The Who's recording sessions, various mixes etc. (book excerpts--very, very long)

Hi all!

OK, so here's a long one for the Who experts out there:

For a few months now I've been working on a book about the audio and visual recordings documenting the Who from 1964-1982. The book is still very much in its infancy, but I thought I'd post some excerpts here detailing the band's recording sessions, mix variations etc. Just looking to get some opinions.

The problem is that the info out there detailing the various mixes and remixes of this material is often contradictory and confusing. This sketch uses most of the published sources, but I am going in and checking things with my own ears for accuracy.

Missing from these excerpts would be recordings of the band live, interviews and film. Almost all of the BBC stuff is not here either. All of the missing bits will be in the full book.

Hope you like it, and if you pick up on some howling factual errors let me know. Remember this is still a baby--I'm still well into writing so I haven't proofread much etc.



June 1964 (exact date unknown)
Phillips’ Studio, Stanhope Place, London (The High Numbers recording session)

AUDIO:
13 minutes, A
I’m The Face (mono mix), I’m The Face (stereo mix), I’m The Face (stereo remix), Here ‘Tis, Zoot Suit (mono mix), Zoot Suit (stereo mix, with count in), Zoot Suit (stereo remix)

The audio history of the Who begins with this first recording session at Phillips’ Studio. During a session taking up (implausibly by today’s standards) a single afternoon, the Who—then known as The High Numbers—cut their first single for Fontana Records under the direction of their then-manager Pete Meaden. Two tracks from this session, “Zoot Suit” b/w “I’m The Face”, were released as a single in the UK on July 3rd.

As will be the standard for singles released during the 1960s, the two single tracks were initially issued in mono. These were reissued on the 1991 Fontana Singles box set of various artists’ recordings for the Fontana label. The stereo mix of “I’m The Face” first turned up on the 1974 Odds And Sods compilation, and is now available on CD in the 30 Years Of Maximum R&B box set.

A stereo mix of “Zoot Suit” first surfaced on an acetate in the early 1980s, and was included on the excellent Maximum R&B vinyl bootleg LP in 1985, complete with countdown, alongside a stereo mix of the outtake track from this session, an rocking cover of Bo Diddley’s “Here ‘Tis”. These mixes were subsequently also issued on the 30 Years Of Maximum R&B box set. Stereo remixes of both “I’m The Face” and “Zoot Suit” were used on the 2000 CD remaster of the Quadrophenia soundtrack.


September 21st 1964 (possible date)
Exact location unknown, possibly Studio 3, EMI Recording Studios, London

AUDIO:
24 minutes, B+
Smokestack Lightning (instrumental), Walkin' The Dog (instrumental), Instrumental, I'm a Man (instrumental), Instrumental, Memphis Tennessee (instrumental), Instrumental.

This mystery tape was released in 2000 on the Yellow Dog bootleg CD The High Numbers – Live 1964. The recording consists entirely of various blues instrumentals, with Roger Daltrey nowhere in evidence except for some occasional blues harp playing. It has been theorized that this session was recorded at EMI Studio 3 (now better known as the legendary Abbey Road studios) at the Who (as they would now be known for all eternity)’s audition for EMI in September or October 1964, the exact date of which seems lost to the ages.

It can be easily argued that this tape could not be from that audition, as no vocals are present. However it is equally plausible that the vocal track was simply lost at some point. It would seem unlikely that the band would perform an audition without vocals, especially since the blues harp playing would suggest that Roger Daltrey is indeed present. The quality of the tape (which is in mono) is good enough to indicate a studio recording of some kind, although I am somewhat reluctant to unreservedly assign it to the band’s EMI studio audition. Honestly, until more documentation arises, it could be from anywhere. If there was a gun to my head, I would guess that this recording is what remains of an attempt to create a multitrack demo for the band, which never got far enough along to add vocals to it.

In terms of performance, the tape is understandably very raw. The material performed here consists entirely of R&B material familiar from the band’s then-current repertoire plus a few unknown instrumental workouts that could simply be improvisations. Pete indulges in frequent jazzy guitar fills, a style which (as the Railway Hotel tape makes clear) greatly informed the young Townshend’s guitar style. This would of course become less noticeable by the end of the following year. Moon and Entwistle are fairly controlled here, and the closest the group comes to sounding recognizable as the Who is on “I’m A Man”, which features an arrangement similar to that recorded the following year for the My Generation album. Roger adds some lyrical harmonica playing to this, at one point sounding as if he is growling into his instrument. The final number is the only indication that there could potentially be a “pop” side to the band, with Pete indulging in some electric 12-string guitar riffing.


Early November, 1964 (exact date unknown)
Pye Studios, Marble Arch, London

AUDIO:
10 minutes, A
I Can’t Explain (mono mix), I Can’t Explain (stereo mix), Bald Headed Woman (mono mix), Bald Headed Woman (stereo mix).

By November, Lambert and Stamp had been able to interest American producer Shel Talmy in the Who on the basis of a Pete Townshend demo for a song he had recently composed, “I Can’t Explain”. In short order, Talmy brought the band to Marble Arch to record “I Can’t Explain” and a B-side, a reworking of a folk song called “Bald Headed Woman”, for release as their first single on Brunswick Records on January 15, 1965.

As there are no extant outtakes from these sessions in circulation, we are left with two mixes of each of the recorded tracks. The mono mixes were first issued on the single itself, and stereo mixes would have to wait until 2002 for release on the Deluxe CD edition of the My Generation album.

In addition to this, test pressings of an unreleased 2001 project, The Shel Talmy Sessions, exist though they have yet to find their way to the larger collecting community. Containing 3 CDs of raw material from the Who’s 1964-1965 sessions with Talmy, the collection features otherwise unavailable versions of “I Can’t Explain” and “Bald Headed Woman”. According to White Fang (who has heard the set), the version of “I Can’t Explain” is “same as released version, but much cleaner sound” while “Bald Headed Woman” is “same as released version, but much cleaner sound and extended ending”.


Mid-March 1965 (approximate date)
Pye or IBC Studios, London

AUDIO:
5 minutes, A
Leaving Here, Baby Don’t You Do It.

Although the exact date has not been documented, mid-1965 saw The Who head back into the recording studio with Shel Talmy. Two tracks from this session turned up on a Pye acetate single in the mid-1990s, and this acetate was issued (after a clean-up process) on the 1998 CD reissue of the Odds And Sods album. The master tapes for the session are presumed to be lost. Interestingly, despite the number of times the Who recorded “Leaving Here” in a studio environment (counting the BBC version as well), the band never issued this track during the run of the original lineup. A scorching, superior 1971 live version of “Baby Don’t You Do It” was issued as the B-side of the “Join Together” single in 1972.


April 12 - 14 1965
IBC Studios, London

AUDIO:
length unknown, A
Anyway Anyhow Anywhere (mono mix, original “French EP” vocal), Anyway Anyhow Anywhere (mono mix, remade vocal), Anyway Anyhow Anywhere (stereo mix, original “French EP” vocal), Anyway Anyhow Anywhere (alternate stereo mix #1, original “French EP” vocal), Anyway Anyhow Anywhere (alternate stereo mix #2, original “French EP” vocal), You’re Going To Know Me (Out In The Street) (mono mix), You’re Going To Know Me (Out In The Street) (stereo mix), You’re Going To Know Me (Out In The Street) (tks. 1-7), You’re Going To Know Me (Out In The Street) (alternate mix), Lubie (Come Back Home (mono mix), Lubie (Come Back Home (original stereo mix), Lubie (Come Back Home (alternate mix #1), Lubie (Come Back Home (alternate mix #2), Please Please Please (mono mix), Please Please Please (stereo mix), Please Please Please (alternate mix), Heat Wave (mono mix), Heat Wave (stereo mix), Heat Wave (alternate take), Heat Wave (alternate mix #1), Heat Wave (edit piece #1?), Heat Wave (edit piece #2?), I Don’t Mind (mono mix), I Don’t Mind (stereo mix), I Don’t Mind (Full-Length Version), I Don’t Mind (take 1), I Don’t Mind (alternate mix of take 1), Shout And Shimmy (mono mix), Shout And Shimmy (stereo mix), Shout And Shimmy (alternate mix), Daddy Rolling Stone (mono mix), Daddy Rolling Stone (stereo mix), Daddy Rolling Stone (alternate mix #1), Daddy Rolling Stone (alternate mix #2), Daddy Rolling Stone (alternate mix #3), Daddy Rolling Stone (alternate take), Motorin’ (album mix), Motorin’ (alternate mix #1), Motorin’ (alternate mix #2), Anytime You Want Me (mono mix), Anytime You Want Me (stereo mix), Anytime You Want Me (a cappella mix), Anytime You Want Me (tks. 1-4), Anytime You Want Me (alternate mix #1), Anytime You Want Me (alternate mix #2), Anytime You Want Me (alternate mix #3), Leaving Here (mono mix), Leaving Here (stereo mix), Leaving Here (alternate take), I’m A Man (mono mix), I’m A Man (stereo mix), I’m A Man (alternate take).


Over these three days at IBC, Shel Talmy and the Who began the recording of their first album. As it turned out however, Talmy would play a nine-song acetate of tracks intended for the album (then including “I’m A Man”, “Heat Wave”, “I Don’t Mind”, “Lubie (Come Back Home)”, “You’re Going To Know Me (Out In The Street)”, “Please Please Please”, “Leaving Here” and “Shout And Shimmy”) to Beat Instrumental reviewer John Emery later in the year, who took issue with the album’s cover-heavy song selection. As a result this original version of the first Who album was scrapped. Further sessions throughout the year—including several new Pete Townshend original compositions—would remedy the problem. The My Generation LP would finally see release in December 1965.

The album initially appeared only in a mono mix, owing to a legal dispute between the Who and producer Shel Talmy that would not be fully resolved until the 2002 issue of a Deluxe Edition CD of the album, remixed into glorious stereo though with significant differences in the sound of the tracks owing to overdubs that that are actually missing from the multitrack masters. All previous “stereo” versions of the album, including the USA Decca Records release The Who Sings My Generation, were issued in a rather horrible “rechanneled stereo”).

