The Who - Who's Last

This album was the only release for years that was most like a complete Who Concert. his disc includes many good live versions of their classics. 'Magic Bus' being the highlight of the whole set. In a whole it is a good Who album and is a good document of the '82 tour. MCA. 2003. Album Description

The Who at Last

It's 1982 and Pete Townsend fresh out of Rehab is back on tour leaping and jumping about- we are so lucky to still have this rock legend alive - he almost died in the back of a british taxi in late 1981 from cocaine stuck up his nose - the fast thinking cabbie found him lying blue in the backseat - He really went down hill after many kids got killed at 1979 Ohio gig - Kids piled up in a doorway after a sound check started - there was a Time magizine story on The Who just before saying this might be thier last tour etc - fearing missing the show people kept pushing till people were crushed to death - The Who didn't even know it happened till after the concert was over - Pete flipped out backstage over it -I think he blamed himself for it all and going on after Keith Moon died in 1978 that led to this sad tragety. I just know this ate him up alive after a radio interview in 1980 I heard once - the guy asked him how he felt about all the kids that got killed and hurt etc.. he just exploded ranting about I don't care about anybody I'm just a selfish old bastered - etc then got up and left the station all upset and in tears by reports of people there - Kenny Jones was a good drummer I don't care what anybody says - he last played with the Who two times in 1985 at Live Aid and another gig in 1988 for a charity event - he also got in a real bad auto accident in 1986 resulting in many injuries that might be why he didn't tour later - The Who used Pete's drummer in 1989 for the Tommy 20 year anniversery tour from Empty Glass and Chinese Eye's Album's etc..This 1982 recording is not bad but it's the new look Who sound from the It's hard and Face Dances era - the bad rap or should I say crap about poor Kenny really started when Good Morning America had the Who on in 1981 - the lady asked Kenny how many Albums of the Who he played on and it came out that he played on half of Who Are You album too because Moon was too strung out to play in the studio etc... needless to say the hard core fans resented it - but Kenny did play on many tracks of Who Are You like Music Must Change etc.. He was a good friend of Moon's too and was chosen by him if anything should happen to him etc..? Anyway Pete liked Kenny anyhow anywhere - So in perspective you see why this album has it's faults - but look at what they had to go through this period to make it - Moon Died in 78 - 14 kids died and many others got hurt in 79 - Pete had to file for bankrupcy in 81 from his bad business efforts and went to the Betty Ford Clinic to clean out his drug and mental problems - This Period of the Who sounds a lot like Pete's solo albums of the same period to me - Roger's voice is not bad but better on earlier efforts - I know they had sound problems on this tour so maybe that's why - The Clash opened up for the Who in Philadelphia PA USA at JFK Stadium on this tour - Pete looked cooler there he had a red bandana on his head and bluejean jacket and pants with a purple shirt - That was a great show - too bad they didn't film that one - even the Clash would be good to see now after all these years I think he used the same gold Telecaster he used a Live Aid and the Who's last concert Video worth searching out too - anyway I feel the smaller 1981 shows like the Spectrum Arena were better before Pete went to Rehab - he had more fire then in his playing even though he seemed to lose his balance alot and seemed a little unsteady on some jumping songs etc.He even had trouble at times doing the jump kick routine like he ran out of energy or was too weak to do - one routine he did later was to extend his arms out and shake his hips that looked pretty cool on stage .when he played the black Telecaster he sounded the best for some reason and seam louder too - I don't think he used it on any songs on this CD - I can tell it had a unique sound that I perfered to the other Telecasters he used then - you can see him useing it on the 1981 Another Tricky Day Video for MTV - it's in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame now even has the same strap on it - yes the same town as the tragedy - God life is crazy isn't it the irony of it all - the town Rock n Roll was born in - That had to kill Pete to go there for the dedication - I just know it - poor guy I know that really effected him negatively - even his music got weird after it happened when you think about it - It just doesn't have the vision he had earlier - maybe Rock really is dead - The OX sounds great as usual on here - great bass player for sure - I heard a interview with him about this Who's last recordings - when they got back to the studio to everybody's horror the bass tracks were all too low to hear - so he had to set up the same stage set up in the studio around 1984 to redo all the bass tracks on here so the tapes could be used as a new quality product etc.. he said he played every track excatly as possible to the concert performances as he could remember them or by listening to the lame volume levels on the bass tracks and copy that as much as possible - that's why this album took so long to come out in late 1984 almost two years after the tour - at the time he thought it was thier last tour so he redid the tracks etc. - this has been done a lot in rock for various reasons - usually Vocals - his bass on this tour and Live Aid hangs in a Hard Rock Cafe in Germany now - When I hear this CD I think of all this above as a excuss for it's lack of energy to me - It's not Kids Are Alright it's Pete Burned Out - it's the Bass too low - it's a lame I can't Explain for the Two Thousandth Time - it's 1982 and the Who look like dinosaurs even then - I remember thinking then look how old they look - but comparing it to now they look like kids then in 1982 - To me Pete Townsend is the Godfather of modern Rock as we know it - he's your typical Rock Star - Great Song Writer that burns money and then starts a Charity - Bankrupcy - Groupies - Almost died of drugs- lost two good friends in the band - Visionary too - he said the internet is the future of music in 1993 and everybody at the seminar got up and walked out on his lecture he was giving laughing and shaking thier heads - Who's laughing now - now music sales have crashed Pete's still playing and touring when newer bands went all down the drain what a shame - This is not the Who's best but essential to any fan just the same - It's a real hard game now in Rock n Roll - even the news is used against people in this business to get rid of people in it - the list is endless of destroyed bands in this game - that could be why the Who got back together it's just too hard going solo now and make it pay like a big group does etc.. - The Two are still touring - these two guy's are fighter's there not quiting yet - sometime I think these guy's will tour into the wheel chair stage of life if they have too - Live shows are where the money is always was and will be - Long Live Rock December 16, 2007

