11 May 2023
PETE TOWNSHEND: THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF NEW LIMITED EDITION HALF SPEED MASTERED ALBUMS
PETE TOWNSHEND & RONNIE LANE: ROUGH MIX
PETE TOWNSHEND: EMPTY GLASS
MASTERED BY JON ASTLEY AT CLOSE TO THE EDGE
WITH HALF SPEED VINYL MASTERS CUT FOR VINYL
BY MILES SHOWELL AT ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS
RELEASED 23 JUNE ON UMR
AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW
23 June 2023 sees the release of the first in a series of half speed mastered studio albums from Pete Townshend, Rough Mix and Empty Glass.
These limited-edition black vinyl versions have been mastered by long-time Who engineer Jon Astley and cut for vinyl by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios with a half-speed mastering technique which produces a superior vinyl cut and are packaged in original sleeves with obi strips and certificates of authenticity. Rough Mix is presented in a gatefold sleeve, and Empty Glass features a full-colour inner bag with full lyrics and a 300mm x 600mm poster.
Rough Mix was initially released in September 1977 while The Who were on hiatus and was a collaboration with Small Faces bassist the late Ronnie Lane and features contributions from Who bass guitarist John Entwistle, Eric Clapton, and Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts among others.
The orchestral arrangements for the track ‘Street in the City’ were provided by Townshend’s then father-in-law, noted British film and television theme composer Edwin Astley. Edwin’s son, Jon Astley has overseen this new remaster.
Produced by Chris Thomas (Roxy Music, Sex Pistols, Pretenders, Wings), Empty Glass was Townshend’s next solo release appearing in April 1980. The songs predominantly deal with issues Townshend was struggling with at the time, including alcohol, drugs, and the death of Keith Moon, The Who’s former drummer.
The second single from the album ‘Let My Love Open the Door’ was a US Top Ten hit, propelling the album to #5 on the US Billboard chart, and the first single ‘Rough Boys’, which was dedicated to Pete’s children and The Sex Pistols, was a UK top 40 hit. The album was well received at the time, with some critics even referring to it as a Who album that never was.
PETE TOWNSHEND & RONNIE LANE ROUGH MIX
HALF SPEED MASTERED VINYL TRACK LIST
SIDE 1
My Baby Gives It Away
Nowhere To Run
Rough Mix
Annie
Keep Me Turning
Catmelody
SIDE 2
Misunderstood
April Fool
Street In The City
Heart To Hang Onto
Till The Rivers All Run Dry
PETE TOWNSHEND EMPTY GLASS
HALF SPEED MASTERED VINYL TRACK LIST
SIDE 1
Rough Boys
I Am An Animal
And I Moved
Let my Love Open The Door
Jools And Jim
SIDE 2
Keep On Working
Cat’s In The Cupboard
A Little Is Enough
Empty Glass
Gonna Get Ya
Will the half speed master of Who’s Next be released later this year? I look forward to the LP.
Yes, it will, Júnio
Keep up the great work
Great albums in their own right. It will be good to see (preferably hearing them) them re-released in half speed master format. I look forward to their release.
Pete,
I’ve always enjoyed your solo work and look forward to listening to these updated versions.
Thank you for a lifetime of listening pleasure.
Regards,
Tom Madden
I bought both of these when they first came out they are excellent works of art by Pete during his solo career / who work
I have them on vinyl from the record store where I worked during the release of both Finders Records & Tapes Bowling Green Ohio
The music still resonates as some of my favorite stuff he
Wrote
Will the half speed master of Who’s Last restored, expanded and remastered and Who by Numbers also restored, remastered ad expanded be released later this year? I will wait the complete Swansea concert…
None of The Who’s back catalogue in the Half Speed Mastered series will be expanded. They will have the regular number of tracks. Who’s Last will not be a part of this series. The Who By Numbers will be released later this year as part of the Half Speed Mastered series.
Will the half speed master of Who’s Last, restored, remastered and expanded and also Who by numbers, restored, remastered and expanded be released later this year? I will wait for the complete Swansea concert….
Are Pete’s other solo projects slated for half speed remastering as well?
Yes, his back catalogue of studio albums are.
I loved your music,and I will listen to it when I take my CD’s out from my room.
For me, Quadrophenia and Who Are You, were the most important Who albums back in the seventies and of course later as well. When can I add half-speed masters releases of them to my collection?
Quadrophenia later this year, Who Are You beginning of next year, Jochen.
I’ve just picked up a copy of each this morning, looking forward to getting home and giving them a listen.
Have they been newly remastered or do they use the 2017 half speed masters?
Newly remastered, Ed.
Hi would like to ask. So these are the half-speed master Who series so far? Planning to have a complete collection. Thanks.
16 Live at Leeds
17 Meaty, Beaty, Big & Bouncy
20 Odds & Sods
21 Face Dances
22 It’s Hard
22 My Generation
22 A Quick One
22 The Who Sell Out
22 Tommy
There are more to come. Quadrophenia and The Who By Numbers next. And Pete’s solo albums too.
I am looking forward to Quadrophenia.
For the Townshend half-speed masters, will Psychoderelict be released as a “music only” version? I know it was released as a CD with and without so I was curious. Also, will Who Came First also get the half-speed treatment, since the first two were Rough Mix and Empty Glass?
Who Came First was released as a half-speed remaster in 2017 so won’t be reissued in this series.