Who 18: Who’s Missing and Two’s Missing

A few months after The Who played what they said was their final show, MCA cobbled together a slapdash Who’s Greatest Hits, mostly notable for including the inferior edited single versions of “Love Reign O’er Me” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, but a longer “Relay”. Meanwhile, in the UK Polydor complied two LPs of rare singles and B-sides, simply titled Rarities Volume I 1966-1968 and Rarities Volume II 1970-1973. While neither set was strictly chronological, both did a good job of mopping up several non-album tracks. Of course, since it wasn’t released in the U.S., imports were pricey. MCA could have used the excuse that some of the songs were already available on Magic Bus and Hooligans, but that assumed someone was paying attention to such things. The disappointment of Who’s Last only added insult to injury.

A couple of years later, Who’s Missing arrived with little fanfare, but actually did collectors a favor. Most of the songs had not been released in the US, and the rest were truly rare. A quarter of so-so songs from the earliest Shel Talmy sessions start it off, followed by “Barbara Ann” and the original single versions of “I’m A Boy” and “Mary Anne With The Shakey Hand”. Side two is the keeper, with four key B-sides from the Who’s Next period—two of which (“When I Was A Boy” and “Here For More”) shamefully did not appear anywhere in the ‘90s reissue program—and a blistering live “Bargain”. Pete Townshend’s notes were typically pensive, though not exactly illuminating.

Two’s Missing followed with even less fanfare within 18 months. Where its predecessor was somewhat chronological, this was in more of a crazy order, but boasted more in-depth and humorous notes, this time from John Entwistle. More tracks from the Shel Talmy sessions are balanced by such nuggets as the Stones covers “Under My Thumb” and “The Last Time”, the rare singles “Dogs” and its “Part Two”, and a couple more B-sides. Some ponderous live tracks made for weird listening, but it still rated a spot in the rack. (Like its predecessor, it arrived in the wake of a Townshend solo release. MCA may have been dumb, but they weren’t stupid.)

With the advent of Classic Rock radio in the ‘80s, the Who were still a commercial entity, and while these mopping-up efforts were convenient, they also underscored how confusing the catalog had been all along. Meanwhile, fans old and new who started purchasing the MCA albums on shiny new compact discs weren’t very impressed by the sound quality. The Who’s legacy deserved better—and, some would argue, so did the fans.

The Who Who’s Missing (1985)—3
The Who Two’s Missing (1987)—3½