Forever's No Time at All - Pete Townshend, McInnenny, Micheal
Let's See Action
Time Is Passing
There's a Heartache Following Me - Pete Townshend, Baker, Ray
Sheraton Gibson
Content - Pete Townshend, Kennedy
Parvardigar
His Hands [Mix][*]
The Seeker [*]
Day of Silence [*]
Sleeping Dog [*]
The Love Man [*]
Lantern Cabin [*][Instrumental]
Pete Townshend's first solo album is a homespun, charming forum for low-key, personal songs that weren't deemed suitable for The Who, as well as spiritual paeans (direct and indirect) to his spiritual guru Meher Baba. W... more »ho fans will be immediately attracted by the presence of a couple of songs from the aborted Who concept album Lifehouse (much of which ended up on Who's Next), "Pure & Easy" and "Let's See Action." The Who did eventually release their own versions of both those songs. This record shows a folkier and gentler side to The Who's chief muse. "Sheraton Gibson" is a neat tune about rock & roll road life, and "Time Is Passing" takes very subtle inspiration from Baba. Most of the rest of the album contains some of the most unusual pieces Townshend has released: his acoustic cover of Jim Reeves' "There's A Heartache Following Me" (recorded because it was one of Baba's favorite tunes), "Evolution" (which is actually pretty much a solo track by his buddy Ronnie Lane of The Faces), "Parvardigar" (adapted from Baba's Universal Prayer), and "Content" (a philosophical poem by Maud Kennedy that Townshend put to music). This 24 bit/192 kHz transfer was from the original 2 track 1/4" analog tape mastered by Bernie Grundman.« less
Pete Townshend's first solo album is a homespun, charming forum for low-key, personal songs that weren't deemed suitable for The Who, as well as spiritual paeans (direct and indirect) to his spiritual guru Meher Baba. Who fans will be immediately attracted by the presence of a couple of songs from the aborted Who concept album Lifehouse (much of which ended up on Who's Next), "Pure & Easy" and "Let's See Action." The Who did eventually release their own versions of both those songs. This record shows a folkier and gentler side to The Who's chief muse. "Sheraton Gibson" is a neat tune about rock & roll road life, and "Time Is Passing" takes very subtle inspiration from Baba. Most of the rest of the album contains some of the most unusual pieces Townshend has released: his acoustic cover of Jim Reeves' "There's A Heartache Following Me" (recorded because it was one of Baba's favorite tunes), "Evolution" (which is actually pretty much a solo track by his buddy Ronnie Lane of The Faces), "Parvardigar" (adapted from Baba's Universal Prayer), and "Content" (a philosophical poem by Maud Kennedy that Townshend put to music). This 24 bit/192 kHz transfer was from the original 2 track 1/4" analog tape mastered by Bernie Grundman.
CD Reviews
Pete In Hi-Res
A Music Fan | Forest Park, GA USA | 10/30/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I love the HDAD format. Great sound if you have the right equipment. So far, my favorite release in this format is Muddy Waters 'Folk Singer.' Classic Records, the audiophile label specializing in HDAD (Hybrid Digital Audio Disc) and high-gram vinyl pressings, has released Pete Townshend's 1972 solo album on HDAD. The results are mixed. A few of the songs sound a little thin, while others are closer to what we have come to expect from this high-resolution format. Classic Records promises "master tape sound" and that's probably what we're getting here. It's just that some master tapes sound better than others. If you are an audiophile and like Pete Townshend, then by all means give this a listen. It is NOT multichannel/surround, however, so don't buy it thinking that. It is stereo.
'Who Came First' is Townshend's first, and one of his best solo albums. It's been called "homespun, charming, personal, and low-key," which it is. The album has probably never been presented in a better sounding format than this HDAD version. Just don't expect miracles.
"
Worth the wait
michael davey | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | 01/18/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Unlike some other reviewers/purchasers I never got around to purchasing this disc in its vinyl form. Too bad for me. I love it and what a very pleasant surprise to find that 'Evolution' is in fact 'Stone' played and sung by Ronnie Lane accompanied by Pete Townsend. For me this alone was worth the purchase. I only wish I had bought this a long time ago and I could have had all those years of pleasure."
Wonderful
eec | 09/27/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I was a HUGE Who fan and was torn between wanting EVERYTHING related to the Who and being suspicious of any solo stuff (I was eleven).
I purchased the vinyl as a kid and liked it (loved the cover, too).
As a young adult my appreciation grew. As a 40 year old (how the heck did that happen so fast!?) I truly love it. Pete's "Begin The Beguine" is my favorite version of that song by far. He puts so much heart into it - very moving and beautiful. And, I still love the cover!"
The Who Unplugged
Arthead | Dallas | 09/10/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I can't say my opinion is unbiased about this music. As others have already said, I too bought this album when it first appeared on vinyl and have listened to it pretty much ever since. In short it is group of excellent Pete Townshend songs in what might be considered a more intimate setting... as there are no Marshall amps stacked here. Somewhere long ago, I read that some of these recordings evolved from tapes Pete would make as demos for The Who. These songs are all very personal, heartfelt, down to Earth and well conceived efforts that --as a Who fan right from their beginnings-- touched me the first time I heard them. Now all these years later, the same still holds true.
It was a thrill to find this music released as a CD and also very satisfying to discover that the additional material "enhancing" the album does exactly that. The bonus tracks are a very suitable fit with the original "Who Came First" and not just dredged up fluff to bulk up this re-release."
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1