I found this page where someone made a note about all remixing done to the Who catalog by Jon Astley. Unfortunately, the page doesn't exist anymore, and I had to pull this off of Google's cache link, so here it is before it's wiped from the web: [note: some of this stuff is not quite correct, but it's useful if you want to know what changes were done in the mix] In 1994, MCA and Polydor started to remix and remaster every Who album. The original CD's are now out of print. There are many differences between the remixes and the originals. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ My Generation The master tapes were remixed by producer Shel Talmy. There is no release date set. For more information click here to go to Talmy's website. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A Quick One This is the mono mix of the original album (except for Run Run Run which is stereo). None of the songs were remixed. Whiskey Man is in fake stereo. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Who Sell Out Armenia City In The Sky (backing track mixed lower) Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand (has tremolo effect at the end like the original mono mix) Our Love Was, Is (the first note of the guitar solo is complete) I Can See For Miles (crossfaded with Charles Atlas) Relax (organ mixed lower) Rael (second line in intro restored from master, fixing the bad edit on the original) Glow Girl (complete ending, no fade) This is a great remix. The original album has more echo. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tommy It's A Boy (different echo) 1921 (piano is mixed higher) Amazing Journey (piano mixed lower) Christmas (backing vocals are mixed very low) Cousin Kevin (acoustic guitar sounds different) Acid Queen (Keith's scream is edited out) Underture (drums mixed lower) Fiddle About (piano mixed lower) Pinball Wizard (more echo, shorter fade) We're Not Gonna Take It (has digital clicks) The remix sounds clearer than the older cds. There are some digital clicks on it if you listen closely. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Live At Leeds Young Man Blues (longer than original with introduction) Substitute (Pete's vocals are edited out) My Generation (bass solo is different, scream at beginning was removed) Magic Bus (the backwards guitar on the original is forwards) This one sounds great. Most of the crackling noises were corrected. Here is an article that discusses the remastering of Live At Leeds. lukpac.org has an analysis of the differences between the remaster and the unedited bootleg. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Live At Leeds Deluxe Edition Disc one is great. It's the same as the 1995 remix (except for Amazing Journey) with more dialogue. Disc two sounds horrible. It has too much noise reduction. "Listening To You" and "Do You Think It's Alright" have new vocals overdubbed by Roger Daltrey. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Who's Next Baba O'Riley (remix, longer intro) Love Ain't For Keeping (remix) My Wife (remix) Goin' Mobile (remix) Behind Blue Eyes (heavily compressed) Too Much Of Anything (different vocal) Only 4 of the tracks were remixed. Won't Get Fooled Again was remixed in 1996 for "My Generation - The Very Best Of The Who". There is a lot of noise reduction and compression. The original Canadian cd sounds great. You can buy it at www.hmv.com. Here is an article that discusses the remastering of Who's Next. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Quadrophenia The Real Me (the last chorus is edited) Cut My Hair (lead guitar in intro is edited, the heavy reverb on Pete's voice was removed) I'm One (no echo) The Dirty Jobs (bird sound is edited out) I've Had Enough (count off at the beginning was removed) 5:15 (bass mixed higher) Sea And Sand (lead guitar is mixed louder) Drowned (the effects on the vocals were removed) Some of the edits of the sound effects between tracks are slightly different. The vocals are a lot clearer than the original lp. 1979 Movie Remix I'm The Face (mono, faded ending) Zoot Suit (mono) The Real Me (different bass, has orchestra, different ending) I'm One (has piano overdubbed) 5.15 (no sound effects at beginning, different bass, different guitar solo) Love Reign O'er Me (orchestra overdub, faded ending) Bell Boy (different bass) I've Had Enough (orchestra overdub) Helpless Dancer (18 second excerpt) Doctor Jimmy (no sound effects, different bass, faded ending) The Punk And The Godfather (different bass, no audience) All of the songs were remixed by John Entwistle for the Quadrophenia movie. He also redid some of his bass parts. Some of them have orchestra overdubs by Raphael Rudd. In the movie, there is an instrumental remix of "The Punk And The Godfather". ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Odds & Sods Postcard (different horns) Now I'm A Farmer (longer fadeout) Put The Money Down (longer fadeout, there is a noise gate on the lead vocal track that fades up before each line, very annoying) Little Billy (slowed down, has studio chatter at end) Glow Girl (complete ending, no fade) Faith In Something Bigger (no echo) I'm The Face (fades out too early) Naked Eye (the edited guitar solo is restored) Bonus Tracks: Under My Thumb (lead guitar is missing) Young Man Blues (wrong take, slowed down) Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand (missing 'shaky' tremolo effect, organ mixed much higher) Time Is Passing (Mono, missing right channel that can be found on the bootleg cd "Exciting") The running order is different from the original lp. The sound is very harsh due to noise reduction. 'Young Man Blues' is incorrectly labeled as the version from the 'House That Track Built' lp. It's actually an outtake. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Who By Numbers Slip Kid (some lead guitar is missing, shorter fade) Dreaming From The Waist (different fade-out) Imagine A Man (different echo) They Are All In Love (end is crossfaded with 'Blue Red And Grey') Blue Red And Grey (see above) The remix is clearer and sounds much better. There are no major differences. