The Who

Six hundred thousand, that's the number of people the Who faced down in 1970 when they played their legendary gig at the Isle Of Wight Festival. On August 30, at two in the morning, they pulled off one of the greatest gigs in the history of rock'n'roll and it is now available to be witnessed with the finest of technology. Cleaned up with a 24-bit mix and 5.1 Surround Sound and DTS, this 85-minute performance, captured by director Murray Lerner, is easily one of the premier concert films ever to be shot. With a set list including "I Can't Explain," "My Generation" and "Twist And Shout," the first half of the concert is textbook. However, when they enter the realm of Tommy and perform the rock opera in its entirety, the Who easily become the greatest rock band that ever lived. In a white boiler suit, Pete Townshend leaps into scissor kicks and chops his guitar like an axe, Paul Bunyan-style. Roger Daltrey is the epitome of a strong front-man, strutting his stuff and swinging his mic with the utmost control. John Entwhistle makes his presence known pounding away at his bass, dressed in full skeleton garb that reeks of WTF? And then there's Keith Moon, the greatest drummer of all time. He bounces, mimes and acts up behind his kit revealing his naughty little self while hitting away without any effort required. Lerner's camera work is sublime, giving equal time to the musicians while capturing their work from every angle imaginable. The thunderous ending of "Listening To You" influences the camera to take more dares, turning 360s and revealing just how monstrous the fervent crowd really is. Besides the concert footage, Lerner has added a new interview with Townshend exclusively for this release. The famous guitarist doesn't hold back anything from his commentary, telling some outrageous tales and beginning the chat with, "I really didn't like working with that band at all." For any fan, the interview alone makes this is a must own. (Eagle Vision/EMI)