Hooligans

Just what the name says.
User avatar
Xenu
Sellout
Posts: 2209
Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2003 8:15 pm

Hooligans

Postby Xenu » Thu Jun 03, 2004 7:59 pm

I just saw this for $6, so figured I might as well snap it up. It's a West German pressing, weirdly enough. I haven't done MUCH critical listening, but....

a) It doesn't sound awful. Some tracks are clearly not optimal (the WN tracks seem to use the Polydor, fade-up masters, and the Quad tracks aren't too hot), but some are fine. Let's See Action and The Relay sound pretty good.

b) The version of ICSFM is...well, it's in mono, but it sounds like a knockdown. Thing is, it's *far* clearer than the standard MCA stereo version. I wonder where they got this from...

Bah. Ugly little package, though. And even though the track selection kind of makes sense (three old singles, then some of the new ones! Except some not!), it feels like a huge hodgepodge. And it doesn't deserve two discs, either.
-------------
"Fuckin' Koreans" - Reno 911

User avatar
Rspaight
Posts: 4386
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2003 10:48 am
Location: The Reality-Based Community
Contact:

Postby Rspaight » Fri Jun 04, 2004 7:37 am

I was always under the impression that Hooligans was just a cash-in by MCA after the Who signed with WB, hence its randomness, but of course I could be wrong. It was originally an LP package (which is the only way I have it), so the skimpy disc times are just an outgrowth of that.

It's unique in that it's so heavily weighted toward the 70s material. And I think it's the only time "official" lyrics to a lot of songs have been printed -- though it sounds like those didn't make it to the CD from your description.

Ryan
RQOTW: "I'll make sure that our future is defined not by the letters ACLU, but by the letters USA." -- Mitt Romney

User avatar
Xenu
Sellout
Posts: 2209
Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2003 8:15 pm

Postby Xenu » Fri Jun 04, 2004 10:16 am

Rspaight wrote:I was always under the impression that Hooligans was just a cash-in by MCA after the Who signed with WB, hence its randomness, but of course I could be wrong. It was originally an LP package (which is the only way I have it), so the skimpy disc times are just an outgrowth of that.

It's unique in that it's so heavily weighted toward the 70s material. And I think it's the only time "official" lyrics to a lot of songs have been printed -- though it sounds like those didn't make it to the CD from your description.

Ryan



Oh, it's definitely a cash-in, and a bizarre one at that. And yes, I have the lyrics, although as the set comes in two separate jewel-cases, they're actually printed twice (as in: each disc has the same booklet!)
-------------

"Fuckin' Koreans" - Reno 911

User avatar
lukpac
Top Dog and Sellout
Posts: 4592
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2003 11:51 pm
Location: Madison, WI
Contact:

Postby lukpac » Fri Jun 04, 2004 10:17 am

Same thing with Quad (same fold-out with both discs).
"I know because it is impossible for a tape to hold the compression levels of these treble boosted MFSL's like Something/Anything. The metal particulate on the tape would shatter and all you'd hear is distortion if even that." - VD