The Who - Lifehouse

[CanookieWookie]

By 1970, The Who were undoubtedly the top rock band in the world.  After having released one of the first rock concept albums with The Who Sell Out in 1967, the first rock opera with Tommy and their messianic performance at Woodstock in 1969, and possibly one of the greatest live albums of all time with Live At Leeds in 1970, Pete Townshend had no choice but to up his own epic ante with the band's next release.  His follow-up to a concept album and rock opera could only be a third conceptual, semi-operatic piece, but which also included a film tie-in and actual audience participation with the band's performance that would steer the direction and plotline of the album itself.  As opposed to The Who's previous rock opera, each song would also be able to stand on its own without the need for musical interludes to propel the storyline and explain the previous song; each song would be self-sufficient.  That album was to be called Lifehouse. 

Unfortunately, the Lifehouse's plot-line was so convoluted and unexplainable, its execution so elaborate and unfeasible, not even his Townshend's bandmates could comprehend it and the project was eventually scrapped.  Instead, the best of the album's surviving songs became Who's Next in 1971.  This is a reconstruction of what that double concept album/soundtrack called Lifehouse would have sounded like if it had been finished in 1971 as originally intended by The Who.

http://albumsthatneverwere.blogspot.ca/2012/09/the-who-lifehouse-soniclovenoize.html

Really well done.  The nerd in me had to hear what it would have been like.  I'm sure some of you can appreciate it.  Enjoy (in lossless or mp3)

[CanookieWookie]

I hope someone here enjoyed listening to the mix.  It still gets constant play here. 

[stooge]

wow
another nerd like me
to compile lifehouse was one of the first things i did as i got my first high speed internet connection in like 2001 or so
i looked up everything i could find about this album
compiled the cd from the same cds you mentioned
downloaded the missing 2 track (mary and g.girl) burned the cd and gave it away to friends
and made a cover out of that famous 1971 photo in front of moon´s house
at first i landed on sites claiming that even some songs from who are you were written for lifehouse
but soon found out this aint true and what the original sequence was intended to be
that r. unterberger book (lifehouse+beyond) is a recommended read
but you sure already know that

[Woody]

I just heard for the first time the recordings The Who did with Leslie West sitting in on lead guitar around this time. Man, that shit smokes!

[stooge]

wow
what´s that?
others than those on who´s next?

[Woody]

They're bonus tracks on the 2CD reissue of Who's Next. I don't own it, just heard it on spotify for the first time. There's 5 or 6 songs with Leslie West sitting in with them. Definitely worth checking out.

[stooge]

you mean the record plant originals?
yeah they are awesome

[CanookieWookie]

wow
another nerd like me
to compile lifehouse was one of the first things i did as i got my first high speed internet connection in like 2001 or so
i looked up everything i could find about this album
compiled the cd from the same cds you mentioned
downloaded the missing 2 track (mary and g.girl) burned the cd and gave it away to friends
and made a cover out of that famous 1971 photo in front of moon´s house
at first i landed on sites claiming that even some songs from who are you were written for lifehouse
but soon found out this aint true and what the original sequence was intended to be
that r. unterberger book (lifehouse+beyond) is a recommended read
but you sure already know that

No sir, I have never read that book, although I have read lots regarding the album.   I'll certainly look for it now.

[thisissomeguy]

I tend to keep my Lifehouse mixes entirely Who material or entirely Pete Townshend demos to create a more uniform sound. A few songs meant for Lifehouse/ written during the '70 - '72 period only exist in demo format like Mary, Greyhound Girl and Teenage Wasteland.  

The 2 disc version of Who's Next is excellent, as well as the incredible Leslie West sessions material on disc one I also like the live material on the second disc which features songs that were only very briefly played live by The Who like Time is Passing and Too Much of Anything.

Pete Townshend's Storytellers episode is up on Youtube right now and all the material he plays and stories he tells are from the Lifehouse period;

Here's the two discs of 70's Lifehouse demos from Pete Townshend's six disc Lifehouse box set which is pretty hard to find now. A few late 70's demos are included that were meant for an abandoned film version of Lifehouse. These songs wound up being included on the Who Are You album.

http://teenagedogsintrouble.blogspot.ca/2012/02/pete-townsend-lifehouse-demos.html

[CanookieWookie]

Thank you.