Customer Reviews

My Generation (Deluxe Edition)

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

After years of EQ-adjusted CD releases and bootleg discs that claimed to be "from the mono masters," we're finally treated to a CD that's been culled from the earliest possible sources. While the sound quality is superb and the packaging is lavish (the Who's management must have seen the "Instant Party" bootleg!), they should have packaged a track-by-track explanation of what you're hearing. These are the songs as they exist on the three-track masters, blemishes included, and without any overdubs.

This may seem an odd choice, given the large amount of variation between the songs as they're presented here, and how they were presented on the original LP and CD releases. But there IS a reason... upon hearing the original three-track masters, it was discovered that many elements were recorded directly to the finished mono mix. Therefore, isolated tracks of these "add-ons" didn't exist to be put into this stereo remix. Such elements include the guitar overdubs on "My Generation" and "A Legal Matter", the vocal harmony in the second verse of "Much Too Much" and, most noticeably, the doubletracked vocal in "La-La-La Lies" which covered up the error that is now laid bare on this CD. Note: I've read that the french horn on "Circles" was not an overdub, but is still not present on this stereo remaster. This is the biggest reason I've deducted a star from my rating (and the fact that both discs clock in at under an hour.)

The extra tracks are incredible! They fill in a gap that could previously only be filled by tracking down copies of "Who's Missing", "Two's Missing" and the "Rarities" albums. The standouts here are "Instant Party Mixture" and the alternate vocal version of "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere." Interestingly enough, the common version of the latter track is not present, because of the same overdub issue I mentioned above. The vocal line we're more accustomed to hearing was an overdub, and does not exist today in an isolated form. The vocal line you hear on this CD was the original, and has only been officially released once - by accident - on a 1966 French EP. All previous CD releases of this track have been on bootlegs, and have all sounded hideous. This sounds like it was recorded yesterday.

This set is alternately cohesive and chaotic. It captures the raw studio essence of The Who in 1965, but comes off as sounding unfinished. It's a proud testimonial to how the '60s British music machine worked - it wasn't recorded perfectly because the record wasn't expected to have a shelf life of more than a month. Recording was done in a quick and dirty fashion, and that hampered the ability to perfectly remix it. They did the absolute best with what they had to work with, and it's well worth the money... and the years of waiting.

First, I really do appreciate the effort that has gone into improving the Who's catalog for the CD age. The Rolling Stones have finally followed suit...Capital/EMI, when are you going to get it together?

Unfortunately, this is a flawed release for several reasons. I don't think it was a mistake to remix from the original 3-tracks, but it was a mistake not to include a first-rate remaster of the original mono album. With 160 minutes of available time on a double CD, it is simply inexplicable, and a darn shame.

Also, the entire catalog is now remastered, but we still don't have a wonderfully remastered orginal version of Anyhow, Anytime, Anywhere or Substitute, or, for that matter, the second version of Circles, Pictures of Lily, or the stereo version of Magic Bus (not to mention the much longer version). These are not the only omissions, but certainly the biggest.

So, on the one hand, kudos to MCA for at least making the effort to present the Who in the best sound possible; on the other hand, shame on MCA for charging for a double CD while ommitting essential early material and ommitting the original mono album entirely.

After years of legal feuding, Producer Shel Talmy and people in The Who organization finally settled their differences, and a remixed version of The Who's first album is now available. Unfortunately, the group of talented people who worked on this set either didn't pay much attention to detail... or they pursued an amazingly wrong-minded approach - - re-writing history in the pursuit of making money with repackaged product.
The sound IS much clearer than before, but it is thin. It doesn't seem to have the power of the original mixes. By far though, the worst thing about the set.... is the missing overdubs! Pete Townshend's guitar overdubs on "My Generation" couldn't be located, so they are missing. Missing! All those slashing guitar chords from the bass break in the middle of the song are not there.
How can you release a "definitive" CD of this album.... and use a remixed version of the title song WITHOUT all the guitar overdubs! Insane. The original mono mix of "My Generation" is included as a bonus track, but buried at the end of the second disc, it just seems like an afterthought. Among other annoying choices, "Circles" is missing all of the french horn overdubs.
There are also some really disturbing examples of sloppy mixing. For example, at 1:18 into "La-La-La-Lies," the vocal part abruptly CUTS OFF before the end of a phrase. The original CD does not have this problem. It's a pretty obvious mistake.
OK. This is a historically important album. The booklet is beautiful. The cleaned-up sounds lets us hear Keith Moon's drumming in glorious detail. But the new remix misses the big picture - forsaking the artist's original intentions in the name of prissy sonic clarity. This set can only be viewed as a major disappointment.

