THE WHO – BBC Sessions 1965-1971 Remastered (2CD)

This collection has been remastered and despite that, there are still one or two tracks that show the ravages of time. One can only assume some of it was not saved, as was the BBC’s policy of not giving a shit, therefore it was up to fans to record from a radio broadcast themselves. Most of this does sound very good, a worthy effort for sure and some of this I’d never heard before.

The Who – BBC Sessions 1965-1971 {Remastered & Complete}

Disc 1

01. Good Lovin’
02. ‘Pete interview #1’
03. Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
04. Leaving Here
05. Just You and Me, Darling
06. ‘Pete interview #2’

Recorded: Aeolian Hall studio 2, Bond Street, London UK; Monday 24 + Tuesday 25 May 1965
Broadcast: BBC Radio ‘Saturday Club’: Saturday 29 May 1965
Producers: Jimmy Grant/Brian Willey
Sources: transcription disc

Notes: The Who’s second session for the BBC actually appears to have been a double-date. On the 24th, a three-hour session produced: ‘Good Lovin”, ‘Anyway Anyhow Anywhere’, ‘I Don’t Mind’ and ‘Daddy Rolling Stone’. The next afternoon they performed: ‘Leaving Here’, ‘Please Please Please’ and ‘Just You and Me, Darling’. The sessions tapes were wiped and the selections here are all that has survived on copies of “Top of the Tops” transcription discs #31 & #34. The song selection here is dominated by soul covers picked by Roger, who was still the undisputed leader of the group. Yet, it was Pete who got to do the interviews and talk about the group’s beginnings and prospects.

07. The Good’s Gone
08. ‘Pete interview’
09. My Generation
10. La La La Lies
11. Baby Don’t You Do It

Recorded: Aeolian Hall studio 1, Bond Street, London UK; Monday 22 November 1965
Broadcast: BBC Radio ‘Saturday Club’: Saturday 27 November 1965
Producers: Jimmy Grant/Brian Willey
Sources: 01-04 transcription disc; 05 off-air recording

Note: The third session was again recorded live in studio and produced completed takes of: ‘It’s Not True’, ‘The Good’s Gone’, ‘La La La Lies’, ‘My Generation’ and ‘Baby Don’t You Do It’. The sessions tapes were wiped and the selections here are all that has survived on copies of “Top of the Tops” transcription disc #57 and an off-air recording made by a fan. By now, Pete’s role as the main provider of song material has been firmly established.

12. Man With Money
13. ‘Pete interview’
14. Substitute
15. Dancing In the Street
16. You Rang

Recorded: Aeolian Hall studio 1, Bond Street, London UK; Tuesday 15 March 1966
Broadcast: BBC Radio ‘Saturday Club’: Saturday 19 March 1966
Producers: Jimmy Grant/Brian Willey
Sources: 01-04 transcription disc; 05 off-air recording

Note: For this fourth session, the band recorded: ‘Barbara Ann’, ‘Substitute’, ‘You Rang’, ‘Man with Money’ and ‘Dancing In The Street’. The sessions tapes were once again wiped and the selections here are all that has survived on copies of “Top of the Tops” transcription disc #73 and an off-air recording made by a fan.

17. ‘Intro’
18. Disguises
19. ‘Pete interview’
20. I’m A Boy
21. So Sad About Us

Recorded: Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Avenue, London UK; Tuesday 13 September 1966
Broadcast: BBC Radio ‘Saturday Club’: Saturday 17 September 1966
Producers: Jimmy Grant/Brian Willey
Source: transcription disc

Note: Fifth session, which produced: ‘I’m A Boy’, ‘Disguises’, ‘Heatwave’, ‘So Sad About Us’ and a cover of the Lovin’ Spoonful’s ‘On The Road Again’. The sessions tapes were wiped and the selections here are all that has survived on copies of “Top of the Tops” transcription disc #99. In an attempt to control the mixing balance, John suddenly turned his bass up in the middle of ‘Disguises’. The balance engineer on the session did not bother correcting this and as a result the sound turns into a muddy mess from that point on (with the mixdown compressor working on overload). ‘So Sad About Us’ was left off the official ‘BBC Sessions’ release from 2000 for unknown reasons.

22. Run Run Run
23. Boris The Spider
24. ‘Pete interview’
25. Happy Jack
26. See My Way

Recorded: Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Avenue, London UK; Tuesday 17 January 1967
Broadcast: BBC Radio ‘Saturday Club’: Saturday 21 January 1967
Producers: Jimmy Grant/Bill Bebb
Source: transcription disc

Note: For this sixth session, the band recorded: ‘Happy Jack’, ‘Run, Run, Run’, ‘Boris The Spider’, ‘See My Way’, ‘Don’t Look Away’ and ‘So Sad About Us’. The sessions tapes were once again wiped and the selections here are all that has survived on copies of “Top of the Tops” transcription disc #117.

