The Who in a Box: 30 Years of Maximum R&B

It’s hard to say for whom this box set was assembled. Certainly, the 95 tracks that are sprawled across 4 CDs offers plenty of material— 30 years’ worth according to the title. If you are a serious Who fan, or even a moderate one, you probably have most of their well-known hits and album tracks. And so you would expect this set to contain a generous portion of rare or live tracks to sweeten the deal. On the other hand, newcomers to The Who would most likely expect this set to collect all of the group’s signature tunes, though I admit I don’t know anybody whose introduction to an artist is to go out and buy a deluxe set. Thus, Thirty Years of Maximum R&B tries to please both camps, but by aiming for the middle road it comes up just short as a definitive overview.

Naturally, all of the big singles from The Who’s early years are here, including “I Can See For Miles,” “Pinball Wizard,” “Magic Bus,” “The Kids Are Alright,” and the group’s defining moment from their first era, “My Generation.” Classic tracks from "The Acid Queen” to “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and “Who Are You” are also included. Other early hits and popular tracks are represented either with live cuts (the mini-opera "A Quick One (While He's Away)," “Substitute,” and “My Wife”) or introduced with a bit of studio banter (“Happy Jack”). Throughout, the listener is able to grasp the band's evolution, especially in Roger Daltrey's more assured vocals and Pete Townshend's increasingly complex songwriting.

Some tracks that have been played to death on AOR radio are given a fresh turn for this release. For example, it was a pleasure to hear an alternative version of "The Real Me" and the singles edit of “ 5:15.” Additionally, non-album tracks such as “Join Together” and “Let’s See Action (Nothing is Everything)” sound crisp and clear in remastered versions.

Though the box set samples numbers from every major Who album, including live tracks from their appearance at Woodstock, some albums are not very well represented. I don’t think anyone will cry that only one song each was selected from the group’s final two studio albums (Face Dances and It's Hard), which were recorded after original drummer Keith Moon passed away. But there are only four songs here from the double LP Quadrophenia and four more from the group’s powerhouse debut, The Who Sings My Generation. And I’m sure that die-hard fans will have their own opinions as to what should have been included in the box set and what should have been left out. I know I can live without their tame live covers of The Isley Brothers' "Twist and Shout" and Bo Diddley's "I'm a Man," both performances recorded with Moon's replacement Kenny Jones behind the drum kit.

As for the extras, there are some rare or unreleased tracks included here, like Moon’s “Girl’s Eyes,” a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Last Time,” two radio commercials for Coca-Cola, and some amusing comedy bits featuring Moon. However, most of the bonus material later found its way onto individually re-mastered Who CDs. So the excitement of seeing, say, bass player John Entwistle’s “Heaven and Hell” in the track listing is tempered somewhat when it is also available on the expanded Live at Leeds album. Finally, the 4 CDs are strangely programmed, loosely in chronological order but with live numbers tossed in between an original album’s studio tracks. Since The Who in their heyday were such a powerhouse live band, I think it would have been best to assemble the live tracks separately and give the impression that one was listening to a concert. Well, I suppose with selective programming and CD burning you can do that at home.

So ultimately, it is up to individual listeners to decide if they want to add this set to their collection. For me, someone who already owns all of The Who’s studio albums, I appreciate Thirty Years of Maximum R&B more for the generous booklet full of photos, interviews, and essays than for the additional tracks. There is a lot of good music on these 4 discs, and it is satisfying to have much of their best work together in one place, but there is also nothing essential that you couldn’t find on their individual CDs.