The Who “Lifehouse” - The Definitive 2LP

I’ve been tooling and re-tooling The Who’s early-70’s Lifehouse playlist for quite some time and I finally have what I believe is the definitive tracklist. If Glyn Johns had been supportive of Pete’s idea for a double album, I’m certain we would’ve gotten in early-1972 a double album very similar to what’s below.

One caveat for my purpose: I want the album to fit onto one CD. I love the idea of everything fitting onto one disc for uninterrupted physical play and succinct continuity. So that means Lifehouse can’t be longer than 79 min. For me, “Join Together” is the only practical song that I’ve left off, but I’ve never really felt it matched musically with the rest of Lifehouse so I’m okay with its omission. Same with “Water.” A great song, but doesn’t mesh. No live tracks either, as they just seem out of place.

I’ve used Pete’s so-called intended tracklist as a guide, but have made a few changes to provide better flow musically. I’ve given no consideration to the original concept/storyline. It was never fleshed out anyway, and frankly doesn’t matter a lick to me. It’s all about the music.

I think if you guys burn a cdr of this tracklist, you will be blown away. It just flows amazingly and illustrates the great lost opportunity that was Lifehouse. I firmly believe that if it was released 50 years ago in this presentation it would be one of the top masterpieces of rock music., And far better than Who’s Next. After listening to this Lifehouse, Who’s Next seems positively bare-bones in comparison. Even when I used to listen to Who’s Next 35 years ago, I always felt like something was missing. I didn’t know anything about Lifehouse or Odds and Sods, but it just didn’t feel complete to me. And now I know why.

The Who - Lifehouse

Side One
Pure and Easy
Going Mobile
Baba O'Riley
Time is Passing

Side Two
Bargain
Too Much of Anything
Mary
Behind Blue Eyes
I Don't Even Know Myself

Side Three
Put the Money Down
Love Ain't for Keeping
The Naked Eye
Getting in Tune
Let's See Action

Side Four
Relay
Won't Get Fooled Again
Song Is Over

 

Great track list! The only song I am not familiar with is Mary. Is this one off of Scoop?

I never realized that so many of these Odds and Sods tunes were originally intended for Life House. And for that reason alone I am surprised that John was the one who went through all the tapes to put that record together even though Pete wrote all the interesting notes for each song.

Now that I think of it I do recall Pete saying many of the tunes were from the abandoned Life House project. However, you have done a great service here in putting this all together in a fantastic order. Because I never even got close to thinking about this and thought it impossible based on my limited information on the subject. Life House always came up, but there never seemed to be any meat on that bone and I eventually got bored with even caring about it.

I especially love the idea of Song Is Over as a type of denouement following Won't Get Fooled Again.

Well done! I will have to make this playlist.

 

Yes, “Mary” is from Scoop. It’s a very recent addition to my tracklist and was the song that prompted me to finally make this post. It fits perfectly in that spot and is an absolute treat.

 

Who listens to CDs anymore?

 

You construct a 2LP album & then constain it time wise to fit on a single CD ?

The only constraint shold be @ 20 mins per LP side.

What tracks, if any, missed the cut ?

 

Without the constraints of LPs or CDs, things can get out of hand and overlong rapidly.

I addressed that in the original post.

 

Nice work !

You might be interested in this attempt ...... Albums That Never Were: The Who - Lifehouse (upgrade)

@soniclovenoize is a member here as well, you might like to compare notes.

Side A:
1. Teenage Wasteland
2. Time Is Passing
3. Love Ain’t For Keeping
4. Going Mobile
5. Baby Don’t You Do it

Side B:
6. Baba O’Riley
7. Mary
8. I Don’t Even Know Myself
9. Greyhound Girl
10. Bargain

Side C:
11. Naked Eye
12. Behind Blue Eyes
13. Too Much of Anything
14. Let’s See Action
15. Getting In Tune

Side D:
16. Pure and Easy
17. Won’t Get Fooled Again
18. This Song Is Over

 

Nice one, though if you leave off JT, you may as well replace Relay with Water since it was from 1972 as well. Join Together is an integral part of the story as it evolved, have a hard time conceiving a post 71 version without it.

