The Who: " Live in USA " - (Canceled 1970 album).

Ok Guys!, here we go again with more unreleased albums from The Who. One more.

On 17 May 1969, the opera rock" "Tommy" was published worldwide, placing the British group "The Who" and the songwriter Pete Townshend at the top of the rock world's. 

Almost seven months of intense work cost to get this extraordinary double album . Recorded at the IBC studios in London, U.K, from September 1968 to March 1969. It was produced by Kim Lambert and distributed by Decca.

Although the album was released in May, the promotional tour began on February 14 at Lanchester College of Technology, Coventry, England. Where some songs from "Tommy" were played in concert for the first time. This 1st Britain´s leg ends May 2 at Ronnie Scott´s Jazz Club, London, England. Seven day after, The Who started their 1st American Tour at Grande Ballroom, Detroit, MI. Six week after, this tour finished at The Fillmore West concerts in San Francisco, five shows in three days the last one on June 19 with all tickets sold out.

The shows was divided into three parts. Here´s the original set list with some possible variation.

1st - Heaven and Hell / I can´t explain / Fortune teller / Tattoo / Young Man Blues / Substitute / Happy Jack / I´m a boy. 2nd - Tommy Opera.  3rd Summertime Blues / Shakin´All Over / My Generation Medley / Magic Bus.

In july The Who back to England; and on August, they played on Tanglewood and Woodstock and lon september at The Isle of Wight Festival. The tour continued by Europe and North America once again between September to December. After 125 concerts, the 1969 world tour ends on December 19 at Newcastle City Hall.

During the second American tour, some concerts were recorded for a possible live Lp but the members of the group were so tired, they didn't want to listen and choose the best cuts, so Pete Tonwshend left this work in hands of the engineer Bob Pridden. In early January 1970 before the band returned to the stage in Paris, Bob showed Pete a double acetate for the live album, but he didn't like it and asked for Tommy's share to be removed and make it a single lp with the best from parts 1 and 3 of the concerts.Bob took the Washington tapes for the best sound and made several mixes. This Project called: "The Who on Tour - live in USA", was abbreviated to "The Who Live In USA", because there was already another Lp with a similar title: Magic Bus- The Who on Tour. Days after showed the result to Pete...

Side One: (17:46)

1.Heaven and Hell. (3:14)

2.I Can´t Explain. (2:15)

3.Fortune Teller. (2:28)

4.Tattoo. (2:43)

5.Young Man Blues. (7:03)

Side Two: (17:00)

1.Summertime Blues. (3:11)

2.Shakin´All Over. (5:24)

3.My Generation Medley: / See Me, Feel Me / Naked Eye (Instrumental version) / Sparks. (8:21)

Recorded live at McDonough Memorial Gymnasium. Georgetown University. Washington D.C. US. Nov. 2.1969.

...but he still didn't like it and canceled it and preferred to record two extra concerts in mid-February in Leeds and Hull. Unfortunately, only Leeds's could be used, because Hull recorded technical problems with John's bass. During March, two versions were made at IBC studios, with a different duration, both with "My Generation Medley" and "Magic Bus" on A side, with this line-up:

(I.B.C Studio 1st Acetate version. March 1970).

Side One: (23:12)

1.My Generation Medley: / See Me, Feel Me / Naked Eye (Instrumental version) / Amazing Journey / Coming Out To Get You / Sparks. (15:45)

2.Magic Bus. (7:27)

Side Two: (21:03)

1.Young Man Blues. (5:51)

2.Substitute. (2:06)

3.Happy Jack. (2:13)

4.I´m A Boy. (2:55)

5.Summertime Blues. (3:21)

6.Shakin´All Over. (4:34).

... but that same day, Pete edited this version once again to:

Side One: (20:35)

1.My Generation Medley (edit): / See Me, Feel Me / Naked Eye (Instrumental version) / Amazing Journey / Coming Out To Get You / Sparks. (13:09)

2.Magic Bus. (7:26)

Side Two: (15:29)

1.Young Man Blues. (5:26)

2.Substitute. (2:06)

3.Summertime Blues. (3:21)

4.Shakin´All Over. (4:34)

...at the end of the day, IBC Studios made a 2nd acetate. It seemed to be the definitive that was going to go to the lp. But a couple of weeks after, this last version was discarded too and Pete made a new one,where the songs chosen were in the same order in which they were played live. bit.ly/69tW70lr The album was re-called: "The Who live at Leeds".It was released by Decca & MCA in the USA and Track Records in UK, on May 23.1970. Produced by Kim Lambert, John Astley and  The  Who.

