If there
was any doubt that the Who were one of the most ferocious live acts on the
planet at the start of the ‘70s, Live at Leeds quashed it. They recorded that
particular concert at the University of Leeds on Feb. 14, 1970.
But the
show came about as somewhat of an afterthought. The Who had finally achieved
mainstream success with Tommy the previous year and had hoped to compile a live
album made from the many dates they recorded. But Pete Townshend decided he
didn’t want to go through the hassle of determining which versions were the
best and had his sound man Bob Pridden burn the tapes.
Instead,
the Who booked two shows, one in Leeds and a second in Hull the next day, and
would choose the songs from there. Unfortunately, there were technical problems
with the Hull recording — John Entwistle’s bass was inaudible on the first six
songs — and they were forced to use just the one concert.

Subsequent
reissues of Live at Leeds, however, have only added to its legend, allowing
listeners to hear the entire concert — which included not just the Tommy
portion, but a thunderous “Heaven and Hell,” a cover of Benny Spellman’s Allen
Toussaint-penned “Fortune Teller” and the somewhat obscure “Tattoo.” The 2010
40th anniversary box set saw the Hull night finally released, with Entwistle’s
bass from the Leeds show overdubbed on the songs where it had not been
recorded.
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