Music

Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970

UK: Released on Sanctuary Records / Castle Communications as 2-CD (CMYTV164) and 3-LP vinyl (CMYTV164) in 2001.
US: Released on Columbia / Legacy (C2K 65084) in 1996.

DISC ONE

  1. HEAVEN AND HELL
  2. I CAN’T EXPLAIN
  3. YOUNG MAN BLUES
  4. I DON’T EVEN KNOW MYSELF
  5. WATER
  6. OVERTURE
  7. IT’S A BOY
  8. 1921
  9. AMAZING JOURNEY
  10. SPARKS
  11. EYESIGHT TO THE BLIND (THE HAWKER)
  12. CHRISTMAS

DISC TWO

  1. THE ACID QUEEN
  2. PINBALL WIZARD
  3. DO YOU THINK IT’S ALRIGHT?
  4. FIDDLE ABOUT
  5. TOMMY CAN YOU HEAR ME?
  6. THERE’S A DOCTOR
  7. GO TO THE MIRROR!
  8. SMASH THE MIRROR
  9. MIRACLE CURE
  10. I’M FREE
  11. TOMMY’S HOLIDAY CAMP
  12. WE’RE NOT GONNA TAKE IT
  13. SUMMERTIME BLUES
  14. SHAKIN’ ALL OVER / SPOONFUL / TWIST AND SHOUT
  15. SUBSTITUTE
  16. MY GENERATION
  17. NAKED EYE
  18. MAGIC BUS

The Who were one year and three months into their Tommy tour when they played their second engagement at the Isle of Wight Festival. As in 1969, they played most of their famous rock opera, which by this time was quite familiar to the festival crowd. Huge spotlights bathed the audience of some 600,000 attendees, and as The Who’s tour manager John Woolf recalls, attracted “every moth and flying nocturnal animal on the island”. The Who started this famous concert at 2:00am.

By August 1970, Pete Townshend was already introducing new songs to the setlist including WATER, I DON’T EVEN KNOW MYSELF and NAKED EYE. These songs, which were being recorded at the time of the festival, were intended for the upcoming Lifehouse project. Although Lifehouse was eventually abandoned, the sessions paved the way for Who’s Next.

The Who also performed some live staples such as SUBSTITUTE, MY GENERATION, MAGIC BUS, I CAN’T EXPLAIN, and the perennial covers SHAKIN’ ALL OVER and SUMMERTIME BLUES.

The original recording was made for the soundtrack of the film of The Who Live at the Isle Of Wight Festival 1970; produced and directed by Murray Lerner.

Mixed by Andy MacPherson and Jon Astley.
Mastered by Jon Astley at Close To The Edge

Design by Hugh Gilmour
Liner notes by Michael Heatley