1965 Stereo THE WHO Generation BEAT MOD PUNK GARAGE

$

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1965 STEREO FIRST PRESSING COLLECTIBLE                                                                                           

                         THE WHO

                  MY GENERATION

                                                                      USA - DECCA - DL 74664 - stereo

RARE 1965 first pressing vinyl on the old DECCA label, very sought & collectible very first album by the amazing WHO

contains the original 1965 Decca Records inner sleeve

Roger Daltrey always told the story that The Who's first album, My Generation, was recorded in one afternoon. Although the individual tracks were recorded quickly, this LP's birth was actually long and difficult. After the Top Ten U.K. success of The Who's first single, "I Can't Explain", their producer Shel Talmy sent them back into the studio on April 12-14 to record a new single and album (an earlier planned album recording session on March 19 came to nothing). That album, intended for release on Decca Records in the U.S. during the summer of 1965, was later shelved after a bad preliminary review in Beat Instrumental (complaining about the lack of original material). Several of the songs would find their way to the finished My Generation album. On June 17, 1965, Melody Maker was reporting that The Who were unhappy with the material they had recorded so far and were turning from R&B to hard pop with an album they would start recording on July 26 although there is no evidence that they did. The album was finished in three more sessions, one on October 13 and two more on November 10 and 13. By this time, Pete had progressed far enough as a writer to provide all but one of the tunes. According to John Atkins, Pete also offered the songs "Do the Strip", "Things Have Changed" (see Pete's LP Scoop) and "Kill My Appetite" for this album, but they were rejected and not recorded by the band.
 
 

Out in the Street (2'30) (Pete Townshend) Recorded April 12-14, 1965 at IBC Studios, London. Pete in 1965: "This was going to be a single. I hate that 'no, no, no' bit. It was originally 'show me, show me' but Kit Lambert thought it wasn't very good. He wrote all the new lyrics. I'm not going to take the blame for any of them. It sounds all cut about and edited."
One of Pete's earliest compositions, this was recorded under the title "You're Gonna Know Me." It was released as the B-side of the "My Generation" single in the U.S. as "Out In The Street (You're Going To Know Me)."

Pete in 1965: "One of mine. I like it. Roger sounds as though he's about six feet tall when he's singing."
Also released in Europe as the B-side of the "La-La-La-Lies" single.
 

La-La-La-Lies (2'12)
(Pete Townshend) 
Recorded November 10, 1965 at IBC Studio A, London.

Pete in 1965: "It wasn't as good as this before I did it with Keith. It's not my favourite one on the LP. It reminds me a bit of Sandie Shaw."
This song was released as a single in Europe without the Who's consent on November 11, 1966. It didn't chart in the U.K. but reached #17 in Sweden.

Much Too Much (2'45) 
(Pete Townshend)
Recorded November 10, 1965 at IBC Studio A, London.

Pete in 1965: "I like the beginning of this. Sounds like Barry McGuire, doesn't it? Very sort of folksy, 'Green, Green'."

My Generation (3'15) 
(Pete Townshend) Recorded October 13th, 1965 at IBC Studio A, London. Pete in 1965: "The guy who's singing is supposed to be blocked. It's reminiscent in a way because Mods don't get blocked anymore. They get drunk or other things. Pills was a phase...No, he's not blocked. He just can't form his words. [Manager] Chris Stamp was all for it, but the others kept wanting to put their own bits in. The ending is a natural progression of what's come before. It's the way it happens on stage. It was meant to get back more to the general theme at the end, but it doesn't."

