THEN AND NOW

For any casual fan of The Who, Then and Now is perhaps the best thing out there. Many of the hits are here, particularly the music that has gotten a substantial amount of airplay over the years. There are no obscure gems included, and I'm pleased to say that the version of "Who Are You?" on this one is not the weak, radio-edit (which some stations forgo anyway in favor of the original). The title of the compilation is perhaps a bit misleading, since only two of the twenty songs are recent, but it is those last two songs that really make this collection worth having. Filling in for the late and revered John Entwistle on "Old Red Wine" and "Real Good Looking Boy" are Pino Palladino and Greg Lake, respectively. "Old Red Wine" is a nostalgic tribute to Entwistle, who loved the fruit of the vine. "Real Good Looking Boy" features mildly humorous lyrics and is also, in its way, a tribute to someone- this time, that someone is Elvis Presley. The band nods to "Can't Help Falling in Love," using it as a bridge. Both are exceptional songs; in fact, if I had to choose only five songs off this compilation, the new fare would be somewhere in that list.

I'm a huge Who fan, but I really have to say that this greatest hits compilation is quite bad. There are several reasons leading me to this conclusion: the first is the unexplainable choice not to include a track like "Baba O' Reilly" , the second is the HORRID CRIME of cuttin' off some sections of "Love Reign O'er Me", which is shorter here indeed: this is an insult to the listener, not to mention that this operation has been done badly: it is infact very clearly recognizible where the track has been cut, the third reason is the inclusion of a quite forgettable track like "I'm a boy".

I recommend it to fans only.

If you don't know The Who music and you'd like to approach it with a greatest hits, then choose "My Generation: The very best of The Who" , a much better compilation than this one.

'Then And Now' - The Who (Compilation)

Another one of the many compilations available for purchase from The Who, it is quite obviously difficult to recommend this best-of collection to anyone who is already a fan of the band. The hits and better known songs are here, and for the sake of a compilation, this does its job quite well. On top of that, this is a support of two tracks that The Who had more recently written as the vanguard to 'Endless Wire'; their big comeback album. Overall, this shows the progression of the band quite well, over the course of a whopping forty years. Personally, I enjoy The Who's early hits much more compared to their later stuff. The '60s were not the most consistent time for this band, but they certainly put out some great songs; most of which are featured here. The whole of the band's career is fairly well represented here, and while the new songs are not particularly excellent, it is great to hear this band back in action. Of course, the majority of the songs here have already been heard, but it is nice to hear a couple of new tracks. For anyone wanting a more fulfilling experience with this band though, anything of their first six albums should do the trick.