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The Who Sell Out - Page 3 (Reviews, Comparisons & Tracklists):

Album: The Who Sell Out

LPs (vinyl) Sampled: Polydor-mono (UK), Polydor-stereo (UK), Decca-mono (USA), Decca-stereo (USA), Classic-mono (USA) [all versions that follow are stereo versions] MCA-reissue (USA), Polydor (France), Polydor (Holland), Polydor (Japan), Polydor-reissue (Japan), Polydor (Australia-record label says mono, but it's actually in stereo), Polydor (Germany-several reissue variations)

CDs (original mix) Sampled: Polydor (Germany, Japan <Various>), MCA (USA)

CDs (remix) Sampled: Polydor (Germany), MCA (USA), Polydor (Japan)

CDs (Deluxe Edition) Sampled: Polydor (UK)

CDs (Super Deluxe Edition) Sampled: Universal (UK Super Deluxe Edition)

LP Comments:

Stereo: Possibly a tossup between the Japan and German versions. Most of the variations in sound quality between the various countries come from the vinyl quality itself.

Mono: Both the Decca USA and Polydor UK versions sound about the same, and unfortunately--not too great. The mastering on them is extremely bass heavy (varying on different parts of the album) and has to be equalized to sound proper. The 2006 Classic USA cleans up the mastering problems inherent in the original 1967 releases and offers very good sound, retaining the "grittiness" of the original mono LPs. Sadly, the Classic LP isn't without flaws. Whereas the left and right channels (volume) on any mono recording should both be 100% even at the 12 o'clock position of your balance control, the right channel has a stronger output than the left, hence causing you to correct this by moving your balance control to the 11 o'clock position. They pressed this LP on 200 gram, Quiex vinyl, and for the most part, the vinyl is without flaw. However, at the end of sides 1 & 2, immediately at the end of each track, the LP starts to crackle, vs. what should have been a nice "moment of silence". This becomes even more frustrating on side 2, where the crackles are heavy between "Rael" and the "Track Records" run-off track. My copy was slightly warped (towards the outer edge).

The mono album does feature some interesting mix variations, i.e. No lead guitar on "Odorono", a "quivering vocal" ending to "Mary Ann With The Shaky Hand" (also featured on the remixed CD version) and most notably a different (and more interesting) ending guitar track on "Our Love Is, Was".

CD (original mix) comments: Both the USA and German versions sound nearly identical. However, the way they are indexed is completely different. The USA version starts each track with the jingles in the beginning, while the German has them at the end. The other significant difference is that the USA version features the "Track Records" run off track at the end of the CD, while the German version doesn't. The Japanese CD is the same as the German, but with some extra bass in the mastering.

CD (remix) comments: Both the USA and German versions sound identical and the Japanese version has the extra bass in the mastering, which (depending on your stereo system) detracts from the sound quality.

CD (Deluxe Edition) comments: Very harsh sound. Made obsolete with the release of the 2021 Super Deluxe Edition.

CD (Super Deluxe Edition) comments: Overall very good sound with some inconsistency issues. The demos have too much compression and bass (but can be successfully "home remastered").  

CD (mono) comments: The mono mix CDs (various) seem to have the same sonic and mastering characteristics of the USA (Classic) LP, but without the flaws inherent with the poor vinyl quality.

Compare for yourself!

Below are 30 second WAV samples of "Mary Ann With The Shaky Hands" from the various pressings of "The Who Sell Out" as described above.

1967 USA Master Tape (Mono)
   1967 USA LP (Mono)   1988 USA CD (Stereo)   1988 Germany CD (Stereo)   1988 Japan CD (Stereo)   1995 USA CD (Stereo - Remix)   1995 Germany CD (Stereo - Remix)   1995 Japan CD (Stereo - Remix)   1996 Japan CD (Stereo - Original Mix)   2005 USA DAT Master (Stereo)   2005 USA DAT Master (Mono)   2006 USA LP (Mono)   2009 UK CD (Stereo)   2009 UK CD (Mono)   2009 Japan CD (Stereo)   2009 Japan CD (Mono)   2012 Japan DSD/SACD (Stereo)   2012 Japan DSD/SACD (Mono)   2021 UK CD (Stereo)

Note: Sound comparisons are only as good as your ears and the equipment you are listening to the music with.

 

Summary: The remixed version of this album is truly brilliant in ways that words can't express. Unless you are a collector (or want additional bonus material), there's no reason to own anything other than an MCA (USA) or Polydor (Germany) copy.

