Never one to decline an invitation to perform at a charity event, Pete Townshend rather rarely embark on a concert trek as a solo artist, which is why every recording of his shows is precious, especially given the fact that most of those were released on the guitarist’s own Eel Pie label to be made available strictly through his website and, being out-of-print, have long became collector’s items. More so, during the last two decades audio technology developed further, and now THE WHO leader decided to gather all the old recordings, expand previous tracklists, remaster everything, put into a box set and put it out on July 29th.
As a result, “Live In Concert 1985-2001” feels like a must-have asset for Townshend aficionados. Among the contents of the collection’s 14 CDs are London outings from 1985, when Pete was accompanied by David Gilmour, and from 2000 when he tried, for the first and last time, to play “Life House” in full, as well as New York shows from 1993, when the veteran delivered “Psychoderelict” in its entirety. The completist’s dream!
CD 1 – Brixton Academy, London, November 1st & 2nd, 1985:
1. Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand
2. Won’t Get Fooled Again
3. A Little Is Enough
4. Secondhand Love
5. That’s Alright Mama
6. Behind Blue Eyes
7. The Shout
8. Harlem Shuffle
9. Barefootin’
10. After The Fire
11. Love On The Air
12. Midnight Lover
13. Blue Light
14. I Put A Spell On You
15. I’m One
CD 2 – Brixton Academy, London, November 1st & 2nd, 1985:
1. Driftin’
2. Magic Bus
3. Save It For Later
4. Eyesight To The Blind
5. Walkin’
6. Stop Hurting People
7. The Sea Refuses No River
8. Boogie Stop Shuffle
9. Face The Face
10. Pinball Wizard
11. Give Blood
12. Night Train
CD 3 – Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NYC, August 7th, 1993:
1. Intro
2. English Boy
3. Meher Baba M3
4. Let’s Get Pretentious
5. Meher Baba M4 (Signal Box)
6. Early Morning Dreams
7. I Want That Thing
8. Intro – Outlive The Dinosaur
9. Outlive The Dinosaur
10. Gridlife
11. Flame (Demo)
12. Now And Then
13. I Am Afraid
14. Gridlife 2
15. Don’t Try To Make Me Real
16. Intro – Predictable
17. Predictable
18. Flame
19. Meher Baba M5 (Vivaldi)
20. Fake It
21. Intro – Now And Then (Reprise)
22. Now And Then (Reprise)
23. Baba O’Riley (Demo)
24. English Boy (Reprise)
CD 4 – Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NYC, August 7th, 1993:
1. Pinball Wizard / See Me Feel Me / Listening To You
2. Let My Love Open The Door
3. Rough Boys
4. Behind Blue Eyes
5. The Kids Are Alright
6. Keep Me Turning
7. Eminence Front
8. A Little Is Enough
9. You Better You Bet
10. Face The Face
11. Won’t Get Fooled Again / Let’s See Action
12. Magic Bus
CD 5 – The Fillmore, San Francisco, April 30th, 1996:
1. Let My Love Open The Door
2. English Boy
3. Drowned
4. The Shout
5. I Put A Spell On You
6. Cut My Hair
7. Sheraton Gibson
8. I’m One
9. Heart To Hang Onto
10. Parvardigar
11. A Legal Matter
CD 6 – The Fillmore, San Francisco, April 30th, 1996:
1. A Friend Is A Friend
2. I Am An Animal
3. All Shall Be Well
4. Slit Skirts
5. Eyesight To The Blind
6. Driftin’ Blues
7. Now And Then
8. Rough Boys
9. I’m A Boy
10. Magic Bus
CD 7 – Shepherds Bush Empire, London, November 9th, 1998:
1. On The Road Again
2. A Little Is Enough
3. Pinball Wizard
4. Drowned
5. Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
6. You Better You Bet
7. Behind Blue Eyes
8. Baby Don’t You Do It
9. English Boy
10. Three Steps To Heaven
11. Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand
12. Sheraton Gibson
13. Substitute
14. I Am An Animal
15. North Country Girl
CD 8 – Shepherds Bush Empire, London, November 9th, 1998:
1. (She’s A) Sensation
2. A Friend Is A Friend
3. Now And Then
4. Let My Love Open The Door
5. Who Are You
6. The Kids Are Alright
7. Acid Queen
8. Won’t Get Fooled Again
9. Magic Bus
10. I’m One
CD 9 – Sadler’s Wells, London, February 25th & 26th, 2000:
1. One Note
2. Purcell (Quick Movement)
3. Teenage Wasteland
4. TIme Is Passing
5. Love Ain’t For Keeping
6. Goin’ Mobile
7. Greyhound Girl
8. Tragedy
9. Mary
10. I Don’t Even Know Myself
11. Bargain
12. Gettin’ In Tune
13. Pure And Easy
14. Baba O’Riley – Orchestral
CD 10 – Sadler’s Wells, London, February 25th & 26th, 2000:
1. Baba O’Riley
2. Hinterland Rag
3. Behind Blue Eyes
4. Let’s See Action
5. Sister CDo
6. Relay
7. Who Are You
8. Join Together
9. Won’t Get Fooled Again
10. Tragedy Explained
11. The Song Is Over
12. Can You Help The One You Really Love?
CD 11 – La Jolla Playhouse, June 22nd, 2001:
1. Pinball Wizard
2. Let My Love Open The Door
3. Heart To Hang Onto
4. Cut My Hair
5. Slit Skirts
6. Drowned
7. Greyhound Girl
8. Tattoo
9. The Sea Refuses No River
CD 12 – La Jolla Playhouse, June 22nd, 2001:
1. Saint James Infirmary
2. Eminence Front
3. Won’t Get Fooled Again
4. Behind Blue Eyes
5. Won’t Get Fooled Again (Electric)
CD 13 – La Jolla Playhouse, June 23rd, 2001:
1. Pinball Wizard
2. Let My Love Open The Door
3. Heart To Hang Onto
4. Cut My Hair
5. Slit Skirts
6. Drowned
7. Greyhound Girl
8. Tattoo
9. Collings
10. Eminence Front
CD 14 – La Jolla Playhouse, June 23rd, 2001:
1. Sheraton Gibson
2. Won’t Get Fooled Again
3. I’m One
4. Behind Blue Eyes
5. Driftin’ Blues
6. Eyesight To The Blind
7. Won’t Get Fooled Again (Electric)