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lemonade kid
Old Love
USA
9873 Posts |
 Posted - 08/03/2015 : 15:05:09
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The Who - Who's For Tennis?
The Who Ð WhoÕs For Tennis?
(soniclovenoize reconstruction)
....albums that never were, blog spot, quite a cool site.
http://albumsthatneverwere.blogspot.com
GLOW GIRL...from Who Sell Out, but which would have been on Who's For Tennis it it had been released...obviously the seed for Tommy...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pys91ahqtxg
No one makes a sound...
It's a girl Mrs. Walker
It's a girl.
Side A:
1. Glow Girl
2. Fortune Teller
3. GirlÕs Eyes
4. Dogs
5. Call Me Lightning
6. Melancholia
Side B:
7. Faith in Something Bigger
8. Early Morning: Cold Taxi
9. Little Billy
10. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
11. ShakinÕ All Over
12. Magic Bus
A long-desired blog-follower request, this is my reconstruction of the proposed and promptly withdrawn 1968 album WhoÕs For Tennis? by The Who. Originally intend as a proper studio album (or live album, as some maintain) that would have been released in-between The Who Sell Out and Tommy, the idea for the album was scrapped and the recorded material instead came out as either single releases or remained in the vaults. This reconstruction draws from numerous sources to create a completely stereo, cohesive album, utilizing the best mastering available and is volume-adjusted for aural continuity. Also, a completely new and unique stereo mix of ÒDr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeÓ was created, unavailable elsewhere and exclusive to this reconstruction.
Riding as high as they possibly could from 1967Õs The Who Sell Out, a concept album recorded to emulate British pirate radio stations, The Who embarked on tours of Australia and the United States throughout 1968, biding their time until their next concept album. During this time, Pete Townshend began composing what he believed could be his magnum opus, a rock opera that spanned an entire album-length (rather than a single-song Ôpocket-operaÕ such as ÒA Quick One While HeÕs AwayÓ) about a deaf, dumb and blind kid (who sure played a mean pinball). Such a lofty project required time to compose and demo properly, and the album was set to be recorded that fall. But in an attempt to keep up with their British rock contemporaries such as The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and The Kinks who could release an entire album of material every year, the question was proposed: what album would The Who release in 1968 to fill the stopgap until TownshendÕs rock opera, which at best would be released in early 1969?
Thus The WhoÕs manager and producer Kit Lambert proposed an album entitled WhoÕs For Tennis? to be released that July of 1968, meant to capitalize on the upcoming Wimbledon Championships. The album would have included all new recordings as well as any number of the relevant outtakes from the previous yearÕs Sell Out sessions, which had produced a wealth of non-LP material. In January and February of 1968, The Who recorded TownshendÕs ÒFaith in Something BiggerÓ, ÒGlow GirlÓ and ÒLittle BillyÓ, the later written for the American Cancer Society for an anti-smoking campaign. Also recorded during these initial sessions was a very old Who song originally dating from 1964 called ÒCall Me LightningÓ, and bassist John EntwhistleÕs own ÒDr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeÓ, yet another ÔscaryÕ childrenÕs song. After embarking on their spring tour of the US directly after the February recording sessions, The Who returned to the studio in May and June and recorded seven more tracks: Townshend originals ÒDogsÓ, ÒMelancholiaÓ, ÒMagic BusÓ, ÒJoysÓ and ÒFacts of LifeÓ as well as live staples of old blues covers ÒFortune TellerÓ and ÒShakinÕ All OverÓ.
With twelve new studio recordings in the can, the absurd idea of WhoÕs For Tennis? was eventually withdrawn as the summer drew upon The Who. Instead of an entire album, just three of the tracks trickled out as single-releases: the US single ÒCall Me LightningÓ b/w ÒDr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeÓ and itÕs UK counterpart ÒDogsÓ b/w ÒCall Me LightningÓ. Neither single charted particularly well, becoming long-forgotten Who singles. There was also some discussion of a live album of The WhoÕs performance at The Fillmore East to be released in WhoÕs For Tennis?Õs place (some sources claim the WhoÕs For Tennis? concept was this live album rather than a studio album of the 1968 recordings) but the performances were a bit too sloppy and were set aside. The final decision was to instead release the single ÒMagic BusÓ as well as two cash-grab compilations: The Magic Bus: The Who On Tour in the US, and Direct Hits in the UK. The decision paid off, as ÒMagic BusÓ became a long-time fan favorite and live staple for The Who for years to come. This was enough to bide the bandÕs time until Townshend could see, feel, touch and heal his rock opera into fruition, even as much as pillaging the outro of the now-canned ÒGlow GirlÓ into TommyÕs ÒOverture/ItÕs A BoyÓ.
