Live At Leeds
The Who
1970
Album Summary
Live at Leeds is the first live album by English rock band The Who. It was recorded at the University of Leeds Refectory on 14 February 1970, and is their only live album that was released while the group were still actively recording and performing with their best-known line-up of Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon. The Who were looking for a way to follow up their 1969 album Tommy, and had recorded several shows on tours supporting that album, but didn't like the sound. Consequently, they booked the show at Leeds University, along with one at Hull City Hall the following day, specifically to record a live album. Six songs were taken from the Leeds show, and the cover was pressed to look like a bootleg recording. The sound was significantly different from Tommy and featured hard rock arrangements that were typical of the band's live shows. The album was released in 23 May 1970 by Decca and MCA in the United States, and by Track and Polydor in the United Kingdom. It has been reissued on several occasions and in several different formats. Since its release, Live at Leeds has been cited by several music critics as the best live rock recording of all time.
WikipediaAfter the last Who album (a 5 for me), of course I would like more. But a live album isn't something I need, especially when there are studio albums with these same songs available. I've looked ahead at albums on this list, and I was annoyed to see that for three legendary black artists--James Brown, Sam Cooke, and B.B. King--we only get one album each, and it's a live album. Not sure why, hopefully they really are worthy of classic status. But I don't think this one is, especially considering there are four studio albums from the Who on the list. That being said, this is still pretty good. Of course they're talented, the songs are great, but live albums just aren't my thing. Some lame banter on here that would be fine at a concert but I'm sitting at home. Inevitably I loved some performances, especially "My Generation," but as a whole, I could do without this. Maybe I'd have liked it more if I listened to just the 37 minute version originally released on vinyl. Favorite tracks: My Generation, Amazing Journey, Happy Jack. Album art: Charming simplicity. I would never buy this, but a blank cardboard cover is intriguing. A brown bagger. 3.5/5
Live albums shouldn't be in the list. That being said, this rocks straight out of the gate. Moon is all over the place on the kit, Townshend does his thing well. Vocals all seem a bit too clean, but not sure how much studio magic there was back then. Either way, it sounds really good. Can't hear the crowd except between songs, but that's kinda what I'd expect from a real live album, and there's a good bit of banter. I know a few tracks but also a lot of it was new to me. I enjoyed this way more than expected. Didn't realise I liked the Who this much lol. Only criticism is that the version I have on Spotify is too long. 1hr 17min is too much in one go if you're not obsessed with a band. 4/5.
Absolutely brilliant. Usually not into live albums, but The Who absolutely smashed it out of the park here. Really cohesive sound. Some of my favorites from the album included Young Man Blues, Shakin' All Over, and Heaven and Hell. I really enjoyed that you can hear during the endings and beginnings of some of the tracks. Makes you feel like you're there. I wonder if they knew they were witnessing the recording of one of the greatest live albums of all time.
One of the best live albums. Would recommend the deluxe edition that had the whole show packed into it, but the original vinyl track list is still worth a shot
Capacity of University of Leeds Refectory: 2,100. Excellent intimate session with The Who in top form. 5/5 live album, 4/5 on-stage banter.
Klingt für mich alles ziemlich gleich. Aber nicht schlecht das ganze. Lieder mit 15min sind aber ne Frechheit. Egal von wem sie kommen. Besser als Bowie wars aber
No offense to the Who, but if I am running a best albums list, I would not include any live albums because that is duplicative. I listened to a few of my favs and they sound just as fine as the regular album. Why this is on this list makes no sense. Also that is a very bland album cover.
I am not a fan of Live albums so this may be rough. I love, love The Who but I just can't get down with Live albums
I love the Who. I hate live albums. The sound quality is awful even though this is one of the best albums.
Hay más discos en directo en esta lista de los que habría pensado. No soy un gran fan de los discos en directo, si has ido al concierto o uno parecido es genial. Algunas veces hacen versiones o cambios interesantes pero en general no me convencen. En este caso tampoco, prefiero sus discos normales.
