Live At Leeds as a hybrid stereo SACD from Analogue Productions: Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering mastered the legendary 1970 concert album to DSD directly from the original analogue master tapes. All six tracks of the original album play in one sequence – from “Young Man Blues” to “Magic Bus”.
Four musicians. No passengers.
The thrill of Live At Leeds is not just its force – it is the feeling that any one of the four could pull the others in a new direction at any moment. The songs have a shape, but very little inside that shape ever feels comfortable.
On 14 February 1970, The Who play Leeds University. Tommy has widened their horizons, yet on stage there are still just Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon. No extra musician cushions what happens between them: four independent voices create the tension, even when nobody is singing.
How far can a song travel?
“Young Man Blues”, originally by Mose Allison, becomes an exchange of attack and interruption – and the pauses matter as much as the eruptions, because they reveal how closely the players have to listen to each other. The extended “My Generation” opens the familiar song into a far larger space: an idea is hinted at, picked up and driven onwards.
“Magic Bus” works with persistence instead. Its repetition is anything but standing still – it gradually builds a tension you can almost feel physically. The studio running time of “My Generation” gives little hint of the life this song takes on stage.
Leeds was not the only night on tape
The Who played Leeds on 14 February 1970 and Hull the following evening, and both concerts were recorded. So Leeds becoming the celebrated album was not simply a verdict that it was the better show: part of the Hull recording lacked a bass track, and for its later release passages were repaired with bass from Leeds. Behind the live legend lies a very practical story of recording tapes and technical limits.
This SACD follows the original six-track album – neither the complete concert nor the later expansion with the Tommy performance. “Young Man Blues”, “Substitute”, “Summertime Blues” and “Shakin’ All Over” lead to the extended “My Generation”, and “Magic Bus” closes the set: a concentrated portrait of the 1970 band.
The hybrid stereo SACD from Analogue Productions
CAPP 253 SA is a hybrid stereo SACD from Analogue Productions. According to the publisher, Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering mastered it to DSD directly from the original analogue master tapes. Good to know: a few well-known, brief distortions are part of the original recording itself – they are on the master tapes and are not a fault of the disc. The SACD layer plays on SACD-capable players, the CD layer on any conventional CD player. The disc contains the six tracks of the original album.
You order from Michael 45 in Germany. We arrange the US import and ship from Hilden.
Also in another edition: Live At Leeds
More SACDs by The Who: My Generation · Tommy
Artist page: All titles by The Who
Customer question: Buying Analogue Productions records in Europe
Musicians
Documented selection of participating musicians. Personnel may vary by track; this list does not claim to be complete.
- Roger DaltreyLead vocals, Harmonica
- Pete TownshendLead vocals, Guitar
- John EntwistleLead vocals, Bass
- Keith MoonBacking vocals, Drums
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