The Kids Are Alright
The Kids Are Alright is the soundtrack to the Who's documentary film of the same name, and it doubles as a look back over their biggest songs up to that point. Most of it is live rather than the familiar studio takes. It came out in June 1979 as a double album, on MCA Records in the US and Polydor in the UK. It sits between Who Are You (1978) and Face Dances (1981) in their story.
The live angle is the draw. "My Wife" comes from a show at the Gaumont State Cinema in Kilburn, filmed for the movie though left out of the final cut, and later restored for DVD as The Who at Kilburn: 1977. "Tommy Can You Hear Me" has an extended ending, with Roger Daltrey repeating "Tommy" before Keith Moon screams "'Ello!". It reached No. 8 in the US, where it went platinum, and No. 26 in the UK.
The Kids Are Alright: tracklist, credits and charts
17 tracks · 1:20:25Tracklist
- Disc 1
- 1My GenerationPete Townshend4:29
- 2I Can’t ExplainPete Townshend2:01
- 3Happy JackPete Townshend2:12
- 4I Can See for MilesPete Townshend4:15
- 5Magic BusPete Townshend3:23
- 6Long Live RockPete Townshend3:57
- 7Anyway, Anyhow, AnywhereRoger Daltrey and Pete Townshend2:50
- 8Young Man BluesMose Allison5:44
- 9My WifeJohn Entwistle5:59
- 10Baba O’RileyPete Townshend5:25
- Disc 2
- 1A Quick One, While He’s AwayPete Townshend7:30
- 2Tommy, Can You Hear Me?Pete Townshend1:46
- 3SparksPete Townshend3:01
- 4Pinball WizardPete Townshend2:48
- 5See Me, Feel MePete Townshend5:25
- 6Join Together / Roadrunner / My Generation BluesPete Townshend and Bo Diddley9:54
- 7Won’t Get Fooled AgainPete Townshend9:48
- Produced by
- Glyn Johns, The Who, Various
- Recorded at
- Twickenham Film Studios, University of Leeds, Olympic Studios, London Coliseum, Gaumont State Cinema, Shepperton Studios, Yasgur’s Farm, Pontiac Silverdome
- Recorded
- 1965–1978
- Engineered by
- Cy Langston
- Labels
- MCA Records, Polydor (UK), MCA (US)
- Length
- 1:20:25
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1979 | 8 |
| UK Albums Chart · 1979 | 26 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1979 | 10 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1979 | 30 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada · 1979 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 2019 | Gold |
| United States · 1979 | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 8 June
Every year →More from The Who
Full discography →The best of 1979
All of 1979 →More on MCA Records
The label →Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1979-06-08 vs 1979-06-09 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 9 June 1979 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 8 June 1979 | |
| Wikidata | 1979 | |
| US release | 1979 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 9 June 1979 | earliest UK or European date |
14 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | US | MCA Records | 076732689929 | other |
| — | US | MCA Records | 076732689929 | other |
| — | XW | Universal UMC | 00602567796473 | other |
| 1979 | US | MCA Records | other | |
| 9 June 1979 | GB | Polydor | original | |
| 1988 | CA | MCA Records | 00076732689929 | other |
| 1988 | US | MCA Records | 076732689929 | other |
| 1993 | GB | Polydor | 731451794728 | other |
| 2001 | GB | Polydor | 731454369428 | other |
| 17 April 2001 | US | MCA Records | 731454369428 | other |
| 21 December 2011 | JP | Polydor | 4988005690814 | other |
| 20 February 2013 | JP | Polydor | 4988005749659 | other |
| 21 April 2018 | XE | Polydor | 602567132325 | other |
| 21 April 2018 | XE | Polydor | 602567132325 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 600×600 | upscaled |