THIRTY YEARS OF MAXIMUM R&B
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Roger Daltrey Vocals
John Entwistle Bass
guitar, brass and vocals
Pete Townshend
Guitar, organ, synthesizer, vocals, and piano
Keith Moon, Kenney Jones,
Simon Phillips Drums
Box set produced by Chris
Charlesworth, Jon Astley & Bill Curbishley.
Compiled by Chris
Charlesworth
Remixed, Remastered and
Sequenced by Andy Macpherson & Jon Astley
CD mastering by Jon Astley &
Tim Young
Art Direction & Design by
Richard Evans
Liner notes by Brian
Cady
The first of the mid-1990's Who reissue program, the
boxset 30 Years Of Maximum R&B, was released July 5, 1994. There
was a simultaneous release of a video of Who live performances and
interviews, also called 30 Years Of Maximum R&B. The four
CD's of the set, comprising approximately 5 hours of music, were
packaged in a box lined with Who advertisements accompanied by a 72-page
booklet with a cover designed to resemble a guitar-battered Hiwatt
stack. The set reached #48 in the U.K. charts and #170 in the U.S.
I will list below all the tracks on the boxset but
will only cover the tracks that have not been discussed in the other
liner notes.
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Pete Dialogue - Long Beach, California December 10, 1971 (0'21)
I'm The Face (short version) (2'27) (See
Odds
and Sods liner notes)
Here Tis (2'08)
(Ellas McDaniel a/k/a Bo Diddley) Arc Music Corp., BMI
Produced by Chris Parmeinter and Peter Meaden at Fontana
Studios, London June 1964.
Harmonica: Roger Daltrey
Recorded during the sessions which led to the release of
the "Zoot Suit" single as The High Numbers. It was intended for the
B-side but was dropped for "I'm The Face." Richard Barnes in his Who
biography The Who: Maximum R&B said he played maracas on
this track and got blisters on his fingers during the sixteen takes that
were recorded. It was not released commercially until this boxset. The
original version of the song appeared on the LP Bo Diddley Is A
Twister and was recorded July 1962. The British release was on the
LP Hey! Bo Diddley in May 1963. The most famous version, however,
was by The Yardbirds with Eric Clapton on lead guitar on their album
Five Live Yardbirds released in December 1964. (Thanks to David
Blakey for Bo Diddley information.)
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Zoot Suit (1'57)
(Peter Meaden) Campbell-Connelly, Inc., ASCAP
Produced by Chris Parmeinter and Peter Meaden at Fontana
Studios, London June 1964 (seven takes)
The A-side of The Who's first single during their
short-lived period as The High Numbers. One of two songs written for The
High Numbers by their amphetamined Mod manager Peter Meaden. As with
"I'm The Face," the melody was lifted, this one from "Misery," a 1963
recording by the Detroit soul group The Dynamics (White Fang has a
sample from the disc
here). After its Fontana
release in 1964, "Zoot Suit" did not have another
legitimate release until it appeared on the Quadrophenia Soundtrack
October 1979.
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Leaving Here (2'47)
(Edward Holland Jr./Lamont Dozier/Brian Holland) ©1963
Stone Agate Music, BMI
Produced by Shel Talmy at IBC Studios, London April
12-14, 1965.
The Who recorded several different versions of "Leaving Here" in the
Spring of 1965 intending one to be on the follow-up single to "I Can't
Explain." None were released commercially until this track came out on
the U.S. LP Who's Misssing in 1985. After all this effort, it was
fellow Mod band The Birds who had the hit with their cover of this song
originally recorded by Eddie Holland.
I Can't Explain (2'03) (See
Meaty
Beaty Big & Bouncy liner notes)
Anyway Anyhow Anywhere (2'38) (preceded by BBC interview with
Pete from May 24, 1965 - See
Meaty
Beaty Big & Bouncy liner notes)
Daddy Rolling Stone (2'49) (stereo version - See
My
Generation liner notes)
My Generation (3'17) (See
My
Generation liner notes)
The Kids Are Alright (3'05) (full-length version - See
My
Generation liner notes)
The Ox (3'37) (See
My
Generation liner notes)
A Legal Matter (2'46) (See
My
Generation liner notes)
Pete Dialogue - Leeds University February 14, 1970
(0'57) (a more complete version of Pete's introduction to "Substitute" than
appears on the reissued Live at Leeds CD.)
