It's important to consider that the country that bore and nurtured The Who is not the same country in which The Who are really fully appreciated. Yes, here in the UK, with our lack of classic rock radio, you'd be alarmed ( maybe ) at how many songs on this compilation simply aren't familiar to generations after generations of music fans. Apart from the obligatory 'My Generation' and 'Pinball Wizard' very few of these songs are well known to anyone under the age of thirty in the UK. That may seem astonishing to my American readers, but that's the way it is. I never grew up listening to The Who. I never heard any of their songs played on the radio. I was aware of The Who of course, a band of this standing doesn't come around very often in Rock n Roll history. So, the point of all of this? 'Happy Jack' is a great song! And, there's a bunch of other great songs on this pleasing, intelligently put together compilation that wins over 'more complete' compilations simply because this isn't 80 minutes long. Less is more, 40 minutes is an ideal album listening length. This is a sampler album, plain and simple. It's also one of the few places you can hear the likes of the marvellous 'Happy Jack', for one. This release even includes 'weaker' material! That's an album! Compilations were much better back in the Sixties and early Seventies. They weren't just compilations, they were albums in themselves, a new way of listening to familiar material for fans, a whole new world and excitement for the newly converted and to be converted. They served much more of a purpose than merely milking an act the record company feared had run its course. Well, The Who still had a good few years ahead of them, this particular compilation just made for nice 'interlude' between the Sixties and Seventies material, it tidied up loose ends, perhaps? It's a marvellous 'sampler' and demonstration of certain aspects of the group they called ( well, still do! ) 'The Who'.
'Happy Jack' is one of the most insanely brilliant 'pop' songs I've heard in my entire life. It's silly, it's ridiculous, contains fantastic 'la la la' vocal parts. Contains very loud drumming from Keith Moon, who didn't seem to care what kind of song he was playing on, he gave it his all whatever. Light and airy and faintly psychedelic vocals. Someone playing the spoons, a Spanish hurrah! Guitar!! What more could anybody possibly want in a song? All of this within two minutes twelve seconds! And, what's more, it segues into 'I Can See For Miles' which remains a thing of wonder whatever the context, remains eight times as loud as anything else on earth whatever the context. Surrounding these songs are a few classic slices of Sixties pop/rock. 'The Kids Are Alright' is sublime and gorgeous, 'I Can't Explain' an addictive and rockin slice of guitar work and 'Pictures Of Lily' not half as good as 'Happy Jack' but that still makes it pretty fine in our house. 'My Generation' and 'Pinball Wizard' I rather have to be in the mood for, but when I am, they still sound astonishing. 'The Seeker' is funky and groovy, 'Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere' keeps threatening to burst into a Kinks 'All Day And All Of The Night' guitar workout, but frustratingly never does. What it does do is turn The Who into a bluesy rock act most convincingly. 'A Legal Matter' is a lot more forgettable for me than anything arriving before it on this compilation, 'Boris The Spider' is just plain silly! But, the closing three songs are all superlative, and that's your lot. A forty two minute Who 'album'. Did you like it? Did you find something here?
I Can't Explain / The Kids Are Alright / Happy Jack / I Can See For Miles / Pictures Of Lily / My Generation / The Seeker / Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere / Pinball Wizard / A Legal Matter / Boris The Spider / The Magic Bus / Substitute / I'm A Boy
'Happy Jack' is one of the most insanely brilliant 'pop' songs I've heard in my entire life. It's silly, it's ridiculous, contains fantastic 'la la la' vocal parts. Contains very loud drumming from Keith Moon, who didn't seem to care what kind of song he was playing on, he gave it his all whatever. Light and airy and faintly psychedelic vocals. Someone playing the spoons, a Spanish hurrah! Guitar!! What more could anybody possibly want in a song? All of this within two minutes twelve seconds! And, what's more, it segues into 'I Can See For Miles' which remains a thing of wonder whatever the context, remains eight times as loud as anything else on earth whatever the context. Surrounding these songs are a few classic slices of Sixties pop/rock. 'The Kids Are Alright' is sublime and gorgeous, 'I Can't Explain' an addictive and rockin slice of guitar work and 'Pictures Of Lily' not half as good as 'Happy Jack' but that still makes it pretty fine in our house. 'My Generation' and 'Pinball Wizard' I rather have to be in the mood for, but when I am, they still sound astonishing. 'The Seeker' is funky and groovy, 'Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere' keeps threatening to burst into a Kinks 'All Day And All Of The Night' guitar workout, but frustratingly never does. What it does do is turn The Who into a bluesy rock act most convincingly. 'A Legal Matter' is a lot more forgettable for me than anything arriving before it on this compilation, 'Boris The Spider' is just plain silly! But, the closing three songs are all superlative, and that's your lot. A forty two minute Who 'album'. Did you like it? Did you find something here?
I Can't Explain / The Kids Are Alright / Happy Jack / I Can See For Miles / Pictures Of Lily / My Generation / The Seeker / Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere / Pinball Wizard / A Legal Matter / Boris The Spider / The Magic Bus / Substitute / I'm A Boy