TRACKLIST

It was recorded in short bursts in April, October and November 1965, and for many tracks The Who were joined by Nicky Hopkins on piano. Assisting Talmy for the most part was engineer Glyn Johns.

The UK release featured an iconic front sleeve, taken at Surrey Docks in south east London by Decca Records’ photographer David Wedgbury, featuring an aerial view of the four members of The Who gazing skywards, a pose that other bands, Blondie, The Jam and The Undertones amongst them, copied in almost perfect pastiches years later. In the US American Decca attempted to jump on the British Invasion bandwagon by using a different yet similarly iconic Wedgbury shot, featuring The Who with London’s most famous clock tower, Big Ben, in the background.

My Generation reached #5 in the UK charts but flopped in the US. Polydor, who would release The Who’s recordings in the UK over the next two decades, didn’t own the rights to the album, which went out of print in the UK within 12 months of its release. For years no company seemed inclined to reissue the album in Britain until, curiously, Virgin picked it up in 1980 (V2179). This issue had good sound quality but was pressed on inferior vinyl and disappeared at the end of its meagre print run.

Decca kept the US version available domestically throughout the Sixties and, when MCA reorganised in the early Seventies, The Who Sings My Generation was issued as a double budget package with the US-only Magic Bus – The Who On Tour. MCA first issued the album on CD in the States in the early Eighties, but was criticised for the mastering job and a better version followed but with the same catalogue number.

In August 2002 My Generation was released as a Deluxe Edition double CD in the US (MCA 088 112 926-2, later SACD MCA 088 113 182-2) and in October in the UK (Polydor 112 926-2).

My Generation was reissued in 2012 on heavyweight vinyl (Polydor 3716077) and in 2016 the album was released as a Super deluxe Edition (Polydor 5372740) See BOX SETS. A 2-LP gatefold sleeve version was also released in mono with bonus tracks and a 3-LP gatefold sleeve version with stereo mixes, bonus tracks and Pete Townshend demos.

Tracks on the original UK version were:

1. OUT IN THE STREET (Townshend)
Recorded at IBC Studios, London, April 1965

2. I DON’T MIND (James Brown)
Recorded at IBC Studios, April 1965

3. THE GOOD’S GONE (Townshend)
Recorded at IBC Studios, November 1965

4. LA LA LA LIES (Townshend)
Recorded at IBC Studios, November 1965

5. MUCH TOO MUCH (Townshend)
Recorded at IBC Studios, November 1965

6. MY GENERATION (Townshend)
Recorded at IBC Studios, October 1965. The Who’s third single reached #2 in the UK charts.

7. THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT (Townshend)
Recorded at IBC Studios, October 1965

8. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE (Brown/Terry)
Recorded at IBC Studios, April 1965.

9. IT’S NOT TRUE (Townshend)
Recorded at IBC Studios, November 1965.

10. I’M A MAN (McDaniel)
Recorded at IBC Studios, April 1965

11. A LEGAL MATTER (Townshend)
Recorded at IBC Studios, November 1965.

12. THE OX (Townshend/Entwistle/Moon/Hopkins)
Recorded at IBC Studios, November 1965

The running order on the US release ran as follows:

1. OUT IN THE STREET
2. I DON’T MIND
3. THE GOOD’S GONE
4. LA-LA-LA-LIES
5. MUCH TOO MUCH
6. MY GENERATION
7. THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT (edited version)
8. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE
9. IT’S NOT TRUE
10. THE OX
11. A LEGAL MATTER
12. INSTANT PARTY

I’M A MAN was dropped and replaced by INSTANT PARTY (aka CIRCLES) which has an unusual history thanks to the legal dispute between The Who’s management and Shel Talmy. Although originally recorded with Talmy, the band re-recorded a self-produced version of the song, initially correctly credited as CIRCLES, for the B-side of SUBSTITUTE, which would be released in March 1966, and a different pressing (released simultaneously) using the title INSTANT PARTY. Talmy prevented The Who from using the song and released the original version of CIRCLES he had produced – confusingly re-titled INSTANT PARTY – as the B-side to A LEGAL MATTER and on the first US album, as if to re-emphasise his ownership of the song. Thus, INSTANT PARTY is how early Who fans knew CIRCLES.