My Generation (Deluxe Edition)
The roaring, raging quartet heard onWho's Next,Live at Leeds, andQuadropheniais scarcely discernable on much of this, their first album. But the Mod-fueled, American R&B-inspired; sense of ambitious pop that powersA Quick One,Sell Out, and evenTommyisn't so hard to find here. This reissue not only expands the original with a bonus-disc treasure trove of 17 outtakes and rarities (including thePete Townshend-penned, previously unissued "Instant Party Mixture"), but has been remixed from the original 1964-'66 session tapes by producer Shel Talmy and released in true stereo for the first time. Anchored by early Who/Townshend anthems "My Generation" (also included in an instrumental version), "I Can't Explain," and "The Kids Are Alright," disc one's original LP set veers somewhat schizophrenically from Townshend's nascent power-guitar thrashing on the anthems andRoger Daltrey's ill-advisedJames BrownandBo Diddleyimpressions on "Please, Please, Please" and "I'm a Man," respectively, to the surf-inspiredJohn Entwistle-Keith Moon instrumental showcase, "The Ox." Not surprisingly, it's the Townshend originals (like "It's Not True," "Legal Matter," and the proto-psychedelic "Circles") that point to what the band would become in a few short years. The bonus material on disc two leans equally heavily on covers, but also contains its share of signposts to the future Who, including a rare, alternate version of "Anyhow, Anyway, Anywhere." Also included is a new booklet with many rare photos and a history of the album's recording by Andy Neill (coauthor ofAnyway Anyhow Anywhere: The Complete Chronicle of the Who 1958-1978).--Jerry McCulley