Dissapointing

The lack of the newer material, poor sound quality, and just the impression these guys were just plain tired of it all make this the Who's recorded low point. All of these songs have sounded much better before and since. Unless you are a Who completist (I am :)), let this one go. September 17, 2007

Not There Best but could be better

I think that this has the pential to be one of there best the songs in the cd are great. I whould give the seclection if songs a 4 but I give the sound Quality a 2. I whish they would put out a remastered version and clean up the sound. Then I probbaly whould give it a 5 but intil they do that It only gets a 3 May 26, 2007

Regardless what other reviewers said...I like it

I found the later copy that has all 17 tracks on a single cd...was a British Import.

The sound quality is far better than the other recordings I have encountered from that era....as well as the boots of the 1982 Mapleleaf Gardens Concert on Dec 17, 1982.

What you're getting here is basically a smorgasbord of tracks from that 1982 Farewell Tour...from a varied venue. I still found the recording quality to be fairly consistent....taking in consideration different stages and different acoustics....all the technical variables that contribute to the sound of a recording. All in all..I consider it to be a valued assett to any fans Who collection. Many of the purests thumb their nose at these recordings, as they prefer the band in the Keith Moon days. Kenny Jones gave the band the opportunity to keep going thru 2 more excellent studio albums and he also supplied a rock steady percussive foundation...something Keith frequently lacked in. Keith was a dramatic showman and percussive whirlwind....but much of the time...his performance got in the way of his ability to lock down a solid groove with John. Kenny permitted the band that foundation to cut loose with. Johns bass rips thru like a razor and locks in tightly with Kennys drumming.

I have the complete Toronto show on CD....and attended 2 shows from that tour....this CD brings back those memories nicely. August 26, 2006

The Sub-Par Who Live Album.

Although The Who are the epitamy of "Arena Rock Gods", this album isn't their best live work. If you are looking for a CD of a grab back of live Who from most of their album material, this is a good start. There are much better Who live albums though. The quinessential live Who album is Live at Leeds: Deluxe Edition. Although the Leeds album is magnificent, it only encompasses the early Who and the 1969 - 1970 period. There are many other era's of Who music to experience live. To feel out the Live Who, I would suggest these for the different areas.

1971 - 1973: Who's Next: Deluxe Edition. The second CD of this contains one of their Lifehouse Concerts at the Young Vic Theatre in London.

1974 - 1977: The Who By Numbers (Remastered) Because it contains three songs from this period live. There isn't too much live stuff from this era that has been released on official CD's

1978: The Kids Are Alright

1979 - 1981: The Remastered Versions of "Face Dances" and "It's Hard"

1982: Who's Last

1989 - 1990: Join Together October 29, 2005

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