The Who Hits 50! [LP]

by The Who

Overview

The Who need no excuse to release a new compilation -- since 1994, a new collection has appeared roughly at the rate of one every three years -- but the band's 50th anniversary does provide the opportunity for a splashy new compilation, the first since 2009's Greatest Hits. Snappily titled The Who Hits 50!, by virtue of spanning two full CDs the set does cast a wider net than either Greatest Hits or 2004's Then & Now, beginning with the stiff R&B of the High Numbers' "Zoot Suit" and concluding with the brand-new "Be Lucky," a delirious revival of Pete Townshend's purple, overwritten '80s midlife crisis. In between those two songs come 40 tracks, including some genuine surprises -- the bonkers mod anthem "Dogs" and its Beach Boys-aping flip "Call Me Lightning," the band's cover of the Stones' "The Last Time," the first appearance of "Relay" in a comp in ages, John Entwistle's paranoid "Trick of the Light" -- but for the most part, this serves up the same songs that have popped up again and again on Who compilations over the years. This may be predictable but as a collection of basics, either for fair-weather fans or newcomers, it does its job well and it has nice artwork to boot. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	03/23/2015
Label:	Geffen / Polydor
UPC:	0602537940516
Rank:	563

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Zoot Suit
2. I Can't Explain
3. Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
4. My Generation
5. Substitute
6. I'm a Boy
7. Happy Jack
8. Pictures of Lily
9. I Can See for Miles
10. Magic Bus
11. Pinball Wizard

Disc 2

12. The Seeker [Edit]
13. Won't Get Fooled Again [Single Edit]
14. Baba O'Riley
15. Bargain
16. Join Together
17. 5:15
18. Squeeze Box
19. Who Are You [Single Edit]
20. Real Good Looking Boy [Radio Edit]
21. Be Lucky

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Who   Primary Artist
The High Numbers   Primary Artist
Simon Townshend   Vocals (Background)
Pino Palladino   Bass
Roger Daltrey   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Zak Starkey   Drums
Pete Townshend   Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Mick Talbot   Keyboards
Billy Nicholls   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

John Entwistle   Composer
Hugo Peretti   Composer
Roger Daltrey   Composer
Luigi Creatore   Composer
Jerry Capehart   Composer
Rachel Fuller   Composer
The Who   Composer
George David Weiss   Composer
Dave Eringa   Producer
Keith Richards   Composer
Eddie Cochran   Composer
Jon Astley   Remastering
Pete Meaden   Composer
Pete Townshend   Composer
Mick Jagger   Composer
Chris Morphet   Photography
Robert Rosenberg   Executive Producer
Bill Curbishley   Executive Producer
Graham Hughes   Photography
Terry O'Neill   Photography
David Wedgbury   Photography
Sean Genockey   Engineer
Richard Evans   Design,Art Direction
Tom Wright   Photography
Fleming & Townsend   Composer
David Weiss   Composer
Howie Edelson   Liner Notes
Mickey Adair   Photography
Hugo E. Perretti   Composer