The tracks cut at these sessions would all see issue, spread out over the next twenty years. The first tracks to see release formed the A and B-sides of the second Who single, released in the UK on May 21st. These were Pete and Roger’s “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere” and Derek Martin’s “Daddy Rolling Stone”. Interestingly, Roger re-cut his lead vocal at some point for the A-side of the single, which was imprinted directly onto a mono mixdown of the backing track. The original vocal was first issued in 1965 on the French EP The Who, remaining an exclusive item until the 2002 Deluxe Edition CD of My Generation featured a stereo mix of the track—with the French EP’s vocal take. The remade lead vocal, dropped “live” into the aforementioned mono mix, was released on the original single and several subsequent compilation albums and is by far the most common variation of this track. Unfortunately the remade vocal version of the track can never be mixed into true stereo owing to the circumstances of its creation.

“Daddy Rolling Stone”, meanwhile, first appeared in a mono mix on the UK single release and in a stereo mix on the 1987 Two’s Missing compilation. An alternate take from these sessions can be found in stereo on the Deluxe Edition CD of My Generation. The US single release of “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere” (released June 5th) replaced this track with another number from these sessions, Garnet Mimms’ “Anytime You Want Me”. This strikingly beautiful song—with an excellent, soulful Roger vocal—can be found in mono on the US single and in stereo on the Deluxe Edition CD of My Generation. The latter release adds an “a cappella” version of the track, created by dropping out the rhythm track altogether. The UK “My Generation” single, released in October 1965, included a mono mix of another track from these sessions, James Brown’s “Shout And Shimmy”. A stereo mix of this track can be found on the Deluxe Edition CD of My Generation.

The My Generation album featured the remaining two James Brown numbers cut here—“Please Please Please” and “I Don’t Mind”. These can be found in mono on the original vinyl LP and in stereo on the Deluxe Edition CD of My Generation. The CD also includes an unedited “full-length version” of “I Don’t Mind”. The album also included the band’s take on Bo Diddley’s “I’m A Man” and Pete’s own “Out In The Street”, then known as “You’re Going To Know Me”. These also can be found in mono on the original vinyl LP and in stereo on the Deluxe Edition CD of My Generation. “I’m A Man” was left off the USA Who Sings My Generation release after Decca balked over its lyrical content (the track was first released in the States on the 1987 Two’s Missing compilation—with its middle section sloppily edited out!).

Other LP contenders recorded at these sessions included a remake of Eddie Holland’s “Leaving Here” which had originally been cut back in March, and Paul Revere And The Raiders’ “Lubie (Come Back Home)”. These would first see issue in stereo on the 1985 Who’s Missing compilation (in stereo, oddly enough). A second “rarities” compilation, 1987’s Two’s Missing, featured the first issue of two more tracks from these sessions, the Martha And The Vandella’s tracks “Heat Wave” and “Motorin’” (cut under the title “Motor-Vating”). The Deluxe Edition CD of My Generation contains stereo remixes of these tracks, although the version of “Leaving Here” heard there is in fact an alternate take from these sessions. A mono mix of “Leaving Here” was issued for the first time on the 2007 Japanese My Generation box set.

As a side note, Shel Talmy created mono mixes of “Heat Wave”, “Lubie (Come Back Home)”, “Leaving Here” and “Motorin’” at IBC on April 22nd, 1965. He then created mono mixdowns for “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere”, “Daddy Rolling Stone” and “Anytime You Want Me” in the same studio on April 29th.

Finally, the unreleased 2001 CD set The Shel Talmy Sessions contains much of what was recorded during these sessions, taken from the raw multitrack reels. According to Who discographer par excellence White Fang (who I hereby thank)’s notes, the CDs contain the following tracks from the Who’s sessions with Talmy in 1965:

Disc 1: Daddy Rolling Stone, Bald Headed Woman, Lubie, Motoring, Instant Party Mixture, Heatwave, Shout And Shimmy, Leaving Here, I Can't Explain (alt. mix), The Good's Gone (full length version), My Generation (instrumental version), Out In The Street (alt. mix), Anytime You Want Me (a cappella mix), Lubie (alt.), Motoring (alt.), Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (alt. mix without backing vocals), Instant Party Mixture (a cappella mix).

Disc 2: Lubie, Lubie (alt.), I Can't Explain, I Can't Explain (alt. mix), Bald Headed Woman, Out In The Street, Out In The Street, Motoring, Motoring (alt.), I'm A Man, Heatwave, Daddy Rolling Stone, Please, Please, Please, Shout And Shimmy, I Don't Mind, The Ox, A Legal Matter, Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere, Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (alt.), Circles, Instant Party Mixture, Instant Party Mixture (a cappella mix), Leaving Here, Anytime You Want Me, Anytime You Want Me (a cappella mix).

Disc 3: Out In The Street, The Good's Gone (edited version), La La La Lies, Much Too Much, My Generation, The Kids Are Alright, Please, Please, Please, It's Not True, Anytime You Want Me.

White Fang also had a golden opportunity to hear a copy of Talmy’s master tapes, the contents of which he kindly detailed for us collector-types:

1. "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" [???] No backing vocals. French EP version.
2. "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" [mix 2] Sounds similar, but different mix of French EP version.
3. "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" [mix 1, take 1] Seems to be the French EP version
4. "Out In The Street" [mix 2, final, take 1] Different drumming and guitar parts (complete song)
5. "Out In The Street" [mix 1, take 2] Stops shortly after start.
6. "Out In The Street" [3] Stops shortly after start.
7. "Out In The Street" [4] About ¾ of the song, then stopped.
8. "Out In The Street" [6] Stopped almost immediately after start.
9. "Out In The Street" [7] Cool "feedback" guitar part. (complete song)
10. "Out In The Street" [???] Seems to be LP version, but backing vocals are mixed down.
11. "Lubie" [???] Seems to be the same as on "Who's Missing".
12. "Lubie" [Final Mix] Much higher guitar and much lower drums than above version. Pete Townshend would like this one!
13. "Please, Please, Please" [???] Vocals upfront mix.
14. "Please, Please, Please" [mix 1, take 1] Seems to be the same as the LP version.
15. "Heatwave" [mix 2, take 4] A bit more upbeat than the "Two's Missing" version.
16. "Heatwave" [mix 2, take 4] Seems to be the same as the "Two's Missing" version. Some tape wobble at song's end.
17. "Heatwave" [mix 2, take 1] Compressed mix.
18. "Heatwave" [edit take 1] Edited version. Starts near end of song.
19. "Heatwave" [2 edit] Edited verson. Starts near end of song.
20. "I Don't Mind" [take 1, mix 1] Roger banter before song start. Blusier version than LP. Vocal changes and different extended ending as well.
21. "I Don't Mind" [mix 2, take 1] Different mix of take 1 (above).
22. "Shout And Shimmy" [???] Similar/Same as released version.
23. "Shout And Shimmy" [???] Different backing vocals and no backing vocals in other parts.
24. "Daddy Rolling Stone" [???] No backing vocals. Different vocal and guitar parts.
25. "Daddy Rolling Stone" [take 2] No backing vocals. Longer ending than released version.
26. "Daddy Rolling Stone" [take 2, mix final] This version has backing vocals and longer ending than released version(s).
27. "Motor-Vating" ("Two's Missing" title, "Motoring") [Take 1] No backing vocals. Voice on tape says, "Motor-Vating, take 1"]
28. "Motor-Vating" [mix 2, take 1] Compressed mix with backing vocals.
29. "Anytime You Want Me" [mix 2, take 1] False start.
30. "Anytime You Want Me" [2] Roger sings end part in a higher octave.
31. "Anytime You Want Me" [take 3] Roger forgets lyrics and song stops. Some band banter follows. Tape wobble in the middle.
32. "Anytime You Want Me" [take 4] Roger singing ending in higher octave.
33. "Anytime You Want Me" [mix 1, take 1] Same/Similar to released version.
34. "Anytime You Want Me" [take 1, mix 2] Same/Similar to released version.
35. "Anytime You Want Me" [???] Edited ending only.
36. "Anytime You Want Me" [take 2] Cut short after start. Pete Townshend discusses Roger's vocal part.
37. "Leaving Here" [3] Same as "Who's Missing" version.
38. "I'm A Man" [mix 1, take 1] 2nd ½ of the song is instrumental only.
39. "I'm A Man" [take 2] Same/similar to "My Generation" LP version.
40. "Lubie" [take 1] No backing vocals.
41. "Out In The Street" [first mix, 2] Seems to be a different take than released version.


October 13th 1965
IBC Studio A, London

AUDIO:
length unknown, A
My Generation (instrumental mix), My Generation (mono mix), My Generation (stereo mix), My Generation (possible alternate mix), The Kids Are Alright (mono mix), The Kids Are Alright (stereo mix), The Kids Are Alright (alternate mix with pre-song tuning).

On this date the Who reconvened with Shel Talmy at IBC to work on tracks intended both for their new single (in the case of “My Generation”, released in the UK on October 29th) and first album release. The original My Generation album contained mono mixes of both these tracks, which were not given an actual stereo mixdown until 2001. Those mixes can be heard on the Deluxe CD edition of My Generation, along with the mono mix of the album’s title track which includes guitar overdubs recorded directly onto a mono master and thus missing from the multitrack tape.

A special edit of “The Kids Are Alright” was prepared by Talmy and engineer Glyn Johns on October 14th for release in the US (on The Who Sings My Generation album, issued the following April). This hacks out the middle solo section of the song for no really good reason. This edit has also appeared on several Who compilation albums, notable Meaty, Beaty, Big And Bouncy.

The unreleased Shel Talmy Sessions CD project from 2001 includes what may be an alternate mix of “My Generation” (extant notes are unclear on this) as well as an alternate mix of “The Kids Are Alright’ featuring some pre-take guitar tuning from Pete.


November 10th 1965
IBC Studio A, London

AUDIO:
21 minutes, A
The Good’s Gone (mono mix), The Good’s Gone (stereo mix), The Good’s Gone (full-length version), La La La Lies (mono mix), La La La Lies (stereo mix), It’s Not True (mono mix), It’s Not True (stereo mix), Much Too Much (mono mix), Much Too Much (stereo mix).

By the time November rolled around, the pressure was definitely on for the Who to produce an album worthy of their collective talent. In short, this meant a greater percentage of original material—and this session certainly fit the bill with four new Pete Townshend songs being committed to tape.


