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I want to make a UK singles collection of the Moon years. I want to make it 2 CD's, so I might have to delete a single or two.

What would you say are the best places to find the UK single mixes of these songs:

I Can't Explain
Bald Headed Woman
Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
My Generation
Shout And Shimmy
A Legal Matter
The Kids Are Alright (was the UK single unedited?)
Subsititute
Circles
I'm A Boy
In The City
Happy Jack
Pictures Of Lily (US WBWB has the correct mix?)
Doctor Doctor
The Last Time
Under My Thumb
I Can See For Miles (is the UK single different from the US?)
Someone's Coming
Dogs
Call Me Lightning (Rarities has the correct mix?)
Magic Bus
Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde
Pinball Wizard (MBBB or Tommy MFSL?)
Dogs. Pt 2
The Seeker
Here For More
Heaven And Hell
Let's See Action
When I Was A Boy
I Don't Even Know Myself (count in on vinyl only?)
Join Together
Baby Don't You Do It
Relay
Waspman
5:15 (vinyl only?)
Water
Squeeze Box (Collection or Polydor WBN?)
Success Story (same as LP mix?)
Who Are You (vinyl only?)
Had Enough (same as LP mix?)


I plan on using these discs:

Who's Better, Who's Best (US)
Who's Better, Who's Best (UK)
Meaty, Beaty, Big And Bouncy
The Singles
The Who Collection
Rarities
Who's Missing
Two's Misssing
Magic Bus (Canadian CD)
My Generation (Dr. Ebbetts)

NO JON ASTLEY!!!

JWB wrote:I want to make a UK singles collection of the Moon years. I want to make it 2 CD's, so I might have to delete a single or two.

What would you say are the best places to find the UK single mixes of these songs:

A couple of suggestions.

I Can't Explain

MBBB.

The Kids Are Alright (was the UK single unedited?)

Yes. You'll have to go with the box set.

Pictures Of Lily (US WBWB has the correct mix?)

I honestly don't know which is which.

I Can See For Miles (is the UK single different from the US?)

They are the same (extra bass overdub), and it isn't on CD. The version on "The Singles" is actually the BBC version, with a *different* bass overdub.

Magic Bus

I can't stand the mono mix, but that's just me.

Baby Don't You Do It

As far as I know that's only available on Rarities.

Who Are You (vinyl only?)

That's the regular 5' version, isn't it?

More later, perhaps.

"Pictures Of Lily"? Use MBBB. Remember, the song starts quiet and then gets really loud by the end. Most CD's undo this but that's how it is on the original vinyl. Steve kept it on MBBB.

My Generation - MBBB has some 'extra' bass notes in one channel. The theory is the source was a tape that wasn't erased properly and the master was recorded on it with the result that you hear on MBBB. Still, I think it's the best sounding version of ANY CD provided you load it up in a sound editing program and get rid of the channel with the extra bass notes. When I say get rid of, I mean copy the other channel and replace the bad channel with that copy.
Subsititute - Who's Better, Who's Best
I'm A Boy - Is it Who's Missing that has the original mono single mix? I heard there might be better elsewhere, but I get the feeling it depends more on taste.

Isn't the unedited "Kids Are Alright" on the UK WBWB, and the Dr. Ebbetts "My Generation" as well? I don't think there's any need to use the box set.

MK wrote:"Pictures Of Lily"? Use MBBB. Remember, the song starts quiet and then gets really loud by the end. Most CD's undo this but that's how it is on the original vinyl. Steve kept it on MBBB.

There are two different mixes though. If you hear it without the crescendo, the crescendo has either been "fixed" so you just get extra distortion, or you are hearing the mix that never had a crescendo in the first place.

Single mix:
The Who Collection
Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy CD
Magic Bus CD
Who's Better Who's Best - MCA CD

Alternate:
"Meaty Beaty ..." LP
The Story Of The Who LP
The Singles CD
"30 Years..." box set
The Ultimate Collection

Right, so basically get the one with the crescendo, which is the one on MBBB.

I already participated heavily in the SH version of this thread...anyway, comments:

The Kids Are Alright - The UK Who's Better Who's Best has the full version, recommended!

Pictures Of Lily - The "correct" version seems to be the one on MBBB. The UK WBWB has the alternate mix, and it sounds better. I don't have the US WBWB to compare.

My Generation - the noises are on the left channel on the MBBB version. I still preferred the UK WBWB slightly, but I don't remember why.

I'm a Boy - the mono mix is only on Who's Missing and on The Singles. The one on The Singles is far better, no contest. (The one on Who's Missing sounds like a cassette copy). The one on the UK WBWB is the stereo mix, and it has the best sound quality, but it is of course not the correct single mix. (And the horns are too low in that stereo mix).

Any opinions on these?

Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
Substitute
Circles
Happy Jack
Doctor Doctor
The Last Time / Under My Thumb
Someone's Coming
Dogs
The Seeker
Here For More
Heaven And Hell
When I Was A Boy
I Don't Even Know Myself
Waspman
Water

I once did a comparison of most of the MBBB tracks, but I don't have it in front of me.

I *want* to say I like Here For More and When I Was A Boy on Rarities over Who's Missing. IDEKM as well. IIRC, the sources on WM aren't as good, and the EQ is kind of midrangy.

Watch out for the alternate mix/version of Happy Jack.

Yes, there are two different mixes of Happy Jack. The difference is a different drum track! Version 1 appears on MBBB and US WBWB, version 2 appears on The Singles, UK WBWB and the box set. Regardless of versions, the UK WBWB really sounds nice, and the MBBB sounds muffled. (I am still waiting for my US WBWB to compare.)

My question: What version was on the UK single?

As far as I know, the one on Singles/30 Years (I don't have the UK WBWB) is the "alternate" - the only other place I'm aware of it showing up is The Who Collection, IIRC.

Yes, The Who Collection also has what I called "version 2"...in duophonic, for your extra pleasure.

Were UK singles and US singles always the same mix? (Excluding the obvious "Substitute".) Couldn't it be that (as well as Pictures Of Lily) the one version was the UK single mix and the other version was the US single mix?

I haven't checked myself, but I seem to remember Fang and/or Brian Cady pulling both and saying they were the same, and the "alternate" was just that - an alternate.

Luke - I'm gonna get a copy of the UK "Happy Jack" single off a friend, and compare it to the CD versions, as well as the US Happy Jack LP.

Can you point out an obvious difference in the drum track? Is there a fill I should check out?