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Unpublished
Written Oct. 4, 2001
This
review was submitted to Relix
magazine, but they wound up using
a review by Mick Skidmore
instead.
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Live
at Leeds/
MCA Records
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Review:
The Who
Live at
Leeds
Deluxe Edition
Review by
Art Howard |
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The Who's Live
at Leeds was meant
to be filler when it was
originally released in 1970, something to
capitalize on the success of the band's
rock opera Tommy and appearance
in the film Woodstock while
guitarist Pete Townshend thought up new
material. It turned out to be the
definitive Who record and is one of the
greatest live albums of all time.
The new deluxe edition further
establishes the group as one of the
finest live rock n' roll groups the world
has ever encountered. Originally a
half-hour album with only six songs, Leeds
was reissued in 1995 with 14 songs. The
new deluxe edition finally features the
entire concert in a remastered two-disc
set, the second of which is a complete
performance of Tommy. This live
version of Tommy far exceeds its
studio counterpart (The Who's live stuff
was always superior, much like modern
jambands), so what you're really getting
isn't one live recording but The Who's
two best albums for one price.
Musically, The Who was a jamband 30 years
before the term was coined. Most of the
stuff here is improvised and runs all
over the place. However, you can take off
your dancin' shoes for this one:
Townshend was the first rock star to wear
Doc Martin's, and it's no surprise given
these these high-aggression
improvisations. This stuff will make you
want to turn over your coffee table and
maybe a couple of bookshelves, too.
Live at Leeds lives.
Art Howard still idolizes Pete
Townshend and can be found on the
Internet at www.ArtHoward.com. |
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© 2001 Art Howard
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