Pete Townshend Live In Concert 1985-2001 is a wonderful new 14-CD box set that features seven memorable shows recorded throughout Pete’s solo career.
The CDs were originally released as stand alone concerts on his Eel Pie Record label and web store, and have been highly sought after collectors items since they went out of print over 20 years ago. This is the first time they have been compiled together into one special release.
The recordings have been newly remastered by long-time Who engineer Jon Astley at Close To The Edge studios, and the expanded package includes a 28 page booklet that contains a new foreword by Pete Townshend and liner notes by Who archivist Matt Kent, plus rare photos and memorabilia.
The box set includes shows from the Brixton Academy in London featuring the Deep End band and David Gilmour (1985), the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York featuring the entire Psychoderelict production (1993), the Fillmore in San Francisco with Pete accompanied by Jon Carin on keyboards (1996), the Shepherd’s Bush Empire with Pete backed by John “Rabbit” Bundrick, Chucho Merchan and Peter Hope Evans (1998), two shows at Sadler’s Wells in London featuring Pete’s band and the London Chamber Orchestra performing music from Lifehouse (2000), and the La Jolla Playhouse where Pete performed two solo fundraising shows for the tiny intimate theatre where he first launched the original musical production of Tommy (2001).
The setlists for these shows are long and varied, with a mix of songs that span both Pete’s solo career and Who classics, with a few interesting cover tunes thrown in. Pete’s arrangements and backing musicians are always wonderful to hear, and the scarcity of his solo performances make these recordings very special indeed. Pete’s banter is always engaging and fun too, and is often a real highlight of listening to one of his shows.
Pete Townshend Live In Concert 1985-2001 CD box set was released by Universal Music in the UK and Europe on July 26, but the release in North America has been delayed until October.
The albums are now available to listen to on various streaming services. Please visit your favorite music store for more information.