Summer Time blues and Magic bus were catchy but not into the unknowns songs. They are talented and so impressed they stayed together as a band. But it’s not my first choice (or10th) of their music style.
I used to like The Who, but I listen to the lyrics now and realize that the worldview idealized in their times is today's reality, and it's total degeneracy crap, so screw that.
I don't really like The Who. And this recording doesn't sound great either. Maybe they were one of the best live bands ever, but that's not captured here. Live albums were such a weird fad, and seem very 70s. What's the point? Shitter sound than the studio and really doesn't capture the vibe of a gig. The "funny" story about the girl guide and the pedo train driver has not aged well
I'm finding it difficult to get through this one. I don't really like the heavy electric guitar, and I find the songs really repetitive.
So müssen sich mitt-50er beim grillen fühlen, dann sagen sie: Das ist eben noch echte Musik gewesen. Sowas gibts heutzutage einfach nichtmehr! Ja warum wohl? Weil alles gleich klingt und langweilt. Natürlich fehlt auch hier nicht eine 15minuten Bullshit Live version von irgendeinem Lied, das man auf halbem weg nicht mehr erkennt. 1* würde es nie wieder hören, ich hasse rock.
great, I’ve now listened to Who songs other than My Generation and Baba O’Riley, and can with confidence say that I still only know those two songs.
Live At Leeds is just a 'substitute' for another album. I like The Who but I don't feel this belongs on 1001 albums when they have plenty of fantastic studio albums already on the list and with duplicate tracks no less. Needless to say, very disappointed.
[Heaven and Hell] Навалили ебашивалова на ударных. Шум победы. Охуевшее и охуенное соло. [I can't explain] Летним солнечным днём купил новую машину [Fortune Teller] Вкатываешься в тему. Если бы у бизнес открытий был бы свой шум. [Tatto] Передышка. [Young man blues] Лирика сначала. Плотная забивочка. П.Л.О.Т.Н.О [Substitute] Добрая студентота. [I'm a Boy] Зеваю в ритм. [A quick one] В бар пришла компания. 4в1 трек. Фоновый шум рокеров [Amazing Journey] Засыпал, но дождался. [Summertime blues] Солнечно. Выпускной бал в школе крытых ребят и популярных девчонок. [Shakin all over] Тёплый Вечер. Пригород. Выпил. Балдеешь в людном переулке. Хороший пример. [My Generation] Какое-то клише про выход из тюрьмы. Учебное пособие переходов. Притоповаю. Фееричный финал. НЕТ, ОНИ ПРОДОЛЖАЮТ! [Magic Bus] Элексир крутости в кожанке и с бородой. Разъёб по фазе. Божественно. Включите это на моих похоронах.
Having not heard much from The Who other than Baba O'Riley, this was a nice album that showcased what the band has to offer. Some really good variety of rock. Hard to believe at times that it was a live recording!
Excellent live album. The hard rock elements the Who adds live are definitely a great addition.
I didn’t think I liked The Who. I guess I like The Who sometimes. This version of My Generation was awesome.
Distilled into 6 cuts (3 of which aren’t even their own songs) ‘Live At Leeds’ is 37 minutes of awesome unrestrained destructive bluesy hard rock power with not an ounce of fat or filler. While the expanded versions of this record released over the years are still great and give context to the rest of the Leeds gig, it’s still the concise original released version that represents the Who at their absolute best live.
Absolutely brilliant. It sounded like a fairly intimate gig (I don’t know if it was) and I loved all the chat between them and the audience. I wish I was there!
Loved this album back when I was 16 or so. Think it was the first Who cd I gave any meaningful listen to. Still fantastic. I forget how fun they were in addition to being incredible musicians. Shame Daltrey became such a miserable tit. Fav. Lyric: "Substitute you for my mum. At least I'll get my washing done".
