I wish........

That plans were afoot to compile a definitive live audio collection for The Who. A project was mooted as the culmination of the re-isueing of the band's recorded catalogue. However, as with so many great ideas, it was shelved.

As will be borne out by Murray Lerner's film of the band in 2006/7, The Who are the greatest live band. Testament to this can easily be found from the "The Kids Are Alright" film and the stunning "Live At Leeds" album, but in terms of a career retrospective, we are still falling well short of the mark.

I created my own little 3 x CD set at the beginning of the year (sad bastard that I am) which takes in material from 1966 - 1976. I tried to use as much soundboard material as I could, however I have always loved the quirkiness of the audience bootleg tape and included a fair share of that too. It goes along the lines of Fairport Convention's "Fairport UN-conventional" box set in terms of interspersing top notch sound with material of a less-listenable nature.

Releasing every show from both the 2002 and 2004 tours was a praiseworthy project, however, I would have thought it more beneficial and *IMPORTANT* to start getting material out there that both celebrates and enhances the band's reputation.

Why am I saying all this? Not because *I* want product out there, but because I want the bands name writ large in the minds of people that love live recorded material.

Driving the hour it takes me to get to work every morning in essentially my ONLY chance to really listen to music these days.

Music enthralls me.

Music consumes me.

.....although I can't play a note.

I made the purchase earlier this year of a 6-disc changer for the car and what a revelation it has been. Last week I comforted myself on my various tedious journeys with the following:

Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys
Rockin' The Fillmore - Humble Pie
After Bathing At Baxters - Jefferson Airplane
Who's Next - The Who (OF COURSE!!!!)
What We Did On Our Holidays - Fairport Convention
5 Live Yardbirds - The Yardbirds

Today, I loaded the 4 Woodstock soundtrack discs along with Led Zeppelin 4 and Queen's debut album.

Hearing the beautiful tones of Melanie this morning just chilled me completely to the point that I nearly stopped and drove down to Brighton for a chill-out. John B Sebastin singing "Beautiful Dream" said it exactly what Pete Townshend asked at the end of his Psychderalict album:

"What happened to the truth? What happened to the dream? What happened to all that lovely hippie shit?"

I fear for the human race - what drives people, in the midst of one of the biggest natural disasters of our time, to loot and pillage other people's property? What makes someone attack and rape a woman in her 70's?

I look at my dog Jack and wish to god sometimes that I could have a life so full of joy as his......