"...Get Saucy..."
Thin Lizzy, Bob Marley &
The Wailers and The Who share an unlikely bond - an abundance of 'Deluxe
Edition' reissues from Universal (Black Sabbath and Fairport Convention too for
that matter). Yet despite such lavish attention, some remain unloved and
sulking in the reissue corner of a battered megastore near you.
Patchy album number three
for England's favourite reprobates - 1967's "The Who Sell Out" - is
more often than not overlooked for the British band's more famous and
dare-we-say-it accomplished fare like 1969's "Tommy", 1971's
"Who's Next" and 1973's Mod double "Quadrophenia". Why? Not
everyone at the time felt the Radio London, Premier Drums and Roto Strings
jingles and adverts between the 1967 tracks made it an essential listen but
instead more of a gimmick - complete with its silly-billy artwork. And in the
cold light of 2018 - even the most rabid Who nut would have to agree that the
listen is still unnecessarily awkward - the actual songs on "Sell
Out" swamped with unnecessary fluff around them (period charm or no).
But I'd like to argue that
for lifetime fans like me (and newcomers alike) - this 2009 'DELUXE EDITION' of
"...Sell Out" is a wee bit of a reissue gem for an odd reason.
Offering genuinely brilliant Extras on both jam-packed discs (79:10 and 75:55
minutes) - a geezer can rearrange the album into a more coherent listen minus
all the clutter (and in STEREO too). And in a world of bloated and overpriced
Super Deluxe Editions - this reasonably priced star in a double-CD car is cheap
too (usually just above a tenner). There are rivers of baked beans to swim
through and underarm deodorants to sniff and whiff - so let's get to the acne
spots and loincloth men…here are the details…
UK released Friday, 2 June
2009 - "The Who Sell Out: Deluxe Edition" by THE WHO on
Polydor/Universal 5315336 (Barcode 600753153369) is a 53-Track 2CD 'Deluxe
Edition Reissue featuring both the Stereo and Mono mixes of the 1967 album and
more and plays out as follows:
Disc 1 (79:10 minutes):
The Original Stereo Album
1. Armenia City In The Sky
2. Heinz Baked Beans
3. Mary Anne With The Shaky
Hand
4. Odorono
5. Tattoo
6. Our Love Was
7. I Can See For Miles
8. I Can't Reach You [Side
2]
9. Medac
10. Relax
11. Silas Stingy
12. Sunrise
13. Rael 1 & 2
Tracks 1 to 13 are the
STEREO mix of their third studio album "The Who Sell Out" - released
16 December 1967 in the UK on Track Records 613 002 and December 1967 in the
USA on Decca Records DL 74950. Produced by KIT LAMBERT - the album peaked at
No. 13 in the UK and No. 48 on the US LP charts. Note: right from the opening
song and in between most of the tracks are uncredited Jingles and Adverts from
1967 for varying Radio Stations and Musical Instrument Companies – these are
listed in full detail on Pages 22, 23 and 24 of the booklet.
BONUS TRACKS:
14. Rael - Naïve
15. Someone's Coming
16. Early Morning Cold Taxi
17. Jaguar
18. Coke After Coke
19. Glittering Girl
20. Summertime Blues
21. John Mason Cars
22. Girl's Eyes
23. Sodding About
24. Premier Drums (Full
Version)
25. Odorono (Final Chorus)
26. Mary Anne With The Shaky
Hand (US Mirasound Version)
27. Things Go Better With
Coke
28. In The Hall Of The
Mountain King
29. Top Gear
30. Rael 1 & 2 (Remake
Version)
Tracks 20, 24 and 30 are
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Tracks 16, 18, 21, 22, 23,
27, 28 and 29 Remastered from Original Mixes
Tracks 14, 15, 17, 19, 25
and 26 are1995 Remastered Remixes by Andy MacPherson and Jon Astley
Disc 2 (75:55 minutes):
The Original Mono Album
1. Armenia City In The Sky
2. Heinz Baked Beans
3. Mary Anne With The Shaky
Hand
4. Odorono
5. Tattoo
6. Our Love Was
7. I Can See For Miles
8. I Can't Reach You [Side
2]
9. Medac
10. Relax
11. Silas Stingy
12. Sunrise
13. Rael 1 & 2
Tracks 1 to 13 are the MONO
mix of their third studio album "The Who Sell Out" - released 16
December 1967 in the UK on Track Records 612 002 and December 1967 in the USA
on Decca Records DL 4950. Produced by KIT LAMBERT - the album peaked at No. 13
in the UK and No. 48 on the US LP charts. Note: right from the opening song and
in between most of the tracks are uncredited Jingles and Adverts from 1967 for
varying Radio Stations and Musical Instrument Companies – these are listed in
full detail on Pages 22, 23 and 24 of the booklet.