Disc 2

01. ‘Intro’
02. I Can See For Miles
03. Pictures Of Lily
04. Summertime Blues
05. I Can’t Reach You
06. Our Love Was
07. A Quick One (While He’s Away)
08. Relax
09. My Generation – Boris The Spider – Happy Jack – My Generation
10. Pictures of Lily [Alternate Mono Mix]

Recording & Broadcast Production: De Lane Lea Studio, Kingsway, London UK; Tuesday 10 October 1967
Broadcast: BBC Radio ‘Top Gear’; Sunday 15 October 1967
Producers: Bernie Andrews/Bev Philips
Sources: 01-02,07,09-10: tape 03-06: transcription disc w/ patches from tape sources 08: off-air recording

Note: This seventh session marked the first time the BBC allowed any musical act to record for them outside their own studios. Recorded on this day were five jingles, ‘My Way’ (not broadcast) and alternate versions of ‘Pictures Of Lily’ & ‘A Quick One While He’s Away’. Also readied for the broadcast were early mixes of ‘I Can See For Miles’*, ‘Relax’, ‘Our Love Was’, ‘I Can’t Reach You’, ‘Summertime Blues’ & ‘Someone’s Coming’. These songs were already recorded on an earlier date and would eventually appear on official Who product with a slightly different mix (although it took more than 30 years for ‘Summertime Blues’).

This is the first Who BBC session that has at least partially survived on tape on the BBC archives, as the jingles and ‘A Quick One’ do not appear on copies of “Top of the Tops” transcription disc #157 & #160, yet appear in crystal clear quality on the official release. Strangely enough, the two TOTP discs seem to have been the source for the other tracks on the official CD, all of which are marred by a voiceover. The versions here are uninterrupted from start to finish (with the exception of the ending of ‘Our Love Was’), for the first time ever. As a bonus, I have added a clean mono mix of ‘Lily’ with better fidelity than the BBC source which has not circulated before.

* The 45RPM & BBC versions both contain a heavy bass dub that was imposed on the mono album master. The dubs differ, to ensure the BBC got a unique master recording.

11. ‘Pete interview’
12. Pinball Wizard

Broadcast: BBC TV ‘Top of the Pops’; Tuesday 27 March 1969
Source: transcription disc

Note: Roger/Pete(?) sing along with studio version. Part of the interview has appeared on a bonus disc that came with a limited edition of the official 2000 release. Tracks are sourced from “Top of the Tops” transcription discs #232 & #233.

13. ‘David Wigg interviews Pete Townshend’

Source: transcription disc

Note: Sourced from “Top of the Tops” transcription disc #289 (released 20-5-1970).

14. The Seeker

Recorded: IBC Studios, London UK; 19 February 1970 & BBC Television Centre, London UK, Thursday 19 March 1970
Broadcast: BBC TV ‘Top of the Pops’; Thursday 19 March 1970
Source: transcription disc

Note: Roger sings live over the studio version of ‘The Seeker’ for “Top Of The Pops”, with the rest of the band miming along. John forced a re-shoot after the director did not include a shot of him in the first take. Sourced from “Top of the Tops” transcription disc #283.

15. I’m Free
16. The Seeker
17. Heaven And Hell
18. Shakin’ All Over – Spoonful (Medley)
19. Substitute
20. Pinball Wizard

Recorded: IBC Studios, London UK; Monday 13 April 1970
Broadcast: BBC Radio ‘Dave Lee Travis’; Sunday 19 April 1970
Producer: Paul Williams
Source: 01-04: transcription disc w/ patches from tape sources 05-06: tape

Note: The last formal band session for the Beeb and again recorded outside an official BBC studio. ‘Heaven and Hell’ was later released in a slightly reworked version as a B-side to ‘Summertime Blues’. Like the October 1967 session, this one is believed to have survived on tape on the BBC archives. But even so, the official album used the “Top of the Tops” transcription disc #286 as its source for Tr. 01-04, with voiceover over the intro’s and outro’s. The versions presented here are uninterrupted from start to finish (with the exception of ‘Seeker’) for the first time.

21. ‘Keith Altham talks to Pete Townshend’

Source: transcription disc

Note: Sourced from “Top of the Tops” transcription disc #304 (released 2-9-1970).

22. I Don’t Even Know Myself

Recorded: Olympic Studio, Barnes, London UK; 1971
Source: tape

Note: This one is a bit of a mystery. No details about it are given on the official BBC session CD. It is the same take that was released in 1971 as the B-side to ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ but here we get a clean mono mix that differs in a few places from the released version. Believed to have been recorded in 1971 during the Who’s Next sessions.