Customer Reviews

Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The question is not 'which group put out the greatest live album of all time?' but rather ' which is the greatest live album ever, Leeds or Wight?' This may sound blasphemous, but I'm going with Wight (though Leeds is simply astounding), and here is why.

Leeds, from a technical standpoint, is nothing short of flawless. But it is lacking one major element - ENERGY. If you don't believe me, track down a bootleg copy of Tommy at the Leeds - sound aside, The Who sound almost dead. The group had just returned to England for the first time in more than a month, playing Tommy every single night, and they were TIRED. John and Keith are on fire at Leeds, but Roger sounds like he has a cold, and Pete, while making sure to be technically amazing and flawless for all of the 'intelligent' college students, seems to be going through a bout of depression.

At WIGHT, however, this flaw is gone and in a big way. Keith is occasionally sloppy, yes, but the energy level is absolutely incredible. Why? Because the group was playing in front of 500,000 completely stoned dumbasses, and there was nothing like a bunch of idiots to get Pete going. His guitar falls out of tune a few times, and he misses a chord here and there, but his riff-work is better than anything I've ever heard before by _anybody_, and that guitar-tone... That tone just SCREAMS angry and energetic exhiliration. It's INCREDIBLE! Meanwhile, Pete is obviously having fun, with his stage banter reaching Ian Anderson levels of psycho humor, and the feedback that he produces in his windmills and guitar-shaking is incredible.

AND DON'T FORGET ROGER! Roger NEVER sounded better than this on any album, live or studio. Tommy is incredible in no small thanks to Daltrey. And listen to his incredible, loud, growling singing in Water, Shaking All Over, and ESPCIALLY Spoonful. It will blow you away.

I love both of these albums, but if I have to choose between the two, I'll go with Wight any day of the week. If I have headphones, that is - for some reason, there's a lot of air in the mix that completely disappears when the music is coming at you from all sides. Alternatively, it's good driving music - turn the stereo up loud and the bass high, and you will be weak-kneed when it's all over.

Small wonder this final Isle of Wight Festival became a semi-legendary rock weekend - the Who played it as though they'd been reborn for the occasion. In a sense, they had been reborn - 1969, their exhaustive, no questions asked breakout year (thanks to "Tommy," of course) went off with a few hitches and almost a collapse (Pete Townshend, suffering back trouble, almost broke down but for some medical relief enough to get the band through Woodstock). But by the time they hit the Isle of Wight (where they'd been an equal hit the previous year), they were, seemingly, revived and energised to overflowing, because they cranked out a set beyond even their own usual standard of firepower. This set has the incontrovertible proof that the legend of the Who's white heat at that final Isle of Wight wasn't hyperbolic.

In fact, "Live At The Isle of Wight Festival 1970" makes "Live at Leeds" sound like a brave but tired warmup date. Keith Moon is attacking his skins, rather than merely rolling them. John Entwistle is stonily commanding over his precisely dug bass lines. Roger Daltrey's dramatic, theatric snarl and howl is in near-perfect depth and resonance, and he has stronger control of that instrument than he had the previous year. And Pete Townshend, flagging not one step, nails power chord after power chord, dropping only here and there but somehow making it fit the moment, while his arrestingly spare solos - this set if nothing else should dissolve any doubts that he was truly an excellent lead guitarist (so he didn't shred? News flash: with his taste and precision, he didn't have to) - lock on and stay on song while delivering some eerily staying lines.

But the Who was always greater than the sum of its considerable parts, and they're locked into perfect shape through the entire set, from the bristling "Heaven And Hell" (one of John Entwistle's best compositions) which opens the set to the staccato stomping "Magic Bus" which closes it, even if this version isn't quite as shattering as the tour-de-force which closes "Live At Leeds". Through those and through all the high points in between - a searing "Young Man Blues," an almost beatific (at least, on the Who's terms, and never mind the occasional dropped phrases here and there) "Tommy" (most of it, anyway; I was kind of disappointed that, considering Townshend and Entwistle's flair for unexpected, spot tandem improvising, that they didn't have a whack at "Underture"), and an engagingly loopy medley off "Shakin' All Over" (let's face it: only the Who would have been looney enough to medley that classic to "Spoonful" and "Twist And Shout" and get away with it.) - you get a textbook argument for the Who as THE outstanding live concert act in rock and roll as the 1960s turned to the 1970s. Put it next to "Live at Leeds" and "The Kids Are Alright" and it goes from textbook argument to final verdict.