BONUS TRACKS
14. Mary Anne With The Shaky
Hand (US Single Mono Mix)
15. Someone's Coming (US Single
Mono Mix)
16. Relax (Early Demo -
Stereo)
17. Jaguar (Original Mono
Mix)
18. Glittering Girl
(Unreleased Stereo Version)
19. Tattoo (Early Mono Mix)
20. Our Love Was (Take 12 -
Unissued Mono Mix)
21. Rotosound Strings (With
Final Note - Stereo)
22. I Can See For Miles
(Early Mono Mix)
23. Rael (Early Mono Mix)
Tracks 16 and 18 are
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Tracks 14, 15, 17, 19, 20,
21, 22 and 23 Remastered from Original Mixes
The 26-page oversized
booklet has new liner notes from ANDY NEILL and a host of period photos - an
advert for the American release on Decca Records showing the four boys on both
sides of the witty album sleeve (Odorono Deodorant and Heinz Beans etc.) as
well as a Jaguar Car advert where we're told their sleek front-grilled sex-o-machine
offers 'grace, space and pace...' as well as a photo of Bassist Entwistle being
handed a packet of Rotosound Strings by a grateful company-executive. Dave
Marsh's liner notes for the July 1995 CD Remasters are repro'd in the first few
pages followed by Andy Neill's essay entitled 'More Music'.
Release-delayed a month from
November 1967 to December 1967 for copyright clearances of the jingles - legend
has it that only 500 copies for each UK Mono and Stereo Track Records LP was
released with a stickered sleeve declaring that you just got a 'Free
Psychedelic Poster Inside' with your purchase. I mention this because while the
Osiris-drawn poster for “I Can See For Miles” is reproduced on Page 8 (they
also did the album poster) – it’s a bit of a major oversight not to have that
original piece of packaging memorabilia reproduced anywhere in this new
otherwise uber-thorough reissue. Where is the rare poster that so few have
actually seen? Making up for that though are Stereo and Mono original master
tape boxes (ABC Recording Studios) appearing beneath the two see-through CD
trays and unseen outtake photos for the album shoot on the four flaps of the
card digipak – one showing Daltrey sat in his laden bathtub looking ever so
slightly worried as he offers a handful of cold baked beans to the camera (an
overspill of red goo on the floor below).
But the big news is new
Remasters for both the MONO and STEREO mixes from the original tapes with 11
Previously Unreleased Tracks and Mixes thrown in – long-standing WHO associates
JON ASTLEY and ANDY McPHERSON handing the fabulous sounding transfers. Overall
- it's very sweetly done. To the music…
"Sell Out" opens
with a Radio London jingle where flanged voices urge listeners to keep that
dial locked to their station on 'Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...' only to be
followed by the blast of Speedy Keen's "Armenia City In The Sky" -
THE WHO embracing the sound of the year - 1967 Psychedelia. "...Close your
eyes and relax..." the lyrics advise as the band trashes across each speaker.
Bassist John Entwistle provides the first real moment of wit-and-wisdom in the
'wots-for-tea darling' minute long "Heinz Beans". Always a highlight
"Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand" is the first Townshend song where May
can't cook and Cindy can't sew but Mary Anne has other much-in-demand skills.
Premier Drums and Radio
London provide two blink-and-you-miss-them jingles followed by a Townshend
ditty "Odorono" where a lady in a glittering gown can't hide her
disappointment at the grubby hands of a false suitor. Daltrey finally emerges
as lead vocalist with the wickedly good welcome-to-my-life Townshend song
"Tattoo" followed by an RL 'Church of Your Choice' jingle. Shining
like a summer morning is how the upbeat "Our Love Was" feels – The
Who stretching out musically - a song where the complexity and daring of
"Tommy" is already showing. Two more jingles and the clashing cool of
"I Can See For Miles" ends Side 1 on a high (an obvious single - and
England's 'See For Miles' named their reissue record label after the song).
Side 2 opens with Pete
telling us that a Charles Atlas course of body-building can turn you into a
beast of man - but he doesn’t sound too convinced. That's followed by his
melodic "I Can't Reach You" – an emotional distances song - craning
his neck for love but to no avail. Called "Spotted Henry" on the US
album, Entwistle provides one minute of acne nonsense in "Medac"
(smooth as a baby’s bottom) – far better is "Relax" from Townshend –
a firm fan fave and for good reason. Entwistle provides the menacing
"Silas Stingy" where a moneybags man gets short-shift – John reckons
lying in the gutter is best for him. The Townshend-penned "Sunrise"
is the kind of song that many felt was drowned out by the LP's clever-clever jingles
– a gorgeous tender acoustic melody far better than the showy gimmickry
surrounding it (for me "Sunrise" is a highlight here). The LP ends
with five-minutes of "Rael 1 & 2" - an ambitious piece where the
band try out new sounds that I feel are unfortunately lost in a cluttered
production.
The first nugget amidst the
Bonus material comes in the ‘see you here tomorrow’ brassy "Someone’s
Coming" – a brilliant song that I feel should have replaced one of the
lesser Entwistle songs on Side 2. For that matter "Early Morning Cold
Taxi" is the same – another winner with a rare Townshend/Daltrey
co-writing credit. "Summertime Blues" would of course become a
barnstormer on "Live At Leeds" in 1970 but I'm loving the kick-ass
studio version offered here. Other outtakes like "In The Hall Of The
Mountain King" and "Sodding About" are dismissible – but I like
the slightly sappy "Glittering Girl" and "Girl’s Eyes".
Which brings me to 'my' rejiggered version of "Sell Out" playing as
follows at a theatre near you (without the jingles):
Side 1:
1. Armenia City In The Sky
2. Mary Anne With The Shaky
Hand
3. Tattoo
4. Someone's Coming
5. Our Love Was
6. I Can See For Miles
Side 2:
1. Relax
2. Early Morning Cold Taxi
3. Summertime Blues
4. Silas Stingy
5. Sunrise
6. Rael 1 & 2
Answers, flowers, death
threats, specks of bubonic plague…on a postcard please…to...
