Friday, October 31, 2014

50 years ago: The Supremes hit #1 with “Baby Love”

Baby Love

The Supremes

Writer(s): Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Eddie Holland (see lyrics here)


Released: September 17, 1964


First Charted: October 3, 1964


Peak: 14 US, 12 CB, 2 GR, 14 HR, 14 RB, 12 UK, 10 CN, 26 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.)


Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.25 UK, 1.25 world (includes US + UK)


Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, 21.0 video, 167.61 streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

The Supremes first topped the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1964 with “Where Did Our Love Go.” When “Baby Love” also made it to #1, the trio became the first Motown act to top the Billboard Hot 100 a second time. They would top the chart a dozen times total, more than any other Motown act or American pop music group. WK This was the first #1 in the UK for a Motown group and the Supremes’ only chart-topper there. It “catapulted [them] to the top of Motown’s artist roster.” FB

The song was written by the Motown writing team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland. The trio wrote many of the Supremes chart-toppers, including “Where Did Our Love Go,” “Come See About Me,” “Stop! In the Name of Love,” “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “Back in My Arms Again,” and “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.” They also wrote #1 songs for the Four Tops (“Reach Out (I’ll Be There),” “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)”) and the Marvelettes (“Please Mr. Postman”).

Dozier explained that this song was about “my first love who I never really got over.” He said many of the songs he wrote for Motown were inspired by her. SF Brian Holland explained “We pictured a simple story about a girl whose boyfriend has left her and who loves him very dearly and would like the boy to come back.” SF

Motown head honcho Berry Gordy insisted that the Holland-Dozier-Holland team produce a sound-a-like follow-up for “Where Did Our Love Go.” That mean more of Diana Ross’s “cooing lead vocal and oohing, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson’s ‘baby-baby’ backup, the Funk Brothers’ instrumental track, and teenager Mike Valvano’s footstomping.” WK The stomping percussion became a trade mark on early Supremes’ songs, SF “putting their peers to shame in almost every area.” TB

The song received a Grammy nomination for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording.


Resources:


Related Links:


First posted 3/12/2021; last updated 4/3/2023.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Taylor Swift released 1989

1989

Taylor Swift


Released: October 27, 2014


Peak: 111 US, 11 UK, 19 CN, 19 AU


Sales (in millions): 9.0 US, 1.25 UK, 12.71 world (includes US and UK)


Genre: pop


Tracks:

Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts.

  1. Welcome to New York (Taylor Swift/Ryan Tedder) [3:32] (11/8/14, 48 US)
  2. Blank Space (Swift/Max Martin/Shellback) [3:51] (11/10/14, 17 US, 14 AC, 16 A40, 4 UK, 16 CA, 13 AU, sales: 11.68 million worldwide)
  3. Style (Swift/Martin/Shellback/Ali Payami) [3:51] (11/15/14, 6 US, 12 AC, 12 A40, 21 UK, 6 CA, 8 AU, sales: 2.98 million worldwide)
  4. Out of the Woods (Swift/Jack Antonoff) [Antonoff/Swift/Martin] (11/1/14, 18 US, 8 CN, 19 AU, sales: 0.5 million)
  5. All You Had to Do Was Stay (Swift/Martin) [3:13] (11/15/14, 92 CN)
  6. Shake It Off (Swift/Martin/Shellback) [3:39] (8/18/14, 14 US, 15 AC, 18 A40, 58a CW, 3 UK, 14 CA, 13 AU, sales: 10.36 million worldwide)
  7. I Wish You Would (Swift/Antonoff) [3:27]
  8. Bad Blood (Swift/Martin/Shellback) [3:31] (11/15/14, 11 US, 11 AC, 13 A40, 4 UK, 11 CN, 13 AU, sales: 2.55 million worldwide)
  9. Wildest Dreams (Swift/Martin/Shellback) [3:40] (11/15/14, 5 US, 2 AC, 14 A40, 40 UK, 4 CN, 3 AU, sales: 3.62 million worldwide)
  10. How You Get the Girl (Swift/Martin/Shellback) [4:10] (11/15/14, 81 CN)
  11. This Love (Swift) [4:10] (11/15/14, 84 CN)
  12. I Know Places (Swift/Tedder) [3:15]
  13. Clean (Swift/Imogen Heap) [4:30]


