The Who - Live from Toronto

Two CD set in a fold out digipack, The Who Live From Toronto is a 1982 concert performance by one of the greatest rock bands of all time! Recorded at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto during their North American tour, this show features 21 Who greats including 'My Generation', 'Squeeze Box', 'Who Are You', 'Baba O'Riley', 'I Can't Explain', 'Pinball Wizard', 'Won't Get Fooled Again', 'Love Reign O'er Me', 'Eminence Front', 'Boris The Spider' and more. Featuring the microphone-swinging Roger Daltrey, the power-chord crunching Pete Townshend, the quiet Ox John Entwistle and former Small Faces drummer Kenny Jones assisted by Tim Gorman on keyboards. Also available separately on DVD. Immortal. 2006. Album Description

Nice, yet riddled with minor problems

The Who - Live From Toronto is a decent enough live release. It is The Who (circa 1982) and you have the hits played live. That being said, this release really doesn't do the band any favors.

The sound quality is not all that great, but it ain't bad. Other reviews call this a glorified bootleg. I would say that it is better than a bootleg, but not by much. I think it is satisfactory for the average music consumer.

This also does not include the entire concert. It edits out "Cry If You Want." One of the band's least-essential songs, but it should've been kept in, if only to keep the entire concert intact. [I realize that CD time limits may have necessitated the need to edit this release, but still...]

The packaging is terrible. The b/w cover shot (and color booklet cover) of Roger Daltrey is from 1985's Live Aid! The other shots on the cover (and inside and back cover) are stills from the video/broadcast of the same concert. Ho hum. The disc holder inlay photos are 60's-era shots of the band. Huh? Can you say, "out of place?" [I also personally hate digipaks, but we don't have a choice here.]

Finally, there are no producer (or other similar recording) credits here. I guess that Immortal Records doesn't want to give credit where credit is due? October 14, 2007

"BOUT TIME THIS GOT PUT ON DVD

This is the best concert that THE WHO has ever performed, and I am so glad that this is finally been released as a CD/DVD package. I bought this as soon as I saw it for under $20 at Wal-Mart. PETE TOWNSHEND'S guitar sounds outstanding and he can certainly swing the living daylights out of his arm, JOHN ESTWINSTLE'S bass guitar really stands out, and ROGER DALTREY'S vocals and microphone swinging (especially when he swings in into PETE'S guitar cord at the beginning of 5:15) really shine. PETE and JOHN singing really shine too. Plus, ex-SMALL FACES drummer KENNEY JONES really knows how to play them drums. He may not be wild like the late KEITH MOON, but he should not be considered as only a replacement drummer. Also, TIM GORMAN keyboard playing and harmony singing make their music sound like the studio version. All of their songs on this cd and dvd package sound a whole lot electrifying then the studio version. It is really a plain shame that the 1973 double album "QUADUAPHENIA" was never performed live in its entirely the same year this concert was performed. August 17, 2007

Audio is terrible

The audio on this concert is horrible. It sounds as though a microphone was placed in front of a TV and recorded. I could do better with my old stereo from 1985.

If you want to compare, listen to the bonus live tracks on the remastered It's Hard CD. The tracks are from the same show. On It's Hard's version of Eminence Front, the guitar solo is piercing and you can hear each of the members of the band clearly. On Live from Toronto, it is a muddled mess.

I have to believe that Pete Townshend or Roger Daltrey did not play a role in this release, because it is third rate. This concert was on HBO in the early 1980's, and I was looking forward to its release. Now, I am disappointed I made the purchase. May 29, 2007

The Who- Live from Toronto- '82

Fantastic CD for any Who devotee. The additions of Kenney Jones on the drums (although short-lived) & John "Rabbit" Bundrick from Texas (kind of replaced the explosive drum work of Keith Moon), proved to make this one of the best Who concerts I've ever heard. I highly recommend you purchase the DVD as well, so you can see Roger & Pete at their best. May 7, 2007

This one's for completists only

Contrary to some other opinions, the Who is so not at their best here. They sound incredibly ordinary, and it's easy to see why they'd want to close up shop after this one if it's the best they could do. Their best live record, of course, is Live at Leeds, and I'd recommend finding an original release without the bonus material. The extra tracks are often extraordinary, but the original is a perfect disc. The Isle of Wight live disc was recorded just months later, and has a stronger set list but inferior sound. The best live disc without Moon is Live at the Royal Albert Hall. Some of it tops Leeds. Completists and Entwistle fetishists will enjoy Toronto for the Ox songs, Sister Disco, Drowned (full band version, Pete singing) and Eminence Front. REO Speedwagon fans will enjoy all the rest. April 15, 2007

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