WhiteFang's Who Site - The World's Largest Collection Of The Who Records & CDs

 

Album: The Kids Are Alright

LPs (vinyl) Sampled: Polydor (UK), MCA (USA), Polydor (Germany), Sony (Japan)

CDs (original mix) Sampled: Polydor-1 CD edited (Germany), MCA-1 CD edited (USA), Polydor-2 CDs unedited (Japan)

CDs (remastered) Sampled: MCA (Canada), MCA (USA)

LP Comments: This one's a tough call. All the LPs I've listened to sound very good. I'll have to give the edge to the Sony (Japan) for its overall quality of the sonics and vinyl. It does add a little more bass to the mastering, similar to many of the Japanese Who CDs. However, it isn't as intrusive here, as it is on some of those CDs.

CD (original mix) comments: The Polydor (Germany) is the clear CD of choice. It sounds excellent. The MCA (USA) doesn't have the same sound quality as their LP did. Lastly, the Polydor (Japan) version (the only unedited CD version--the other 2 versions delete the live "Join Together/Roadrunner" medley) seems to be made from copy tapes of lesser quality.

CD (remaster) comments: If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it!!! This CD squeezes the Join Together/Roadrunner" medley on the single disc. However, the mastering is just bad.

Summary: If your goal is to have a completely unedited version of the album, then find the Sony (Japan) LP. If you want a great sounding CD version (but unfortunately edited), the Polydor (Germany) sounds great.

Other Comments: This album would be a good candidate for remixing.

