Imagine A Big "Who By Numbers" Boxed Set

 

 

 

The Who announced a deluxe edition of their 1975 classic "The Who By Numbers" last week, and I for one, cannot wait. The set will feature 92 unreleased tracks, many just recently found after being thought lost for good in that Universal Records warehouse fire years ago. A number of those unreleased tracks will have Pete Townshend on vocals, either on demos or early alternate versions. If you are a fan of this record, and history tells me only a few of you are, this box is a big deal.

I play "The Who By Numbers" more than I play "Who's Next" or "Quadrophenia," though not quite as much as "The Who Sell Out." I never quite understood why this record isn't talked about with the same esteem as so many other records from the same era. The songs are powerful and personal and all four band members are at the top of their game. And any record with "Blue, Red & Grey" is a winner in my book.

The first preview is a Pete vocal on "Imagine A Man" and it's wonderful. 

 

DISC ONE: THE ORIGINAL 1975 ALBUM REMASTERED
1. Slip Kid
2. However Much I Booze
3. Squeeze Box
4. Dreaming From The Waist
5. Imagine A Man
6. Success Story
7. They Are All In Love
8. Blue Red And Grey
9. How Many Friends
10. In A Hand Or A Face

DISC TWO: PETE TOWNSHEND’S DEMOS
1. Keep Me Turning (Version 1) (Previously Unreleased)
2. Slip Kid (Version 1)
3. Squeeze Box
4. Blue Red And Grey ((Previously Unreleased)
5. Dreaming From The Waist (Previously Unreleased)
6. How Many Friends (Previously Unreleased)
7. Keep Me Turning (Version 2) (Previously Unreleased)
8. Imagine A Man (Previously Unreleased)
9. Slip Kid (Version 2) (Previously Unreleased)
10. Round And Round (working title for In A Hand Or A Face) (Previously Unreleased)
11. There Ain’t No Way Out (working title for However Much I Booze)

DISC THREE: TRACKING SESSIONS: RAMPORT & SHEPPERTON STUDIOS
1. Ramport Jam (Excerpt) (Previously Unreleased)
2. She Loves Everyone (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
3. Control Myself (Dreaming From The Waist Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
4. There Ain’t No Way Out (However Much I Booze Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
5. Goin’ To Frisco/Round And Round (In A Hand Or A Face Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
6. Hi-Heel Sneakers Jam with Nicky Hopkins (Studio Outtake) (Previously Unreleased)
7. Pete And Keith “The Artiste” (Studio Dialogue) (Previously Unreleased)
8. Success Story (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
9. How Many Friends (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
10. Imagine A Man (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
11. They Are All In Love (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
12. She Loves Everyone (Retake With Nicky Hopkins) (Previously Unreleased)
13. Squeeze Box (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
14. Instrumental 1 (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
15. I’m Dreaming (Dreaming From The Waist Retake) (Previously Unreleased)
16. Every Minute (Blue Red And Grey Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
17. Instrumental 2 (Rough Mix) (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
18. The Who By Numbers US Radio Spot #1 (Radio Commercial) (Previously Unreleased)

DISC FOUR: EARLY MIXES & GUIDE VOCALS
1. Slip Kid – Alternate Roger Vocal (Early Mix Without Overdubs) (Previously Unreleased)
2. However Much I Booze – Alternate Pete Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
3. Squeeze Box – Alternate Roger Vocal (Previously Unreleased)
4. Dreaming From The Waist – Pete Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
5. Imagine A Man – Pete Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
6. Success Story – John Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
7. They Are All In Love – Alternate Pete Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
8. Blue Red And Grey (Unedited Version) (Previously Unreleased)
9. How Many Friends – Pete Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
10. In A Hand Or A Face (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
11. They Are All In Love Alternate Roger Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
12. Squeeze Box (Acoustic Stripped Mix, 2026) (Previously Unreleased)
13. Imagine A Man (Acoustic Stripped Mix, 2026) (Previously Unreleased)
14. They Are All In Love (Acoustic Stripped Mix, 2026) (Previously Unreleased)
15. How Many Friends (Acoustic Stripped Mix, 2026) (Previously Unreleased)
16. The Who By Numbers US Radio Spot #2 (Radio Commercial) (Previously Unreleased)
17. Keith Moon And John Entwistle Preview (The Who by Numbers With John Peel, BBC 1975) (Previously Unreleased)
18. However Much I Booze (Live At The Summit, Houston, USA, 20 November 1975) (Previously Unreleased on disc)
19. Slip Kid (Live At Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA, 11 March 1976) (Previously Unreleased)