November 12th 1965
IBC Studio A, London

AUDIO:
length unknown, A
A Legal Matter (mono mix), A Legal Matter (stereo mix), A Legal Matter (full-length version), The Ox (mono mix), The Ox (stereo mix), The Ox (with count-in).

This was the final recording session for the My Generation album. The first track recorded was Pete’s number about the opposite side of marital bliss, “A Legal Matter”. This was followed by a raucous neo-surf instrumental, “The Ox”. As usual, mono version of these tracks appeared on the original My Generation album, while stereo mixes were made available on the 2001 Deluxe CD edition of the album. The latter also includes the mono mix of “A Legal Matter”, as Pete recorded guitar overdubs live to a mono mixdown of the original track—meaning that those guitar parts do not exist on the multitrack tapes.

The Shel Talmy Sessions project includes a version of “A Legal Matter” that runs through to the end of the track. Conversely, the version of “The Ox” included there contains the count-in, as well as the voice of (presumably) engineer Glyn Johns identifying the track as “Instrumental, take 1”.


January 12-13 1966
IBC Studio A, London

AUDIO:
12 minutes, A
Instant Party Mixture, Circles (version one) (mono mix), Circles (version one) (stereo mix), Circles (version one) (alternate mono mix).

These sessions at IBC were the final sessions for the Who with Shel Talmy in the producer’s chair. Within weeks the band would break away from their brilliant but controlling taskmaster in a spectacularly acrimonious fashion. This session saw the band recording the A-and-B sides of their intended next single. The subsequent implosion of the Who/Talmy relationship saw to it that the single would not be released, which would be just as well as the proposed A-side, Townshend’s “Circles”, did not truly stand up to the quality of the band’s previous A sides, while “Instant Party Mixture” was a fun but goofy parody of Dion & The Belmonts’ classic “Runaround Sue”.

The story of “Circles” is a complicated one for such a relatively slight song. There are actually two distinct versions of the song recorded and released in 1966. The first to be issued was the second to be recorded, as a February 1966 remake of the song (produced by the Who) was issued as the B-side of the far-superior “Substitute”. Not to be outdone, Talmy (humorously) issued his version of the track as the B-side to “A Legal Matter” from the My Generation album—under the confusing title “Instant Party”. This version was also issued later in the year on the band’s first US album release, The Who Sings My Generation. As with all original Talmy-era releases, the track was available only in mono (with a horrible “duophonic” fake stereo mix used on the stereo version of the aforementioned US album release). Finally, 2002’s Deluxe CD edition of the My Generation album saw the track given its first stereo mix—which sounds far better than any other available mix of the track, although it is missing John Entwistle’s French horn overdub, which had been dubbed directly onto the mono master. An alternate, slightly cleaner mono mix of “Circles” (with more prominent lead guitar) turned up on the 2007 Japanese My Generation box set.

“Instant Party Mixture” meanwhile remained unreleased until the Deluxe CD edition of My Generation. Consequently, there is only one mix available of the track—a stereo mix.


February 12th 1966
Olympic Sound Studios, London

AUDIO:
2 minutes, A
Substitute (mono mix), Substitute (US Version, mono mix), Circles (version two) (mono mix).

Having had enough of Shel Talmy’s production control, on this date the Who set out on a new and relatively unheard-of venture—they were to produce themselves (this lasted for one single before their manager Kit Lambert took over production duties). Having cancelled the release of Shel Talmy’s version of “Circles”, the band recorded two new tracks at Olympic Studios under the direction of Pete Townshend. This ignited a fierce legal battle with Talmy, the repercussions of which would stretch out for some 35 years.

For the A-side of their new single, the band recorded Pete’s “Substitute”—the first of many songs dealing with crises of identity. For this indisputable Classic Track two versions were prepared. The first of these was issued on March 4th on Robert Stigwood’s new record label Reaction (distributed by Polydor) and predictably became an instant hit. The mono mix issued on the single has been reissued on countless compilations. The track has never been remixed into stereo and the master tapes of the track (along with those of the single’s B-side “Circles”) appear to be lost.

The second version of “Substitute” featured an alternate Roger Daltrey vocal that replaced the potentially controversial lyric “I look all white but my Dad is black” with the harmless “I try going forward but my feet walk back” (this was 1960s AmeriKKKa after all). This was issued as a single by the American label Atco (a division of the mighty Atlantic label) in April of 1966. Despite the altered lyric and the filming of a promo clip for the track, the record sunk without trace.

The original B-side of the single was an intentional swipe at Shel Talmy. For this, the Who re-recorded “Circles” which had been tapped to be the band’s next single release in January. While a decent effort from the band, it is certainly arguable that the Talmy-produced version of the track is superior to the later self-produced effort. As with “Subsitute” only mono versions of the track have ever been issued—notably on the Ready Steady Who EP released in the UK later in 1966.

Following the release of the single in the UK, Talmy went to court and obtained an injunction against Reaction and the Who for copyright violation (it was reasoned at the time that Talmy technically owned the composition “Circles” regardless of the fact that he had not produced this version). The Who attempted to get round Talmy’s claim by issuing some copies of the single with a B-side that renamed the track “Instant Party” (a confusing and futile attempt, as Talmy would have claimed ownership of “Instant Party Mixture”, the clear namesake track, as well). Reaction then reissued the single with a new B-side, Ginger Baker’s “Waltz For A Pig”, recorded by The Graham Bond Organisation (credited to “The Who Orchestra” on the label) on March 14th. This successfully evaded Talmy’s copyright infringement claim although the legal war between the Who and their original producer would lumber on for months to come.


May 16th and 17th 1966
IBC Studios, London

AUDIO:
3 minutes, A
Beck’s Bolero.

One of the earliest (and only) examples of Keith Moon-as-session-man was captured during these IBC sessions when a supergroup consisting of Keith, guitarists Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, bassist John Paul Jones and pianist (and Who session regular) Nicky Hopkins cut Jeff Beck’s arrangement of Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero”. This was initially issued as the B-side of Beck’s single “Hi Ho Silver Lining” released in March of 1967, and was later included on the Jeff Beck Group album Truth, released in July of 1968. The session is deeply significant on many levels, not the least of which is the fact that Page and Jones would go on to form Led Zeppelin two and a half years later, taking their name from that of a proposed band that Moon and John Entwistle were considering forming with Jimmy Page around this time (as the Who were on the verge of breaking up). Moon’s playing here is tightly controlled for much of the piece, exploding in classic Who style for the climactic finale. A true piece of musical history indeed.


June 14th and July 31st – August 1st, 1966
IBC Studio A and Pye Studios, London

AUDIO:
10 minutes, A
Disguises (mono mix), Disguises (stereo mix), I’m A Boy (single version, mono mix), I’m A Boy (single version, stereo mix), I’m A Boy (single version, stereo remix).

Upon their return from the delights of Sweden, the Who headed back into the studio (using a combination of IBC and Pye for some reason—possibly because they felt they could get a better vocal sound at Pye) to record two Townshend-penned contenders for their next single (though further sessions would be required to complete the tracks at the end of July). The first of these, “Disguises”, was the band’s first foray into a sort of psychedelic musical feel—the dizzying “swoops” that dominate the track caused by careful manipulation of the volume and EQ levels during the mixdown of the track giving a “trippy” effect for the listener (most notably on the mono mix—the stereo mix is much cleaner and less-compressed). Mono and stereo mixes were completed of the finished master; the former would grace the Ready Steady Who EP that would be released on November 11th, 1966 while the latter would first see release on the Japanese I’m A Boy compilation album, released in 1967. Incidentally, a truly horrible fake stereo version was released in 1968 on the US Decca compilation Magic Bus – The Who On Tour.

The second of these tracks would become the A-side of the Who’s first single. “I’m A Boy” was both another one of Pete’s classic “identity crisis” songs and his first real “story song” of sorts, having been extracted from a proposed “rock opera” entitled Quads. The song has turned up in several studio guises, but the version recorded at these sessions is the best known, becoming the band’s first #1 single in the UK upon its release on August 26th, 1966.

The major difference between the initial stereo mix and the 1994 stereo remix of the track is the presence of a French horn part from John Entwistle on the original stereo mix, absent from the remix. The mono mix was initially released on the UK single, while the original stereo mix was issued on the Japanese I’m A Boy album the following year.


June 19th and first week of October, 1966
IBC Studio A, London

AUDIO:
7 minutes, A
I’m A Boy (long version, mono mix), I’m A Boy (long version, stereo mix).

For reasons unknown but probably due to some dissatisfaction with the backing track laid down the previous week, the Who trudged back into IBC on June 19th to tape a backing track for a slower, longer version of “I’m A Boy”. Initially this seems likely to have been recorded for consideration as the A-side of the single though in this case the nod went to the peppier “short version” of the song. This “long version” of the track would eventually be completed with overdubs in October (including an extra verse not appearing on the short version), for inclusion on the band’s second album, initially entitled Jigsaw Puzzle—though the track would ultimately be excluded from that album’s running order when it was released in December under the title A Quick One.

Consequently, the first release of this “long version” was a stereo mix issued on the Meaty, Beaty, Big And Bouncy compilation, released by Track Records in 1971. A mono mix, edited to lose part of its intro for a rather abrupt start to the track, was released on the 2008 Japanese A Quick One box set.


July 31st – August 1st, 1966
IBC Studio A, London

AUDIO:
6 minutes, A
In The City (mono mix), In The City (stereo mix), In The City (stereo remix).

With something of a clear direction now before them, the Who took to the confines of IBC once again to complete work on their next single. In addition to completing the backing tracks for “I’m A Boy” and “Disguises” which were begun on June 14th, the band managed to record a new song in a single session--the Moon/Entwistle Beach Boys pastiche “In The City”, recorded by the rhythm section before Daltrey and Townshend arrived. This would turn up as the B-side to “I’m A Boy” upon its release as a single on August 26th.

Once again, there were mono and stereo mixes prepared of this track, with the former gracing the single release and the latter initially seeing issue on the 1967 Japanese I’m A Boy LP. A stereo remix of the track was created for issue on the Japanese CD reissue of the I’m A Boy album, released in 2007. This by the way was Kit Lambert’s first official session as producer of the Who’s records, a position he would hold for the next four years.


