The 50th anniversary celebration of The Who is rolling on. The band kicked off its golden festivities with the Fall 2014 release of The Who Hits 50, a compilation available in various formats, and with the announcement of a tour of the same name. Now, the band has confirmed a number of vinyl releases to arrive this spring.
On March 24, all eleven of The Who's albums will be reissued in remastered editions pressed on 180-gram vinyl, joined by a 2-LP edition of The Who Hits 50 collection (available at Amazon U.S. and Amazon U.K. ). Each album will have its original artwork along with replicas of the special features that were included in original pressings:
- Tommy (Amazon U.S. Link TBD / Amazon U.K.) - Original six-panel foldout /12-page color 11" x 11" booklet and LP sides pressed as on original 1969 vinyl;
- The Who Sell Out (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. ) - Includes a replica of the original 20" x 30" poster as an insert;
- Quadrophenia (Amazon U.S. Link TBD / Amazon U.K. ) - Gatefold sleeve with original 44-page booklet; and
- Face Dances (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. ) - Includes a replica of the 24" x 24" poster of the album cover as an insert.
The remaining seven albums are:
- My Generation (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
- A Quick One (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
- Who's Next (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
- The Who by Numbers (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
- Who Are You (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
- It's Hard (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
- Endless Wire (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
Next up, on April 7, the first of a series of 7-inch vinyl singles boxes will be released. This series commences with The Brunswick Singles 1965-1966. This box set contains seven 7-inch singles pressed on heavyweight vinyl with replica paper sleeves (reproducing the period artwork on front and back with die-cut center holes). The box itself is described as a sturdy "lid-and-tray" outer box, and it also includes a 7-inch-size full-color brooklet with liner notes courtesy Who biographer Mark Blake. The set is rounded out with a bonus eighth single of "Zoot Suit" b/w "I'm the Face," credited (as it was originally) to The High Numbers.
The Brunswick Singles 1965-1966 (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. ) contains the following:
- I Can't Explain b/w Bald Headed Woman (Brunswick 05926, released January 15, 1965)
- Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere b/w Daddy Rolling Stone (Brunswick 05935, released May 21, 1965)
- My Generation b/w Shout and Shimmy (Brunswick 05944, released October 25, 1965)
- Circles b/w Instant Party Mixture (slated for Brunswick 05951, originally unreleased)
- A Legal Matter b/w Instant Party (Brunswick 05956, released March 7, 1966)
- The Kids Are Alright b/w The Ox (Brunswick 05965, released August 12, 1966)
- La-La-La Lies b/w The Good's Gone (Brunswick 05968, released November 11, 1966)
- Zoot Suit b/w I'm The Face (as the High Numbers) (Fontana TF 480, released July 3, 1964)
Lastly, on April 7, The Who also releases a 7-inch blue vinyl single of "Be Lucky," the new track from The Who Hits 50, with a flipside of "I Can't Explain," bookending the group's most recent single with its first.
The Who isn't the only band to be in on the singles box set action. On March 16, Demon Music Group's Edsel label ushers in another round of T-Rexstasy with The 7-Inch Singles Box Set. Despite the nondescript title, the collection looks to be anything but, containing 26 singles and a 20-page 7 x 7 booklet. The artwork for the singles has been derived from the various picture sleeves issued around the world; Edsel has selected 24 of the most interesting sleeves to replicate, and has reprinted many more in the booklet. The final two singles are Marc Bolan's pseudonymous release as Big Carrot, "Blackjack" b/w "Squint Eye Mangle," and Bolan and Gloria Jones' "To Know You is to Love You" b/w "City Port."
Residents in many territories (though not the U.S.) can also take advantage of a special offer through the T Rex online store. The first 300 customers preordering the box there by February 13 can have their name printed on a limited edition A2 personalized poster to accompany the box set.
T Rex's The 7-Inch Singles Collection (Amazon U.S. /Amazon U.K. Links TBD) contains the following singles:
- Ride A White Swan / Is It Love / Summertime Blues
- Hot Love / Woodland Rock / The King Of The Mountain Cometh
- Get It On / There Was A Time - Raw Ramp
- Jeepster / Life's A Gas
- Telegram Sam / Cadilac / Baby Strange
- Metal Guru / Thunderwing / Lady
- Children Of The Revolution / Jitterbug Love / Sunken Rags
- Solid Gold Easy Action / Xmas Riff - Born To Boogie
- 20th Century Boy / Free Angel
- The Groover / Midnight
- Truck On (Tyke) / Sitting Here
- Teenage Dream / Satisfaction Pony
- Light Of Love / Explosive Mouth
- Zip Gun Boogie / Space Boss
- New York City / Chrome Sitar
- Dreamy Lady / Do You Wanna Dance? / Dock Of The Bay
- Christmas Bop / Telegram Sam / Metal Guru
- London Boys / Solid Baby
- I Love To Boogie / Baby Boomerang
- Laser Love / Life's An Elevator
- The Soul Of My Suit / All Alone
- Dandy In The Underworld / Groove A Little / Tame My Tiger
- Celebrate Summer / Ride My Wheels
- Crimson Moon / Jason B. Sad
- Blackjack / Squint Eye Mangle (Big Carrot)
- To Know You Is To Love You / City Port (Marc Bolan and Gloria Jones)
All of these releases can be pre-ordered at the links above!
Phil Cohen says
I'm considering buying the WHO singles box(though I've got three of those singles("Can't Explain", "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" & "My Generation" on original 1960's singles), but this is a group that has little unreleased vault material remaining. A CD release for the 2014 remix of their debut album "My Generation" would be welcome.(to date, it is only offered as a 96 Khz/24-bit download release). And perhaps a new, better mixed/mastered/compiled career-spanning CD boxed set.
As for vinyl L.P.'s, I'm quite content with the superb, German-pressed Polydor boxed set "The Who-Phases", released back in 1981. It contained "My Generation", "A Quick One", "Sell Out", "Tommy", "Live at Leeds", "Who's Next", "Quadrophenia", "The Who By Numbers" & "Who Are You".
Mister Stick says
So, when they say "remastered"... Are they saying remastered since the vinyl box set of 2012? Or are we talking about the same masters used for that release, just no box? Hmmmmmm?