Brixton Academy, 1 & 2 November 1985
Disc 1
01 Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand
02 Won’t Get Fooled Again
03 A Little Is Enough
04 Secondhand Love
05 That’s Alright Mama
06 Behind Blue Eyes
07 The Shout
08 Harlem Shuffle
09 Barefootin’
10 After The Fire
11 Love On the Air
12 Midnight Lover
13 Blue Light
14 I Put a Spell on You
15 I’m One
Disc 2
01 Driftin’
02 Magic Bus
03 Save It for Later
04 Eyesight To the Blind
05 Walkin’
06 Stop Hurting People
07 The Sea Refuses No River
08 Boogie Stop Shuffle
09 Face The Face
10 Pinball Wizard
11 Give Blood
12 Night Train
Brooklyn Academy of Music, 7 August 1993
Disc 3
01 Intro
02 English Boy
03 Meher Baba M3
04 Let’s Get Pretentious
05 Meher Baba M4 [Signal Box]
06 Early Morning Dreams
07 I Want That Thing
08 Intro: Outlive the Dinosaur
09 Outlive The Dinosaur
10 Gridlife
11 Flame [Demo]
12 Now And Then
13 I Am Afraid
14 Gridlife 2
15 Don’t Try to Make Me Real
16 Intro: Predictable
17 Predictable
18 Flame
19 Meher Baba M5 [Vivaldi]
20 Fake It
21 Intro: Now and Then [Reprise]
22 Now And Then [Reprise]
23 Baba O’Riley [Demo]
24 English Boy [Reprise]
Disc 4
01 Pinball Wizard / See Me Feel Me / Listening to You
02 Let My Love Open the Door
03 Rough Boys
04 Behind Blue Eyes
05 The Kids Are Alright
06 Keep Me Turning
07 Eminence Front
08 A Little Is Enough
09 You Better You Bet
10 Face The Face
11 Won’t Get Fooled Again / Let’s See Action
12 Magic Bus
The Fillmore, 30 April 1996
Disc 5
01 Let My Love Open the Door
02 English Boy
03 Drowned
04 The Shout
05 I Put a Spell on You
06 Cut My Hair
07 Sheraton Gibson
08 I’m One
09 Heart To Hang Onto
10 Parvardigar
11 A Legal Matter
Disc 6
01 A Friend Is a Friend
02 I Am an Animal
03 All Shall Be Well
04 Slit Skirts
05 Eyesight To the Blind
06 Driftin’ Blues
07 Now And Then
08 Rough Boys
09 I’m A Boy
10 Magic Bus
The Empire, 9 November 1998
Disc 7
01 On The Road Again
02 A Little Is Enough
03 Pinball Wizard
04 Drowned
05 Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
06 You Better You Bet
07 Behind Blue Eyes
08 Baby Don’t You Do It
09 English Boy
10 Three Steps to Heaven
11 Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand
12 Sheraton Gibson
13 Substitute
14 I Am an Animal
15 North Country Girl
Disc 8
01 (She’s A) Sensation
02 A Friend Is a Friend
03 Now And Then
04 Let My Love Open the Door
05 Who Are You
06 The Kids Are Alright
07 Acid Queen
08 Won’t Get Fooled Again
09 Magic Bus
10 I’m One
Sadler’s Wells, 25 & 26 February 2000
Disc 9
01 One Note
02 Purcell (Quick Movement)
03 Teenage Wasteland
04 TIme Is Passing
05 Love Ain’t For Keeping
06 Goin’ Mobile
07 Greyhound Girl
08 Tragedy
09 Mary
10 I Don’t Even Know Myself
11 Bargain
12 Gettin’ In Tune
13 Pure And Easy
Disc 10
01 Baba O’Riley – Orchestral
02 Baba O’Riley
03 Hinterland Rag
04 Behind Blue Eyes
05 Let’s See Action
06 Sister Disco
07 Relay
08 Who Are You
09 Join Together
10 Won’t Get Fooled Again
11 Tragedy Explained
12 The Song Is Over
13 Can You Help The One You Really Love?
La Jolla Playhouse, 22 June 2001
Disc 11
01 Pinball Wizard
02 Let My Love Open the Door
03 Heart To Hang Onto
04 Cut My Hair
05 Slit Skirts
06 Drowned
07 Greyhound Girl
08 Tattoo
09 The Sea Refuses No River
Disc 12
01 Saint James Infirmary
02 Eminence Front
03 Won’t Get Fooled Again
04 Behind Blue Eyes
05 Won’t Get Fooled Again (Electric)
La Jolla Playhouse, 23 June 2001
Disc 13
01 Pinball Wizard
02 Let My Love Open the Door
03 Heart To Hang Onto
04 Cut My Hair
05 Slit Skirts
06 Drowned
07 Greyhound Girl
08 Tattoo
09 Collings
10 Eminence Front
Disc 14
01 Sheraton Gibson
02 Won’t Get Fooled Again
03 I’m One
04 Behind Blue Eyes
05 Driftin’ Blues
06 Eyesight To the Blind
07 Won’t Get Fooled Again (Electric)
To support this release, Pete discussed his solo career in a couple of recent interviews with the Toronto Sun and SDE.com.
Here are a few excerpts from the Toronto Sun interview.
In 1982, by the time I got to the end of 1981 I was struggling to find the energy to pursue a solo career and be in The Who, so I left The Who. To be honest, I wasn’t particularly interested in a solo career. I went and worked in a publishing house Faber and Faber for 11 years, I was active for 8 years, and I ran other companies. My solo contract still existed, so I made a couple of albums for Warner Brothers. Whenever the opportunity came to do solo shows for charity I tended to do them, and that’s what a lot of these shows on this collection are; shows that I did for charity or to plug an album that came out.
The fundamental thing about me... the weird thing about me compared to most artists is that, despite the fact that I look sometimes like I’m enjoying myself, particularly as a solo artist, I think I look like I’m enjoying myself, not always with The Who. But I think I’m a good actor, because I don’t really feel very much at all. It’s not that I don’t feel good about performing. I just don't know who that guy is that’s up there on the stage. He isn’t me. I don’t suggest that I’m occupied or channeling some demon, and I’m not apologizing for smashing guitars, because that was something I did when I was very, very present in my body and my normal self. I think the performing side of my life has been one which has really shone a light on the fact that as a creative I’m happiest in the studio. I don’t like touring, I don’t like travelling, I like to be at home in my studio being creative, on my own. That’s what I like to do. As a performer, I have always been uneasy.
So this solo work for me was stuff that I only did because there seemed to be a cause behind it. Sometimes a political cause, sometimes just a charitable cause, or plugging a solo album. And, it’s interesting for me to, for example, look at the Deep End show that I did with David Gilmour, where I’m obviously having a really, really good time. But looking back, I don’t know that I really felt like I was present. I’m very strange about performing, without question.
I needed a creative output outside of The Who. I needed to be a solo artist. The solo deal that I did with Atlantic, which I was very happy to have, was on top of a big deal we had already done for The Who with Warner Brothers. So, I had 2 record deals. But to be honest, I didn’t manage it. That’s what happened. It didn’t work out. So my solo career was something that I was really happy I had. You know, today musicians would be so pleased to have a record deal. I know I was very, very lucky. But today, I’m happy to enjoy making music, whether or not it’s released, streamed, goes viral, or if it's a hit, I just love making music, and I love doing it on my own."
