1965 - 1978 The Who The Kids Are Alright Disc 1 - 109.07 The superb track info below was taken fr Brian Cady's site (www.thewho.net/linernotes/TKAA.html) ****************************************************************** MY GENERATION (SMOTHERS BROTHERS COMEDY HOUR) Shot at CBS Studios, Los Angeles, September 15, 1967 5'22 in film, 4'32 on soundtrack (track 1) Tommy Smothers of The Smothers Brothers folk-comedy duo had been the M.C. at the Monterey Pop Festival June 1967 where he had seen The Who's smashing performance of "My Generation" and asked them to appear on his variety show. The Who then went off to tour the US opening for Herman's Hermits just before appearing here. They opened their set with a lip-synced version of "I Can See For Miles" and had just finished it when The Kids Are Alright begins. This version of "My Generation" is pre-recorded except for the vocal. The explosion and guitar smashing is, of course, quite real. Only a small charge was supposed to have been used, but Keith bribed the stagehand into using a huge amount of explosive. When it went off it caught Pete right in the ear and set his hair on fire (you can see him patting out the sparks) and sent a shard that cut Keith's arm. Roger tells the story that Bette Davis, backstage waiting to go on, passed out in the arms of Mickey Rooney although the Smothers Brothers deny it. This was The Who's only personal appearance on any of the US's primary variety shows. They never made it to The Ed Sullivan Show or Saturday Night Live. Oh, and Keith's actual middle name is John. I CAN'T EXPLAIN (SHINDIG) Shot at Twickenham Film Studios, London, August 3, 1965 2'31 with intro in film, 2'01 on soundtrack (track 2) This is a completely live performance except for the background screaming, which is overdubbed. A crew from the US show Shindig (ABC-TV) filmed them along with many other groups that were to appear at the Richmond National Jazz and Blues festival three days later (see "Shout and Shimmy" below). In addition to "I Can't Explain," live performances of "Daddy Rolling Stone" and an early version of "My Generation" were shot and later aired. Tapes of all these performances have survived, but this is the only one to be commercially released to date. As with Richmond Jazz Festival, this was directed by Peter Croft and produced by Jack Good. Shindig first aired "I Can't Explain" in America October 2, 1965 (nine months after the release of the single). The introduction by host Jimmy O'Neill comes from a replay on the last episode of Shindig January 6, 1966. Russell Harty Plus 1 Shot at the London Weekend Television studios on the South Bank, London, January 3, 1973 Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg 1'04 in film This interview with The Who was first broadcast on ITV in the London area three days after shooting. The Who had just finished a mimed performance to the song "Relay" when this clip opens. That performance was later included on the laserdisc of Who's Better Who's Best. The one cut made in the film after Keith's death, according to Jeff Stein, was after Pete says "Who decayed?" He then turned to Keith and said "they didn't all survive". BABA O'RILEY (SHEPPERTON) Shot at Shepperton Studios, Middlesex May 25, 1978 Directed by Jeff Stein 5'16 in film, 5'29 on soundtrack (track 10) Drummers have noted that Keith's drumming has none of the fire of earlier performances and shows how out of shape he was by this time. SHOUT AND SHIMMY (RICHMOND JAZZ & BLUES FESTIVAL) Shot at the Richmond Athletic Grounds, Surrey, August 6, 1965 2'02 in film This favorite of The Who's early live set was filmed at the Richmond Jazz & Blues Festival by the same Shindig camera crew from "I Can't Explain" above. The 30 Years Of Maximum R&B video contains a live version of "Anyway Anyhow Anywhere" from this same evening. Only a snippet of "Shout and Shimmy" appears here as it ran for over five minutes on the original Shindig program. Both this presentation and the original broadcast in the US were shown in black-and-white despite having been shot in color. Russell Harty Plus 2 1'08 in film Keith decides to take off his clothes, something he loved to do in public. Russell Harty, in 1988, recalled the interview: "I used to believe that unless you had each question written on a clipboard, and unless you followed a rigorous sequence of inquiry, all would not be well. My clipboard was an anchor and I had full need of it. The Who blasted their way through the opening number, and then came to sit down and around. Question 1: 'When did you first come together to form the group?' Question 2: 'Who writes the words and who the music?' Question 3: 'Are you big in America?' and so on. I hope you will spare me the embarrassment of rehearsing the fretful litany. The Who were clearly thinking to themselves that there must be better ways of spending an evening. So they did what any high spirited, rich, young band would do. They tried to make it more interesting. They ripped off each other's designed shirts and shredded them in front of a delighted audience. Droning on in the background was this still small voice: Question 10: 'What are your plans for the future?' Their plans were to liven things up a little. When they had reduced each other to bare essentials and high laughter, they turned their attention to me, pulled me to the floor and started to divest me of my chaste Jaeger. The clock, which is often an enemy, developed a friendly aspect and put a timely stop to this madness. Time also put a stop to The Who. Keith Moon died. Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend were encouraged to explore other paths to salvation, via entertainment. I learnt two things. The first was to jettison the clipboard if the ship appeared to be sinking. Such an object lacks buoyancy. The second was that if your body should become a battleground, it is better to lie back and pretend to enjoy it. You may lose the sympathy vote, but you might get a new suit from it." YOUNG MAN BLUES (LONDON COLISEUM) Shot at The Coliseum, Covent Garden, London, December 14, 1969 Directed by Chris Stamp 3'42 in film, 5'46 on soundtrack (track 8) "I'm Free" from this show appears on the Who's Better Who's Best video and "Happy Jack" on the 30 Years of Maximum R&B video. More is expected in Murray Lerner's forthcoming new film My Generation: Who's Still Who. The film, from which all of this comes, was discovered by Jeff Stein in a garbage dump outside the offices of Track Records. Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, owners of Track Records, dumped all their material on The Who after losing management rights to them in the mid-1970's. The print, depending on which copy you see, is either very dark, or has had the image pushed in developing with low contrast and many apparent spots on the film. Insufficient lighting for filming was the reason this material was originally rejected by the band. The performance is faded out earlier than on the soundtrack. Melvyn Bragg 1 - Keith smash-up - Ringo testimonial - Keith whipped - Ken Russell 2'55 in film Melvyn Bragg's interview of Pete was shot at BBC's Television Centre, London August 29, 1974 and broadcast on the BBC2 programme Second House October 5, 1974. The Keith drum kit smashup comes from a 8mm silent movie shot by John Rubin, a student at M.I.T., during the second show at the Music Hall in Boston August 6, 1968. The sound effects were dubbed in by Jeff Stein. Ringo's segments were shot at Keith's seaside Malibu, California home August 12, 1977 for The Kids Are Alright. Ringo also shot a narration for the film's trailer on this day. Keith being whipped was shot at The Pleasure Chest in Los Angeles August 10, 1977. Mary Ann Zabresky is the woman who has trouble keeping the beat. Ken Russell's Who rant comes from a different Russell Harty show shot March 27, 1975. TOMMY CAN YOU HEAR ME (BEAT CLUB) Shot at Radio Bremen's studio in Hamburg, Germany August 27-28, 1969 Directed by Mike Leckebusch 1'33 in film, 1'46 on soundtrack (track 12) The Who traveled to Germany specifically to videotape a Beat Club special on Tommy. In addition to this song, they mimed to "Overture," "Pinball Wizard," "Smash The Mirror," "Sally Simpson," "I'm Free," "Tommy's Holiday Camp" and "We're Not Gonna Take It" against backdrops from the Tommy albums graphics and a German pinball machine. Portions of these were released in 1996 on the Tommy CD-Rom. This version, both in the movie and on the soundtrack is identical with the Tommy album except for an extended ending with a surprise appearance by Keith. Keith and Ringo 1 shot at Keith's home in Malibu, California August 12, 1977 '33 on video PINBALL WIZARD (WOODSTOCK) Shot at the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair, Max Yasgur's Farm, Bethel, New York in the early morning of August 17, 1969 2'25 in film, 2'48 on soundtrack (track 14) What is unfortunate about this clip is what is missing from the end. Immediately after the final chords of "Pinball Wizard," Abbie Hoffman ran onstage, grabbed Pete's mike and started a harangue about the meaninglessness of the festival while the leader of the White Panthers was in prison for possession of two joints. Probably an apt sentiment but bad timing. Pete gave him a shot with his guitar in the back of the neck and sent him off the stage. Although the audio for this has been unearthed and appears on the 30 Years Of Maximum R&B boxset, no photos or film has ever surfaced. Jeff Stein dug through the Warners Brothers vaults in Burbank where the outtakes were kept and was heartbroken when he couldn't find it. He wasn't helped by the loss of the storage logs for the clips in a fire several years before. The same version of "Pinball Wizard" also appears on the Who's Better Who's Best video. Beat Club question Shot at Radio Bremen studios in Hamburg, Germany, August 27-28, 1969 '48 on video Pete is asked what seems to be an interminable and pretentious question about Tommy to which all he can say is "Uh...yeah." The editing creates this effect. Practically the entire interview surfaced on a 1996 CD that was sold with copies of Chris Charlesworth's The Complete Guide To The Music Of The Who. In context the interview zeroes in on problems others have had with Tommy (in "Sensation" isn't Tommy declaring himself to be the messiah?) and Pete is his usual loquacious self. SEE ME FEEL ME (WOODSTOCK) Shot at the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair, Max Yasgur's Farm, Bethel, New York in the early morning of August 17, 1969 5'12 in film, 5'25 on soundtrack (track 15) The sun rose at the beginning of the song, somewhat startling Roger (who may have still been tripping from LSD-spiked water). Recognizing what a significant moment it was, Pete extended the ending past its usual point. Jeff Stein went back to the original takes and re-edited this sequence which appeared in the movie Woodstock as a multi-screen