August 30th - 31st, 1966
IBC Studio A and Pye No. 2, London

AUDIO:
21 minutes, A
Barbara Ann (mono mix), Barbara Ann (stereo mix), Man With Money, Batman (instrumental version), Batman (mono mix), Batman (stereo mix), Heatwave (mono mix), Heatwave (stereo mix), Heatwave (stereo remix).

On these dates recording commenced in earnest for the Who’s next album, titled Jigsaw Puzzle at this point but later retitled A Quick One. Only one of these tracks would actually make it to the actual album, a cover of Martha And The Vandellas’ “Heatwave”. The remaining tracks were all covers as well: Keith’s take on The Beach Boys’ recent hit “Barbara Ann”, The Everly Brothers’ “Man With Money” and Neil Hefti’s classic theme to the US TV show Batman.

Mono mixes of “Barbara Ann” and “Batman” were issued on November 11th on the Ready Steady Who EP. A stereo mix of “Batman” appeared on the 1995 CD reissue of A Quick One, while a stereo “Barbara Ann” was not released until the 2002 A Quick One CD reissue. A stereo remix of “Barbara Ann” with a slightly more narrow sound picture was issued on the 2008 Japanese A Quick One box set, which also featured the first release of a short instrumental version of “Batman”.

As for “Heatwave”, mono and stereo mixes of this track were issued on their respective versions of A Quick One. A stereo remix was issued on the 2002 CD reissue of that same album. “Man With Money” was shelved for many long years before finally turning up, in stereo, on the 1995 CD reissue of A Quick One.


September 1966 (approximate date)
Pete Townshend’s apartment, Wardour Street, London and possibly Pye or CBS Studios, London

AUDIO:
3 minutes, A
See My Way (mono mix).

Sometime around September, Pete and Roger demoed Roger’s composition “See My Way” using Pete’s home studio equipment. This track was then overdubbed by Keith who thumped out the rhythm on a cardboard box (ala Buddy Holly’s classic “Peggy Sue” which this track resembled) and added some cymbals. Although it is not documented as to exactly where and when the overdubbing took place, it seems likely to have been recorded at Pye or CBS Studios where the band were working on tracks for their next album, A Quick One.

The resulting track was mixed into mono and included on A Quick One. The track was never mixed into stereo, although a fake stereo mix was created by the US label Decca for use on their variation of A Quick One entitled Happy Jack, released on May 1, 1967.


September 1966 (exact date unknown)
IBC Studios, London

AUDIO:
9 minutes, A
So Sad About Us (mono mix), So Sad About Us (stereo mix), So Sad About Us (stereo remix).

Pete’s poppy “So Sad About Us” had been recorded by the Merseys back in July at IBC in a session produced by the songwriter himself. Sometime during September, the Who recorded their own version for release on A Quick One. The Who’s studio recording remains probably the definitive version of this underrated number. The track was released in mono on A Quick One in December, with a stereo version being issued on the US LP Happy Jack the following year. A stereo remix of the track was issued on the 2002 remastered CD version of A Quick One.


September 29th, 1966
Pye No. 2, London

AUDIO:
6 minutes, A
Cobwebs And Strange (mono mix), Cobwebs And Strange (stereo mix), Cobwebs And Strange (stereo remix).

With this session, the Who began a concentrated period of work on A Quick One with the recording of the Keith Moon composition “Cobwebs And Strange” (which was actually ripped off of Tony Crombie’s “Eastern Journey” from his Man From Interpol soundtrack). The recording was as zany as it sounds, the band marching around a studio microphone playing various wind and brass instruments (and percussion in Keith’s case) and careening close to tunelessness. The result is very “Moon”, and for this reason the track would be used as the music underneath Keith’s “profile” sequence in Jeff Stein’s The Kids Are Alright, released in 1979.

Mono and stereo mixes of the track were then prepared, with the former being released on A Quick One in the UK (which was a mono-only release) and the latter seeing issue on the US Decca album Happy Jack the following year. The 2002 CD reissue of A Quick One features a stereo remix of the track, one of several prepared for that reissue.


October 3rd, 1966
CBS Recording Studios, London

AUDIO:
11 minutes, A
Don’t Look Away (mono mix), Don’t Look Away (stereo mix), Whiskey Man (mono mix), Whiskey Man (stereo mix).

Two more A Quick One tracks were committed to tape at this CBS session, Pete’s ”Don’t Look Away” and John’s “Whiskey Man”. The tracks were subsequently given both mono and stereo mixdowns, with the mono mixes initially being issued on the UK A Quick One album and the stereo mixes seeing first release on the Japanese album I’m A Boy, released in 1967. The US Happy Jack album used fake stereo mixes of both of these tracks.


First week of October 1966 (exact date unknown)
IBC Studios, London

AUDIO:
13 minutes, A
Run Run Run (mono mix), Run Run Run (stereo mix), Run Run Run (stereo remix).

Early in October, in the midst of cutting tracks for A Quick One, Townshend and co. traipsed over to IBC for more fruitful labor. This session saw the band polishing off the “long version” of “I’m A Boy” that was begun back on June 19th (see previous entry) as well as cutting the band version of Pete’s “Run Run Run”. While basically following Pete’s demo to the (excuse the pun) T, the Who’s version adds a truly explosive energy that allows a relatively slight song to become a balls-out rocker.

The mono mix of the track made its debut on the A Quick One album, while the stereo (which has several notable mix differences compared to the mono) was issued the following year on that album’s US variation Happy Jack. For many years the US album was the one of the few places to find a true stereo mix of this track, alongside the Japanese I’m A Boy album. Finally the original stereo mix was used for the 1995 CD reissue of A Quick One, but the 2002 CD reissue of the album features a stereo remix of the track.

As an interesting side note, it was at these IBC sessions that the Who were introduced to a naïve and innocent Jimi Hendrix for the first time when he was brought to the session by Kit Lambert, who would soon sign Hendrix to the record label he was putting together with Chris Stamp, Track Records.


October 4th, 1966
Pye Studios, London

AUDIO:
12 minutes, A
Boris The Spider (mono mix), Boris The Spider (stereo mix), Boris The Spider (stereo remix), I Need You (mono mix), I Need You (stereo mix), I Need You (stereo remix).

The first of the tracks recorded on this date turned out to be the next certified Who Classic: John’s “Boris The Spider”, perhaps the track that Entwistle would be most associated with for the remainder of his life. As usual for the A Quick One tracks, there are three extant mix variations: the mono mix was issued on A Quick One itself, the stereo issued initially on the US Happy Jack album and a stereo remix first issued on the 2002 CD reissue of A Quick One.

These exact same mix/release variations exist for Keith Moon’s fun, underrated “I Need You”, which was also committed to tape at this session and featuring Who roadie Gordon Molland impersonating The Beatles’ Liverpudlian accent in the middle of the track. The track was recorded under the memorable extended title “I Need You (Like I Need A Hole In My Head)”.


October 11th, 1966
IBC Studios, London

AUDIO:
5 minutes, A
Bucket T (mono mix), Bucket T (stereo mix).

Continuing the new “’Oo” tradition of “Keith is the sex symbol so give him some songs to sing”, the band tackled another surf-era cover of Jan & Dean’s “Bucket T” at this session. The session was also filmed by Swedish television, more proof of the band’s popularity in the land of the tall blonde (see next entry for details). For many years the only extant mix of the track was in mono, first seeing issue in the UK on the Ready Steady Who EP on November 11th, 1966. The first time a true stereo mix of the track was widely available was on the 1995 CD reissue of A Quick One. A truly awful fake stereo mix, prepared from the mono mix, was issued on the US Magic Bus – The Who On Tour album in 1968.


October 11th, 1966 (broadcast February 2nd, 1967)
IBC Studios, London (My Generation – Popreportage From London taping)

VIDEO:
5 minutes, A
Bucket T.

As mentioned earlier, Sverige Television cameras were on hand to capture the insanity of a Who recording session. And what better insanity to capture than the recording of vocals for “Bucket T”? To say that this clip is charming is something of an understatement. The band is having fun here, fighting a losing battle to record solid vocals from both Keith and his backing vocal trio at the same time. In addition to the vocals (none of which were apparently used in the final mix), John is seen adding his French horn part apparently simultaneously. This clip, which appeared at the end of the February 2nd, 1967 broadcast of the special My Generation – Popreportage From London, circulates among collectors in good quality with time code burned into the image.


October 14th, 1966
IBC Studios, London

AUDIO:
3 minutes, A
My Generation/Land Of Hope And Glory.

The Who took their spots on the UK’s preeminent pop program Ready, Steady, Go! quite seriously. That show was invaluable as a means of attracting attention to the band, and with the series shortly coming to an end the Who were given their own sixteen-minute segment with which they could do as they liked. To that end, a recording intended as the finale of the show was cranked out on this date at IBC.

The balance of the track is a remake of “My Generation”. As the track descends into the ending that would normally signify the ritual destruction of the group’s gear, the band plays a chaotic rendition of the traditional “Land Of Hope And Glory” which sounds like it was dubbed onto an existing track of noise. Rarely did the Who capture their onstage equipment destruction more successfully in the studio.

As it turned out, the band replaced “Land Of Hope And Glory” with “Rule Brittania” for the actual RSG show, filmed on the 18th. Unearthed in the late 1980s by the team responsible for compiling what became the Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B box set, this track was finally issued, in stereo, on the 2995 CD reissue of A Quick One.


October - November 1966 (exact dates unknown)
IBC and Pye Studios and Regent Sound Studio A, London

AUDIO:
22 minutes, A
Happy Jack (acoustic version, with cello), Happy Jack (acoustic version, without cello), A Quick One While He’s Away (mono mix), A Quick One While He’s Away (stereo mix).

By the start of November, the push was on to complete A Quick One in time for a December release. Sessions at IBC, Pye and Regent Sound, whose dates are currently unknown, took care of the gaping ten-minute gap in the track lineup. Kit Lambert, concerned that the album was running too short to release and zooming in on Pete Townshend’s ambition, challenged Townshend to construct a ten-minute song based around one main storyline. Pete could not compose one single extended piece (his thought process being too anchored to the idea of the three-minute pop tune) but, picking up on Kit’s brainstorm, he was able to compose a nine-minute piece consisting of several independent song fragments. The result was “A Quick One While He’s Away”, his first proper “mini-opera”.

