The classic album is revisited as a 7 CD/1 Blu-ray set
Who Are You, The Who’s eighth studio album, is to be released in a suite of formats including a super deluxe edition on October 31st via UMe featuring over 70 unreleased tracks including never-before-heard versions of the title track “Who Are You,” newly mixed live tracks from their first tour without original drummer Keith Moon and candid recordings of the band rehearsing in 1977 and 1978. Also included in the 7 CD/1 Blu-ray set are new Atmos and Stereo mixes by Steven Wilson. The album will also be released as a deluxe 4 LP box set, a 2 CD deluxe edition, and limited-edition colored and half-speed master vinyl editions.
Initially released in August 1978, Who Are You marked a significant chapter in The Who’s career. While a commercial triumph, peaking at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and achieving double platinum status and No. 6 on the U.K. Albums Chart, it was also tragically the last album to feature legendary drummer Keith Moon, who died a week after its release.
The album saw the band pushing boundaries once more, with the songs referencing the incoming influence of British punk. Most notably, the title track was written after a night out with Steve Jones and Paul Cook of The Sex Pistols, and it reflected the sentiments of “Music Must Change” and “Sister Disco.” Pete Townshend also delivered some of his most ambitious and intricate arrangements, incorporating layers of synthesizers and strings into The Who’s powerful backing tracks.
The title track preceded the album in early July 1978 and became an instant anthem and has remained in the band’s set list to this day. Aided by its appearance in the CSI TV franchise in the early 2000s, it is one of the band’s most-streamed tracks.
The initial sessions for the album took place at the band’s Ramport Studios, produced by Glyn Johns and Jon Astley. However, the recording process was fraught with challenges and creative tensions. The Who Are You Super Deluxe Edition finally tells the whole story, featuring, for the first time, the rejected original Glyn Johns mix of the album, a newly remastered version of the released Jon Astley mix and fly on the wall rehearsal sessions from Shepperton Studios, which the band owned at the time, and a wealth of unreleased material including demos, alternate takes and in the case of standout track “Sister Disco,” a previously ‘lost’ guitar solo rescued from the multi-track tapes by Steven Wilson.
In 1978, the album was seen as a return to form for The Who, and anticipation for a tour to support the album was high. Sadly, the death of Keith Moon on August 23rd put paid to any such plans. The band introduced their new drummer, Kenney Jones, formerly of the Faces and The Small Faces, in May 1979, along with new keyboard player John “Rabbit” Bundrick. One of the many highlights of the super deluxe edition is the newly mixed live tapes from the US leg of the 1979 tour, capturing The Who’s explosive new lineup in full flight with tracks from the album coming to life onstage with a renewed energy.
The band sustained that momentum into the new decade with the epic film project The Kids Are Alright, the Quadrophenia movie, and the multi-platinum Face Dances album in 1981.
CD one features the original album newly remastered by Jon Astley at Close to the Edge.
CD two includes a previously unreleased version of Who Are You, first mixed by Glyn Johns, rejected by the band, plus new mixes created by Steven Wilson
CD three features early run-throughs, sessions and out-takes plus several demos by John Entwistle.
CD four includes previously unreleased tracks from the 1977 Shepperton studios rehearsals, including Keith Moon singing “I Saw Her Standing There” and “Barbara Ann,” plus a very early live version of “Who Are You” from Toronto, 1976.
CD five includes six tracks from the live concert at Shepperton for the filming of The Kids Are Alright documentary, and rehearsals with new drummer Kenney Jones for The Who’s 1979 US tour.
CDs six and seven are live recordings from the 1979 US tour, including tracks recorded at the Pontiac Silverdome, the Spectrum in Philadelphia, and the Masonic Temple, Detroit, including a rare live version of John Entwistle’s “Trick of the Light.”
The Blu-ray features Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and PCM Stereo mixes created by Steven Wilson.
The Super Deluxe Edition also includes a 100-page hardback book with extensive sleeve notes by Matt Kent covering the period before and after the album’s release, plus track-by-track details, and session notes, as well as sleeve notes by Steven Wilson on his remixes for Dolby Atmos. The book is lavishly illustrated with previously unpublished photographs, memorabilia, tape boxes and original print ads.
A limited-edition deluxe vinyl box set features a four-LP set on 180-gram vinyl, including the original album newly remastered, plus live recordings from the 1979 US tour. The lift-top box includes one LP in a single sleeve and three LPs in a triple gatefold sleeve, together with a 28-page soft cover book.
A deluxe 2 CD set pairs the original album newly remastered with a CD of tracks taken from the studio sessions, demo recordings and live material.
The two discs are presented in an 8-panel digipak with a 16-page booklet.
A limited edition 180-gram yellow-colored vinyl 1-LP of Who Are You will be available as a direct-to-consumer release only. It features the newly remastered album in a replica single sleeve.
The limited edition 180-gram half-speed master single LP of Who Are You features the newly remastered album in a replica single sleeve.
