Who Live At Leeds CD

Recorded live at Leeds University, Leeds, England on February 14, 1970. Includes liner notes by Chris Charlesworth. Originally released on Decca (79175) in May 1970.

All songs written by members of The Who except "Fortune Teller" (Naomi Neville), "Young Man Blues" (Mose Allison), "Summertime Blues" (Eddie Cochran/Jerry Capehart) and "Shakin' All Over" (Johnny Kidd).

Recorded live on February 4, 1970. Includes liner notes by Chris Charlesworth.

This 2-CD Deluxe Edition of LIVE AT LEEDS, recorded on February 14, 1970, contains the entire show including all of TOMMY which was previously unreleased.

Recorded live at Leeds University, Leeds, England on February 14, 1970. Originally released on Decca (79175) in May 1970.

In addition to making some of the finest studio albums in rock history (ranging in approach from proto-pop-punk to the first rock operas), the Who, live, epitomized the brash, electrifying energy that put a new face on the music in the 1960s. The original LIVE AT LEEDS album, released in 1970, looked straight into the eye of this hurricane on a single disc featuring six tracks. A 1995 reissue doubled the number of songs. The DELUXE EDITION, however, released in 2001, is the first document to feature the Leeds concert in its entirety. Spread out over two discs, this most recent update is definitive, and includes a 28-page booklet, sections of band-audience banter, and--most importantly--a full performance of TOMMY. The sound, enhanced here in a new mix supervised by guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend, is crystalline, without losing any of the group's swirling chaos and bone-crushing sonic impact. Though the Who later began to abridge TOMMY live, disc two features the entire opera, while the first disc houses "Substitute," "My Generation," and a blood-pumping cover of "Summertime Blues," among other singles. For any Who fan, this edition is essential.

On the surface, the Who's LIVE AT LEEDS seems like it should be nothing more than a stopgap recording. Released a year after TOMMY, as guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend was getting bogged down in the abortive LIFEHOUSE concept, LIVE AT LEEDS is simply the (mostly) non-TOMMY portion of the Who's standard live set of the era, packaged in a bootleg-like manila cover with a faded rubber-stamp logo.

The thing is, Townshend and company were at the blinding height of their powers in 1970, and LIVE AT LEEDS makes a far stronger case for the Who as the World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band than the Rolling Stones' contemporaneous live document, GET YER YA-YA'S OUT. Not quite so much a band as three powerhouse musicians playing solos simultaneously, while Roger Daltrey screams to make himself heard over the din, the Who never lapsed into aimless jamming for its own sake. Even on the 14-minute-plus encore of "My Generation," drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwistle hold down the song's pile-driving groove nonstop. The vast majority of live rock albums are either pointless or awful; LIVE AT LEEDS is the exception in every way.

On the surface, the Who's LIVE AT LEEDS seems like it should be nothing more than a stopgap recording. Released a year after T

Digitally remastered by Jon Astley.

Additional Tracks; Live Recording; Deluxe Edition

The Who: Pete Townshend (vocals, guitar); Roger Daltrey (vocals, harmonica); John Entwistle (vocals, bass); Keith Moon (drums).

Producer: The Who.

Personnel: Pete Townshend (vocals, guitar); Roger Daltrey (vocals, harmonica); John Entwistle (vocals, electric bass); Keith Moon (drums).

Audio Remasterer: Jon Astley.

Liner Note Author: Chris Charlesworth.

Recording information: Leeds University (02/14/1970); Revolution Studios (02/14/1970).

The Who: Roger Daltrey (vocals, harmonica), Pete Townshend (guitar, vocals), John Entwistle (bass, vocals), Keith Moon (drums).

Reissue producer: Jon Astley.

Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.136) - Ranked #170 in Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time"
Rolling Stone (7/9/70, p.40) - "...a tour-de-force of the rock and roll imagination....The album is a document, as it ought to be..."
Rolling Stone (4/6/95, p.62) - "...the newly remastered LIVE AT LEEDS comes across as a great live show that happens to include some singles-quality material..."
Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.136) - Ranked #170 in Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time"
Entertainment Weekly (2/17/95, p.59) - "...Few bands ever moved a mountain of sound around with this much dexterity and power. If you ever wondered what made these guys a big deal, here's where to find out..." - Rating: A+
Q (9/01, p.139) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Everything here is the same ambitious, ramshackle rock'n'roll...Hidden gems still justifies its reputation..."
Village Voice (2/20/96) - Ranked #6 on the Reissues list of Village Voice's 1995 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll.
Mojo (Publisher) (1/02, p.69) - Included in Mojo's "Best Reissues of 2001".