The track became the album’s de-facto title track and its closing number. There are two extant mixes of the piece—the mono mix (debuting on the UK A Quick One) and a stereo mix, first issued in 1967 on the US Happy Jack album. Oddly enough there is no stereo remix of this track available, and it is rumored that the multitrack masters for the piece are lost.

Also recorded at these sessions was an acoustic prototype version of what would become the Who’s next single, Pete’s “Happy Jack”. Oddly enough, there are two versions of this track that have seen official release. The first, featuring Townshend on cello, was issued on the 1995 CD reissue of A Quick One. A second version, which drops the cello from the mix, was released on the limited edition Bonus CD (available only at Best Buy stores) of the Ultimate Collection compilation, issued in 2002.


November 9th - 10th, 1966
CBS Studios, London

AUDIO:
6 minutes, A
Happy Jack (studio dialogue), Happy Jack (mono mix), Happy Jack (mono remix).

During this overnight session at CBS, Kit Lambert and his charges worked out a remake of “Happy Jack”, the A-side of the Who’s next single (and their first hit in America, reaching #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart). No discussion of the recording of “Happy Jack” would be complete without mentioning that Pete’s “I saw ya!” at the end of the track was his exclamation upon seeing Keith, who had been placed in the control room by the band during the vocal overdub because he couldn’t sing harmony well, attempting to sneak back into the studio.

There are two extant mono mixes of this track available. The common mono mix was issued on the original single and many subsequent compilations, including the mono version of the US Happy Jack LP. A mono remix of the track popped up on the 1984 Polydor compilation The Singles and is mostly identical to the standard mono mix but with Pete and Keith’s screams in the final instrumental break mixed down. This mix is also available on the 2008 Japanese box set reissue of A Quick One. The track has never turned up in stereo and probably was never mixed that way, although a truly poor fake stereo mix was prepared for the stereo edition of the US Happy Jack LP.

In addition to these mixes, some pre-song dialogue (from after take 1) with Pete jokingly instructing the other band members that they are to cease “****ing about” was issued on the Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B box set. This also appears on the bootleg Horton Hears The Who, where it is slightly more complete.


November 1966 (exact date unknown)
Regent Sound Studios, London

AUDIO:
22 minutes, A
I’ve Been Away (mono mix), I’ve Been Away (stereo mix).

Around this time, a Who session at Regent Sound nearly came to naught because Pete and Roger, not remembering that a session was booked, did not turn up. Undaunted, the team of Entwistle and Moon cooked up a new recording on their own, John’s tale of wrongful imprisonment and revenge “I’ve Been Away”. The result was musically simple, but made for a fun B-side to “Happy Jack” when the latter was released as a single in the UK on December 9th.

While the mono mix of this song was used for the single and has appeared on such compilations as the 1983 UK compilation Rarities Vol. 1, the stereo was much harder to come by for many years. It was first issued on the 1968 Japanese compilation Exciting The Who, and only gained wider distribution when included on the 1995 CD reissue of A Quick One.


April 5, 1967
Pye No. 2 and IBC Studios, London

AUDIO:
9 minutes, A
Pictures Of Lily (mono mix), Pictures Of Lily (mono remix), Doctor Doctor (mono mix).

The results of the recording at Pye (and IBC) were issued as a single in the UK on April 21, 1967—the first Who release on Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp’s new label Track Records. The A-side “Pictures Of Lily” was mixed at Ryemuse Sound Studios on April 7th. This first mono mix can be found on several Who releases, but the easiest place to locate it is probably the US compilation CD Who’s Better, Who’s Best. A terrible fake stereo version can be heard on the compilation My Generation – The Very Best Of The Who.

In 1968, a mono remix (possibly created on April 25th, 1967 when the track was given two mono remixes – with and without French horn – for use on the Who’s next appearance on Top Of The Pops) was issued on the UK compilation Direct Hits. The remix can be distinguished from the original in that it has no reverb on the vocals in the breakdown section of the track and heavy reverb at the end. The 1971 compilation album Meaty, Beaty, Big & Bouncy also used this remix, which can now be easily found on the Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B box set.

The B-side of the single was John’s ode to hypochondria “Doctor Doctor”. Only one mix of this track exists, a mono mix that has subsequently appeared on several compilations such as Rarities Vol. 1, Direct Hits and the US Magic Bus – The Who On Tour. The track can be found on the original 1995 CD reissue of A Quick One – stay away from the 2002 remastered CD version however as the track is presented there in fake stereo.


April 26th and 28th, 1967 (possible dates)
(probably) Pye Studios, London

AUDIO:
7 minutes, A
In The Hall Of The Mountain King, Sodding About.

For some reason, the members of the Who briefly got behind an idea to create an instrumental EP in the spring of 1967. Booking time at Pye (most likely, proper documentation no longer exists), they came up with two tracks that would form the template for this subsequently-abandoned idea. The first, a heavy version of Grieg’s “In The Hall Of The Mountain King”, was reportedly a leftover from the band’s early days as The Detours. The second track, originally recorded as “Instrumental – No Title”, was later given the name “Sodding About”. The latter track was another example of the Who in “Ox” mode with John’s bass out in front.

Despite the fact that the EP never surfaced, these tracks have been in the hands of collectors for many years. “Sodding About” appeared on bootleg tapes as early as the late 1970s, and was later bootlegged under the titles “Signal 30” “Who The F**k?” It was remixed for the 1998 reissue CD of Odds And Sods but failed to make the cut. The original 1967 mix was finally released on the 2009 Deluxe Edition CD of The Who Sell Out. “In The Hall Of The Mountain King” was discovered during the search for material to use in the abortive 1988 Who box set. Subsequently much-bootlegged, it too was released officially, using its original 1967 mono mix, on the 1995 reissue CD of The Who Sell Out. The track’s appearance on the 2009 Deluxe Edition CD of that album uses the same mono mix.


April 1967 (approximate date; exact date unknown)
Unknown studio, London??

AUDIO:
2 minutes, A
Coke 1 (Things Go Better With Coke), Coke 2 (Coke After Coke).

Interestingly enough for a band that would go on to call their next album The Who Sell Out, the Who made serious inroads into having their music heard in advertisements in 1967. The first example of this to come up are these two hard-driving radio spots for Coca-Cola, recorded sometime in the spring and subsequently unused. While not ending up on the Sell Out album (an ideal place for them), these tracks were heavily bootlegged before being issued in the 1990s. “Coke 2” emerged on the 1994 Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B box set, and both spots graced the 1995 CD reissue of The Who Sell Out, both unlisted on the cover. For the tracks’ reissue on the 2009 Deluxe Edition CD of that album, the tracks were given proper titles, appearing as “Things Go Better With Coke” and “Coke After Coke” respectively. Both issues use the same mixes of the tracks.


May 1967 (approximate date)
City Of London Studios, London

AUDIO:
2 minutes, B+
Great Shakes Spot #1, Great Shakes Spot #2.

The Who’s next venture into the world of commercial advertising were these radio spots prepared for Great Shakes, a powdered drink mix which when mixed with milk became a “rich, thick (milk)shake”. The band recorded two versions of the “Great Shakes” jingle over which Keith Moon (of all people) read the ad copy. Both of these spots, lasting 60 seconds each, circulate among collectors. The first spot was later released on the Japanese-only bonus CD included with that version of the 2004 compilation Then And Now (where it was poorly mastered – the track runs far too slow), and was subsequently included as an unlisted bonus track on the 2009 Deluxe Edition CD version of The Who Sell Out in its best quality to date.


May 24th, 1967
De Lane Lea Studios, London

AUDIO:
3 minutes, A
Summertime Blues.

By May, the Who were already considering their options for their next single release. On this date at De Lane Lea they hammered out their first attempt at a cover of the Eddie Cochran classic “Summertime Blues”, intended for the A-side of the single. Although this was a good attempt taken at a brisker pace than subsequent Who versions of this song would be taken at, the result was deemed unsuitable for release. The track remained unheard until it was recused from the vaults and placed on the 2009 Deluxe Edition CD reissue of The Who Sell Out.


June 7th, 1967
CBS Studios, London

AUDIO:
12 minutes, A
Early Morning Cold Taxi (stereo mix), Early Morning Cold Taxi (stereo remix), Girl’s Eyes (stereo mix), Girl’s Eyes (stereo remix).

This session at CBS saw both Roger Daltrey and Keith Moon getting into the act of recording original compositions for the Who’s next LP release. Both “Early Morning Cold Taxi” and “Girl’s Eyes’ have a bright, poppy feel to them that may well have worked on the Who Sell Out album had stronger material not been available to the group. Release-wise, these two tracks have a similar history. They were first bootlegged in the early 1970s on the Radio London LP, issued by the legendary Trade Mark Of Quality label. Their first official releases were on the 1994 Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B box set, taken from stereo remixes that would also appear on the 1995 CD reissue of The Who Sell Out. “Early Morning Cold Taxi” features some pre-take chat and studio ambience at the start of the remix. “Girl’s Eyes” is notably different in its remixed form, featuring some vocal “noises” that were dropped from the original mix and a complete ending. The original mixes of both track were then issued officially on the 2009 Deluxe CD reissue of The Who Sell Out.


June 28th, 1967
De Lane Lea Studios, London

AUDIO:
12 minutes, A
The Last Time (mono mix), The Last Time (stereo mix), Under My Thumb (mono mix), Under My Thumb (stereo mix).

Rolling Stones Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were being tried in June on drug possession charges, the result of a February bust at Richards’ home. When Jagger was found guilty and sentenced to prison on June 27th, Kit Lambert and Pete Townshend decided to show solidarity for their comrades by recording a series of Stones covers to “keep their name before the public” until the pair were freed. The first two numbers of this intended series were recorded at De Lane Lea, minus John Entwistle who was on his honeymoon (Pete played bass in his absence). As it turned out, Jagger and Richards never went to prison, and the tribute series was ended after this one single release.

