Greatest Hits Live

Editors’ Notes Initially released exclusively to iTunes as The Who readied itself for its 2010 halftime appearance at the Super Bowl, Live Greatest Hits is a well-thought-out portrait of the group as a live act. The first 13 tracks hail from the Keith Moon era, when his anarchic drumming gave The Who a distinct sound that no other band could match. "My Generation" from 1965 had been released on BBC Sessions. "Magic Bus" is the original version from Live at Leeds on LP, and "Squeeze Box" was released on The Who by Numbers reissue from 1996. Thrown together with inspired versions of "I Can't Explain," "Substitute," and "Behind Blue Eyes" from the San Francisco Civic Auditorium in 1971, plus "Pinball Wizard" and "I'm Free" from Vetch Field in Swansea in 1976, and you've got formidable performances from the band's prime era. Later performances from 1989 in Los Angeles, 2002 in London, and 2009 in Brisbane prove that songs like "Eminence Front," "The Kids Are Alright," and "Love, Reign O'er Me" also remain timeless.