Half its members may be dead and its leader may be keeping a low profile, but the Who remains enormously popular. Devotees who haven't availed themselves of Jeff Stein's thrilling, self-mocking 1979 documentary about the group shouldn't wait another minute now that the film has been painstakingly--perhaps heroically--restored to its theatrical-release length from original elements. The sound is clearer than on previous video releases, images are once more crisp and color-rich, and adjustments in tape speed make the Who sound like themselves again, particularly in vintage television performances and filmed club dates from as far back as the band's sonically thrilling, early R&B period. Special features are, shall we say, extensive: 100 or so minutes of multiple-angle footage, an insightful interview with Roger Daltrey, a featurette about the film's restoration, and a mesmerizing, isolated John Entwistle audio track. --Tom Keogh
(15 votes)
2.
A dazzling visual diary of legendary performances, THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT chronicles the development of the Who from angry young mod upstarts to worldwide arena rock icons. Director Jeff Stein (who was just 21 at the time) was given unlimited access to archives of the Who, occasionally butting heads with famously strong-willed guitarist/songwriter Pete Townsend over the direction of the film. It begins with the band's famed guitar-smashing, 1967 American TV debut on The Smothers Brothers show and continues through Monterey Pop, Woodstock, and on into the 1970s as the band cements its "legend" status in the rock canon with such complex works as QUADROPHENIA. Twenty-two classic Who tunes are featured, including a special version of the title track, "My Generation," "Magic Bus," "Happy Jack," and "Long Live Rock." Manic drummer Keith Moon, who provides numerous laughs in the film, died a year before the film was released.
(15 votes)
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