version. John Entwistle: "I insisted that we overdub more voices on but [Jeff Stein] insisted that we use the natural voices which were dire." However, John had his way with the soundtrack, which features some dubbed vocals from the late 1970's. The Woodstock movie also contains "Summertime Blues" which followed this song and the soundtrack LP to Woodstock has a longer version of this track in a quite different mix. The same cut appears on the Who's Better Who's Best video. Melvyn Bragg 2 Shot at BBC Television Studios in London, August 29, 1974 '33 on video Pete, Roger and John all said that they hated the Woodstock Festival. They hadn't wanted to play it, they had a rough time getting there, they had to hang around for hours waiting to be paid and they were dosed with LSD against their wishes. Pete has softened on this in recent statements recognizing what a boost Woodstock gave their careers, but there was always something about "3 days of peace and love" that seemed un-Who-like. MY GENERATION CONCLUSION (WOODSTOCK) Shot at the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair, Max Yasgur's Farm, Bethel, New York in the early morning of August 17, 1969 1'45 in film The ending of the long version of "My Generation" which concluded The Who's set at Woodstock. If you listen closely you can hear the chords that would become "Naked Eye". As for the guitar, roadies immediately ran out and retrieved it. A longer, but still edited, version of "My Generation" appeared in 1994 in the television documentary Woodstock Diaries. A Whole Scene Going filmed interview 1 Shot in London, August 1965 Directed by Nat Cohen '31 in film Originally aired January 5, 1966 on the BBC1 program, this was part of a prepared interview with Pete shot in his Belgravia flat. ANYWAY ANYHOW ANYWHERE (READY STEADY GO!) Shot at Studio One, Wembly, July 1, 1965 Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg 1'40 in film, 2'49 on soundtrack Ready Steady Go! was the television programme most associated with The Who. It's where they got their first break that enabled "I Can't Explain" to become a hit and later a special show featured them which led to the Ready Steady Who EP. This performance was taped during a brief period in which the British Musician's Union insisted all acts perform live. According to Jeff Stein, this is the only old clip in the movie which has an overdub. The original had very low bass so while preparing the mix in 1978, John got the bass on which he is seen playing in the film and recorded a new bass line, then blended it in seamlessly. The original version showing the entire song was released on the 1983 video Ready Steady Go! Volume 1. Volume 2 has The Who's performance of "Shout and Shimmy" from the same show. This clip is also the one Jimmy watches in the movie of Quadrophenia. Nothing else but photographs remain of The Who's many performances on Ready Steady GO! as ITV wiped the tapes not many years after their broadcast. Most surviving performances from this show have been discovered in archives in Canada and Australia. A Whole Scene Going filmed interview 2 - Russell Harty Plus 3 1'40 on video Part of Pete's interview is covered with video from later in the 1960's. The original had Pete in his flat in Belgravia showing off the Union Jack jacket and film of The Who performing at The Witch Doctor at St. Leonard's-on-Sea August 4, 1965. Pete and Keith's talking-at-the- same-time routine was one of their favorites for impromptu performances. SUCCESS STORY Shot at John's home in Stow-On-The-Wold, Gloucestershire, January 5-6, 1978 Directed by Jeff Stein 1'29 in film This was shot at John's house, as you might guess from all the bass guitars, and was suggested by him. According to John, the gold records he shoots are Roger's! John also said that he called up the local police to tell them he'd be shooting a machine gun on his property and they said "okay" as if it were a perfectly normal request! Similar scenes were to be shot with Pete and Roger but were canceled. Whether intended as such or not, this scene does parody the outrageous fantasies in Led Zeppelin's 1976 concert film The Song Remains The Same. The soundtrack is the studio version of the song. John lived in this house until his death in 2002. A Whole Scene Going live interview 1 Shot at Studio 7, BBC Television Centre, London, January 5, 1966 '39 in film Pete always had a love-hate relationship with The Beatles and the hate side never more famously presented than here. Could the album he is referring to be the recently released Rubber Soul? This was shot live during the afternoon and broadcast that evening. SINGLES MEDLEY (SUBSTITUTE - PICTURES OF LILY - MAGIC BUS) 3'02 in film, "Magic Bus" on soundtrack 3'22 (track 5) "Substitute" is from a promo film directed by Chris Stamp shot March 21, 1966 at a rented film studio in Covent Garden. The original soundtrack to the clip was the US version of "Substitute." "Pictures Of Lily," was shot for the German NDR-TV show Beat Club at the Fernsehstudio in Osterholz, Germany April 19, 1967. "Magic Bus" is also from Beat Club and was shot at Radio Bremen Studios in Bremen, Germany on October 7, 1968. This was the premiere of Roger's open shirt look popularized during the Tommy tours. All three performances are lip-synced. It was Jeff Stein's original intention to make this a six-song medley of * Substitute * I'm A Boy * Heatwave * Pictures Of Lily * I Can See For Miles * Magic Bus Unfortunately, it