WHO [VINYL]

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As one of the greatest live bands of all time, The Who will take to the Great Oak Stage in London’s iconic Hyde Park on Friday 26 June for Barclaycard Presents British Summertime with very special guests Paul Weller, Kaiser Chiefs and Johnny Marr plus others to be announced. The all-day bill will feature many more brilliant acts that owe an artistic debt to one of the most influential of all British bands. It would be remiss of me not to say that looking at such issues found on Tommy does not have merit, as certainly anyone who enjoys this release should not be considered to support the notion of child abuse, very much like the book “The Basketball Diaries” by Jim Carroll, who kept detailed notes, poems and thoughts during his downward spiral into drug addiction, where simply watching or reading his story is not tantamount to supporting or glorifying drug addiction ... it is all a visual and musical journey, dark as it may be, in the life of one of the greatest musicians of our time. Another great element about this album is the singability. Every song is so catchy and easy to sing along to and it makes it more enjoyable to listen to. D2C 2LP Deluxe (mono) vinyl version featuring the original album and extras highlights from the box set pressed on coloured vinyl; LP1 Odorono Red / LP2 Baked Beans Orange. Today, 7 July, sees the release of the third and fourth in a series of half-speed mastered studio albums from The Who: The Who Sell Out and Tommy.

I own most versions of this album, and this is my favorite one. It sounds warmer than the CD versions, even the SHM, and beats its vinyl counterparts like the European pressing and the 45RPM audiophile one. The latter may have a more detailed sound, but it does not add much and doesn't warrant getting up two more times to flip or change the discs. One of the most extraordinary albums of any era, The Who Sell Out is The Who’s last ‘pop’ album. Two years later came Tommy – a double concept album about a deaf, dumb and blind kid. THE WHO SELL OUT SUPER DELUXE EDITION Released in 1967, The Who Sell Out was the third album released by the band and is revered for being one of the first concept albums, celebrating the short-lived pirate radio stations of the late 60s with its groundbreaking use of fake adverts and jingles between songs.One of the band's most powerful singles is introduced here. "I Can See For Miles" is classic Who with Keith Moon playing the melody line and Townsend in all his thrashing glory. This may be the group's best song. Did it get lost in the Year of Sergeant Pepper? Decca USA vinyl 45 single of ‘Magic Bus’ (US/UK mono) b/w ‘Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde’ (original US Decca single mix) THE WHO HITS 50! continues throughout all of 2015 with very special re-releases throughout the year and a huge celebratory show in Hyde Park.

Within the bold concept, were a batch of fabulous and diverse songs. ‘I Can See for Miles’, a top ten hit at the time, is a Who classic. ‘Rael’, a Townshend ‘mini-opera’ with musical motifs that reappeared in Tommy and the psychedelic blast of ‘Armenia City In The Sky’ and ‘Relax’ are among the very best material anyone wrote during the 1960s. As a taster for the set, an EP of Pete Townshend’s previously unreleased demos has today been released on all streaming services including ‘Pictures Of Lily’ (new remix, previously unreleased), ‘Kids! Do You Want Kids?’ (aka ‘Do You Want Kids, Kids?’) (previously unreleased), and ‘Odorono’ (previously unreleased). CD 3 Studio out-takes, ‘fly-on-the-wall’ versions of early takes of songs from the album sessions, ‘studio chat’ etc. I also love the masterful musicianship of the band on this album. Every instrument is fantastic. I love how the vocals incorporate harmonies from the other bandmembers, like the Beatles would, and how the lead singer uses a lot of vocal distortion, soul, screaming, and explores his vocal style throughout. He’ll switch between clean and raw and incorporate some elements of normal singing versus goofy singing versus spoken word. One of the biggest things about the album is the drums. They are incredible and prominent throughout, specially with the dotted eighth note rhythm that stands out throughout the album.One of the most interesting things about the album is the perspective. It’s all about Tommy, clearly, but it seems to be from the point of view of other people in his life. We see a lot from cousin Kevin, uncle Ernie, his mother, and even a whole section about perspective of some random girl named Sally Simpson. With these themes of reflection, it might be very well that all these people in Tommy’s life see themselves in Tommy and by telling his story from their perspective, they’re relating their experiences to his and in some situations, like Kevin’s bullying and Ernie’s diddling, their negative actions towards Tommy might just be a reflection of their own insecurities and problems, that they choose to take out on him because he’s easy to manipulate and take advantage of. Another common theme throughout the album is glass and mirrors, which is representative of reflections of identity and the concept of smashing and releasing. The song “I’m Free” is extremely cathartic and wonderful feeling as Tommy can finally sense and a lot of this symbolism goes along with smashing a mirror. This is all about destroying what people expect of you and why you’re supposed to see. It’s a liberation.

The story follows Tommy who is a blind, deaf, and mute boy who lost his senses after traumatically seeing his father murdered by his wife’s lover. Throughout his story, we see the struggles of being a disabled youth, which includes bullying, rape, and an early introduction to sex and drugs, and how one’s story can be exploited into a national, beloved freak show. As with most demagogues, there tends to be a falling off point where they reach a level of fame and recognition but some thing, whether financial or political, ruins their character and many people lose their following. The Who Sell Outwas originally planned by Pete Townshend and the band’s managers, Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, as a loose concept album including jingles and commercials linking the songs stylised as a pirate radio broadcast. This concept was born out of necessity as their label and management wanted a new album and Townshend felt that he didn’t have enough songs.

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This might seem acceptable, though tragic, but even after all of this abuse, once Tommy becomes the Pinball Wizard, his family again tempts and exploits the boy. This would certainly lend credence to the notion that Pete was abused as a child and that his parents ignored him until he became rich and famous, only then wanting their share of his fame. It’s a Boy”, “‘21”, “Amazing Journey”, “Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker)”, “Christmas”, “Cousin Kevin”, “The Acid Queen”, “Do You Think It’s Alright?”, “Fiddle About”, “Pinball Wizard”, Go to the Mirror!”, “Tommy Can You Hear Me?”, “Smash the Mirror”, “Sensation”, “Sally Simpson”, “I’m Free”, “Welcome”, Tommy’s Holiday Camp”, and “We’re Not Gonna Take It” The title says it all: "The Who Sell Out", with the band shown as spokesmen for some suspiciously familiar products. This is the band's best album yet and one of their more commercial (replete with commercials). The rest of the lp is pleasant, humorous pop. "Armenia" is less groundbreaking psychedelia than just plain silly. "Rael", another Townsend "mini-opera", sees the musical beginnings of the band's later bloated "Tommy".