The Who To Release First Two Albums As Half-Speed Masters

The first two albums by The Who, ‘My Generation’ (1965) and ‘A Quick One’ (1966) will be reissued as Half-Speed Masters in May.

The Master is the artists finished work that all copies are made from. Barry Grint, the Head Mastering Engineer for Alchemy Mastering at Air Studios in London explains, “Cutting at half speed means that information within the source recording at around 17kHz is actually recorded at 8.5kHz, and so is a long way from the point where feedback runs out. This results in a more accurate and more open high-frequency response in the half speed vinyl when compared with a normal speed recording.”

Watch these two videos to see what it all means.

The first album for The Who ‘My Generation’ was released on 3 December 1965. The Who had already had two hit singles with ‘I Can’t Explain’ and ‘’Anywhere, Anyhow, Anywhere’ which were not on the album. With their two UK Top 10 successes they went immediately into the studio to record ‘My Generation’.

The album the now classic title track which became their first hit in Australia (no 2, 1965) but failed to chart in the Top 40 in America (peaking at no 74).

‘My Generation’ the album reached no 5 in the UK but did not chart in Australia or the USA.

THE WHO MY GENERATION – HALF SPEED MASTERED VINYL TRACK LIST

SIDE 1
Out In The Street
I Don’t Mind
The Good’s Gone
La-La-La-Lies
Much Too Much
My Generation

SIDE 2
The Kids Are Alright
Please, Please, Please
It’s Not True
I’m A Man
A Legal Matter
The Ox

The second album ‘A Quick One’ was also only a hit in the UK (no 4) but it started to gather interest for the band in the USA reaching no 67. It did not make the Australian charts. Their first Australian hit album was the third album ‘The Who Sell Out’ in 1967.

‘A Quick One’ failed to generate any hits.

THE WHO A QUICK ONE – HALF SPEED MASTERED VINYL TRACK LIST

SIDE 1
Run Run Run
Boris The Spider
I Need You
Whiskey Man
Heatwave
Cobwebs And Strange

SIDE 2
Don’t Look Away
See My Way
So Sad About Us
A Quick One, While He’s Away

The two albums were mastered by Jon Astley, cut for vinyl by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios. They will be released on May 6, 2022.

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