From time to time I’ll explore a classic live album from a band that was at the peak of their career. This episode will focus on Live at Leeds by The Who. If you want a quick refresher, check out Episode One: Scorpions / World Wide Live!
In February 1970 The Who were a well-oiled machine, having toured extensively in support of their groundbreaking masterpiece Tommy. That album took The Who from being a “singles” band to an “album” band. It was an epic rock-opera, Pete Townsend’s masterpiece, and Roger Daltry’s foray into a vocal style and presence all his own. It was heavy, powerful acid-rock, but it had melody and theatrics. After Tommy, everything was different; not only for The Who, but for Rock and Roll.
There have been several releases of the album, and content was actually pulled from two nights, one in Leeds and another in Hull. The original was just six songs, including a nearly 15-minute version of “My Generation” and three covers. It was heavily wrought with overdubs, which was the norm at the time, including some backward-tracked drums. The power was there, the vibe of The Who in concert was present, but it was abbreviated, edited, and short.
The lineage and work done to the various deluxe editions is exhausting to decipher, but the 2001 Deluxe Edition was the first of the reissues that really captured the feel of the entire concert – capped with a front-to-back live performance of the Tommy record. The power and energy coming through the speakers is breathtaking. From the bass line-check before the break into “Heaven and Hell” to the closing chords of “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” it’s a showcase of a band where each of the 4 members is a lead musician. Keith Moon and Pete Townsend playing off each other, John Entwistle’s distorted bass heavy and active, Daltry howling and yelping between verses. The 40th Anniversary Collectors Edition, released in 2010, contains the complete concerts from both nights, but some parts were pulled from the opposite show to fix technical issues.
Live At Leeds signified the end of the ‘60s for The Who. While Tommy was a breakthrough, and the tour supporting it took them not only to Leeds and Hull (technically one-off shows for recording), it also took them to classic and well-documented performances at Woodstock and The Isle of Wight. In 1970, they were the best live rock band in the world. It was the only live album released while the original four were performing. There are rumors of some rare black and white clips, but there is no official video of these shows.
For a first-hand, “I was there” account of the magnificence that was The Who live in 1969, check out this link from Ricki C.’s former blog; Growing Old With Rock & Roll…….Shows I Saw In The 1960’s, part two; The Who, 11/1/1969 (plus 2012 Gift-Giving Guide, part one).
Jeremy Porter lives near Detroit and fronts the rock and roll band Jeremy Porter And The Tucos. Follow them on Facebook to read his road blog about their adventures on the dive-bar circuit.
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Twitter: @jeremyportermi | Instagram: @onetogive & @jeremyportermusic