The versions of “The Last Time” and “Under My Thumb” are quite spirited, though obviously this is a rush recording as the band wanted the tracks out in the marketplace as soon as possible (it was released in the UK on June 30th, two days after recording). In addition to the mono mixes heard on the single release (and later reissued on the 1987 album Two’s Missing), stereo versions of both tracks are also available. The stereo mix of “The Last Time” was issued on the Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B box set in 1994. The 1998 reissue CD of the Odds & Sods album includes the only extant stereo mix of “Under My Thumb” though this mix is lacking Pete’s lead guitar which may have been dubbed Shel Talmy-style directly onto the mono master.


July 5th, 1967
De Lane Lea Studios, London

AUDIO:
17 minutes, A
I Can’t Reach You (mono mix), I Can’t Reach You (stereo mix), I Can’t Reach You (stereo remix), Glittering Girl (original stereo mix), Glittering Girl (stereo remix), Relax (demo).

Although it would not even be completed for several months, there was a push to finish up the third Who album (provisionally titled Who’s Lily?) for a late-summer release. This session at De Lane Lea produced only one usable (at the time) track with Pete’s “I Can’t Reach You”. This song would actually make the resulting Who Sell Out album, released in subtly different mono and stereo mix forms. The 1995 CD reissue of The Who Sell Out has a stereo remix of the track.

Pete’s “Glittering Girl” was a contender for single release earlier in the year, and got its first proper studio recording here. The track was never completed however, with only Pete’s guide vocal present on the track. This track was bootlegged in the early 1980s, initially on the J’ai Baba For Pete’s Sake album, taken from the original stereo mix. A stereo remix was issued on the 1995 CD reissue of The Who Sell Out. The original mix can now be heard on the 2009 Deluxe Edition CD of that album, alongside an October remake of the song.

Pete also got the chance to demo his new psychedelic composition “Relax” at these sessions. This great track can be heard on the 2009 Deluxe Edition CD of The Who Sell Out.


Sometime between July 9th – 12th, 1967 (multiple sessions, exact dates unknown)
Talentmasters Studio, New York, NY

AUDIO:
26 minutes, A
Rael (Early mono mix), Rael 1 & 2 (mono mix), Rael 1 & 2 (stereo mix), Rael 1 & 2 (stereo remix), Rael Naïve.

Pete’s new mini-opera “Rael” was probably always intended to be the climax of the next Who album. It was recorded at Talentmasters Studio in New York City while the band was gearing up for an infamous (with hindsight) tour opening for Herman’s Hermits, and featured Bob Dylan insider Al Kooper on organ. In its initial conception, the piece was to last nearly seven minutes, but one minute of the track, the “2” of “Rael 1 & 2”, was chopped off after recording likely due to the limitations of length for one side of a vinyl LP (although the track would be released as “Rael 1 & 2” anyway). This minute would be released on the Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B box set as “Rael 2”, and is also available on both the 1995 CD reissue and the 2009 Deluxe Edition CD reissue of The Who Sell Out under the title “Rael Naïve”.

As the oft-repeated story goes, recording engineer Chris Huston accidentally left the master multitrack reel for “Rael” out of its tape box following one of the sessions for the track. The tape, which was on an open reel, was mistakenly thrown out by the studio janitor. The tape was retrieved by Huston, but the beginning of the track had been ruined, invoking the wrath of one Mr. Townshend.

Fortunately, a rough mono mix of the track had been made during the session the previous evening, and Huston had that mix in his possession. The start of the track was subsequently taken from the rough mono mix, with the upshot that all released versions of the track have their intro section mixed in mono. Although there is no documentation to support this theory, it seems reasonable to suggest that the early mono mix released on the 2009 Deluxe Edition CD of The Who Sell Out is the very same early mono mix Huston had used to save the day. The rough mono mix also features the “country of my fathers” verse which was trimmed off the album edit of the track.

“Rael” was released in mono and stereo mix variations on The Who Sell Out, somewhat inexplicably labeled “1&2”, though this may just be for publishing reasons (to get more money from publishing by splitting what is essentially one track into two parts. A stereo remix appeared on the 1994 Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B box set and subsequently on the 1995 CD reissue of The Who Sell Out.


August 6th, 1967
Mirasound Studios, New York, NY

AUDIO:
3 minutes, A
Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand (USA Mirasound Version).

Back in NYC, the Who hit the studio again. Working this time at Mirasound in sessions that stretched into August 7th, the group crafted more material for their next long-player. The only track completed during these sessions however (which also saw work done on “Relax” and the unreleased Bob Pridden joke track “Bob Sings Soul”) was this ultimately unreleased version of Pete’s “Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand”.

Again featuring Al Kooper on organ, the hyper arrangement on offer here was deemed less-than-perfect, and the song would require a further two remakes before a “just exactly right” version could be had. The Mirasound version was not lost to the ages however, turning up as a bonus track on the 1995 Who Sell Out reissue CD. It can also be found on the 2009 Deluxe Edition CD of that album.


August 17th, 1967
Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville, TN

AUDIO:
40 minutes, A
Someone’s Coming (UK mono mix), Someone’s Coming (US mono mix), Someone’s Coming (stereo mix), Our Love Was (unused mono mix), Our Love Was (mono mix), Our Love Was (stereo mix), Our Love Was (stereo remix), Relax (mono mix), Relax (stereo mix), Relax (stereo remix), Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand (US single version, mono mix), Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand (US single version, stereo mix).

This was a big day of recording in the Country Music Capitol, working on tracks for the new album. The first three of these tracks had been begun earlier in the year and were completed at this session. Pete’s “Our Love Was” and John’s “Someone’s Coming” featured backing tracks that were recorded in (probably) London in (probably) May or June; “Relax” featured a backing track recorded at Mirasound Studios in New York on August 7th. All were treated to vocal overdubs in Nashville, and “Someone’s Coming” received horn overdubs from John as well.

There were two different mono mixes made of “Someone’s Coming”. The first of these appeared as the B-side of “I Can See For Miles” in the UK; this mix did not appear on CD until the release of the Deluxe Edition CD reissue of The Who Sell Out in 1967, taken from a needledrop transfer of a clean copy of the original single as the original mixdown tape is lost. The US mono mix was issued as the B-side of “Magic Bus” in 1968 and was later reissued on the Rarities Vol. 1 album in the UK. This mix can also be heard on the Deluxe Edition CD of Sell Out. A stereo mix was prepared for the 1995 CD reissue of The Who Sell Out.

“Our Love Was” as heard on The Who Sell Out features one of the more interesting mono/stereo mix differences in the Who’s canon: the mono mix features an alternate, Hawaiian-flavored guitar solo from Pete while the stereo has a full-on rock feel. An unused mono mix featuring this early solo turned up on the 2009 Deluxe Edition CD of the album. It’s tough to speculate with any certainty which of the solos was recorded first, but something tells me the “Hawaiian” solo was added directly to a mono mix of the track.

Up next is the psych-rock blast “Relax”. The mix variations are more standard here, with both mono and stereo mixes issued on their respective configuration of The Who Sell Out. A stereo remix was prepared for the 1995 CD reissue of that album. Finally, the band recorded a remake of “Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand” in Nashville. This excellent up-tempo remake was released later in the year as the B-side of the US “I Can See For Miles” single and was later reissued on the 2009 Deluxe Edition CD of The Who Sell Out. It has been reported that, like the UK single mix of “Someone’s Coming”, the reissues are taken from a needledrop of the original single as the tape of the original mixdown is lost. A stereo mix of the track, with prominent organ and a complete ending, was issued on the 1998 CD version of the Odds And Sods compilation album.


First week of September 1967 (approximate date)
Gold Star Recording Studio, Los Angeles, CA

AUDIO:
20 minutes, A
I Can See For Miles (early mono mix), I Can See For Miles (album mono mix), I Can See For Miles (single mono mix), I Can See For Miles (stereo mix), I Can See For Miles (stereo remix).

Long in the making was the Who’s next single, but the results were more than worth it as the track completed today at the famous Gold Star Studio (home to Phil Spector and Brian Wilson among others) was none other than “I Can See For Miles”, one of the greatest songs ever written by one Peter Townshend. The backing track for the song had been recorded during the May 28th-29th sessions at CBS in London; the track underwent further work at Talentmasters in New York in July. Gold Star’s famous echo chamber was used to record the song’s huge-sounding vocals, and also to mix the results, which became the centerpiece of the band’s next album as well as their first and only Top 10 US single.

There are a number of mixes of the track available to collectors. Taken in likely order of creation, an early mono mix appeared on the 2009 Deluxe Edition CD reissue of The Who Sell Out. A standard mono mix of the track made it to the original version of that album, but an alternate mix was created for single release which featured a new bass part added by John Entwistle, who felt the original bass line wasn’t “hot” enough. This “single” mix was reissued on the 2007 Japanese CD reissue of the Direct Hits compilation album, which is to date the only place to obtain this mix on CD. The stereo mix issued on the original Who Sell Out album is similar to its mono LP counterpart and is the version that still turns up on most compilations to this day. A stereo remix was first issued on the Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B box set in 1994, and later on the 1995 CD reissue of The Who Sell Out.


October 1967 (exact dates unknown)
IBC Studios, London

AUDIO:
27 minutes, A
Medac (mono mix), Medac (stereo mix), Medac (stereo remix), Silas Stingy (mono mix), Silas Stingy (stereo mix), Silas Stingy (stereo remix), Sunrise (mono mix), Sunrise (stereo mix), Sunrise (stereo remix), Glittering Girl (remake).

By the time the Who returned to Blighty from the long, exhausting first American tour, they at least had a concept for their next album. The closure of the Pirate Radio stations in England back in August had left a void which rock acts felt could not be filled with the BBC’s new pop music station Radio 1 alone. Chris Stamp suggested that the Who could commemorate the era of Pirate Radio on their next album, and off they went creating what would become their third LP, the magnificent classic The Who Sell Out.

Sessions for the album would stretch throughout October of 1967, and some tracks were cut whose exact recording details are now lost to the ages. This is notably true of John Entwistle’s two main tunes on the album “Medac” (a faux commercial for acne medication) and “Silas Stingy” (a straightforward Entwistle black humor number about a miser). Also cut during this time was a beautiful Townshend acoustic number, “Sunrise”. These songs were all given mono and stereo mixes and issued on their respective configurations of The Who Sell Out. Stereo remixes of all three tracks graced the 1995 CD reissue of that album.

Also cut during these sessions was a remake of “Glittering Girl” complete with full Roger and Pete vocals. For some reason this track was passed over for the album, and remained unheard until issued on the 2009 Deluxe Edition CD of The Who Sell Out.