Listening to this album makes you wish you were in the room - and it gets you close enough to smell the burning dust inside the hiwatt amplifier stacks - the sweat flying off Daltreys tambourine and feeling Moons constant kick drum thumping right in your chest - it’s definitely one of the best live albums ever released
When you think of great live albums, Live At Leeds is always in the conversation. Not only did the Who release excellent studio records, they were an amazing live band. I had this on cassette back in the early 80's and it got to many listens, I wore out the tape. I thought at the time, I wish the album was longer and there must have been other songs during the set. After listening to the deluxe edition that contained the whole concert, I take back my earlier concerns. The whole show which was during the "Tommy" era, contained lots of songs from that record, which is fine, but it loses some of it's energy. I can now see why the original Live At Leeds album was edited down, it's so much more powerful and dynamic with the shorter track list and it remains (to me anyways), a landmark live album. (I would give the deluxe edition 4****)
Among the definitive live albums in rock, but this one just feels more life. Bonus points for their iconic version of Summertime Blues.
(There are ~183 different versions of this album - I'm going with the "Deluxe Edition" -> the one with 33 songs; as it's the actual complete original setlist in correct running order. The original 6 track disc doesn't do justice...) This album could provide the answer to the question "if you could go back in time to see any artist at any time, what would it be?" Many have called Live At Leeds the greatest live rock album ever recorded. As a kid I didn't entirely get it, probably/mostly because there were originally only 6 songs, half of which were covers - apparently at age 12 I just wanted the hits. I was stupid. The Who had so many hits that everyone knows, and I grew up a huge fan...yet aside from the essentially perfect Who's Next and Quadrophenia albums I have to admit they never really "nailed it" in terms of ... something. Weak production? Restraint? Something was always missing. This album NAILS it. I loved "Tommy" but Pete always said it was released without really being finished - does that mean it would have had more tracks? More layers? That might have been amazing to hear. Then again.... virtually every track from Tommy played here live by obviously just the 4 guys is *better* than the studio versions. Similarly, I could never truly get into their early period albums and hearing some of those songs in this live format (e.g. "Tattoo" "Substitute" "I'm A Boy") are so much better here they almost sound like a heavier/better band covering the originals. Not sure any band ever had the power and controlled chaos in a live setting like The Who in their prime, and this is the proof. This album makes you feel like you're sitting in the front row - I also can't think of a better live album and that combined with the great material makes this flawless. 10/10 5 stars.
I can’t believe this was recorded live. Simply incredible rock music. Recordings like this help explain the why The Who are legends.
An instant classic. So much soul in this album, the drums are just off the charts. Everyone is on point and just an incredible experience.
The Who truly prove themselves to be one of the greats, while exceeding the studio quality of their songs with extravagantly raw live performances like the one on this album. I especially like Keith Moon's drumming.
Pretty cool! Could use a bit more variety in tempo, instruments, tone and subjects for my taste. Final song was everything I ever wanted but the album as a whole was still a bit samey.
A 15 min version of 'my generation' makes up about half of the album. So all in all, pretty awesome! Some nice raw sounding 70's rock. Apparently is is live recorded, which might give it an extra raw feel, but for the most part I didn't even notice it is a live album.
This was really awesome to hear, and I can’t imagine actually being there. They not only sounded great, but sounded like they were having fun with it too. The quality was excellent and given that live albums can sound really bad, that makes this even better.
Lekkere mastering, drums in het bijzonder komen lekker door - zonder te overheersen. Compositie komt vrij druk over, vooral het gebruik van bekkens en de stereo mix dragen hieraan bij. Leukste nummer voor mij is Magic Bus.
First time listening to The Who, so I'm unfamiliar with any of these songs except I Can't Explain. I don't think I was able to optimally enjoy this album, that being said this is a boatload of great classic rock. Amazing Journey/Sparks was definitely a highlight. 8/10 atm.
8/10 Absolute pure classic rock, I see why people call it the best live album of all time. Not quite my favourite though, even though classics like my generation are really good
This album is full of classic rock tracks. There are some really good songs in here and the rest is still very good classic rock 4.5 out of 5 stars but I will round down for the ratings.