Total Running Time: 48:41

Rating:

3.648 out of 5.00 (average of 13 ratings)


Quotable: 1989 is the Thriller of the 2010s.” – Consequence of Sound


Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album:

1989 is the Thriller of the 2010s.” CS’19 The New York Times’ Jon Caramanica said Swift was aiming for “a mode of timelessness that few true pop stars even bother aspiring to.” WK “It’s the true-blue pop album that doesn’t die, storming through one month after another, until you sit back and go, ‘Jesus Christ, that came out two years ago?’” CS’19 “Every song feels and sounds like a smash hit, and half of them actually were.” AV “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space,” and “Bad Blood” “became part of our American life the same way ‘Beat It,’ ‘Billie Jean,’ and ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Something’ became American FM traditions.” CS’19

“Out of all of Swift’s post-country albums, 1989 remains her most fully realized,” UD the moment that “saw her shake off any remaining country trappings to become a gleaming synthpop behemoth.” GU This was “a love letter to the Pet Shop Boys and Eurythmics, all glossy synths, icy snares.” RS’20 Swift had experimented with “blatant pop music on the still country-tinged RedRS’19 but with 1989 she took “the biggest risk of her career.” RS’11

The album, named after Swift’s birth year, saw Swift “replacing acoustic guitars and pedal steel with multi-layered synthscapes, drum machines, and densely packed vocal tracking.” SL She maintained the “savvy, self-aware lyrics” NME she’d honed in “writing astutely observed country ballads” SL such that 1989’s “standout tracks retain the narrative detail and clever metaphor-building that distinguished Swift’s early songs.” SL “Shedding her younger skin and going for broke with a new identity” BB proved fruitful. “Everything on this blockbuster collection sounded timeless.” NME

Swift called it her most “sonically cohesive” studio album. WK It generally satisfied her critics as well. The Guardian’s Alexis Petridis said the album is full of “undeniable melodies and huge, perfectly turned choruses and nagging hooks.” WK Billboard said “it was big, bright and fun, even in her more lovelorn moments” BB and the AV Club said “it’s smart and cheeky by turns, expertly produced but also resolutely human.” AV “Every note and marketing stunt seems carefully planned, sure, but…[it] was far from pre-fab. It’s one of those incredibly rare records that unites everyone from jaded music critics to tweens, a phenomenon that might seem perfectly manufactured but is in fact a kind of rare cosmic event.” AV

1989 became Swift’s third album to sell more than a million copies in its first week, making her the first artist to do so. WK The 1.287 million tally was the highest sales week since 2002 WK and 1989 was the only album in 2014 to exceed a million in sales. WK Swift also won her second Grammy for Album of the Year.

“Shake It Off”

She also repeated herself in leading off with a Max Martin and Shellback produced single (Shake It Off) which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, just as she’d done with “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” in 2012. With its “undeniable energy” AV her reply to detractors was “the ‘Hey Ya’ of 2014.” AV It was certified double platinum by the RIAA before the album was even released and became her biggest Billboard Hot 100 hit to date, amassing 50 weeks on the chart. IS The song, a reply to Swift’s detractors, was supported by a video which would surpass 2 billion views.

“Blank Space”

Lyrically, Swift is at her most experimental and self-referential, like on the cheeky Blank Space.” RS’19 The “minimalist electropop” WK of the official second single and gave Swift the distinction of being the first artist to knock herself from the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. WK The song was an “imperious meta-pop takedown of her image of a serial Dater who uses her exes as score-settling songwriting fodder…using a humour and lightness of touch she’s never equalled.” NME She constructed “a delightfully psychotic version of herself in one of her best songs ever.” BB Like its predecessor, it amassed more than 2 billion YouTube views.

“Bad Blood”

The “vitriolic” RS’11 Bad Blood was about an unnamed female singer – speculation has suggested Katy Perry – who hired away Swift’s tour personnel to sabotage the tour. WK A remixed version of the song featuring rapper Kendrick Lamar was the third #1 single from the album and racked up over 1 billion views on YouTube. It won MTV’s Video of the Year.