Finally, we have here a Who reissue that hasn't even so much as touched the hands of Jon Astley. As a result, the sound is very good, without being *too* loud or compressed, and most importantly, the tape hiss is left intact rather than being removed. There *is* a God, after all! Both discs are a little on the bright side, and there are some occasional harsh spots, which isn't good, but it's not so bright and harsh often enough to the point where it makes me turn it down. All in all, the sound is better than anything Astley ever did with the rest of the Who catalog. This CD, by the way (in case you were wondering), was mastered by Erick Labson.

The remix itself is where I have some problems. My quarrels don't lie in the "missing" overdubs and whatnot, but with the stereoscape itself. I, for one, don't mind it. In fact, I like it, despite the fact that it's very narrow. I can't admit to liking that WIIIIIIIIIDE stereo sound as is found on Rubber Soul and other '60's, but this is practically mono with the guitars or whatever panned ever so slightly to the left or right or wherever. According to inside sources, Shel Talmy has always hated stereo. Perhaps this shouldn't come as a surprise, then, considering Talmy will always be a mono man at heart (and in fact, for most mid to late '60's recordings, so am I), but this a little *too* narrow. Oh well. It took me a little time to get used to it, but I don't mind it, all in all. But it still could've been better.

Now, for those of you who are complaining about "missing" overdubs and the likes, let's consider that statement: the overdubs are NOT missing. Why? 'Cause they never existed on the stereo mix to begin with. This CD *IS* the first stereo mix. The overdubs, such as the guitar in "My Generation" and the French Horn in "Circles" are missing only in respects to the mono versions we'd gotten used to hearing for the past "x" years. You can't expect the stereo versions to be nothing more than everything the mono version is, just spread out. For instance, John Lennon's vocal on the mono version of "Help!" is an entirely different vocal take altogether than the stereo one. Not even the same track, a completely different take! And what about that harmonica overdub on the stereo version of "Thank You Girl" that isn't on the mono version? It's differences like this that make the different mixes what they are. All Talmy was doing, in essence, then, was preserving the style of the '60's in that the stereo versions AREN'T going to be identical to the monos. Personally, I would've been pretty disappointed to find that they utilized every single exact take as they did on the monos as with this stereo. That ain't what I want to hear. I want to hear something new! And that's what we're getting.

Bottom line is, if you don't like change and variations, don't buy this CD. If you welcome hearing differences in takes, mixes, etc., then by all means, pick this up. Despite the still narrow soundstage, the sound quality is as good as it will ever be, and on top of all that, the music is classic. How can you argue with that?

Here's yet another incomplete, rehash of The Who's back catalog in the guise of the new "Deluxe Edition" series. The fact is that there is nothing new here at all except alternate version of a few tracks. As others have stated, the dynamic range has been expanded but the mixes are incomplete. Gone are Daltrey's vocal and various instrumental overdubs. Also missing are the other songs recorded at the same time like "Just You And Me Darling".

Still gone from the current catalog are: "Goin' Down", "Dogs", "Dogs, Part 2", "Waspman", "Here 'Tis", "Here For More", "Zoot Suit", "Under My Thumb", "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde", "When I Was A Boy", etc. After waiting so long for this reissue, this is a big letdown.

MCA should stop procrastinating and release a complete boxed set of The Who's studio recordings. They should also release entire concerts from 1973 (Quadrophenia tour) and 1982 (It's Hard tour).

[DW]

I know that a lot of people have waited a long time for a proper CD reissue of The Who's first album. Well, maybe this fits the bill but it could have been better.

First, I have no problem with the disc being mixed in stereo. For the most part, the sound is very good. The problem is that several of the tracks sound different from the original mono mix that everyone is familiar with. Overdubs are gone and there's the problem with a part of the vocal from "La La La Lies" that isn't there at all. It's like a big hole right in the middle of the song.