The remaining tracks were left unheard for years, with each slowly trickling out on anthology collections: first on Odds and Sods in 1974; then on Rarities volumes 1 & 2 in 1983; and finally the Maximum R&B boxset in 1993. Aside from the tracks that remain in the vault to this day (ÒShakinÕ All OverÓ, ÒJoysÓ and ÒFacts of LifeÓ), Who fans have just enough material to reconstruct what this theoretical 1968 stopgap album would have been. Various fansÕ track sequences tend to utilize the same 12-or-so tracks recorded during this period but the actual track sequences fluctuate wildly, as there never was a finalized tracklist. The only concrete information we have (beyond a title) is that it would have been a ÔpreachyÕ album (a reference to the inclusion of ÒLittle BillyÓ and ÒFaith in Something BiggerÓ) and the album would have opened with ÒGlow GirlÓ. Keep in mind that allegedly Sell Out outtakes and non-LP tracks would have been used as filler on WhoÕs For Tennis?, which could have included any of the following songs: ÒPictures of LilyÓ, ÒDoctor, DoctorÓ, ÒGlittering GirlÓ, ÒHall of the Mountain KingÓ, ÒSodding AboutÓ, ÒEarly Morning: Cold TaxiÓ, ÒGirlÕs EyesÓ, ÒSummertime BluesÓ, ÒSomeoneÕs ComingÓ. What would have actually been on WhoÕs For Tennis? While there is no possible answer, we can certainly know what is on this reconstruction!
Side A begins with the only clue Pete Townshend has left us: the album starts with ÒGlow GirlÓ, which would have also been a single, here sourced from the best-sounding version from the Sell Out remaster. Following is ÒFortune TellerÓ taken from the 30 Years of Maximum R&B boxset. The first of my chosen Sell Out outtakes follows (using only the ones that seemed to stylistically and sonically match the rest of the 1968 material): Keith MoonÕs ÒGirlÕs EyesÓ, again taken from Maximum R&B. Mellowing down a bit, the unique stereo mix of ÒDogsÓ taken from the Maximum R&B set is next, followed by mod-rocker ÒCall Me LightningÓ, using the true stereo mix (albeit frustratingly narrow) again found on Maximum R&B. Side A closes with the epic rocker ÒMelancholiaÓ, once again taken from the Maximum R&B set.
Side B opens with TownshendÕs admittedly preachy ÒFaith in Something BiggerÓ from Odds and Sods, followed by a song that seemed a bit ahead of its time in terms to social acceptance to the health hazards of smoking: ÒLittle BillyÓ, using the superior master from Odds and Sods. Next is the second Sell Out outtake which fits in with the sound of The Who circa 1968, Roger DaltreyÕs ÒEarly Morning: Cold TaxiÓ, also taken from the Maximum R&B box set.
Midway through side B we come upon the two truly unique mixes on my reconstruction. First, a completely new stereo mix of the otherwise mono ÒDr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeÓ is created when syncing up the two different mono mixes. Panned at 9 oÕclock to the left is the mono mix found on the Rarities album that features prominent drums; panned at 3 oÕclock to the right is the mono mix found on the vinyl-only release of Magic Bus: The Who On Tour that features prominent backing vocals and sound effects. Because both versions are mixed differently enough, we are able to create an interesting stereo spectrum. At some points, the two mixes fall out of sync, creating a sweeping phase effect; while this is usually unwanted, I thought the effect was particularly effective in the creepy psychedelic track, and I left it in! While ÒShakinÕ All OverÓ was recorded during the May 1968 sessions, no recordings of the track have been released nor leaked. Instead, I present here a soundboard recording of the song taken from their Fillmore East performance, a nod to the brief concept that WhoÕs For Tennis? might have been a live album from that date anyways. Edited to a more modest length, I also personally remixed the crusty-sounding soundboard recording to emulate the mixing found during the ending of ÒMelancholiaÓ by reducing the volume and high end of the guitar in the left channel, and raising the high end of the drums in the right channel as well as bringing them in a bit to about 3 oÕclock. Concluding the noisy performanceÑand the album as a wholeÑis ÒMagic BusÓ, the stereo mix taken from Odds and Sods, which featured the most natural mastering in my opinion.