Substitute - Live At Leeds (2'08) (See
Live At Leeds liner notes)
I'm A Boy (2'36) (same stereo mix as on My Generation - The
Very Best Of The Who - See
Meaty
Beaty Big & Bouncy liner notes)
Disguises (3'20) (stereo version) (See
A
Quick One liner notes).
Happy Jack Jingle (0'31)
(Pete Townshend) Essex Music, Inc., ASCAP
Recorded at De Lane Lea Studios, London Oct. 10, 1967.
The first part is a short advert recorded for the new BBC Radio
One. Another two appear on the BBC Sessions CD. They were first broadcast
on Top Gear 15 Oct. 1967. The studio chatter that follows was, of
course, not broadcast. It probably comes from the master tape that yielded the
acoustic version of "Happy Jack" on the reissued A Quick One CD.
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Happy Jack - alternate (2'11)
(Pete Townshend) Essex Music, Inc., ASCAP
An alternate version of the standard single version that
features a different drum track. It originally appeared on the 1985 Who
collection The Who: The Singles. See
Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy liner notes. |
Boris The Spider (2'27) (mono version) (See
A
Quick One liner notes)
So Sad About Us (2'59) (mono version) (See
A
Quick One liner notes)
A Quick One While He's Away (9'39)
(Pete Townshend) TRO-Essex Music, Inc. (ASCAP)
Studio section recorded at IBC Studios, Pye Studios and
Regent Sound, London in the autumn of 1966. Live section recorded
December 10, 1968 at Stonebridge House Studios, Wembley.
'00-'21 and
6'54-9'39 are from a live performance recorded for the television
program The Rolling Stones' Rock & Roll Circus. It's an
alternate take (probably take two) of the one that appears in the movie
and soundtrack of The Kids Are Alright and on the video and CD of
The Rolling Stones' Rock & Roll Circus. '21-6'54 is from the mono
version of the studio cut recorded for the LP A Quick One.
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Pictures Of Lily (2'43) (See
Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy liner notes)
Early Morning Cold Taxi (3'03) (same version as on the
1995 The Who Sell Out re-issue but without the cross fades and
with studio chatter at the beginning. See
The Who Sell Out liner
notes.)
Coke 2 (0'48) (different mix from 1995 The Who Sell
Out re-issue - See
The Who Sell Out liner
notes)
The Last Time (2'59) (See
Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy liner notes)
I Can't Reach You (3'03) (stereo version) (See
The Who Sell Out liner
notes)
Girl's Eyes (3'06) (See
The Who Sell Out liner
notes)
Bag O'Nails (0'05) (See
The Who Sell Out liner
notes)
Call Me Lightning (2'20) (See
Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy liner notes)
Rotosound Strings (0'06) (See
The Who Sell Out liner
notes)
I Can See For Miles (4'14) (stereo mix same as the 1995
The Who Sell Out re-issue and My Generation - The Very Best Of
The Who CD's - See
The Who Sell Out liner
notes)
Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand (2'07) (stereo mix of LP
version with count-off but no "shaky" vocals at end) (See
The Who Sell Out liner
notes)
Armenia City In The Sky (3'13) (original mix - See
The Who Sell Out liner
notes)
Tattoo (2'41) (stereo version) (See
The Who Sell Out liner
notes)
Our Love Was (3'06) (stereo version - original mix - See
The Who Sell Out liner
notes)
Rael 1 (5'42) (See
The Who Sell Out liner
notes)
Rael 2 (0'52) (See
The Who Sell Out liner
notes)
Track Records/Premier Drums (0'31) (See
The Who Sell Out liner
notes)
Sunrise (3'03) (See
The Who Sell Out liner
notes)
Russell Harty Dialogue (0'21) (See "Russell Harty Plus 3"
on
The Kids Are Alright
liner notes)
Jaguar (2'03) (edited version of track that also appears
on 1995 The Who Sell Out re-issue. See liner notes for
The Who Sell Out.)
Melancholia (3'18) (See
The Who Sell Out liner
notes)
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Fortune Teller (2'18)
(Naomi Neville [a pseudonym for Allen
Toussaint]) EMI Unart Catalog, Inc. (BMI)
Recorded at Advision Studios, London May 29,
1968.
