By the halt of the 1960s, especially after releasing Tommy inwards May 1969, The Who had larn cited yesteryear many every bit ane of the best alive stone acts inwards the world. According to biographer Chris Charlesworth, "a 6th feel seemed to create got over", leading them to "a form of stone nirvana that most bands tin bathroom alone dream about". The band were rehearsing together with touring regularly, together with Townshend had settled on using the Gibson SG every bit his primary touring instrument, that allowed him to play faster than other guitars. He began using Hiwatt amplifiers that allowed him to larn a diversity of tones only yesteryear adjusting the guitar's volume level.
Realising that their alive demo stood inwards equal importance to the rock-opera format of Tommy, the grouping returned to England at the halt of 1969 alongside a wish to unloose a alive album from concerts recorded before inwards the US. However, Townshend balked at the prospect of listening to all the accumulated recordings to create upward one's hear which would brand the best album, and, according to Charlesworth, instructed audio engineer Bob Pridden to terminate the tapes. Townshend afterwards confirmed the tapes were indeed burnt inwards his dorsum garden.
Two shows were consequently scheduled, ane at the University of Leeds together with the other inwards Hull, for the limited piece of job of recording together with releasing a alive album. The Leeds concert was booked together with arranged yesteryear Simon Brogan, who afterwards became an assistant managing director on tour alongside Jethro Tull. The shows were performed on fourteen Feb 1970 at Leeds together with on fifteen Feb 1970 at Hull, but technical problems alongside the recordings from the Hull gig — the bass guitar had non been recorded on some of the songs — made it all the to a greater extent than necessary for the demo from the 14th to locomote released every bit the album.
The comprehend was designed yesteryear Beadrall Sutcliffe together with resembled that of a bootleg LP of the era, parodying the Rolling Stones' Live'r Than You'll Ever Be. It contains evidently brownish cardboard alongside "The Who Live At Leeds" printed on it inwards evidently bluish or cerise block letters every bit if stamped on alongside ink (on the original kickoff English linguistic communication pressing of 300, this postage stamp is black). The original comprehend opened out, gatefold-style, together with had a steal on either side of the interior, alongside the tape inwards a newspaper sleeve on ane side together with 12 facsimiles of diverse memorabilia on the other, including a photograph of the band from the My Generation photoshoot inwards March 1965, handwritten lyrics to the "Listening to You" chorus from Tommy, the typewritten lyrics to "My Generation", alongside mitt written notes, a receipt for smoke bombs, a rejection alphabetic quality from EMI, together with the early on dark "Maximum R&B" poster showing Pete Townshend wind-milling his Rickenbacker. The kickoff 500 copies included a re-create of the contract for the Who to play at the Woodstock Festival.
The label was handwritten (reportedly yesteryear Townshend), together with included instructions to the engineers non to endeavor to take whatsoever crackling noise. This is in all likelihood a reference to the clicking together with popping on the pre-remastered version (notably inwards "Shakin' All Over") which was from John Entwistle's bass cable. Modern digital remastering techniques allowed this to locomote removed, together with also allowed some of the worst-affected tracks from the gig to locomote used; on CD releases, the label reads, "Crackling noises create got been corrected!
There is sure enough no amend tape of how this band was a volcano of violence on-stage, teetering on the border of chaos but never blowing apart. This was most truthful on the original LP, which was a cut down vi tracks, 3 of them covers ("Young Man Blues," "Summertime Blues," "Shakin' All Over") together with 3 originals from the mid-'60s, ii of those ("Substitute," "My Generation") vintage parts of their repertory together with alone "Magic Bus" representing anything resembling a recent original, alongside none bearing a draw of their modernistic roots. This was pure, distilled power, all the amend for its brevity; throughout the '70s the album was seen every bit ane of the aureate standards inwards alive stone & roll, together with sure enough it had a fury that no proper Who studio album achieved. It was also notable every bit ane of the earliest legitimate albums to implicitly admit -- together with locomote caput to caput alongside -- the existence of bootleg LPs. Indeed, its rattling existence owed something to the efforts of Pete Townshend together with fellowship to stymie the bootleggers.
The Who had made extensive recordings of performances along their 1969 tour, alongside the intention of preparing a alive album from that material, but they recognized when it was over that none of them had the fourth dimension or patience to locomote through the many dozens of hours of alive performances inwards gild to sort out what to utilisation for the proposed album. According to ane account, the band destroyed those tapes inwards a massive bonfire, thence that none of the cloth would e'er surface without permission. They together with thence decided to locomote to the other extreme inwards preparing a alive album, scheduling this concert at Leeds University together with arranging the taping, determined to create plenty that was worthwhile at the ane show. As it turned out, fifty-fifty hither they generated an embarrassment of riches -- the band did all of Tommy, every bit audiences of the fourth dimension would create got expected (and, indeed, demanded), but every bit the opera was already starting to experience similar an albatross hanging around the collective cervix of the band (and especially Townshend), they opted to locomote out out whatsoever business office of their most famous piece of job apart from a few instrumental strains inwards ane of the jams. Instead, the original LP was limited to the vi tracks named, together with that was to a greater extent than than fine every bit far every bit anyone cared.
