The Who - Roger Daltrey Albums

LPs (vinyl) Sampled: 10 Records (UK, Germany, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Portugal, South Africa), Atlantic (USA, Canada), Virgin (Brazil, Zimbabwe), ST (Korea)

Non-album Tracks: "It Don't Satisfy Me" (extended version on 12" EP versions of "After The Fire"), "Love Me Like You Do" (on 12" EP versions of "After The Fire" and CD version of album), "Behind Blue Eyes/5:15" (live medley version on 12" 10 Records (UK) "Under A Raging Moon" EP and double 7" version of the same), "Won't Get Fooled Again" (live version on double 7" of 10 Records (UK) "Under A Raging Moon"), "Breakout" (on double 7" of 10 Records (UK) "The Pride You Hide"), "Don't Talk To Strangers", "Pictures Of Lily" (both are live versions included on double 7" of 10 Records (UK) "The Pride You Hide")

LP Comments: This album was recorded at the beginning of the "digital age". The Atlantic (USA) is too bright and harsh sounding. However, the 10 Records (UK) is a little smoother around the edges, making listening tolerable, but not ideal. Lastly, the 10 Records (Japan) is a little warmer than the (UK) version, making this version the LP of choice.

CD Comments: Both the USA and UK CD versions are too bright and harsh (but the 10 Records (UK) is a tad smoother). The Japan CD seems a bit warmer, more vinyl-like.

Other Comments: This album could really be significantly improved by remixing and remastering.

LP: After The Fire, Don't Talk To Strangers, Breaking Down Paradise, The Pride You Hide, Move Better In The Night, Let Me Down Easy, Fallen Angel, It Don't Satisfy Me, Rebel, Under A Raging Moon

CD: After The Fire, Don't Talk To Strangers, Breaking Down Paradise, The Pride You Hide, Move Better In The Night, Love Me Like You Do, Let Me Down Easy, Fallen Angel, It Don't Satisfy Me, Rebel, Under A Raging Moon

LPs (vinyl) Sampled: 10 Records (Greece, Israel, Japan), Specialty (USA-test pressing), Atlantic (USA), Virgin (Argentina)

CDs Sampled: 10 Records (UK, Japan), Atlantic (USA, Russia), EMI (NL), Wounded Bird (USA)

Non-album Tracks: Hearts Of Fire (extended version on 10 Records (UK) 12"), Quicksilver Lightning (b side of 10 Records (UK) "Hearts Of Fire", Quick Silver sound track album Atlantic (USA) CD & LP and Atlantic (USA) "Quick Silver Lightning 7"), "Take Me Home" (extended dance mix version & instrumental version available on same titled Atlantic (USA) 12")

An "honorable mention" belongs to Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me (a cover of the Elton John song) because the "b" side(s) to the single versions of the song were taken from the <above> album. This song can be found on the Lost Boys soundtrack, Atlantic (USA) CD and LP, 10 Records (UK) single, 12" & 7".

Other Comments: This album doesn't seem to have a big following among Who fans, but I've always liked it. Songs like "Hearts Of Fire" (from a reworked Russ Ballard solo song, "Dream On" from his 1985 "The Fire Still Burns" album) and "Balance On Wires" are my favorites. The album version of "Take Me Home" doesn't do the song justice compared to the extended dance mix version (this version throws just about everything at you, except for the kitchen sink).

"When The Thunder Comes" features a different mix between the CD and LP versions.

Summary: In terms of sound quality, the CDs all sound good and pretty much about the same. The LPs have deeper bass. Take your pick...

Track Listing (LP): Hearts Of Fire, When The Thunder Comes, Ready For Love, Balance On Wires, Miracle Of Love, Price Of Love, Heart Has Its Reasons, Lover's Storm, Take Me Home

CD Comments: This is a well-recorded album and the CDs sounds good. A slight edge in sound quality to the Atlantic (USA) version. The Castle (UK) version boosts the audio volume somewhat.

Track Listing: Who's Gonna Walk on Water, Before My Time Is Up, Times Changed, You Can't Call It Love, Mirror Mirror, Perfect World, Love Is, Blues Man's Road, Everything a Heart Could Ever Want, Days of Light, Unforgettable Opera

CDs Sampled: Continuum (USA), House Of Blues (USA) (Only known releases) (See also: "Daltrey Sings Townshend" 2009 Holland CD Below)

CD Comments: Both CD versions sound great. (Compare with "Daltrey Sings Townshend" for sound quality and track listing differences)

Other Comments: This CD features also features guest performances by Pete Townshend and John Entwistle. The video version and 2009 Holland CD (below) contains additional songs not released on this CD.

Track Listing: Overture, Pinball Wizard, Imagine a Man, Doctor Jimmy, The Song Is Over, The Real Me, Baba O'Riley, After the Fire, 5.15, The Sea Refuses No River, Who Are You, Won't Get Fooled Again (Compare with "Daltrey Sings Townshend" below)

CD Comments: Great sounding CD set. It appears that the mastering is "fresh" and not from any previously released source.