The Who Sell Out - Version Comparisons (MP3):

Armenia City In The Sky:

Mono Version   Original Stereo Version   Stereo Remix Version

Heinz Baked Beans:

Mono Version   Original Stereo Version   Stereo Remix Version

Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand:

Pete Townshend Demo Version   Mono Version   Original Stereo Version   Stereo Remix Version   USA B-Side Mono Version   USA B-Side Stereo Version   Mirasound Stereo Version

Odorono:

Pete Townshend Demo Version   Mono Version   Original Stereo Version   Stereo Remix Version

Tattoo:

Mono Version   Original Stereo Version   Stereo Remix Version   Live Version  

Our Love Was:

Pete Townshend Demo Version   Mono Version   Original Stereo Version   Stereo Remix Version   BBC Version

I Can See For Miles:

Pete Townshend Demo Version   Mono Version   Original Stereo Version   Stereo Remix Version   UK Single Mono Version   USA Single Mono Version   UK Acetate V3 Mono Version   Alternate Vocal Mono Version   BBC Version   The Kids Are Alright Stereo Version

I Can't Reach You:

Pete Townshend Demo Version V1   Pete Townshend Demo Version V2   Mono Version   Original Stereo Version   Stereo Remix Version   BBC Version

Medac:

Mono Version   Original Stereo Version   Stereo Remix Version

Relax:

Pete Townshend Demo Version   Mono Version   Original Stereo Version   Stereo Remix Version   Work-In-Process Stereo Version   Live Version 

Silas Stingy:

John Entwistle Demo Version   Mono Version   Original Stereo Version   Stereo Remix Version

Sunrise:

Pete Townshend Demo Version V1   Pete Townshend Demo Version V2   Mono Version   Original Stereo Version   Stereo Remix Version

Rael I:

Pete Townshend Demo Version   Mono Version   Original Stereo Version   Stereo Remix Version   Alternate Version

Rael II:

Pete Townshend Demo Version   Stereo Remix Version  

Glittering Girl:

Pete Townshend Demo Version   Stereo Remix Version   Alternate Stereo Version 1   Alternate Stereo Version 2

Melancholia:

Pete Townshend Demo Version   Stereo Remix Version

Someone's Coming:

John Entwistle Demo Version   Mono UK 45 Version   Mono USA 45 Version   Stereo UK 45 Version   Stereo USA Original Version   Stereo Remix Version

Jaguar:

Pete Townshend Demo Version   Mono Version   Stereo Remix Version

Early Morning Cold Taxi:

Mono Version   Stereo Remix Version

Hall Of The Mountain King:

Original Stereo Version   Stereo Remix Version

Girl's Eyes:

Original Stereo Version   Stereo Remix Version

Glow Girl:

Pete Townshend Demo Version   Original Stereo Version   Stereo Remix Version

Track Records:

Mono Version   Stereo Version 


Note: Stereo Remix versions engineered by Revolution Studios Manchester, UK

Other Comments: If you are a collector, there are some interesting album cover variations to note, specifically the Australian LP with Keith Moon holding Clearasil on the tube versus "Medac".

The liner notes of the 1995 reissue incorrectly credit the 2nd version of "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand" as being the "b" side of "I Can See For Miles" version. This version is actually a previously unreleased version. The "b" side version eventually got remixed in stereo and placed on "Odds & Sods".

The Decca (USA) <white label> LP promo copies were issued both "banded" (gaps between the songs - versus cross-faded) and unbanded - both in mono and stereo. On the banded versions, "Turn It Up" and "Beast of a Man" (commercials between the songs) are deleted. (See track listing below.)

The Deluxe Edition CD combines some of the elements of the 1995 remix release with the mono album version and ads some bonus tracks (while removing a few others). The most notable additions include a previously unreleased studio take of "Summertime Blues" and the once "almost released", "Sodding About" (instrumental). A different mix of this song was to be included on the 1998 "Odds & Sods" CD, but was dropped for lack of space. The original mix/version bonus tracks of "Early Morning Cold Taxi", "Jaguar" and "Girls Eyes" can also be found on various Who bootleg albums. While their inclusion on this CD is a nice thought, they don't seem to have the same "snap" to them as their 1995 counterparts.

Also included on this CD are some previously unreleased versions/mixes of: "Rael" (Remake Version). This sounds like a "rougher mix". "Our Love Was" (Take 12). This has some nice elements which vary from other released versions of the song. "I Can See For Miles" (Early Mono Mix). I think they didn't know how they wanted the lead vocal sang at this point. "Relax" (Demo). As always, Pete's demos of Who songs are always an interesting variation. (I have another version of this demo which is a bit different.)

There are two bonus tracks that are un-credited and follow a long, silent gap. I'm not quite sure what the point of this is.

The Super Deluxe Edition CD Box Set (see comments below)...

About: The Who Sell Out

1995 Remix:

Back in 1980 when a friend made me Who tapes from his LPs - he had made copies of the 1st 4 USA albums (which at the time were sold as double LPs and cheaply packaged). I didn't like them. I didn't really know why I didn't like them (no explanation was required back then).
 
