Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
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| Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy | |||||
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| Compilation album by The Who | |||||
| Released | 30 October 1971 | ||||
| Recorded | 1964–1970 | ||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 42:54, 44:06 for 2007 Japanese mini LP sleeve rerelease | ||||
| Label | Track, Polydor (UK) Decca, MCA (U.S.) Universal Japan (Japan) |
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| Producer | The Who, Shel Talmy, and Kit Lambert | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| The Who chronology | |||||
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Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy is a compilation album by British rock band The Who. It is one of the first in a long line of Who greatest hits albums and is usually regarded as the best of them. The album mostly consists of singles that did not appear on The Who's LPs, which is why the album sold so well at the time.
Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy (Decca DL 79184) entered the U.S. charts on November 20, 1971 and peaked at number 11 on the U.S. charts. The UK release was held up because The Who and Bill Curbishley had failed to clear it with manager Kit Lambert. Lambert tried to have the track order changed but failed because too many copies had been pressed. The LP was eventually released as Track 2406 006 and first entered the UK charts on December 3, 1971, peaking at number 9. In 1987, Rolling Stone ranked it #99 on their list of the 100 best albums of the period 1967-1987.
The original vinyl album featured a longer version of "Magic Bus" in enhanced stereo which was not included on the original CD version, reportedly due to the master being lost. However, on July 25, 2007, Universal Japan re-released the album in a mini LP sleeve that includes the extended version of Magic Bus thought to have been lost. The album title on the 2007 Japanese rerelease is shown on the CD as Meaty, Beaty, Big & Bouncy (with the commas and ampersand), as it was on the label of the original vinyl release by Track Records in the UK. The title on the cover art has the ampersand but not the commas, which is also consistent with the original Track Records release. The original Decca cover art had the word "and" spelled out with no commas.
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[edit] Album cover and photographs
The album's original title was The Who Looks Back and the front cover was meant to illustrate that - The Who can be seen looking at four children representing each member of the band in their childhood years. However, the children pictured are actually four kids rounded up in 1971 and dressed up to look like the young Who. One of them is Who manager Bill Curbishley's brother Paul.
The album cover makes a brief appearance as an in-joke / sight gag on the episode of The Simpsons that features The Who, "A Tale of Two Springfields".
The panaromic photograph gracing the album's inside cover is an exterior shot of the Railway Hotel. In this photograph, a poster advertising a May 18th performance by The Who dates from 1965, however the photograph was actually taken in 1971.
The Railway Hotel was a popular hangout for Mods. Soon after Keith Moon joined the band, The Who became a regular attraction there beginning in June of 1964, performing on every Tuesday night. It was at the Railway Hotel that Townshend accidentally cracked his guitar neck on the low ceiling. In response to laughter from the crowd, he then smashed his guitar for the first time in public.
The Railway Hotel burned down in March of 2000; each of the blocks of flats that now grace the site is named after a member of the band.
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by Pete Townshend unless specified.
- "I Can't Explain" – 2:05
- "The Kids Are Alright" – 2:45
- "Happy Jack" – 2:12
- "I Can See for Miles" – 4:06
- "Pictures of Lily" – 2:43
- "My Generation" – 3:18
- "The Seeker" – 3:11
- "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" (Daltrey-Townsend) – 2:42
- "Pinball Wizard" – 2:59
- "A Legal Matter" – 2:48
- "Boris the Spider" (Entwistle) – 2:28
- "Magic Bus" – 3:21, 4:33 on 2007 Japanese rerelease
- "Substitute" – 3:49
- "I'm a Boy" (Extended Version) – 3:41
[edit] Personnel
- Roger Daltrey – lead vocals
- Pete Townshend – guitar, keyboards, vocals
- John Entwistle – bass guitar, brass, vocals
- Keith Moon – drums, percussion
- Nicky Hopkins – keyboards
[edit] Production
- Shel Talmy – producer
- Kit Lambert – producer
- Graham Hughes – album photography
- Mike Shaw – album design
- Bill Curbishley – album design
- Steve Hoffman – CD mastering (uncredited)
[edit] Song notes
Several songs on the album had previously been released on LP. The Who's debut album My Generation (released in 1965) included the title track, "A Legal Matter", and "The Kids Are Alright". A Quick One (1966) included "Boris the Spider" and (in the US only) "Happy Jack". "I Can See for Miles" appeared on The Who Sell Out (1967), and "Pinball Wizard" was from Tommy (1969).
"Pictures of Lily" and "Magic Bus" also appeared on the compilation album Magic Bus: The Who on Tour (released as Direct Hits in the UK) (1968).
Most of the tracks on this album would also appear on subsequent compilations of Who material.
[edit] External links
- Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy liner notes - Song-by-song liner notes for the album
- The Who Location Guide - Features a section on the Railway Hotel.