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Who Are You New Song (There are more backing vocals and a scream that is not on the original) Had Enough (different strings, no horns) 905 (the acoustic guitars are much louder, and the 'in suspended animation' line is faded up too late, same noise gate as 'Put The Money Down') Music Must Change (different guitar) Trick Of The Light (different drums during intro. The 'come on, tell me' line, the first notes of the bass solo, and some screams were edited out. The fadeout is 40 seconds longer) Guitar And Pen (slowed down. The 'never spend your guitar or your pen' line at the end is gone) Who Are You (different echo) This is the worst remix ever. Most of the songs are altered. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Face Dances Cache Cache (organ and bass are edited) The Quiet One (different fade out) Did You Steal My Money? (piano edited, shorter fade) How Can You Do It Alone (bass might be different) Daily Records (echo is different) You (vocals have different effect, longer fadeout) It's In You (first pressing has digital skips) Not very different. While the other remixed cd's have a thick booklet with liner notes and pictures, this one has none of that. it doesn't even have the lyrics like the original lp. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It's Hard It's Your Turn (more echo and extra "alright’s" at the end, the bass sounds different, a glitch at 1:56 was edited out of the remix) Cook's County (more echo, longer fadeout) It's Hard (different guitar during intro) Dangerous (The remix has a reprise of the intro from 1:13 to 1:28 that wasn't on the original, more echo) Eminence Front (different bass, different vocals at 2:30) I've Known No War (more echo. different ending, some backing vocals edited out) One At A Time (slightly different lead vocals) Why Did I Fall For That (longer fadeout) A Man Is A Man (extra guitar sounds at the end) Cry If You Want (different intro, fadeout 43 seconds longer) There are so many differences. If you like the original, don't bother with the remix. The booklet is just like Face Dances. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B I'm The Face (stereo, fades out early) The Kids Are Alright (long version) I'm A Boy (backing vocals and horns were removed) Disguises (Stereo, 16 seconds longer than original) Happy Jack (mix with different drums originally released on "The Singles" in 1984) A Quick One While He's Away (studio version mixed with live version) The Last Time (some backing vocals and guitar were edited) Rael (second line restored) Jaguar (edited) Track Records (longer and different) Dogs (Stereo, fades out early) Heaven And Hell (fades out early) See Me Feel Me (studio version mixed with live Leeds version) Sparks (mistitled 'Underture') (52 seconds longer) Bargain (edited from 6:22 to 4:54) The Seeker (the intro is edited) Join Together (has extra flute at the end) Relay (crossfaded with 'Join Together', longer fadeout) 5:15 (single version without guitar solo) Love Reign O'er Me (edited single version) Who Are You (third verse edited out) Guitar And Pen (slower than original with more synthesiser) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ My Generation - The Very Best Of The Who I Can't Explain (has slight delay to give stereo effect) Anyway Anyhow Anywhere (has slight delay to give stereo effect) My Generation (has slight delay to give stereo effect) Boris The Spider (has slight delay to give stereo effect) I'm A Boy (backing vocals and horns are missing) Won't Get Fooled Again (remix) Join Together (has extra flute at the end) Who Are You (3rd verse edited out) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In my opinion, the remixes are unneccessary (except for the songs that were only released in mono). There's nothing wrong with the the originals. The remixes of Quadrophenia, Face Dances, Who By Numbers and Live At Leeds (single disc) are good. Tommy, Who's Next, Odds & Sods, Who Are You and It's Hard are not. For 'A Quick One', the German LP has all the songs in great stereo. There is a bootleg called 'A Stereo Quick One While Pete's Away' that sounds great. Find a speed corrected cd of it. If you can find an American (Decca) LP of Tommy in good condition, or the single disc MCA premix. 'Live At Leeds Complete' is a bootleg cd that has the whole concert unedited. Find a speed corrected cd of it. It's better than the Deluxe Edition. "Live Tommy At The Leeds" has bad sound. If you can find the original cd's, get the German (Polydor) 'Who Are You', the US (MCA) 'It's Hard' and the Canadian (MCA) "Who's Next". The Canadian cd of Who's Next is a direct transfer from the master tape. For various singles get Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy and Who's Better Who's Best.
Let's see here... 8/27/02 Right, although recently half of the songs have been remixed to stereo and the rest (sans See My Way) will be taken from stereo masters. Of course, Astley is mastering. Certain parts are *less* clear. Compare the original mixes of Overture and Underture to the remixes. The remixes pale in comparison. Heh. Wasn't expecting that mention... I guess I've never noticed any differences in Pete's vocals in Substitute. I'll have to check it out. Five tracks were remixed, actually - Behind Blue Eyes was as well. Not quite true. Both So Sad About Us and See My Way are in fake stereo on the German LP. You need a US Happy Jack LP for So Sad.
That was written by me. I moved my Who website to http://members.aol.com/thewhoindex/ The remix page is at http://members.aol.com/thewhoindex/remix.html I update that page quite a bit. The cached page is out of date. Also, feel free to correct me and add to it. When I said that Tommy sounded "clearer" I meant that there was less hiss and more fidelity. I wasn't referring to instrument balance. Maybe I should change that. Are you going to update your Leeds page with information about the Deluxe Edition? It's a good resource.
Well, the thing is, parts *don't* have more fidelity! Yeah, one of these days. The problem is, that requires me to sit down with LAL DE and actually listen for an extended period. Something I'm not looking forward to.
