I found this abomination at a local HMV store. Apart from the fact that 5 bucks is a sweet deal for one of the best rock albums of all time, is there any redeeming quality to this release? Who’s the marketing genius at the record company that thought that cutting off two thirds of the cover art was a good idea? And what’s the deal with Side 1 and Side 2? Will I have to flip my CD over? Was the track list really vital to the front cover? We have to assume that The Who’s target audience has bought a copy or three of Who’s Next over the last 42 years. Is that cover really going to get new people to buy this? Will anyone pick this over, well, anything?
And if anyone reading this has never heard Who’s Next, do yourself a favour. Find a copy of the album with the full cover, buy it, play it loud, and marvel at one of the crowning achievements of 70’s rock. If Won’t Get Fooled Again doesn’t get you doing windmills on your air guitar, rock is probably not your thing.