“Style”

Style was also a top-10 hit. Insider’s Ahlgrim described it as a “transcendent experience,” IS and said that “Lyrically, Swift has rarely been more in control. Each winking detail has been carefully chosen; each image is precisely painted. The song's narrative builds and smolders, gradually, until the climactic lament…blows it all wide open…The moment feels like an explosion, or a rebirth.” IS

Other Songs

Wildest Dreams, with its “atmospheric romance,” RS’19 was the fifth single from the album to reach the top 10 in the U.S. The sixth, and final, official single was the top 20 hit Out of the Woods, with what Insider described as “the perfect bridge.” IS

“Songs like I Know Places ride a reggae swagger and trap-influenced snare beats before launching into a soaring, Pat Benatar-esque chorus. It’s an effortless fusion that, like much of 1989, displays Swift’s willingness to venture outside her comfort zone without much of a safety net, and test out an array of sonic experiments that feel both retro and of the moment.” SL

The album also included the “atmospheric” IS “electro-chill of Clean,” RS’20 “easily the holy grail among Swift’s closing tracks.” IS This is “one of her starkest, grandest romantic exorcisms, comparing love’s memory to ‘a wine-stained dress I can’t wear anymore’ and unspooling images of drowning and surviving that can bring to mind another Eighties hero, Kate Bush.” RS’20


Notes: A deluxe edition added tracks “Wonderland,” “You Are in Love,” and “New Romantics.” A Target deluxe edition also added alternate versions of “I Know Places,” “I Wish You Would,” and “Blank Spaces.” In 2015, Ryan Adams released a track-by-track covers album of 1989.

Resources and Related Links:


Other Related DMDB Pages:


First posted 12/23/2020; last updated 4/22/2022.

The Who – A Retrospective, 1964-2014

The Who

A Retrospective: 1964-2014

Overview:

The Who were a rock group that formed in London in 1964. In their early years, they became known for their antics of destroying their instruments on stage. They became a staple of album rock with classics such as the 1969 rock opera Tommy and 1971’s Who’s Next The original lineup of singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon lasted until 1978 when Moon died at age 32 from a drug overdose.

At their concert in Cincinnati on December 3, 1979, eleven people were trampled to death when fans tried to push their way in before the show. The band broke up in 1982, but regrouped for Live Aid in 1986 and again in 1989 for a 25th anniversary tour. They subsequently regrouped multiple times. Just before their 2002 tour, Entwistle died at age 57 from a cocaine-induced heart attack.

In 2006, they released their first studio album, Endless Wire, in 24 years. They reconvened again for the album Who in 2019.


The Players:

  • Roger Daltrey (vocals)
  • Pete Townshend (guitar)
  • John Entwistle (bass)
  • Keith Moon (drums)


On the Web:


Lists:


Spotify Podcast:

Check out Dave’s Music Database podcast: The 50th Anniversary of Who’s Next. It premieres August 17, 2021 at 7pm CST. Tune in every Tuesday at 7pm for a new episode based on the lists at Dave’s Music Database.

Awards:

The Studio Albums:

Hover over an album cover to see its title and year of release. Click on the album to go to its dedicated DMDB page.


Compilations:

Under each album snapshot, songs featured on the anthologies are noted. If the song charted, the date of the song’s release or first chart appearance and its chart peaks are noted in parentheses. Click for codes to singles charts.


My Generation (1965):

  • My Generation (11/4/65, 74 US, 99 CB, 79 HR, 1 CL, 2 UK, 3 CN, 2 AU) MB, 83, WB, VB, UC, TN, 09, 50
  • A Legal Matter (3/7/66, 42 CL, 32 UK, 83 AU) MB, UC
  • The Kids Are Alright (8/12/66, 85 CB, 98 HR, 11 CL, 41 UK) MB, WB, UC, TN, 09, 50


A Quick One (1966):

  • Boris the Spider (13 CL) MB, VB, UC, 50


The Who Sell Out (1967):

  • I Can See for Miles (10/7/67, 9 US, 8 CB, 10 HR, 3 CL, 10 UK, 4 CN, 20 AU) MB, H, WB, VB, UC, TN, 09, 50


Magic Bus (1968):

