The Who: Live At The Oval 1971

The Who were at the peak of their performing powers by the time they embarked upon an extensive touring schedule in 1971. Having honed their chemistry as a performing unit during the nearly two years of performing Tommy (Decca, 1969), the quartet had relegated equipment smashing to an occasional sidelight.

And, having distilled guitarist/composer Pete Townshend's magnum opus Life House into Who's Next (MCA, 1971), the foursome had a panoply of sterling new material to choose from in addition to a wide array of varied older material.

Live At The Oval 1971 is a fifteen-song concert from the volatile group's headlining appearance on the bill of 'Goodbye Summer: A Rock Concert in aid of Famine Relief for the People of Bangla Desh.' During the course of the seventy-plus minute set at The Oval cricket ground in South London on September 18, 1971, the program runs the gamut of the Who's history.

Clearly, the group's familiarity with selections like "I Can't Explain" does not adversely affect the performances. In fact, juxtaposing 1966's "Substitute" with "Bargain" (off the just-released LP) freshens the playing of both. Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon gain confidence from the former and transfer it to the latter.

Meanwhile, in his role as lead vocalist, Roger Daltrey displays a similarly abandoned yet focused approach. Whether it is the range of dynamics in "Behind Blue Eyes" or his stalwart reading of the anthemic "Won't Get Fooled Again," the lead singer never succumbs to histrionics anymore than his bandmates on their instruments.

And the novel incorporation of pre-recorded tapes into the arrangement of the latter is seamless. The quartet remains in time throughout the number without losing the tremendous visceral impact of its musicianship; as a result, in immediately following two other selections from the new album, the majesty of the climax is palpable.

After the Who proffer selections from the rock opera, including "Pinball Wizard, " "My Generation" arrives without the meandering that afflicted later stage versions. "Magic Bus," thereby becomes even more cathartic (even with some wheezy harmonica from Daltrey).

Culled from an unreleased 1970 EP and an intermittent stage inclusion, "Naked Eye" sets up a choice cull from the British quartet's early repertoire in "Baby Don't You Do It," leaving the distinct impression the Who are more than a little proud of the expanse of their catalog.

In fact, the joy they radiate throughout is as unmistakable as the expert pacing of the setlist. The spontaneous excitement does get the best of them on occasion, such as the ragged vocals during "Summertime Blues," and, as a result, the Who do thrash around a bit on Entwistle's original "My Wife," but that is only a means of savoring the visceral simplicity of this tune by the man nicknamed 'The Ox.'

That interval, like the little over two minutes of "Love Ain't For Keeping," reaffirms not only the combined power and the precision of these four musicians, but also the fundamental self-discipline they had worked so hard to foster over the years. Still, their playing never becomes too busy (unlike the cover artwork of Josh Townshend).

Previously only available as a poor-quality bootleg, Live At The Oval 1971 was newly mixed from the original 8-track analog multi-track tapes by long-time Who soundman Bob Pridden with Richard Whittaker (who worked on the recent Robin Trower deluxe anniversary editions).

Taken from recordings by Glyn Johns for subsequent mastering by Jon Astley and Layla Astley, the technical expertise preserves an often-savage edge to the music, not to mention a clarity comparable to the audio this now-famous engineer helped oversee in the studio for their aforementioned fifth longplayer.

The sonics suit the intensity the Who always brought to their best performances. So, taking into account the rarity of the recording and its astute production, and notwithstanding Andy Neill's longstanding advocacy for the band, the journalist who authored the essay in the enclosed booklet here would no doubt attest, Live At The Oval 1971 deserves placement in that very category.

Comments