 

This is the tracklist which Pete included in his Lifehouse Chronicles box set. It takes up two CDs.
He added the later songs in red to the tracklist because he felt they fit in. I don't agree except for the long Baba. But it's his baby, not mine.

Teenage Wasteland 6:46
Goin' Mobile 4:13
Baba O'Riley 7:44
Time Is Passing 3:25
Love Ain't For Keeping 1:31
Bargain 4:28
Music Must Change 4:40
Too Much Of Anything 5:34
Greyhound Girl 3:05
Mary 4:15
Behind Blue Eyes 3:25
Baba O'Riley (Instrumental Version) 9:48
Sister Disco 6:50
I Don't Know Myself 5:27
Put The Money Down 5:50
Pure And Easy 8:34
Getting In Tune 4:03
Let's See Action 6:18
Slip Kid 3:35
Relay 4:14
Who Are You 7:35
Join Together 6:23
Won't Get Fooled Again 8:28
Song Is Over 5:41

Minus the red tracks this runs over 94 minutes as is so I added more related songs to a second CD. Those include My Wife, the New York Who's Next tracks, the B-sides of the post-Who's Next singles, Heaven and Hell, The Seeker and the unreleased 1970 EP tracks.

I've been playing that version for 20 years, using The Who's recordings with a couple of obvious exceptions.

 

Put The Money Down, Relay, and Join Together were also added later.

 

I first had it on an old TMOQ boot from '73 called The Genius of Pete Townshend

 

Let us know if you ever lay this out in a Spotify playlist!

 

Personally I've never understood the appeal of The Song is Over or its inclusion on Who's Next. I find the chorus pretty grating. I definitely would leave it off and finish with The Seeker instead.

 

PT should just rerelease The Lifehouse Chronicles 6 CDs Box Set, as The Who’s Next 51st Anniversary Deluxe Box Set, as what more could really be added for the Who’s Next 51st Anniversary Deluxe Box Set, except also include a 5.1 & Atmos Mix or Remix BluRay Disc for the Album? Not sure if there can also be a remaster of the entire Lifehouse Chronicles Deluxe Box Set, which would be an improvement.

 

Considering Lifehouse Chronicles doesn't contain any Who recordings, and includes less than 2 CDs of contemporaneous demos, it wouldn't really make sense to reissue it as a Who's Next box.

There's plenty to compile for a Who's Next box, although perhaps not a ton that's still unreleased.

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...BKAB6BAgFEAI&usg=AOvVaw1-GhQ96jpID0uQAVXuS5SB

 

I think we are in for a treat next year!

 

79 minutes to fit on a CD and 20 min per side of a 2LP are basically the exact same thing

 

Good Point, and I will buy a Who’s Next 51st Anniversary Deluxe Box Set, should there be unreleased Who Recordings included. Although, Quadrophenia is still my Favorite Who Album.

 

I don't know what that means, but I will ask my son and try to get that done.

 

Nice list, I’d have to replace “I Don’t Know Myself” with “Join Together”

 

That didn’t exist yet.

 

I think Greyhound Girl is worthy of inclusion despite it's similarity to Getting in Tune. Also, Pete said flatly Lifehouse was going to start with Baba. Why not start Side 2 with Pure and Easy?

I also did this exercise a few years ago. Critique my Lifehouse playlist

 

I know, I’d just have to have in the play list now.

 

My previous playlist did start with “Baba.” But “Pure and Easy” never sounded in the right place until I moved it to the beginning. That made all the difference. Starting with the most thematic song on the album then ending with a reprise of that. It also sets the tone for being a different listening experience than Who’s Next.