Customer Reviews

Pete Townshend Live

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It's been six years since the last Pete Townshend album, the criminally overlooked Psychoderelict. Since then, he took what's left of The Who on the road, performing Quadrophenia--but he's only played a dozen or so solo shows. Excerpts of two of them are captured here. This album finds Townshend performing a couple of choice covers ("On the Road Again," and an excellent version of "Girl From the North Country"), plus a smattering of Who and solo tunes.

Who fans will probably have mixed emotions about this disc. The few people who were fortunate enough to attend the concerts will be disappointed because they know what's missing. The rest will love it. The tracks on the CD and its bonus disc come from Townshend's '97 and '98 shows at Chicago's House of Blues.

Highlights? Let's start with the rarely played "Anyway Anyhow Anywhere." The song starts off with Townshend and a drum machine, then kicks firmly into high gear as he shouts, "nothing gets in my way, not even locked doors." Pete's voice sounds great, and his guitar work is even better. "Now and Then" is the lone track from Psychoderelict. Hopefully, this stellar performance of the song will inspire people to go out and find the original CD.

"Won't Get Fooled Again" wins the prize for `most changed song.' Townshend starts the song on acoustic, then switches to electric for the killer solos. On "Magic Bus," you'll swear it's 1972 all over again when you hear the way he attacks his guitar. Both of these tracks clock in at over 12 minutes. Percussionist Jody Linscott and keyboardist Jon Carin are the star performers on "A Little is Enough," recreating and enhancing all the nuances and effects of the studio version.

The big selling point here is the bonus disc. Taken from the '97 show, Townshend and Carin are joined onstage by "special guest" (a.k.a. Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder) for one of the best versions of "Magic Bus" that you'll ever hear, and a great version of the seldom heard "Heart to Hang Onto." Townshend's vocals are outstanding on both tracks, and Vedder turns in an inspired performance as well.

The bad thing about this CD is that you may not be able to find it at your local CD shop. Well, fear not Who fans. You can get it online at Amazon.com. Pete Townshend Live isn't as good as the Deep End disc, but there's enough brilliance here to satisfy any self-respecting Who fan.

This album is truly Pete at his best live and is a must have for any fan. If you're looking for Eddie, this isn't the album for you. I was fortunate enough to attend the two shows that produced the CDs and unfortunately some of the best songs didn't make the cut. Most notably missing "Save it for Later", "I Put a Spell on You", and "The Acid Queen" (There's a lot of space available on disc 2! ). But what made it, is impressive itself! "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" is worth the price alone, and to think you also get great versions of "Drowned" and "I'm One" to boot. Keep you eyes peeled for the '99 benefit concert with The Who.

I've had the pleasure of seeing the WHO live in their reunion tour. It was great fun - huge arenas, great production values, high energy performances - but it was not art. It was 55 year old people performing songs that were mostly written 10 years and more before I was born. They pretended for a while that they were still in the 1970s, and that, Keith Moon or not, the Who were still the people of old, and that nothing has changed. But they were wrong, and so what we got was a great concert - but very little in the way of novelty or excitement. It was a nostalgic act - energetic and capable, but belonging in a museum nonetheless.

But, this - Pete Townshend's Live album - is the real thing. This is the work of an artist, not a historian.

I'm completely unfamiliar with Townshend's solo work, but I love the WHO, and dig live concerts, so, when this was sold at a reasonable price, it was an obvious purchase.

Townshend here presents material roughly equally distributed throughout his career. Fortunately, the reworkings of oldies breath new lives into them - Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere is no longer a proto-punk quickie - rather it becomes a rich, complex and powerful composition testifying for Townshend's youth. Drowned is truly improved upon, getting a more subdude approach. I don't know the original versions of 'Now and Than', ' Let My Love Open the Door', and You Better, You Bet, but they all work wonderfully here, the latter, especially is a great song, containing pop sensability combined with real energy and fine songwriting.

The only disappointments come from the most popular and best songs on this CD - Magic Bus and Won't Get Fooled Again. Those songs suffer from opposite problems: Magic Bus, despite some changed lyrics (Sometimes emberassingly weak 'every bus has two decks - the upper deck, and the lower deck'), is essentially the same song as it was in the album. Won't Get Fooled Again is reworked heavily, but since WGFA is arguably the WHO's best song, it can't be reworked to work any better than the original, and while Pete Townshend is a fine singer, he can't compete with Daltrey's vocals.

Those are especially unnecessary, as various live performances of these songs are available elsewhere - certainly 'Live in Leeds' include the ultimate version of Magic Bus - and non other is necessary.

On the other hand, including some lesser known Townshend songs would probably have been preferable to repeating these ones, and if, they wanted to use classic Who stuff, why not ' The Kids Are Alright' which was apperantly performed in that concert, which is thematically logical to this concert, and which doesn't appear on nearly as many Who live albums.

But those are minor complains. This is a wonderful album. It ends with Townshend's solo performance of I'm One - Solo only if you disinclude the crowd, which recieved Townshend with the enthusiasm the performance deserved.