Fast forward 2 years. My new "record mentor" was a cool shop in Coral Gables, FL (near my school) called
Yesterday and Today (he was a big Beatles fan). He turned me onto "imports" (records made in other countries imported to the USA). He asked me what I thought of "The Who Sell Out" and I told him I didn't like it. He started to probe "why" and I told him that it sounded like shit and was recorded poorly. He then explained - "Oh! You are the victim of a bad MCA reissue! You need to try this!" He pulled a German LP copy out of the bin and started to play it Wow! It's like a different record!!! So... The light bulb went off. What I had previously thought was "bad music" was just a bad recording due to a poor quality reissue. As I started to buy more and more records (later with CDs) I noticed that there are sometimes major sound quality differences in these pressings and that made a HUGE difference as to how much I enjoyed listening to any particular album. Newly enlightened, my "quality quest" began. I grew my collection initially for 2 reasons: finding the best sounding versions, and having a complete song catalog. Later it was about cool picture sleeves and now it's about being "complete" (gee, I just got that rare New Zealand "It's Hard" I was missing). ;)
 
Getting back to the album. I always wondered why Roger was missing for a good chunk of the original. It seemed odd. As it turned out, when the 1995 remix, expanded version came out - they recorded so many songs for the original (then intended to be a double album) - Roger's lead vocal tracks got left behind!
 
Every song on this album is great. The 1995 version is reconstructed so well, you would think it was exactly what the band intended in 1967.

The album has a "sense of humor" to it that was somehow the Who's trademark early on and lost in later years.

"I Can See For Miles" was probably the first Who song I became aware of - blaring from my sister's stereo in 1967...
 
My favorite track from the remix is the 2nd "Mary Ann" - what a great variation and performance. ;)


2009 Deluxe Edition:

I don't really know where to begin with this one...

I've always loved "The Who Sell Out" and strongly believe that the version compiled and released in 1995 is the "ultimate" version of this album. I can recall back to 1995 when Who fans all over the world played it for the first time and shared their feelings with other fans via the Internet - almost universal "Wow!" responses (although one person in desperate need for "Odorono" in Germany complained about the insertion of an additional "commercial").

This version? I'm not a big fan of and I'll try to explain why...

Part of the problem in attempting to compile something like this, is that your universe is finite. Meaning, the record company may limit you to 2 CDs and therefore, you are "stuck" within those confines as opposed to "making the best version of the album". "Who's Next" (Deluxe) is a good example of that - since there was "too much left behind" - if there was only that "3rd disc" to "put all of it on there"...

From my perspective, the 1995 flows as a "single album" - as if it were intended that way in 1967, this one is... like a "bootleg". It's as if the compiler/producer said to himself, "what else can I squeeze on this CD?" as opposed to...

     "What tracks work best together, for a great listening experience?"

But this doesn't really come as a surprise, because this version's compiler/producer is former bootleg salesman!

So, I look at this release in 2 ways...

1) It's great to have more previously released tracks

2) These CDs don't "flow" like the 1995 release and when compared, it's inferior.

I realize that #2 is a "bold" statement, but imagine someone calling me up today and saying, "Hey, would you like to compile a 2 CD version of "The Who Sell Out" and BTW - You will have limitations set forth by the record company?"

I find that to be "no win" scenario...

So... from my perspective, to do this right...

A) You need to start with the premise that you need 3 CDs (Starting with the 1995 version) or...

B) You keep the "Deluxe" version simple (original stereo mix/original tracks + original mono mix/original tracks) - presumably someone wants the "original" versions of this album on CD... PLUS:

C) You compile the BEST box set of "The Who Rarities Collection" and you throw everything in - including the kitchen sink. Somehow these rarities on their own (and broken up by other rarities) seem to have a nice flow to them musically and then you can get away with all the repeats and various interesting things.

By combining B&C - You end up "meeting the expectations of the audience" vs. compiling an "official bootleg" - which is how I view this version of "The Who Sell Out".

OK, onto the music...

I'm one of those folks who, if I never heard the original mix of "The Who Sell Out" again, I wouldn't feel I was missing anything. The 1995 remix is just so much better. But I do understand some people like this and want it in their collection (although there was nothing wrong with the original CD versions prior to 1995 and there's plenty of them out there)...

The mono version of the album is kind of cool, but more so to "note the differences" in the mixes than for actual, "Gee, I like this so much better!" (I've met some Who fans who really like the mono mix - I'm not one of them.).

What do you get in the mono mix?

Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand - Quivering vocal ending (which was electronically replicated on the 1995 remix)

Odorono - no lead guitar

Our Love Is, Was - a different (and very cool) guitar ending change from the stereo mix (apparently Pete overdubbed this right onto the mono mix)

And from a sound perspective - perhaps a "grittier" version of the album. It has an overall "heavier" sound to it. Again, to me - more of a novelty. If I had to choose between releasing this on CD and using the same space for more unreleased material, I'd "ditch" this in a heartbeat and keep "Our Love Is, Was" as a bonus track for its unique guitar parts...

