| Who Albums |

The Who - Who Rarity Collections:

The Who Rarities Volume 1 - UK - 1983 Polydor LP	The Who Rarities Volume 2 - UK - 1983 Polydor LP
Who's Missing - UK - 1985 Polydor LP	Who's Missing - UK - 1985 Polydor Cassette
Two's Missing - UK - 1987 Polydor LP	Two's Missing - UK - 1987 Polydor Cassette
The Who Rarities Vol 1 & Rarities Vol 2 - UK - 1988 Polydor CD Edited versions of "Water" and "Baby Don't You Do It". Reissued in Germany (Polydor) with unedited versions of the above	Who's Missing - USA - 1985 MCA LP
Who's Missing - USA - MCA CD	Two's Missing - USA - 1987 MCA LP
Two's Missing - USA - 1987 MCA Cassette	Two's Missing - USA - 1988 MCA CD
The Who Join Together Rarities - Australia - 1982 Polydor LP	The Who Join Together Rarities - Australia - 1982 Polydor Cassette
Two's Missing - Canada - 1987 MCA LP	The Who Rarities Volume 2 - France - 1983 Polydor LP
The Who Rarities Volume 1 - Germany - 1983 Polydor LP	The Who Rarities Vol 1 & Rarities Vol 2 - Germany - 1990 Polydor CD
The Who Rarities Vol 1 & Rarities Vol 2 - Japan - 1988 Polydor CD

Album: Join Together Rarities (1982), Rarities Volume 1 (1983), Rarities Volume 2 (1983), Who's Missing (1984), Two's Missing (1985)

LPs (vinyl) Sampled: Join Together Rarities: Polydor (Australia), Rarities Volume 1: Polydor (UK), Rarities Volume 2: Polydor (UK), Who's Missing: MCA (USA), Who's Missing: MCA (Canada), Two's Missing: MCA (USA)

CDs Sampled: Rarities Volume 1&2: Polydor (UK), Rarities Volume 1&2: Polydor (Germany), Who's Missing: MCA (USA), Two's Missing: MCA (USA)

LP Comments: The UK "Rarities Volume 2" LP sounds better than the Australian "Join Together Rarities" LP (same track listing). However, "Who's Missing" and "Two's Missing" sound better than the UK Rarities LPs. Unfortunately, not all of the same rare tracks are available on the latter two, requiring the purchase of both.

CD Comments: The UK "Rarities Volume 1&2" CDs were made at the PDO plant which had production defects in 1988. Discs have been reported to decay and be unplayable over time. Fortunately, production resumed at the German Polydor plant and those CDs are fine and unedited (the UK CD shortened the length of "Water" and "Baby Don't You Do It"). "Who's Missing" (both USA and Canada) sounds excellent and the same as the LP version. The mastering on "Two's Missing" isn't as good as the LP version and the CD does not sound as good as the LP.

Summary: In terms of sound quality, the Polydor (Germany) "Rarities Volume 1&2" (CD), MCA (USA or Canada) "Who's Missing" (CD) and MCA (USA) "Two's Missing" (LP) are the best. Owning 1 of each will give you all the rare tracks.

Other Comments: Some of the rarer tracks (previously exclusive to these collections) have been reissued on the "Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B" box set and other subsequently released CDs. However, not all of them are the same (i.e. the live "Bargain" is edited on the box set, "Dogs" is in stereo on the box set, etc.)

Reasons to seek out the above albums are: Circles (not re-released), Batman (this is the mono version—a different, stereo mix appears on the reissue of "A Quick One"), Under My Thumb (unlike the stereo version which appears on the reissued, "Odds & Sods", this one contains the lead guitar track), "Doctor Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" (this is the better, original mix vs. the "watered down" mix which ended up on the USA "Magic Bus" LP), "Baby Don't You Do It" (Live-1971) (this version remains not re-released), "My Wife (Live-1971) (Great live version!), "Going Down" (Live-1971), Mary Anne With The Shaky Hands (this is the "b" side to "I Can See For Miles" version with the quivering vocals. It's been reissued in stereo on "Odds & Sods" but the mono mix is very different), "Bargain" (Live-1971) (the "30 Years Of Maximum R&B" box set has an poorly edited version of this track).

Note: The comments above are in consideration of the upcoming "My Generation" CD release, which will feature the rare Shel Talmy produced tracks which are currently exclusive to "Who's Missing" and "Two's Missing".

Note #2: The first LP pressings of "Rarities Volume 1" mistakenly contained the LP version of "Mary Ann ... This was shortly corrected in subsequent pressings.

Note #3: Liner notes contained on "Who's Missing" (Pete Townshend) and "Two's Missing" (John Entwistle) are not included on the CD versions of those albums.

Track Listing(s):

Join Together Rarities: Join Together, I Don't Even Know Myself, Heaven And Hell, When I Was A Boy, Let's See Action, Relay, Waspman, Here For More, Water, Baby Don't You Do It

Rarities Volume 1: Circles, Disguises, Batman, Bucket T, Barbara Ann, In The City, I've Been Away, Doctor, Doctor, The Last Time, Under My Thumb, Someone's Coming, Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand, Dogs, Call Me Lightning, Doctor Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

Rarities Volume 2: Join Together, I Don't Even Know Myself, Heaven And Hell, When I Was A Boy, Let's See Action, Relay, Waspman, Here For More, Water, Baby Don't You Do It (Live-1971) (R)

Rarities Volume 1&2: Circles, Disguises, Batman, Bucket T, Barbara Ann, In The City, I've Been Away, Doctor, Doctor, The Last Time, Under My Thumb, Someone's Coming, Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand, Dogs, Call Me Lightning, Doctor Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Join Together, I Don't Even Know Myself, Heaven And Hell, When I Was A Boy, Let's See Action, Relay, Waspman, Here For More, Water, Baby Don't You Do It (Live-1971) (R)

Who's Missing: Shout And Shimmy, Leaving Here, Anytime You Want Me, Lubie (Come Back Home), Barbara Ann, I'm A Boy, Mary Anne With The Shaky Hands, Heaven And Hell, Here For More, I Don't Even Know Myself, When I Was A Boy, Bargain (Live-1971)

Two's Missing: Bald Headed Woman, Under My Thumb, My Wife (Live-1971), I'm A Man (stereo version), Dogs, Dogs Part Two, Circles, The Last Time, Water, Daddy Rolling Stone (stereo version), Heatwave (Shel Talmy produced version), Going Down (Live-1971), Motoring, Waspman

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