About: The Kids Are Alright   This was my 2nd ever Who album.   After Who Are You became my #1 listened to album, I went shopping for “another”…   In retrospect, why did I pick this one amongst so many others?   Was it the packaging? Or was it the “hype” from the movie that may have been in the back of my mind?   I probably bought this around September of 1979. School had started again and I had stopped at the local Korvettes on the way home from school. Go figure…   I do recall playing this album a lot. I didn’t understand then why the sound quality of the songs varied so much – not knowing <back then> that a portion of them were lifted right off of a film reel.   I recall hearing some of the songs on the radio before this – certainly “Baba O’Riley”, “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, “Long Live Rock” and “Magic Bus” – and of course my memory goes back to listening to “I Can See For Miles” through the bedroom wall from my sister’s <console> stereo in 1967!   But most of these songs I hadn’t heard before. I really liked/loved most of it a lot!   After realizing how much I loved The Who, I asked a friend, to make me a bunch of Who albums on tape – and the rest was history. It didn’t take long thereafter for me to “close the door” on most other music…   I probably haven’t listened to this album straight through in about 30 years. Considering the fact that this album was the only other live album besides the 6 songs on the original Live At Leeds and the “Baby Don’t You Do It” b side at the time, this seems hard to believe… But as time went on, this album became somewhat piecemeal to me – I would take the tracks I liked from this album and re-record them to other tapes (and later, CDs).    My 2 favorite tracks from the album are from Shepperton.   * Baba O’Riley – Could Roger sing this any better??? Why did they give up Pete SMASHING the tambourine for the live opening to the song? To me, the piano intro is lame in comparison. This is how it should be peformed!   * Won’t Get Fooled Again – perhaps it was Pete’s anger that Jeff Stein made them repeat the song again, but Pete is clearly on fire here. Roger, like “Baba O’Riley” is perfection (like John – who is always perfect) and Keith delivers a fantastic drum solo – never to be properly replicated from anyone thereafter.   There’s 2 schools of thought about Keith’s drumming on the above. People who agree with me – Keith is just fine – he sounds great – not necessarily his “best”, but he still blows away everyone else, and those who say “he sounds tired” and they don’t like it. Can’t please everyone!   The best drumming I have heard on “Won’t Get Fooled Again” was the first time I heard the live, Kansas City, 1975 version – it sounded like a wall of drums – it was unbelievable. Was that a “better” drum performance than this? Sure – I’ll buy that. Was this better than any other drummer's? Absolutely.   From my perspective, if the album had only these 2 songs, it would still be a great album.   * My Generation – I think the adding of the Smothers Brother’s Show dialog in the beginning of the song was a mistake. If the dialog isn’t part of the song and “non music” – it doesn’t belong. When I play an album on (whatever format), I want to hear music – this isn’t the movie, so it doesn’t belong. (For CD it should have been its own track – this way, you can just hit “next”). This is a great live version, although the band is obviously miming to a pre-recorded version (you can see Pete “wind milling at the wrong time in the video). Supposedly the vocals are live. I can’t confirm this but I love it.   * I Can't Explain – one of those film transfers. Nice period piece though…   * Happy Jack – this is an older mix <outtake> from Live At Leeds – not the “mighty and powerful” mix that we’ve all come to love.   * I Can See For Miles – This is a unique mix version. Seems almost mono with a double tracked vocal. Not sure why it was mixed this way…   * Magic Bus – short mono studio version – nothing compared to the short stereo studio version – which is *the* version to have (the best source, is the 1968 USA Magic Bus LP)   * Long Live Rock – Supposedly a different mix. I never noticed or seemed to care (which is very unlike me – I actually like Pete’s demo version of this song so much better!)   * Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere – One of my favorite songs. Probably the best Who song that “defines” me. A great period recording – I was happy when they brought this back to the stage circa 1999…   * Young Man Blues – I used to like this a lot, but since Live At Leeds was remixed and the Young Vic version was released (on Who's Next Deluxe Edition) – it doesn’t do it for me anymore! (Sorry!)   * My Wife – This used to be my “go to” live version. Loved it. Then, Two’s Missing came out. OMG – although John sang “off key”, the Two’s Missing version just NAILED it. My favorite live version since – and this one became “history”.   * A Quick One While He's Away – I always loved this. Such a great recording too. However, in 1995 when the remixed Live At Leeds came out – that version blew this one away.   * Tommy, Can You Hear Me? – Another one of my favorites from the album. Wide stereo mix and an extended ending! Makes you wonder what other gems are sitting on the master reels??? Wow!   * Sparks/Pinball Wizard/See Me, Feel Me – Woodstock!!! Woodstock is one of my favorite Who performances. Whether sitting in/near the mud and being “put off” for so many hours got them REALLY pissed off, I don’t know – but they were absolutely on fire. Keith’s drumming was nothing short of spectacular. I’ve heard that Pete is opposed to releasing the entire concert due to “bad memories” of the event. But… He’s already released parts and pieces and he went back there in 1998 to perform solo… It was an historic event and helped elevate The Who to “superstar” status – Why not? I’m sure if he heard the concert again without someone telling him which it was, he’d be asking – "Why haven’t we released this?"   * Join Together/Roadrunner/My Generation Blues – HATE IT! When this was edited out of the original released CDs, I laughed. I never ever liked this. To me it was the most “unlike” Who performances on the entire album. The sound quality was never great and *fortunately* better performances/sound quality of the same exist elsewhere!   I have yet to hear a CD version which sounds as good as the original LP (but at this time, I have *not* played the 2011 Japan remastered CD).

Track Listing: Original LP, Japanese CD and remaster: My Generation, I Can't Explain, Happy Jack, I Can See For Miles, Magic Bus, Long Live Rock, Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere, Young Man Blues, My Wife, Baba O'Riley, A Quick One While He's Away, Tommy, Can You Hear Me?, Sparks, Pinball Wizard, See Me, Feel Me, Join Together/Roadrunner/My Generation Blues, Won't Get Fooled Again.

Single Disc-Unremastered: : My Generation, I Can't Explain, Happy Jack, I Can See For Miles, Magic Bus, Long Live Rock, Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere, Young Man Blues, My Wife, Baba O'Riley, A Quick One While He's Away, Tommy, Can You Hear Me?, Sparks, Pinball Wizard, See Me, Feel Me, Won't Get Fooled Again.