Pete Townshend made seven solo albums but hardly ever gigged without The Who. When he did – usually as two-night stands – his setlists were a mixture of solo material, tracks from his 1977 Rough Mix album with Ronnie Lane, covers, plus Who deep cuts and mightily re-arranged versions of their standards. Over the years, Townshend’s Eel Pie label released seven limited-edition doubles documenting such shows. Now, those long-deleted works are re-issued as a 14-CD box set.
Without Roger Daltrey singing, the beauty here is how far Townshend strays from The Who. The oldest show here – the free-wheeling 27-song Brixton Academy set from 1985 – proves that. An 18-piece band including David Gilmour, John Bundrick, a brass section and backing singers, all but eschews guitar bombast. It has real power, but is very different to a Who gig. Moreover, covers such as That’s Alright Mama, Harlem Shuffle and Night Train re-defined what future Townshend solo audiences should expect. They had a long wait, though…