DISC FIVE: LIVE AT THE VETCH FIELD, SWANSEA, WALES, 12 JUNE 1976
1. My Wife
2. Baba O’Riley (Previously Unreleased)
3. Squeeze Box
4. Behind Blue Eyes
5. Dreaming From The Waist
6. Amazing Journey (Previously Unreleased)
7. Sparks (Previously Unreleased)
8. The Acid Queen (Previously Unreleased)
9. Fiddle About
10. Pinball Wizard
11. I’m Free
12. Tommy’s Holiday Camp
13. We’re Not Gonna Take It / See Me, Feel Me
14. Summertime Blues (Previously Unreleased)
15. My Generation/Join Together/My Generation Blues (Previously Unreleased)
16. Won’t Get Fooled Again (Previously Unreleased)

DISC SIX: BLU RAY
The Who By Numbers
Pete Townshend Atmos Mix (Previously Unreleased)
Pete Townshend 5.1 Mix (Previously Unreleased)
2026 Stereo Mix (Previously Unreleased)

1. Slip Kid (Previously Unreleased)
2. However Much I Booze (Previously Unreleased)
3. Squeeze Box (Previously Unreleased)
4. Dreaming From The Waist (Previously Unreleased)
5. Imagine A Man (Previously Unreleased)
6. Success Story (Previously Unreleased)
7. They Are All In Love (Previously Unreleased)
8. Blue Red Grey (Previously Unreleased)
9. How Many Friends (Previously Unreleased)
10. In A Hand Or A Face (Previously Unreleased)

LIVE AT METROPOLITAN STADIUM, PONTIAC, MICHIGAN, 6 DECEMBER 1975 (VIDEO)*
Unreleased Concert shot on NTSC 2” videotape)
1. I Can’t Explain (Previously Unreleased)
2. Substitute (Previously Unreleased)
3. My Wife (Previously Unreleased)
4. Baba O’Riley (Previously Unreleased)
5. Squeeze Box (Previously Unreleased)
6. Behind Blue Eyes (Previously Unreleased)
7. Dreaming From The Waist (Previously Unreleased)
8. Boris The Spider (Previously Unreleased)
9. Magic Bus (Previously Unreleased)
10. Amazing Journey / Sparks (Previously Unreleased)
11. The Acid Queen (Previously Unreleased)
12. Fiddle About (Previously Unreleased)
13. Pinball Wizard (Previously Unreleased)
14. I’m Free (Previously Unreleased)
15. Tommy’s Holiday Camp (Previously Unreleased)
16. We’re Not Gonna Take It / See Me, Feel Me (Previously Unreleased)
17. Summertime Blues (Previously Unreleased)
18. My Generation/Join Together/Road Runner/My Generation Blues
19. Won’t Get Fooled Again (Previously Unreleased)

 

Happy Belabor Day

 

I'm setting myself up for trouble, I know. But I genuinely like the album, and I think my joke is damn good, too.

 

Songs Of The Week, 2026: 8/29-9/4

 

Yeah- Lunachicks
Young Savage- Ultravox
It's Wonderful- The Rascals
People- King Crimson
Anna Stesia- Prince
Behold- Derrick Morgan
Vanity Fair- Squeeze

It's HERE 

 

  

 

(h/t hpunch)

Finally, "Rhombus."

 

In a world where it seems like every hot shot jazz artist feels the need to incorporate hip-hop, soul and electronics into their repertoires, veterans Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein and Bill Stewart have released a refreshingly old school organ trio record called "Rhombus."

"Rhombus" feels as if it could have been plucked out of the Blue Note vaults circa 1962. The playing is perfect and never overdone. There is melody. The trio relies on their chops to get the music across, not tricks or technology to appeal to a younger crowd. This is jazz the way I fell in love with it.

 

Prince "Timeless" : A Quinn Martin Epilogue

From The Second Disc Newsletter:

 

Until yesterday, this was going to be a pretty standard review of Timeless (NPG/Paisley Park 19958 44929-2), the newest posthumous Prince project, arriving just over a decade after his tragic passing. You would read about how unusual it is at this juncture to release a short compilation of unrelated outtakes from the Minneapolis icon’s storied vault, one not curated by him or guided by his examples, one that reminds you of projects we’d love to have on our shelves – a pre-1999 deep dive, a complete presentation of his final concerts (or any of the many, many tours not represented on record).

And then the horns blew.

As I broke down in a report for Ultimate Classic Rock, horn player Greg Boyer, who performed with Prince’s touring band The New Power Generation during the 2000s, let slip on Facebook that his contributions to one of Timeless‘ tracks, a funk number called “Calabama” that dated to 2003, were in fact recorded “several months ago,” a fact not noted in the package’s liner notes. (The other two brass players, Adrian Crutchfield and Lynn Grissett, didn’t take up with The NPG until the last few years of Prince’s life, the first sign of a fudge in the timeline.) Charles F. Spicer, Jr., one of the co-chairs of The Artist’s estate management company Prince Legacy, took to X to corroborate Boyer’s claim. “I stated that nothing had been edited or added to ‘Calabama,'” his statement read. “I’ve since confirmed that the released version includes additional horns, so that statement was not accurate, and I will take responsibility for what I stated.”

