Who,The Who/CA,USA 6.18.1969

Currently, a rare recording of Cream’s 1968 has appeared on YouTube, exciting enthusiasts around the world, and a rare audience that actually captured their stage at the Fillmore will be released at the same time, but the person who released these recordings is as knowledgeable about The Who as Cream. As if to confirm this, they have released their precious first-ever live recording, which is the 1969 Fillmore West. The Who, who completed the rare masterpiece “TOMMY”, performed a groundbreaking stage in which they performed the entire album, which overturned the formula of rock concerts up to that point. From there, many career-high performances in their career, including Woodstock, were produced throughout 1969. Considering their energetic live activities, there are surprisingly few recordings that capture the stage in 1969. It is true that they are blessed with soundboards at key points such as Woodstock, Stockholm, and the London Coliseum, but it is not enough considering the number of live shows they performed that year. Especially before Woodstock, the number of sound sources and items is disappointingly small. The famous “tape burning” incident put an end to this situation. The band had recorded many performances in the first half of 1969 on multi-track, but when they tried to make something from them, Pete lost his temper because the roadie had not examined each recording, and ordered the tapes to be burned… and the roadie took it seriously and actually burned them. In addition, Pete clearly stated in his autobiography that the tapes he burned included consecutive performances at the Fillmore… and it was confirmed that there was no soundboard that captured the stage before Woodstock. After all, it was a time when The Who were playing hard to penetrate “TOMMY”, which was positioned as a new work, and the lack of official records at that time was a blow. In such a situation, the Fillmore West on June 19th was a blessing for maniacs. Since the quality of the audience recordings at that time was surprisingly easy to listen to, many enthusiasts must have listened to the nostalgic paper jacket masterpiece “FLYING TO NEW YORK TO GO TO COURT”. However, the newly released show this time is the show on the previous day, the 18th. In fact, audience recordings that are far from the sound of the 18th have been circulating for a long time, and they can be easily heard online. However, the set list and sound source of this sound source are completely different, and the publisher said, “The previous recordings were actually from the 17th, and this is the genuine 18th,” along with an image of the tape box. Furthermore, the sound sources this time were recorded from each of the two shows, which also supports Pete’s description in his autobiography that at Fillmore West, Bill Graham forced them to perform two shows a day, which led to an argument, and the first stage was cut short, causing further controversy. The first half of this recording captures the beginning of the first show, where Pete skips his usual “I Can’t Explain” and starts “Fortune Teller,” proving that it was exactly as described in his autobiography. However, the performance time was extended by performing his confident work “TOMMY” on stage, so the Who wanted to perform one stage per day. As a compromise, they performed one stage per day from the last day. It can be said that this is a literally historic recording that proves such circumstances. What is even more surprising is the good sound quality. The next day’s “FLYING TO NEW YORK TO GO TO COURT” was also very easy to listen to for the 1969 audience, but this one is overwhelmingly easier to listen to. While the sound image of the record was close, John’s bass was weak and the overall sound quality was rough. In that respect, the recording this time captures the entire performance, including John’s bass and Roger’s singing, in a truly wonderful balance. Above all, it is impressive that John’s bass is not saturated, yet is clearly captured. In this respect alone, it easily surpasses “FLYING TO…”. When it comes to the Who’s audience recordings of this era, there are many vintage audiences who are frightened by the “roaring sound” or the opposite loud sound, such as “distant sound image”, but in 1969, such a superb recording state and a super valuable sound source that captured the precious pre-Woodstock stage was sleeping. Since it was a psychedelic era, it is not surprising that there were some audience members who freaked out around. However, there were none of them, and everyone around was listening to the just-released “TOMMY”, which also greatly contributed to the ease of listening. The sound quality is so good that the rough performance of “TOMMY” that was just put on the stage can be felt vividly. Compared to the performance at Woodstock, which had reached a state of perfection, there are some awkward moments in the flow, but the innocent atmosphere of the performance and the “TOMMY” part, which tries to overpower with force, sound all the more fresh. And the finale, “Magic Bus,” closes with a development that truly foreshadows Woodstock. If you’re overconfident and think, “A 1969 audience recording? I’m fine with hearing something decent,” you’ll definitely be surprised by the excellent sound quality at this first appearance!

Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA, USA 18th June 1969 Disc 1 (34:41) First set: 1. Heaven & Hell 2. Fortune Teller 3. Tattoo Second set: 4. I’m A Boy 5. Happy Jack 6. A Quick One, While He’s Away 7. My Generation 8. Shakin’ All Over Disc 2 (54:02) Tommy 1. MC 2. It’s A Boy 3. 21 4. Amazing Journey 5. Sparks 6. Eyesight to the Blind 7. Christmas 8. The Acid Queen 9. Pinball Wizard 10. Do You Think It’s Alright? 11. Fiddle About 12. There’s a Doctor! 13. Go to the Mirror! 14. MC 15. Smash the Mirror 16. I’m Free 17. Tommy’s Holiday Camp 18. We’re Not Gonna Take It 19. Summertime Blues 20. MC 21. Magic Bus