  • Pictures of Lily (4/22/67, 51 US, 60 CB, 49 HR, 8 CL, 4 UK, 36 CN, 7 AU) MB, WB, VB, UC, 09, 50
  • Call Me Lightning (3/2/68, 40 US, 38 CB, 24 HR, 18 CL, 30 AU) UC, 50
  • Magic Bus (7/27/68, 25 US, 10 CB, 13 HR, 3 CL, 26 UK, 6 CN, 20 AU) MB, 83, WB, VB, UC, TN, 09, 50


Tommy (1969):

  • Pinball Wizard (3/7/69, 19 US, 15 CB, 15 HR, 1 CL, 4 UK, 6 CN, 45 AU) MB, H, 83, WB, VB, UC, TN, 09, 50
  • I’m Free (7/5/69, 37 US, 30 CB, 29 HR, 7 CL, 83 AU) WB, UC, 50
  • See Me, Feel Me (excerpt from “We’re Not Gonna Take It”) (9/26/70, 12 US, 8 CB, 9 HR, 5 CL, 4 CN, 70 AU) WB, UC, TN, 50

Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy

The Who


Released: October 30, 1971


Recorded: 1964-1970


Peak: 11 US, 9 UK, -- CN, 27 AU


Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, -- UK


Genre: classic rock


Tracks: (1) I Can’t Explain (2) The Kids Are Alright (3) Happy Jack (4) I Can See for Miles (5) Pictures of Lily (6) My Generation (7) The Seeker (8) Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (9) Pinball Wizard (10) A Legal Matter (11) Boris the Spider (12) Magic Bus (13) Substitute (14) I’m a Boy


Total Running Time: 42:54

Rating:

4.582 out of 5.00 (average of 21 ratings)


Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy:

When looking back on a act’s body of work years later, first anthologies don’t always hold up as they can sometimes be padded with songs that later are inessential in comparison to later work. This collection, holds up well with most of these songs remaining important decades into the Who’s career.


Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

  • I Can’t Explain (1/15/65, 93 US, 57 CB, 72 HR, 2 CL, 8 UK, 87 AU) MB, H, WB, VB, UC, TN, 09, 50
  • Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (5/21/65, 26 CL, 10 UK) MB, WB, VB, UC, 50
  • Substitute (3/4/66, 4 CL, 5 UK, 5 AU) MB, 83, WB, VB, UC, TN, 09, 50
  • I’m a Boy (8/26/66, 31 CL, 2 UK, 11 AU) MB, WB, VB, UC, TN, 50
  • Happy Jack (12/3/66, 24 US, 13 CB, 16 HR, 6 CL, 3 UK, 1 CN, 4 AU) MB, 83, WB, VB, UC, TN, 09, 50
  • The Seeker (3/21/70, 44 US, 30 CB, 30 HR, 9 CL, 19 UK, 21 CN) MB, 83, VB, UC, 50


Who’s Next (1971):

  • Won’t Get Fooled Again (6/25/71, 15 US, 9 CB, 8 HR, 1 CL, 9 UK, 7 CN, 14 AU) 83, WB, VB, UC, TN, 09, 50
  • Baba O’Riley [5:08] (10/23/71, 1 CL, 80 AU) H, VB, UC, 09, 50
  • Behind Blue Eyes (11/6/71, 34 US, 24 CB, 27 HR) H, UC, TN, 09, 50
  • Bargain (2 CL) H, UC, 50
  • The Song Is Over (11 CL) H
  • My Wife (11 CL) 83, UC


Quadrophenia (1973):

  • 5:15 (9/30/73, 45 US, 53 CB, 55 HR, 5 CL, 20 UK) H, 83, VB, TN, 50
  • Love, Reign O’er Me (10/23/73, 76 US, 54 CB, 89 HR, 2 CL) 83, TN, 09, 50
  • The Real Me (1/12/74, 92 US, 82 CB, 7 CL) H
  • Drowned H


The Who By Numbers (1975):

  • Squeeze Box (11/15/75, 16 US, 11 CB, 11 HR, 12 RR, 5 CL, 10 UK, 1 CN, 45 AU) H, 83, WB, VB, UC, TN, 09, 50
  • Slip Kid (8/7/76, 14 CL) H, 50


Who Are You (1978):