October 10th, 1967 (first broadcast October 15th, 1967)
De Lane Lea Studios, London (BBC Top Gear taping)

AUDIO:
27 minutes, A
My Generation (Radio 1 jingle), Pictures Of Lily, A Quick One While He’s Away, Happy Jack (Radio 1 jingle), Summertime Blues, My Way, Boris The Spider (Radio 1 jingle), Our Love Was, I Can’t Reach You, I Can See For Miles.

Top Gear had been one of the BBC’s flagship pop radio programs of the mid-1960s. In 1967 it was revamped and placed on the new BBC Radio 1 as that station’s flagship pop program. Skirting the usual practice of recording at BBC-owned studios, the Who booked time at De Lane Lea to record some new material and remix some already-recorded tracks for their first Top Gear appearance.

Most of the material recorded on this first day of a two-day session stint has been released officially. The earliest tracks to emerge came to us on bootleg vinyl LPs in the 1970s. “Summertime Blues” and “My Way” (another Eddie Cochran cover) first appeared on the Trade Mark Of Quality bootleg Radio London in 1973. All three of the short jingles recorded at this session were included on the 1980 LP Jai Baba For Pete’s Sake. The bootleg CD Maximum BBC added “Pictures Of Lily”, “Our Love Was” and “I Can’t Reach You” to our collections—the last track being a mono remix of the original Who Sell Out album versions. “Our Love Was” was also a mono remix of the album track, but with a co-lead vocal from Roger added to punch up Pete’s original lead vocal. Also receiving the mono remix treatment was “I Can See For Miles” which was given yet another new bass overdub by John Entwistle (the single having already benefitted from a re-recorded bass part). This also first saw light on the Maximum BBC CD.

As to the official releases, The 2000 official CD BBC Sessions featured “Pictures Of Lily”, “A Quick One While He’s Away” and the “My Generation” and “Boris The Spider” radio jingles; the Best Buy limited-edition bonus CD of that album also featured “I Can See For Miles”. The 1998 Odds And Sods CD reissue included “Summertime Blues” and “My Way”. Only one track from this first day’s work on Top Gear remains unreleased in any form: “Relax”, which was simply a mono remix of the album track in any case. Incidentally, the version of “Pictures Of Lily” as broadcast by the BBC included a full instrumental intro (as heard on the standard studio version of the track) that is missing from all subsequent issues, both bootleg and commercial.


October 11th, 1967
IBC Studios, London

AUDIO:
11 minutes, A
Top Gear, Heinz Baked Beans (mono mix), Heinz Baked Beans (stereo mix), Heinz Baked Beans (stereo remix), Odorono (mono mix), Odorono (stereo mix), Odorono (stereo remix), Odorono (Final Chorus).

Back in the comfy confines of IBC, a series of concentrated sessions began on this date that would see the Who complete their third album. The Who Sell Out turned out to be one of the earliest true concept albums, based around the brilliant idea that the listener is tuned into the now-defunct Pirate Radio station Radio London. The key to the concept was that a number of original jingles (as well as some actual Radio London jingles created by the PAMS advertising company of Dallas, Texas) would be prepared by the band to sit alongside the songs proper. “Top Gear” was possibly intended for the BBC program of the same name as it does not appear to have been a serious contender for the album. The original 1967 mix of the track had been available on various bootlegs for a number of years prior to its official release on the 1995 CD reissue of The Who Sell Out (where it went unlisted on the cover). A remastered version of this mix can be heard on the 2009 Deluxe Edition CD of that album, with some studio horseplay thrown it at the end.

Also recorded at this session were two jokey jingles for the album, John’s “Heinz Baked Beans” and Pete’s tragic tale “Odorono”. Both of these tracks were issued in mono and stereo mix variation on The Who Sell Out, with “Odorono” having its lead guitar nearly mixed out in the mono. Stereo remixes can be heard on the 1995 CD reissue of the album alongside the first release of the final chorus of “Odorono” which was sensibly left off the album (though it’s still nice to hear).


October 12th, 1967
IBC Studios, London

AUDIO:
8 minutes, A
Tattoo (early mono mix), Tattoo (mono mix), Tattoo (stereo mix), Tattoo (stereo remix).

The next IBC session saw the Who begin and complete one of the indisputable highlight tracks from Sell Out, Pete’s examination into “what makes a man a man”, “Tattoo” (which incidentally would still turn up in Who live sets on occasion as late as 2008). An early mono mix of the track turned up on the 2009 Deluxe Edition CD of the album, which features a cleaner sound with less reverb than the standard album mixes of the track, though it also features audible noise reduction that appears to sand down the edges of the soundscape. Otherwise , the usual Sell Out mix configurations apply here as well – mono and stereo mixes prepared for their respective issues of the album and a stereo remix which appears on the 1995 CD reissue of The Who Sell Out.


October 20th, 1967
IBC Studios, London

AUDIO:
28 minutes, A
Armenia City In The Sky (mono mix), Armenia City In The Sky (stereo mix), Armenia City In The Sky (stereo remix), Armenia City In The Sky (backwards guitars mix), Jaguar (original mono mix), Jaguar (stereo remix), Rael 1 & 2 (Remake Version).

The opening track of The Who Sell Out, “Armenia City In The Sky” was a track that had been started at CBS during the sessions there on May 28th and 29th, and was finally wrapped up today at IBC. The song was written by Pete’s friend “Speedy” Keen (he of later Thunderclap Newman fame) and would go down as probably the most overtly psychedelic number the band ever recorded. As well as the standard mono and stereo mix variations of the track issued on The Who Sell Out and a stereo remix issued on the 1995 CD reissue of that album, the 2009 Deluxe Edition CD package of Sell Out features Pete’s isolated backwards guitar parts, added as an unlisted bonus track at the end of disc 2 of the set.

Also recorded today was Pete’s powerful commercial for Jaguar cars, “Jaguar”. This track had been in circulation for years, having been bootlegged since the 1970s (sometimes under the title “Grace Space Race”). This original 1967 mono mix was eventually issued in 2009 on the Deluxe Edition CD reissue of Sell Out. The 1995 CD reissue of the album has a stereo mix of the track, which had previously been issued the year before on the Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B box set.

Finally the band turned their attention back to “Rael”, recording a remake of the track intended to replace the problematic June recording of the song. This was issued on the 2009 Deluxe Edition CD of The Who Sell Out, and it is truly an excellent version of the piece—if anything, it’s more faithful to Pete’s original demo than the earlier recording. However, the track was apparently deemed inferior by the band and held back to languish in the vaults for 40 years. Maybe it just didn’t capture the “vibe” of the original track as well.


October 24th, 1967
De Lane Lea Studios, London

AUDIO:
29 minutes, A
Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand (album version, mono mix), Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand (album version, stereo mix), Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand (album version, stereo remix 1), Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand (album version, stereo remix 2), Premier Drums (mono mix), Premier Drums (stereo mix), Premier Drums (stereo remix), Premier Drums (Full Version), Rotosound Strings (a cappella), Rotosound Strings (a cappella) (remix), John Mason Cars, John Mason Cars (remix), Bag O’Nails, Bag O’ Nails (remix), Campers, Charles Atlas (mono mix), Charles Atlas (stereo mix), Charles Atlas (stereo remix), Rotosound Strings (mono mix), Rotosound Strings (stereo mix), Rotosound Strings (stereo remix), Rotosound Strings (with final note), Track Records (mono mix), Track Records (mono remix), Track Records (Full Version).

This was the final day of sessions for The Who Sell Out, and clearly the band were scrambling at this point to provide enough jingles to make the concept work. This accounted for most of the day’s activities, though the band was able to sneak in one final song as well: a second remake of “Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand”, now given a sublime acoustic treatment and Everly-worthy harmonies. The result was issued in mono and stereo mix variations on The Who Sell Out, with two stereo remixes being released on the 1994 Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B box set (where the track appears complete with a count-in, no “quivering” vocals in the final chorus and a “natural fade”) and the 1995 CD reissue of Sell Out (which models itself after the original stereo LP mix but runs at the correct speed and features the “quivering” vocals at the end.

Most of the jingles taped today were the brainchild of John and/or Keith. Keith contributed “Premier Drums”, a piece of music that would set the template for the basic performing style of Animal, the drummer for Dr. Teeth’s Muppet rock band. This would appear as a link track on Sell Out in both standard mono and stereo mixes, with a remix (which is identical to the original stereo mix) appearing on the 1995 CD reissue of that album. The 2009 Deluxe Edition CD version of Sell Out includes a version of the track that runs to the end rather than fading.

John and Keith then huddled around a microphone to record a number of jokey a cappella jingles for the album. “Rotosound Strings”, “John Mason Cars” and “Bag O’Nails” all appeared on the 1995 CD reissue of Sell Out in remixed form (with “John Mason” broken up into two parts), while the versions of the tracks heard on the 2009 Deluxe Edition CD version of the album used the original 1967 mixes of the tracks. You try and tell the difference! An additional piece, “Campers”, has yet to be issued legitimately though it has been bootlegged on the Horton Hears The Who album.

The next two jingles were the brainchild of Mr. Entwistle, and used full band accompaniment. “Charles Atlas” would lead off side two of the original Sell Out album, mixed into mono and stereo variations with a stereo remix appearing on the 1995 CD reissue of the album. These release variations also hold true for the ”Rotosound Strings” ad that precedes “I Can See For Miles” on the album.

Serious Who and Radio London historians have actually found the “Rotosound” medley to be a bit of a puzzle, mainly due to the unknown origin of the “You’re A Pussycat” jingle which leads it off. “Pussycat” is in fact a Radio London concoction apparently composed of 5 edits from four separate jingles. This leads into “Speakeasy” which is another a cappella Who piece, and the medley climaxes with a band arrangement of John’s “Rotosound Strings” promo. This last section can also be heard complete with final note on the 2009 Deluxe Edition CD reissue of The Who Sell Out.

Finally, The Who Sell Out is capped off with a final amusing promo for the band’s label Track Records. This appeared in mono on both the mono and stereo pressings of the album. The version issued on the 2009 CD reissue of the album is a remix that is both more complete and devoid of the old-time Gramophone-esque sound heard on the original LP. Another remix attempt, heard on the 1995 CD reissue of Sell Out, attempts to be a clearer version of the original album edit.


