The Who Sings My Generation

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
A glowering cover photo, on-the-run sound quality, and music to match. That's My Generation, and while it's hardly as consistent as The Who Sell Out, it's just as much fun to play. With the band steamrolling the title anthem, "The Kids Are Alright," "A Legal Matter," and a couple of James Brown covers, you can bet it was for them, too. Rock & roll for the hottest day of summer. --Rickey Wright

Tracks:

Out In The Street
I Don't Mind
The Good's Gone
La La La Lies
Much Too Much
My Generation
The Kids Are Alright
Please, Please, Please
It's Not True
The Ox
A Legal Matter
Instant Party (Circles)

Amazon.com

A glowering cover photo, on-the-run sound quality, and music to match. That's My Generation, and while it's hardly as consistent as The Who Sell Out, it's just as much fun to play. With the band steamrolling the title anthem, "The Kids Are Alright," "A Legal Matter," and a couple of James Brown covers, you can bet it was for them, too. Rock & roll for the hottest day of summer. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews:

Much too little.......2007-06-27

Sure, it has three classic singles that need to be heard time and time again by anyone who considers themselves a Who fan: "My Generation", that brash, loud, tough, angry anthem with the bass solo; "The Kids Are All Right", arguably Townshend's best pure pop song; and the piano-driven, funny "Legal Matter", Pete's first vocal with the group. Actually, I find the record's second half in general to be much stronger than the first, offering the humorous, light-hearted "It's Not True", the chaotic surf-blues instrumental "Ox", and the early confessional "Instant Party (Circles)". If only the other six were this good... but no. Two bad James Brown covers, the latter with the worst imitation of Mr. Dynamite I've ever heard ("I Don't Mind"; "Please, Please, Please"), a couple pained pop ballads ("La La La Lies"; "The Good's Gone"; "Much Too Much"). And while I like the distorted guitar solo on "Out on the Street", the rest of the song is thin. Half of this plus half of A Quick One would've made the record of the year. But this is a far cry from Sell Out, let alone Who's Next or Quadrophenia.

These Kids Were Alright (* * * 1/2).......2006-12-05

Forty-one years on, the debut record by The Who is still impressive. Classics like "My Generation" and "The Kids Are Alright" are certainly not to be second-guessed, and most of the other originals give the album plenty of muscle. "The Good's Gone" and the humorous "A Legal Matter" highlight Pete Townshend's superb riffing, and in the latter case, voice. "Much Too Much", "It's Not True", and the psychedelia-flavored "Instant Party (Circles)" are fine mod tunes. Finally, the instrumental romp "The Ox" is the clearest indication of the mayhem that The Who were to create on stage, if not ever again on record. The bits of feedback on this track surely perked up the ears of guys like Jimi Hendrix, as well as Lou Reed and John Cale, perhaps just enough to make them realize the potential it could have in their own work. This song - along with "My Generation" - serves to rightly place Townshend and Co. among the forefathers of punk.

However, "La La La Lies" and "The Kids Are Alright" indicate that The Who may have also been the originators of another genre for which they are rarely credited: power pop. All of this genre's elements are in place on these songs - azure vocal harmonies, echoey guitars, prominent bass lines, and marching drums. It was this formula that would be adopted by the likes of The Flamin' Groovies in the 1970s and Guided By Voices in the 90s, bands who were among the very best power poppers of their respective decades. Also included on My Generation are two James Brown covers. Now, I have quite frankly always found The Who's claims to be purveyors of "maximum R&B" to be disingenuous at the very least. These covers - "I Don't Mind" and "Please Please Please" - sound a bit forced, as if they were trying to prove their R&B credentials (not that I doubt their love of the genre, nor the fact that it inspired their sound). That said, there are some good R&B-inspired moments here, such as the opening track "Out in the Street".

