The Who Sell Out - Is a box set in the works?

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privateuniverse

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So the thread regarding a possible forthcoming box set for CSNY's Deja Vu cites as its source a post over on SDE. The same post also mentions a box set for The Who Sell Out currently being in development. If so, could we get a surround mix? So far, The Who have released large deluxe reissues for three studio albums: My Generation, Tommy & Quadrophenia. The only one without any surround content was My Generation. Understandable given the limitations in recording in 1965. So, is The Who Sell Out a contender for a surround mix? The album was recorded in 1967 at different studios in London, New York & Los Angeles. I was hoping that perhaps some of these studios were equipped with 8-track machines, however, according to Wikipedia, a single that the band recorded the following year ("Dogs") was the first Who recording to be made using 8-track equipment. Actually, the exact quote is ""Dogs" was recorded at London's Advision Studios in May 1968. Townshend booked this studio as it was the first in the UK to install professional reel-to-reel eight-track equipment. Prior to this The Who had only recorded in the U.K. at studios with a maximum of four tracks." So could this mean that the American studios used during the Sell Out sessions were equipped with 8-track recording? Even if not recorded on 8-track, I would have to assume that at least 4-track machines were used. Steven Wilson's surround mix of Jethro Tull's debut (which was recorded on 4-track) is quite good, so something effective could be produced here.

The good news is that I believe that this is an instance where we don't have to worry about the multi-track masters having gone up in flames in the Universal fire. In the book The Who on Record, the author states that all the master reels for the album are stored in The Who's archives. I also wouldn't be surprised if the band used Sgt. Pepper style techniques on this album, i.e. recording four tracks, then mixing down to two, and then adding additional overdubs. Several songs on the album feature multiple guitar parts. In speaking about the album's opening track "Armenia City in the Sky", the On Record book states that the song is "laden with overdubs: backwards guitars, raga drones, feedback and even backwards horns." One of the CD reissues of Sell Out has the isolated backward guitar parts as a bonus track. So it would appear that some discrete elements are available for mixing.

The band was really starting to expand their sonic palette with this album. This album could be so cool with an adventurous surround mix.

One interesting anecdote that I discovered while reading up on this album. The legendary album cover shows all four members of the band "selling out", advertising different products. Daltrey is seen on the front cover sitting in a giant dish of Heinz baked beans. Entwistle is seen on the back cover holding a gorgeous woman, a successful client of the Charles Atlas course. I had always heard about how the baked beans were so cold that Daltrey caught the flu after having sat in them for too long. However, I only just discovered that he was originally supposed to get the woman and Entwistle was supposed to get the beans. According to the book The Who By Numbers, Entwistle was quoted as saying "I was supposed to be in the beans. I rang up and said I was going to be a little bit late and they said 'you're going to have to hurry up because the baked beans are drying up.' And I said 'what baked beans?' And they said 'the baked beans you're going to be sitting in.' So I figured if I left it a little bit longer someone else would arrive and have to sit in the beans. So I got there real late and I got the girl and Roger got the beans." 🤪

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Both deluxe CD expanded reissues have very worthy bonus tracks. This would be great but is there still enough unreleased tracks to fill a box set?

Good question. (But not having worthy bonus tracks wouldn't necessarily stop a record company from putting together a new package!) The previous deluxe edition was two discs. If they have any previously unreleased live recordings that could certainly be a third disc. The previous deluxe doesn't have any of Pete's home demos. Those could certainly be a fourth disc. And then of course the DVD or Blu-ray for the fifth disc.
 
Good question. (But not having worthy bonus tracks wouldn't necessarily stop a record company from putting together a new package!) The previous deluxe edition was two discs. If they have any previously unreleased live recordings that could certainly be a third disc. The previous deluxe doesn't have any of Pete's home demos. Those could certainly be a fourth disc. And then of course the DVD or Blu-ray for the fifth disc.

Sir, I think you should be in charge of putting this project together... :)
 
If this box does materialize and it does have a surround mix of sorts (5.1 or Dolby Atmos) I'm in!
However, what I REALLY want is a full box set for "Who's Next"/"Lifehouse" all remixed in 5.1 surround!
Besides the "Who's Next" album itself, there's a LOT of other songs that were recorded around that time that got released on singles, compilations, and deluxe editions, so my dream is a box set with all songs recorded around that period fully remixed in surround sound.
How awesome would that be?!