I've always loved The Who, and I'm glad to see this on the list. Today it fits my mood pretty perfectly, I'm still rather pissy about life events from yesterday and it feels good to rock out while I am making chicken katsu. I love the live versions of Substitute, Happy Jack, I'm a Boy, and A Quick One, While He's Away (even if it's originally performed live).
4 - ist halt so ziemlich genau mein thing. Auch wenn spotify germany ned alle rechte hat, die Lieder, die laufen, laufen 1a. Update: Andere Version des Albums gehört, da ist alles da. Geiler Stöpsel nach wie vor.
A fantastic live recording! Really captures the band's musicianship and synchronicity. Loved the long jams and changes to recorded versions - really added life, and makes me long for live shows again :/
Good live album, but it’s a shame it was recorded before the great Who works of the 70s.
A milestone in live albums history. You can feel the young energy and a confident band climbing his way to superstardom. Probably being there should had been all an experience
Really liked this one. Not usually a huge fan of live albums because I just want to hear the songs I know, and quite often the variations don't live up to my expectations. But I thought The Who really shone during this performance. You can really feel just how brash and chaotic Keith Moon's drumming sounds live, and that guitar RIPPED! You can tell that, at least at this point in their career, these guys really had some fantastic chemistry. Not only musically, but just listening to their banter you can tell they were happy to be on stage with each other. Never dove too deep into The Who, but always liked what I heard. This album definitely cemented for me their power and influence in the 60s/70s rock world. Could you imagine being a young musician and seeing this show!? You'd be filled with passion for your craft. At least I feel like I would. I second Tom...I just want to go to a damn show again.
The whosy znane, ale odslucha albumiku dziewiczy, wiec songi zname, ale nieznane bo zywe aranzacje, ktora sa strasznie grane tak albumowo, ze gdyby nie wokale i skity miedzy songowe, to do zludzenia jakosc studyjna, jak tak dobrze nagrali te instrumentale, to jest pytanie, albumik nagrany w moim ulubionym okresie whosowym, miedzy tommym a whos next i slychac to, ze chopaki sa w formie zycia jesli chodzi o sztrukanie na gitarkach, bo to jest frontlajn tego nagrania, a bracia townshendy pokazuja kunsz swych skilsow, moze na plejke nie wrzuce bo wiekszosc trakow juz tam jest w wersji albumowej, ale albumik warty przesluchania, bo szykownie nagrany, co w polaczeniu z szczytowymi skilsami whosow daje efekt prawdziwego live expirienca
Great band & a solid album end to end, with some really fun takes on the hits. The guitar work was rockin. But today I have a bias against giving a live album a 5. I’m waffling a little on whether that’s fair or not.
Wat een bak energie zit er in deze band! Lijkt mee heerlijk om de gitarist in deze band te zijn. Goede muziek ook tijdens het ophangen van gordijnrails ;-)
Cool om zo'n legendarische band een keer live te horen. Klinkt erg lekker en energiek. En wat spelen ze goed!
Good quality recording. Listened to first disc of 40th anniversary edition. Still not a huge Who fan, but I appreciate them. Realized the singer from Comets on Fire sounds a lot like Roger Daltrey.
Very good. Live the have a Zeppelin like vibe. Keith Moon is a phenomenal drummer. It keeps sounding like it’s about to completely fall apart, but it doesn’t. I will go to Banana’s and find a copy of this
This is very good, I was afraid that for the first time listening to a band a live album may be weird but I really enjoyed this it’s really all you need on a live album and it has great songs on it. I’ll probably check more of this band out. 9/10
4/5 most of this album is pretty awesome, but I didn’t really like the live aspect of it.
A great album by a great band. I don't think it gains anything from being a live recording, however.
Was surprised to see a live album on the list, but after listening to it I can now see why its here. Had a great rock n roll sound as well as some good interactions between Daltrey and the crowd. I would happily listen to this again.
