The Who have become an icon of rock music like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. And like those bands, The Who have released a wealth of music, much of it classic and timeless. With the bluesy, throaty vocals of Roger Daltrey, the uncoventional drumming style of Keith Moon, the extraordinary bass of John Entwistle, and the classic, unreal guitars of Pete Townshend, The Who have endeared millions.

Having just started a few years earlier, The Who went through a state of flux that eventually assembled the lineup that we all know. Being influenced by American R & B music, The Who, like many bands in that period, recorded many covers of R & B songs. One of the things that set The Who apart was that they could pull this off convincingly. And so the stage was set for another British band to make their mark into the annals of history.

"My Generation" was the first official Who album, produced with intention, by Shel Talmy. Eventually, bad blood formed between the band and Talmy resulting in a morass of legal issues. The results created a friction only recently healed. With the rift resolved, Talmy yielded the original masters of "My Generation" that contained a number of impressive alternate takes and covers, especially of R & B songs.

Last year saw the release of Deluxe Edition, 2 CD, remastered from original tapes, "My Generation". This was a milestone for many reasons. With this reissue, a superior sounding album became available to Who fans and new fans alike. It also presented an historical depth that reveals the underpinnings of a band evolving to the stature of giants.

The entire original album is here. With the amphetamine driven, generational statement, "My Generation" and the defining "The Kids Are Alright"; the psychedelic "Circles", the great "The Good's Gone", and the James Brown covers, "Please, Please, Please" and "I Don't Mind", "My Generation" covers a wide area. But what is also included are alternate takes of "Anyway Anyhow Anywhere", and "Leaving Here" along with different versions of other songs. With the additional recorded material, this set becomes an essential document of the beginnings of one of rock's favourite child.

The DSD/SACD issue of this album goes farther to bring you the cleanest, most accurately sounding version of "My Generation" while introducing Who fans to the format. With it's release, it makes "My Generation" in DSD the only way to truly enjoy the album. Nowhere else will you find the clarity as it is provided on this disc. As good as the CD reissue is, it's that much better in DSD. It is also a compelling reason to move up in standard to the defining SACD achievement. It is a 'next step' enhancement to one of rock's most important treasures.

With the clarity of the DSD process, this album leaps out at you from the very first song, "Out in the Street". Every note, every vocal, every drumbeat is rendered here in the most satisfying of detail. Even the silence is stunningly clear.

The addition of a 32 page booklet insert into a solid super jewel case enhances the release even more. The booklet features essays by Mike Shaw, discussing how "My Generation" came to be; Shel Talmy, talking about the sessions and the album itself; and Andy Neill, with a look at the impact that the album and the band had on its audience. Included are rare photos, a reproduction of the original liner notes that include misspellings of names, and extended credits. The cover of the booklet features the UK covershot while the tray of the disc show the US shot. Interestingly, and to Universal's credit, they stamped the top of the disc itself with the original Brunswick label, giving an authentic feel to the package. With that kind of detail, we can happily fill our collections with definitive recordings.

To hear decades old music sound so good is a clear indication of where we're headed with the advent of higher resolution music. It cannot be stressed enough just how important SACD releases of our favourites are. It is an evolutionary step in muscial enjoyment. Some may grumble that we're being entrapped into yet another money grabbing scheme but this is a scheme that I'll gladly dive into if it continually updates my library with music that sounds this good.

With the original masters found for "Who's Next" and it's eventual release as an SACD (my assumption, folks), we can only celebrate the standardizing of higher resolution material to bring back the thrill of purity, releasing the depth of music and shattering the flatness of our present digital reproduction. Despite the beauty of today's remasters in redbook CD standards, SACD and DVD-Audio will always present a better way to listen to your favourites. It's why many audiophiles highly endorse high resolution.

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The Who
My Generation

SACD Quality

Released: February 11, 2003
Origination Year: 1965
Stereo RunTime: 91:35
Multi-Channel Run Time: N/A
Tracks: 30
Stereo Mix Produced by: Shel Talmy
5.1 Mix Produced by:N/A
Re-mixed by: Shel Talmy
Mastered by: Erick Labson at Univeral Mastering
Style: Studio
Format: SACD
Enhancement: DSD
Label: MCA/Brunswick/Decca
Website:
www.petetownshend.co.uk

Out in the Street
I Don't Mind
The Good's Gone
La-La-La Lies
Much Too Much
My Generation
The Kids Are Alright
Please, Please, Please
It's Not True
I'm a Man
A Legal Matter
The Ox
Circle
I Can't Explain *
Bald Headed Woman *
Daddy Rolling Stone *
Leaving Here (Alternate) **
Lubie (Come Back Home) *
Shout and Shimmy *
(Love is Like a) Heatwave *
Motoring *
Anytime You Want Me *
Anyway Anyhow Anywhere (Alternate) ***
Instant Party Mixture **
I Don't Mind (Full Length Version) **
The Good's Gone (Full Length Version) **
My Generation (Instrumental Version) **
Any Time You Want Me (A Cappella Version) **
A Legal Matter ****
My Generation ****