After 50 years The Who – Live at The Oval 1971 Finally Officially Released - Noise11.com
The Who Live At The Oval

The Who Live At The Oval

After 50 years The Who – Live at The Oval 1971 Finally Officially Released

by Noise11.com on August 23, 2025

in News

On September 18, 1971, The Who took the stage at The Oval cricket ground in Kennington, south London, and delivered a performance that has been remembered as legendary and up until now, unreleased.

The show was staged as Goodbye Summer: A Rock Concert in Aid of Famine Relief for the People of Bangladesh, a benefit event that drew an estimated 35,000 fans.

What they saw was The Who at the height of their powers, combining newly minted songs from Who’s Next with the ferocity of their established classics. Who’s Next had been released just six weeks earlier.

The night then ended with Pete Townshend and Keith Moon smashing their instruments in a display of destruction that became the ultimate Who trademark.

For whatever reason, tthis concert, captured by Glyn Johns on 8-track analog tapes using the Pye Mobile Recording Unit, remained unreleased for more than five decades. Only poor-quality bootlegs kept the performance alive in fan circles. Now, more than 50 years later, the reels have been resurrected and newly mixed by Bob Pridden and Richard Whittaker, then mastered by Jon and Layla Astley. The result is Live at The Oval 1971, finally giving this historic show the release it deserves.

With a cover illustration by Josh Townshend, liner notes from Who historian Andy Neill, and a mix that strips away the mud of the bootlegs, the album places the listener directly into the electric atmosphere of that September afternoon. The performance is raw, unpredictable, and essential, showing The Who in transition from the power-pop of their early years to the widescreen ambitions of Who’s Next.

Historic Details of The Oval 1971 Concert
Event: Goodbye Summer: A Rock Concert in Aid of Famine Relief for the People of Bangladesh

Date & Venue: September 18, 1971 – The Oval, Kennington, South London

Attendance: Approximately 35,000

Recording: Captured by Glyn Johns with the Pye Mobile Recording Unit on 8-track analog tapes

Mixing & Mastering: Mixed by Bob Pridden and Richard Whittaker (October–November 2024); mastered by Jon and Layla Astley (November 2024)

Release Date: August 22, 2025 across multiple formats, including CD, streaming, and limited-edition 180-gram vinyl

Highlights: Early live versions of Who’s Next material, extended jams, and a finale featuring the destruction of instruments

Tracklisting – Live at The Oval 1971
So Glad To See Ya
Summertime Blues
My Wife
Love Ain’t For Keeping
I Can’t Explain
Substitute
Bargain
Behind Blue Eyes
Won’t Get Fooled Again
Baby Don’t You Do It
Pinball Wizard
See Me, Feel Me / Listening To You
My Generation
Naked Eye
Magic Bus

The Who’s Live Album Discography
The Who have long been defined by their power on stage, and their live albums document every phase of their history. For than a dozen previously released live albums have documented the power of a Who show.

Live at Leeds – 1970
Who’s Last – 1984
Join Together – 1990
Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 – 1996
BBC Sessions – 2000
Blues to the Bush – 2000
Live at the Royal Albert Hall – 2003
Live from Toronto – 2006
View from a Backstage Pass – 2007
Greatest Hits Live – 2010
Live at Hull 1970 – 2012
Quadrophenia Live in London – 2014
Live in Hyde Park – 2015
Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 2004 – 2017
Tommy Live at the Royal Albert Hall – 2017
Live at the Fillmore East 1968 – 2018
The Who With Orchestra Live at Wembley – 2023
Live at Shea Stadium 1982 – 2024
Live at The Oval 1971 – 2025

Live at The Oval 1971 is the missing piece of The Who’s story. It bridges the feral energy of Live at Leeds with the stadium-sized force the band would later unleash worldwide. Where Leeds captures the band in a club-like intensity, The Oval showcases them in full flight, carrying the weight of new anthems like “Won’t Get Fooled Again” into a larger-than-life setting. It’s The Who not just playing songs but reshaping the language of live rock.

Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
 
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YOUTUBE and updated regularly. See things first SUBSCRIBE here: Noise11 on YouTube SUBSCRIBE
 


 
Noise11.com
 
Follow us at https://bsky.app/profile/noise11.bsky.social
 
Noise11 on Instagram
 
Comment on the news of the day, join Noise11 on Facebook

Tagged as: , , , ,

Related Posts

Shirley Strachan Skyhooks (photo from skyhooks-music.com)
Shirley Strachan of Skyhooks Left Us 24 Years Ago Today 29 August

It’s hard to believe it’s been 24 years since Australia lost one of its most iconic musical sons—Graeme “Shirley” Strachan, the charismatic lead singer of Skyhooks. Today, on 29 August 2025, fans, friends, and fellow musicians remember the voice that defined a generation, the performer whose presence lit up stages, and the personality who made Australian rock both fun and unforgettable.

August 29, 2025
Russell Morris at Hamer Hall Melbourne 27 August 2025 photo by Winston Robinson
Russell Morris The Farewell Tour Is A Treasure Trove Of Hits and Rarities

Russell Morris was almost apologetic when he stepped onto the Hamer Hall stage in Melbourne for the first night of The Farewell Tour on Wednesday (27 August 2025). He admitted to his fans that a 60-year career can look confusing from the outside. The truth is, Morris was never one to sit still.

August 28, 2025
Steve Martin and Alison Browne photo from Compass Records
Steve Martin and Alison Brown Unite for Safe, Sensible and Sane Out October 17

Steve Martin has spent decades balancing comedy, acting, writing and music, but his love for the banjo has always been more than a hobby. On October 17, Martin will join forces with banjo trailblazer Alison Brown for their new collaborative album Safe, Sensible and Sane, a star-studded roots music project set to be one of the year’s most intriguing releases.

August 26, 2025
Tom Waits supplied by Anti
Tom Waits To Reissue 1975 Classic Nighthawks at the Diner For 50th Anniversary

Tom Waits’ Nighthawks at the Diner is being reissued for its 50th anniversary on October 24, with ANTI- Records pressing the landmark album onto three limited-edition yellow vinyl variants. More than just a re-release, this marks a celebration of one of the most unusual and defining recordings of Waits’ early career.

August 26, 2025
Queen autographed A Night At The Opera
Why Queen’s Quietest Member John Deacon Chose to Become a Recluse Until This Rare Return

For fans of Queen, John Deacon has long been the enigma of the band, a brilliant musician, masterful songwriter, and humble presence behind the scenes. Since the early 1990s, Deacon has shunned the spotlight, retiring quietly after Freddie Mercury’s death in 1991. But now, years later, he has quietly resurfaced, lending his signature alongside bandmates Roger Taylor and Brian May on a charity auction item, signalling, perhaps, that even the most private of souls can still make their mark in unexpected ways.

August 25, 2025
Patti Smith Horses 50th Anniversary
Patti Smith ‘Horses’ Gets 50th Anniversary Reissue With Unearthed Demos and Live Cuts

In 1975, Patti Smith entered Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios in New York City with a vision: to fuse the jagged energy of punk with the fluid imagery of poetry. That vision became Horses, one of the most groundbreaking debut albums in rock history. Now, half a century later, Sony has announced the 50th Anniversary Expanded Edition of Horses, a release that both celebrates the legacy of the record and offers fans newly unearthed material from Smith’s early years.

August 25, 2025
Bruce Springsteen Born To Run
Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run Album Turns 50

On 25 August 1975, Bruce Springsteen released Born To Run, the album that transformed him from a New Jersey barroom songwriter into one of the most important voices in rock history. Fifty years later, the record still stands as a landmark, both for its ambitious sound and for the way it defined Springsteen’s career.

August 25, 2025