The already uneven presentation of Timeless – succinctly eviscerated for its haphazard sequencing, slight portions, and middling repertoire in Rolling Stone, Minneapolis public radio station The Current, and by former Allmusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine – suddenly seems like less of an affront to Prince’s output and legacy than the wanton shattering of one of his guiding principles: a centering of his artistic vision, uncompromised by outside ideas. This may sound dramatic, but it’s true. Posthumous knob-twiddling is nothing new, and many Prince outtakes – including all the ones on Timeless – are often newly mixed. But this lack of transparency casts a dark shadow over the current estate administration’s already-questioned ability to tell a story through Prince’s music.

The releases that predate Prince Legacy’s involvement in the estate – titles like Piano & A Microphone 1983 and Originals as well as deluxe editions of 1999, Purple Rain and Sign O’ the Times – were touted as accurate representations of Prince’s theoretical output. There were shaky moments, sure – reportedly, the fan-favorite 1999 outtake “Extraloveable,” later re-recorded for Prince’s final album HITnRUN volume two, was allegedly barred from inclusion on the box due to objectionable lyrics – but there never felt like any doubt that what you were hearing was tracks that Prince himself put together. The misrepresentation of posthumous overdubs – even ones done in ways or with musicians he easily would’ve called to contribute – calls that veracity into question forever. Fans deserve better, and so do we. With the current leadership of the estate at the helm, The Second Disc does not expect to cover future titles pertaining to Prince’s catalogue, unless actual honesty and integrity can mark its every project.

This will no doubt be a challenging bar to clear. The estate’s other co-chair, L. Londell McMillan (the typical “bad cop” in the estate’s external presentation, responsible for much of the pomp around their often headache-inducing decisions), recently gave an interview to Rolling Stone to coincide with this album’s release covering a wide range of topics (including the bizarre challenge that most fans are so disinterested in listening to archival Prince box sets, instead just buying them and never even opening them). When asked about what the Prince estate can learn from recent financial successes from the Michael Jackson estate (including a woefully error-ridden but financially successful biopic), McMillan’s meandering answer suggested that Jackson’s remaining executor could learn from them. Considering Jackson’s team courted controversy over the veracity of songs on the first full posthumous album, perhaps we can call this one a draw.

 

"Timeless" Is Better Than The Last 20 Years Worth Of Prince Releases

 

Listen to another cash grab Prince vault release or have dental surgery?

I gotta say, this wasn't an easy decision.

Neither is much fun.

If you've been reading me for some time, you know I am not a disciple. I will be first in line to call out my heroes. My love is conditional. And let's face it, beginning in 2001 with "The Rainbow Children" and continuing through the unlistenable "Welcome 2 America" in 2021, Prince's output was godfuckingawful.

I can hear the disciples now, defending "Musicology" and "Lotusflower." 

Please, let it go. 

So why do I like the just released "Timeless?" 

Maybe it's because my expectations were so low, they were buried.

Yes, it's random. And it was haphazardly put together...or maybe it wasn't.

That it is chronological doesn't help my argument, especially after years of stressing how sequencing a record is so important. But with this release, I think it works. It lays it all out. 

Every song on its own is better than most of what is found on all of those weirdo experiments throughout the 2000's. Every song took me back to a period when I thought Prince was a god, maybe even thee God for a stretch. 

Is "I Am You" better than anything on Prince's debut? 

Yeah, a few tunes.

Is the original "Tick Tick Bang" better than the revamp on "Graffiti Bridge?"

I think so.

"Dirty Mind" is already amazing. Think about how much more amazing it could have been with "Tick Tick Bang" right before "Sister."

We love "Computer Blue" from "Purple Rain," don't we? "Heaven" is not much different.

I can't say I have ever heard Celine Dion's version of "With This Tear," but the version on "Timeless" is quite lovely.

"Stone" was considered for "Emancipation" and after hearing it twice, I think I'd considered it for one of my "Emancipation" edits I've made through the years.

My point is, nothing on "Timeless" is as terrible as most of those "proper" albums Prince released in the last 20 years. That's a bit backhanded, I know. But how about this? It's been years since I wanted to listen a new Prince album a second and third time. "Timeless" is the first in a while that called me back and it will be revisited again, and maybe again.

If a friend made you a Prince mixtape of rarities and it was "Timeless," you'd love it.