January 4th, 1968
CBS Studios, London

AUDIO:
6 minutes, A
Faith In Something Bigger (original mix), Faith In Something Bigger (remix).

The year of 1968 would prove to be a pivotal one for the Who as the band spent most of the year attempting to remain a vital, current hit act in the face of slipping record sales at home. However, the creative, guitar-wielding figurehead of the group had a plan for a new concept album that would establish the group as a dominant force in the Whirl of Rock. This concept, or “Rock Opera”, would consume both the guitarist and the band itself as the year progressed.

Before this new piece could be brought to the public (over a year from now), the band began tentative sessions for a new album (eventually given a working title of Who’s For Tennis?) on this day at CBS. “Faith In Something Bigger” was the first of a number of songs that gave listeners a view of Pete Townshend’s spiritual quest, here expressed at perhaps its most simplistic and accessible.

Who’s For Tennis? never reached fruition, and as a result “Faith In Something Bigger” was shelved until 1974 when John Entwistle selected it for release on the band’s “leftovers” compilation Odds And Sods. A remix of the track appeared on the 1998 CD reissue of that album, but in truth the mix was very similar to that of the original release (albeit perhaps a touch cleaner).


January 4th, 1968 (completed January 14th, 1968)
CBS Studios, London

AUDIO:
6 minutes, A
Faith In Something Bigger (original mix), Faith In Something Bigger (remix).

The year of 1968 would prove to be a pivotal one for the Who as the band spent most of the year attempting to remain a vital, current hit act in the face of slipping record sales at home. However, the creative, guitar-wielding figurehead of the group had a plan for a new concept album that would establish the group as a dominant force in the Whirl of Rock. This concept, or “Rock Opera”, would consume both the guitarist and the band itself as the year progressed.

Before this new piece could be brought to the public (over a year from now), the band began tentative sessions for a new album (eventually given a working title of Who’s For Tennis?) on this day at CBS. “Faith In Something Bigger” was the first of a number of songs that gave listeners a view of Pete Townshend’s spiritual quest, here expressed at perhaps its most simplistic and accessible.


January 5th, 1968 (completed January 14th, 1968)
IBC Studios, London

AUDIO:
5 minutes, A
Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (US mono mix), Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (UK mono mix).

John’s “Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde” detailed the madness that transpired when one combined Keith Moon with alcohol. The “Hyde” side of Moon was a person that the Who and many others in and out of their circle would have to deal with for the next ten years or so. Unlike most of the material cut around this time, this track actually found release as a B-side.

The first release of the track was as the B-side to American “Call Me Lightning” single, released in March 1968 (and subsequently issued on the US Decca compilation Magic Bus – The Who On Tour). This mono mix was quite compressed, with louder “spooky” backing vocals in the chorus than that of the UK mono mix which was issued as the B-side of “Magic Bus” in September 1968. Aside from being cleaner soundwise, the UK mix has a longer fade—a full nine seconds longer than the US mix.


January 13th, 1968 (completed February 11th, 1968)
IBC Studio A, London

AUDIO:
10 minutes, A
Glow Girl (mono mix), Glow Girl (stereo mix), Glow Girl (stereo remix 1), Glow Girl (stereo remix 2).

As most serious Who fans would know, “Glow Girl” – a song about a couple who die in a plane crash and are instantly reincarnated – would become best-known as the starting point for the Big Musical Venture Mr. Townshend was leading toward. At one point, this was the likely opening track of Who’s For Tennis?, and in fact it may have made a good single had events not overtaken it. As it was, it wound up as an unreleased track for several years.

In 1974, the track finally appeared on the Odds And Sods album, in truncated form due to an early fade. A mono mix turned up on the IBC Demos bootleg in 1980, this time with a complete ending. The mixing team of Astley/Macpherson revisited the track for two further remixes which were released on the 1995 Who Sell Out and the 1998 Odds And Sods reissue CDs respectively. In both cases, the track featured a complete fade.

 

PS. There are minor details obviously missing here - such as mono mix variations of tracks (like "Jaguar") that turned up on bootlegs prior to official release. I'm going through these to determine if they are legit alternate mixes.

 

Hi,
Since you asked my only suggestion is that when you list the songs initially you differentiate between those that were released at the time and, for example, a much later stereo mix. It looks, the way you list them, that they worked in the studo at the time on the mono and stereo mix.

 

Fantastic work, count me in for purchasing your book!

Something that might be helpful in each entry would be not only the general place where a specific song/version can be found but detail such as country of release/catalog #'s as well (for both vinyl and CD). For example, if you want the mono single mix of 'I Can See For Miles' on vinyl I think it's only available on the US Decca promo and stock single (cat. # 32206)... in your entry you just indicate it's on a single.

 

Fantastic project, good on ya!!

 

Various things...

30 Years uses the remix of I'm The Face, as does the Odds & Sods remix/remaster. The original (1974?) stereo mix of the song has not been reissued.

I don't believe the "recorded directly to mono" tales are true at all. We *know* that songs like Leaving Here and Daddy Rolling Stone had 3-track to 3-track overdubs, and we also *know* that the 3-track tapes used for the final takes/overdubs of those songs are missing. It is *very* unlikely that the overdubs in question would have been made to mono when earlier, arguably lesser songs were done 3-track to 3-track. It is *much* more likely that many of Talmy's 3-track tapes are still missing. Note that the tape boxes show in the DE have several takes of My Generation not noted by Fang. Supposedly Talmy sent him everything he had.

It's worth noting that "Instant Party Mixture" is almost certainly a bogus title for "Instant Party". That is to say, the "party" song was always supposed to be "Instant Party", while Circles was mistitled in the middle of that debacle.

There are at least 2 different mono mixes of the single version.

The mono mix was first issued on the Ultimate Collection bonus CD.

Anything issued on the I'm A Boy LP was issued first on the "The Who" LP from Germany. I'm A Boy is that LP just with a slightly different track order.

The CD of I'm A Boy uses the same mixes as the LP. The remix of In The City was made for the 1995 A Quick one CD.

The mix of Barbara Ann on the AQO box is wider stereo, and is an original (apparently unreleased) mix. Probably done for the unreleased Jigsaw Puzzle LP.

As above, German "The Who" in place of I'm A Boy.

Note the "talking" starts a few seconds earlier in mono.

The 1995 CD had a mono mix. The stereo mix was made for the 2002 CD.

The alternate mono version has a different drum overdub.

Neither release uses a mono mix. The 1995 Sell Out CD uses a new stereo remix, while the Deluxe Edition uses the original stereo mix.

The Deluxe Edition uses original stereo mixes of both tracks. The 1995 CD uses stereo remixes, while 30 Years uses yet another (different) remix for Coke After Coke (Coke 2; mostly mono instruments, stereo vocals).

Both the original stereo mix and the remix have the intro in stereo, albeit with different panning from the rest of the track. Additional vocals were overdubbed on top of the rough mono mix (actually, the mono mix was dubbed back to 4-track, and further overdubs were made).

The Deluxe Edition has the stereo remix and the UK 45 mix. It does not have the US 45 mix.

The transfers on both Who's Missing and the Sell Out DE come from tape sources. As far as I know only Rarities comes from disc.

There is also the BBC mono mix (loud bass overdub) and the TKAA stereo mix.

Note Jaguar was edited on 30 Years.

To my knowledge, there are two main versions of "Track Records". One, from the original album, recorded over the phone (from the pub), and the second, from the reissues, done in the studio.

I don't believe Glow Girl was remixed for the 1998 Odds & Sods, rather, the 1995 remix was used.

 

Good job! Small typo in the My Generation/Hope Of Land and Glory entry though:

 

Great job. Looking forward to the finished results. As suggested I would list where the tracks/songs could be found.

 

SM7609

I'll post some online links that you may not have read that might be helpful.

Good Luck with your book.

 

I recall reading some speculation that this was actually from 1964 (without Talmy?), and that it was part of an audition for Pye Records. Is there definitive evidence that this was recorded in 1965 with Talmy?

 

Fantastic stuff! I want the book. I'm a bit obsessed with the "Who's For Tennis" period - I'd love to see how many songs were recorded for it.

Thanks for posting all of that info!

 

Seems like there's a cold ending version of "I'm the Face" that should be mentioned, IIRC.

 

As a Who fan great job there...

 

Thank you very much gang! This is a pretty huge undertaking for me, and I hope to get it as right as possible so this is EXACTLY what I needed. Some of the mistakes are just brain-deadedness, but some are genuine lack of knowledge. I am much indebted!

I'll be adding all the corrections in and I'll fix the post accordingly

 

would love a book like this!

a suggestion from me is to have an alphabetical index of songs with info on each song about where on vinyl and cd to obtain each different mix of the song.

 

That works!

I was thinking about a discography at the end listing what version of a track appears on every album or single--your list idea works better though Mike

 

Some links that maybe of help:

http://www.thewholive.net/the-who/

http://www.reocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/6041/Recordings/Intro.htm

http://reocities.com/SunsetStrip/club/6041/Recordings/Unreleasedtracks.htm

http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/tablature/singles.html

 

Shawn, I believe this mix is also available on the UK single, and the UK mono Direct Hits. Am I wrong? Maybe

 

The US and UK singles of ICSFM have the same mix (non-overpowering bass overdub). It seems to me I've read that the US has more reverb (added in mastering), but I can't say I heard that through the distortion of my friend's 45.

 

The song that appears between "Walkin' the Dog" and "I'm a Man" is a cover of Garnet Mimms' "Tell Me Baby." There is discussion about that particular song (including footage of the Who playing it live) in this old thread. To the best of my knowledge, the other two unnamed tracks have yet to be identified.

 

Sounds great reb! I'd appreciate it

 

A very good question. Thoughts anyone?

 

Thank you Jason. Have to add that to my Marquee 1965 entry (which I did not place here because it might be against the rules) as well!!

 

This looks great! The only suggestion I would make would be to, if possible, identify the engineers on the sessions. Obviously, you did so with the My Generation sessions, but I've always been curious about who engineered "Substitute," "Dogs," and a few others.

 

Go back to post #17. I already listed some links.

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showpost.php?p=7195833&postcount=17