Full bodied rock and roll. Much better than most of the studio records I've previously dived into to
Vaikka Who'n musiikki ei omaa sydäntä kauhean lähellä olekaan, oli tämä varsin mainio livelevy! Bändin ja yleisön vuorovaikutus tuli hyvin esiin ja huono huumori lenteli molempiin suuntiin. Olisinpa ollut mukana! Biisit oli pääosin ihan vieraita, mutta oikein mielellään niitä fiilisteli pariin kertaankin. Tähän mennessä listan parhaita livelevyjä!
Leí que en varios lugares consideran que este es el "mejor disco en vivo de la historia" y, aunque creo que eso es una gran exageración lo que es cierto es que es un excelente disco. Casi siempre he tenido cierto problema reconciliando la imagen e historias de The Who como una banda de jóvenes rebeldes que creaban caos y rompían sus instrumentos con la música que escucho de sus discos normales. Aunque buena nunca se me hizo que fuera particularmente pesada (incluso tomando en cuenta la época) ni contestataria. Este disco me deja claro de dónde viene esa imagen; los arreglos y el sonido de la banda está a años luz de lo que suena en el estudio. Aquí suenan vibrantes, las canciones con arreglos totalmente distintos, fuerte, con carisma, hablando con el público. Este disco sí se siente como rock fuerte con el pedal al fondo y evidencia esa fama de agresividad que tuvieron en su momento. Siento que a toda persona que se le presentara The Who le debieran de mostrar primero este disco. El humor en su plática con el público es algo que tampoco esperaba, hoy en día siempre me dieron la imagen de ser totalmente serios y aquí hay prueba de cuan erroneo es pensar eso. Creo que es un excelente disco con un par de puntos extraños. La versión original de media hora pierde mucho al no tener ese carisma de las pláticas y se siente demasiado corto; basado en eso y en que esa es la versión que se supone es la que se hizo famosa no le daría más puntos. La siguiente versión, de poco más de una hora es la correcta en mi opinión; también hay una versión deluxe que tiene todo un concierto adicional en el que tocan todo el disco de Tommy y se me hace totalmente innecesario y exagerado. Por puntos como esos y porque todavía me queda un poco la espina de saber que van a venir sin duda varios discos más de The Who y porque dudo de la necesidad de poner un en vivo en la lista a pesar de lo buen disco que es. Me cambió y mejoro un poco la imagen que tenía de The Who para bien. Solo hay que encontrar la versión correcta.
Quite liked this. Though the condensed original is much better than the later rereleases. Only worth listening to that anyway
Great cover of Summertime Blues and great versions of some Who songs. I liked this one
I accidently let the negative reviews influence my initial reaction to getting this album. Boy was I wrong. I had a blast listening to this album on my "main" system in the living room. The energy, the banter and the overall artistic approach to this live album was a real joy to experience. Well ahead of its time and it 'almost' convinced me that live albums should form part of this list.
Warm and charming. This feels like an album that would've inspired a lot of indie artists of today.
There are a lot of good songs but live albums have there own issues that take away from the album
This album has the reputation as one of the best live albums ever released and with good reason. The setlist is stellar, the performance is clean and tight. The chemistry within the band members and with the audience and band is easy going and comfortable and the whole package has a Magic that is rarely captured on tape. Loses 1/2 star because I'm not generally a fan of luve rock recordings. 4.5 🌟
Ahhh I still love the Who. I've spent too long not listening to them. Quadrophenia remains one of my all time faves, but this was the first live album I've actually listened to. I don't know a lot about mixing/mastering, but my opinion was that it was well done on this album. I felt like I could picture exactly where they all were on the stage and appreciate each voice / instrument individually in a way that isn't usual for live recordings. I read the wiki after listening, and I guess there was no mic pointed toward the audience at all. That explains why they sounded so far away.
-Good live album, high quality both in recording and in performances -Like the songs, especially old man blues and substitute
The Who was never my very favorite band, but this album is full of great energy and compelling performances!