was cut to only three before the film's release but after the printing of the end credits. The soundtrack LP and original issues of the CD feature the standard mono version of "Magic Bus" but a stereo version was used for the 2001 reissue. Complete versions of "Substitute" and "Pictures Of Lily" appear on the Who's Better Who's Best video. All My Loving 1 - Keith interview - Pete 1977 interview 1 - Pete 1971 interview 1 - All My Loving 2 1'44 in film The scenes of The Who riding on a bus through the US come from a 1968 Tony Palmer special called Omnibus: All My Loving which aired on BBC1 November 3, 1968. It was shot around March 10, 1968. The Keith interview was shot September 1975 at Keith's Sherman Oaks home for another Tony Palmer television special. The 1977 Pete interview was filmed at his home in Twickenham for the BBC series Tonight which originally aired October 31, 1977. The black & white film of Pete talking that follows it is from a film made by Richard Stanley on either the first or second weekend of September 1971 of a "summit meeting" of The Who at Roger's house. Richard Stanley was the cinematographer on the Isle Of Wight movie and Yessongs. It was shot in color but Jeff Stein used a black-and-white work print for the finished movie. HAPPY JACK Shot at New Action Offices at Caroline House, 6 Chesterfield Gardens, London, December 19, 1966 Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg 2'09 in film A promo film that originally aired on BBC1's Top Of The Pops December 22, 1966. The film was later projected behind The Who during their performances at Murray The K's show in New York City in March 1967. At least twice in The Who's early career they toyed with the idea of starting a Monkees-like program for English television. This and the video for "Call Me Lightning" are as close as they ever came. Director Lindsay-Hogg got The Who's attention as the house director for Ready Steady GO! and went on to direct The Rolling Stones' Rock & Roll Circus, Let It Be, and Roger's 1994 Celebration: The Music Of Pete Townshend and The Who video. The "Happy Jack" on the soundtrack LP is a live version from Leeds University February 14, 1970 running 2'12 (track 3). It was later re-released on the 1995 edition of Live At Leeds. A Whole Scene Going live interview 2 '31 on video Jeff Stein: "We have a sequence from an 8mm film taken by a friend of theirs of them putting on their make-up backstage in '67, including a great shot of Pete powdering his nose! Roger Daltrey fixing everyone's hair, that sort of thing." The person having their hair fixed in the first shot is long-suffering Who sound man Bobby Pridden. It was shot in 8mm by Chris Morphet backstage at the Granada Cinema, Kingston-On-Thames, Surrey, November 3, 1967. Melvyn Bragg 3 1'49 in film Pete's description of the recording of the A Quick One LP and the birth of the mini-opera "A Quick One While He's Away" was cut from the movie by John Entwistle outside the US and was only restored with the 2002 DVD. A QUICK ONE (ROLLING STONES' ROCK & ROLL CIRCUS) Shot at Stonebridge Park Studios, Wembley, December 10, 1968 Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg 7'41 in film, 2'43 on video, 7'30 on soundtrack (track 11) This was part of a plan that Pete Townshend and Mick Jagger had been working on for some time, a Rolling Stones/Who tour done as a traveling circus. It was intended for a TV special but was shelved, because The Stones were unhappy with their performance that had come at the end of a very long day's filming. There's certainly nothing wrong with The Who's performance. Three performances of "A Quick One" were shot that day, each better than the last. Pete got Mick Jagger's permission for the use of this clip for The Kids Are Alright, which, for a long time, was the only circulating material from the TV special. The Rolling Stones and Allan Klein, who owned the film, finally came to an agreement and gave the film an official release in 1995. The same take used here also appears on The Rolling Stones' Rock & Roll Circus videotape but edited differently. The blinking lights were put around the image as a way of presenting the full frame when masked for a movie house's "widescreen" image. One of the other takes appears, in part, on The Who's boxset 30 Years Of Maximum R&B. The original film of The Kids Are Alright featured the complete performance including Keith Richard's introduction (he is wearing an eyepatch and a ringmaster's uniform. The lights around the picture during his intro say "The Rolling Stones" at the top and "Rock 'n' Roll Circus" at the bottom) The first 4'41 of the sequence was removed in the Entwistle edit and was restored in the 2002 DVD. However the image was cropped to a 16 X 9 image removing the original's flashing light border. Pete 1971 interview 2 - A Whole Scene Going live interview 3 - Keith and Ringo 2 - Melvyn Bragg 4 1'35 in film Pete's admitting on A Whole Scene Going that The Who were taking drugs was shocking at the time. Pop groups just didn't say such things in January 1966. The Beatles didn't admit their drug use until mid-1967. And yet, The Who never had any drug busts. Keith's saying he's just "been sittin' in" with The Who refers to the story that Roger, after Keith's audition for The Who, came up and asked him whether he could make it for their next club date with no formal acceptance into the band. Oddly, according to Tony Fletcher's book on Keith, no one of his bandmates