At times, The Who Sings My Generation sounds a bit too rough around the edges for its own good. Granted, full-on Spector-esque production certainly wouldn't have served the band's energetic assault any more effectively. The Who's second album, A Quick One, would prove to be a bit of a holding pattern, but it's follow-up - The Who Sell Out - would be their triumphant great leap forward. Knowing how ambitious and refined their music would become, their debut sounds almost charming in its youthful recklessness. But whatever its shortcomings, their is no overlooking the fact that the single "My Generation" landed in the mid-60s London scene like a hand grenade, and proved that The Who wasn't just another rock band. Their influence would expand exponentially over the decades, and as an opening statement, The Who Sings My Generation remains a powerful one.

The Who - 'The Who Sings My Generation' (MCA).......2006-10-09

First hit the streets in 1965,as this was The Who's stunning debut record.I haven't heard this title in a LONG time,now.Great mod rock,British Invasion style.At the time(of course),this lp was reportedly the first of such to possess such energy.Remember on the old Smothers Brothers show,how the band was introduced as,"The Who..,THIS,folks is excitement"? It WAS.Still is.Tunes here I found most inspiring were the somewhat soulful "I Don't Mind",the melodic "La-La-La Lies",the historic(it's own right)"My Generation","The Kids Are Alright","It's Not True" and "The Ox"(never realized this track was on their very first album).Simply a must-have.

Raw Energy.......2006-07-14

A very different flavor of Brit rock. Whereas Lennon, McCartney, Ray Davies, and the Zombies had that air of refined English gentlemen, well-schooled and well-mannered (even when they were pretending to be bad-boy American rockers), Townshend and Entwhistle were clearly not as deft with their voices, although they played their instruments as well as the best of them, and their songwriting skills always seemed more juvenile than the rest. But that's what makes them unique, and their obvious disdain for that kind of McCartney-esque perfectionism in composition and arrangement and their obvious joy at playing loud, high-energy rock and roll reminds me of 70's punk. Just listen to this great first album and you'll feel the punk attitude coming through. Oh, and Keith Moon was the greatest rock drummer of the 60's. Maybe all those heavy-metal drummers of later years were just as fast and strong (and certainly had more elaborate drum sets and stage shows), Moon was a whole lot more fun.

The Generation May Have Aged, But The Music Hasn't. .......2006-06-28

The first official album by the Who shows them as simple hard Mod rockers who did more than just destroy their instruments on stage. Its hard to imagine that this predates the punk movement by well over a decade because most of the qualities of punk are here. Gritty loud three chord songs, simple melodies, and playing that was faster and harder than just about anything that had existed at that time. Sharing the spotlight with the punk qualities was the die hard Mod theme that would influence bands well into the 70s and 80s.

Mid 60s London was a swinging good place to be. While America had their hippie movement, hipsters from England were dressed up in outrageous neo-European clothing and were jamming at late-night clubs. Thats when the music came into frame. The British were obsessed with American R&B. So they started playing it themselves only with a rougher edge. Imagine if James Brown had gone punk and you get the idea. The Who were a working class group. Yeah, I know they later became rich and famous but their music, back then, was not about being rich and famous but was told from the level of the British teenagers who bought it, listened to it, and enjoyed it. Though The Who were not the first British band to try out an R&B sound (The Beatles and the Mersybeat movement predate them) they were the first to combine it with the British born hard rock genre of crunching guitars, feedback, crashing drums (Keith Moon is easily one of the best drummers of all time) and angry frustrated lyrics.

Rodger Daltery was, and still is, a major vocal influence. Though his voice would get better over time, never again would he sound this angry yet secure about his subject matter. Pete Townshend and John Entwistle were an amazing guitar and bass duel who could keep the pulsating and loud music from seeming to skimpy and watered down. Many rock fans regard them as the best lineup ever for a rock band.

The album is a collection of hard rockers of mostly R&B influence however some tracks like the anthemic title track, and the highly experimental, The Ox, with its almost atonal attack of white noise and disortion may have been seen as a prelude to the psychedelic movement that would shortly unfold. The songwriting may not have been as mature as it would shortly become but some songs like, The Kids Are Alright, and, A Legal Matter, were more serious in meaning than most R&B songs at that time.