This was The Who's fourth (or fifth?) attempt at recording this song over a period of two months. Most evidence points towards it having been written on May 19th as Pete rode a train to Southampton to appear on a television show. Matt Kent and Andy Neill report that the song may have been inspired by the Queen Mum who reportedly had Pete's 1935 Packard hearse towed off a street in Belgravia because the sight of it offended her on her daily drive through the neighborhood. The original was a slow "talking" blues without a stutter. Pete reworked it into its present form with the help of manager Chris Stamp. According to Pete in a 2002 message, the "stutter" was inspired by John Lee Hooker's "Stuttering Blues." As to claims that the stutter was meant to represent the speech pattern of a Mod taking speed pills, Pete called it "an unconscious reference." "My Generation" was released as a single in the U.K. on October 29, 1965 and reached #2. The U.S. single release was November 20, 1965 where it peaked at #74 in the Billboard charts and #99 in the Cash Box charts.

The Kids Are Alright (3'05)
(Pete Townshend)
Recorded October 13th, 1965 at IBC Studio A, London.

Pete in 1965: "This was going to be the B-side to 'Generation'. It's our French EP. Shel Talmy said he'd prefer it as the 'A' side in the States. He doesn't like taking chances, he doesn't like doing anything. I don't know where I got the idea for this one from. It sounds sort of symphonic. This is the favourite number on the LP of John, Keith and me."
Recorded after midnight at the same session that yielded the release version of "My Generation." For the U.S. LP this track had the middle guitar and drum bridge removed. This shortened version (2'42) was released as a single in the U.S. July 1966 and reached #106 in Billboard and #85 in Cash Box.

It's Not True 2'34 
(Pete Townshend)  
Recorded November 10, 1965 at IBC Studio A, London. Pete in 1965: "This is everyone else's favourite track. I hate it. Yes, I'm thinking of giving this one to a country and western group, actually. They're called the New Faces."

The Ox (3'49) (Pete Townshend, Keith Moon, John Entwistle, Nicky Hopkins) 
Recorded November 12, 1965 at IBC Studio A, London.

Pete in 1965: "This is the lead track on the LP. We all wrote it except Roger. In a way, I suppose it's a surfing sound. It's an American sound like something you get from the Wailers. I got out of this something I've always wanted to get out of a piece of music. I like that piano break. Actually it's John getting a piano sound out of his guitar. Nicky Hopkins is on this, he used to be with Cyril Davis. This session went on much longer and at the end we were all falling about."
The title came from John Entwistle's nickname but this instrumental remains most famous for Keith's contribution. According to Tony Fletcher, this song is based on The Surfaris' "Waikiki Run" with a lower guitar line and a more sinister melody. Released in Europe as the B-side of "The Kids Are Alright." On the U.S. album this track came before "A Legal Matter."

A Legal Matter 2'47 (Pete Townshend) 
Recorded November 12, 1965 at IBC Studio A, London.

Pete in 1965: "I'm singing on this one. Put that it's a similar voice to Paul McCartney."
After The Who broke with Shel Talmy and Decca/Brunswick to release their single "Substitute," Brunswick rush-released "A Legal Matter" backed with "Circles" retitled "Instant Party," on March 7, 1966. This was a Monday, an unusual day to release a single, but it was done to compete with "Substitute" and damage its ultimate chart position. In the U.K. "A Legal Matter" reached only #32 while "Substitute" hit #5. In the U.S. "A Legal Matter" appeared on the flip side of "The Kids Are Alright," The Who's first single on Decca after restoring their ties with the label. This is the first release with a Pete Townshend lead vocal. There was an apocryphal story that Roger didn't sing it because he was getting divorced from his first wife at the time. The divorce did not actually occur until five years after this album but they were separated at the time

INSTANT PARTY 3'05 (Pete Townsend) was the b-side raver on the 'Legal Matter' 45 issued in 1965

CONDITION: The cover is "EX" (excellent) clean and sharp! No problems, sharp corners, clean

The vinyl is VG++ to "EX" (excellent) all glossy with a couple superficial hairline minor scuffs that do nothing...plays MINTY strong & enjoyable. TOP LEVEL

CONTAINS THE 1965 DECCA RECORDS inner sleeve!                           

      A cool addition to anyone's music library!

SEE: SELLERS OTher items for similar cool sounds for "head" people...

EFFICIENT/CAREFUL GRADING

All imperfections are noted both cover & record