The Who - Thirty Years of Maximum R&B Live

So much to say. This film (Disc 1) is primarily rarely seen footage of performances by the group with in between brutally honest comments about members of the band and their own feelings towards each other and the music. The performances span between songs from the album A Quick One to Face Dances when Kenny Jones became a member of the group. From a personal standpoint I thought it was pretty shitty the way Kenny was dumped by Roger from the band. (According to Daltrey's recent bio) That's not to say that Kenny was better than Keith or Zach Starkey (Ringo's son). I saw the band with all three drummers over time. Yes, Keith Moon was irreplaceable. But, both Kenny Jones and Zach Starkey were both excellent drummers for the group as well.Being a Who fan since age twelve when my brother brought home the Tommy album and I heard the song "Go to the Mirror" I was hooked. A lot of the music most casual fans will know. By that, I mean the usual same handful of songs played on Classic Rock radio stations. However, for the real Who fanatics, like myself, this is a treasure trove of music, interviews, and performances rarely seen and heard. I was fortunate enough to see the 1974 Quadrophenia performance at Madison Square Garden in which my father was able to secure a 3rd row seat for my brother, his girlfriend and myself. I had a perfect view of each of the original band members which cemented my love for The Who. I have been to every performance since; when they came to the New York area. I was really able to relate to this film as I remember their performances from those days. A few things which strike me about the footage of this film. The first being that the Kilburn performance of Baba O' Riley is very raw. The real Who fans know about the dislike and contempt they had for one another off stage. The looks on their faces as they perform confirms that. Many Who fans also know that the Baba O'Riley version in the Jeff Stein film The Kid's are Alright from Kilburn was staged and shows the band as friendly to each other. Another thing which surprised me was during the rehearsal sessions for the album Who Are You, Kenny Jones plays drums during the sessions. Townshend speaks very highly of his performance and makes an excellent analogy of both Moon's and Jones's styles. I'm not surprised because Moon was living in California at the time and slowly destroying himself with a rock star excess lifestyle and very sadly for the band, he passed away a month after the album debuted in the United States. Another great highlight of this film is the performance of the pre-Tommy mini-opera often referred to as Tommy's father; of "A Quick One While He's Away" performed at Monterrey.Most of the concert footage covers performances in Europe in the 60's, 70's, and the 80's with U.S. performances at the Monterrey Pop Festival in 1967, and the Stadium performances at Shea Stadium in 1981 and The Tommy anniversary performance at Giant's Stadium.For those Who fans who own the Jeff Stein film The Kid's are Alright which is a celebration of who The Who are and what they said and did over the years, excess and all, this is a great addition to that film with rarer concert footage and a more straight forward honest approach of themselves and one another. A must for anyone who has followed The Who and wants to know more about them in their own words. Disc 2 is a treat as well and contains a great live performance of the band when they toured The Face Dances album featuring Kenny Jones on drums. Songs include several from Who's Next, some from By Numbers, and a few from Who Are You along with songs from Face Dances. Great Stuff!

The curtain is pulled back and you get a behind the screen look at what really made the Who one of the best bands of their era.

The only problem with this filmed collection of live performances is it doesn't go on forever. Especially mesmerizing are the Charleton mid-seventies show and the Shea Stadium show in 1982. Both very important periods for the band, beautifully filmed, yet not released as solo packages to the audience yet. The 70s show is post-TOMMY, post-Daltrey's influential hair and attire, setting the trend for all the other rock groups and singers of the decade, and pre-Moon's sad departure. The Shea Stadium show is when the band thought they'd really be gone from live performances forever, and the style changes from their seventies look is visually striking. The only problem with interlinking the segments are the portions which appear oddly dated - and you have to remind yourself the collection was put together in the mid-nineties and band relationships - as ever with Daltrey and Townshend - are in perpetual motion. There are several stinging, sarcastic pure-Townshend moments that come off as insulting and insensitive to his fellow WHO bandmembers. People who are only casual fans of the band - not knowing the history - may be put off by Townshend's ascerbic attempt at wit. On the whole, it is frustrating realizing how much rehearsal and live concert footage must be available and yet the public doesn't yet have access to it. It's obvious the bandmembers were consumed by their own legacy even while they were creating it, making the individuals and the band itself, really the most provocative in the history of rock.