Including on this release, are some of the same tracks previously released in 1995, but now either their "original" mix versions or their "mono" versions - released here for the first time.

I'm not sure what the point of this is. What makes the mono "Jaguar... "special"??? Or, is it just to add as a "companion" track to the mono version of the album? Having the mono track for the sake of having a mono track (which was never released prior in mono ever before except on bootlegs) doesn't really make much sense to me. Maybe it does to someone and maybe there were no more tracks left on the shelf so this was good "filler" material. I don't know. But these kind of adds seem senseless and help to give you the feeling that this is just an "official bootleg" vs. a piece of music you are compelled to listen to over and over again...

OK, enough complaining... :)

Here's what I really like about the album - the previously unreleased tracks! :)

Summertime Blues - (just how many studio versions are there???) - this is an early version - John doesn't use his "Boris" voice on this one... :)

Sodding About - this was remixed and intended to be used on the 1998 "Odds & Sods". However, it didn't fit and the original mix version was used here.

Rael 1 & 2 (Remake Version) - this is pretty cool. Basically an alternate version to the familiar version. I like it. :)

Relax (Early Demo Stereo) - This is what the description says, but I don't believe this is what it actually is. I have the demo for this. Pete's demo is actually pretty "wild". What I do believe this to be - is a work in process mix. This seems like John and Keith have dubbed their parts over some of Pete's tracks on the demo, leaving the demo's vocals and guitar parts, but removing all the "wild" parts that Pete previously laid down.

Glittering Girl (Unreleased Stereo Version) - This is really good. I always thought that the version used on the 1995 release was almost "unfinished" - as it sounded very close to Pete's demo version. This version is more advanced, but I think there's a moment here where Roger or Pete may have "laughed" while singing, so some of the "polish" of this version got slightly "tarnished". But, it's REAL good regardless. :)

So... what are we talking about here? 5 tracks??? The rest of the bonus tracks don't really capture my interest at all. For example, "Rael (Early Mono Mix)" - I'm listening to this and I'm thinking that this is a poor sounding version of the one on the 1995 CD. It's the kind of track I listen to once, mentally note it and then come back to it, 2 or 3 times over the next 5 years. Again, great for a bootleg, but not on "The Who Sell Out"...

So... what is the answer to the dilemma? How does The Who release all of their "archives", but at the same time, make a "musically enjoyable" listening experience? (Seems like the job for the right kind of "box set".)


2021 Super Deluxe Edition Box Set: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly:

  The Who Sell Out Super Deluxe - The Good The Bad The Ugly
The Good:

This is a really good, but not perfect box set. It's basically modeled on the "Deluxe Edition" above, but greatly expanded with a lot more "stuff" (and the "stuff" is really good stuff!). I read all these silly internet complainers:

    "I'm not paying $100 for that! Even if it goes down to $85, I won't pay for this album again!" 

I'm sorry, but would you rather spend your time complaining about something you don't have, or... spend your time listening to great music which you do have?

(Translation: If you want to be an idiot, fine. However, don't embarrass yourself like this in public!)

The Music: Hopefully if you've gotten this far and are reading this, you already know the differences between the original stereo and mono albums, as well as the 1995 remixed version. This box has all of the tracks from the

original mono and stereo versions, some of the tracks from the 1995 remixed version, previously released tracks to "fill the void" between "Sell Out" and "Tommy" and many new tracks you haven't heard before (including great Pete Townshend demos). Some of the new material is absolutely fantastic and worth the price of the box alone. Here are just a few examples (with MP3 Samples):

The Last Time & Under My Thumb - alternate takes in WIDE stereo  MP3 (The Last Time)  MP3 (Under My Thumb) 

Call Me Lightning - an outtake in wide stereo that is just unbelievable  MP3 (30 seconds can't possibly do this track justice)

Dogs - an outtake that's better than the released version  MP3

Magic Bus - an outtake that sounds like they are playing it in the studio for the very first time. Wow!  MP3

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde - (2) two versions of the UK ("spooky" mix) in stereo. One without overdubs and one with. Unbelievably great!  MP3

Kids? Do You Want Kids - Great Pete demo!  MP3

Inside Outside USA - Who knew? Another great Pete demo!  MP3

Jaguar - Pete's demo version!  MP3

I'm Thinking Of You All The While - This is the 2nd demo version of "Sunrise". I obtained the acetate in 2013 and sent it to Pete. Pete's <former> engineer, Myles Clarke did a superb job cleaning it up. A must have!  MP3

And these are just a small handful of great new tracks as you can see by the track listing <below>.

Oh? And did I say the box had a lot of stuff? (i.e. Posters, programs, a book, flyers...) 

