The Who's "Lifehouse" - Double Album Version

Back in January, I wrote about my idea of a triple album version of The Who's Lifehouse. By most accounts, Lifehouse was originally supposed to be a double album before it was scaled down to the single disc Who's Next in 1971. So this time around I've compiled a double album version that's significantly different, and not just because it's shorter.

The track list for Lifehouse is hotly debated by a lot of Who fans. Pete Townshend continued working on his Lifehouse concept long after Who's Next was completed. Later songs supposedly connected to the idea ended up on 1975's Who by Numbers and 1978's Who Are You. And Townshend has given conflicting information over the years regarding what tracks were originally part of the concept.

To come up with a track list for a double album version, I decided to look at the order the band performed the songs in concert in 1971. The Who had of course played Tommy songs in order on previous tours, so this made sense to me. Specifically, I used the setlist from the opening dates of the band's 1971 U.S. tour:

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-who/1971/the-spectrum-philadelphia-pa-2bdf008e.html

This isn't a perfect solution as the set list mixed in some older songs, and some Lifehouse/Who's Next songs weren't performed at all. However, I felt the set list gave me a good outline to which I added other tracks to complete a track list for the album. The result is actually quite different from a lot of other attempts I've seen (including my own triple album version), but I think it works pretty well.

SIDE A
1. Baba O'Riley
2. Love Ain't for Keeping [electric version with Pete on lead vocals]
3. Pure and Easy [alternate version]
4. Time is Passing
5. Young Man Blues

SIDE B
1. Going Mobile
2. Behind Blue Eyes [alternate version]
3. I Don't Even Know Myself
4. Too Much of Anything
5. Getting in Tune [alternate version]

SIDE C
1. Bargain
2. Baby, Don't You Do It [alternate version featuring Leslie West on guitar]
3. Water
4. Naked Eye

SIDE D
1. Let's See Action
2. Won't Get Fooled Again [original New York sessions version]
3. The Song is Over

One thing of note is that this version only includes songs recorded by The Who. Most Lifehouse recreations include at least a couple of Townsend demos, specifically "Mary" and "Greyhound Girl," and sometimes "Teenage Wasteland." Not here -- this is all Who.

Also, since I've already presented most of these songs on the triple album version, a new double album version gives us an opportunity to use other versions of songs available on the 2003 Deluxe Edition of Who's Next -- see bracketed [ ] comments.

I should note that there are two versions of "Baby, Don't You Do It" featuring Leslie West on guitar. On the 1995 reissue of Who's Next, there's an edited 5:13 version. That better suits the time restrictions of a vinyl album. But if you're of the mind to say, "To hell with time restrictions," by all means use the full 8:21 version from the Deluxe Edition.

I like how the first three sides each kick off with a strong Who's Next track. The final side mirrors the last side of my triple-album version as I think these three songs perfectly end the album.

The cover is simply the original cover art of Who's Next, minus the title.

Here is a YouTube playlist of the album. Enjoy!