The Who
A Quick One While He's Away - Reaction 1966
Tracks: 1. Run Run Run / 2. Boris The Spider / 3. I Need You / 4. Whiskey Man / 5. Heatwave / 6. Cobwebs And Strange / 7. Dont Look Away / 8. See My Way / 9. So Sad About Us / 10. A Quick One While Hes Away / 11. Batman / 12. Bucket T / 13. Barbara Ann / 14. Disguises / 15. Doctor Doctor / 16. Ive Been Away / 17. In The City / 18. Happy Jack (Acoustic Version) / 19. Man With The Money / 20. My Generation Land Of Hope And Glory
Comments:
A Quick One While He's Away" was the Who's second album released in 1966. Compared to their first album it's very obvious that Pete Townshend and the band had matured during 1965-66. There is a wider variety in their song-writing, and technically the album are miles ahead of "My Generation".
All members wrote songs to the album, and though both John Enthwistle and Keith Moon contribute strong material like "Boris the Spider", "Whiskey Man" and "I Need You", Pete Townsend is clearly the prolific song-writer in the band.
Townshend's mini-opera "A Quick One While He's Away" may not be his most succesful piece of work, but it's quite entertaining and it gives a good hint of what was to come from his pen in near future.
Pete Best songs on the album must be "So Sad About Us" and "Don't Look Away". Even stronger is the psychedelic "Disguises", which oddly enough was not included on the British version of the album. Along with the single-version of "I'm a Boy" and "In the City", "Disguises was included on the European version, which was simple just called "The Who". "A Quick One While He's Away" was exchange with these great songs, and in my opinion this exchanged made the European album a much better buy. Unfortunately the single-version of "I'm a Boy" is not added here, which would have been a logical inclusion. Note that the version found on "Meaty Beaty . . " is an alternate, less powerful version.
"Man With Money", written by the Everly Brothers is a great addition; and the acoustic version of "Happy Jack" is quite charming.
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