The Bad:

This project started sometime in 2017 and originally it was supposed to be released in 2019. However, due to the release of Who, it was back-burnered. Sometimes when there are big gaps of time for a project like this, momentum and continuity is lost. It appears some of that occurred here. While it can be argued that there are limits to what you can add to a box like this (i.e. what's magical about 5 discs, vs. 6 or some other number?), let's stop and think about what's missing and could have been included...

1) The 1995 Remixed version. This is the album that should have been released in 1967. It's a cohesive, transformational work of art, assembled and engineered as if they went back and time and did it right. If you still own it, make sure you keep it!

2) Missing tracks (including but not limited to): Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (USA stereo version MP3), Our Love Was (Take 1 MP3), Our Love Was (Roger Daltrey lead vocal version MP3), Heaven And Hell (studio version MP3), John Entwistle demos (i.e. Someone's Coming MP3, Silas Stingy  MP3 & Facts Of Life MP3), additional Pete Townshend demos (wouldn't a complete demo version of "The Who Sell Out" be fantastic?), Pictures Of Lily (true stereo version MP3), Summertime Blues (later version with John's "Boris" vocal MP3), My Way (studio version MP3) etc...

3) The true stereo "Magic Bus" on disc 4 sounds a bit like my 16/44 needle drop that I had sent them a long long time ago. I had since sent in a fantastic (HD) master tape, but it went unused.

4) The advertising hype says: "The Who have announced a new super-deluxe edition of The Who Sell Out with 112 tracks, 46 of which have never been heard before." I counted about 36 tracks, but there's always inflation... :)

5) Some of the tracks that are labeled "2018 remix" appear to be tracks from the 1994 30 Years Of Maximum R&B Box Set, the 1995 Remixed "Sell Out" or the HD tracks mixed by Andy Macpherson/Revolution Studios in 2014 (for the "Sell Out" bonus material on the HDtracks Deluxe download).

6) Same track titles should never be in back-to-back order and always separated by other tracks (there are several versions of "Relax" back-to-back on Disc 3 and two versions of "Glow Girl" back-to-back on Disc 5).  

7) The track listings between the physical box set and downloader's like HDtracks are inconsistent. It's one thing to offer additional tracks via an online resource (the vinyl-only bonus tracks are in HD form here), but in this case, there are also missing tracks! Some of these missing tracks are due to the HD versions being missing (i.e. "Someone's Coming" from Disc 2 is from the 1995 remix), but it appears "I Can See For Miles (demo) was left off! (Hopefully these will get fixed.)

The "I Can See For Miles" demo is not included on the HDtracks website because it's not in HD (24/96). If the nice folks at Universal need a copy, I'd be very happy to provide it to them. Here's an HD sample of what it sounds like unmastered I Can See For Miles (Demo). Incidentally, my version is ~7 seconds longer too!

8) Perhaps this is just me nitpicking, but I found the tracklisting liner notes to be a bit uneven and sometimes a little sloppy. For example, on "Glittering Girl" (Pete Townshend lead vocal version), it says:

     "This particular version featured a Townshend lead vocal presumably as a demo to be worked on or for possible inclusion on the album."

With all of the alternate versions uncovered in the making of this box set, why single this one out to presumably be a demo (vs. just another possible, final version)? Considering (3) three <known> versions of "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hands", both Pete and Roger lead vocal versions on "Our Love Was", what makes this version any more or less "demo-ish"? Compare for yourself: Pete Demo Version   Pete Vocal Who Version  In 1995, I spoke to the remix/expanded version producers as to why this version was included (vs. the Roger lead vocal version) and the answer made a lot of sense. They were trying to "continue the feel of the original album" (which was a "psychedelic" feel). With all the reissues since 1967, what people seem to forget is that Roger's lead vocals were notably absent on the original. The 1967 album featured more Pete lead vocals and Roger's harmonies than any other Who album until Endless Wire. When the Roger lead vocal/duet version of "Eminence Front" is eventually released, will the current (Pete vocal version) be likewise re-cast as a... "demo"?

Another example can be found in "Sodding About". It says:

     "It was given the title 'Sodding About' by John Entwistle when first released on the expanded CD version of Odds & Sods in 1998."

This song was actually intended to be released on the 1998 Odds & Sods, but was cut because it didn't fit (A quick peak at the picture of the UK test pressing on the Odds & Sods page will reveal its intended spot on track #4. Unfortunately, its inclusion was at the expense of the last track, "Naked Eye", which didn't quite fit.). The song was finally (and first released) on the 2009 expanded Deluxe Edition of "The Who Sell Out". Sodding About   

For "Rael Naive", it says:

     "The church organ tag (previously made available on the 2014 HD iTunes download of The Who Sell Out)..."

