The Who – Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 1970 (SBM Remastered 1996) (2-CD)

Small wonder this final Isle of Wight Festival became a semi-legendary rock weekend - the Who played it as though they'd been reborn for the occasion. In a sense, they had been reborn - 1969, their exhaustive, no questions asked breakout year (thanks to "Tommy," of course) went off with a few hitches and almost a collapse (Pete Townshend, suffering back trouble, almost broke down but for some medical relief enough to get the band through Woodstock). But by the time they hit the Isle of Wight (where they'd been an equal hit the previous year), they were, seemingly, revived and energised to overflowing, because they cranked out a set beyond even their own usual standard of firepower. This set has the incontrovertible proof that the legend of the Who's white heat at that final Isle of Wight wasn't hyperbolic.
In fact, "Live At The Isle of Wight Festival 1970" makes "Live at Leeds" sound like a brave but tired warmup date. Keith Moon is attacking his skins, rather than merely rolling them. John Entwistle is stonily commanding over his precisely dug bass lines. Roger Daltrey's dramatic, theatric snarl and howl is in near-perfect depth and resonance, and he has stronger control of that instrument than he had the previous year. And Pete Townshend, flagging not one step, nails power chord after power chord, dropping only here and there but somehow making it fit the moment, while his arrestingly spare solos - this set if nothing else should dissolve any doubts that he was truly an excellent lead guitarist (so he didn't shred? News flash: with his taste and precision, he didn't have to) - lock on and stay on song while delivering some eerily staying lines.
But the Who was always greater than the sum of its considerable parts, and they're locked into perfect shape through the entire set, from the bristling "Heaven And Hell" (one of John Entwistle's best compositions) which opens the set to the staccato stomping "Magic Bus" which closes it, even if this version isn't quite as shattering as the tour-de-force which closes "Live At Leeds". Through those and through all the high points in between - a searing "Young Man Blues," an almost beatific (at least, on the Who's terms, and never mind the occasional dropped phrases here and there) "Tommy" (most of it, anyway; I was kind of disappointed that, considering Townshend and Entwistle's flair for unexpected, spot tandem improvising, that they didn't have a whack at "Underture"), and an engagingly loopy medley off "Shakin' All Over" (let's face it: only the Who would have been looney enough to medley that classic to "Spoonful" and "Twist And Shout" and get away with it.) - you get a textbook argument for the Who as THE outstanding live concert act in rock and roll as the 1960s turned to the 1970s. Put it next to "Live at Leeds" and "The Kids Are Alright" and it goes from textbook argument to final verdict.

Please note that these are old but good rips (without logs), made with an old EAC version, and coming from my archives on external hard disc.

Personnel:

Roger Daltrey - Vocals & Harmonica
John Entwistle - Bass Guitar & Vocals
Keith Moon - Drums & Vocals
Pete Townsend - Guitar & Vocals

Tracklists:

CD 1:

01. Heaven and Hell
02. I Can't Explain
03. Young Man Blues
04. I Don't Even Know Myself
05. Water
06. Overture
07. It's a Boy
08. 1921
09. Amazing Journey
10. Sparks
11. Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker)
12. Christmas

CD 2:

01. Acid Queen
02. Pinball Wizard
03. Do You Think It's Alright?
04. Fiddle About
05. Tommy, Can You Hear Me?
06. There's a Doctor
07. Go to the Mirror!
08. Smash the Mirror
09. Miracle Cure
10. I'm Free
11. Tommy's Holiday Camp
12. We're Not Gonna Take It
13. Summertime Blues
14. Shakin' All Over/Spoonful/Twist and Shout
15. Substitute
16. My Generation
17. Naked Eye
18. Magic Bus

Original Recording Was Made For The Soundtrack Of The Film Of "The Who Live At The Isle Of White Festival 1970," Produced And Directed By Murray Lerner

SBM Remastered 1996
Produced By Jon Astley & Andy MacPherson
Mixed By Andy McPherson & Jon Astley At Revolution Studios, Manchester
Mastered At Chop Em Out By Simon Heyworth & Jon Astley

Sound Quality: 8/9