in The Beachcombers, the band Keith was in at the time of his audition with The Who, can remember Keith ever dyeing his hair ginger. COBWEBS AND STRANGE Deserted warehouse in Hollywood February 26, 1968 2'44 in film The video that forms the basis of this sequence was actually filmed to go with the song "Call Me Lightning" (hence all the quick running around). It was shot in a deserted warehouse in Hollywood February 26, 1968 on 8mm film and was directed by Austin John Marshall. The Steve Martin segment was shot at CBS Studios in Hollywood in late August 1977 for the 10 Years Of Rolling Stone US TV special which aired November 1977. All the film of Keith with a beard was shot by Jeff Stein near Keith's Malibu, California home August 8-12, 1977. The shots of Keith lying on the floor covered in cake trying to get his trousers off are from a preliminary birthday party held August 11, 1977 at the Trancas Restaurant and Bar in Malibu. Keith's pirate imitation comes from his fascination with Robert Newton's Long John Silver from Treasure Island (1950), a character Keith would assume at the drop of a tricornered hat. His friend and Monty Pythoner Graham Chapman tried to make Keith's dream a reality by writing a movie for him to star in called Yellowbeard, but Keith died before filming started. Russell Harty Plus 3 - Keith and Ringo 3 - Pete 1977 interview 2 2'55 in film The first two segments (Keith's "I survived all the major earthquakes" and Keith and Ringo's "we're getting old now and have to take our medicine") are more than a little eerie considering the circumstances of Keith's death. Pete's feeling that he lost the rational part of his mind during performances which he blamed in part for his hearing loss and drinking problems. SPARKS (WOODSTOCK) Filmed at the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair, Max Yasgur's Farm, Bethel, New York in the early morning of August 17, 1969 4'10 in film, 3'01 on soundtrack (track 13) The soundtrack version starts one minute later than the version in the film. A version almost as long as the video appeared on the 30 Years Of Maximum R&B boxset but misidentified as "Underture" (3'53). Pete 1971 interview 3 '26 in film BARBARA ANN (SHEPPERTON REHEARSAL) Shot at Shepperton Studios, London, July 21, 1977 Directed by Jeff Stein in film - intro '26 - song 2'21 Jeff Stein: "When I showed up, it was 'Okay Jeff, what do you want us to play?' I didn't know what to tell them, so I racked my brains for a minute and said, 'How about playing "Barbara Ann"?' So we have a rendition of them doing 'Barbara Ann' with Keith handling lead vocals. They hadn't played it since 1966, but they went right into it, and it's a great version. The next day, Keith decided he would arrive on a fire truck that was on fire, so we have some of that." Keith was certainly at his heaviest here but had managed to lose a good bit of the weight by a year later. Many songs were given such impromptu jams over two days of filming but so far only a cover of The Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There" with Keith on lead vocals has turned up on bootleg videos. Roger 1975 interview Shot in London, March 27, 1975 '15 on video This short clip of Roger speaking is from the same Russell Harty show interviews as the Ken Russell above. It's also one of only three short times that Roger speaks in The Kids Are Alright. No wonder he doesn't like the film! Jeff Stein had originally planned to have a Roger-only segment taken from a 1975 US children's show called Wonderama where Roger demonstrated how to swing a microphone. Unfortunately, he was unable to obtain rights to the clip. ROADRUNNER/MY GENERATION BLUES (PONTIAC SILVERDOME) Shot at The Silver Dome, Pontiac, Michigan, December 6, 1975 5'10 in film, 9'54 on soundtrack (track 16) This is from a videotape of the images that were projected on large screens above the stage during the concert. The soundtrack LP includes a live version of "Join Together" which preceded "Roadrunner." It was excised from all the early copies of the CD version released in the US and UK but was restored on the 1999 Japanese CD reissue and the 2001 UK and US reissue. In the original concert this began with a regular speed version of "My Generation" before going into "Join Together." It ended with some Pete jamming before segueing into "Won't Get Fooled Again." The entire medley up to that point ran 15'22. Pete 1966 interview - Pete and Keith at Shepperton - Russell Harty Plus 4 - A Whole Scene Going live interview 3 - Pete 1977 interview 3 - Pete at Kilburn - separate statements from The Who 1977 2'59 on video Pete's discussion of his hearing problem with Keith comes from the same day as "Barbara Ann." Pete's harangue ("I've got a guitar up here") is, along with a clip in the closing credits, the only footage salvaged from the December 15, 1977 Kilburn concert. More is expected in Murray Lerner's forthcoming new film My Generation: Who's Still Who. Stein's insistence that another performance had to be shot later at Shepperton and The Who's refusal to pay for it, led to the rift between Jeff Stein and the band. John Entwistle has said he was upset by the inclusion of Keith's remark here ("you couldn't afford me") thinking it made Keith look bad. It was shot at Keith's Malibu home August 8, 1977. The offscreen questioner is crewman Pete Nevard. WHO ARE YOU Shot at Ramport Studios, London, May 9, 1978 Directed by Jeff Stein 4'59 on video This was a promo