Pretty meh for the first 3/4, I really enjoyed the My Generation medley at least. 7/10
7/10. (Listened to the expanded edition because it is what's on Spotify). This is some of the most Bri'ish shit I have ever heard. The Amazing Journey and My Generation medleys were excellent, as was Magic Bus, but the rest of it was kinda meh.
It's a live album, but it has some really great performances. Also really Hard Rock sounding, which isn't my flavor.
Rockin' stuff. Nothing mind blowing here, but this was simply a solid and enjoyable live album from a solid enjoyable rock band.
I really owe it to myself to get more into The Who. I listened to this while trying to work (with covid) so I don't think its a really fair shake. Adding it to my "come back later" playlist. Its funny I haven't been able to pinpoint why I prefer other rockbands of the same era more -- maybe they were so early/innovative that it shows a bit?
Two Who albums in a week might seem like overkill to some, but it's hard to complain too much when the performances are this good. There are multiple versions of "Live at Leeds", from the compact, 37-minute original (listed in the 1001 Albums book) to the full-on two hour set including all of Tommy. I opted for the middle option, which is a fairly daunting 77 minutes long. Thankfully, in the company of four rock gods it zips by in a frenzy of windmill-ing guitar and microphone throws. The only part which dragged slightly was the towering medley in the middle of "My Generation"... sacrilege as it might be to say. Compared with their studio work leading up to this, the band are well and truly on form here. Daltrey holds his own against the raging storm of the three musicians playing under him, from Townshend's tightly wound guitar parts (originating power-pop) to Entwistle and Moon being absolutely unhinged on bass and drums. Really, the untouchable Moon is the MVP here. Unleashed onto a live kit, he seems to attack with more aggression and fervour than we ever hear on the recordings. Listen closely and you can hear his screams as he launches into his next fill. There's a nice split of original material and covers, all taken up to the max with showmanship. As songs themselves, I've never understood the popularity of "I'm A Boy" or "Happy Jack": they're far from the band's best material and really benefit from a slightly punchier treatment here. The prime Who cuts on the record are "Substitute" (given an upgrade here with John Entwistle's gloriously overdriven bass), "A Quick One" and "Magic Bus". Then there are the standards (including "Summertime Blues", "Young Man Blues" and "Fortune Teller") which are also great fun. I can't not mention the band's patter in between songs, from Townshend's gawky, stilted explanation of the "A Quick One" story to Moon chiming in that a "jazz sage" is a flavour of chicken. I'm more a fan of the studio work they did directly after this (Who's Next and Quadrophenia) but "Live at Leeds" is still a hugely enjoyable picture of a band at the height of their powers.
The best live rock album? Maybe. Everything sounds great and love the commentary added. It's very close to 5 stars.
I might be a sucker for live albums, especially when artists' interludes are left on the record. The Who created an entertaining show with a fine set and hilarious breaks. Had a whale of a time. Highlight: A Quick One, While He's Away
I had never listened to this before...obviously have heard one or two of them before but context is everything.
who doesn’t love the who. this wasn’t their best selection of songs and sometimes the live aspect took away from the greatness of the songs but i’m really pushing it. it’s amazibg
I listened to the 14 track edition on Apple Music. This is a pretty rockin' live album. It's got an 'everybody solo!' vibe but the songs are good. I'm familiar with the most popular tracks and there are a few well executed covers. Well recorded at Leeds University, might have to make it a music mecca some time! Could do without some of the chit chat though, which I believe isn't in the original 1970 release.
Raw and rocking. Moon's bashing is a highlight. One prefers their studio work, which favored their artfulness and melodies (and made Daltrey sound better) over the pimal energy on display here, which is considerable. This isn't to be underestimated and shows off their extensive range and how they predicted both mod and punk. Somehow, tis' easy to overlook how great they once were; perhaps they didn't fly quite as high as the Stones (though one could make the case) but then they've not quite as fully embarrased themselves (though getting quite close) with umpteen farewell tours.
Thanks to these list I discovered a fantastic performance by The Who. I have never payed enough attention to them, and that is a big miss. It is incredible to listen in their music the influence they had in 100s of bands.