Recorded as part of a planned but never
released EP consisting of cover versions of pre-Beatle era
rock & roll songs. A live version appears on the 1995 issue
of Live At Leeds. |
Magic Bus (3'16) (short mono version) (See
Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy liner notes)
Little Billy (2'16) (remix same as on 1998 Odds and
Sods re-issue - See
Odds and Sods liner notes)
Dogs (3'01) (stereo version) (See
Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy liner notes)
Overture (3'53) (original mix - crossfades into next
track - See
Tommy liner notes)
Acid Queen (3'33) (original mix - crossfades with track
before - See
Tommy liner notes) |
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Abbie Hoffman Incident (0'16)
Recorded at the Woodstock Festival, Bethel, New York
August 17, 1969.
In the middle of The Who's set at Woodstock (between
"Pinball Wizard" and "Do You Think It's Alright") Yippie leader Abbie
Hoffman ran on stage and took Pete's microphone to make a political
statement about the Festival. For his pains, Pete introduced Abbie's
head to the neck of his guitar and sent him flying from the stage. The
sound of the guitar twang at the end of the incident is not the impact,
but rather Pete striking a chord to see if his guitar was still in tune.
Amazingly, this audio is all that has seemed to survive. No photographs
have ever appeared and after extensive searching through the out-takes
in the Warner Brothers archive during the preparation of The Kids
Are Alright, all director Jeff Stein could find was a close-up
of the microphone rocking on its stand after the impact. Pete later
admitted that he agreed with the point Hoffman was trying to make. Asked
if today he would allow Hoffman to make his statement, Pete said no,
he'd still kick him off the stage.
Underture (a mistitling; this is actually Sparks)
(3'53)
(Pete Townshend) ABKCO, Inc./Songs Of Windswept
Pacific/Suolubaf Music/Towser Tunes, Inc., BMI
Recorded at the Woodstock Festival, Bethel, New York
August 17, 1969.
This is the same as "Sparks" on the soundtrack to The
Kids Are Alright, but contains a full minute more of the performance
at the beginning. (See "Sparks" in
The Kids Are Alright liner notes.) |
Pinball Wizard (3'00) (original mix - See
Tommy
liner notes)
I'm Free (2'38) (original mix - See
Tommy
liner notes)
See Me Feel Me (3'31)
(Pete Townshend) ABKCO, Inc./Songs Of Windswept
Pacific/Suolubaf Music/Towser Tunes, Inc., BMI
Studio section recorded at IBC Studios, London between
October 1968 and March 1969. Live section recorded at Leeds University
February 14, 1970.
'00-'46 is from the studio version that also appears on
the Tommy album. '46-3'31 is from The Who's live performance that
also yielded the album Live At Leeds. Part of the performance is
edited out at 2:28 which goes from the middle of one solo to the middle
of a later one. " The full song was released on the 2001 CD Live At
Leeds: Deluxe Edition but with most of the vocals re-recorded.
Heaven And Hell (3'31)
(John Entwistle) Winnokie Music, BMI
Backing track recorded at IBC Studios, London Apr. 13,
1970. Vocal recorded May 1970.
This is the same instrumental performance of the song as
was recorded for the BBC radio programme The Dave Lee Travis Show.
A slightly different mix was used for this quickie mono version and it
was released on the B-side of the "Summertime Blues" single July 10,
1970. It is also available on the CD Who's Missing but with the
full-length ending from the U.S. single. John was never happy with this
recording of what is probably his most critically acclaimed song and
re-recorded it for his 1971 solo album Smash Your Head Against The
Wall.
Pete dialogue - Leeds University February 14, 1970 (0'36) Also
appears on 1995 Live At Leeds re-issue.
Young Man Blues (4'38) (original mix - See
Live At Leeds liner notes)
Summertime Blues (3'22) (original mix - See
Live At Leeds liner notes)
Shakin' All Over (4'06) (original mix - See
Live At Leeds liner notes)
Baba O'Riley (4'56) (original mix - See
Who's
Next liner notes)
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Bargain (4'54)
(Pete Townshend) ABKCO, Inc./Songs Of Windswept
Pacific/Suolubaf Music/Towser Tunes, Inc., BMI
Recorded live at San Francisco Civic Auditorium December
12, 1971.
This is an edited version of the performance that appears
on the LP and CD Who's Missing at a length of 6'22.
