Kanada Kev Posted December 3, 2010 Report Share Posted December 3, 2010 One of the best live albums ever. [color:purple]Now in it's 23rd release version is brought out with 2 full concerts from Feb 14+15, 1970. Are there any live bands out there that can touch this raw rock energy? Damn these would have been insane shows to be at: http://bit.ly/hTlbCG Live At Leeds (40th Anniversary Super-Deluxe Collector’s Edition) 4CD Rushed out in 1970 as a way to bide time as the Who toiled away on their sequel to Tommy, Live at Leeds wasn’t intended to be the definitive Who live album and many collectors maintain that the band had better shows only available on bootlegs. But those shows weren’t easily available whereas Live at Leeds was, and even if this show may not have been the absolute best, it’s so damn close to it that it would be impossible for anybody but aficionados to argue. Throughout the ’70s the album was seen as one of the gold standards in live rock & roll, and certainly it had a fury that no proper Who studio album achieved. Here, they sound vicious — as heavy as Led Zeppelin but twice as volatile as they careened through early classics with the confidence of a band that finally achieved acclaim but had yet to become preoccupied with making art. There is no better record of how this band was a volcano of violence on-stage, how they teetered on the edge of chaos but never blew apart. This was most true on the original LP, which was a trim six tracks, three of them covers (“Young Man Blues,†“Summertime Blues,†“Shakin’ All Overâ€) and three originals from the mid-’60s (“Substitute,†“My Generation,†“Magic Busâ€), none of them bearing a trace of its mod roots. Live at Leeds has been expanded twice on CD, once for a single-disc 1995 release that contained the entirety of the Who’s non-Tommy performance plus “Amazing Journey/Sparks†and once for a 2001 Deluxe Edition that contained the entire concert from “Heaven and Hell†to “We’re Not Gonna Take It.†So, what was left for 2010’s Super Deluxe Edition? Apart from all the collector-bait accouterments — a book filled with memorabilia, a heavy-vinyl pressing of the original six-track LP, a replica of the “Summertime Bluesâ€/â€Heaven and Hell†7″ — there is the inclusion of the complete concert the Who gave at Hull one day after their performance at Leeds on February 14, 1970. The original plan for their ’70 live album was to cull highlights from the two gigs and release a single album but the Hull tapes had technical glitches — specifically, the bass did not record for the first four songs — leading to the focus on Leeds. This Super Deluxe Edition overcompensates for this omission by including the entirety of both nights — the lack of bass corrected by grafting on Entwistle’s Leeds performance on the Hull tapes — and they’re extraordinarily similar performances, retaining the same set list (the lone difference is Hull lacks “Magic Busâ€) and same sense of energy. Naturally, there are differences that will be notable to the fanatics who would pony up the cash for this lavish box, and inevitably some will claim that Hull is preferable to Leeds (as Roger Daltrey did when the reissue was released in November 2010), but ultimately deciding which night is better is a fool’s errand: both nights capture the Who at a peak and both nights are necessary for the hardcore. - by Stephen Thomas Erlewine MP3@320CBR Track List CD 1: Leeds, Feb 14, 1970 01. Heaven and Hell 02. I Can’t Explain 03. Fortune Teller 04. Tattoo 05. Young Man Blues 06. Substitute 07. Happy Jack 08. I’m a Boy 09. A Quick One, While He’s Away 11. Shakin’ All Over 12. My Generation 13. Magic Bus CD 2: Leeds, Feb 14, 1970 01. Overture 02. It’s a Boy 03. 1921 04. Amazing Journey 05. Sparks 06. Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker) 07. Christmas 08. The Acid Queen 09. Pinball Wizard 10. Do You Think It’s Alright? 11. Fiddle About 12. Tommy Can You Hear Me? 13. There’s a Doctor 14. Go to the Mirror! 15. Smash the Mirror 16. Miracle Cure 17. Sally Simpson 18. I’m Free 19. Tommy’s Holiday Camp 20. We’re Not Gonna Take It CD3: Hull, Feb 15, 1970 01. Heaven and Hell 02. I Can’t Explain 03. Fortune Teller 04. Tattoo 05. Young Man Blues 06. Substitute 07. Happy Jack 08. I’m a Boy 09. A Quick One, While He’s Away 10. Summertime Blues 11. Shakin’ All Over 12. My Generation CD 4: Hull, Feb 15, 1970 01. Overture 02. It’s a Boy 03. 1921 04. Amazing Journey 05. Sparks 06. Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker) 07. Christmas 08. The Acid Queen 09. Pinball Wizard 10. Do You Think It’s Alright? 11. Fiddle About 12. Tommy Can You Hear Me? 13. There’s a Doctor 14. Go to the Mirror! 15. Smash the Mirror 16. Miracle Cure 17. Sally Simpson 18. I’m Free 19. Tommy’s Holiday Camp 20. We’re Not Gonna Take It http://bit.ly/hTlbCG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaimoe Posted December 3, 2010 Report Share Posted December 3, 2010 They have indeed had better nights, but Leeds is pretty darn awesome. It looks like I'll be triple-dipping in the near future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davey Boy 2.0 Posted December 4, 2010 Report Share Posted December 4, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaimoe Posted December 4, 2010 Report Share Posted December 4, 2010 Too bad that great guitar solo at the end of "Cry If You Want" is buried in the terrible mix. It's the song's only saving grace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skelter Posted December 4, 2010 Report Share Posted December 4, 2010 buying a 4 CD set of two nearly-identical shows is kind of silly ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaimoe Posted December 4, 2010 Report Share Posted December 4, 2010 There's so few official Who live releases, so this is still tempting. Anything with Moon in his prime is worth seeking out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Evil_Mouse Posted December 4, 2010 Report Share Posted December 4, 2010 I have to say, the Tommy from Hull, on the second night, is absolutely killer. The band had definitely hit their stride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now