Before The Who made the rock opera, Tommy, or the arena rock masterpiece, Who's Next, they were the band you hear as you play this album and wonder to yourself "would rock had survived this long had it not been for groups like this?".

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The Who Sings My Generation
The Who
Manufacturer: Sbme Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Bandwagonesque

ASIN: B000026G9P
Release Date: 2005-07-26

Tracks:

Out in the Street
I Don't Mind
Good's Gone
La-La Lies
Much Too Much
My Generation
Kids Are Alright
Please, Please, Please
It's Not True
Ox
Legal Matter
Instant Party (Circles)

Average customer rating:

TRACK LISTINGS

{4 CD SUPERPACK} The Who Sings My Generation / The Who Sell Out [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] [EXTRA TRACKS] / Who's Next [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] [EXTRA TRACKS] / Tommy (1969 Original Concept Album) [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

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ASIN: B000GYT10A

Product Description

Each disc in it's own jewel case with full artwork etc. Save on shipping with this great value pack.

Customer Reviews:

TRACK LISTINGS.......2006-07-20

"The Who Sings My Generation"
1. Out In The Street
2. I Don't Mind
3. The Good's Gone
4. La La La Lies
5. Much Too Much
6. My Generation
7. The Kids Are Alright
8. Please, Please, Please
9. It's Not True
10. The Ox
11. A Legal Matter
12. Instant Party (Circles)

"The Who Sell Out"
1. Armenia City In The Sky
2. Heinz Baked Beans
3. Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand
4. Odorono
5. Tattoo
6. Our Love Was
7. I Can See For Miles
8. I Can't Reach You
9. Medac
10. Relax
11. Silas Stingy
12. Sunrise
13. Rael 1
14. Rael 2
15. Glittering Girl
16. Melancholia
17. Someone's Coming
18. Jaguar
19. Early Morning Cold Taxi
20. Hall Of The Mountain King
21. Girl's Eyes
22. Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand (Alternative Version)
23. Glow Girl

"Who's Next"
1. Baba O'Riley
2. Bargain
3. Love Ain't For Keeping
4. My Wife
5. The Song Is Over
6. Getting In Tune
7. Going Mobile
8. Behind Blue Eyes
9. Won't Get Fooled Again
10. Pure And Easy
11. Baby Don't You Do It
12. Naked Eye
13. Water
14. Too Much Of Anything
15. I Don't Even Know Myself
16. Behind Blue Eyes

"Tommy"
1. Overture
2. It's A Boy
3. 1921
4. Amazing Journey
5. Sparks
6. Eyesight To The Blind (The Hawker)
7. Christmas
8. Cousin Kevin
9. The Acid Queen
10. Underture
11. Do You Think It's Alright?
12. Fiddle About
13. Pinball Wizard
14. There's A Doctor
15. Go To The Mirror!
16. Tommy Can You Hear Me?
17. Smash The Mirror
18. Sensation
19. Miracle Cure
20. Sally Simpson
21. I'm Free
22. Welcome
23. Tommy's Holiday Camp
24. We're Not Gonna Take It

Limited Edition Collector's Package [CD & SILK 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 foot ZOSO BANNER] Physical Graffiti [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] {see product details below}

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Limited Edition Collector's Package [CD & SILK 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 foot ZOSO BANNER] Physical Graffiti [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] {see product details below}
Led Zeppelin
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ASIN: B000JI9BBM

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"SILK BANNER" is 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 foot, High durable, imported from Italy. "TRACK LISTINGS" Disc: 1 1. Custard Pie 2. The Rover 3. In My Time Of Dying 4. Houses Of The Holy 5. Trampled Underfoot 6. Kashmir Disc: 2 1. In The Light 2. Bron-Yr-Aur 3. Down By The Seaside 4. Ten Years Gone 5. Night Flight 6. Wanton Song 7. Boogie With Stu 8. Black Country Woman 9. Sick Again

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