The reviews submitted below somewhat baffle me. The performance is terrific, albeit not perfection, the kind which you could only expect on a studio album. Everyone in the group is in find form, and they all know it. In the liner notes to this set, Pete Townshend says this was one of the best performances they ever gave, and he's right.

This set is a must-have if, for nothing else, the nearly complete performance of "Tommy." Live at Leeds may be great, but this is what a Who concert was really like, and this is exactly what it was like in the Isle of Wight Festival. The Who took the stage at 3 am, reached the climax in Tommy at around 4:20, and played on through until 5 am, stopping only because Pete's guitar broke on him (it usually worked the other way around, didn't it?). Townshend later expressed how frustrated he was that they couldn't keep the momentum going.

Bottom line: outstanding performance, a rare treat to almost all of "Tommy," and one of the greatest bands of that time at their peak. A must-have.

This recording illustrates the importance of seeing The Who perform, rather than just listening to the recording of a show. Thankfully, the film of this concert, albeit incomplete, is available to buy.

This recording is scrappy compared to Live at Leeds. There is something of a myth that suggests that Live at Leeds was just a typical 'average night' performance by the band. Those that have had the opportunity to listen to the multitude of bootlegs of the period know only too well that they rarely played as well as the Leeds show. The Hull show that followed it illustrated the variability.

Roger Daltrey bemoaned that the on-stage power of The Who's music was never adequately captured on record. The power of the stage show relied on enormous volume and physical impact, along with the spectacle of the performance. It didn't matter that Townshend missed the beat (or sometimes the guitar) as he ricocheted about the place because the visuals and attitude were more important at the time. However, strip things back to a plain audio recording like Live at the Isle of Wight and you hear the mistakes, the out of tune guitar, the dodgy backing vocals and sloppy playing that you wouldn't have noticed on the night. Without the huge volume of the PA system to carry the day the reality of the performance falls rather flat.

By comparison Live at Leeds is a much better record. It is true that the energy level dips during Tommy, which is principally why the band was always reluctant to release a recording of this section of the show until the 'deluxe' remaster (which stills changes the running order of the show)double CD was produced. Leeds was conceived as a potential live album and the sound and performance was honed accordingly. Isle of Wight was just a spin off movie of the overall event. This IOW CD is an impressive technical salvage job of a scrappy and poorly recorded show.

However, do yourself a favour and buy the DVD to understand why the playing sometimes came off the rails. The Who were about showmanship as much as the music and often the showmanship came first.

THE WHO LIVE AT THE ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL is the definitive release of The Who's TOMMY tour. In 1969 and 1970 when the Who was on the road promoting their Tommy LP (released May 1969) they didn't quite perform in front of Mod audiences like they did in the UK back when they first started. Instead, they played to crowds of hippies...at psychedelic ballrooms such as Fillmore East and West, and at rock festivals such as the legendary Woodstock Music and Arts Fair. After Woodstock, the British fans got the message and started organizing festivals of their own. The Isle of Wight Festival of 1969 attracted 150,000 fans and featured Bob Dylan. The Who stole the show and earned rave reviews. They played most of Tommy as they did at Woodstock as well as other hits. So for an entire year they continued their tour playing more psychedelic venues.

Although The Who generally stayed away from open air festivals, they didn't turn down their opportunity to replay the success of the Isle of Wight Festival, and in August 1970 came back for a return engagement. This festival was held on the other side of the island and reportedly 600,000 hippies attended, lured by sets from The Doors, Joni Mitchell, Miles Davis and a slew of Woodstock veterans...Jimi Hendrix, Sly & The Family Stone, Joan Baez, Richie Havens, etc.

The format of the Isle of Wight 1970 set was the same as what they were doing in '69...some warmup tunes: HEAVEN AND HELL by John Entwistle started things off in high gear with power chords and windmills and pure excitement. I CAN'T EXPLAIN continued to hold the second slot, and YOUNG MAN BLUES, then a few new numbers (the band just recorded for an EP record that was to be released in October 1970 but was scrapped for the "Lifehouse" project). Although Townshend had previously swore that he was going to retire it after the Metropolitan Opera shows in June '70, TOMMY was still the main attraction of the Who set, and they perform most of it as the middle section. Highlights abound including OVERTURE, a great SPARKS and an estounding finale SEE ME FEEL ME that got the entire festival crowd on its feet. Crank it up, it sounds powerful on your home stereo system. After TOMMY, The Who continues with the obligatory SUMMERTIME BLUES as well as SHAKIN ALL OVER/TWIS AND SHOUT.