video which originally ran on BBC1's Top Of The Pops August 3, 1978. It was supposed to be mimed to the single version's backing track with live vocals but, by the time it was finished, practically the entire song had been re-recorded. John remembers this as being one of Keith's greatest drumming performances. There are supposedly videos outside this movie which have slightly different audio mixes. This version is also included on the Who's Better Who's Best video. Russell Harty Plus 5 1'09 on video Keith's dig at Russell Harty ("how long have you been happily married?") gets an odd grimace from Harty, probably because he was keeping secret a sexual orientation that didn't come out until years later. Wonder if Keith knew? MY GENERATION (MONTEREY POP) Shot at the Monterey County Fairgrounds, Monterey, California, June 18, 1967 Directed by D.A. Pennebaker 3'48 in film The Who probably put more than usual into their instrument smashing here as their managers cheaped out and the band had to rely on inadequate rented equipment and amplifiers that gave them a very ragged sound. The ending has a selection of instrument smashes from a variety of sources. If you want only the Monterey smashup, it is available on the video of the movie Monterey Pop. This was not included on the soundtrack, but The Who's entire set for that night is available on Rhino Records' Monterey Pop Festival CD boxset and a complete version of "My Generation" from this night, remixed in 5.1 sound, is available on Criterion's The Complete Monterey Pop Festival DVD boxset. The final statements '56 in film These additional four final remarks from the members of The Who were excised in the Entwistle cut and were restored for the 2002 DVD. WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN (SHEPPERTON) Shot at Shepperton Studios, Middlesex May 25, 1978 Directed by Jeff Stein 9'12 in film, 9'48 on soundtrack (track 17) "The Greater London Council wouldn't let us use the lasers inside London, and we couldn't find any suitable venue, so we finally booked a huge movie sound stage at Shepperton, and built their entire stage inside. To make up for it not really being a gig, we turned it into a huge party. We had thousands of bottles of wine, cases and cases of beer, and it turned out to be the most uproarious party, and the Who came out and played as a finale. We had twelve hundred people drunk out of their skulls, and it was very difficult to film. I didn't have people roped off, and we didn't tell anybody to sit down or anything, and it was crazy. When they hit the stage, there were people all over the place. The Who played great. I was backstage, and the people were roaring for an encore, and carrying on. You know the Who hate to do encores, and they had really beaten themselves to death doing this show. It was really tough, and I went back and said, 'Pete, you gotta go out and give 'em an encore. We've got to get a definitive version of "Won't Get Fooled Again." We need the definitive end.' And he said, 'Jeff, what do you want me to do? Go out there and fall asleep playing? Maybe I should go out there and just die during my last solo? Or maybe I should hit that guy who's been yelling for "Magic Bus" over the head with my guitar.' Anyway, we do have a great ending. They did go back out and do it. It was very complicated, because I wanted to film the lasers that accompany 'Won't Get Fooled Again' and it was very hard to shoot those, but that was one of the main reasons we wanted to film them at Shepperton, to get the lasers right, which we did." According to eyewitnesses, The Who returned the next day to do additional filming of the lasers section of the performance. It is believed that the film version is made up of pieces of both performances while the soundtrack version is of only one. Keith also went into the recording studio shortly before his death to play some new drum parts that were dubbed over sections of his performance here. John was always proud of his mixing job on this track. LONG LIVE ROCK 3'54 in film, 3'56 on soundtrack (track 6) The end credits feature a variety of Who exits. In order after the end of "Won't Get Fooled Again" at Shepperton they are: 1) London Coliseum, Dec. 14, 1969 2) Unsure but probably Festhalle, Frankfurt, West Germany, Aug. 11, 1972 3) Tanglewood Music Festival, Lenox, Massachusetts, July 7, 1970 4) Kilburn, London, Dec. 15, 1977 in two parts including the charge up the stairs 5) Ernst Merck Halle, Hamburg, West Germany, Aug. 12, 1972 6) Outtake from Top Of The Pops 300th Edition, Wembly, London, Oct. 3, 1973 7) Monterey Pop Festival, Monterey, California, June 18, 1967 8) Circus Krone, Munich, West Germany Apr. 13, 1967 9) Madison Square Garden, New York, June 1974 The version of "Long Live Rock" under all this features a different mix from the version on Odds and Sods. It was released as the single from the soundtrack backed in the UK with "I'm The Face" and "My Wife (Kilburn)" (reaching #48 in the charts) and with just "My Wife (Kilburn)" in the US (reaching #54 in the Billboard charts and #66 in Cash Box). The mix used here was later released on the 30 Years Of Maximum R&B boxset. TRACKS ON SOUNDTRACK BUT NOT IN FILM: I CAN SEE FOR MILES 4'17 (track 4) Originally included in the Singles Medley but excised before the film was released. The video was probably from The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour where The Who mimed to it (see "My Generation" - Smothers Brothers