I was able to attend the 1998 concert, which is featured on CD1. Simply put, it was the greatest concert I've ever attended! About half the concert is featured on CD1. What you get here is the unexpected: whether they be reworked versions of old songs, obscure original tunes, or intriguing covers. The passion displayed in Townshend's performance that night is clearly evident as well as the concert's intimate feel. Many Who fans will not like this CD; there's too much experimentation. However, Townshend fans will love it since he's free to try new ways to win you over. The only disappontment was that the entire 1998 concert was not released on 2 CDs; the rest of the concert was just as briliant. The point of this 2 CD set was to raise money for charity; thus, Eddie Vedder is featured on CD2 to appeal to the younger crowd. Overall, it's a great live album! I was lucky enough to have been there.

Pete Townshend,once again,demonstates innovation,cutting edge material which never gets old.This Live recording illustrates Petes ability to communicate though his music the passion,intensity and imagination just as much as when he was creating these songs.This album appeals to ALL ages.Enjoy the amazing journey and learn all you should know.

Pop Kulcher Review: Fortunately, Pete's performance is far more inspired than the album title. Taken from a 1996 Chicago concert (and with a portion of the proceeds going to a charity for abused kids), this album confirms Townshend as an artist whose live performances remain relevant and poignant, not just some old guy making the rounds to pad his pockets. The riveting electric guitar work and bluesy power immortalized on the Who's legendary Live at Leeds is replaced by a more soulful, acoustic sound, livened up by some inspired piano and harmonica work. Yet while the performance is melodic and subdued, the arrangements are actually far more interesting than one might expect. Whereas the Who, in their later years, descended into lackluster, routine performances with predictable setlists, this album has a widely varied assortment of material from Pete's Who years and solo albums, with some extended improvisation and thoroughly re-worked arrangements. Townshend remains incredibly spry and relevant, and while his last few solo albums may leave something to be desired, this album keeps him on the map as an artist not to be missed. A "bonus" disc adds two songs with Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder guesting; Pete and Eddie's duet on "Heart to Hang Onto" is among the album's highlights (though, as one of Townshend's finest songwriting achievements, it's all but impossible not to love the tune no matter who happens to be singing it).

Having been fortunate enough to have attended both shows that make up this record (Disc 1 is from 1998, Disc 2 from 1997), my only qualm is that I know first hand what's NOT on this record. Some of the finest moments from both shows are left off this record, and in light of the fact that disc 2 only contains 2 songs, the omissions seem all the more glaring. Perhaps Disc 2 was issued simply to feature Ed Vedder, but then why was their duet of "Tattoo" omitted? Some of the notable omissions, in my opinion, include: 1) "I Am An Animal", 2) "Sensation", 3) "I'm A Boy", 4) "Christine's Tune" (G. Parsons), 5) "The Shout", 6) "Acid Queen", and I could go on. The climax of both shows (again, in my humble opinion), was a stirring rendition, dedicated to the Kids of Maryville, of "The Kids Are Alright". At one point, Pete shouts out "What could EVER be wrong with kids?". Indeed.

This joyful celebration of Townshend's catalogue, both Who and solo, reminds me of the days when live albums were live albums --- featuring extended and loose versions of the studio tracks. The extra length is not always a blessing, but this project works because of the superb musicanship and especially because of Townshend's obvious joy in performing this mixture of the predictable (Magic Bus; Won't Get Fooled Again) and the pleasantly surprising (Now and Then, A Little Is Enough). Worth the price of admission for that chilling moment in Anyway Anyhow Anywhere when he sings "This is what we used to believe/ We thought we would live forever." But dock a star for the useless two-track add-on disc with Eddie Vedder. We really didn't need another version of Magic Bus, or the sloppy duet on Heart To Hang On To. An anticlimax.

What do you do when a Townshend album comes out, and your a fan? You buy it, and hope for the best. Did he run out of gas, is he played out, is Vedder here because ol' Pete can't hold his own? NOT!!! From the start of Canned Heats "On The Road Again" there's plenty of promise, and for the most part Mr. Maximum R&B delivers. Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere is a GREAT remake. Poor ol' Roger must be having a fit. Mind you, there are a few throw-away tunes, but that's what CD players are made for-hit the old "skip button". The real genius comes with the reworking of "Won't Get Fooled Again". We've all heard it a million friggin' times, right? Well.... not like this. We have about 12 minutes of brilliance here! If you buy it only for this, you got your moneys worth. Yeah, I'm an old Who fan, and PJ too. If your buying this for the 2 Eddie Vedder (with PT) songs, save your cash. Find a boot of Eddie & Pete on David Letterman. But if you follow Mr. Townshend, this is a MUST HAVE. (Where's the video?)

This concert sparkles with the brilliance of a master musician, songwriter and performer. Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere rocks as well as anything he ever did in the past. There are pieces from various points in Pete's catalog of songs, showing his range and versatility as a songwriter. Eddie Vedder's contribution in Disc 2 is also noteworthy, as it highlights Pete's influence on another generation of music.