Townshend Solo Catalog Expanded For Reissue
July 21, 2006, 12:00 AM ET
Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.
The Who principal Pete Townshend's solo catalog, a number of titles from which have been out of print for years, will be reissued in expanded editions Aug. 29 via Hip-O/UME. The move is timed to coincide with the Sept. 12 kick-off the Who's fall North American tour.
The majority of the reissue titles feature new bonus tracks. 1980's "Empty Glass," which is best known for the pop hit "Let My Love Open the Door," will feature alternate vocal versions of "I Am an Animal," "Keep on Moving" and "And I Moved" plus an extended version of "Gonna Get Ya." Its 1982 follow-up, "All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes," includes the previously unreleased "Vivienne," which appeared on the initial LP track list but was later pulled, plus the B-sides "Man Watching" and "Dance It Away."
Townshend's 1972 solo debut, "Who Came First," sports the five bonus tracks included on a prior reissue plus three new items: "Mary Jane," "I Always Say" and "Begin the Beguine." 1985's "White City" boasts the previously unreleased songs "Night School" and "Save It for Later" plus a 12-inch vinyl extended mix of "Hiding Out."
All three releases in Townshend's archival "Scoop" series are also part of the reissue campaign, loaded with demos for classic Who songs and fascinating departures from the artist's usual guitar-based compositions.
"When I have come up against any kind of problem in the past I have always dealt with it through music; either through writing a song or literally recording the problem away therapeutically," Townshend writes in the liner notes for the first "Scoop," which was released in 1984. "For many years recording was my one and only hobby."
Townshend's 1977 collaboration with the Small Faces' Ronnie Lane will be available as a DualDisc with a new audio mix, plus the bonus tracks "Only You," "Good Question" and "Silly Little Man," which are outtakes from the sessions.
The 1990 concert souvenir "Deep End -- Live" has been expanded with "Magic Bus" and "Won't Get Fooled Again." The album is drawn from a 1985 charity show at London's Britxon Academy and found Townshend backed by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and a horn section, among other musicians.
Townshend's 1993 rock opera "Psychoderelict" will appear both as a CD and a live DVD taped that year at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The CD includes the non-album track "Psychomontage."
The artist's 1989 musical "The Iron Man," adapted from Ted Hughes' story of the same name, does not include any bonus tracks, according to a spokesperson.
