[.ca] Live At Leeds (Deluxe Edition)

From Amazon.co.uk:
There are only a handful of genuinely seminal albums, but The Who's Live At Leeds is undoubtedly one. Recorded in the comparatively intimate environs of the University Refectory, Leeds, in February 1970, the two-hour-plus show was heavily truncated and clocked in at a mere 38 minutes upon it's release as an album later the same year. Despite this, the album's six tracks showcased the thermonuclear dynamics that established The Who as the best live rock band in the world. This long overdue deluxe edition features the entire 33 song set, including the bulk of rock opera Tommy, plus full-length versions of previously lopped cuts. Throughout the proceedings, The Who's blitzkrieg barrage is propelled by the octopus limbed Keith Moon-the-loon and John Entwistle's elasticated, DC10-booming bass, topped with Pete Townsend's tumultuous windmilled power chords and Roger Daltrey's howl. Such is the potency of their attack that they even invest those hoary standards "Summertime Blues" and "Shakin' All Over" with a thrilling savagery, while their rampant charge through Tommy reminds you that the original 1969 double-album--unlike Ken Russell's ridiculously excessive film version--was an audacious attempt to tinker with rock's building blocks. --Chris King

Amazon.com essential recording:
Anyone who owned the vinyl copy of Live at Leeds will barely recognize its digitized namesake. While the 1970 record offered a mere six selections, the 1995 CD reissue is fleshed out with a full 14 tracks. Reveling in the augmented Leeds prompts one to wonder why in the name of "Heaven and Hell" they didn't put out a double record in the first place. No matter. This Live at Leeds is actually superior to its revered predecessor. The Who are at their Maximum R & B peak here, bringing an almost proto-metal aggression to supercharged covers of "Young Man Blues," "Summertime Blues," and "Shakin' All Over" (all from the original record) and treating fans to originals familiar ("I Can't Explain," "My Generation," "Magic Bus") and less known ("Heaven and Hell," "Tattoo," "A Quick One"). An improved-upon classic. --Steven Stolder

Live rock and roll sounds like THIS.:
I never bought the original "Live at Leeds," having for the Who the same sort of love/hate affair I have with the Beatles (this may be the result of being an unabashed Stones fanatic, I don't know). I'd look at the songs on it, go, wow, just six, and pass. Boy am I glad I waited. The remakes of records have a disturbing tendency to historical revisionism. Here's an exception. The biggest change history made to the original "Live at Leeds" was SIMPLY PUTTING THE BEST PARTS OF THE SHOW ON THE RECORD, FINALLY! Every one of my favorite numbers here isn't on the original record. I'd go so far as to say that if you own the original vinyl version, encase it in Lucite as a period piece. And BUY THIS ONE. It's worth the price for "Heaven and Hell" ALONE. The Who never rocked harder or tighter, live or in the studio, than this one; Townsend's solo soars. He sounds more like Mick Taylor or Jimi Hendrix than like Pete Townsend! "Fortune Teller" is a metal-destructo take on the '50s chestnut covered in an entirely different (and equally good) fashion by the Stones. "Substitute" (OK, this one was on the original) sounds like a Led Zeppelin cover of a Who song. "A Quick One" is also on "The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus" disc; they do a fairly identical version here, which highlights all of the group's gifts maybe better than any other single Who song. The harmony on "Tattoo" is heartbreakingly gorgeous. The "Tommy" excerpts rock out. Roger Daltrey is the frontman's frontman; his mini-discography between-songs patter is as fun to listen to as the songs. The sound quality will wow you. If this isn't Best Live Record Ever, it's top 5. And....AND...you get the complete genesis of each track in an extremely well-written info booklet, one of the best liner-notes packets I've read. I've never meant anything more. If you like The Who, you NEED "Live at Leeds." No. THIS ONE.

The power and the glory:
This is one of the greatest live albums of all time and this edition is a large improvement over the original 6 song version. It makes most of the punks who came after look like a bunch of wimps. It showcases the greatest rhythm section in rock (Keith Moon and John Entwistle), Roger Daltry never sang better and Pete Townshend was on fire. It might not have been the best show The Who ever gave but it's definitely the best one on record. If you want to hear why The Who were the greatest live rock and roll band in the world buy this.

Better with age!!!:
Like many people I originally purchased this as an LP back in high school when the only version of this album had a handful of songs on it. Even with the limited number of songs on the old LP, it was still considered to be the greatest live album ever cut. Since then they have added several other "bone crushing" numbers to the 1995 re-issue of Live @ Leeds making this release even more dynamic than the original. After this release they have added more selections turning this album into a Deluxe 2-CD release. If you are one of those people who is budget conscience and cannot shell out the $20+ to purchase the latest Live @ Leeds release, this will certainly do. There is raw power on these tracks that artists today cannot reproduce. This cd along with groups like Blue Cheer, MC5, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin helped establish the hard rock music genre.

Fortune Teller left me Shakin' All Over:
Visceral. Pounding. Glorious rock and roll!! This is their absolute best recorded work. John Entwistle, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, and Keith Moon function like a single mind--a pulsating single organism, producing wave after wave of jaw-dropping sound. Every instrument is played like a lead instrument, but no one is upstaging. There's plenty of improvisation (including a little stand-up comedy between songs). You can just feel Townshend planning ahead, while always keeping us in the moment; and you think "does this song have an end?...hooray, no it doesn't!...Keep playing, keep playing!". I don't know how they can keep singing harmony (and sometimes syncopated vocals) --especially Entwistle's singing high harmony while playing bass-- while they continue to produce jazzy complex riffs with frequently changing rhythmic and style patterns...And I just know that, if I could see them, they'd been leaping and gyrating all over the stage in typical athletic Who fashion....wow, Wow, WOW!

A landmark in the rock story!:
For the hard fans (as me) of the Who there will be another additional reason for support that statement. This work remains in my memories as one of the most remarkable musical triumphs all the way . The Who certainly were in his creative peaks . The creation of Tommy showed another important facet of this ensemble. My generation , Magic Bus ,or Summertime blues are played with fury and deep histamina . The riffs and the fierec of the guitar runs paralel to the incandescent rhytm and hard drum beat. Don't even doubt. This album is in the top ten list of the rock seventies gems.

• Heaven & Hell
• Can't Explain
• Fortune Teller
• Tattoo
• Young Man Blues
• Substitute
• Happy Jack
• I'm A Boy
• A Quick One
• Summertime Blues
• Shakin' All Over
• My Generation
• Magic Bus
• Overture
• It's A Boy
• 1921
• Amazing Journey
• Sparks
• Eyesight To The Blind (The Hawker)
• Christmas
• The Acid Queen
• Pinball Wizard
• Do You Think It's Alright?
• Fiddle About
• Tommy Can You Hear Me?
• There's A Doctor
• Go To The Mirror
• Smash The Mirror
• Miracle Cure
• Sally Simpson
• I'm Free
• Tommy's Holiday Camp
• We're Not Gonna Take It