As we all know, iTunes and HD are contradictory. iTunes is based on an AAC/.m4a format, which <perhaps> is slightly better than MP3. HD (24/96) is a higher resolution than CD (16/44). I believe this was just a typo and what the writer meant to say was, HDtracks. (Which fits both the story and the description). What the writer probably wasn't aware of was that I helped facilitate the inclusion of the complete organ ending (coda) in 2014. At the time, there was an effort to recreate "The Who Sell Out" in HD using the original mixes from master tapes along with newly mixed bonus tracks from Revolution Studios (Andy Macpherson) to complete the extended album. Somehow the issue of the organ came up (i.e. ...it wasn't previously issued before) and I insisted it was great - you have to leave it in! (The coda helps to store some of the flavor of Pete's fantastic "Rael" demo, which is full of glorious organ...)

9) The channels are reversed on "Sodding About". As stated above (#8), this song was first released in 2009. The version released in 2021 is the same version remastered, but with the left channel and right channel swapped (i.e. Pete's guitar which was on the right channel, is now on the left channel). Here's a graphic WAV file representation of the first 45 seconds comparing the two (the left channel is on top):

The Who Sell Out - Sodding About WAV Form Comparison

You can clearly see that the channels are reversed when viewing around the 30 second mark. The other changes in the WAV form are due to mastering changes. The 2009 version is much more compressed (in fact, I gave it a "hair cut" to get the volume levels closer).

This is a sound sample comparison between the two at ~1:15:

Sodding About - 2009   Sounding About - 2021

(I picked this section so you can compare the lead guitar coming out of the different channels.)

Error or... artistic correction?

 
The Ugly:

Back in 1995, when I worked with John Entwistle, one of the things I did was help facilitate getting his long-lost album, The Rock, produced. I will never forget how John wanted to ensure that he thanked and credited every single person that was involved in this album (no matter how large or small the contribution). John was grateful for everyone's help and insisted that all of their names were there. So much so, that he included the personnel from his 1988 tour that played The Rock live, but had nothing to do with the recording of the album ("The Touring Rock" he called them)! I fondly remember the phone calls at 2AM (3,000 miles and a 5 hour time difference):

     "Wait! I just thought of another person! Hold the press!"

As I mentioned in #5 above, there are a good number of tracks mixed between 1994 and 2014 that are the stellar work of Andy Macpherson/Revolution Studios. Andy (and his studio) are nowhere to be found in the credits. In 2013 I donated the acetate recording of Pete's demo, I'm Thinking Of You All The While (above) and received a very nice "thank you" letter from Pete. I received no credit for this (or the wrong "Magic Bus" source). How many other people were carelessly (or perhaps intentionally) "un-included"? There's absolutely no excuse for this. In fact, it was brought to folks attention and nothing was done to fix the same. This is no less than disgraceful and grossly unprofessional. 

(To add further insult to injury, the 2021 LP & CD Deluxe Editions (a subset of the Super Deluxe Edition), is comprised only of original mixes and Andy Macpherson/Revolution Studios, but gives credit to FX Mastering (which remixed many of the new tracks on the Super Deluxe Edition) Here are the links LP, CD. Compare those credits to the correct, 2009 Deluxe Edition credits CD).

Summary:

Could The box set be more perfect? Sure. Anything can be. Mistakes aside, at the end of the day and as fans of The Who, it's about the music. There's a lot of great music contained here and what you don't have yet is just spectacular. So? What are you waiting for?

Note: If you are finding there is way too much to read above, perhaps you would prefer the video version on YouTube. Enjoy!

Track Listing (Original Release Versions):

UK:
Armenia City In The Sky, Heinz Baked Beans, Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand, Odorono, Tattoo, Our Love Was, Is, I Can See For Miles, I Can't Reach You, Medac, Relax, Silas Stingy, Sunrise, Rael

USA: Armenia City In The Sky, Heinz Baked Beans, Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand, Odorono, Tattoo, Our Love Was, Is, I Can See For Miles, I Can't Reach You, Spotted Henry, Relax, Silas Stingy, Sunrise, Rael

USA (Banded Promo): Armenia City In The Sky, Heinz Baked Beans, Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand, Odorono, I Can See For Miles, Our Love Was, Is, Tattoo, I Can't Reach You, Spotted Henry, Relax, Silas Stingy, Sunrise, Rael


1995 Remixed/Remastered Reissue: Armenia City In The Sky, Heinz Baked Beans, Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand, Odorono, Tattoo, Our Love Was, Is, I Can See For Miles, I Can't Reach You, Spotted Henry, Relax, Silas Stingy, Sunrise, Rael, Rael 2, <Top Gear> Glittering Girl, <Coke 2>, Melancholia, <Bag O' Nails>, Someone's Coming, <John Mason's Cars>, Jaguar, <John Mason's Cars Reprise>, Early Morning Cold Taxi, <Coke 1> Hall Of The Mountain King, <Radio 1>, Girl's Eyes, <Odorono-Final Chorus>, Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand, Glow Girl <Track Records>.