I guess that I'm wondering, considering the differences and relative incompleteness of the stereo mix, why they couldn't have given us the complete album in both mono and stereo. I mean, this is a two disc set, afterall. They could have fit both mixes on disc 1 and still had disc 2 for all of the extras.

This album is one of my all-time favroites. And this reissue is certainly better than what's been legitimately available up to now. But why go to the trouble of issuing Deluxe Edition and not make it definitive?

Finally a 2 cd set was released which remastered the first Who lp "My Generation". However, this set is a mixed bag. The version of "La-La-La Lies" has some kind of weird edit and the guitar break in "My Generation" has gone AWOL! The mono version at the end of the second disk is a better version. The deluxe edition illustrates that the band was much more R&B based than many people remember prior to their rock opera days. There are a number of cover tunes included in the set and these are a mixed bag. Versions of "Please, Please, Please" and "I'm A Man" can't hold a candle cover material of this vein by the Yardbirds, Stones, or Animals. However, the covers of "Daddy Rolling Stones" and "Leaving Here" are much better. Listen to the alternate version of "Leaving Here" on the second disk to find out why Keith Moon was one the best rock and roll drummers. The mix on his drums is one of the best aspects of the set. The set includes such hits as "I Can't Explain", "My Generation", and "The Kids Are Alright" as well as an alternate version of "Anyhow, Anywhere, Anyway". Included are some other forgotten classics like "A Legal Matter", "The Good's Gone" (also included in an extended version), "It's Not True" and "Circles". "The Ox" is a spotlight for the recently passed bassist John Entwistle. The other member of one of rock's great rhythm sections is also spotlighted on the set. My Generation deluxe edition also contains one of the worst tracks the Who ever recorded "Bald Headed Woman" with Jimmy Page on guitar. Some of the additional material on the set has appeared on the "Who's Missing" and "Two's Missing" lps. Another drawback is that the set is rather pricey considering neither disk is over 50 minutes. The liner notes and photos are excellent. It is a shame about the problems on the first disk or I would have given the set a better review. Buy at your own risk!

The Who's 1st LP, originally released in the UK on Brunswick, one of Decca's group of labels, had been unavailable in the UK for decades, due to a legal matter involving the group's defection to their manager's new Reaction label, and the ownership of the album master tapes by their former producer, Shel Talmy. Thirty-five years later, after they had almost ended up auctioned on E-bay, the 3-track masters were re-mixed by Shel Talmy into true stereo for the first time and eventually released in a lavish 2CD set, overflowing with bonus tracks of unreleased out-takes and alternative versions. It seemed too good to be true, when first announced, but it almost isn't. The stereo sound is incredibly vibrant and powerful and the Who crackle with a raw energy and with a righteous commitment from each to outdo all the others, a clash of ambition and ego which provides glorious results.

There were slight variations between the UK track-list and its US release, The Who Sing My Generation, which came out later. I'm A Man was replaced by a newer recording, Circles, from 1966. This had been recorded as their intended fourth single, but had been abandoned when the band left the label (Brunswick cheekily released it later as the B-side to A Legal Matter, which was lifted off the album; they mistitled it Instant Party). Both items are included on Disc One, which also houses both sides of their first single and the UK B-side of their second (Anyway Anyhow Anywhere), which was the Otis Blackwell song Daddy Rolling Stone, covered first by Jimmy Ricks and the Ravens but known to the Who from a Sue label single by the Jamaican former-Top Note and Raven, Derek Martin. All of these are also mixed in stereo.

Disc Two begins with "additional bonus tracks", the first twelve tracks comprising material unreleased at the time, though some have subsequently appeared on 1980s compilations such as Who's Missing. Exceptions to this include the James Brown song Shout And Shimmy which became the UK B-side to My Generation, and Anytime You Want Me (Garnett Mimms and the Enchanters), unreleased in the UK at the time but found on the US B-side of Anyway Anyhow Anywhere. An a cappella version is also included, as is the instrumental version of My Generation.

