The Who/MA,USA 1970 Upgrade

Speaking of The Who 1970 Tanglewood, it is probably famous for the color video live footage that appeared in their video history document “MAXIMUM R&B” and made enthusiasts go crazy. He had a very neat look, different from the long-haired Pete of the previous year, or from the man who started growing stubble on the Isle of Wight, but it was also a valuable record of the time when he was still jumping around the stage in white jumpsuits. As you can see from the introduction of the members by Bill Graham at the beginning, this video was shot under his direction, and it seems that he also has the rights to it. When “MAXIMUM R&B” was made into a DVD, it caused controversy among enthusiasts that this video was not included, but it seems that the rights related to Graham were not cleared. Incidentally, even before this documentary, this footage appeared briefly in the end credits of the masterpiece movie “THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT.” As this is a stage where the visual impression is extremely strong, the items that have been released so far have overwhelmingly contained images. A Scorpio-style paper jacket CD called “TANGLED UP IN WHO” was released 20 years ago, but the audio was basically monaural, and the missing parts were replaced with a video (this was the era of boot videos). I remember that it didn’t become a masterpiece because of the poor quality of the sound, which was sloppily supplemented. However, regarding Tanglewood in 1970, apart from the video, there is also a wonderful stereo soundboard recording for radio broadcasting. Unlike the video version of the same day, this is also a sound source involving Bill Graham that has become popular over the past 10 years. Regarding this sound source, a gray zone CD called “OLD ENGLAND, NEW ENGLAND” has been released, and it is over 80 minutes on one disc. However, there was no way everything from this day could fit on one disc, and it was an outrageous act to cut out “Water”, which was one of the highlights of the day. It had been released with an edit that ruined the sound source that was proud of its clarity. At the same time, the video version is now widely available with the same stereo sound after recording, and of course “Water” is included without being cut. Therefore, this time, we supplemented the previous radio release with “Water” from the audio of the video, and also carefully supplemented the audio from the video in several cuts, making it possible to release the highest sound quality and longest version of Tanglewood. In addition, thanks to the extra recording time of two discs, the total time has increased to 94 minutes. The recording condition of this stereo soundboard recording is truly wonderful, even before it was intended for radio broadcasting. In recent years, live recordings of The Who at their peak have been officially released one after another. For example, the Fillmore of 1868 was the latest work, but it inevitably received treatments using recent technology. Of course, it’s official, so it’s not a sarcastic finish, and it certainly has a high degree of completion, but it’s true that it’s a 2010s finish. However, Tanglewood’s radio sound source has an excellent sound quality with a natural and warm analog feel. This texture fits perfectly with The Who’s live performance in 1970. As for this analog feel, I would like you to listen to it with headphones and enjoy it thoroughly. Similar to the previous Fillmore, compared to the recent excavation live at Hull University, as well as the modern finish such as the distributed version of “LIVE AT LEEDS”, which became a hot topic among enthusiasts because it was recorded in the order of performance on the day. Even when you look at it, this warm finish is suddenly attractive. Although the mixing balance does not make John’s bass stand out as much as on those albums, it is really easy to listen to, coupled with the rounded sound quality. And it is also fascinating that the American tour that took place from June to July 1970 has been preserved as an official class stereo soundboard recording. This tour started with a show at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, which was held for two consecutive days, and by being able to perform the rock opera “TOMMY” here, we had already performed at Woodstock the previous year. It was an important time when The Who, whose popularity was exploding, was able to further solidify their popularity in America. The last day of that tour was Tanglewood. Furthermore, it is also valuable that the live stage belonging to the period between Leeds and the Isle of Wight is captured with a perfect stereo soundboard recording. Again, the stage configuration is centered around the “TOMMY” part, but the atmosphere of the performance is completely different from those. Moreover, it is different from Woodstock of the previous year, when the official release was finally realized. Still, new songs at the time, such as the aforementioned “Water”, are also included. With such a structure, the highest level of perfection in the Who’s performance was honed there and in Leeds. Even if you take “Young Man Blues”, you will be surprised by the sense of speed that is different from other performances. After all, the highlight is the finale, “My Generation.” It is unique in that it goes into a very hard development with Pete at the center from the middle, but from there he starts playing the riff of Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl”. This was the time when he and CSN&Y were taking the American rock world by storm, so I can understand why Pete wanted to play as well. This unexpected development, and the iron-clad performance throughout, can’t help but be called the climax. As mentioned at the beginning, it is a familiar stage in the video, but this is a splendid official soundboard album that has come between Leeds and the Isle of Wight! Live at Music Shed, Tanglewood, Lenox, MA, USA 7th July 1970 STEREO SBD(UPGRADE)* from RADIO BROADCAST MASTER Disc 1 (30:46) 1. Intro. 2. Heaven And Hell 3. I Can’t Explain 4. Water 5. I Don’t Even Know Myself 6. Young Man Blues Disc 2 (63:06) 1. MC 2. Overture 3. It’s A Boy 4. 1921 5. Amazing Journey 6. Sparks 7. Eyesight To The Blind 8. Christmas 9. The Acid Queen 10. Pinball Wizard 11. Do You Think It’s Alright? 12. Fiddle About 13. Tommy Can You Hear Me? 14. There’s A Doctor 15. Go To The Mirror! 16. Smash The Mirror 17. Miracle Cure 18. I’m Free 19. Tommy’s Holiday Camp 20. We’re Not Gonna Take It 21. See Me, Feel Me 22. My Generation STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING