|
Although, it appears that the songs have been remastered again, there is some slight tonal quality differences, on these recordings, that might make it worth checking out. There's nothing new here, and the who has many greatest hits collections, already available.
I regret buying this collection and not the Very Best of collection instead. So much of the playing and singing was muffled and distorted. This resulted in that the sound on many of the songs was muffled and distorted, especially on the Who's Next songs where the bass guitar was used so much. Well, nonetheless, this collection certainly has inspired me to get more of the Who's great music. The day after I bought the collection I ran out and bought the Who's Next album on vinyl, and oh boy what a difference. I am very new to the Who.
What I found out right away was that the remastering was done at an extremely high volume. The sound on the vinyl was really great. I thought that Ultimate Collection was an excellent intro the their music. The overall sound on these CDs was very distorted because of the bad remastering. But I want to advise people to get the older remastered Very Best collection of instead of this. I loved the music and their unique sound and style.
The sound of the bass guitar was very distorted.
Another 1967 single "Pictures Of Lily" is included here and is a classic rocker. If you got the UK issue of The Ultimate Collection, the John Entwistle penned rocker "Had Enough" is also included (that track was a US rock radio staple). Also this collection, unlike 1996's My Generation - The Best of The Who, all of the tracks have their original mixes (and not the Jon Astley 1990s remixes which some griped at) and the tracks were all painstakingly REMASTERED from the original tapes (somewhat tasters of the eventually released remasters of the original mixes of Sell Out, Tommy and Who's Next). The Who's debut album My Generation is represented by three track which were the classic title cut, the UK hit "The Kids Are Alright" and the underrated "A Legal Matter". 1975's The Who by Numbers (which peaked at #8 here Stateside) is represented by the Top 20 smash hit "Squeeze Box" which is the only rock song I know that had a banjo solo and still kicked *ss (some lament the absence of "Slip Kid" which was the other well known rock radio gem off this album). This compilation turns out to be a tribute to John. The band's two 1966 monster hit singles "Substitute" (a UK Top 5) and "I'm A Boy" (one of the first songs to tackle on child abuse) are included proving why The Who were one of England's great singles bands in the 1960s although those 1965/66 initially tanked here Stateside. The first of three Who's Next outtakes "Let's See Action (Nothing Is Everything)" is next and this track was not released on a US album until 1981's long out of print 2-disc Hooligans set.
This song first appeared on a US album on the 2-record set Hooligans. The Who's 2-CD retrospective entitled The Ultimate Collection was released in June of 2002. Then the group's 1967 effort The Who Sell Out is represented by the band's biggest US Top 10 hit "I Can See For Miles" which is still a great number today (although the song tanked in the band's native Europe). Next is another outtake "Pure and Easy" which is a classic and was first released on The Who's 1974 rarities album entitled Odds and Sods (which reached #11 in 1974 in the US). The groups first two single A-sides "I Can't Explain' and "Anyway Anyhow Anywhere" from 1965 are included and are still classics 45 years on. Then over half of the band's best selling album, 1971's Who's Next (which reached #4 on the US charts) is represented by the Ox's classic rocker "My Wife", the rocking ode to Meher Baba and avant garde musician Terry Riley called "Baba O'Riley" (which was mistitled Teenage Wasteland but is a classic and features Dave Arbus on violin), the rocker "Bargain" (which ends disc one and got a new lease on life when used in a Nissan commercial in 2002), the US rock radio smash about vengeance called "Behind Blue Eyes" (which kicks off the second disc of this best of and this great track was unfortunately defacated by Limp Bizkit in 2003) and all eight and a half minutes of The Who's US Top 20 smash "Won't Get Fooled Again" (which is still a classic today). Two songs from the 1968 US only release Magic Bus are represented by "Call Me Lightning" and its US hit title cut (here in the stereo mix, I do prefer the Mono Mix which is on The Kids Are Alright soundtrack). Many fans were complaining/p*ssing and moaning "yet another collection" but this time it's a Who compilation on 2 CDs and covered a great deal of The Who's classics and then some on this 2-CD set.
1978's swan song with the band's classic lineup before the death of drummer Keith Moon, the #2 charting Who Are You album is represented by the classic Top 20 title cut and the attack on disco called "Sister Disco". On the UK version, the album's US Top 30 hit "Athena" is also included. The track "Long Live Rock" is next and was intended for Quadrophenia but was left off and was first released on 1974's Odds and Sods. The US Top 20 single from 1972 "Join Together" is next and was another Who's Next leftover and is a classic. The group's 1970 single "The Seeker" is also included and is a great rocker.
The Ultimate Collection did well upon release hitting the US Top 40 and went Gold quickly (very well for a 2-disc best of not released during Christmas time (like most 2-disc best ofs usually are)) but just two weeks after this compilation came out in the States, Who bass player John Entwistle passed away from a heart attack brought on by drug use. If you buy the UK version, there are three more from this album which are "Don't Let Go the Coat", The Ox's "The Quiet One" and the other US rock radio smash "Another Tricky Day" (why this isn't on the US version I won't know).Finally, we end with a track from 1982's It's Hard (which peaked at #9 in the US) which was the rock radio hit "Eminence Front" which was one of Pete Townshend's best tracks. However that aside, if you want a great start place with The Who, this is RECOMMENDED. The Who's 1981 album Face Dances which reached #4 here in the US (kept out by fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Steve Winwood's Arc Of a Diver at #3, REO Speedwagon's Hi Infidelity at #2 and Styx's classic Paradise Theatre was #1 here in the States whilst Adam Ant's Kings of the Wild Frontier was #1 in the UK) and was their first album with former Small Faces/Faces drummer Kenney Jones replacing Keith Moon and represented by the first song to ever top Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart called "You Better You Bet" (which was a great rocker which hit #18 on the Billboard Hot 100). The song selection represents the best of guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend, lead singer Roger Daltrey and the late great bass player John Entwislte and the also sadly missed seemingly 4 armed and 4 legged drummer Keith Moon (two of the tracks feature his successor Kenney Jones).
The 1973 rock opera Quadrophenia (which reached #2 in the US) is represented by the tracks "The Real Me" (a great rocker), the classic "5:15" (a hit single from the album) and the classic finale "Love Reign O'er Me" (which was released as a single here in the US but flopped yet became a US rock radio staple and is one of The Who's best songs). The classic live effort Live at Leeds (another US Top 5 effort from 1970) is represented by "Summertime Blues" (the band's classic rendition of the Eddie Cochran classic which they made their own). The band's 1966/67 second effort A Quick One (titled Happy Jack in the US) is represented by The Ox's arguable classic "Boris The Spider" and "Happy Jack" (which was not on the original UK version of The Who's second album but became The Who's first Top 30 hit here in the States back in 1967). The group's first US Top 5 album, the rock opera Tommy, is represented by the classics "Pinball Wizard" (the album's biggest hit), "I'm Free" and the finale to "We're Not Gonna Take It" called "See Me Feel Me" (which was another US hit).
After all these years, The Who,along with the other Many British Bands like The Kinks,The Animals,The Yardbirds,The Dave Clark five,Herman Hermit's & Of Course,The Beatles, The Music Still Lives on.
:D Ivan Rorick I still hate Squeezebox, however, and was annoyed by its presence here. If you already love The Who enough to buy this thing, thing you already probably have all the songs here. Nice sampling of songs though.
|