:)
 
If this box does materialize and it does have a surround mix of sorts (5.1 or Dolby Atmos) I'm in!
However, what I REALLY want is a full box set for "Who's Next"/"Lifehouse" all remixed in 5.1 surround!
Besides the "Who's Next" album itself, there's a LOT of other songs that were recorded around that time that got released on singles, compilations, and deluxe editions, so my dream is a box set with all songs recorded around that period fully remixed in surround sound.
How awesome would that be?!

:)

It would be awesome. And it seems inconceivable that such a legendary album still has yet to receive the mega-box treatment. Unfortunately though, according to the Wikipedia article on the album, the multi-tracks are missing for "Bargain" and "Getting in Tune". (Although the source on that info is from a book published in 2011, so maybe the tapes have been located since?) But yeah, lots of great tunes released around that time that weren't on the album like "Water", "Let's See Action", "Relay", "Join Together", "I Don't Even Know Myself", "Pure and Easy", "Put the Money Down", etc.... Compiling them all and doing 5.1 mixes on them all would make for a great set.
 
If this box does materialize and it does have a surround mix of sorts (5.1 or Dolby Atmos) I'm in!
However, what I REALLY want is a full box set for "Who's Next"/"Lifehouse" all remixed in 5.1 surround!
Besides the "Who's Next" album itself, there's a LOT of other songs that were recorded around that time that got released on singles, compilations, and deluxe editions, so my dream is a box set with all songs recorded around thatperiod fully remixed in surround sound.
How awesome would that be?!

:)
Probably the top of my WANT LIST just under Led Zeppelin II :QQlove :SB:SG :phones :cool:
 
Sadly, it's looking like no surround:

Disc 1 – Original Mono Mix, Mono As & Bs And Unreleased Mono Mixes
Disc 2 – Original Stereo Mix And Stereo Bonus Tracks
Disc 3 – Studio Out-Takes, ‘Fly-On-The-Wall’ Versions Of Early Takes Of Songs From The Album Sessions, ‘Studio Chat’ Etc. – Previously Unreleased
Disc 4 – ‘The Road To Tommy’ Will Contain Stereo Mixes Of The Studio Tracks Recorded In 1968 – Some Previously Unreleased – Plus 1968 As And Bs Mono Mixes (All Tracks Remixed From Original 4 And 8-Track Session Tapes In The Who Vault)
Disc 5 – 14 Of Pete Townshend’s Original Demos – Previously Unreleased & Exclusive To This Set…

Plus two 7" singles.

As a huge Who fan I will still be getting this, but I will be very disappointed if the above listing holds true and there is no surround. :cry:
 
Sadly, it's looking like no surround:

Disc 1 – Original Mono Mix, Mono As & Bs And Unreleased Mono Mixes
Disc 2 – Original Stereo Mix And Stereo Bonus Tracks
Disc 3 – Studio Out-Takes, ‘Fly-On-The-Wall’ Versions Of Early Takes Of Songs From The Album Sessions, ‘Studio Chat’ Etc. – Previously Unreleased
Disc 4 – ‘The Road To Tommy’ Will Contain Stereo Mixes Of The Studio Tracks Recorded In 1968 – Some Previously Unreleased – Plus 1968 As And Bs Mono Mixes (All Tracks Remixed From Original 4 And 8-Track Session Tapes In The Who Vault)
Disc 5 – 14 Of Pete Townshend’s Original Demos – Previously Unreleased & Exclusive To This Set…

Plus two 7" singles.

As a huge Who fan I will still be getting this, but I will be very disappointed if the above listing holds true and there is no surround. :cry:

BOO!
 
It would have been great to have some surround here, but not sure how it was recorded to begin with. Or what might still exist.

I was lucky to have seen the original Who play at the Oakland coliseum in 1976. Used to hear them on the AM radio when I was a kid. So, I remember them well.

I agree, what I really, really want is a good Quad like experience of “Who’s Next.” I played the hell out of that record through an SQ decoder, which I was lucky to have.
 
I have to imagine that, as there are no new mixes of the original album, the multitracks are lost or were reused.
 
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