This record is considered one of the best live rock albums of all time. On this new occasion, I bring you the original album cancelled "The Who on Tour - live in USA" and the two reconstructed acetates from "Live at Leeds".

Enjoy it and see you soon with more and better. I hope.

John Lennon &Yoko Ono: Unfinished Music Nº2 "Life with the Lennon´s"

Unfinished Music Nº2: “Life with the lions“; was the 2nd of three experimental albums by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, It was the successor of the scandalous: Unfinished Music Nº1: “Two Virgins”.

Produced by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. It was Released in May 9 1969 (UK) and May 26 (US) on Zapple, a sub label of Apple Records founded in 1968 as a division of Apple Corps by The Beatles.
Apple Records did not want to include in its catalog this new and strange work - genre: avant garde noise - from John and Yoko, something that bothered John quite a lot. Zapple would release only two albums: this and George Harrison´s "Electronic Sound". This label would be closed by Allen Klein.

What´s it "Unfinished Music" ?. - John Lennon answer - "It´s saying whatever you want it to say. It is just us expressing ourselves like a child does, you know, however he feels like then. What we're saying is make your own music. This is Unfinished Music.".However for the music critic Ed Ward - Rolling Stone magazine: “ The album was "utter bullshit" and "in poor taste".

On the first side appears a unreleased edited version from “live peace” call: “Cambridge 1969” recorded at Lady Mitchell Hall, Cambridge University, Cambridge. March 2.1969. John and Yoko's second performance together after the concert show organised by The Rolling Stones on 11 December 1968: "The Rolling Stones Rock N´Roll Circus". Followed by the outtake "Mulberry", recorded on a cassette tape in their suite at Queen Charlotte´s Hospital in London during Ono´s first miscarriage on November 1968. While EMI Records was preparing the last record from the Beatles "White Album" programmed to November 22, 1968. The second side continues with more hospital recordings. On early April 1969, the álbum was ready, this it was going to be, supposedly, the original line-up:

Side One: (17:29)

1.Cambridge 1969 (edit). (8:32)

2.Mulberry. (8:56)

Side Two: (17:53) 

1.Song for John (Suite).

   "Song for John". (1:26)

    "Let's Go on Flying". (0:27)

    "Snow Is Falling All the Time". (1:06)

2.Mum's Only Looking

     for Her Hand in the Snow. (2:14)

3.No Bed for Beatle John. (4:38)

4.Radio Play (edit). (7:59)

Yoko Ono – vocals, radio

John Lennon – vocals, guitar, feedback

John Tchicai – saxophone (track 1 only)

John Stevens – percussion (track 1 only)

Mal Evans – watch (track 1 only)

But when all was almost ready, the record company suggested to Yoko made an album of her sort of freak-type freestyle and some songs as: “Song for John",“Mulberry” or ”Snow is falling all the time” were going to be part of her first album. For this reason “Unfinished Music nº2”, was delayed and modified and shortly after when  the new versión was ready, the original title “Life with the Lennon´s “ changed to “Life with the lions“. This new title was both a parody on the name of the BBC radio comedy “Life with the Lyons“ and a reference to the press, who would follow Lennon and Ono everywhere.

So the A side was modified with the full lenght version from “Cambridge 1969” and the original B was restructured too. bit.ly/JL69YkO Unfortunately for her, the Yoko's solo album was never recorded, and this rejected version from B side was given away to the American Magazine “Aspen” and released as a limited mono 8” square flexi record.

John took the record to Apple, but was turned down. Apple Records did not want it. EMI didn't act as distributor for Unfinished Music No.1: “Two Virgins“; but now they did it.
The success was scarce, in part because it was not something the listener could understand, neither yesterday nor today. The distribution was very low, just 60,000 copies in US. and 5000 in the UK

The álbum photos by Susan Wood. Room 1, Second West Ward,Queen Charlotte's Hospital.

Enjoy it. If you can.