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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
From Amazon.com
A mix of old favorites and buried treasures makes this edition of Who's Next a definite must. One of the defining albums of 70s hard rock from one of the 60s most successful bands, the original album includes some of The Who's best-known work, such as the anthemic "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again", the by turns sorrowful and angry "Behind Blue Eyes", and perennial favorite "My Wife". The new tracks on this album are equally worth hearing, including "Pure and Easy" (an alternate edition of which is available on Odds & Sods) and the original version of "Behind Blue Eyes". A hard rock classic, Who's Next is required listening for rock fans of all ages. --Genevieve Williams
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Who's Next, apart from having a brilliant cover, is for me the absolute studio peak for this band. The songwriting, recording, musicianship and
'feel' of the album remain stunning almost forty years after its release.
It was/is the perfect Who album, although so are The Who Sell Out, and Who Live at Leeds, and.....
BUT, in these days of CD, why do the record companies think they have to fill up the disc to give value? The bonus tracks are excellent and most welcome, of course, but why not (OK, I know it's dollars) put them on a second CD?
Won't Get Fooled Again was the perfect close to the record, but now it closes with Behind Blue Eyes: great song, but not the 'kapow' ending of the original. Of course, in these days of MP3 and IPods, you can re-jig albums in any way you like, but can you imagine Sgt Pepper ending with, say, an outtake version of Lovely Rita instead of Day in the Life?!
Anyway, enough griping. This is great stuff, and I defy anyone to avoid playing along with the drum break in Won't Get Fooled Again.
PS There is another issue of Who's Next, too. This is a 2 CD set which features a terrific, unreleased live collection from the Vic Theatre which was planned to be part of the Lifehouse project, I think. The first CD is the same as the first re-issue reviewed here.
'feel' of the album remain stunning almost forty years after its release.
It was/is the perfect Who album, although so are The Who Sell Out, and Who Live at Leeds, and.....
BUT, in these days of CD, why do the record companies think they have to fill up the disc to give value? The bonus tracks are excellent and most welcome, of course, but why not (OK, I know it's dollars) put them on a second CD?
Won't Get Fooled Again was the perfect close to the record, but now it closes with Behind Blue Eyes: great song, but not the 'kapow' ending of the original. Of course, in these days of MP3 and IPods, you can re-jig albums in any way you like, but can you imagine Sgt Pepper ending with, say, an outtake version of Lovely Rita instead of Day in the Life?!
Anyway, enough griping. This is great stuff, and I defy anyone to avoid playing along with the drum break in Won't Get Fooled Again.
PS There is another issue of Who's Next, too. This is a 2 CD set which features a terrific, unreleased live collection from the Vic Theatre which was planned to be part of the Lifehouse project, I think. The first CD is the same as the first re-issue reviewed here.
49 of 50 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
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.
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.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
A fantastic album, definitely up there with the best rock has offered over the last 50 years. A slightly more grown up and `rock' sounding Who compared to some of their earlier work, but still with all the classic sounds and features that made the Who so great, from Keith Moons rather mad drumming to Pete Townshend's huge chords and excellent guitar playing.
This album starts with Baba O'Riley, opening with a synth line that flows through the whole song (at times in the forefront, other times hidden under guitars) to which a simple few chords on piano are added and drums and the song gets into swing, Daltrey's vocals of teenage years and feelings, and the huge crashing guitars. Before later stripping right back down to the basics before building up again for the crash of the ending.
Bargain is another five plus minutes of classic Who rock, starting with some violin inspired guitar swells before launching into the song proper, a song of chasing that one girl.
I don't want to go through all the songs individually, but `Behind Blue eyes' must be mentioned, more lately known from a Limp Bizkit `cover' of it (some would say massacre) this is the original version as it should be. A heartfelt song of not fitting in and being the outsider, simple acoustic and bass playing and vocal line for a few verses until the song opens up with Keith Moon coming crashing in on the drums accompanied by Pete Townshend with huge crashing chords and riffs.
And on to `Won't Get Fooled Again' the original ending to the album (more recent versions have some extra songs added, and even more recently the release of the deluxe version with a second disc from one of the first gigs playing the new material, with some live versions of the earlier tracks and some old favourites) Another song with synths going in the background, opening up with one chord being hit on the guitar and the synth line opening, kicking in again. A song about moving forwards and advancing in life (I tip my hat to the new constitution.) and not getting left behind, the song advancing and breaking down, coming crashing in and moving along until everything is stripped back to just the synth lines playing along and modulating until the drums come kicking back in, and Daltrey's huge scream - one of those brilliant moments of rock.
