Guide to British Music of the 1960s

August 2002

CD Review

The Who - 30 Years of Maximum R&B

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This is the most definitive work covering the career of the Who. Of particular interest are the early High Numbers tracks, some of which were not previously available. Leaving Here does not have the power of the Birds' version but does appear to be much closer to Eddie Holland's original. 

The set is enlivened with interview and gig dialogue snippets such as Pete talking about the sound the band was looking for on Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere and the infamous Russell Harty interview. All the singles appear to be here with the addition of those that have not made the frequent "Greatest Hits" compilations. However, it is the additional tracks that make this a 4-CD set worth buying. This includes outtakes and alternative versions of known tracks, cover versions, live versions and unissued tracks.

The first CD includes the Who's performance of A Quick One While He's Away from the Rolling Stones Rock 'n' Roll Circus. This is a truly wonderful version of this track. One of the reasons that it was many years before the Stones allowed the "Circus" to be shown was that, it was alleged, the Who's performance was far superior to that of the Stones. This suggests that this reason is correct. Awesome! However, there are no other tracks from the A Quick One album. However, The Who Sell Out is well-represented with several tracks from the album as well as a number of "unissued" gems that appeared on the CD re-release of The Who Sell Out. Listen to Moon's drums on the opening to Jaguar and the superb Melancholia. The world missed this song for far too long. 

Tommy receives a small part of the second CD with just the best-known songs featured although both Underture and See Me, Feel Me are taken from the band's Woodstock Festival performance. John Enwhistle's Heaven & Hell is one of the highlights of the second disc. This song used to be the show opener for many years. 

After this the CD set leaves the 1960s but there are still many Who classics to come including important tracks from Who's Nest and Quadrophenia. The final CD includes more recent tracks but also has excerpts from Keith Moon's own soap opera Life with the Moons and his contribution to University Challenge. 

All in all this is a CD set that is not just for Who completists but it provides a solid overview of the entire Who career much better than anything else currently on the market. 

Release date: 1994