Who, The – BBC Sessions

Description

This 26-track collection traces The Who’s transition from R&B covers (“Dancing In The Street”, “Good Lovin'”) to assured art-rock, and includes previously unreleased versions of “My Generation”, “Substitute”, “I’m A Boy” and “Happy Jack”. The later tracks (“The Seeker”, “I’m Free” and “Shakin’ All Over”) capture The Who between the ambitious Tommy and the energetic Live At Leeds, while period atmosphere is provided by resilient DJ Brian Matthew, who gets Pete Townshend to admit that by January 1967 The Who had destroyed about 6,000 of equipment. In between is a striking version of The Who’s first opera, “A Quick One” and a couple of jingles recorded for Radio 1 at a time when it was the only national outlet for pop music. Altogether a fascinating account of the band’s development, although it was a close-run thing–in 1965 the BBC had turned The Who down for being “ponderous and unentertaining”