The album was originally written as the concept album `lifehouse' which was deemed too complex and it was stripped back into the collection of songs you have here (properly released years later by Pete Townshend) but this album definitely isn't the remains of something else, as I said above, Definitely up there with the crème of the last 50 years of music
This album starts with Baba O'Riley, opening with a synth line that flows through the whole song (at times in the forefront, other times hidden under guitars) to which a simple few chords on piano are added and drums and the song gets into swing, Daltrey's vocals of teenage years and feelings, and the huge crashing guitars. Before later stripping right back down to the basics before building up again for the crash of the ending.
Bargain is another five plus minutes of classic Who rock, starting with some violin inspired guitar swells before launching into the song proper, a song of chasing that one girl.
I don't want to go through all the songs individually, but `Behind Blue eyes' must be mentioned, more lately known from a Limp Bizkit `cover' of it (some would say massacre) this is the original version as it should be. A heartfelt song of not fitting in and being the outsider, simple acoustic and bass playing and vocal line for a few verses until the song opens up with Keith Moon coming crashing in on the drums accompanied by Pete Townshend with huge crashing chords and riffs.
And on to `Won't Get Fooled Again' the original ending to the album (more recent versions have some extra songs added, and even more recently the release of the deluxe version with a second disc from one of the first gigs playing the new material, with some live versions of the earlier tracks and some old favourites) Another song with synths going in the background, opening up with one chord being hit on the guitar and the synth line opening, kicking in again. A song about moving forwards and advancing in life (I tip my hat to the new constitution.) and not getting left behind, the song advancing and breaking down, coming crashing in and moving along until everything is stripped back to just the synth lines playing along and modulating until the drums come kicking back in, and Daltrey's huge scream - one of those brilliant moments of rock.
The album was originally written as the concept album `lifehouse' which was deemed too complex and it was stripped back into the collection of songs you have here (properly released years later by Pete Townshend) but this album definitely isn't the remains of something else, as I said above, Definitely up there with the crème of the last 50 years of music
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
What to say...
Well it's easily one of the top 10 albums ever in my view and is well, quite frankly flawless. No messing around with remastering. Read more
Published 12 days ago by Mr. Loz
I listen to this in my shed at full volume
This is my first 'The who' cd and I only really bought it for the first track, Baba O'Riley, however, the whole album is pretty good. Well worth a listen.
Published 2 months ago by Mr. D. Ralls
It Doesn't Get Better Than This
Here's why. Who's Next is arguably the Who's best record -certainly one of them-, and this is a remastered version. Read more
Published 4 months ago by M. D. Thorne
broken cover
The album cover came broken. It is the second time I get a vinyl from Amazon record in these conditions. Always get the disks without the protective plastic, have broken cover.
Published 4 months ago by Rosa
WHO'S BETTER
THIS HAS GOT TO BE THE GREATEST ROCK ALBUM OF ALL TIME.YOUNG PEOPLE SHOULD BE TAUGHT ABOUT THIS CD IN SCHOOL.
Published 9 months ago by JOHNBHOY
Still the best of The Who
A monumental album with not a bad track on it. I love much of The Who's music but this should be in everyone's collection if you love Rock music. Read more
Published 11 months ago by A. J. W. Tungate
Not an improvement on the 1995 re-master, but saved by the live...
This review is specifically of the 2-disk `deluxe' edition of `Who's Next' and not of the original 1971 album, which is a 5-star classic and contender for the greatest rock album... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Dr. Trang
Wonderful, A great diversity of musical ideas
I bought this album after hearing "Won't get fooled again" on Radio 2. What a great discovery. In my opinion "Won't get fooled again" is the outstanding track but I find all the... Read more
Published 18 months ago by A.
Classic Who
Any Who fan will know this album as an all time classic but to those who do not this has to be in my mind their pinnacle album. Read more
Published 20 months ago by metalhip
One of The Who's two genuinely great albums.
It's not as good as 'Tommy', but whereas that's a conceptual piece which requires listening to all the way through, this is much more just a collection of great rock tracks. Read more
Published 21 months ago by MR K J DOWNING
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