The Who * 1976-10-18 * Winnipeg Arena * Winnipeg, Manitoba * JEMS Archive * First-Generation Transfer and Upgrade *

Roger Daltrey (vocals, harmonica, tambourine)
John Entwistle (bass and vocals)
Keith Moon (drums)
Pete Townshend (guitar and vocals)

Recording gear: Unknown mic (mono) > Unknown recorder

JEMS 2017 Transfer: true first-generation cassettes > Nakamichi CR-7A azimuth-adjusted playback > Sound Devices USBPre2 > Audacity 2.0 (16/44.1 capture to .wav) > iZotope RX and Ozone > FLAC

01. Intro
02. I Can�t Explain
03. Substitute
04. My Wife
05. Baba O�Riley
06. Squeeze Box
07. Behind Blue Eyes
08. Dreaming From the Waist
09. Magic Bus
10. Amazing Journey
11. Sparks
12. The Acid Queen
13. Fiddle About
14. Pinball Wizard
15. I�m Free
16. Tommy�s Holiday Camp
17. We�re Not Gonna Take It
18. See Me, Feel Me
19. Summertime Blues
20. My Generation (with Join Together, My Generation Blues)
21. Won�t Get Fooled Again

For a Who enthusiast and tape collector, there's nothing more exciting or maddening than 1976. How does that work?

Well, when the stars aligned, the Who played at a very high level that year. And absent a complete, official recording, an upgrade like this merits a listen. Or, in the case of a first-generation recording of Winnipeg, October 18, perhaps several listens. While the same recording was used to make a few YouTube entries for this show, the fidelity here is much improved, yielding a solid entry for '76, one where even the tape flip late in the show doesn't feel out of place.

Winnipeg was the penultimate performance of the '76 tour. (The gig two nights later in Toronto was Keith Moon's last in North America.) And it's an excellent outing. After the customary opening numbers, things take off quickly with a virtuosic "My Wife," with each player making the most of it, something they repeat in "Dreaming From the Waist." The excellent musicianship continues to the end, with several jams, interludes, and tags.

This sure sounds like the '70s: I thought JEMS might send a pair of bell bottoms to wear while listening. And if they had, I'm sure they'd be well-fitting, and of high-quality denim: to go with the sound, of course! This is a very good recording, and if I could give an award 41 years on to the taper and his quiet collaborators, I would. There's very little in the way of noise to distract from the fine capture. Some have suggested that the audience was subdued, something that Townshend perhaps alluded to near the top of the performance. But he and his band weren't deterred: they turned in a terrific set.

The maddening part: a static set list, one that barely changed. Would it have been that hard to throw in "The Punk and the Godfather," "Drowned," or "Relay"? Not happening, I know. That predictability sure makes writing the set list a cinch: I just copied the one from Jacksonville (another first-gen/upgrade), and hoped for a surprise as I listened. But practice makes perfect: at this point, the band could have melted steel. It's more '76 goodness and you'll surely enjoy it.

Thanks to Butterking for picking this one. He searched for part II so that we'd have the whole thing, then made his usual judicious transfer, which mjk5510 made sure was pitch perfect.

And of course, we tip our hat (watch the mics, please) to Jared, whose spirit lives on in the recordings he made, shared, and loved.

Share it freely, and for free!

- slipkid68