A seemingly random "greatest" compilation released by MCA following the band's first farewell tour in 1982. The selection doesn't really seemed aimed at US buyers - the group's highest charting US hit didn't make the cut - maybe we weren't the target audience? As allmusic states, "it should not be seen as a definitive collection or even as a good introduction -- it's just an entertaining sampler." But it went double platinum so what the hell do I know?
Album chart peaks:
- US Billboard 200: #94
- CashBox: #88
Tracks:
Song | Year | US | UK |
Substitute | 1966 | 5 | |
The Seeker | 1970 | 44 | 19 |
Magic Bus | 1968 | 25 | 26 |
My Generation | 1965 | 74 | 2 |
Pinball Wizard | 1969 | 19 | 4 |
Happy Jack | 1966 | 24 | 3 |
Won't Get Fooled Again | 1971 | 15 | 9 |
My Wife | 1971 | ||
Squeeze Box | 1975 | 16 | 10 |
The Relay | 1972 | 39 | 21 |
5:15 | 1973 | 45 | 20 |
Love Reign O'er Me | 1973 | 76 | |
Who Are You | 1978 | 14 | 18 |
Missing US Top 40 hits: I Can See For Miles (#9, 1967), Call Me Lightning (#40, 1968), I'm Free (#37, 1969), Summertime Blues (#27, 1970), See Me Feel Me (#12, 1970), Behind Blue Eyes (#34, 1971), Join Together (#17, 1972), You Better You Bet (#18, 1981), and Athena (#28, 1982). Throw in a little Baba O'Riley plus the above tracks and you've got a helluva second CD.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: My good friend Richard was a big Who fan having seen them in concert at the Kinetic Playground in Chicago in the late '60s. He was also an early adopter of compact disc technology in the mid-'80s. As a result, this was one of the first CDs he purchased, so quite likely one of the first CDs I ever heard. In 2021, the world lost Richard to Wegener's disease and he is greatly missed. And I'll be honest with you, getting through this CD proved much more difficult than I thought it might be.
Your humble blogger & Richard, December 1987 There's a good chance we may have listened to this compilation that very night. |
Previously revisited for the blog:
The Millennium Collection (1999)
The Who's Tommy - Original Cast Recording (1993)
Face Dances (1981)
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