Thanks for it, Thomas S. McDonald

I thought I'd be replacing my 2001 DVD release that is the copy of the original 1994 VHS tape. While I wasn't concerned with the original material, I bought this for the 1981 Rockpalast concert second DVD disc. The new version of the original footage is ruined because the three songs from Tanglewood 7/7/70 are gone. That was the highlight of the entire documentary. That was the Who at the peak of their powers with Keith Moon as a ball of controlled chaotic energy as a drummer. The only other released material from this period that rival that are London Coliseum, the audio of Leeds, and the audio of the Young Vic. Tanglewood was essential viewing, as it changed my perception that the Who were on par with Led Zeppelin at the time, if not a better live band. I'm willing to guess that when the people behind this reissue asked permission from the Bill Graham estate to purchase the rights for the footage, the price was too high. For that what should be a five star review is only three.

I own the laserdisc version and eagerly anticipated the DVD release. I am sad to say that it falls far below the standards we've come to expect from "fully loaded" DVDs. The video quality and sound, even given the quality of the original source masters, is far below what can be achieved with a proper remastering job. For a comparison with what COULD be achieved from an old Rock 'N' Roll movie, rent or buy the Criterion Collection's DVD release of "Gimme Shelter"; it'll blow you away. Furthermore, although the packaging promises an "eight-page booklet", it is nowhere to be found. I'm glad I have the "Thirty Years" CD box set which came with very thorough and beautifully written reference material. That said, this collection of Moon-era (and dispensible Kenny Jones-era) live performances are sure to make wish you were: a) alive in the mid-seventies, and 2) at a Who concert. They were THAT good!

Super dvd des Who. Image et son impeccable. Deux disques sur leur parcours dont 1 en concert. Un très bon dvd.

マーケットプレイスのIMPORT CDS販売の米国盤は日本国内でも視聴可能なREGION ALL。ディスク1は他のDVDと一部曲がダブるのが残念であるが、トークが被らない粋な編集で様々な時代のライブが純粋に楽しめる。ディスク2は公式初の81年ロックパラストライブで大満足。

Une rétrospective fort bien réussie des trente premières années de carrière des WHO (Eh oui, ils se produisent toujours sur scène, et ont même eu l'honneur de clore la cérémonie des Jeux olympiques de Londres en 2012!).Cette rétrospective alterne images restaurées pour leurs premiers concerts ou participations aux festivals de Monterey (1967), de Woodstock (1969), Wight (1970), et interviews contemporaines de leurs premières apparitions puis plus récentes dans lesquelles Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, et John Entwistle analysent les raisons de leur succès...Ce Thirty Years of maximum rythm and blues live performance, constitue un complément très enrichissant aux "Kids are Alright" consacrés aux années de jeunesse des WHO. A noter que sur le second vidéodisque figure un très bon concert des WHO enregistré en Allemagne (Rockpalast) en 1981. A ne pas manquer!

bonjour j'ai hésiter au début pour l'acheter car j'avais pas assez de détail sur ce dvd ,mais maintenant je peu vous le dire c'est que je n'es pas été déçu en le regardant j'avais la chère de poule surtout que si on n'est pas très fort en anglais il y a le sous titre en français et de revoir keith moon cette le top a conseiller au fan du groupe et au fan de rock ah oui la qualité des concerts et très bonne et le son aussi.a acheter d'urgence.

Groupe mythique à voir absolument sur scène ou par défaut, sur grand écran avec le 5.1 poussé au max !Double DVD bien fait qui nous fait vivre l'histoire du groupe au travers de ses différentes époques.Je suis fan et j'achèèèèèèète !!!