2009 2 CD Deluxe Edition:

Disc 1 (stereo):
Armenia City In The Sky, Heinz Baked Beans, Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand, Odorono, Tattoo, Our Love Was, Is, I Can See For Miles, I Can't Reach You, Spotted Henry, Relax, Silas Stingy, Sunrise, Rael 1 & 2, Rael Naive, Someone's Coming, Early Morning Cold Taxi, Jaguar, Coke After Coke, Glittering Girl, Summertime Blues, John Mason Cars, Girl's Eyes, Sodding About, Premier Drums, Odorono (final chorus), Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand (US Mirasound Version) Things Go Better With Coke, In The Hall Of The Mountain King, Top Gear, Rael 1 & 2 (Remake Version)

Disc 2 (mono): Armenia City In The Sky, Heinz Baked Beans, Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand, Odorono, Tattoo, Our Love Was, Is, I Can See For Miles, I Can't Reach You, Spotted Henry, Relax, Silas Stingy, Sunrise, Rael 1 & 2, Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand (US Single Mono Mix), Someone's Coming (UK Single Mono Mix), Relax (Early Demo Stereo), Jaguar (Original Mono Mix), Glittering Girl (Unreleased Stereo Version), Tattoo (Early Mono Mix), Our Love Was (Take 12 - Unused Mono Mix), Rotosound Strings (With Final Note - Stereo), I Can See For Miles (Early Mono Mix), Rael (Early Mono Mix), Armenia City In The Sky (Isolated Backwards Tracks), Great Shakes (Unreleased US Radio Commercial)


2021 5 CD Super Deluxe Edition Box Set:

Disc 1 (Mono): Armenia City in The Sky, Heinz Baked Beans, Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand, Odorono, Tattoo, Our Love Was, I Can See for Miles, I Can’t Reach You, Medac, Relax, Silas Stingy, Sunrise, Rael, Track Records, Pictures of Lily, Doctor, Doctor, The Last Time, Under My Thumb, I Can See for Miles, Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand, Someone’s Coming, Early Morning Cold Taxi, Jaguar, Tattoo (early alternate mono mix), Rael (Talentmasters Studio, New York early rough mix), Sunn Amps promo spots, Great Shakes ad, Our Love Was (Take 12 Rejected Mono Mix), I Can See For Miles (Early Mono Version), Someone’s Coming (UK Single Mix), Magic Bus, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (USA Single Mix)

Disc 2 (Stereo): Armenia City in The Sky, Heinz Baked Beans, Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand, Odorono, Tattoo, Our Love Was, I Can See for Miles, I Can’t Reach You, Medac, Relax, Silas Stingy, Sunrise, Rael, Rael Naïve (extended coda organ ending), Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand (US single version*), Someone’s Coming, Summertime Blues, Glittering Girl (Pete vocal version), Early Morning Cold Taxi, Girl’s Eyes, Coke After Coke, Sodding About, Things Go Better with Coke, Hall of The Mountain King, Jaguar, Rael (Remake version), Track Records  

Disc 3 (Studio Sessions 1967/1968): Glittering Girl (Take 4 – Roger vocal version) (2018 remix), Girl’s Eyes (Take 2) (2018 remix), The Last Time (Take 8), Under My Thumb (Take 3) (2018 remix), Our Love Was (Take 2), Relax (4-track to 4-track mix with Pete vocal), Relax (Takes 1 and 2), Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand (Takes 1 & 9), Relax (Remake Take 4), I Can See for Miles  (full version), Medac (Take 11), Odorono (Take 3) (2018 remix), Heinz Baked Beans (Takes 1 & 3) (2018 remix), Top Gear (Takes 1 & 2) (2018 remix), Premier Drums (Takes 1 & 3) (2018 remix), Charles Atlas (Take 1), Rotosound Strings (Take 1) (2018 remix), Track Records (2018 remix), John Mason Cars (Takes 1 - 3)/Speakeasy/Rotosound Strings/Bag O’ Nails (2018 remixes), It’s A Girl (aka ‘Glow Girl’) (Takes 1 & 3), Mr. Hyde (1st stage mix Take 1), Little Billy (Takes 1 & 3), Mrs. Walker (aka ‘Glow Girl’) (4-track to 4-track mix, take 7), Call Me Lightning (Take 1 backing track, stereo mix & jam), Dogs (Take 3), Melancholia (Take 1), Shakin’ All Over (Take 3), Magic Bus (Take 6)  