  • Who Are You (7/4/78, 14 US, 9 CB, 9 HR, 7 RR, 1 CL, 18 UK, 7 CN, 23 AU) H, 83, WB, VB, UC, TN, 09, 50
  • Had Enough (18 CL) H, UC
  • Sister Disco H, UC
  • Trick of the Light 50

Hooligans

The Who


Released: September 1981


Recorded: 1964-1978


Peak: 52 US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU


Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, -- UK


Genre: classic rock


Tracks: (1) I Can’t Explain (2) I Can See for Miles (3) Pinball Wizard (4) Let’s See Action (5) Summertime Blues (6) Relay (7) Baba O’Riley (8) Behind Blue Eyes (9) Bargain (10 The Song Is Over (11) Join Together (12) Squeeze Box (13) Slip Kid (14) The Real Me (15) 5:15 (16) Drowned (17) Had Enough (18) Sister Disco (18) Who Are You


Total Running Time: 80:17

Rating:

3.956 out of 5.00 (average of 5 ratings)

About Hooligans:

This collection focuses primarily on the Who’s output in the 1970s, including four non-album singles from the era. The collection also includes three songs from the 1960s which were already covered on Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy: “I Can’t Explain,” “I Can See for Miles,” and “Pinball Wizard.” The set would be better served by keying in exclusively on ‘70s material, since Meaty already covered the ‘60s adequately and there are notable omissions from the 1970s such as “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and “Love, Reign O’er Me.”


Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

  • Summertime Blues (7/4/70, 27 US, 14 CB, 14 HR, 7 CL, 38 UK, 8 CN) H, UC, TN, 50
  • Let’s See Action (10/15/71, 41 CL, 16 UK, 59 AU) H, VB, UC, 50
  • Join Together (6/16/72, 17 US, 28 CB, 20 HR, 7 CL, 9 UK, 18 CN, 58 AU) H, WB, VB, 50
  • Relay (12/9/72, 39 US, 33 CB, 35 HR, 14 CL, 21 UK, 70 CN) H, 83, 50

Greatest Hits

The Who


Released: 1983


Recorded: 1965-1978


Peak: 94 US, -- UK, -- CN, 13 AU


Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, -- UK


Genre: classic rock


Tracks: (1) Substitute (2) The Seeker (3) Magic Bus (4) My Generation (5) Pinball Wizard (6) Happy Jack (7) Won’t Get Fooled Again (8) My Wife (9) Squeeze Box (10) Relay (11) 5:15 (12) Love Reign O’er Me (13) Who Are You


Total Running Time: 50:47

Rating:

4.210 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

About Greatest Hits:

This is a fairly effective distillation of Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy and Hooligans into one anthology. This remedies the biggest omissions from the latter by including “Won’t Get Fooeld Again” and “Love Reign O’er Me.” It doesn’t, however, include “Behind Blue Eyes.” Also, despite a 1983 release, this collection doesn’t have any songs included from 1981’s Face Dances or 1982’s It’s Hard.


Face Dances (1981):

  • You Better You Bet (2/27/81, 18 US, 15 CB, 12 HR, 16 RR, 1 AR, 9 UK, 4 CN, 21 AU) WB, VB, UC, TN, 09, 50
  • Don’t Let Go the Coat (4/4/81, 84 US, 77 CB, 21 CL, 47 UK) UC, 50
  • Another Tricky Day (4/4/81, 6 AR) UC
  • The Quiet One UC

Who’s Better Who Best

The Who


Released: November 14, 1988


Recorded: 1964-1981


Peak: -- US, 10 UK, -- CN, 51 AU


Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, 0.1 UK, 0.6 world (includes US and UK)


Genre: classic rock


Tracks: (1) My Generation (2) Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (3) The Kids Are Alright (4) Substitute (5) I’m a Boy (6) Happy Jack (7) Pictures of Lily (8) I Can See for Miles (9) Who Are You (10) Won’t Get Fooled Again (11) Magic Bus (12) I Can’t Explain (13) Pinball Wizard (14) I’m Free (15) See Me, Feel Me (16) Squeeze Box (17) Join Together (18) You Better You Bet


Total Running Time: 59:49

Rating:

4.327 out of 5.00 (average of 10 ratings)

About Who’s Better Who’s Best:

Like Greatest Hits, this is a career-spanning retrospective. Neither collection has any songs from 1982’s It’s Hard and this one has some head-shaking omissions like “Behind Blue Eyes,” “Love, Reign O’er Me,” and “The Seeker.” It’s all the more puzzling since, in the CD era, there was room for about 20 minutes more material. This is the first compilation on this page to feature “I’m Free” and “See Me, Feel Me.”