Other Comments: This CD contains a previously unreleased studio song called, "A Second Out". Also previously unreleased is a live version of "Born To Run"... Musically, it's performed very close to Bruce Springsteen's version. However, Roger seems a little uncomfortable with the lyrics as if he needed to rehearse them a few more times (i.e. there's a false start in the beginning because Roger didn't know the first lines of the song, and needed someone to give them to him). However, even with some of the songs issues, it's still a welcome (and cool) addition to the Who catalog.

Another interesting note about this track listing, is that some actual thought went into it. Unlike previous "best of" releases, this one includes some obscure rarities (studio and live) that normally get overlooked.

Track Listing: One Man Band, The Way Of The World, Thinking, There Is Love, Giving It All Away, Get Your Love, World Over, Proud, Dear John, Avenging Annie, One Of The Boys, Martyrs And Madmen, Say It Ain't So, Joe, Bitter And Twisted, Free Me, Without Your Love, Waiting For A Friend, Parting Would Be Painless, After The Fire, Under A Raging Moon (edit version), Behind Blue Eyes (live), Won't Get Fooled Again (live), Quicksilver Lightning, Lover's Storm, Mack The Knife, The Pig Must Die, Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, Rock And Roll, Who's Gonna Walk On Water?, Love Is, Blues Man Road, Baba O'Riley (live), Pinball Wizard (live), The Real Me (live), Child O Mine, Born To Run (live), A Second Out

Note: The promo CDs include "Stuck In The Middle" (between "The Real Me" and "Child O Mine") and do not include "A Second Out".

Track Listing: One Man Band, The Way Of The World, Thinking, There Is Love, Giving It All Away, Come And Get Your Love, World Over, Proud, Dear John, Avenging Annie, One Of The Boys, Martyrs And Madmen, Say It Ain't So, Joe, Bitter And Twisted, Free Me, Without Your Love, Waiting For A Friend, Parting Would Be Painless, After The Fire, Under A Raging Moon (edit version), The Pride You Hide, Behind Blue Eyes (live), Won't Get Fooled Again (live), Lover's Storm, The Pig Must Die, Who's Gonna Walk On Water?, Love Is, Blues Man Road, Baba O'Riley (live), Pinball Wizard (live), The Real Me (live), Child O Mine, Born To Run (live), A Second Out

Other Comments: Compare track listing to "A Celebration: The Music Of Pete Townshend And The Who" (See Above)

[See "A Celebration: The Music Of Pete Townshend And The Who" to hear sound samples above.]

Track Listing: Overture, You Better You Bet, I Can See For Miles, 5:15, Imagine a Man,The Song Is Over, Love Reign O'er Me, Baba O'Riley, After the Fire, Behind Blue Eyes, Amazing Journey, Pinball Wizard, I'm Free, The Real Me, Who Are You, Won't Get Fooled Again, Happy Birthday

CDs Sampled: Chess (UK, Holland, Japan), Chess (UK - Deluxe Edition), EMI (USA), Universal (USA)

LPs Sampled: Chess (Germany)

Other Sampled: Universal (USA) MP3 Download

CD Comments: Unfortunately, Roger's vocals are too low in the mix and this is further exacerbated by an overly compressed mastering which blurs Roger's vocals with the drums and the bass. Overly harsh sound due to the compression. Negligible sound quality difference between the various CDs pressed in different countries.

LP Comments: Same comments as the CD. Overly compressed sound, but lower fidelity. Sounds like it is being played on an old, AM radio.

Other Comments: This album could really be significantly improved by remixing and remastering. I'm not one for "downloading" anything (I'm old school - I like to buy records and CDs) - but out of desperation to try anything, I downloaded the MP3 version of the album to see if there was any "relief" to this harsh sound. Unfortunately, the MP3 version didn't sound any better.

Track Listing: Going Back Home, Ice On The Motorway, I Keep It To Myself, Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window, Turned 21, Keep On Loving You, Some Kind Of Hero, Sneaking Suspicion, Keep It Out Of Sight, Everybody's Carrying A Gun, All Through The City

Track Listing (Deluxe Edition): Going Back Home, Ice On The Motorway, I Keep It To Myself, Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window, Turned 21, Keep On Loving You, Some Kind Of Hero, Sneaking Suspicion, Keep It Out Of Sight, Everybody's Carrying A Gun, All Through The City, Muskrat (previously unreleased from original sessions), Some Kind Of Hero (Wilko Studio), Keep On Loving You (Wilko Studio), Turned 21 (Wilko Studio), Going Back Home (Radio Edit Version), All Right (Live Wilko), Barbed Wire Blues (Live Wilko), The More I Give (Live Wilko), Dr. Dupree (Live Wilko), When I’m Gone (Live Wilko), Roxette (Live Wilko), Going Back Home (Live Roger/Wilko), I Keep It To Myself (Live Roger/Wilko), Keep On Loving You (Live Roger/Wilko), Sneaking Suspicion (Live Roger/Wilko), All Through The City (Live Roger/Wilko), Everybody’s Carrying A Gun (Live Roger/Wilko), Some Kind Of Hero (Live Roger/Wilko)

CDs Sampled: Polydor (UK, Brazil, Japan), Republic (USA), Universal (France, Hungary)

LPs Sampled: Polydor (UK)

Other Sampled: Polydor (UK) Download (Note: Download version retained mastering code in the metadata.)