Pure And Easy (5'10) (original mix of 1972 recording -
See
Odds and Sods liner
notes)
Song Is Over (6'09) (See
Who's Next liner notes)
Studio dialogue (0'47) (this was recorded at
the Record Plant in New York March 18, 1971 and was on the tape
immediately prior to the alternate version of "Behind Blue Eyes" that
appears as track 16 on the 1995 Who's Next re-issue.) |
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Behind Blue Eyes (3'39) (original mix - See
Who's
Next liner notes)
Won't Get Fooled Again (8'30) (original mix - a different mix
appears on My Generation - The Very Best Of The Who - See
Who's
Next liner notes)
The Seeker (3'21) (slight edit at the beginning involving the
guitar part - See
Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy liner
notes)
Bony Maronie (3'18)
(Lawrence E. Williams) Arc Music, Corp./Larina
Music/Sony/Atv Songs (Atv Venice Sp Acct), BMI
Recorded live at the Young Vic Theatre April 26, 1971 on
the Rolling Stones Mobile.
Produced by The Who; associate producer Glyn Johns.
A slightly truncated version of The Who's performance
that was previously released in a different mix as a bonus track on the
12" single and CD of "Won't Get Fooled Again" in 1988. The full-length
performance runs 3'26. The original version of the song by author Larry
Williams was released as a single October 1957.
Let's See Action (3'54) (original mix - a different mix
appears on My Generation - The Very Best Of The Who - See
Meaty
Beaty Big & Bouncy liner notes)
Join Together (4'22) (slightly different mix from the version on
My Generation - The Very Best Of The Who. The flute at the end comes in a
bar earlier here - See
Meaty
Beaty Big & Bouncy liner notes. Track cross fades
into next song.)
Relay (4'00) (a different, longer mix than the original single
version but unfortunately cross faded with the track before. This is the only
release of the original studio version now in print - See
Meaty
Beaty Big & Bouncy liner notes)
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The Real Me - Kenney Jones version (3'29)
(Pete Townshend) ABKCO, Inc./Songs Of Windswept
Pacific/Suolubaf Music/Towser Tunes, Inc., BMI
Produced by Jon Astley at Ramport Studios, London January
1979.
Keyboards by John Bundrick.
Credited as an "audition session" in the boxset booklet
but this is incorrect. It was an attempt by The Who to provide a new
recording for the Quadrophenia Soundtrack by turning "The Real
Me" into a disco single!
John: "The whole thing we were trying to do with that
version of 'The Real Me' was to get a good sort of disco single. There's
something missing. I tried to mix it three times. It just didn't work
out." |
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5:15 (1979 Single version) (4'18) (See
Quadrophenia liner notes)
Bell Boy (4'54) (See
Quadrophenia liner notes)
Love Reign O'er Me (4'51) (See
Quadrophenia liner notes)
Long Live Rock (3'54) (a different mix than the one that appears
on the 1998 Odds and Sods re-issue - See liner notes to
Odds
and Sods.)
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Life With The Moons (1'43)
(John Walters)
Recorded early summer 1973 at the BBC
John Peel, the long time host of the BBC radio programme
Top Gear was set to leave for his summer break in 1973. As
his replacement, producer John Walters invited Keith Moon to take over,
scripting skits for Keith to act out between songs and recording them on
weekday mornings when Keith was most likely to be sober enough to work.
Naked Eye (5'00) (live version from Young Vic Theatre
April 26, 1971. A shorter edit than the one on the 1995 Who's Next
re-issue. See liner notes for
Who's Next.)
University Challenge (0'30) (See "Life With The
Moons" above)
Slip Kid (4'09) (a truncated version of the album
track - See
The Who By Numbers liner notes)
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Poetry Cornered (0'39) (See "Life With The
Moons" above)
Dreaming From The Waist (4'08) (edited version of live version
that also appears on the 1996 The Who By Numbers re-issue - See liner
notes to
The Who By Numbers.)
Blue Red And Grey (2'45) (See
The
Who By Numbers liner notes)
Life With The Moons 2 (See "Life With The
Moons" above)
Squeeze Box (2'39) (See
The
Who By Numbers liner notes)
My Wife - Swansea (4'14)
(John Entwistle) Total Music Services, Inc., BMI
Recorded live at Swansea Football Ground, Swansea, Wales
June 12, 1976.
More performances from this show appear on the 1996
The Who By Numbers re-issue.
