Who 22: What’s Left

With the BBC set, The Who’s catalog revamp was basically complete from the labels’ standpoint, and probably Pete’s too. There would be some surprises to be had on the various two-disc Deluxe Editions of My Generation, Live At Leeds, Who’s Next, Tommy, and Sell Out (this being the order in which they emerged), but to this day a pile of once-available rarities are still buried, and some aren’t available at all. Here’s a look at some of those, many of which are certainly worthy of wider renown, and some of which deserve easier access than pricey boxes.

“Substitute”: The American single mix had a different vocal to cover the possibly offensive (to racists) line describing the singer’s heritage. It appeared on a bonus EP included with the first edition of 2002’s Ultimate Collection, along with a rare mix of “I’m A Boy”, an alternate “Happy Jack” and another rare mix of “Magic Bus” that wasn’t the one people really wanted.

“Circles”: The Who recorded this twice—once with Shel Talmy as included on the My Generation Deluxe Edition, and again for the Ready Steady Who EP. All the other tracks from that EP were included on the A Quick One CD, but this was left off. It was even left off the stereo upgrade that snuck out in 2002. Both are now available on the five-CD Maximum As & Bs box.

“I’m A Boy”: The longer version included on Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy is a different recording than the single, complete with an additional verse. It also could have been included on the Quick One CDs.

“Run Run Run”: When A Quick One appeared on CD in 1995, this was the only album track included in stereo, the rest of the album being in mono. The aforementioned stereo upgrade kept the mono “Run Run Run” unavailable. All of which makes us wonder why they haven’t put out a Deluxe Edition of A Quick One, with the stereo album on one disc and the mono on the other, with whatever other nuggets they can find.

“Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde”: This John Entwistle classic, a thinly veiled tribute to his road roommate Keith, was released in two separate but distinctly different versions—one on an American B-side and later included on the Magic Bus album, and the other as a British B-side. The British mix was finally made available on Maximum As & Bs; both were included in the massive Super Deluxe Edition of Sell Out.

“Magic Bus”: The absence of the long version of this song is another reason why Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy should have been included as is in the catalog rollout. Eventually some Japanese CDs offered it, before it was finally included on 2014’s The Who Hits 50! (and then again in the Super Deluxe Sell Out).

“Eyesight To The Blind”: A version with a lower-pitched vocal from Roger appeared on the Mobile Fidelity gold CD of Tommy. It certainly could have been included on the Deluxe Edition of Tommy, along with the other Mose Allison covers allegedly recorded at the time.

“Here For More”: The second of exactly two Roger Daltrey compositions in the canon was the B-side of “The Seeker”, and could have been included on either of the first two Who’s Next reissues, but was probably left off due to its lack of connection with the Lifehouse concept. This was rectified with the 2023 Super Deluxe Edition, after finally appearing on Maximum As & Bs.

“When I Was A Boy”: This excellent Entwistle song was recorded during the Who’s Next sessions but relegated to a B-side. It should not have been left off any upgrade of that album, but also had to wait until the Super Deluxe, with the same detour through Maximum As & Bs.

“Pinball Wizard”-“See Me Feel Me”-“Baby Don’t You Do It”: Most of a performance from the Young Vic Theater in London was included on the Who’s Next Deluxe Edition, with the exception of four songs. (“Bony Moronie” from this show, which had snuck out on an obscure British single in 1988, was on the Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B box set, as well as in Maximum As & Bs.) The full concert was included in the Super Deluxe, but even before that this entry was admittedly nitpicky.

“Baby Don’t You Do It”: Several concerts from late 1971 were recorded but only slightly plundered over the years. This blistering track, different from the version above, was the B-side of the “Join Together” single, and had to wait until Maximum As & Bs to be widely available again, then included, unedited, with the rest of this particular San Francisco show on the Who’s Next Super Deluxe.

“Goin’ Down”: Among the obscurities on Two’s Missing—along with “My Wife”—was this live trainwreck of a Freddie King cover, from the same Frisco show. John’s liner notes say it all: “It was obviously something Roger and Pete heard but I hadn’t.” It too was finally included on the Who’s Next Super Deluxe. (As was “My Wife”, plus “Bargain” from this show, which was on Who’s Missing, and excerpted on the Thirty Years box.)

“Join Together”: Legend had the original mix of this song running over seven minutes. The “unedited remix” that appeared on the Who’s Next Super Deluxe is just over six, so maybe that’s it.

“Wasp Man”: This Keith Moon opus features the same three chords repeated over “hilarious” vocals and rhythmic sniffing. It escaped as a B-side, presumably to get Keith some extra royalties. The updated Odds & Sods would have been the most obvious home for this; if you must have it, it’s on Maximum As & Bs, and still a cheaper option than—you guessed it—the Who’s Next Super Deluxe.

“Can’t You See I’m Easy”-“Ladies In The Female Jail”: The Who recorded an album’s worth of material in 1972 before Pete decided it sounded too much like Who’s Next and morphed some of the songs into the Quadrophenia concept. Some tracks came out as singles, and others appeared on Odds & Sods; these two were apparently recorded but have only been heard as bootlegged Pete demos.

“Dancing In The Street”: This Motown cover was recorded live in 1979 and later released as a B-side. It has not been heard from since.

If some of the songs above had been included on the CDs as suggested, that only leaves a handful of leftovers that, given some shuffling to eliminate repetition, should have been on the 1998 upgrade of Odds & Sods. And we can’t state enough that Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy should have been upgraded in the ‘90s too.

Whether these would ever again appear officially was impossible to say considering how oddly their catalog has been handled even since the attempt to consolidate in the ‘90s. Meanwhile, no less than four official hits collections appeared over the first decade of the 21st century, with only slight variations in their track sequences amid the occasional single edit. (Even the genuinely exciting From A Backstage Pass, a Keith-era live retrospective available only as an expensive premium from their fan club, got plundered for the retail-available Greatest Hits Live, which sported a disc full of inferior highlights from Join Together and more recent recordings, at the expense of several superior 1971 performances.)

Indeed, the reissue trend has leaned heavily toward the Super Deluxe Edition and vinyl reproductions, all at great expenses to the average consumer, and trying for the dedicated fan. Any true rarities to be found will be scattered among yet further remasters of songs we have already, repeatedly.