CD Comments: Appears to be minor distortion in the title track, balance of album suffers from too much compression and harsh sound. The Japan (Universal) bonus track ("How Far" - Acoustic version) seems to sound "smoother" than the other tracks.

LP Comments: Same sound quality issues as the CD (and download) versions. (The problem appears to be in the mastering.)

Other Comments: Pete Townshend plays guitar on 7 tracks. The Japan pressing has an acoustic version of "How Far" as a bonus track. LP copies issued in blue vinyl and limited edition red vinyl. Autographed CD copies come with an extra booklet, which Roger Daltrey autographed.

Summary: This album needs to be remastered. There is too much compression and elements of distortion. All of the versions sound about the same. The acoustic version of "How Far" is only available on the Japan CD.

Track Listing: As Long As I Have You, How Far, Where Is A Man To Go?, Get On Out of the Rain, I've Got Your Love, Into My Arms, You Haven't Done Nothing, Out of Sight, Out of Mind, Certified Rose, The Love You Save, Always Heading Home

Track Listing (Japan): As Long As I Have You, How Far, Where Is A Man To Go?, Get On Out of the Rain, I've Got Your Love, Into My Arms, You Haven't Done Nothing, Out of Sight, Out of Mind, Certified Rose, The Love You Save, Always Heading Home, How Far (Acoustic Version)

CDs Sampled: Polydor (UK - Promo, USA, Germany, Japan), Universal (Canada - Promo)

LP Comments: Listening to the UK LP (which is actually manufactured in the Czech Republic) was a pleasant surprise. The LP is less compressed and more dynamic, allowing the performances to breathe. I thought this was much better than the CDs. The very next day I played the USA LP. Unfortunately the level of compression difference between the two LPs made a huge difference. The USA version seems to have more compression than the UK/CZ version and I was "less than happy" with the results.

CD Comments: Overall, it has the sound and feel of The Who's 1989 Radio City FM Radio broadcast. This is due to the mastering which added too much compression, making it sound literally like a radio broadcast (vs. a CD). The mix... It’s easy to forget there’s an orchestra playing (Hence the comparison to Radio City). You sorta get the impression that there are pieces of the orchestra but they take a back seat to the “rock band”. If you compare this to the London Symphony Orchestra Tommy or even Roger’s 1994 Carnegie Hall “A Celebration” (see above) - you can make a clear distinction. The orchestra is too set back in the mix (noticeably the horns in “Overture” - which should be upfront like Radio City). These issues lie with the producer. Instead of having one engineer mix everything - the mixing engineers were spit between orchestra and (everything else). This gives the final mix engineer less to work with. The mastering makes it worse, as the over use of compression takes away from everything that should pop out at you (but doesn’t). The comparison of the various <non-Japan> CDs reveals a metallic edge (which shouldn’t be there). The Japan CD has the typical “value added bass” - which has a positive effect and the metallic sound goes away! (However - the bass on “Amazing Journey” becomes a little excessive.) So, a wasted opportunity that is still a decent album (due to performance) and if you actually want to listen to it - buy the Japan Version.

Other Comments: I was always a huge fan of the orchestrated "Tommy". Seeing it live was just fabulous. The post-production was off on this album as it didn't fully capture the live feel. Having one engineer mix this album and backing off the compression would have <potentially> made this a much better album. That being said, I really enjoyed the LP version...

Summary: The actual orchestrated performances had a BIG sound to them due to the large orchestra. This album sounds more like a rock band, with an orchestra supporting it. I really prefer the (UK/CZ) LP version over the various CDs and the USA LP.

Track Listing: Overture, It's A Boy, 1921, Amazing Journey, Sparks, Eyesight To The Blind, Christmas, Cousin Kevin, The Acid Queen, Do You Think It's Alright?, Fiddle About, Pinball Wizard, There's A Doctor, Go To The Mirror, Tommy Can You Hear Me?, Smash The Mirror, Refrain - It's A Boy, I'm Free, Miracle Cure, Sensation, Sally Simpson / Gospel Piano Interlude, Welcome, Tommy's Holiday Camp, We're Not Gonna Take It

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The Who - Roger Daltrey Solo Albums - Page 3 (1985 - Current):

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