Great! I listened to the 1995 expanded edition. The familiar numbers like 'Substitute', 'I Can't Explain' and the Bo Diddley beat of 'Magic Bus' ruled, but I was equally taken by their interpretations of tracks written by Mose Allison and Allen Toussaint. Really muscular takes of those songs. Overall it's a beefy, brawling kinda sound, but not without finesse, especially where the longer tracks are concerned. Sometimes live records can sound a little tepid, or they show up the limitations of the artist(s) in question. Not this one.
Bit of a redundant inclusion on the list, given the number of other The Who albums on there, but what the hell, sure, why not. Fave track - "Shakin' All Over"
I did a little more prep before listening to this, and someone was quoted as saying this is the greatest live rock album of all time. And that sounds ridiculous. The Who? I mean, they have some good songs, but The Best? And after listening to the first couple of songs I thought it sounded even crazier. It's not that it was bad in any way, just not the greatest. But then, somewhere around Young Man Blues, I started to change my mind. It felt like the tone shifted to something that was raw but refined and the rest of the concert is a masterpiece. Maybe I was just missing it at the beginning? Every instrument was played to excellence, along with vocal harmonies coming out just the way they needed to. Could it be the greatest live rock album of all time? Maybe.
Don’t like live albums. It’s amazing how great they sound live but I hate the talking and banter in between songs.
Some longer solos that were probably fun in person but a bit long for an album. Otherwise, good fun
I'm not a fan of live albums, but I can see how this is regarded as one of the best live albums. They play the best of their pre-Who's Next discography, loud and raw, with seamless transitions between songs, playing a variety of rougher garage songs with the more refined Britpop of Tommy. For first-time listeners, the 1995 expanded edition is way too much to dive into, but the original album just consists of the "Young Man Blues", "Substitute", and the last 4 songs here, which is much easier to digest. The last two medleys are more than worth the price of admission and are what guaranteed the 4th star. It's why I advise people to start with the original LP, so you aren't tired by the time to get to the final highlights.
Shortly after the Who cross half of My Generation, a riff leaps into the soundstage from the right and, echoing across, returns as a low grind in the left ear. That was the specific moment of the magic the band conjures on this live recording, even in diminished six-track form and on the least typical of those songs. The four musicians approach the limits of rock instrumentation, and fill that space without needing to get psychadelic. Live at Leeds includes one of the more honest Brit takes on the blues I've seen, in the Who's own register. It can do the convincing that their studio recordings sometimes seem to fail to do.
Oh man, the power chords, the drumming, the ballsy full throttle rock n' roll of the Who in their prime. Live albums don't get much better than this. I liked pretty much everything about this, but the real revelation was hearing Keith Moon just kill it on the drums during every song. Mind blowing. 4 stars.
It starts a bit shaky but once Keith Moon's drums and Entwhistle's bass kick in, this has some real heft and excitement. Enjoyed it a lot.
Not bad but fails to leave a lasting impression, instruments too loud, many cover songs, album came before their biggest hits
Perhaps the peak of 70s arena rock. It's respectable for what it is, but this sort of music doesn't really excite me anymore.
Over hyped by the book. I think some of the songs sound better on the studio albums. I didn't like the talking between tracks, it sounded like Spinal Tap
I'm not much of a fan of live albums except for a few outstanding ones. This is good rock for sure, but it's live...
Super high, almost punk-rock energy, which is wild for 1970. The Who is the Who, legends for a reason and this album puts that on display for sure. Why do I keep thinking I'm listening to Jimmy Page singing, or an Alex Lifeson hook? The Who definitely has a pretty unique sound but you can hear that 'classic' 70s rock influence that this album either gave or borrowed throughout, which is pretty cool
In general, I'm a Who fan. This was fine, a little rambling at times it felt like, and not a ton of my faves from them.
Not the biggest fan of live albums in general. This is pretty good. John Entwistle and Keith Moon really shine on this one. 6/10