Album · Compilation · 30 years old this year
My Generation – The Very Best of The Who
My Generation: The Very Best of The Who is a 1996 compilation, released on 27 August 1996. It is one of several hits collections the band have put out over the years, issued by Polydor internationally and MCA Records in the United States.
What sets it apart is its timing. It arrived alongside the reissues of the band's original albums, and it draws on the newly remastered versions of the songs, with some also remixed. Those reissues left out the debut album, My Generation, for contractual reasons, so this set gives a fresh-sounding overview of a catalogue that runs from that 1965 debut through Tommy, Who's Next and Quadrophenia. It suits anyone wanting the band's best-known material in a single sitting, with the sound cleaned up for the mid-1990s.
My Generation – The Very Best of The Who: tracklist and credits
20 tracks · 1:16:18Tracklist
- 1I Can’t ExplainPete Townshend2:05
- 2Anyway, Anyhow, AnywhereRoger Daltrey and Pete Townshend2:41
- 3My GenerationPete Townshend3:18
- 4SubstitutePete Townshend3:48
- 5I’m a BoyPete Townshend2:37
- 6Boris the SpiderJohn Entwistle2:29
- 7Happy JackPete Townshend2:12
- 8Pictures of LilyPete Townshend2:44
- 9I Can See for MilesPete Townshend4:23
- 10Magic BusPete Townshend3:17
- 11Pinball WizardPete Townshend3:02
- 12The SeekerPete Townshend3:25
- 13Baba O’RileyPete Townshend5:09
- 14Won’t Get Fooled Again (full length version)Pete Townshend8:34
- 15Let’s See ActionPete Townshend4:03
- 165.15Pete Townshend4:50
- 17Join TogetherPete Townshend4:22
- 18Squeeze BoxPete Townshend2:41
- 19Who Are You (single edit version)Pete Townshend4:59
- 20You Better You Bet (full length version)Pete Townshend5:38
- Produced by
- Shel Talmy, The Who, Kit Lambert, Glyn Johns, Glyn Johns, Jon Astley, Bill Szymczyk
- Executive producer
- Chris Stamp
- Recorded at
- Pye Studios, IBC Studios, Olympic Sound Studios, Regent Sound Studios, CBS Studios, Gold Star Studios, Talent Masters Studios, Morgan Studios, The Kitchen, Shepperton Studios, Goring Studios, Ramport Studios, Odyssey Studio
- Recorded
- 1964–1980
- Mixed by
- Kit Lambert
- Mixed at
- Gold Star Studios, Bayshore Recording Studios
- Engineered by
- Damon Lyon-Shaw, Allan Blazek, Bill Szymczyk
- Labels
- BMG Direct Marketing, Inc., Polydor
- Length
- 1:16:18
Line-up
- John Entwistle · bass, vocals, electric bass guitar, background vocals, lead vocals, French horn
- Perry Ford · piano · guest
- Keith Moon · percussion, drums (drum set), background vocals
- Jimmy Page · guitar · guest
- Pete Townshend · guitar, vocals, electric guitar, background vocals, cello, lead vocals, piano, accordion, acoustic guitar, banjo
- Roger Daltrey · lead vocals, vocals, mouth harp
- The Ivy League · background vocals · guest
- Nicky Hopkins · piano · guest
- The Who · guest
- Dave Arbus · violin · guest
- Rod Argent · piano · guest
- Andy Fairweather‐Low · background vocals · guest
- Kenney Jones · drums (drum set) · guest
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom · 1996 | Gold |
| United States · 2002 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
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Released the same week
Also released on 27 August
Every year →
More from The Who
Full discography →
My Generation
1965
Ready Steady Who
1966
A Quick One
1966
The Who
1967
The Who Sell Out
1967
Number Two
1968
Magic Bus: The Who on Tour
1968
Direct Hits
1968
Tommy
1969
Live at Leeds
1970
Who’s Next
1971
Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
1971
Quadrophenia
1973
Odds & Sods
1974
Investigacion de mercado
1975
Tommy
1975
The Who by Numbers
1975
Substitute
1976
The Story of The Who
1976
Who Are You
1978
The Kids Are Alright
1979
Face Dances
1981
Hooligans
1981
It’s Hard
1982
Who’s Greatest Hits
1983
The Singles
1984
Who’s Last
1984
Who’s Missing
1985
Two’s Missing
1987
This Is My Generation
1988
Who’s Better, Who’s Best
1988
Won’t Get Fooled Again
1988
Join Together
1990
Thirty Years of Maximum R&B
1994
Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970
1996
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Who
1999
BBC Sessions
2000
The Who Live: The Blues to the Bush 1999
2000
Live at the Royal Albert Hall
2001
The Ultimate Collection
2002
Then and Now
2004
Live From Toronto
2006
Endless Wire
2006
Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who
2008
Greatest Hits
2009
Greatest Hits Live
2010
Live at Hull 1970
2012
Quadrophenia: Live in London
2014
The Who Hits 50!
2014
Live at Shea Stadium 1982
2015
Ready Steady Who Two
2016
Ready Steady Who Three
2017
Live at the Fillmore East 1968
2018
WHO
2019
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More on BMG Direct Marketing, Inc.
The label →
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 27 August 1996 | ignored lone early release dated 1996-08-01 |
| Wikipedia infobox | 27 August 1996 | |
| Wikidata | 27 August 1996 | |
| US release | 27 August 1996 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1 August 1996 | earliest UK or European date |
7 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | US | BMG Direct Marketing, Inc. | other | |
| 1996 | BR | Polydor | 731453315020 | other |
| 1996 | US | MCA Records | 020831174121 | other |
| 1 August 1996 | GB | Polydor | 731453315020 | original |
| 27 August 1996 | CA | MCA Records | 008811146221 | other |
| 27 August 1996 | US | MCA Records | 008811146221 | other |
| 26 September 1996 | JP | Polydor | 4988005187413 | other |
Cover art sources
fanarttv · upscaled: major: best source 1000x1000, upscaled to 1500 (x1.50)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| fanarttv ✓ | 1000×1000 | upscaled: major: best source 1000x1000, upscaled to 1500 (x1.50) |
| coverartarchive | 300×296 | upscaled |