Customer Reviews

Who's Better Who's Best [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wow, I can't believe there aren't any customer reviews for this yet, and it's been out almost one week. Great DVD comp, which basically is the 1988 VHS tape "Who's Better Who's Best" and adds three bonus videos from the Kenney Jones era - 1981's "Don't Let Go The Coat" and "Another Tricky Day," followed by the late 1982 souncheck video for "Eminence Front." "Don't Let Go .." looks great, although "Tricky Day" looks a little worn. These are probably the best these videos are going to look, particularly the old videotape sources from the 1960s when Moonie was behind (and on top of) the drum kit. It's cool to have pretty much all the Kenney Jones-era films, plus many of the Moon years. Sound is very very good, and there is an awesome "jukebox" feature that allows you to pick what order the videos run (chronilogical fans will be happy). Although the three bonus tracks are listed on the menu as "bonuses," they do play in order after the main attraction, if you watch the main attraction first. A great buy. Long live The Who ...

I have never been a rabid Who fan but have always at least enjoyed their music. And so I picked this up on the spur of the moment at a "special price" when I saw it on a display at a national book and music chain while holiday shopping. As it turns out, I should have ordered it here for a better price, but oh well.

Who's Better, Who's Best is a rather primitive collection of video clips of The Who performing some of their best known songs in various venues at different periods in their career. These videos, some quite amusing, others quite electrifying span almost two decades from 1964 to 1982. On these, you can witness the development of the band as a performing unit and the abundant energy which made them one of the most acclaimed live acts in the world. After viewing this DVD several times, I certainly came away with a greater appreciation for The Who, both as performers and as songsmiths. Just watch and see how manic they are even in the early days, particularly drummer Keith Moon and guitarist Pete Townshend.

Viewers are treated to a generous twenty different songs. Some of my favorite Who songs come alive here:Substitute, The Kids Are Alright, I Can See For Miles, Pinball Wizard, I'm Free, a raucous Won't Get Fooled Again, Another Tricky Day, and a driving Eminence Front.

There is a disclaimer on sound and video quality in the liner notes following the song list. To me, it is OK because I expect archived material to have some flaws. What drops a star from my rating is how several of the songs are truncated right at the point where they start to gain traction. This is particularly annoying where Townshend is cut off right as he begins to play the part in I Can See For Miles that makes it such a great song.

That complaint aside, I recommend this DVD not just to fans of The Who, but to anyone who loves great rock and roll. You'll see here just why the band has the kind of timeless appeal that still resonates with the young today!

Originally, in 1988, this program was released on VHS videocassette and(with 5 bonus tracks) on Laserdisc. Unfortunately, this re-compiled DVD, which omits a few songs from the group's heyday, then adds a few songs from the Kenney Jones years, does not fully replace the original releases.

Apparently there were licensing problems this time. It's not a big deal that the compilers of this DVD could only use one song from Shepperton 1978, and opted to omit "Baba O'Reilly", since that performance of "Baba O'Reilly" is easily available elsewhere on DVD(On "The Kids Are Alright")

The most irritating thing about this DVD is what happened to "I Can See For Miles". The song, as seen on the original VHS & Laserdisc releases of this program, is a composite of a Smothers Brothers show T.V. performance(for the first half of the song), and some offstage footage for the second half of the song. Apparently legal problems have developed over the use of that offstage footage, and so, rather than give us the Smothers Brothers footage of the entire song, "I Can See For Miles" abruptly cuts off during the guitar solo.

And furthermore, several of The Laserdisc bonus tracks ("5:15" & "Relay") are also omitted. This disc is a bitter disappointment. Universal music is counting on the idea that many younger consumers don't own the original releases,and won't know what's missing.

By the way, the original uncut Laserdisc program(with the 5 bonus tracks) can be had on a technically legal Brazilian DVD, simply titled "The Who", which can be found here on Amazon.com

And expect more disappointment from Universal Music's upcoming(March 2009) 2-DVD reissue of "The Who-30 Years of Maximum R&B", where, despite the addition of an entire second disc of previously unreleased material(a 1979 concert in Germany), the main disc won't be a complete reissue of the original VHS & Laserdisc program(the 3 Live at Tanglewood 1970 tracks will be omitted due to legal problems).Even a 6-month postponement from the intended fall 2008 release date did not resolve this problem, since ownership of the Tanglewood footage changed over the years, and the present-day owner refuses to license it. In short, the lawyers win and the fans lose.

I love this video. It is a collection of promo films and live performances, all of which are very good. Highlights include the live performance of "Magic Bus" (which if you ask me, is 10 times better than the studio version), the in-studio promo of "Who Are You" and a great live rendition of "Won't Get Fooled Again." There is great stuff on this video and any Who fan will be very pleased to have it.

Nice compilation of videos. Promos and live performance of The Who's hits.
"My Generation" live at the Marquee in 1967, "The Kids are Alright" 1965 promo, "Pictures Of Lily" at the Beat Club in 1967, "I'm a boy" at the Beat Club in 1966, "I'm Free" live in 1969, "Magic Bus" live in Holland 1972, "Join Together" 1972 promo, and many more.
Get it because it's awesome ;-)

A nice little video which should be added to the Who lover's collection along with Kids, Maximum R&B, and Isle Of Wight. Some lip sync but still fun to watch.

This is a collection (for the most part) of the promo videos for the major singles they released, although there is some live concert footage from Woodstock and elsewhere. Most of the videos are in B/W but are great nonetheless, and some are quite rare. Most are lip synch, rather than live, as this was the age when video promos were quite primitive. I feared it would repeat what is offered in The Kids are Alright video, but that was not the case. This compilation has some very rare videos and that's what makes the collection worth while. As it spans many years, including the last phase with Kenny Jones, you get an appreciation of how they matured and how they aged, with so much grace, over those years into being one of the great rock bands.

While not the definitive Who video, this makes an excellent addition to any Who film collection. Some of the clips here are available on other videos (e.g., THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT), but many are only available here, including a wonderful promo film of "Join Together" and a live version of "Magic Bus" from 1973. Also, promo films of some of their early hits (e.g., "Pictures of Lily") that were edited for THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT are presented here unedited.

A very good video anthology of the best of one of rock's greatest bands. Grab it soon in case it goes out of print.

(Collector's note: The laserdisc version of this has a filmed performance of "Relay" from the Russell Harty show in 1973 that is not on the VHS version.)

Unbelievable video! Who's better than the Who? One of the greatest Rock n' Roll bands in history (in my opinion of course). These guys will probably play into their 80's and still sound good. I hope I look as good as Roger Daultry and Peter Townsend when I'm their age. GREAT performance - - great video. Worth the price!

The Who was part of the maturity of rock n roll after the Beatles and Rolling Stones. They were a three man super group with a lead singer, similar to Led

Zep. I recieved it fast and in great shape.