AS FAR as I know the commonly available "concert" (or "live in person" or "location") album which is a feature of today's recording world came into existence (certainly as far as non-classical music is concerned) with the first Jazz at the Philharmonic discs.

These were issued on the relatively obscure Asch label at the end of the 40s and were taken from acetates made at a Jazz at the Philharmonic concert (one of the first) for the purposes of broadcasting them on Jimmy Lyon's U.S. Army network radio show during the war.

Norman Granz, who created the Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts and the records and later went on to form his own record companies Clef and Norgran and, eventually, Verve, was the man responsible and we ought to be grateful to him. It was a good idea (it probably would have happened anyway) and it has given us some great music down through the years, what with radio broadcasts and concerts and the rest cropping up on records sometimes years after the original performance.

'Live at Leeds'

The Who, the British rock group whose rock opera "Tommy" was one of the best albums of 1969, Rolling Stone to the contrary notwithstanding, are due here in the Bay Area June 15 and 16 at the Berkeley Community Theater.

The Who have just issued a fine album, "Live at Leeds" (Decca DL 79175) which is, along with "Tommy," a superlative presentation of what they do.

A number of British groups have merged contemporary music and the British music hall and street singer tradition of theatricality. The Who are experts at it, with posturing, choreography, and guitar smashing for effects.

But unlike some other groups, The Who are also a damn fine band, a group which plays with incredible strength and versatility, a repertoire of first-rate numbers.

The Woodstock film spotlights The Who in a graphic sequence (unfortunately omitting the battle between Peter Townshend and Abbie Hoffman). The Who were also part of the Monterey Pop Festival (they made their American debut there I think; if not it was their second U.S. appearance).

Their opera, "Tommy," is being done at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York tonight and although it is an exciting and interesting piece of music, I think it is a misnomer to call it an opera — it is really a suite of connected songs which tell a story.

THE WHO, BRITISH ROCK GROUP ON TOUR

The Who are not playing their opera on this tour, apparently. However, they are doing excerpts from it as well as a number of their other specialties.

Smaller Halls

They have deliberately opted for smaller halls whenever possible and have even chartered a special bus for their sound equipment to go on the tour (rather than to risk the hazards of flying it) and set up specially in every hall.

The Who have always paid a great deal of attention, not only to their visual presentation but to the electronics of their music in the terms of the audience and in making the music itself.

In their Decca "Live at Leeds" album you get the special kind of excitement that goes with a good concert album, in which the X factor of audience feedback and its effect upon the performer add an extra dimension to the performance and hence to the album.

On the Leeds album, there are very good versions of "Young Man Blues" (the Mose Allison tune from his old Prestige LP), "Summertime Blues" (by Eddie Cochran) as well as a long (14 minute) version of Townshend's own tune, "My Generation" and his "Magic Bus."

The latter is one of those Bo Diddley tunes which, at least, ought to be dedicated to Bo since it uses the rhythm he made his hallmark and the chord changes and melodic line he used over and over. Possible copyright infringement aside, it is a fine performance as are the other tracks on the album.

The concert in Berkeley is something of an event in rock music, I feel. What they are doing other bands are going to have to do: find ways to play in smaller halls to avoid the audience-performer alienation of the Cow Palace type of things.

This music is considerably beyond screaming teeny boppers now. It is adult music, rock music if you must, and serious in intent. The Who are gifted singers, composers and instrumentalists. They are serious but not stuffy about their music. Their dedication seems to be somewhat less concered with gross profit than with esthetics.

Their entourage, with five assistants to the band and 120 pieces of equipment, (including a 4000 watt p.a. system built by Peter Townshend) is an indication of how seriously they take all this.

If their music is comparable to the music they produced at the Leeds concert, we are all in for a treat. "The Who, Live at Leeds" is going to be one of the more lasting rock albums of 1970 I suspect. Just as "Tommy" was one of the best in 1969.