above). Part of it later appeared on the Who's Better Who's Best video. This is a stereo version remixed and remastered by John Entwistle. MY WIFE (KILBURN) 6'08 (track 9) Recorded at the Gaumont State Theatre, Kilburn December 15, 1977. The only official release of a track from the Kilburn concert. There is no record of where it was to have been in the film. It might have been included here so that the LP's producer could have at least one title with his authorship. This is one of three live versions of "My Wife" that The Who have released, the other two being on Two's Missing (San Francisco 1971) and the 30 Years Of Maximum R&B boxset (Swansea 1976). Review taken from Wikipedia: The Kids Are Alright is a rockumentary film about the English rock band The Who, including live performances, promotional films, and interviews from 1965 to 1978. This film is widely hailed as one of the best rockumentaries ever created. Production The film was primarily the work of American fan Jeff Stein who, despite having no previous experience in moviemaking, convinced the band to support the project and served as the film's director. Stein had produced a book of photographs from the band's 1970 tour when he was just 17. In 1975, he approached Pete Townshend, The Who's principal composer and lead guitartist, about compiling a collection of film clips to provide a historical reference for the band's fans. Townshend initially rejected the idea, but was persuaded by the group's manager, Bill Curbishley, to give their cooperation. When Stein and his film editor, Ed Rothkowitz, soon previewed a 17-minute compilation of clips from their US television appearances to the band and their wives, they could hardly believe the reaction. "Townshend was on the floor, banging his head. He and Moon were hysterical. Daltrey's wife was laughing so hard she knocked over the coffee table in the screening room. Their reaction was unbelievable. They loved it. That's when they were really convinced that the movie was worth doing." Stein knew that many of the band's best performances and most memorable moments had either never been recorded or been lost, erased or discarded. For more than two years, he collected movie, television and fan film footage in England, the US, Sweden, Germany, France, Australia, Norway and Finland, in some cases actually rescuing footage from the trash. Nevertheless, there were gaps in the depiction of the band's catalog and persona that required the shooting of new material. This began on July 20, 1977 at Shepperton Studios in Middlesex, England with the playing of the song "Barbara Ann" at Stein's request. The film crew then spent five days chronicling the daily life of drummer Keith Moon at his Malibu, California home, including his 31st birthday party. Finally, Stein attempted on several occasions to record performances of songs that were not covered by the archival footage, particularly "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again". The final recordings were made on May 25, 1978 (Stein originally shot the Who at an unsuccessful concert but reconvened them for performances at Shepperton Studios). The sound editing was supervised by bassist John Entwistle and, with the exception of a few 1965 performances where Entwistle had to replace a missing bass track, all of the sound was authentic. During the process of sound editing, on September 7, 1978, Keith Moon died. All of the band members except Townshend had seen a rough cut of the film just a week before and, after Moon's death, they were determined not to change anything. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 1979. An album was released as a soundtrack in June 1979 that included some songs and performances from the movie. The album reached #26 in the UK, and fared better in the US where it peaked at #8 on the Billboard album charts and went Platinum. Contents The Kids Are Alright premiered in the US on June 15, 1979 in the middle of the disaster film era that featured films like Earthquake, The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno. In this environment, the original press kit for The Kids Are Alright drew on the band's destructive reputation and called it "the world's first rock 'n' roll disaster movie." With the collection of material he included, Stein attempted to create not a linear, chronological documentary, but "a celluloid rock 'n' roll revival meeting" and "a hair-raising rollercoaster ride" that was worthy of the band's reputation. The performances which comprise the body of the film are organized around a number of playful encounters by the band members with various variety and talk show hosts, Pete Townshend's playful relationship with his fans, admirers and critics, and the endless antics of Keith Moon. Television shows and interviews The film begins with a bang "literally" at the band's only US variety show appearance. On September 15, 1967, The Who appeared on the CBS show The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in Los Angeles following the end of their first US tour. They lip-synched the songs "I Can See For Miles" and "My Generation" and flustered host Tommy Smothers by refusing to follow the script as he tried to converse with them before "My Generation". Moon made the biggest impact, however, when the destructive nature of his on-stage persona reached its highest level. After The Who's performance of "My Generation", they began smashing their instruments. Moon packed