BBC Sessions (Live)

In the studio, The Who was a different group from the one that blew everyone else off the stage in concert. So these live-in-the-studio recordings for the BBC capture an interesting middle ground where spontaneity works in The Who's favor while the lack of an audience guarantees greater focus and sound. The album starts and ends with two radio jingles, with 23 full songs packed in between. "Good Lovin'," James Brown's "Just You and Me, Darling," "Shakin' All Over," and the Motown tunes "Leaving Here" and "Dancing in the Street" give the band a chance to explore a few covers, while Pete Townshend's originals "My Generation," "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere," "Substitute," "Pictures of Lily," and "Long Live Rock" give the band the most emotionally cathartic tunes in the short history of rock. Most tracks were recorded in 1965, 1966, and 1967, with just four cuts from 1970 and two from 1973. Thankfully, all are from the Keith Moon era.