The Who Album: “Ultimate Collection [Bonus Disc]”

I'd like to start by saying that a best of, or greatest hits compilation, always leaves some fan's favorite song off. A compilation should really be judged by its inclusiveness of all the top 40 hits, as well as key album tracks. A compilation is not procured for fans who have all the artist's cds. It designed to make money and to appeal to window shopping fans who want all the hits, plus a little extra. Does this two disc compilation of The Who satisfy that kind of buyer? Yes. The Who have 16 top 40 hits to their credit, and they're all here except "The Relay" and "Athena". So in that sense, this compilation gets a thumbs up. Does this compilation have many non-top 40 classics? Yes. Too many to just list here, but as a compilation, this is the first to encapsule such a dearth of music from The Who. Unless you want to get The Who's box set. For those who don't want to buy all 10 studio recordings, this two disc pit stop has everything you'd want. It's about time someone realized that The Who deserves a two disc compilation instead of one. "Eminence Front", though not a hit, has been absent from Who compilations until now. All the tracks are digitally remastered, another plus when shopping for a compilation. The liner notes are alright, tracing the band's history, but it doesn't offer an exciting read. In my opinion, aside from The Who's box set, this is the best compilation of The Who thus far. A testament of a great rock and roll band. There's plenty more positive things to say about The Who, but I'll keep my critique to just this compilation.

I love The Who. And I traded in "The Very Best of" from 1996 as I bought "The Ultimate Collection," excited that MCA had finally brought most of the best tracks together in one package. Problem is, they remastered these tracks again and, as a long-time listener, I find them unbearable to listen to.

The problem is that they are bright and edgy without enough of the lower sounds to balance it. So the snare drums go "splat" and Roger's voice sounds shrill and, worst of all, the basic bass drum is hardly audible. What you have is a very crisp, hard-edged sound that just doesn't sound like previous releases.

I'm NOT talking about vinyl, I'm talking about the remasters that came out in the mid-1990s. When I first listened to "Won't Get Fooled Again" on "Ultimate" I went running for the "Who's Next" CD to make sure I wasn't making this up. Immediately you hear a smoother high end and Daltrey's voice sounding natural and the drums sounding like Keith Moon.

Sorry to be a party-pooper, but I rushed back to see if I could retrieve the "Very Best of" that I'd sold back. Fortunately, I can buy it back. For those of you who haven't plunked down the money yet, if you care about the difference in sound I'm describing, be sure you can give "The Ultimate" a listen before you buy it!

This is aimed at two types of people who may be looking at this album: people who have heard nothing of The Who and want to see what all the fuss is about, and people who have tried some of The Who and enjoyed what they heard.

For the first type of person:

The Who are known for having an unusual amount of 'best of' albums. Personally, I reccomend this one. It's a great introduction to a great band. All the members are considered some of the greatest musicians in their respective fields, particularly Entwistle (bass) and Moon (drums). All hits (and a few misses from the post-Moon era) are accounted for. Some fan favorites are missing, but this is not a fan-album. It's a good overview of the Who's eclectic catalogue. I also like that it is chronological, it's interesting to hear the sound progress.

For the second type of person (the one i'm more interested in) who likes what they know of the 'orrible 'oo so far, please don't buy this album. It's a waste of your money.

I don't write a lot of reviews, but only one more was needed to kick Infadel off the page...

Okay, Okay, I know that The Who have been the most anthologized band in the history of rock music. After all, how many other bands have more "best of" compilations in their catalog than they have studio albums? But this time MCA got it right. Thirty-five songs from 1964 to 1982 provide ample evidence why The Who should wear the mantle of "The Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band in the World." Sure, one could quarrel that the Top 40 hits "The Relay" (No. 39, 1973) and "Athena" (No. 28, 1982) should have been included just to make this a complete collection of The Who's U.K. and U.S. hits, but this collection is stronger for including such album tracks as "I'm a Boy," "Baba O'Riley" and "Bargain" instead. And as a bonus, the initial pressing include a 4-song bonus disc, which contains the rare U.S. single version of "Substitute," an early version of "I'm a Boy," a previoulsy unreleased acoustic version of "Happy Jack" and the U.K. single version of "Magic Bus." Even if you already have all of The Who's studio albums (like me), it's great to have all of these songs together in one collection. The 28-page booklet is also very informative with lots of great pics! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I strongly agree with "dg007" (from Palo Alto, CA, USA) about the inferior sound quality of "The Ultimate Collection". I too purchased "The Ultimate Collection" assuming that the tracks were taken from the mid 90s reissued and remixed Who catalogue, only to discover they are remastered from the original mixes.

The original mixes are not as smooth sounding as the remixed versions. Daltry's vocals are often quite distorted and the Moon's drumming just too subdued.

I can understand that some fans believe that only original mixes should be used. However, the limitations of mixing equipment used in the past often degraded sound quality. Remixing multi-track master tapes can improve sound quality and should not compromise the music provided that its original "intent" is maintained.

Despite my disappointment about the choice of mixes used, this a very comprehensive WHO compilation and an excellent introduction to the music of a great band.