explosive charge in his bass drum which set Townshend's hair on fire and rendered him temporarily deaf for 20 minutes, while cymbal shrapnel left a gash in Moon's arm [Townshend's tinnitus has been attributed to this event but that is not entirely correct. Though it contributed to it, Townsend has said it was caused by listening to mixes on headphones at very high volume, as well as an extremely loud scream by Daltrey at a concert. In a 1999 or 2000 interview for VH1, Townsend stated the primary reason for his hearing loss. He said that Roger Daltrey used to let out screams randomly during shows, and they were always loud as hell, and one night, he let one out, and Townsend was right in front of the huge speaker, and it was turned all the way up, and he said "the volume of the scream literally dropped me to the floor." (thanks Paper Tiger)]. Townshend then took the acoustic guitar Smothers was holding and smashed it to bits on the ground. Smothers was completely frustrated, but the audience thought the whole performance was staged. Clips of a 1973 interview from London Weekend Television's Russell Harty Plus appear six times throughout the film. While Harty delves into the background of the members' lives, Moon again steals the show as he rips off Townshend's shirt sleeve and then promptly strips down to his underwear. An early performance from ABC television's Shindig! and one of only two surviving tapes from the group's many appearances on the British program Ready, Steady, Go!, both recorded in 1965, are included along with numerous interview clips from BBC Radio, Radio Bremen of Hamburg. Segments filmed in each of the band member's homes include several conversations between Moon and fellow drummer Ringo Starr. Large concerts Performances from three of the band's largest concert appearances bear witness to the band's progression from the British mod scene to global superstardom: Their reluctant gig at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair on August 17, 1969 was not an artistic success in the eyes of the band, but it helped Tommy become a critical blockbuster. The four clips that appear in the film include three tracks from Tommy and My Generation, topped off by Townshend throwing his guitar into the crowd. The group's 1975 US tour reached its peak before a crowd of 75,962 at the Pontiac Silverdome on December 6. The images in the film were broadcast to large screens in the stadium so those in the far reaches could actually see the band members on stage. While it appears near the end of the film, the band's appearance at the Monterey International Pop Festival on June 18, 1967 brought about their first big media exposure in the United States. In the film, The Who's Monterey Pop appearance cuts away to footage from past concerts depicting the band destroying their equipment before returning to the destructive end of My Generation. Discarded footage At least three chapters in the film preserve performances that were discarded or thought to be lost: When the English National Opera allowed the band to play in the London Coliseum on December 14, 1969, the show was recorded for later release. The poor quality of the footage, however, made it expendable to the group and Jeff Stein retrieved the footage from a trash dump. The band's rendition of "Young Man Blues" is included in the film. A promotional film for the song "Happy Jack" was shot on December 19, 1966 for a BBC Television series called Sound and Picture City but the show was never aired. The Rolling Stones Rock 'n' Roll Circus was to be a television special combining prominent British bands and circus performers, followed by a UK tour, but when the Stones felt that their stage appearance did not compare favorably with The Who's at the time, the program broadcast and tour were cancelled. The film includes a performance of the group's first "rock opera" "A Quick One, While He's Away" shot on December 10, 1968. DVD edition In 2003 a DVD edition of the film was released. The film had been transferred from the restored 35mm negative and the audio was extensively restored. In addition to the original film, the DVD contained a bonus disc with over 3 hours of additional materials including a new interview with Roger Daltrey conducted by the DVD's Associate Producer Martin Lewis. There was also an audio commentary track with Lewis, film director Jeff Stein and producer John Alberian. The DVD was released by Pioneer Home Entertainment. The digitally-restored version of the film was premiered at the New York Film Festival in October 2003 with Daltrey, Lewis, Stein and Alberian in attendance. Quotations "Most rock films are pretentious. They're made for the sole purpose of making Robert Plant's dick look big. This is totally the opposite. Within the first half hour we're made to look like complete idiots." ~ Roger Daltrey Credits Starring: Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, Pete Townshend Appearing: Tommy Smothers, Jimmy O'Neill, Russell Harty, Melvyn Bragg, Ringo Starr, Mary Ann Zabresky, Michael Leckebusch, Barry Fantoni, Jeremy Paxman, Bob Pridden, Keith Richards, Garry McDonald, Norman Gunston, Steve Martin, Rick Danko (who appears in the credits despite his scene being cut), Ken Russell Executive Producer: Sydney Rose Produced by: Bill Curbishley, Tony Klinger Associate Producers: Jeff Stein, Ed Rothkowitz, The Who Edited by: Ed Rothkowitz Musical Director: John Entwistle Written and Directed by: Jeff Stein