Customer Reviews
A great compilation - By: Matt182, 07 Sep 2008 
When I bought this album about 4 months ago it was about £4 dearer so I bought it used instead. I thought it was a rip off for that much money & I'm glad I bought it used. The main reason for my interest in the Who is that their songs are on the titles of my favourite show, the CSI series. There are many songs on this album that I had heard before buying this & many I haven't but it was well worth purchasing. My favourite songs before buying this was Baba O Riley & We won't get fooled again & I think they still are now. Both songs are on CSI's New York & Miami. The who were always a band that I thought their music was okay but I wasn't reallly interested in them like I was with The Police. What attracted me to this album especiallly was because it is the newest Who collection & I saw it advertised on TV & was thinking about buying it but never got around to it. So about a year later I decided to buy it here instead. My interest in The Who has certainly got better & this is because of the quality of the music & their career.
There are two recent songs on this album; the humorous Real good looking boy, with Elvis Presley inspired lyrics & a quote from Can't help fallling in love, which was recorded in 2004 & the latest song It's not enough, from 2006. The album kick starts with their first hit I can't explain, which Daltrey likes to imagine is some kind of pre-punk song. It is a good start & a nice tune. It sounds reallly 60's & that is a great summarise of the times. My generation gets too much credit in my opinion. It's sort of a teenage angst song with a lot of stuttering. A good tune but not one of their best. The kids are alright is another reallly 60's sounding song. with a good sound. Substitute is probably one of the best on here. It is so sarcastic & has the lyrics `I was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth' & `I look alll white but my dad was black'! I'm a boy has a different feeling to it. It illustrates being young & a boy & has a good guitar lick in the beginning. Happy jack has great bass in it & it will probably stick in your head. It's simple but good sounding, although doesn't have the depth you would expect from the band. I can see for miles sound much more like The who. Magic bus is one of my favourites. A great sounding song with fun lyrics, & how this bus is magic because it takes him to his girl. It sounds like a woodblock is a main instrument here. Pinballl wizard is a great song & has such vibrant acoustic guitar in the intro with help from the electric too. The concept is a little crazy - a deaf, dumb & blind kid playing a `mean' pinballl. He plays by sense of smell! A good indication of their humour. See me feel me just doesn't sound like The who & is the worst song on here. It was also taken from Tommy but it is not a nice song.
Baba O Riley is my personal favourite song on here. The synthesizers are fantastic, although it does seem to go on for a while at 5 minutes. Behind blue eyes is a classic song & a good one. I didn't like this song much before purchasing the album but now I quite like it. Won't get fooled again is just a rocker with so much vocal input by Roger Daltrey & the musical input is great as well. This is one of their most popular songs & it is no reason why. 5:15 has an intro exactly the same as Elvis Presley's Moody Blue, so who copied who I don't know. Love reign o'er me is a boring song & my other least favourite. Squeeze box is a nice upbeat song with fun lyrics. I have no idea what a squeeze box is though! Who are you is the final CSI song & has the F word in it. I don't know why this album doesn't have a Parental advisory sticker if that lyric is in there. A good song nevertheless; another one with driven, resounding synthesizers. Daltrey's voice sounds so low & strained. You better you bet is another song with lots of synthesizers & has more humour too it which is fun to listen to. The final song represents a new & regenerated Who. It sounds newer & is a song that could fit in & beat many of the artists on the chart these days. A nice feature & a good closing to this album.
I wasn't sure whether to give this 3 or 4 stars so don't take my rating too seriously. It is well worth buying & I'm sure you will enjoy it if you are only a little bit interested in the band.
WORTHWHILE UPDATE - By: STU H., 11 Jun 2007 
At first glance this looks like a re-release of the 2004 compilation THE WHO: THEN AND NOW 1964-2004, but look a little closer & you will see a slightly different track listing & also a wonderfully imaginative new title:- THE WHO: THEN AND NOW 1964-2007. (!)
The main difference this time is the inclusion of BABA O'RILEY, my favourite WHO song & a baffling omission from the earlier compilation. It's as powerful as ever, featuring the most impassioned vocal that Daltrey ever committed to vinyl. A true enduring classic.
The main point of interest for diehard WHO fans last time around was the inclusion of two "new" songs, the first new WHO recordings in donkeys years. Whilst OLD RED WINE was as stale as its' title might suggest, the other track REAL GOOD LOOKING BOY was excellent, & has wisely been retained for the new compilation (whilst OLD RED WINE has quietly been poured down the sink).
Bringing the new compilation further up to date is the inclusion of IT'S NOT ENOUGH from the bands 2006 album ENDLESS WIRE. A strange choice, in my opinion, as MIKE POST THEME or (better still) WE GOT A HIT would have been far more appropriate.
Apart from these minor quibbles, though, this is an excellent CD full of wonderful, timeless rock music. And at less than a tenner it represents ludicrously good value for money. Buy it & love it!