It was the practice of the time to include well-known songs on albums and the Who's set was full of R&B, soul and Motown covers, many of which were recorded for their debut album, although Shel Talmy says in the notes that he was admirer of Pete Townshend's writing and would have been happy to include only original material. When early acetates of the sessions went out for review, the paucity of new material was commented on by Beat Instrumental reviewer John Emery, and so the release date was put back while some covers were replaced with Townshend songs: La-La-La-Lies, Much Too Much, It's Not True, A Legal Matter (featuring an early Pete Townshend lead vocal) and The Good's Gone.

The replaced tracks included, as well as those mentioned, Leaving Here (a Motown cover, originally by Eddie Holland), Lubie (Come Back Home) (an adaptation of Paul Revere and the Raider's Louie Go Home), Heat Wave and Motoring (both from Martha and the Vandellas), all collected here. Leaving Here exists in a number of different forms: a 1964 demo appeared on the expanded CD version of Odds And Sods, a version from April 1965 appeared on Who's Missing, and it was also recorded for the BBC's Saturday Club programme the following month (available on The BBC Sessions). The version here is an unknown alternative take from the April 1965 session. Heat Wave was re-recorded for the album A Quick One, copying the arrangement used by the Everly Brothers, whereas its clear from this earlier version that its genesis in the Who cannon was the Motown original.

Instant Party Mixture was recorded at the same time as Circles and was to have been its flipside. Circles was later re-recorded for the Ready Steady Who EP but Instant Party Mixture never saw the light of day until this release. Full length versions of two of the album tracks follow. Their version of I Don't Mind is considerably adapted from James Brown's original, whether by design or out of necessity for a 3-piece group and a singer, and benefits from the extra minute or so, while what The Good's Gone owes to its inspiration, The Kink's See My Friends, is made much clearer by the guitar on the extended fade. Incidentally, See My Friends and other Kink titles were produced by Shel Talmy on 14 April 1965 at Pye Studios, while the Who were at IBC Studios cutting Anyway Anyhow Anywhere and several tracks for this album with the same producer. He must have been quite busy.

The band's extraordinary second single, Anyway Anyhow Anywhere, is unfortunately not included, but a rare early version with a slightly different title, which was released by accident on a French EP in 1966, takes its place. Apparently it was impossible to include a stereo mix of the released version as the vocal overdubs had been performed directly onto the final mono mix-down, a common practice at the time in order to minimize tape hiss.

This same practice affects the stereo presentation of a number of the album tracks, which are missing those final touches that were added at the mixing stage. These include vital guitar parts and some back-up vocals on My Generation and A Legal Matter, John Entwistle's french horn playing on Circles and vocal overdubs for La-La-La Lies and Much Too Much. This is partially addressed by the final two tracks on Disc Two, which are "monaural versions with guitar overdubs" (the great original mono versions of A Legal Matter and My Generation), and is made up for by the chance to hear these historic tracks in full stereo for the first time.

All of what is found here is so important and so fantastic to hear after all this time, and in such high quality sound, that one really doesn't want to carp. However, it would surely have been a good idea to have the entire original mono album on the second half of Disc One, with its three bonus tracks added to the second disc, along with the original mono version of Anyway Anyhow Anywhere, a top ten hit in the UK after all, and perhaps the Who's Missing version of Leaving Here. Maybe next time.

I have waited a long time for the first Album by The Who to be released and given the full treatment the rest of thier catalog was given. This addition of thier first album has been remixed for stereo and in most cases sounds poor. Roger's voice on a couple of tracks sounds muffled. The albums classic title track was remixed so much that it bares little resemblance to the version we all know and love (which can be found on the bonus disc). I have been a Who fan for the past 23 years and can recognise some subtle differences in some of the past remasters, but even a Who novice could tell in one listen that there's something wrong with this edition. The only bonus to this CD is some unreleased material and the the wonderful liner notes. Buy this as an interesting addition, but don't consider this as the definitive addition of this first album.

you guys obviously know NOTHING about the archaic mixing methods done in the 60's. it was common practice to have priority for mono mixes over stereo due to the fact that monophonic record players were more common, so the audio engineers would mix for mono first then do the stereo ones (if ever), most overdubs were done on the mono masters ONLY, resulting in the stereo version having different over dubs, if any. they simply didn't take stereo versions and mono mix them. also mono and stereo versions were completly separate takes...the songs on this CD weren't mixed and/or edited differenty - the orginal stereo masters were used. this CD kicks ass, PERIOD!!! stop whining