The original tapes were remastered and the entire show sounds amazing. It's loud, and the stereo spectrum is perfect. The huge crowd was alive for the two and a half hours the Who was onstage, and more people witnessed TOMMY that night than any other performance in their amazing career.

I can appreciate people's opinions on whether "Live At Leeds" is a better CD in terms of sound quality (it is) and maybe even performance wise (I personally give "Wight" the nod). But an "off night"? Gimme a break! Check out the CD's liner notes for Ray Manzarek's (the keyboard player for The Doors, who also performed) take of the Who's performance.

To totally appreciate this concert I recommend seeing a video of this performance. Although the running order is horribly mangled (a story in itself) it gives you an even better idea of what a fantastic concert it really was, through Pete Townshend's obvious enjoyment of playing (he destroys his guitar-but only out of frustration because his pedals quit on him!) to Moon's incredible, NOT AWFUL, drumming. And while you're at it, check out the video of Jimi Hendrix's performance at the Isle of Wight. His look of disgust through every song he performed is the very definition of "Off Night".

Take it from an admittedly die-hard fan; "Live At Leeds" is a great live performance no doubt about it. But don't let that stop you from getting this double CD because you have to have it if only for their live "Tommy" performance. An essential live recording. Period.

A suberb archive 2-CD release that took me my complete surprise when I first discovered it.Some say it's a bit similar to the band's 'Live At Leeds' album which took place a short time prior to 'Live At The Isle...'.No matter,both are worth having.Sound mix couldn't be better.Total of thirty songs performed in nearly an unforgetable two hour set.Several cuts here I simply don't remember right off hand,like "Heaven And Hell","Water","Naked Eye" and "Fiddle About".Looks like pretty much most,if not all of 'Tommy' is played here.Cuts I enjoyed the most are "I Can't Explain","Young Man Blues","Amazing Journey","The Acid Queen","Shakin' All Over","My Generation" and "Magic Bus".Comes with a twenty-page full(and I do mean FULL)color booklet packed with unseen photos,text and memorbilia.A must-have.Most highly recommended.

No need to rerelease this again, this one is just plain perfect! The sound quality is awesome on this! But since this was remastered by their long time soundman, no doubt I wouldn't be disapointed! Even though not all of the tracks are on the DVD such as "1921," "Amazing Jorney/Sparks," "Tommy Can You Hear Me," "Smash The Mirror," and "Substitute," probably due to lack of footage which is not uncommon back then, the whole thing is here on this 2 CD set in the actual order! Probably the finest Who live set, if not the finest! No Who fan's CD rack is complete without it!

Ladies and Gentlemen... THE 'OO! ;)

Never has a band put on such a show. No band at any venue will ever top this, and I saw the Stones last night.

I may be a bit biased, I think the Who are the greatest band of all time, but trying to look at this objectively, this performance is the reason people remember the Isle of Wight festival 1970. Sure, Hendrix is an amazing guitarist, and Tull was great, but the energy on these two discs is worth at least double the price.

Anyway, now for something useful. If you liked Tommy and you liked Leeds, then you will love this performance. It's like the best of both albums. The Tommy set at this concert was enough to leave the crowd of 600,000 in awe.

Tommy aside, the final track, Magic Bus, is a wonder within itself. Nothing like the Leeds version, this cut has the most incredible harmonica solo I've ever heard roaring over the equally impressive instruments behind it. And this comes from a true Dylan fan. In addition to the classics, such as I Can't Explain and Heaven and Hell, there is a great My Generation/Muddy Waters/Twist n Shout medley. As if this wasn't enough, some lesser known hits, particularly Water, is enough to leave you speechless.

The only reason not to buy this album is because there is a DVD. Watch it. I did three times in a row. This is good stuff.

The Who worked and worked and worked to make themselves the best live band on earth, and it paid off to such an extent that a die-hard Beatles fan such as myself became a full-bore convert to Townshend and the powerhouse that was, in Roger Daltrey's words, "that bloody awful Who."

There are striking similarities between the Isle of Wight show and LIVE AT LEEDS--they were recorded within just a few months of each other, after all--but these are different shows. I prefer the sound of LIVE AT LEEDS--the echo is warmer--but that is nitpicking. They are both great live LPs in their own right, and owning both is the way to go.