The Who unissued and unreleased songs--a comprehensive list

Rarities vol. 2/Join Together Lps at least "claim" that their version is the b-side single.

 

I don't have a copy of the 45, but I've been told it does not have the final strum (matching Who's Missing). If that's indeed the case, then what's on Rarities is technically not correct.

Now, this is all splitting hairs, since seemingly the only difference is in fact that final guitar strum, but nevertheless, I believe the only place the "correct" 45 version has been reissued has been the original Who's Missing.

 

As noted above, Brian Cady claims (on his Who liner notes page) that the vocal for the single version of Heaven and Hell was recorded in May 1970. That isn't true, but I wonder what his source was for that? May 1970 would be during the EP sessions, so perhaps there was a new version of the song recorded then (rather than just a new lead vocal for the existing track).

 

Now, THAT is something I would love to hear. Wish there was a way to compile all of the existing 71 SF mixes in one place and at least get the jist of the show without resorting to the unlistenable black market stuff.

 

I look at lists like this and just drool. I'd love to hear every one of these songs but at this point it seems highly unlikely that many, if any at all, are going to surface or especially be released on a commercial product. It's amazing though how much is still out there when one considers just how many rare/previously unreleased tracks were unearthed during the CD reissue campaign in the '90s.

 

One wonders:

1) How many actually exist at all.

2) How many of the existing tracks are more than just a basic backing track (see some of the Tommy DE bonus tracks as an example).

 

And

3) How many where the tapes are in good enough condition for release.

 

Just the thought that there is an existing version of The Who doing "Mary" is enough to drive me crazy. Lukpac and J.D. have good points though.

 

Based on previous conversations about Mary on this message board, I am no longer convinced that The Who actually recorded it. It is too good of a song not to have been released by now if it was indeed in the vaults. That said, there are missing tapes, and perhaps it is part of those missing reels. Regardless, it doesn't appear the band really cares that much to comb through its archives to issue all remaining studio gems and live performances.

 

Lists like these always make me salivate. If you're a true believer in a band, you'll want to hear everything that they ever committed to tape! (Well, nearly everything.)

However, given the number of times the Who's vaults have been combed through, and the vast amount of previously unreleased bonus material that's surfaced in the past 25 years, I'm not holding out much hope that we'll get to hear these few last scraps. But I'm hoping I'm wrong!

That High Numbers acetate sounds like that it's the one most likely to make it to our ears someday.

 

I was looking through John Atkins' book on Google Books. You can read the chapter on the band's 1970 studio endeavors. An unreleased version of "Heaven and Hell" recorded at Eel Pie Studios during the EP sessions is mentioned.

 

I was just listening to an interview with Pete Townshend on my "The Pete Townshend Tapes" promo double lp set for "Empty Glass", and while talking about the new upcoming Who album (which of course would become "Face Dances"), he mentions that they were recording a song written by "Rabbit" Bundrick that John Entwistle did the lead vocals on - so there you go, there's no telling what unreleased, forgotten songs could be rotting away in The Who's audio archive!

 

Since John liked to "fiddle about" with some of his older recordings maybehe just added a new lead vocal for a rerelease. He did add new overdubs to the live version of "My Wife" on "Who's Missing".

 

Perhaps he can clarify?

 

At that point (May 1970) the BBC recording of Heaven and Hell wasn't an "older recording," it was just a month old. I think it's more likely they would have done a completely new take of the song than it is that he would have just redone the vocal. At any rate, whatever he did (if anything) it's unreleased. I guess another question would be, if they did record a second version of Heaven and Hell in May, why was it not used for the b-side release (in July), since Entwistle was reportedly never happy with how the BBC version turned out. If there was another version in the can, it's odd that they wouldn't have used it instead.

 

so the first [any] studio version of H&H wasn't recorded til May 1970.
it would be hard to believe that they had been playing it Live for nearly 2 years without recording a studio version.

 

No, April 1970. It's possible another studio version was recorded in May, but that's what's uncertain.

 

Well, according to Atkins' book, The Who on Record "The mixed bag of new songs intended for this album [the band's aborted 1970 studio album]...ranged from the reflective "I Don't Even Know Myself"; the comical "Now I'm a Farmer"...the dynamic and philosophical "Naked Eye"...the unmelodic powerchord number "Water", the jaunty "Postcard"..."There's a Fortune in Those Hills", a slow-country blues effort, and "Heaven and Hell"..." (page 134). The full passage is available on Google Books. I'd assume then, that the band re-recorded H&H at Eel Pie as all the others were recorded there. I guess it's unclear. Can someone ask Mr. Atkins maybe?

 

I don't think John has any conclusive answers on another version of "Heaven & Hell" being recorded as he only lists the April 13th, 1970 date in the song index at the back of his book (but yes, it would be nice if he logged in and entered the discussion).

 

but it's entirely possible that H&H was first recorded in '68,but they weren't happy with it.
look at the amount of studio outtakes that have surfaced from '68.
with several still unheard/unreleased.
and The Who of '68 and '70 were two totally different bands.
maybe by 1970 they felt themselves now good enough to do this great song justice..................in the studio,at least.

 

I've always found it odd that they failed to release an LP in '68 ("Who's For Tennis?" or otherwise) and instead opted for the infamous "Magic Bus: The Who on Tour" and "Direct Hits". How difficult would it have been to compile an album out of the material that was recorded in '68 or leftovers from "The Who Sellout" sessions? There were enough songs recorded in 1968 alone to constitute an album...which might not have been their strongest efforts, but there was some decent stuff recorded during that period. I mean, they recorded something like nine songs during the "Who's For Tennis?" sessions. I don't understand why they didn't throw four or five outtakes from "Sellout" with the stuff recoded in '68 and put something out.

 

Where has there ever been anything to suggest such a recording?

As always, whether or not they exist or not is a big question.

 

I'm nowhere near the authority on the Who's recording history as some of the people on here, however, I have never read/heard of any suggestions that the band recorded "Heaven and Hell" (in the studio) at any time before the spring of 1970. If I remember correctly, I read somewhere that the original "Heaven and Hell" (as was played live by the band in 1968) was quite different than the one we're all familiar with.

It is pretty clear though that the band did record "Shakin' All Over", "Joys", "Facts of Life" and "Now I'm A Farmer" in 1968 as they are included in the band's tape log. Whether or not those tapes still exist is a different story...

 

Like I said, it's unclear how complete any of these actually are. Not that they are necessarily not worthwhile, but I think the Tommy DE is a good example. Four of the alternate takes are nothing but backing tracks. Trying To Get Through has vocals, but...does anybody think it is some sort of amazing find?

 

You raise a good point. If "Joys" and "Facts of Life" were completed tracks and available, it would be quite odd that they still remain unreleased. Either the tapes are missing, or the tracks are incomplete or backing instrumentals. I still enjoy hearing the Tommy instrumentals, but rarely play them. It is nice to have a piece of that recorded history for a monumental album - that is why I would enjoy hearing some of the alternate takes (backing tracks) that exist for some of the Who's Next material.