don't need it, the world and reality knows what The Who is and will always be, because snotty punk existance like the reviewer below will shoot their mouths off as soon as they feel it's warranted - which is NEVER!.
This colection is recommended to the casual fan and the new fan but to get to the true meat of the band, one simply needs, "Tommy", "Live At Leeds","Who's Next", "Quadrophenia" and "By Numbers" and that in itself will educate you on one of the reasons the Who has withstood 40 years in existance, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, and sold-out tours, hit albums, singles and anything else legends are granted through the years.
The CSI people are honored that Pete gave his trademark to help ASSIST a show that may or may not have needed. But I'm almost positive more people recognize The Who's theme song over the X-Files theme or even The Simpsons. And remarkably, the song is older than that reviewer's parents.
Free Music Review: ...Because in 5 years, that's what everyone will be saying!
Hit: 5 Stars
Pardon me while I stifle a laugh but I had to comment on the delightfully ingnorant reviewer who stated, and I quote:
"The Who...what a perfect name because in 5 years, that's what everyone will be saying!"
I would hate to inform this person that the Who has been around, and might I add, one of the most popular British rock groups next to possibly the Beatles and the Rolling Stones for nearly 4O YEARS.
I think I might have to repeat that 40 YEARS!!
Just in case you misunderstand what I am driving at, let me make this perfectly clear to you:
THE WHO HAS BEEN AROUND FOR 40 YEARS!!
That means the Who came out long before Nirvana. And the drummer you are referring to is Keith Moon. Seeing that the Who came out LONG BEFORE NIRVANA, that means David Grohl was stealing from him. And not the other way around.
I wouldn't be surprised if David Grohl himself would want to slap you upside the head for making such an inane comment.
As a matter of fact, and seeing that the Who came out LONG BEFORE NIRVANA, the Who was the first band to destroy their instruments on stage. ALL THE WAY BACK IN 1964. Did I mention that's long before Nirvana?
That song you hear on CSI was written in the 70's. I don't think Pete Townshend was thinking while he was penning it, "Gee, I think this song would be absolutely perfect for a forensic crime drama".
If it wasn't for the Who, there would be NO NIRVANA. And there would be no Nirvana smashing their instruments on the stage if there wasn't the Who.
But then again I'm sure you're also thinking, "Boy David Bowie's cover of 'The Man Who Sold the World' is really terrible"!! But that's an entirely different subject altogether.
I highly recommend all young music fans to listen to this album. The classics never go out of style. And to be honest, I have nothing against Nirvana. They're a great band. And much like the Who, I think they'll be classic 40 years on.
And to the reviewer who cannot stand the Who and feel they should "stick to writing songs for television". Do a little research and know what you're talking about before you write a review.
Free Music Review: I CAN explain
Hit: 5 Stars
Finally, finally, finally, (and about 15 years too late) a worthy collection of Who anthems. That word, 'anthems', being carefully selected - the best tracks by the Who can bring an entire stadium to fever-pitch frenzy comparable only to the most extreme of patriotism.Not the edited single versions (like the 2 1/2 minute version of "Won't Get Fooled Again") nor an overblown box set (like "30 Years Maximum R&B") but the very best of the Who's MCA years.
The album's tracklist is really little more than a slight updating (five tracks from "Who's Next") of a long out of print mid-70's 2-LP British collection called "The Story of the Who", which is still one of my all time favorite collections.
It is appropriate NOT to call this collection a "greatest hits", because, remarkably The Who never had a US #1 song and had a grand total of one top ten single on the US charts. Which one? See if you can guess. I'll give the answer below.
But is it deserving of the accolade "Ultimate"? Not quite. Unfortunately, only the Who's MCA years are included, so great tracks like 1981's "Athena" are sadly absent. Perhaps a few solo tracks from Roger (like "Free Me" or "Without Your Love") and Peter ("Let My Love Open The Door" is among the best tracks in rock period) should have been thrown in for good measure. Similarly, I'd like to have seen "A Quick One (While He's Away)" - an early attempt at a six minute rock opera that could be considered the progenitor of "Tommy" or even the inspiration for Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody". Maybe they could have included the "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting"/"Take Me To The Pilot" medley from the Elton John/Bernie Taupin tribute album, which alluded to Elton's medley of Pinball Wizard/I Can't Explain.
I personally wouldn't complain if the set excluded the rather silly puerile novelty of "Squeeze Box".
So that solitary top ten hit for the Who? "I Can See For Miles", which managed to get all the way up to #9 back in 1968.
Since this review was originally written, John Enwhistle, bassist for the group died, yet the Who still plan to continue their tour. The plan is endorsed even by Entwhistle's son. ile
I wish Townshend and Daltrey well.
Long Live Rock.