Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Baba O'Riley
2. Bargain
3. Love Ain't For Keeping
4. My Wife
5. The Song Is Over
6. Getting In Tune
7. Going Mobile
8. Behind Blue Eyes
9. Won't Get Fooled Again
10. Baby Don't You Do It
11. Getting In Tune
12. Pure And Easy
13. Love Ain't For Keeping
14. Behind Blue Eyes
15. Won't Get Fooled Again

Disc 2:

1. Love Ain't For Keeping
2. Pure And Easy
3. Young Man Blues
4. Time Is Passing
5. Behind Blue Eyes
6. I Don't Even Know Myself
7. Too Much Of Anything
8. Getting In Tune
9. Bargain
10. Water
11. My Generation
12. (I'm A) Road Runner
13. Naked Eye
14. Won't Get Fooled Again

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21880 in Music
• Released on: 2003-04-14
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Box set, Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .38 pounds
• Running time: 153 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Reviews
The success of Who's Next and its slate of classic-rock tracks has often obscured its true roots--Lifehouse, the unwieldy multi-media project that Pete Townshend originally concocted as the follow-up to Tommy. Variously informed by apocalyptic visions, sci-fi notions of interconnectivity that neatly presaged the Internet and, of course, an unwavering conviction that rock & roll would save the world, the core tracks of the sprawling Lifehouse were recorded, cut, re-recorded and finally boiled down into a collection that seems to represent as much alienation ("Behind Blue Eyes") and overweening cynicism ("Won't Get Fooled Again") as it does liberation and unity. Aside from Townshend's own self-released, multi-disc meditation on the project, this expanded new edition is the most rewarding attempt to place Lifehouse and the over-exposed classic it spawned in their proper context.

Six tracks from the album's original but abandoned New York sessions flesh out the familiar material, with previously unreleased outtakes of "Getting in Tune" and a revealing, early arrangement of "Won't Get Fooled Again" warranting special note. The second disc documents one of Lifehouse's most quixotic elements with the first-time release of one of the series of concerts staged at London's Young Vic theatre during the project's gestation--events during which band and audience would somehow mystically become one. Core tracks from the project are interspersed with typical hard-rocking Who fare of the time, resulting in a show whose focus and dynamics belied something very different from the arena-rock clichés that would eventually overwhelm them. --Jerry McCulley

CD Description
Though Pete Townshend was originally unhappy with WHO'S NEXT, it was quickly welcomed by critics and fans, becoming oneof the most celebrated titles in their enduring catalogue. His frustrations boiled down to the album being a compromised version of a larger work he'd envisioned, LIFEHOUSE, whichproved too unwieldy to be realised. Expanded to a two-disc set with essays by both Townshend and John Atkins, the original nine-song album is expanded with six additional studio tracks.
These include earlier versions of the album's songs and a cover of Holland-Dozier-Holland's "Baby Don't You DoIt". Recorded in New York during the spring of 1971 in the midst of a fraying relationship with producer Kit Lambert, the early cuts clearly don't have the sonic breadth and wallop of what the Who achieved back in England later in the year, but are fascinating nonetheless. The second disc was recorded live before an invited audience, and was originally partof the album's grand plan. Mixing new material with covers ("Road Runner;" Mose Allison's "Young Man Blues") and original tunes from their past (the anthem "My Generation"), the band plays with a palpable urgency and fire. This was the Whoat the peak of its powers, a status the group would retain as a live act through the '70s.

Customer Reviews

Remastered versus remixed
This is a more technical comment on this re-release - obviously this is a full five star album, genius at its very height, etc.

However having listened closely to the "Deluxe" (2-CD) version of Who's Next against the earlier 1995 "Remixed and Digitally Remastered" (1-CD) version - they ain't the same (if you use iTunes, use Apple Lossless - you'll never go back to MP3, BTW - or FLAC with other players). The track lengths give this away, but on a good system, and particularly with good headphones, you will be able to tell the difference easily. Essentially the Deluxe sounds like a remaster only - i.e. taken from the original stereo master tapes, and a harsh one at that - whereas the 1995 version is clearly a remix from the original multitrack master.

OK, so what? Well, in almost every case (every case in my own view) the remixed versions - while sticking closely to the original mixes and overall production quality (and quite rightly so, this recording was also Glyn Johns' own masterpiece) have a clearer and more transparent quality that makes the vinyl/Deluxe versions sound sonically limited. Subtle details in the mix, tambourines, vocal inflections, even creaking studio chairs and background whispers become clear on the 1995 remix versions - it's uncanny, and for music/Who fans who really care about this album the effect is much like the (also remixed/remastered) 2-CD Tommy - which is frankly breathtaking and sounds like it might have been recorded last week. Studio technology was quite advanced from the sixties onwards, only the need to adjust things for vinyl messed up the sound quality. Revisting the master tapes allows modern listeners to hear what Glyn Johns would have heard in the studio. That is a precious thing for an album as important as this one and John Astley did an impressive job on the 1995 remix version - to my mind the Deluxe version lacks this added magic. So, my recommendation is buy both versions and check out the differences (and enjoy the additional live tracks on the Deluxe version, some of which are on the 1995 CD as well) - but if you only buy one, and for the original album, then get the 1995 1-CD version. It's subtle, but it takes this beautiful recording to another level.

Addendum: I recently got and compared the infamous Steve Hoffman-mastered MCA Canada CD version for comparison (available on Amazon.ca) - all of the above still stands true and the 1995 Remix/Remaster is still the best overall, however the MCA remaster is way better than the Deluxe CD1 version, more true to the original LP sound (and much clearer) but very organic, and is probably the best way to hear the original mix of the album in all its glory. It's certainly a great companion to the 1995 remix. Personally I can't listen to what they've done on the Deluxe version any more - most of it sounds hard compared to either of the other versions. Thank God for choice, eh?

Thanks for reading.

Rush out and grab it !!
Already having Who's Next on CD (and the vinyl from summer 1971) I never bothered too much when this came out until a week or so ago.
It is a great selection of tracks - especially the extra studio stuff on CD1 - and I think I paid less than what I did for the original CD!
This should be a must have for all Who fans - but if anyone is replacing their old vinyl collection - grab this version of the disc ASAP!

The Best Just Got Better !
This, in my oppinion was the pinnacle of The Who's studio work, and when you look back (and possibly forward) at the bands other releases you can see how highly this reviewer rates this cd.

Whos Next should be present is any rock loving persons cd collection and this new deluxe edition has been improved again with new unreleased studio tracks added to the 1st cd and a live cd from the infamous Lifehouse concerts at the Young Vic when the project was in its conception stage.

This really is the group at there rocking best and has the well known tracks on it : Baba O Reilly, Behind Blue Eyes and Wont Get Fooled Again. But it really doesnt end there, also present are the brilliant: Getting In Tune, The Song Is Over, Love Aint For Keeping which are all so good.

The second cd has along with superb live versions of most of the tracks mentioned above some other tracks that are again very very impressive such as: Water, Naked Eye, Young Man Blues, Time Is Passing and I Don't Even Know Myself.

Coming up to being a 35 year old album this quite amazingly still sounds incredibly fresh...

well i think im out of praise for this cd, so to sum up...click the add to shopping basket button and get the best of Townshend, Daltrey, Entwistle and Moon at there most creative.