The Who Album: “Quick One (Happy Jack)”

First off, some details that Amazon is missing:

Catalog #: UICY-93539/40

Tracks:

[disc 1] (mono)

1. Run Run Run

2. Boris The Spider

3. I Need You

4. Whiskey Man

5. Heat Wave

6. Cobwebs And Strange

7. Don't Look Away

8. See My Way

9. So Sad About Us

10. A Quick One, While He's Away

11. Substitute

12. Circles

13. I'm A Boy

14. In The City

15. Batman

16. Bucket T

17. Barbara Ann

18. Disguises

19. Happy Jack

20. I've Been Away

21. Substitute (US Single Version)

22. I'm A Boy (Alternate Version)

23. Batman (Instrumental) (unreleased)

24. Happy Jack (Acoustic Version)

25. Happy Jack (Alternate Version/Mix)

[disc 2] (stereo)

1. Run Run Run

2. Boris The Spider

3. I Need You

4. Whiskey Man

5. Heat Wave

6. Cobwebs And Strange

7. Don't Look Away

8. See My Way (Simulated Stereo)

9. So Sad About Us

10. A Quick One, While He's Away

11. I'm A Boy

12. In The City

13. Batman

14. Bucket T

15. Barbara Ann

16. Disguises

17. I've Been Away

18. Man With Money

19. My Generation - Land Of Hope And Glory

20. I'm A Boy (Alternate Version)

The packaging is quite stunning. The box contains the 2 CDs, a booklet, and high quality reproductions of 7 LP sleeves, 8 EP sleeves, and 12 single sleeves.

For the most part the sound is pretty good. Most of the mono tracks sound as good as they ever have. The stereo tracks (all original mixes except 13-15, 18 and 19) generally sound quite good, although as the liner notes indicate, the somewhat midrange heavy sound of the tapes was basically left alone. The only exceptions are Batman, Bucket T, and a brief spot in Disguises, which do not sound as good.

It isn't perfect, but it is still a very impressive set, and possibly the best place to get most of these tracks on CD.

This is a highly desirable release for hard-core Who collectors! For those interested in such details, this is Japanese Polydor POCP-9194. It is one of 12 recent Who releases, all of which lovingly focus on giving the fan definitive packaging for the Who LP in question. The music is the same as that found on the 1995 re-mastered version. Who fans have argued over the merits of that effort, and can decide for themselves if they like or dislike the results. So why pay for this limited edition import while domestic versions are still available? Because the Japanese have issued this with a miniture cardboard "LP" sleeve, as well as two booklets with the usual Japanese flair for marketing (One in color reproduces the liner notes for the 95 re-master, and one in black & white includes a lyrics book and as expected, a Japanese translation.) Finally, there is an insert that is part of a detailed Who song discography. Listing songs alphabetically, with details about where recorded, if and when released, and other details, this is potentially a good overall start for a fan's easy to assemble comprehensive Who discography. The world is not perfect, of course. There are some mistakes and the section in A Quick One covers songs from "Bank Holiday" through "Disquises". So where is "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" and "Athena"? Apparently, Polydor in Japan has the first section prepared for a release of the first Who LP, My Generation.

Subsequent CD's in this series (Sell Out, Tommy, Live at Leeds, etc.) include miniture copies of posters and inserts found in the original UK releases. In view of those efforts, this version of A Quick One could prove to be part of the definitive Who CD catalogue for sometime to come.

The primitive hard rock power of their debut album gives way to tough-sounding pop. The remake of Martha and the Vandellas "Heatwave" is the only vestige of any ties to their "maximum R&B beginnings. It's way more understated than the original but their choirboy harmonies make it kind of funny.

There are no Mod anthems here like "My Generation" or "The Kids Are Alright", but the original songwriting is more fascinating with lots of humor or drama underneath. The three-part (and occasional four-part) harmonizing is more ethereal, giving the songs more of a complexity in their sound. The music itself flirts with more rhythms, which is especially apparent with guitarist Pete Townshend. The band is more democratic too: every member contributes compositionally. Singer Roger Daltrey's sole track doesn't quite cut it, however, the other three writers compensate and they dig deeply into the freak in all of us. Drummer Keith Moon's frenetic instrumental, "Cobwebs and Strange", spotlights his sloppy-but-tight drumming and some marching-band brass to the fullest effect. It's so Moony! Bassist John Entwistle is the unmasked hero on two even greater tunes. He brings in his quirky humor with his made-up prison mate, "Whiskey Man", accenting it with his even quirkier French horn. And with "Boris the Spider", he unleashes a stranger (and very warped) sense of humor right down to its repulsive details. Townshend's use of feedback here has never shown such subtlety. Speaking of Townshend, the expected hero shores up five songs. None disappoint and at least three offer ample proof that Townshend is no simpleton either. There's the string of misfortune in the disturbing "Run Run Run". There's a sense of irony with the misfit in "Happy Jack", who's defiantly happy. But the crown jewel is "A Quick One While He's Away", the nuttiest narrative of infidelity stuck together by a series of six vignettes. This is the quickest (forgive the wretched pun) nine minutes of your life. It's so great that it's not long enough. It represents Townshend's best song to this point and this album shows the band taking giant artistic leaps.

*This review is based on the 11 tracks that are listed under this link, not the bonus cuts from the 1995 edition. I've heard those bonus cuts and almost all of them are superfluous.

Track Listing: Run, Run, Run, Boris The Spider, I Need You, Whiskey Man, Heatwave, Cobwebs and Strange, Don't Look Away, See My Way, So Sad About Us, A Quick One While He's Away, Happy Jack.

I had been after this version of A Quick One a long time and when I found it, It was great! Although the remastered has bonus tracks, this one has 'Happy Jack' one of the Who's Greatest hits. 'Boris The Spider' is a greatest hit to, but doesn't appear as much on the older compilations. All these songs are great and I would reccomend this album to any Who fan.

Side note: This version is MCAD-31331. The remastered is MCAD-11267. Both sound great, but this version has Happy Jack.