And fans who bought the LP got a packet of extra treats for their money. The album's evidently brownish sleeve was, itself, a nod together with nudge to the bootleggers, resembling the packaging of such early on surreptitious LP classics every bit the Bob Dylan Great White Wonder laid together with the Rolling Stones concert bootleg Liver Than You'll Ever Be, from the latter group's 1969 tour -- together with it was a sign of precisely how far the Who had come upward inwards precisely ii years that they could maybe (and correctly) equate involvement inwards their piece of job every bit beingness on a par alongside Dylan together with the Stones. But Live at Leeds' jacket was a fold-out sleeve alongside a steal that contained a packet of memorabilia associated alongside the band, including a actually cool poster, copies of early on contracts, etc. It was, along alongside Tommy, the kickoff genuinely practiced labor of packaging for this band e'er to come upward from Decca Records; the label fifty-fifty chose to forgo the presence of its rainbow logo, carrying the bootleg pose to the evidently label together with handwritten vocal titles, together with the banker's complaint nearly non correcting the clicks together with pops. At the time, you lot precisely bought this every bit a fan, but looking dorsum xxx or twoscore years on, those straightaway seem to locomote quietly heady days for the band (and for fans who had supported them for years), in conclusion seeing the music globe together with millions of listeners grab up.
If in that place was whatsoever dubiety that the Who were ane of the most ferocious alive acts on the planet at the start out of the ‘70s, Live at Leeds quashed it. They released the album on May 16, 1970.
The concert came nearly every bit somewhat of an afterthought. They had in conclusion achieved mainstream success alongside Tommy the previous twelvemonth together with had hoped to compile a alive album made from the many dates they recorded. But Pete Townshend decided he didn’t wish to locomote through the hassle of determining which versions were the best together with had his audio human being Bob Pridden terminate the tapes.
Instead, the Who booked ii shows, ane at the University of Leeds for Feb. fourteen together with a 2nd inwards Hull the side yesteryear side day, together with would take the songs from there. Unfortunately, in that place were technical problems alongside the Hull recording — John Entwistle’s bass was inaudible on the kickoff vi songs — together with they were forced to utilisation precisely the ane concert.
Thankfully, the tapes caught the Who at their absolute best. The original unloose clocked inwards at precisely nether 38 minutes together with featured alone 7 songs. Perhaps every bit an indication of how tired the band was yesteryear this quest alongside their novel opus, cloth from Tommy was conspicuous yesteryear its absence, fifty-fifty though it was performed inwards its entirety during the show. In its house was a depiction of the Who’s versatility. They could slam dwelling family “Substitute” inwards a picayune over ii minutes or locomote into a deep blues exploration on “My Generation” for nearly fifteen minutes. Their comprehend of Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues” cracked the Top xxx inwards both the U.S. together with the U.K.
Subsequent reissues of Live at Leeds, however, create got alone added to its legend, allowing listeners to hear the entire concert — which included non precisely the Tommy portion, but a thunderous “Heaven together with Hell,” a comprehend of Benny Spellman’s Allen Toussaint-penned “Fortune Teller” together with the somewhat obscure “Tattoo.” The 2010 40th anniversary box laid saw the Hull dark in conclusion released, alongside Entwistle’s bass from the Leeds demo overdubbed on the songs where it had non been recorded.
Track listing
1. "Heaven together with Hell" (John Entwistle) 4:49
2. "I Can't Explain" (Townshend) 2:58
3. "Fortune Teller" (Naomi Neville) 2:34
4. "Tattoo" (Townshend) 3:42
5. "Young Man Blues" 5:51
6. "Substitute" 2:07
7. "Happy Jack" (Townshend) 2:13
8. "I'm a Boy" (Townshend) 4:41
9. "A Quick One, While He's Away" (Townshend) 8:41
10. "Amazing Journey/Sparks" (Townshend) 7:54
11. "Summertime Blues" 3:22
12. "Shakin' All Over" 4:34
13. "My Generation" 15:46
14. "Magic Bus" 7:48
Personnel:
- Roger Daltrey / Pb vocals, harmonica, tambourine
- Pete Townshend / guitar, vocals
- John Entwistle / bass guitar, vocals
- Keith Moon / drums, vocals
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