A Quick One was released on Reaction Records on 9 December 1966 (Reaction 593 002). The first CD version was issued by Polydor in the mid-80s (835 728-24) and two remastered versions, the second in stereo, were subsequently released by MCA in the US in 2002 and Polydor in the UK in 2003 (572 758-2 and 589 800-2) respectively. The later versions were produced by Jon Astley.

In the US it was held back until May 1967 and retitled Happy Jack (Decca DL 4892 [mono], DL 74892 [stereo]), partly because the ‘Happy Jack’ single had been a minor hit for The Who there, reaching number 24 the same month, and partly because their US record company objected to the double entendre in the title. To make room for the hit single, the American album lost ‘Heatwave’.

TRACKLIST

1. Run Run Run
2. Boris The Spider
3. I Need You
4. Whiskey Man
5. Heatwave
6. Cobwebs And Strange
7. Don’t Look Away
8. See My Way
9. So Sad About Us
10. A Quick One, While He’s Away

Produced by Kit Lambert

Cover design and illustration by Alan Aldridge.

Bonus tracks on the 1996 remastered CD:

1. Batman
2. Bucket T
3. Barbara Ann
4. Disguises
5. Doctor Doctor
6. I’ve Been Away
7. In The City
8. Happy Jack (Acoustic Version)
9. Man With Money
10. My Generation / Land Of Hope And Glory