Disc 4 (The 1968 Recordings/The Road To "Tommy")**: Glow Girl, Faith in Something Bigger, Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, Call Me Lightning, Little Billy’s Doing Fine, Dogs, Melancholia, Fortune Teller, Facts Of Life (aka ‘Birds And Bees’, backing track), Magic Bus (single version), Call Me Lightning (mono single mix), Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (UK mono single mix), Dogs (mono single mix), Magic Bus (mono, long version)  

Disc 5 (Pete Townshend Demos): Kids? Do You Want Kids, Relax, Glow Girl, Glow Girl (Version 2), Inside Outside USA, Jaguar, Little Billy, Odorono, Pictures of Lily (2018 remix), Relax (Version 2), Melancholia (2018 remix), Thinking of You All the While (‘Sunrise’ Version 2), Mary Anne With the Shaky Hands, I Can See for Miles

Bonus 45's (7" Discs w/Picture Sleeves):
I Can See for Miles (early mono mix with single-tracked vocal) / Someone’s Coming (original UK Track single mix with single-tracked vocal)
Magic Bus (mono) / Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (USA single mix)

      = Included in HD Downloads (i.e. HDtracks.com)
      = Not Include in HD Downloads (i.e. HDtracks.com)

* On some track listings, the Disc 2 stereo "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand" (USA "B" side version) is incorrectly listed as "Mirasound".

** In 1968, The Who had considered releasing an album called, "Who's For Tennis" as a stop-gap between "The Who Sell Out" and "Tommy". Many years ago, someone offered to sell me a copy of the master tape (which I borrowed for a short while and returned). The track listing was:

Early Morning Cold Taxi, Glow Girl, Can't Tell A Note From A Symphony (Girl’s Eyes), Now I'm A Farmer, Call Me Lightning, Kill My Appetite, Little Billy, Jaguar, Someone's Coming, Faith In Something Bigger, Dr Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Glittering Girl, Melancholia, Naked Eye  


2021 Deluxe Edition (2 CDs) ***:

Disc 1 (Mono): Armenia City in The Sky, Heinz Baked Beans, Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand, Odorono, Tattoo, Our Love Was, I Can See for Miles, I Can’t Reach You, Medac, Relax, Silas Stingy, Sunrise, Rael, Track Records, Pictures of Lily, Doctor, Doctor, The Last Time, Under My Thumb, I Can See for Miles, Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand, Someone’s Coming, Early Morning Cold Taxi, Jaguar, Tattoo (early alternate mono mix), Rael (Talentmasters Studio, New York early rough mix), Sunn Amps promo spots, Great Shakes ad

Disc 2 (Stereo): Armenia City in The Sky, Heinz Baked Beans, Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand, Odorono, Tattoo, Our Love Was, I Can See for Miles, I Can’t Reach You, Medac, Relax, Silas Stingy, Sunrise, Rael, Rael Naïve (extended coda organ ending), Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand (US single version*), Someone’s Coming, Summertime Blues, Glittering Girl (Pete vocal version), Early Morning Cold Taxi, Girl’s Eyes, Coke After Coke, Sodding About, Things Go Better with Coke, Hall of The Mountain King, Jaguar, Rael (Remake version), Track Records    

* On some track listings, the Disc 2 stereo "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand" (USA "B" side version) is incorrectly listed as "Mirasound".

*** The 2021 Deluxe Edition is mostly comprised of Disc 1 and Disc 2 from the Super Deluxe Edition <above>


2021 Deluxe Edition (Mono 2 LPs) ****:

Armenia City in The Sky, Heinz Baked Beans, Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand, Odorono, Tattoo, Our Love Was, I Can See for Miles, I Can’t Reach You, Medac, Relax, Silas Stingy, Sunrise, Rael, Track Records, Pictures of Lily, Doctor, Doctor, The Last Time, Under My Thumb, I Can See for Miles, Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand, Someone’s Coming, Early Morning Cold Taxi, Jaguar, Tattoo (early alternate mono mix), Rael (Talentmasters Studio, New York early rough mix), Sunn Amps promo spots, Great Shakes ad

**** The 2021 <Mono> Deluxe Edition 2 LP set is comprised of Disc 1 from the 2 CD Deluxe Edition <above>

       = Original UK Single Mix - Reports of dropouts (silent spots)


2021 Deluxe Edition (Stereo 2 LPs) *****:

Armenia City in The Sky, Heinz Baked Beans, Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand, Odorono, Tattoo, Our Love Was, I Can See for Miles, I Can’t Reach You, Medac, Relax, Silas Stingy, Sunrise, Rael, Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand (US single version*), Someone’s Coming, Summertime Blues, Glittering Girl (Pete vocal version), Early Morning Cold Taxi, Girl’s Eyes, Coke After Coke, Sodding About, Things Go Better with Coke, Hall of The Mountain King, Jaguar, Rael (Remake version), Track Records

***** The 2021 <Stereo> Deluxe Edition 2 LP set is mostly comprised of Disc 2 from the 2 CD Deluxe Edition <above>

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