Crazy-Great concert recording from '89! While The Who's "Quadrophenia" has always been my favorite album - and I always liked bits of "Tommy" - I never cared for Tommy as a whole. Kudos for its rock opera themes & ambitions, of course - but, Tommy didn't seem to coalesce, as did Quad. Along some sort of... parallel lines - as much as I love The Who and Townsend - some of their early concerts, while many were stunningly great - they never quite seemed to capture the grandeur of what I heard when I saw them live in 1980. That show... Townsend's guitar was like hearing dinosaurs roar. Entwistle's bass thundered like the moment the Big... Banged. Daltry screamed out the sound of flaming stars racing through the cosmos at the speed of light. It was astounding - like witnessing the Gods of Olympus in the guise of a gangly garage band that had caught lightning in a bottle on a mountain top. They had wrangled it - but, they were still holding on for dear life. That show was simply too big for my flowery words - too big for mere mortals to comprehend. But, now? For me? These "Join Together" concerts from '89 - finally and fully capture that overwhelming, live sound I heard in 1980 - and I now, feel I've heard Tommy as it was meant to be - for the very first time. It all gels and feels like a single thesis here. It's crazy-good and I absolutely get it as a fully and sonically realized, operatic experience. I LOVE IT! This is The Who fused with Townsend's, tight "Deep End Live" band. And, I can't recommend this 2-disc set nearly enough!
This set has yet to gain full on Classic Album status... but those in the know.... know! It's a stunning recording.... digitally tracked, when that was still a pretty new thing. The Who included a host of additional musicians, notably Simon Phillips on drums. It's the flip side of the coin to the rawness of Live At Leeds. It illustrates how well the Who's music stands up to different treatments. It's heavily stylized and precise... which ran the risk of sounding weak. But it actually gains all new strengths, throughout. This era of the Who is the border between their past and their future. It's what defined their future course. With a polished stage show, and polished production value... They still stand strong. There is great musicianship and energy from beginning to end. Tommy gets a killer run through. Then it ventures into a solid selection of songs fans expect. I occasionally go through Who binges... I seamlessly go back and forth between this album and Live At Leeds. I love the different energies of both. They are like book-ends to each other. I truly rank this album very high. It's required listening as far as I'm concerned. Long Live Rock!!!