With cover art brilliantly reimagined by Jon Hunt (thanks Jon!) as the icing on the cake, we have twelve songs evenly spread over two shorter sides, in tandem with their previous three albums. And what of the quality of this audio tennis match? The most points scored here is for the drastic change from mod-pop into full-blown rock icons. Here we hear the band beefing up their sound and more importantly Roger Daltrey shifting from the slight, short-haired teen-pop singer of ÒIÕm A BoyÓ and ÒSubstituteÓ into the wailing, bare-chested, long-haired rock star of Tommy, WhoÕs Next and Quadrophenia. Listening to the album, we now see how The Who went from Sell Out to Tommy. But taking the album into a whole, we can understand why WhoÕs For Tennis? was left out: while there are some great songs here, the album as a whole is pretty weak, scatterbrained and honestly a bit corny. Regardless, this reconstruction offers a missing piece of The WhoÕs history, an excellent addition to their album discography as it, at the very least, collects a number of non-LP songs that would be quite an annoyance to gather piecemeal. Let the match begin!
Flac-part 1
http://www32.zippyshare.com/v/80437869/file.html
Flac-part 2
http://www32.zippyshare.com/v/29629867/file.html
Sources used:
30 Years of Maximum R&B (1992 original CD master)
Fillmore East: 6 April 1968 (bootleg CD, Sunrise Records)
Magic Bus - The Who On Tour (1968 unknown vinyl rip)
Odds & Sods (1998 Polydor CD remaster)
Rarities vols I & II (2004 Polydor CD remaster)
flac --> wav --> editing in SONAR, Goldwave and Audacity --> flac encoding via TLH lv8
*md5, artwork and track notes included
Posted by soniclovenoize at 12:06 PM
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"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music".
-Aldous Huxley
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underture
Fifth Love
482 Posts |
Posted - 09/03/2015 : 14:09:04
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Thank goodness the Who didn't release this. It is straw grasping at it's height, and even Pete and Kit Lambert couldn't go for something this gimmicky. At this point the Who were accurately described by Daltrey as going down the drain. Really corny singles that weren't up to what they had done previously. Their booking fees dropped during this time, and they even did a kids morning show to keep up their media exposure.
But it all changed, as Pete described it, through a young lad named Thomas in 1969.
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lemonade kid
Old Love
USA
9873 Posts |
Posted - 09/03/2015 : 18:22:03
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quote:
Originally posted by underture
Thank goodness the Who didn't release this. It is straw grasping at it's height, and even Pete and Kit Lambert couldn't go for something this gimmicky. At this point the Who were accurately described by Daltrey as going down the drain. Really corny singles that weren't up to what they had done previously. Their booking fees dropped during this time, and they even did a kids morning show to keep up their media exposure.
But it all changed, as Pete described it, through a young lad named Thomas in 1969.
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You set the scene
Yeah, pretty bad, though a few tracks are worthwhile classics, they are diminished by the rest. The old adage that one rotten apple can spoil the whole barrel is apropo.
Many albums that never were (SMiLE, The Herd (Springfield) are legendary and made us pine for their release. We never hoped for the day with this one.
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"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music".
-Aldous Huxley
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underture
Fifth Love
482 Posts |
Posted - 09/03/2015 : 19:29:15
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Good observation LK. You had a "what if" thread a while ago about had Lifehouse come to full fruition, which would have been on par both artistically and significance with Smile, etc... THAT is the great lost Who album, IMO. The Who grew greatly in just two years, and if Lifehouse ever fulfilled Pete's vision for it (live concert/film/double album/dare I say internet) or even a sliver of his scheme it would have been one of rock's most notable achievements. He just reached way beyond what was possible and we got "Who's Next" as a consolation prize...not a bad replacement
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You set the scene |
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THE WHO-Who's For Tennis 1967 unreleased