My Generation: The Very Best of

The Who


Released: August 19, 1996


Recorded: 1964-1981


Peak: -- US, 11 UK, -- CN, -- AU


Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, 0.1 UK, 0.6 world (includes US and UK)


Genre: classic rock


Tracks: (1) I Can’t Explain (2) Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (3) My Generation (4) Substitute (5) I’m a Boy (6) Boris the Spider (7) Happy Jack (8) Pictures of Lily (9) I Can See for Miles (10) Magic Bus (11) Pinball Wizard (12) The Seeker (13) Baba O’Riley (14) Won’t Get Fooled Again (15) Let’s See Action (16) 5:15 (17) Join Together (18) Squeeze Box (19) Who Are You (20) You Better You Bet


Total Running Time: 76:17

Rating:

4.231 out of 5.00 (average of 20 ratings)

About My Generation: The Very Best of:

This is the most effective compilation thus far. It presents the songs chronologically, which gives the listener a better experience in hearing how the Who’s sound evolved. “Love, Reign O’er Me” and “Behind Blue Eyes” are the most obvious missing songs, but it’s hard to know what to bump to make room. “Boris the Spider” is the least necessary of the songs here. This collection also ignores 1982’s It’s Hard.


It’s Hard (1982):

  • Athena (9/4/82, 28 US, 31 CB, 19 RR, 3 AR, 40 UK, 5 CN) UC, 50
  • Eminence Front (9/18/82, 68 US, 77 CB, 5 AR) UC, 09, 50
  • It’s Hard (10/2/82, 39 AR) 50

The Ultimate Collection

The Who


Released: June 11, 2002


Recorded: 1964-1982


Peak: 31 US, 17 UK, -- CN, -- AU


Sales (in millions): --


Genre: classic rock


Tracks, Disc 1: (1) I Can’t Explain (2) Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (3) My Generation (4) The Kids Are Alright (5) A Legal Matter (6) Substitute (7) I’m a Boy (8) Boris the Spider (9) Happy Jack (10) Pictures of Lily (11) I Can See for Miles (12) Call Me Lightning (13) Magic Bus (14) Pinball Wizard (15) I’m Free (16) See Me, Feel Me (17) The Seeker (18) Summertime Blues (19) My Wife (20) Baba O’Riley (21) Bargain (22) Behind Blue Eyes (23) Won’t Get Fooled Again

Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Let’s See Action (2) Pure and Easy (3) Join Together (4) Long Live Rock (5) The Real Me (6) 5:15 (7) Love, Reign O’er Me (8) Squeeze Box (9) Who Are You (10) Had Enough (11) Sister Disco (12) You Better You Bet (13) Don’t Let Go the Coat (14) The Quiet One (15) Another Tricky Day (16) Athena (17) Eminence Front


Total Running Time: 155:14

Rating:

3.894 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

About The Ultimate Collection:

This is about as good as it gets. This two-disc retrospective covers the classic Who years from 1964 to 1982, presenting the songs in chronological and making no glaring omissions. In fact, nearly every song highlighted on any of the previous collections is included here. “Join Together” and “Relay” are the biggest songs not here which were featured on earlier collections. This set also includes a couple of tracks from 1982’s It’s Hard, which hadn’t been represented by previous anthologies. There are also a few songs appearing on a compilation for the first time: “Call Me Lightning,” “Pure and Easy,” and “Long Live Rock.” The track listing here is for the UK version. The U.S. version omits “Don’t Let Go the Coat,” The Quiet One,” “Another Tricky Day,” and “Athena.”


Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

  • Pure and Easy (recorded in 1971, 47 CL) UC
  • Long Live Rock (9/28/74, 54 US, 66 CB, 73 HR, 5 CL, 48 UK) UC

Then and Now

The Who


Released: May 3, 2004


Recorded: 1964-2003


Peak: 57 US, 5 UK, -- CN, -- AU


Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US and UK)


Genre: classic rock


Tracks: (1) I Can’t Explain (2) My Generation (3) The Kids Are Alright (4) Substitute (5) I’m a Boy (6) Happy Jack (7) I Can See for Miles (8) Magic Bus (9) Pinball Wizard (10) See Me, Feel Me (11) Summertime Blues (12) Behind Blue Eyes (13) Won’t Get Fooled Again (14) 5:15 (15) Love, Reign O’er Me (16) Squeeze Box (17) Who Are You (18) You Better You Bet (19) Real Good Looking Boy (20) Old Red Wine


Total Running Time: 77:13

Rating:

3.814 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

About Then and Now:

It hardly seems necessary to have YET ANOTHER compilation, but this is a decent one-disc distillation of the Who’s career. The two new songs, “Real Good Looking Boy” and “Old Red Wine,” certainly aren’t classics, but they are worthy editions to the band’s catalog. A 2007 edition of the album replaced “Summertime Blues” and “Old Red Wine” with “Baba O’Riley” and “It’s Not Enough.”


Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

  • Real Good Looking Boy (5/2/04, --) TN, 09, 50
  • Old Red Wine (5/2/04, --) TN


Endless Wire (2006):

  • It’s Not Enough (10/7/06, 26 AA, 37 AR) 09, 50

Greatest Hits

The Who


Released: December 22, 2009


Recorded: 1964-2006


Peak: 19 US, 12 UK, -- CN, -- AU


Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.1 UK


Genre: classic rock


Tracks: (1) I Can’t Explain (2) My Generation (3) The Kids Are Alright (4) Substitute (5) Happy Jack (6) Pictures of Lily (7) I Can See for Miles (8) Magic Bus (9) Pinball Wizard (10) Behind Blue Eyes (11) Baby O’ Riley (12) Won’t Get Fooled Again (13) Love, Reign O’er Me (14) Squeeze Box (15) Who Are You (16) You Better You Bet (17) Eminence Front (18) Real Good Looking Boy (19) It’s Not Enough


Total Running Time: 78:29

Rating:

4.215 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

About Greatest Hits & More:

This is largely a repackaging of Then and Now. This was rereleased in 2010 as Greatest Hits & More with a second disc of live songs.

Hits 50!

Hits 50!


Released: October 27, 2014


Recorded: 1964-2014


Peak: -- US, 11 UK, 44 CN, -- AU


Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.1 UK


Genre: classic rock


Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Zoot Suit (2) I Can’t Explain (3) Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (4) My Generation (5) Substitute (6) The Kids Are Alright (7) I’m a Boy (8) Happy Jack (9) Boris the Spider (10) Pictures of Lily (11) The Last Time (12) I Can See for Miles (13) Call Me Lightning (14) Dogs (15) Magic Bus (16) Pinball Wizard (17) I’m Free (18) The Seeker (19) Summertime Blues (20) See Me, Feel Me (21) Won’t Get Fooled Again (22) Let’s See Action (23) Bargain (24) Behind Blue Eyes

Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Baba O’Riley (2) Join Together (3) Relay (4) 5:15 (5) Love, Reign O’er Me (6) Postcard (7) Squeeze Box (8) Slip Kid (9) Who Are You (10) Trick of the Light (11) You Better You Bet (12) Don’t Let Go the Coat (13) Athena (14) Eminence Front (15) It’s Hard (16) Real Good Looking Boy (17) It’s Not Enough (18) Be Lucky


Total Running Time: 2:35:21

Rating:

4.352 out of 5.00 (average of 7 ratings)

About Hits 50!:

This is a fantastic overview of the Who’s fifty-year career, tracking all of their singles chronologically. It includes a few songs (“Zoot Suit,” “The Last Time,” “Dogs,” “Postcard”) not featured on any of the other compilations on this page. There was also one new song: “Be Lucky.” A single-disc version was also released.


Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

  • Zoot Suit (7/3/64, --) 50
  • The Last Time (6/30/67, 34 CL, 44 UK) 50
  • Dogs (6/22/68, 43 CL, 25 UK, 93 AU) 50
  • Postcard (11/23/74, 64 CB, 42 CL) 50
  • Be Lucky (9/25/14, --) 50


Resources and Related Links:


First posted 3/23/2008; last updated 8/13/2021.