Who Are You (5'00) (British single edit - this version, with a
little different editing, also appears on My Generation - The Very Best Of
The Who - See
Who
Are You liner notes)
Music Must Change - original version (4'36)
(Pete Townshend) Songs of Windswept Pacific/Towser Tunes,
Inc., BMI
Recorded at Pete Townshend's home studio and
Goring-On-Thames and Ramport Studios, London April and May 2, 1978.
This is the version of the track that appeared on the
original Who Are You album. A version with an alternate lead
guitar was used on the 1996 Who Are You re-issue - See
Who Are You liner notes.
Sister Disco (4'19) (See
Who
Are You liner notes)
Guitar And Pen (5'48) (See
Who
Are You liner notes)
You Better You Bet (5'33) (original mix - See
Face
Dances liner notes)
Eminence Front (5'26) (original mix - See
It's
Hard liner notes)
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Twist And Shout (3'01)
(Phil Medley & Bert Russell) Screen Gems-Emi Music
Inc-Mellin/Sloopy II Music/Sony/ATV Songs LLC/Unichappell Music, Inc.,
BMI
Recorded live at Toronto CNE Stadium, October 9, 1982.
Drums by Kenney Jones. Keyboards by Tim Gorman.
John Entwistle: "Oh, that [picking tracks for the boxset]
wasn't down to me. If it was I probably wouldn't have left 'Twist And
Shout' on it. That was probably the worst vocal performance I did in 20
years! If you listen to it you realize that I'm actually screaming
'cause I can't hear myself." |
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This is not from the last show of The Who's 1982 tour
that was also in Toronto but was at the Maple Leaf Gardens over two
months later. "Twist and Shout" was usually performed as the last song
of the set during that tour. This is a different performance from the
version that appeared on the now-deleted album Who's Last. That
version was also released as a 7-inch and 12-inch single in November
1984 but did not chart. "Twist and Shout" was a throw back to The Who's
days as The Detours. The original was recorded by The Top Notes in 1961
and famous covers were performed by The Isley Brothers and The Beatles.
Another live version with Keith Moon on drums appears on the CD Live
At The Isle Of Wight 1970.
I'm A Man - 1989 version (6'11)
(Ellas McDaniel) Arc Music, Corp. (BMI)
Recorded live at Radio City Music Hall, New York June 27,
1989. Drums by Simon Phillips, extra percussion Jody Linscott, electric
guitar Steve Bolton and keyboards by John "Rabbit" Bundrick. Pete's
efforts to protect his hearing and yet tour with The Who led to this
large group to supplement the absence of Keith and Pete's own electric
guitar that he played only sparingly. As if to make amends, The Who
played some unusual cover songs from early in their careers. The Who had
rarely played this Bo Diddley song since 1965. See
My Generation liner
notes.
Pete dialogue (0'37)
From the Fillmore West, San Francisco June 19, 1969.
Pete and
Roger had been arrested and charged back on May 16th for assaulting a
plainclothes officer who had rushed onstage at the Fillmore East to tell
everyone that the building next door was on fire. Pete got a $75 dollar fine and
Roger was cleared. The hassles these charges caused led to Pete's reluctance to
return a month later for the Woodstock Festival.
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Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (4'33)
(Elton John & Bernie Taupin) Universal Songs of Polygram
International, Inc. (BMI)
Produced by Jon Astley and Billy Nicholls at Eel Pie and
Revolution Studios, London July 1991.
The Who's last studio recording with John on bass was this cover done for
The Who's long-time friend Elton John for a tribute CD called Two
Rooms that entered the U.S. charts November 9, 1991 and reached #18.
Pete, Roger and John got together to decide which song to cover. Roger
was adamant about covering "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" but
Pete, as a tip of the hat to Elton for putting "I Can't Explain" in the
middle of his cover of "Pinball Wizard", put Elton's old song "Take Me
To The Pilot" into the bridge. Pete and Simon Phillips recorded their
parts at one studio (with Simon's drum part either augmented or replaced
with an electronic drum track programmed by Jon Astley) and Roger and
John recorded their parts at another studio. |
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Film of Roger and John's session appeared in a music
video for the song. The original version of "Saturday Night's Alright For
Fighting" appeared on Elton's 1973 album
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and "Take Me To The Pilot" on his 1970
album Elton John. In 2002 Elton John cited this cover, along with
Aretha Franklin's cover of "Border Song", as his two favorite covers of
his work.
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Brian Cady
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